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Act Now to Garden in the Spring

If you don’t already have a garden, then waiting until the spring isn’t going to help you at all. Even if you pour your time and resources into gardening starting in the spring you won’t be seeing the result until summer, and then it will still be limited. But, if you act now and prepare, you can hit the ground running as spring comes around. Here are some steps that you can take now to get starting growing food next year. Building Beds Especially for those of us that aren’t carpenters and use salvaged material, getting your raised beds […]

DIY Clones

Downtime in the garden can really kill your productivity and efficiency. Cloning plants, such as tomatoes, will greatly reduce the time, space, and resources like potting soil. It will also give you a more predictable result, since you are not starting seeds with unknown traits, but cloning only the best plants in your garden. Here’s how to get started cloning your own plants. First, you will need a few supplies: Razor blade Clone plugs Clone tray with plastic cover Root tone Directions Most important is the selection of mother plants. You want to not only look for […]

Harvesting Sugar Cane (Video)

Sugar is a huge part of the American diet, and yet a lot of people don’t even think about how it grows or how it’s harvested. Entire nations and states have had their entire economies centered around sugar, a very valuable commodity that is pretty labor-intensive. These days, big agro sugar cane fields have plenty of industrial equipment to make this labor-intensive crop easier to plant, tend and harvest. I thought this video of harvesting sugar cane on a homestead was pretty cool. I love seeing how things are/were done without big industrial equipment, especially by small homesteaders. Check it […]

How to Grow Blueberries

Blueberries are a delicious “superfood”. They are full in antioxidants like anthocyanin and offer numerous health benefits. They can get quite costly at the store, especially when they are out of season. But since blueberries are a perennial shrub, there is no reason for you to be spending money over and over again at the store one these “super” fruits. Here’s how to get started. Since blueberries have specific growing requirements, and people often have trouble getting conditions just right for them, they are one of the few crops that I would suggest growing them in containers. They will […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. If you liked this, you might also enjoy… Natural Healing Techniques Doctors Don’t […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Growing Loofah Sponges

I always thought that loofah was the remains of some aquatic creature living on oceans reefs. But then when I was searching an online seed catalog I saw it listed. I had to click it to check it out, and then grow some for myself. It turns out that loofah is in the same family as cucumber, it’s a gourd, and it can be eaten or left to dry on the vine and used as the sponge you see in stores. Here’s how. They do not handle frost well, so don’t plant them too early if you live […]

Growing An Edible Garden Landscape

Gardening is a hobby that can be enjoyed by everyone. With the numerous types of accessible gardening methods available, physical limitations or mobility concerns should not prohibit you from growing a garden. An online search of photos of accessible gardens that creative individuals have designed will give you some ideas as to how you might want to design your garden. Keep in mind that accessible gardening is just like traditional gardening in that the design you choose and the plants you include can be tailored to your individual preference. Raised beds are a popular form of accessible garden. When you […]

Watering Wisely to Conserve Water, Time, and Energy

Whether you get the water for your garden from rain collection or from the tap, you are going to want to conserve this precious resource as much as possible. You don’t want to run out, and you don’t want to add unnecessary cost to your garden. You also don’t want to have to take the time and energy to water your garden inefficiently since you have enough to do already. Here are a few tips on how to get the most of your water by watering wisely. Check First Check the soil to see if watering is necessary before […]

Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Garden

To assure that the plants in your garden thrive, there are several mistakes you should avoid when setting up your garden. Getting things right from the start can save you time and money and eliminate a lot of stress and frustration. Determine the size Ambition is a wonderful thing, but being overly ambitious and planting a garden that is too large for you to manage is a mistake you want to avoid. Deciding how much time and energy you have to devote to maintaining a garden should be the basis for determining its size. Choosing a location Most vegetables require […]

Vertical Gardening

You don’t need a lot of space to grow an abundant variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Vertical gardens have become a popular patio, deck or small lawn project for everyone wanting to enjoy the benefits of having fresh vegetables right outside their door. Vertical gardens can be a family project or a solitary hobby that functions as a form of stress relief while supplying you with delicious food for your table. There are numerous benefits to growing a vertical garden. One of the main benefits is the small amount of space that it requires. Another benefit is that vertical […]

Horizontal Pumpkin Trellis

Pumpkins are not the first crop most people think of when they think of trellising, and horizontal is not the orientation most think of when they think of trellising. But having a successful garden on the cheap requires thinking outside the box. Using a trellis to grow crops like pumpkins that would sprawl and crawl all over if left to themselves will save tons of space. Likewise, orientating your trellis horizontally can also save space. That might seem counterintuitive, but if your trellis is vertical it will shade out the area behind it. Depending on your space and garden design […]

How to Find Deals on Gardening Supplies

Whether you garden on a large-scale or simply have a patio garden, you’re probably always looking for good deals on gardening tools and supplies. The following suggestions will provide you with some of the best places to find those money-saving deals. Garage sales and estate sales As soon as the weather begins to get warm, people tend to get a case of spring fever and begin cleaning out their basement, garage, and storage building. They typically have a garage sale in hopes of making a little money on items they no longer want. Garden tools and equipment often end up […]

DIY Flow Through Worm Bin

Worm castings are a great natural fertilizer that not only add plant-available nutrients, but also increase long-term soil structure and health. But at over $20 a cubic foot, worm castings can be expensive to add to your garden. So don’t buy them, make your own flow through worm bin and easily harvest your own worm castings. This video shows the materials and tools necessary and gives simple-to-follow instructions on how to go about building your own flow through worm bin. It even shows some examples of bins of different sizes made from different materials to give you an idea of what […]