Milk Jug Greenhouse Gardening

Spring is here. Yay sorta... where I live and that means its mostly just winter temps and a lot of rain with a few nice days sprinkled here and there. This is not ideal for young seedlings... UNLESS... you do it in milk jugs. Yep Milk Jugs.  Best part, you can even start plants in winter - yes outside. 

Step 1

Rinse out your empty milk jug. Really any food grade clear or semi clear plastic container will work. Milk jugs are nice because they are wide and relatively easy to cut.

Step 2

Cut almost all the way around the jug about half way up - leave a hinge attached by the handle - about 2 inches.

Step 3

Poke drainage holes in the bottom. 4-5 should do it. You can poke 1-2 on the sides about a 1/2 - 1 inch up incase you get a ton of rain for extra drainage but I don't.

Step 4

Thoroughly wet your seed starting soil. Then fill the bottom half of your jug with your wet seed starting mix. 

Step 5

Place your seeds. You can do more than you would think in a jug because you will be transplanting these out eventually.

Step 6

Label your jug inside and out.

Step 7

Tape (I recommend some form of water resistant tape - duct tape works well) the top back on the bottom creating a decent seal for your jug.

Step 8 

Remove the milk cap - Yes rain and snow will get in there - that is ok. It also will provide ventilation for your seedlings.

Step 9

Place outside in a south facing semi sheltered location and let the magic happen.

Step 10

Once you have past your last frost date AND your seedlings have at least 2-3 true leaves, you can transplant your seedlings into the ground or pots outside. You won't have to harden off your seedlings because they are already used to the fluctuating temps and elements saving you the work of bringing them back and forth / in and out. 

They are ready to thrive. 

Things to consider:

• Check your seedlings about once a week for progress. (Lets be real you and I both know you are going to check them way more often than that LOL)
• These are really low maintenance. You usually don't have to re-water, but if there is no moisture on the sides, give your baby plants a drink. 
• If the temps are pretty warm or it's really sunny you will want to un-tape the jugs to vent so the seedlings don't scorch.
• Some varieties can be started in winter. Anything that is relatively cold hardy will do great, especially if those seeds need stratification. (brassicas, onions seeds do really well, parsley, cilantro) 
• Other varieties of heat loving plants would do better to start a little later (tomatoes, peppers and so on)
• You can usually get a good amount of milk jugs from coffee shops. If you call them in the morning and ask them to save you a bag of them, most will. You can get about 20+ jugs in a day this way for free. Make sure to rinse them out first.
• I recommend keeping a gardening journal to track what went well, what plants you tried and when you started them.

Garden Therapy

Morning garden reflections with coffee

My garden is my therapy

It is my children's play ground

My garden is my grocery shop

It is my children's snack bar

My garden is my science experiment

It is my children's exploration

My garden is my venting space

It is my children's change of pace

My garden is my quiet space

It is my children's nap time

My garden is my creativity 

It is my children's discovery center

My garden is my morning reflection

It is my children's sand box

My garden is my exercise

It is my children's make believe

My garden is my get away

It is my children's safe space

Snack time!

You know, you can bury a lot of troubles in the ground. I don't remember who told me this years ago, but it has certainly stood true for me.  Whether it be frustration that I "work out" as I pull weeds or the sense of accomplishment I get as I watch things grow that I planted or started from seed, I always feel mentally lighter. Whatever the reason it seems to sooth my soul. 

Little Ma looking for
sugar snap peas

My garden has brought so much joy; to my children; and to myself. It has given us a reason to go outside on a regular basis where we may have otherwise stayed inside. I like that. Each day my littles look for snap peas  (which they gobble up as soon as they see one - ripe or otherwise) and that makes them excited. Their excitement is catching. Their eyes light up when they find a "baby mato" or "accidentally" find a carrot. They have a miniature grocery cart they push around the "grocery store" aka garden. I can always tell when they have found the ripe blackberries... that purple juice sure is telling and gets everywhere. They giggle as they find them. These moments are precious to me. Just about everything in my garden is edible and so it naturally lends itself to curiosity and lots of sensory exploration.

Baby Toad

We watch the bumble bees working hard going from flower to flower and dragonflies zooming around. We have learned about baby lady bugs (weird looking little creatures) and about ants... lots of ants... I like that they are learning that these are normal things. Not icky, not scary,  just a normal part of outside.  We found a bunch of baby toads the other day after a hard rain the night before and that brought excited hands and squeals of joy. We watch all the different birds; cardinals and hummingbirds are a regular sight.

Excited fingers eager to hold the toads

The other day my littles helped me turn the compost pile and we learned (well they learned) about worms. There were probably 200 worms in that pile (yay!!!) and it was quite the source of fascination to them. There were lots of high pitched squeals and giggles between them.  Oh I can't even tell you how happy they were!  We were all sufficiently dirty after that day. It was lovely. Truly. Nothing makes this momma's heart more full than to see my two little kids dirty from playing outside together.

My garden is love. 

