How to Grow Potatoes, Growing Potatoes, Potato Eyes Ah!! The versatile and lovable Potato. Spuds, or tubers, as they are affectionately nicknamed, are a regular at the dinner table, as well as breakfast. Plain by itself, a potato does not have a strong, overpowering flavor. Despite it's mealtime appeal, it is surprising that more home gardeners do not grow potatoes. Old Fashioned Headache Remedy: Put sliced, raw potatoes on your forehead. Types of Potatoes: Idaho Potatoes - Famous for their quality as "Bakers" White Potatoes - This is the basic and most popular potato. Did you know? More Potato trivia: Potato chips were first made by Chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 24, 1853. Growing Potatoes: Potatoes grow best in soft "muck" soil. Potatoes are grown from "Seed Potatoes". Potatoes can be planted as early as two weeks before the last frost in your area. The most common form of planting is in "hills". A second and less common method, is to use furrows. Fertilize potato plants every two to four weeks. Potato Bag Planter
Sites-Gardeners-Site Basil is one of the most versatile herbs you can grow. Freshly picked leaves can be added to salads, sandwiches and sauces, and can be made into pesto or dried for use in the winter. Basil has a lower germination rate than many seeds, averaging just 60%. To get a jump on the basil season, you can start your basil seeds indoors, 3 to 4 weeks before planting time. Basil prefers growing in a lightly moist, slightly acidic, well-drained soil that contains lots of organic matter (like compost!). The standard culinary basil, typically used for pesto and Italian cooking, is called ‘Genovese’. To get the highest yield of tender and flavorful basil leaves, pinch back the tip of each branch, starting in early summer when the plants are just 6 inches tall.
17 Apart: Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again Remember when we tested and shared how to grow onions indefinitely last week? Well, at the same time, we've been testing out another little indoor gardening project first gleaned from Pinterest that we're excited to share the successes of today — regrowing celery from it's base. We've figured out how to literally re-grow organic celery from the base of the bunch we bought from the store a couple weeks ago. I swear, we must have been living under a rock all these years or just not be that resourceful when it comes to food, but we're having more fun learning all these new little tips and tricks as we dive deeper into trying to grow more of our own food. This project is almost as simple as the onion growing project — simply chop the celery stalks from the base of the celery you bought from the store and use as you normally would. We let our celery base hang out in the saucer of water for right around one week, give or take. Update 2: Here's how we are looking at almost 3-4 weeks of growth:
How to Eat Common Milkweed Disclaimer: Eating certain wild plants can be deadly!! Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants. Milkweed is one of those plants that I have fond memories for. As a young boy I used to love opening the late summer seed pods to feel the silky soft down inside and watch the wind catch it as I would toss one after the other in the air. In my late teens and early 20s, when I was big into practicing wilderness survival skills, I would often use the outer fibers on the stalk to make a serviceable cordage (I still enjoy doing this) and I learned to use the seed down but it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I learned how wonderful this plant is as a wild edible. How to Identify Common Milkweed How to Eat Common Milkweed Variety of Foods in Common Milkweed Conclusion
Growing Your Own Garlic - Planting Growing Harvesting and Storing Garlic As far as I'm concerned, garlic gets the blue ribbon for growing your own. It's absurdly easy to plant and care for; it tastes great; it looks beautiful and it takes up so little ground that even those with very small gardens can raise enough to be self-sufficient in garlic for a good part of the year. All you have to do is choose the right varieties; plant at the right time, in the right soil; then harvest when just right and store correctly. 1. If you look in a specialist catalog like the one at Gourmet Garlic Gardens, you'll find dozens of varieties of garlic listed. You see where this is going – and you can see a lot more types of garlic on either of those websites, but for general purposes the most important difference is the one between softneck and hardneck. Softnecks are so called because the whole green plant dies down to pliancy, leaving nothing but the bulb and flexible stems that are easy to braid. Gardeners in most of the U.S. can try some of both. 2. 3. 1. 2. 4. 5. 6.
7 Cheap But Beautiful DIY Garden Decor Ideas I must be painting a terrible portrait of myself. Lazy gardener. Lazy cleaner. I'm also incredibly cheap when it comes to garden decor. You can make these pieces from things you have around the house, items you've collected, salvaged, or thrifted, and some of the cheapest supplies your local Lowe's has to offer. Bonus: Nothing here is hard to make. Stepping Stones -- These are deceptively simple to make, and it’s one project where you determine the budget and materials. Luminaries -- These are particularly great around the patio, or in a sitting space you’ve created out in the garden. Bird Baths -- There are nine million ways to make a birdbath. Copper Trellis -- This is one of my favorite pieces to make, and it creates big impact in the garden. Hypertufa Leaf Casting -- Hyper-wha? Tea-cup Birdfeeder -- I love these, especially using thrifted vintage cups -- the really delicate ones -- and putting them in a group at varying heights.
Wild Edibles: Sumac Shoots Disclaimer: Eating certain wild plants can be deadly!! Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants. In one of my earlier articles on wild edibles I wrote about how to make sumac lemonade from the Staghorn (or Smooth) Sumac. How to Identify Staghorn or Smooth Sumac The first step before eating any wild edible is to positively identify it. Compound Toothed Leaves: Both species have pinnately compound leaves with serrated edges. Just to see the contrast, here’s a picture of poison sumac fruit cluster and leaves (notice they are smooth and not serrated). How to Eat Sumac Shoots Most wild-edible foragers are familiar with using sumac for the lemonade-like beverage you can make from it, however few know about the other important edible it provides: the peeled shoots.
Top Ten Most Nutritious Vegetables and How to Grow Them in Your Garden A perfectly ripe, juicy tomato, still warm from the sun. Sweet carrots, pulled from the garden minutes (or even seconds!) before they're eaten. Growing your own vegetables is one of those activities that balances practicality and indulgence. In addition to the convenience of having the fixings for a salad or light supper right outside your door (or on your windowsill), when you grow your own vegetables, you're getting the most nutritional bang for your buck as well. Vegetables start losing nutrients as soon as they're harvested, and quality diminishes as sugars are turned into starches. Broccoli is high in calcium, iron, and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, B6, and C. How to grow broccoliGrow broccoli in containers: One broccoli plant per pot, pots should be 12 to 16 inches deep.What to watch out for: Cabbage worm. 2. There is nothing like peas grown right in your own garden — the tender sweetness of a snap pea just plucked from the vine is unlike anything you can buy in at a store.
The Lazy Lady’s Guide to DIY: Hanging Herb Garden At some point near the middle of March, I always decide that I’m “done” with winter. The sweaters and jackets get pushed to the back of the closet, the flip flops come out, and I inevitably freeze my butt off for several weeks until the weather catches up with my warm-weather state of mind. Likewise, my cravings for fresh herbs and veggies are always a little ahead of the season. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money and avoid buying too much at a time and letting most of it go to waste. What you’ll need: Tin containers with snap-on plastic lids (tea, cocoa, and coffee cans are a good bet), coat hangers, pliers, scissors, herbs (I bought basil, rosemary, dill, and cilantro for about $2.50 each), masking tape, coffee filters, a nail, a hammer, X-acto knife, scrap fabric or paper, and glue or spray adhesive. After you’ve emptied and cleaned your cans, remove the bottom of the can with a can opener. Slide the bottom inside the can, holding it up from inside. Happy growing!