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gardening – Page 14 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Tag: gardening

  • DIY Starter Containers

    DIY Starter Containers

    Whether or not you grow in containers, it’s nice to start some crops on tables, or even indoors.  But for every plant that you end up transplanting into the ground, you could have started 10 or more that never made the cut.  That means that if you are going to start crops in containers, you are going to need a lot of starter pots, and can add up quickly.  Here are some ways that you can make starter pots from material that you already have and might even be throwing away.

     

    Egg Cartons

    An egg carton can provide a dozen little starter pots.  The carton should be left intact when starting, with only a small hole poked in the bottom of each depression.  Potting soil can be added until it is level with the outside of the carton.  When you want to transplant, you can cut each section free with scissors and plant the seedling in the ground while still in the carton, the carton will decompose without inhibiting growth.

    Toilet Paper Rolls

    While it may take longer to acquire a dozen toilet paper rolls than it does to go through a dozen eggs, you can still save them and use them to start in.  Toilet paper rolls are great for starting cuttings rather than seeds, for crops like comfrey or cholesterol spinach.  They too can be planted in the ground without removing the plant from the container.

    Soda Cans

    Pop cans for those that don’t say soda, but same thing.  The cans can be cut in two, holes can be made in the sides of what was previously the bottom of the can for drainage since the bottom is pretty thick.  The top doesn’t need this since it has an opening.  Be careful when using these since the sides can be sharp.

     

    Before going out and spending $30 or more on starter pots, try some of these to save a little money.  Gardening should not be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be if you improvise.

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  • Growing Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

    Growing Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

    When the weather gets too cold for you to grow vegetables outdoors, you might want to be adventurous and try growing a few select vegetables and herbs indoors. If you live in an apartment, condominium or townhome without any outdoor space to grow a garden, you can grow some vegetables, herbs and even tropical fruit indoors if you create the proper growing environment.

    Sufficient light, either natural light from a door or windows or a grow light, is essential for an indoor vegetable garden to thrive naturally. There are some LED grow lights available on amazon.com that also make for a cost effective alternative (if you don’t have access to sutable light).

    Other than eight or more hours of light, the only thing you need to grow vegetables and herbs indoors is a good potting soil mix and containers with sufficient drainage. You’ll want to be selective when buying seeds or plants for your indoor garden. Carrots and radishes grow well indoors, but it is the round varieties that you want to plant in your indoor garden. Beans are another good choice for an indoor garden. Varieties such as dwarf French green beans and dwarf runner beans are good choices. Beans do well and look attractive when placed at the window of a sunroom. Cherry peppers and banana peppers can do well in a warm, sunny room. Pepper plants should be planted in a 3 to 5 gallon container. Garlic, green onions and ginger are easy and inexpensive plants to include in your indoor garden. Tomatoes can be grown indoors but they won’t produce as well as plants that are grown outdoors.

    If you have a sunny room, an enclosed heated porch or a sunroom that stays warm throughout the year, you might want to try growing something tropical. A dwarf lemon, orange or lime tree could thrive in this type of environment. Hanging baskets add beauty to your indoor decor. A basket filled with strawberries would be a conversation starter when people visit and a convenient source of fresh fruit.

    Herbs grow well on a sunny windowsill, on a kitchen counter or in any well-lit area. You can find containers designed specifically for creating an herb garden. A collection of individual containers placed around the house or grouped together as a decorative display would be an aromatic and attractive addition to your home. If you plan to plant several herbs in one container, you’ll want to group together herbs that require similar growing conditions. Rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano need a lot of sunlight and prefer relatively dry soil. Basil, cilantro and parsley are examples of herbs that can be grouped together because of their preference for moist soil. If you want to grow mint indoors, it is best to plant it in an elongated planter. Mints need space to spread out in order to thrive.

    Growing vegetables indoors is an interesting hobby to pursue. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different vegetables and herbs. You can start with plants that are almost foolproof such as lettuce, onions, garlic, ginger and basil and expand your indoor garden as your experience and confidence level increases.

    If you want to take your garden to the next level…

    Watch this video on self replishing food production.
    It is a great resource if you are ready to start growing more of your own food.
    Garden smarter, not harder.

