20 Uses for Garlic : EcoSalon Pungent and powerful, garlic has dozens of health and household uses. Chew up a raw clove of garlic and you might exhale noxious, eye-watering clouds of stink all day, but you’ll also repel mosquitoes (and vampires), increase your immunity, heal cold sores, expel parasites and maybe even get in the mood. Garlic is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, killing bacteria, fungus, viruses and mold, so it’s an important ally for natural health. Check out these 20 unusual and sometimes strange alternative uses for garlic.Acne Slice open a clove of raw, fresh garlic and apply it to breakouts as a home remedy for acne. Your skin won’t smell terribly good, but the antibacterial properties of garlic will help lessen the appearance of acne, even those deep acne cysts that can otherwise be difficult to treat. Pesticide Whiteflies, aphids, cabbage loopers and squash bugs. Cold sore treatment These unsightly lesions always seem to pop up at the most inopportune times, like the morning before a big date. Fish bait
Fig Tree Fertilizer – When And How To Fertilize A Fig Tree By Jackie Carroll One thing that makes fig trees so easy to grow is that they rarely need fertilizer. In fact, giving a fig tree fertilizer when it doesn’t need it can harm the tree. A fig tree that gets too much nitrogen produces less fruit and is more susceptible to cold weather damage. Figs are naturally slow-growing trees, and giving them fertilizer can cause growth spurts that result in splits and cracks in trunks and branches. When to Fertilize Figs The first thing you need to know is what to feed fig trees. It’s best to provide fertilizer for fig trees only when the tree shows symptoms of slow growth or pale leaves, but there are a couple of exceptions where fig trees need regular feedings. You also need to know when to fertilize figs. How to Fertilize Fig Trees If the fruit doesn’t ripen properly, you may be over fertilizing. Spread the fertilizer over the tree’s root zone, which is just beyond the reach of the canopy. Did you find this helpful? Additional Help & Information
The 16 Best Healthy, Edible Plants to Grow Indoors From farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture, to urban farms and rooftop gardens, to produce delivery services, more and more people across the U.S. are embracing farm-fresh food. And for good reason: Locally grown produce tends to be better for the environment and for local communities than its store-bought counterparts. Growing food at home also ensures that growers know exactly where their food comes from and how it was grown (no need to worry about deceptive food labeling). Luckily, you don’t need to be a farmer (or even live near a farm) in order to reap the benefits of home-grown produce. General Growing Tips Before you get started, here are a few tips that will be handy to keep in mind no matter which of the plants from this list you choose to grow. Fruits and Veggies Photo: Alpha 1. How to Grow: It’s possible to grow an avocado tree from an avocado pit, but doing so may not yield edible fruit. 2. 3. 4. How to Harvest: Most lemons will ripen in six to nine months. 5. 6.
How To Grow Ginger Root - Planting Ginger Plant In Your Herb Garden By Heather Rhoades Ginger plant (Zingiber officinale) may seem like a mysterious herb to grow. The knobby ginger root is found in grocery stores but very rarely do you find it in your local nursery. So can you grow ginger at home? The answer is yes, you can. Not only is growing ginger plants possible, it is easy as well. How to Grow Ginger Root Planting ginger starts with finding some ginger root to plant. Advertisement Ginger plants take 10 months to mature. Next, you will need to select a place to grow your ginger plant. Plant your ginger root in the early spring, after all chances of frost have passed. Plant the ginger sections in a shallow trench. Plant one ginger plant per square foot. The leaves on the ginger plant will get to be up to 4 feet tall and are susceptible to wind damage. How to Harvest Ginger Your ginger plant will be ready for harvest in the spring, or you can let it grow through the next summer for a larger harvest.
How to Grow Garlic: Organic Gardening Soil preparation: Garlic will tolerate some shade but prefers full sun. While I've seen cloves sprout in gravel pits, garlic responds best in well-drained, rich, loamy soil amended with lots of organic matter. Raised beds are ideal, except in very dry regions. Planting: To grow garlic, you plant the cloves, the sections of the bulb; each clove will produce a new bulb. The largest cloves generally yield the biggest bulbs. To get the cloves off to a strong start and protect them from fungal diseases, soak them in a jar of water containing one heaping tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid seaweed for a few hours before planting. Spacing: Place cloves in a hole or furrow with the flat or root end down and pointed end up, with each tip 2 inches beneath the soil. Watering: Garlic needs about an inch of water each week during spring growth. When your garlic is thoroughly dry, trim the roots, taking care not to knock off the outer skin.
