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 The snow began falling here today, and to me that means it’s time for garden seed catalogs. I don’t want most of the catalogs we get in the mail, but the yearly garden seed catalogs are different. I love looking through them; and spend hours studying and plotting next years perfect garden (well, it is in my imagination). Unfortunately, many companies are choosing [...] Continue reading Free Garden Seed Catalogs  We enjoy peppers that have ripened to the yellow or red stage rather than eating them green; however, getting peppers to ripen that far in Ohio’s short summers can be challenging. This year, I’d originally planned to grow Red Knight hybrid and Quadrato D’asti Rosso peppers in the garden (see Vegetables for the 2011 garden); but, my first sowing of peppers indoors didn’t make [...] Continue reading 2011 Garden Results – Sweet Peppers  Green pole beans can be great for the backyard garden because they produce all season long (no need to succession plant like bush beans), you don’t have to bend over to pick them, and they’re super productive; however, the taste and texture often aren’t as “refined” as bush green beans. So, for the past several years we’ve trialed a couple of different pole [...] Continue reading 2011 Garden Results – Pole Beans  For the past two years, we’ve used the “Lazy Bed Method” for growing potatoes; and been relatively satisfied with the results. The potatoes were very simple to plant and maintenance was non-existent - just lift the potatoes when the growing season is over; however, the potato quality seemed to suffer somewhat from being grown above ground – insects [...] Continue reading Growing Potatoes: The Lazy Bed Method “IMPROVED”  I really admire beautiful mixed flower and foliage borders like the photo here (confession - none of mine look like this), but have difficulty creating borders like this around our home. As the seasons progress; there’s either too little foliage, too few flowers, the colors don’t mix, or the textures don’t work together. To combat the problem, last year I started examining the borders I was [...] Continue reading Building Beautiful Garden Borders  Tinker Bell Eating Pea Vines Each time I work in the garden and consider bringing back some garden trimmings for the goats and chickens; I have to stop and look through my reference books – to determine whether that particular plant is safe for them to eat. So, I decided to make a list of [...] Continue reading Garden Greens for Goats & Chickens  I used to do a combined spring, summer, and fall seed starting & planting schedule (see Making a Seed Starting & Planting Schedule), but this year I wanted to start concentrating on extending the gardening season into the fall longer – so this is my first fall only planting schedule. But wow – it seems [...] Continue reading 2011 Fall Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)  I’m not sure my container plantings are always gorgeous, but they usually turn out pretty nice due to one trick I learned years ago – use at least one “thriller”, “filler”, and “spiller” when planting the container. And if you’ve got room, throw in a “chiller” to make it exciting. I read about the concept long ago, [...] Continue reading Creating Beautiful Container Plantings (thrillers, fillers, & spillers)  This year, I’m happy to report that we’re getting a bumper crop of sugar snaps peas; and they’re absolutely delicious. As a result, I’m documenting exactly what I know about growing them, in hopes that there’ll be more bumper crops in future years. What Exactly Are Sugar Snaps? Sugar snaps (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon), are a [...] Continue reading Growing Sugar Snap Peas  My first try using soil blocks for starting seedlings wasn’t highly successful (see Seeding Soil Blocks) because I didn’t get my grow-lights up in time to keep the seedlings going. However, it wasn’t a total loss since I’m just reusing the 3/4″ blocks to start more seedlings. The photo below shows 2 week old tomato seedlings that were started in reused 3/4″ [...] Continue reading Soil Block Tomato Seedlings  Starting transplants in soil blocks is a new process for me, so this is a learning project. When seeding the first flat of mini-blocks (see the 3/4” blocks below), I found one nice thing is the depression in the top for a seed. With large seeds, it’s very easy to get a seed into each [...] Continue reading Seeding Soil Blocks  In the past, I haven’t been very good at keeping garden records; however, I’m going to do a better job this year. I know it’s important to keep records to evaluate what varieties and techniques work the best; and I really want to start using varieties and processes that produce the best taste and yield, in the [...] Continue reading Garden Planting Log (w/downloadable template)  Soil blocks were first developed in Holland as a more efficient method for starting seedlings or transplants; and extensive research in European countries has shown transplants grown in them are superior to transplants grown in containers. I’m for anything that’s more efficient and gets better results, so we’re starting seedlings this year using soil blocks. Soil [...] Continue reading Soil Blocks for Starting Transplants  Here in Ohio, it’s been a long winter, and we’re more than ready for some spring color. So, it’s a good time to start pruning spring-blooming trees and shrubs; and force the branches to bloom indoors. The benefits are color and scent inside, and the pruning gets done while plants are dormant and their form can clearly be [...] Continue reading Forcing Spring Flowers  3/4" and 2" Soil Block Makers This year I’m going to start my seedlings in “soil blocks” because containers aren’t needed (so it’s less expensive), and seedling growth is supposed to be better. But, before starting seedlings, I make seed starting mix using a recipe from The New Organic Grower by Elliot Coleman. 3 buckets (10 quart [...] Continue reading Making Seed Starting Mix |
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