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  • Demonstration of Proper Tomato Pruning

    Demonstration of Proper Tomato Pruning

    Pruning is a great way to control the growth of your plants.  It can help you increase yield and reduce disease by focusing your plant’s growth.  One crop that pruning is a must for, but often gets neglected is tomatoes.  Tomatoes can be difficult to prune because it is not always visually obvious which portions should be targeted for pruning and which should be left alone.  This video does a great job of show, and explaining just what to remove and why, complete with close ups.

     

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  • Wood Ash for the Garden

    Wood Ash for the Garden

     

    Any way that costs can be cut while increasing productivity and health in the garden is a good thing.  One way to do just that is to use wood ash in your garden as a fertilizer.  Not only does wood ash contain calcium and potassium, along with other nutrients, but an easy-to-obtain byproduct of heating your home with a fireplace, wood stove, or a bonfire to get rid of dead branches and yard waste.  All that being said, don’t run out and smother your garden in a layer of ashes, it won’t have the desired result.

    Here are a few thing to keep in mind when using wood ash as a fertilizer:

     

    Keep it Dry

    Some of the nutrients that you are looking for in wood ash are in water-soluble forms.  This makes them great for adding to the top of soil since the nutrients will be brought down the root zone naturally by watering or the rain.  But, if you leave it out where it can get wet, like in an uncovered fire pit that got rained on, then likely much of what you want in your garden is already gone

    Check the pH

    Since wood ash is alkaline you won’t want to add it to soil that is already alkaline or on acid loving crops like blueberries.  If you chose to add it to your compost pile it should be added little by little and not in a thick layer, that being said it can counteract the acid in material like citrus peels, so if you are composting acidic material you may want to add extra wood ash.

    Dusting

    One of the best ways to use wood ash it to regularly dust your garden soil with it.  Allowing it all to go away naturally before applying more.

     

    Making use of the material that you already have on hand, and might otherwise through away is a great way to cut garden costs while also increasing health and productivity.

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  • Tips to Help You Improve Your Soil

    Tips to Help You Improve Your Soil

    If you are going to be successful at homesteading, you need to have good soil. There are no two ways around it. However, this doesn’t mean that the soil on your land right now needs to be great. There are some simple things you can do to improve the quality of your soil so you can grow your food, and that’s what we’ll be covering over the course of this post.

    Composting

    Take the yard waste and your kitchen waste and create compost. Grass clippings, leaves, vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and the like can make great compost. However, you don’t want to add leftover meat, human waste, or the waste of any animal that eats meat for that matter. Making your own compost pile is easy, and it can make a difference in your soil, as it adds so many nutrients to it.

    Manure

    Another good option to consider is manure, but you need to be careful. It should be added to the compost pile, or you should age the manure by letting it sit. Otherwise, it is going to get too hot. If you were to put this onto plants, it would burn them, which is not something you want to happen. If you have fresh manure, add it in the fall after the harvest. This way, it can sit through the winter.

    Many different types of animals’ waste can be used for your manure. Some of the best options include cow, horse, chicken, sheep, and goat. You can even use rabbit pellets, so if you also happen to raise rabbits, that should be a plentiful and free source of manure for you. One of the other benefits of rabbit pellets is the fact that they are a “cold” manure, so you can add them to plants immediately. You can just place the droppings onto the plants and leave them.

    Mulching

    Another fantastic way that you can start to improve the quality of your soil is through mulching. You can use hay or straw for the mulch, but make sure that it is organic and that it hasn’t been treated with any chemicals. You could also use a variety of other materials. Choose something that you have readily available.

    When you add mulch, you can hold moisture in the soil, which can help protect your plants. It can also ensure the plants stay safer during fluctuating temperatures. For example, it can help save some plants from a frost. Like compost, as it breaks down, it will add some more nutrition to the soil.

    Some simple items that you can use for mulch in addition to hay or straw include grass clippings, bark and wood chips, decaying leaves, peat moss, and some of your compost.

    As you can see, these are some very simple methods you can employ to improve your soil and therefore improve your garden no matter how large or small it might be.

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  • How to Grow Garlic

    How to Grow Garlic

    Depending on how cold it gets where you are located, now is a good time to start getting some room in your garden ready for planting garlic.  Garlic is a low-maintenance crop that isn’t cheap to buy at the store, at least not if you are buying organic.  It can be preserved easily so that you can benefit from your entire harvest, and you can plant again from your own stock further reducing costs.  Here’s how to get started.

