Bringing Old Fashion Traditions To Modern Living
Successfully Hardening Off Seedlings isn’t hard but it is an important step in gardening. In order to give plants a chance to grow from seed to mature, fruit-bearing plant, gardeners need to start plants indoors during the winter and transplant them outside once the temperatures are warm in the spring. “Hardening off” is simply moving plants outside for a portion of the day to slowly introduce them to the sunlight, dry air, and cold nights. [Read more…]
The common name, Henbit, comes from the observation that chickens like it. Hummingbirds also enjoy this wild edible for the nectar. Henbit provides valuable erosion control in many cropland fields in the southern U.S. Unlike many of its relatives in the mint family, henbit does not have a strong or distinctive mint scent. Henbit is easily confused with Purple Deadnettle (L. purpureum), which has petioled leaves all the way to the top leaves. The middle and upper leaves of L. amplexicaule (Henbit) do not have petioles. Henbit leaves are also typically smaller than those of Purple Deadnettle. Henbit is an important early season source of nectar and pollen for honeybees. [Read more…]
When we began starting our own seedlings I really had no idea what I needed. I looked around at local shops and talked to friends and quickly became overwhelmed. Then a light bulb went off. Plants sprout every season in nature without anything fancy. I took a deep breath and began planting with just the basics. Soil, water, light, and seeds.
Over the years I’ve attended many seminars, read countless books and articles and when it comes to supplies most gardeners will tell you all you need are the 5 items I’m going to share with you. [Read more…]
Bean seeds are one of the easiest vegetables to collect seeds from. In this video and blog post, I refer to green beans but the process is the same for pretty much all beans. When you harvest seeds from your own plants you can be sure that the seeds are fresh, what the variety is and that they are organic! [Read more…]
Whether you grow them for their many medicinal purposes, for use in the kitchen, or simply for their beauty and fragrance, herb gardening can be a lot of fun! Knowing when to plant and how to care for your herbs is only half of being a successful gardener. Knowing the proper techniques for harvesting, cleaning, and storing your precious herbs is the other half. [Read more…]
This week we pulled most of the kale from our garden to make room for our spring plants. This meant I had about 20 heads of kale to wash, de-stem, dry and store. In this video I’ll show you how to wash, de-stem and dry kale. This process works with other types of greens too.
Have you stopped to notice just how quickly yard maintenance and food preparation accumulate? Leaves, trimmings, grass clippings, coffee grounds, apple cores, banana peels and all the other organic kitchen scraps you have can be turned into something wonderful, compost! Turing it into compost is a great idea but if you’re like me and live in the city your neighbors probably don’t want to see it piled up and you probably don’t want it falling over into the yard. What’s the solution? A compost bin of course! Building a compost bin is a great way to get rich compost for your garden. [Read more…]
Starting your own crops from seed is a satisfying and economical way to grow your own plants, flowers, and veggies. Reusing your containers each year is a great way to save money but it can be a problem unless you clean them. Let’s take a look at washing pots before planting so you can grow healthy plants. [Read more…]
The agrihood is located in Detroit, Michigan, and feeds thousands of families in the area. Children and adults can learn about sustainable agriculture when they take part in the food forest’s development.
Credit: Michigan Urban Farming Initiative
Have you ever contemplated the fact that humans are the only species on Earth that pays to live on the planet? This continues, despite the fact that there is presently more than enough resources to care for every citizen. [Read more…]