Garden carts are an essential part of every gardener’s toolkit. So why don’t you have one yet? Table of Contents If you’re a fan of efficiency like me, you know that loading up all of your garden tools, supplies, and soil in a garden cart and then hauling them out to the garden makes a lot more sense than lugging them all out one-by-one. I don’t know about you, but I’m a lazy gardener....
In rock gardens, wooly thyme reigns supreme. This tiny-leafed plant is a perfect ground cover variety, and can tolerate poor soils. Table of Contents Growing thyme amongst your stepping stones is a great choice. While only tolerant of occasional foot traffic, it lets off a faint but beautiful aroma when stepped on. If planted out of the range of feet, it can be used as a culinary herb as well....
The Lace Aloe, or Aloe aristata plant is a low-growing plant, which is mostly found in South Africa. It has fleshy, soft-spined dark green leaves, which have white bumps. As the weather changes, the leaves tend to change color and orange-red flowers grow on the long stems. Table of Contents Even though this plant is different from other aloe plants and looks more like a haworthia, it’s still an amazing houseplant and can even be grown in a greenhouse....
Want something festive and tasty? Nasturtium flowers perfectly embody the vibrancy of summer with their bright red, yellow, and orange and bold, peppery flavor. You’ll love how growing nasturtium quickly fills empty spaces in your garden – and your plate! Table of Contents Nasturtiums can be used just about anywhere and are ridiculously easy to grow. They’ll climb up fences, sprawl down walls, edge flower beds, cover the ground, and much more....
I haven’t met a gardener yet that doesn’t love succulents. With their chunky leaves and water superpowers, succulents have become an urban gardening icon. However, these fun plants often meet an early end due to improper care. Table of Contents In this article, we’ll go over how to keep succulents alive, indoors and out. The goal is to understand what your plant needs to live as long as possible. We don’t want to lose any more plants!...
His name is Darko, and he lives in Slovenia. He’s been growing microgreens for quite a while now and is very experienced. I love his experimental nature though…and the results of this test are pretty incredible! If you want to contact him directly about this experiment, email him at [email protected] Enter Darko! Experiment Details Start Date: 10/26/13 6.45 PM I was using plastic containers measuring 3.9×7 inches (10×18 cm). One was filled with special soil for herbs, second with cellulose pulp (sulfite hardwood cellulose pH below 6....
Nothing makes your gardening prowess better than an efficient raised bed watering system. Whether you go for drip irrigation, soaker hoses, a sprinkler system, or an automatic watering system, you will save much time and energy after your setup is complete. Table of Contents Especially with raised garden beds, irrigation systems prevent lots of problems. Say goodbye to uneven watering and waterborne diseases, and say hello to water conservation! With soaker hoses or drip lines, delivering water at the ground level right where it needs to be is not just possible....
One of the most frustrating aspects of gardening is dealing with insect pests, which may frustrate some home gardeners to the point of giving up. Before you throw in the trowel once and for all, you need to hear about spinosad spray if you aren’t already familiar with it. It’s an organic form of pest control that’s derived from a bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa and doesn’t pose much of a threat to nature, except for some beneficial insects....
Fungicides can save you from certain pests and diseases from destroying your garden. Sulfur fungicide can reduce or prevent Alternaria leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust, chiggers, and many other problems that might show up in the garden. It sounds like a lifesaver, right? Table of Contents You need to know a few things before you douse your plants in sulfur fungicides. For starters, those who live in hot climates shouldn’t apply it when the temperature exceeds 85°F (32°C), or it will fry your plants!...
Have you ever heard of an atemoya tree? This lovely tropical, a hybrid of the cherimoya and the sugar apple, is a beautiful evergreen perennial with unusual fruit. Developed in Florida, it’s now widespread internationally and is gaining in popularity. And you’ll still find native specimens in Florida today! Table of Contents While often inaccurately referred to as the African pride, custard apple, it’s more commonly called pineapple sugar apple or mini soursop....