     

    Get Your Garlic

    If you have the money and you are the nervous type, or if you have had problems with disease on your garlic before, then you should buy organic seed garlic that is certified disease free.  If not, you can save about $20 by just going to your local grocery store and buying a pound of organic garlic to plant.

    Soil Prep

    Garlic does best in full sun, so find some room in your garden that gets plenty of sun this time of year.  Garlic requires good drainage, so mounding a little soil up, especially if you are not planting in a raised bed well help.  If you have healthy soil you shouldn’t need to amend with anything but some compost.  If you are planting grocery store garlic it is especially important to select an area that you did not grow garlic in last season.  It would also help reduce the chance of disease to plant in several locations instead of one large plot.

    Plant

    Separate cloves from the bulb.  Leave the papery layer on them.  Plant them the same way they grew previously, root side down and pointy side up.  Put them about 3inches deep, with about 4inches between each.  Cover with soil and then add a thick layer of leaves for mulch and insulation.

     

    I’ll post another article about harvesting and some of the options for preserving and processing garlic well before it’s that time of year.

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  • Benefits of Simple Raised Bed Gardens

    Benefits of Simple Raised Bed Gardens

     

    Raised bed gardens are an ideal concept for today’s lifestyle trends. Raised bed gardening transcends generations and is a viable option for various size budgets. You can enjoy this method of gardening whether you have an expansive outdoor area or a space-challenged lawn. If you’re the DIY type, you can easily find detailed instructions for building raised beds. However, if constructing beds yourself isn’t a project you have the tools or time for, a quick Internet search will reveal many raised bed garden kits and design ideas that do not require construction skills.

    Eco-friendly living and an awareness of where food comes from is something more people are paying attention to and worrying about. When you grow your vegetables, you know that they are pesticide free and a healthy option for your family. You will have fewer problems with pests such as rabbits or moles if you opt for tall raised bed gardens. It is much easier to protect your vegetables from pests in a raised bed than in a traditional type garden. Weeds are also less of a problem in an elevated garden. When they do sneak into your garden, they are easy to see and can simply be pulled out.

    The number of individual beds you have will depend on the amount of space you have available and the amount of vegetables you want to grow. Beds can be placed in a design that complements the style of home you have. Square and rectangular beds arranged in a geometric pattern or placed in neat rows would be an attractive design for a modern and contemporary home. Houses in a compact neighborhood typically have small yards. Growing a garden in a raised bed gives you the opportunity to grow an abundance of vegetables in a small space. Familiarize yourself with gardening techniques such as succession planting, companion planting and staggered planting to maximize the use of your garden space.

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    Typically, urban living does not require that you have an extensive collection of lawn and garden equipment. In fact, there’s usually no storage space for such items when you live in an urban setting. Traditional gardens require that you have items such as a tiller, shovel, and hoe on hand to prepare and maintain your garden. Raised beds do not have to be tilled, require little weeding and can be maintained with a minimal number of small, hand-size garden tools.

    Downsizing continues to be a lifestyle change that many people choose to enjoy. It’s typically empty-nesters and retirees that want less house and lawn-related obligations and more leisure time. Moving into a senior community where small lawns are one of the positive features of the neighborhood, makes raised bed gardening an enticing idea. More leisure time means more time for pursuing enjoyable hobbies. One of those hobbies could be gardening. Raised bed gardening can help seniors stay active. It’s also an ideal way for anyone with physical limitations or health issues that restrict their activity level to enjoy growing a garden.

     

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  • Drip System Installation (Video)

    Drip System Installation (Video)

    Recently I wrote about how to conserve water, time, and energy by watering wisely, but that is under the assumption that you, like myself, don’t have a drip system.  If you have the money to invest in a drip system there is no better way to conserve water, time, and energy in watering your garden.  With a timer added to your system you can pretty much forget about your garden and it will still grow.  This video features a system that retails for about $30, in the video it irrigates a 8’x10’ bed with material to spare (the timer is not included in the price).  While not every garden setup allows for a drip system, if you live in an area prone to drought, you may want to design your garden to be compatible.

     

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