They were much too thick, so the plants were thinned and the children took some of the seedlings home to plant in their gardens.These tough little plants are very easy to grow, so they were perfect for a child's first gardening experience.
The spring after my cutting celery made seeds, I had hundreds of volunteer celery seedlings around the compost pile. Leeks can be handled this way, too, and it's worth a try with celery.
Fight Back! Starting with a weedy garden can be intimidating, and demoralizing. Weeds will take full advantage of bare soil, so it's best to keep it covered up Take a look at the picture above as an example.
Compost is always in short supply, so use it where it's needed most It's precious stuff though, so it's wise to reserve it for your hungriest or most treasured plants – there's simply never enough! To make most effective use of your compost, use it...
I love the way plants stack up in a hillside garden, layer upon layer, so that it looks even more lush than it really is. Raised Beds for a Sloping Vegetable Garden Building a terraced vegetable garden is basically making raised beds on a slope, and it's...
A small wire bin collects the mess, and gives me a place to put the remains of seed-bearing herbs and flowers that reseed with a little help. The corn plants may not use up all the fertilizer applied to the row middles, so it's a cushy planting niche...
If it's too windy, much of the gas simply blows away, slamming the brakes on the ripening process. Secure it at the sides with rocks or bricks. Delicate fruits such as peaches or nectarines need very careful handing to avoid bruising.
These issues are heartbreaking when they occur, but the good news is they can usually be avoided by carefully performing one simple annual maintenance task: summer pruning. It's harder for the trees to resist the disease in winter, so again summer pruning...
If you don't have a dehydrator you can simply dry your fruits by threading them onto lengths of fishing line or cotton thread, spacing them out one by one like miniature Christmas stockings.
Mulches may not be very high-tech, but they are incredibly effective in a hot summer. Fill up a suitable-sized reservoir, adding any liquid feed you'd like to apply at the recommended rate.
Position the seed potatoes 30cm (12in) apart along the bottom of trenches spaced at least 60cm (24in) apart. First, the warmth of late summer means that second-crop seed potatoes do not need to be pre-sprouted – they're primed to get growing without...
But thinning further can help trees to stay in good shape and produce a more useful crop. Plants Related to this Article Apple (Dwarf) Grow Guide Pear (Dwarf) Grow Guide Plum (Dwarf) Grow Guide < All Guides
Then, when the eggs hatch, the young Encarsia feed on the larvae from the inside out. Simply paint or color in cards yellow, then smear with a concoction of petroleum jelly cut with a little dishwashing liquid.
Top Up Mulches for A Nutrient Boost Mulches of organic material applied earlier in the season may now be looking a little scant. Grass clippings are a ready-to-hand source of instant mulch too, and will help to keep plant roots cool and moist in hot,...
Make sure your garden provides year-round shelter for allies such as frogs, toads, insect-eating birds and beneficial insects such as ladybugs and hoverflies. Practice crop rotation to help prevent a build-up of crop-specific pests in the soil, and if...
Mint can be used to help deter flea beetles. Another clever technique is to grow nasturtiums close by as a sacrificial crop, also known as a trap crop. After they've germinated, thin to leave just one seedling per cell.
Permanently positioned garden seating looks fantastic when it's visually anchored. Wind chimes give an immediate impact but consider the neighbors; wood or bamboo wind chimes are less invasive and more natural sounding than metal ones.
Warm soil temperatures promote fast germination, so the seeds will be up and growing in a matter of days. They will keep for months. Asian radishes grow slower than little salad radishes, so they are best planted about eight weeks before your first frost...
Preparing for the freezer is quick, it can be done in small batches, and much of the original flavor and nutritional value of the produce will be retained. Tougher vegetables, such as carrots, need four.
Rutabaga seeds sprout quickly, with shade-grown seedlings ready to transplant in only three weeks. The largest rutabaga I've ever grown got mixed up with the Brussels sprouts and enjoyed plenty of elbow room.
These plants cross-pollinate, so you'll need to overwinter more than one plant of the same variety to flower the following season. Especially suitable candidates include peas and beans, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce, which can all be saved at the same...
Scarified seeds shouldn't be stored because they can quickly lose the ability to germinate. Large or hard seeds like those ofoften require scarification for optimal germination. Because the bean embryo is attached just under the hilum, it is best to nick...
However, dampness is the number one enemy of seeds, so you have to act immediately to save what you can.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1"); });You have to check the condition of the seeds first.
That is why crop rotation is important. Read on to learn more.. If they land in a favorable location, all that is left is to wait for the warm season and they germinate and make more of the original plant.
These can be bought in the store, but if you want to stay away from chemicals or simply save some money, there are plenty of organic ways of making your own rooting hormone at home, often from materials you probably already have.One of the main ingredients...
Plantable pots can also help stabilize substrate temperature, which reduces the chance to root injury especially in the southeastern region of the country.Biodegradable plant containers offer a more efficient and more sustainable transplanting operation...
Seedlings in plastic trays tend to be more resistant.Don't plant too thickly. Hours of careful planning are followed by still more hours of planting and tending seed trays, all to fill your garden with beautiful plants, but fungus in seed trays can stop...
