Seed Starting Kits

This entry was written on Feb 07, 2010 by our Garden Guru

New gardeners may get confused by all the seed starting products on the market today. There are peat pots that you can fill with soil, peat pellets that are pre-filled and just need water added, newspaper pots you can make yourself, and the list goes on.

There is no right or wrong answer as to what types of pots a gardener should use to start seeds. The peat pots are nice because you can put your own soil mix in them. They tend to be larger so it is possible to germinate the seeds, grow them on and plant them out in the same pot.

With peat pots you do not need to remove the plant from the pot when you put it in a container or in the ground. Plant the pot right along with the plant. This helps eliminate root disturbance.

Peat pellets have this same advantage. They are smaller than peat pots, come pre-filled with peat moss and all you do is add water and plant. A drawback to these is if the peat dries out it is almost impossible to re-wet. The plant roots will dry up as well.

Another drawback is the soil in them is pure peat moss so you do not have aeration material in the soil. This can cause problems with roots being waterlogged and unable to breathe.

Newspaper pots are economical because you make them yourself out of newspaper. Not only is this environmentally friendlier but you can fill the pots with your own soil mix.

When you go to plant the plants grown in them you would plant the pot too. Worms love paper so you will be adding organic matter to the soil when you plant that will encourage earthworm activity.

Of course there are many other options such as plastic pots, soil blocks and more. These are three of the most popular options and will help you get growing.

As you learn you will choose a favorite method. Remember learning to garden is about experimentation and in time you will learn what you like and what works well for you.

Using Grow Lamps Correctly

Beginning indoor gardeners often get frustrated when grow lamps do not give the results they expected. Two main reasons for this can be: 1. The lamp is placed too far away from the plant. Grow lamps should be placed 12 to 18 inches from the plant to work properly for plants. If you are raising seedlings, they will need to be closer to keep the seedlings from getting leggy, typically between three to six inches from the top of the seedling. 2. The lamp is not Full Spectrum. Sunlight contains many frequencies of light from visible, to UV, to Gamma, Alpha, and Beta Radiation. Grow lamps often only provide one end or the other of the spectrum. They come in "hot" varieties and "cold" varieties. To mimic the sun as best as we can, we need both a "hot" bulb and a "cold" bulb. Be sure to ask your local nurseryman for a grow lamp that has both or simply use two grow lamps. If you are using flourscent lights look for one bulb that is on the hot end of the spectrum and one that is on the cold end of the spectrum. Most of the time this information can be found on the bulb package.

Seed Starting Kits

This entry was written on Feb 07, 2010 by our Garden Guru Sheri Ann Richerson

New gardeners may get confused by all the seed starting products on the market today. There are peat pots that you can fill with soil, peat pellets that are pre-filled and just need water added, newspaper pots you can make yourself, and the list goes on.

There is no right or wrong answer as to what types of pots a gardener should use to start seeds. The peat pots are nice because you can put your own soil mix in them. They tend to be larger so it is possible to germinate the seeds, grow them on and plant them out in the same pot.

With peat pots you do not need to remove the plant from the pot when you put it in a container or in the ground. Plant the pot right along with the plant. This helps eliminate root disturbance.

Peat pellets have this same advantage. They are smaller than peat pots, come pre-filled with peat moss and all you do is add water and plant. A drawback to these is if the peat dries out it is almost impossible to re-wet. The plant roots will dry up as well.

Another drawback is the soil in them is pure peat moss so you do not have aeration material in the soil. This can cause problems with roots being waterlogged and unable to breathe.

Newspaper pots are economical because you make them yourself out of newspaper. Not only is this environmentally friendlier but you can fill the pots with your own soil mix.

When you go to plant the plants grown in them you would plant the pot too. Worms love paper so you will be adding organic matter to the soil when you plant that will encourage earthworm activity.

Of course there are many other options such as plastic pots, soil blocks and more. These are three of the most popular options and will help you get growing.

As you learn you will choose a favorite method. Remember learning to garden is about experimentation and in time you will learn what you like and what works well for you.

Planting Tips for Cool Season Vegetables

Around your long season vegetables (those that require 70 or more days to produce) you can plant cool season vegetables. The key is to plant your cool season vegetable seeds early, as they like the chilly, damp season. The following list of vegetable seeds is considered cool weather crops: cauliflower, brussels sprouts, parsnips, artichokes, beets, carrots, chard, lettuce, mustard greens, peas, radish and spinach. Be mindful that some cool season vegetable seeds do better when planted in a flat first, then transplanted into the garden. These vegetable seeds include cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.

Natural Pest Control

This entry was written on Feb 06, 2010 by our Garden Guru Sheri Ann Richerson

To encourage beneficial insects to stay in your garden, avoid sprays or other types of chemicals. Many sprays, including some organic ones, can be harmful to beneficial insects (even in lower doses than recommended). Pesticides are designed to kill, which means they will likely kill every type of insect, good and bad.

