|
||||||
 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 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)  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  Now that the vegetable garden seeds are ordered (see Vegetable Seeds for the 2011 Garden), it’s time to get the planting schedule down on paper again. It helps me keep focused on starting transplants, getting supplies, and making sure the garden beds are prepared on time. I start with my schedule from the previous year (see Making a [...] Continue reading Making 2011′s Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)  This is the 2011 list of vegetables for the garden. Every year I make up this list, and every year it makes me anxious for spring. This year I’m trying more greens and baby vegies (see last year’s varieties), because we do like to eat those a lot. We’re giving up on watermelon and corn for now [...] Continue reading Vegetable Seeds for the 2011 Garden  Lazy Bed Potatoes The traditional method of planting potatoes involves digging a trench, placing seed potatoes in the trench, mounding soil around the potatoes as they grow, and finally digging the potatoes at harvest time. In the “lazy bed method”, the seed potatoes are simply placed in contact with the soil, and are then covered [...] Continue reading Growing Potatoes: The Lazy Bed Method  I used to think that growing potatoes was too much work for the end result. Then a friend’s homegrown Yukon Gold potatoes completely changed my mind. Like almost anything that’s homegrown, they just tasted so much better. For me, it should be safe to plant potatoes this week, so I brought my seed potatoes out [...] Continue reading Cutting & Sprouting Seed Potatoes  This is my yearly list of vegetable seeds for planting, and almost all of them are tasty heirlooms. Just reading the descriptions makes my mouth water. At the bottom of the list, I totaled my cost to buy vegetable seed this year ($20.75), the cost if I didn’t save seeds ($73.50), and the cost of [...] Continue reading Vegetable Seeds for the 2010 Garden  These days, we’re all trying to cut costs without sacrificing quality, and growing heirloom vegetables is a smart strategy for doing just that. Heirloom vegetables are the old fashioned, open-pollinated varieties; meaning that they breed true from year-to-year. This leads to some definite benefits for the backyard gardener: Heirloom Seeds Cost Less There [...] Continue reading Heirloom Vegetables – Better for the Backyard Garden |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Better Hens and Gardens - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
Chicken Coop Cam
New Comments