Planting, Growing & Harvesting Broccoli Broccoli is a great choice for a home garden. Freshly cut broccoli heads are rich in vitamins and minerals. They’re delicious raw in salads or lightly steamed and they freeze well. If you choose a variety such as ‘DiCicco’ or ‘Waltham’ that produces plentiful side shoots, you can enjoy several cuttings from each plant in your garden. Broccoli raab and Chinese broccoli are fast-growing, cool-loving broccoli relatives that produce small, tender flowering shoots that you can eat—buds, stems, leaves, and all. Planting: Broccoli prefers full sun, but partial shade can prevent plants from bolting (going to seed) in areas with warm spells. Cool days and nights are essential once the flower heads start to form. If you’re starting your own seedlings, sow your spring crop indoors 7 to 9 weeks before the last expected frost. Protecting young broccoli plants from temperature extremes is critical for a successful crop. Cultivate around young plants to get rid of weeds and keep the soil loose.
101 Gardening Secrets The Experts Never Tell You I like to use natural top soil to start my garden seedlings in. I usually don't use potting soil because it generally does not produce the results I want. I usually fill a large, deep baking pan I have with top soil and bake it for thirty minutes at 350 degrees. This sanitizes the soil and makes sure that no weeds or grass come up in your soil. I usually start on this project in the winter and I fill up a couple of large plastic barrels with lids with the sanitized soil. I fill my trays up with my potting soil and then I plant my seeds. I cover each seedling with a clear plastic cup that I wash and reuse. If you want to root a plant or cutting in water, add a aspirin or two to the water. If you plant your seeds outdoors sprinkle flavored powdered gelatin in the soil with the seeds. Transplanting Tomatoes Or Pepper Plants When planting any type of tomato or pepper plant, pinch off all but the top leaves of the plant. Then carefully fill the hole with dirt and pack the dirt down tight. 1.
Growing fennel — bulb, herb, pollen - Growing for Market By Pam Dawling Many people grow fennel as the herb, for leaves and seeds, for salads, soups, fish dishes and teas. The seeds are also used in desserts, breads, other baked goods and drinks. Or they are chewed after a meal to help the digestion. Crop requirementsFennel benefits from a rich, well-drained soil, with a pH of 5.5-6.8. There are about 200 seeds per gram, 7,000 seeds per ounce. Fennel is not troubled by many insect pests or diseases. SowingTo germinate fennel successfully, the seeds must be in the dark, with a soil temperature of 60-90°F. (70°F is ideal.) Bulb fennel can be sown outdoors as early as 2-5 weeks before the average last frost date in spring, but when the danger of hard frost (28°F) is over. The best time to sow bulb fennel is for an autumn crop. TransplantingTransplanting is useful in areas with short springs, or short seasons overall. Orion (80 days) an F1 hybrid from Johnny’s www.johnnyseeds.com, has a higher yield potential than open pollinated fennels.
HOW TO GROW A PINEAPPLE FROM SEED |The Garden of Eaden The pineapple fruit - Ananas comosus, is a common sight in most supermarket fresh produce aisles, but as familiar as it is today the pineapple is steeped in history and was once considered to be the most coveted of all fruit. Discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus during his voyages to the Americas, the pineapple became an instant hit when it was introduced to Europe. Unfortunately the pineapple has a notoriously short shelf life and the 1-2 month sea voyage it made obtaining one was almost impossible. Its extreme rarity meant that the pineapple quickly became a symbol of wealth and luxury, but despite the best efforts of European gardeners it was almost two centuries before they were able to mimic the conditions required to bring a pineapple plant to fruition. In order to get your hands on some seed cut a fresh and fully ripe pineapple into slices and remove the small, black seeds in the fruit's flesh. Place the seeds into a clear, plastic bag with a sheet of damp kitchen towel.