When trying to eliminate bad bugs from the garden, allowing nature to take her course is the best bet. In time, the beneficial insects will eat up the bad bugs. In the meantime, if the bad bugs are damaging your plants or bothering you, remove the pests by hand or spray them with a strong stream of water from the garden hose. Pests like tomato hornworm and Japanese beetles can be handpicked easily, but always use gloves (especially for hornworms). To get rid of Japanese beetles, place them in a jar filled with soapy water. Make sure the jar's lid is secure so none of them fly back out.

Only remove pests that are causing damage. While planting sources of nectar for the good bugs will help, don't forget that their main food source is bad bugs. Without the bad bugs as a food source, the beneficial insects will leave your garden.

Plant Markers

Instead of marking rows with the traditional empty seed packets on stakes, make far more durable labels out of plastic picnic knives. Use the plain white kind; their blades offer a good flat surface for inscriptions. Record the plant variety and planting date with an indelible marker and then push the knife, handle downward, into the soil at the head of the row. Other cheap ways to make row markers or seed starting markers is to cut up light colored window blinds and use a permanent marker on them. Wooden popsickle sticks will work too although they tend to rot where they touch the soil.

Amaranth Grain

This entry was written on Feb 05, 2010 by our Garden Guru Sheri Ann Richerson

Amaranth is not only decorative but useful. It is one of the most beautiful grain crops. The leaves and flowers come in a wide array of colors including purple, red, green and gold.

Amaranth is an easy to grow grain crop that readily adapts to most environments. It is not bothered by pests, heat or drought. In fact, it prefers warm weather.

Amaranth seeds is a little larger than poppy seeds so it should be planted on top of the ground and pressed into it. You can plant it in very shallow rows if you prefer. Keep it watered and if possible, cover the seed bed with frost cover until it begins to germinate to stop hungry birds from eating the seeds.

Amaranth can take up to six months to mature. Harvesting takes place as soon as you see the seed heads begin to dry up and turn brittle.

The seeds, which can range in color from black to red to white, will fall out of the dry flowers as soon as you turn them sideways.

To help prevent this, you can put a small paper bag over the top of the seed head, tie it at the bottom around the stem, then cut the stem. If the seeds are already dry they will fall into the paper bag when you turn it upside down.

Hang the bag in a cool, dark place where it will get plenty of air circulation. This will allow the seed heads to finish drying. The seed heads may need some sort of friction such as rubbing them between your gloved hands to help release seeds that do not fall out.

To remove the chaff you can use a small screen that is large enough to let the seeds fall through or winnow it. To winnow use a fan or natural breeze to blow the chaff off the seeds.

You will need to be careful using this method as you may lose some seeds as well. Simply hold a handful of seeds and chaff up about half an inch or so above a bowl and let them fall from your hands. The chaff should blow away and the seeds, being heavier, should fall back into the dish.

Cold Frames

A cold frame, which is a wooden box with a lid made of glass panes, is an excellent tool in your gardening arsenal. This nifty box can help you get a jump start on spring by providing a warm, solar heated place for the seedlings to get started. Larger cold frames can be built right into the ground to take advantage of thermal heat.

Amaranth Grain

This entry was written on Feb 05, 2010 by our Garden Guru

Amaranth is not only decorative but useful. It is one of the most beautiful grain crops. The leaves and flowers come in a wide array of colors including purple, red, green and gold.

Amaranth is an easy to grow grain crop that readily adapts to most environments. It is not bothered by pests, heat or drought. In fact, it prefers warm weather.

Amaranth seeds is a little larger than poppy seeds so it should be planted on top of the ground and pressed into it. You can plant it in very shallow rows if you prefer. Keep it watered and if possible, cover the seed bed with frost cover until it begins to germinate to stop hungry birds from eating the seeds.

Amaranth can take up to six months to mature. Harvesting takes place as soon as you see the seed heads begin to dry up and turn brittle.

The seeds, which can range in color from black to red to white, will fall out of the dry flowers as soon as you turn them sideways.

To help prevent this, you can put a small paper bag over the top of the seed head, tie it at the bottom around the stem, then cut the stem. If the seeds are already dry they will fall into the paper bag when you turn it upside down.

Hang the bag in a cool, dark place where it will get plenty of air circulation. This will allow the seed heads to finish drying. The seed heads may need some sort of friction such as rubbing them between your gloved hands to help release seeds that do not fall out.

To remove the chaff you can use a small screen that is large enough to let the seeds fall through or winnow it. To winnow use a fan or natural breeze to blow the chaff off the seeds.

You will need to be careful using this method as you may lose some seeds as well. Simply hold a handful of seeds and chaff up about half an inch or so above a bowl and let them fall from your hands. The chaff should blow away and the seeds, being heavier, should fall back into the dish.