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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  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  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  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  Now that the chickens and goats are here, we have one of the main ingredients for growing great produce. Composted animal bedding makes an incredible difference in garden productivity, especially since I prefer to fertilize naturally rather than chemically. I learned about natural vegetable production early – it was the way my grandfather, who’d grown [...] Continue reading Garden Gold  Over the past few months, I’ve written several posts on growing healthy garden transplants, and I’ve combined them here (for convenience) into one “how-to” on growing seedlings indoors.
Getting Started I’m always anxious to get a jump on the garden growing season, so I start most vegetable plants indoors instead of direct seeding in the garden; that way, I’ve got stocky transplants ready as [...] Continue reading Growing Stocky Garden Seedlings  Every year, I need to determine where our plants will go in the garden, and that means I have to think about crop rotation. Everyone should consider rotating their crops, because it helps maximize productivity while minimizing pests and disease. What Is It Farmers have been rotating crops since farming began, and there are many different strategies. In [...] Continue reading Garden Crop Rotation – A Simple System  Once I’ve gotten my garden seeds each winter (see Vegetable Seeds for the 2010 Garden), I can’t wait to get my planting schedule on paper. Until I’ve got a schedule, I worry about missing some critical date. It’s ridiculous to worry about it now, since I’m in Ohio, but I do … until I’ve got [...] Continue reading Making a Seed Starting & Planting Schedule |
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