If You Can Grow Basil, You’ll Have No Troubles With Shiso Shiso (Perilla frutescens) is known in some circles as Japanese basil. And like basil, it is easy to grow in Hawaii any time of the year. For the lucky soul who has shiso in the garden there are many uses for the leaves, the flowers and the seeds. Description Shiso used to be classified botanically as a type of basil and was in the genus Ocimum, but it now belongs to a different genus (Perilla). Shiso has either green (green shiso) or purple (red shiso) leaves that are usually wrinkled. Flower spikes appear at the growing tips and bear small pink, lavender, green or white flowers. Care Shiso is an annual and will die after it has flowered. Shiso does best in well-drained, moist soil. It is probably best to start shiso in the garden from transplants you either buy or grow yourself. Harvest your shiso leaves by taking leaves that are bout 2 inches long. You can also grow shiso quite easily in containers. Another way to grow shiso is as seedlings for harvest as a garnish. Propagation Pests
Foraging for Wild Food: 6 Sustainable Techniques Let's say you’re hiking up the trail with sweat dripping down your face and a sunburn on your neck, and all that your stomach wants is some nourishment to keep you going strong. But where to find it? You left your snacks at home. Do you dare forage for edible plant life on your own? Arthur Haines, a research botanist and plant taxonomist with the Delta Institute of Natural History in Maine, says that foraging for wild foods can actually be beneficial for both plants and people — so long as it is done properly. "Usually, the very first thing that people think is that foraging damages plant populations," said Haines in a recent phone call. Haines gave us some tips on how to gather wild foods responsibly the next time you’re outside and in a pinch. 1. More is not always better. "It’s not considered lethal collection when we talk about perennials and we harvest the top part," Haines says. 2. Also important concerning what sections you forage for is when you forage for them, Haines says. 3. 4.
Growing Rhubarb | The Rhubarb Compendium Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial plant that is very winter hardy and resistant to drought. Its crop is produced from crowns consisting of fleshy rhizomes and buds. Following a season of growth the rhubarb crown becomes dormant and temperatures below 40 °F / 5 °C are required to stimulate bud break and subsequent growth. The first shoots to appear in the spring are edible petioles and leaves. Climate and Growing Region Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial crop. In the United States, commercial production is concentrated in Washington (275 Acres), Oregon (200 Acres), and Michigan (200 Acres), with small commercial acreage in many northern states field and greenhouse forced production. Rhubarb can not be very successfully grown in the southern regions of the United States, although there are exceptions. Rhubarb tolerates most soils but grows best on fertile, well-drained soils that are high in organic matter. Fertilization Rhubarb responds well to fertilizers. photo credit Growing Season
Native Wildflowers : Prairie Nursery Choosing plants that are well suited to the soil conditions at hand helps create an ecologically beneficial planting and healthy thriving plants. Use the Plant Finder to sort your search by soil type, moisture content, light conditions and more... White Doll's Eyes requires a rich soil with plenty of humus. Its bright white berries and lush foliage make this... Black Cohosh is a striking woodland native that creates a strong vertical statement in a shade or border garden. Bright red berries set against deep green foliage make Actaea rubra one of the showpieces of the woodland shade garden.... 49The crushed leaves of Lavender Hyssop, also known as Anise Hyssop, have a fragrance of mint and licorice. Nodding Pink Onion is long-lived, super hardy and looks great in short prairie gardens and meadows. Nodding Pink Onion (Allium cernuum) is long-lived, super hardy and looks great in short prairie gardens and meadows. (Page 1 of 15)1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ... 15 | Next >>
Leeks: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Leeks are a perennial even though they are usually grown as an annual. They need a fairly long growing season requiring a minimum of 80 days for fast growing varieties (such as Columbus and Varna) and 120 to even 150 days for other popular varieties that may be sweeter or milder (such as Titan or Giant Musselburgh)1. Probably the most popular variety is King Richard, which has a 75-80 day growing time. Leeks like full sun on their growing patch. Soil should be well-mulched and drain well. They do not like acid soil, they prefer a pH of 6 or higher. Leeks can be planted directly in the soil. An easy method to use when planting leeks is called drilling3. As the leeks grow, bank them up so that they can be blanched in a manner similar to blanching celery. Leeks can be harvested when they get to be 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter (about 5 cm.)4. It is best to harvest just before use. Next Page: Health Benefits of Leeks Previous Page: History of Leeks