One superfood packed with omega-3 fatty acids is the chia seed. People purchase chia seeds to add protein to their favorite meals, or for use as an egg replacement in vegan diets. Chia sprouts are common in the kitchen as well. Thankfully, chia seeds come from the chia plant, which is easy to care for once it takes off! Table of Contents Whether you eat chia seeds or not, growing chia plants will bring all sorts of health benefits to your garden as well....
The purple waffle plant stands out from other houseplants due to its unique leaves. Puckered and rippling, they develop in a way to increase the surface area over each leaf surface. The underside of each leaf is a vibrant purple color. As a shaded groundcover plant, it can make for a multicolored mat of dense foliage. Table of Contents That increased surface area has another benefit. Hemigraphis alternata is known to be an air-cleanser....
If you’ve come from my post on hydroponics for beginners, welcome! Table of Contents If you haven’t, welcome anyways! This post is designed to give you an overview of hydroponic nutrients – what they’re made of, what they do, and the different types. What are Hydroponic Nutrients? Because we are growing plants without soil, we miss out on a good deal of nutrients that soil contains. When mixed with water, hydroponic nutrients are designed to replace all of the macro and micro nutrients found within soil....
Those experienced in caring for chickens know about water-glassing eggs. It’s no wonder with how many eggs just one hen can produce in a week. Multiply the 5 to 6 eggs one hen lays by 6 or 7, and you’re working with 30 to 42 per week! Hens also experience a dip in egg production in the winter months, making eggs scarce when you may want them most. I know baking and using the oven in the winter months becomes important, as a way to feed the soul with good food and combat the cold with the oven warmth....
Table of Contents If you’ve been wondering about Ceramic Metal Halide or Light Emitting Ceramic grow lights, you’re on the right track. CMH grow lights are hands down the best HID grow lamp technology available on the market right now. Also known as LEC grow lights, they have the best PAR spectrum of any HID lamp, the slowest degradation rate, and they’re also at least 10% more efficient than other HID lamps....
The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) goes by multiple names such as dragon bean, princess bean, goa beans, asparagus pea, four-sided beans, Hunan winged bean, four-cornered bean, and many more! The winged beans are native to Southeast Asia and thrive in tropical climates since they require a long growing season. There are, however, day-neutral varieties that are suitable for growing in a temperate area. Table of Contents Winged beans grow on vines and will need a structure to support the climbing stems....
Today, we’re exploring the best outdoor storage sheds you can buy. After all, nobody wants an overflowing garage. If you want to park your car in the location that was custom-built for the purpose, something will have to move. Table of Contents Perhaps you’re just storing the lawnmower, your gardening tools and amendments, and some extra bags of compost. Maybe it’s the pile of bikes that the kids use every day....
With summer fading from memory and fall well under way, many gardeners find part of their garden now vacant. Growing bok choy in all of its wonderful varieties and hardiness in cold weather is a great choice for the season! It’s crunchy texture and beautiful shape make it a must have. And it’s even easy to grow! Table of Contents Producing in just a matter of weeks, some rare varieties include ‘Purple Lady’ bok choi and the itty bitty ‘Hedou Tiny’ bok choi....
One of the most common questions I get in emails is, “What books would you recommend to someone just starting out in hydroponics?” It’s a great question because there are so many bad ones and so few good ones. And this is not the first time I’ve addressed this topic – I also covered the very rudimentary basics along with some great YouTube channels and other resources in this article!...
Growing cucumbers is a rite of passage in a summer vegetable garden. With their refreshing crunch and abundant nutrients, what’s not to love? Table of Contents Well, as it turns out, growing cucumbers vertically can be a hassle without proper planning. This is particularly due to the unruly vines that dominate precious garden space. Luckily, you can direct the growth in a better direction – up. Vertical gardening is popular right now, but has actually been around since 3000 BCE....