Companion Planting & Why Marigolds are Rock Stars

Marigolds in my flower garden add a pop of bright color

Companion Planting? The first time I heard that term I was like "Huh?... Uh is that where you and your spouse/significant other do gardening together?" Needless to say, I was way off.  That was quite a long time ago. Since then I have strived to learn a fair amount about this. I use it in my garden and it I have found it really does make a difference in 3 major areas. Production, Pest Control and Presentation. 

Marigolds hanging out with Squash

Marigolds are hands down my most favorite companion plant. If you are wanting to keep it simple and get the most bang for your buck, marigolds are the way to go. They have been used as natural pest control in gardens for centuries and are a pest control powerhouse. Here are just some of the benefits they help provide:

First and foremost they attract pollinators. If you want to have heavy production in your vegetable garden this will be a great addition. They bloom for a long time and right into fall. For those who do succession planting this is particularly helpful as is great for attracting pollinators at all stages of your garden.  

Some gardeners swear they can help deter mosquitos. I tend to listen to experienced gardeners. They have lots of years of experience and many times information has been handed down through generations. I am a mosquito magnet so I will take all the help I can get. 

Marigolds hanging with the beans

They help ward off harmful nematodes, bean beetle, cabbage moths, slugs, tomato hornworm, and some other pests that like to munch on tomatoes.   How does this work. Well for some pests they don't like the strong smell. Meaning it can mask your desired crops from pests. For other pests they function as a trap crop. Slugs love marigolds. Often this means that your other crops are saved from loss because your marigolds will draw them away from those crops. Regarding harmful nematodes, marigold roots do the work here. 

They are natural companions to the following: cucumbers, melons, potatoes, lettuce, beans, asparagus, tomatoes, brassicas (ie broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), squash/pumpkins, egg plant and onions. Natural companion can also mean they enhance the growth, flavor or health of these plants.  For many other plants they are considered a neutral companion. This means they nether particularly help or harm. At the very least for those plants they act as a pollinator attractant.

They bring beauty and a pop of color to any garden. I do love the lush green of my kale but that pop of the oranges, yellows and reds always brings a smile to my gardeners heart. Gardens are meant to be enjoyed for many purposes including the visual aesthetics. Marigolds come in many different colors, sizes, varieties and variations so there are lots of options to choose from. I really love the two toned varieties.

My little guy sampling 
some Okra last year and a little
marigold peeking in the
bottom right with

The flowers are edible. Making this a harvestable crop. Want to add a splash of color to your salad? Pop the petals off a bloom and sprinkle them in your salad or you can add them to a vinaigrette. There are lots of ways to use them.  They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants (antioxidants are cancer fighters). 

I also have small children and I want them to enjoy and experience the garden in lots of ways. Gardening can be so much fun for little ones and a great way to teach them skills. This means when I am planting things I want them to be non toxic to my tiny people. 

Just a lovely French Marigold
(my favorite)

They have many medicinal uses as well. Calendula and marigolds are of the same family. Thus marigolds also have many of the same properties.  Some of the things they have been used for are sores, inflammation, some skin conditions and itching. I could write an entire blog on that alone, but for today I will say, if that interests you there is much information available on the internet and in books. Do your own research before using herbal medicine or work with a trusted and trained herbalist.

The seeds are VERY easy to harvest. Let the flowers dry out when they are done blooming and there you go. You have a handful of seeds that can be saved for the next season.

So yes this plant knocks it out of the park when it comes to earning it's keep in the garden. For all of the reasons stated above marigolds get my vote for best companion plant. That said it is not the only plant that is a companion plant. There are lots more. I also use onions mixed in with my brassicas to help reduce pest pressure. (Oh you pesty cabbage moth... we just can't be friends.) 

If you would like to learn more about companion planting here are some great resources:

List of resources / books / sites:

BOOKS:

• Companion Planting: The Beginner's Guide to Companion Gardening - M. Grand 
• Carrots Love Tomatoes - Louise Riotte
• Vegetables Love Flowers - Lisa Mason Ziegler
• Companion Planting for Beginners: Pair Your Plants for a Bountiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden - Brian Lowell

WEBSITES:

• Companion Planting Chart (Interactive)
• Urban Farmer
• Farm Homestead

Scalpel Please... Surgery in the Garden - Squash Vine Borers

If you have had the pleasure (rather displeasure) of watching your zucchini, squash or pumpkin vines suddenly keel over or leaves wither away you may have encountered a squash vine borer.

Ugh!

How do you know if you have a squash vine borer?

You can usually find a hole at the base of the vine stem where they have chewed their entry point with wet sawdust looking stuff as evidence (this is called frass).

Well shoot… Now what?!

Once borers are inside your plants you have two options: ignore them and harvest what you can until your plant succumbs to it’s miserable fate (which it will not take long) OR you can intervene. If you have 2+ months left of growing season left it may worth trying to mitigate further damage. You could also plant another batch of squash (keep a good eye on them just in case).

 

 

Apply Bt (Beneficial Bacteria Spray).

This is my #1 preferred method of prevention and population genocide for these buggers and cabbage loppers.

Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (aka “Bt”) spray on the leaf stems and main stem of the plant (not the flowers because this can affect our pollinators and you want to protect those). Here is a great Bt product you can buy.

You can see the yellowing of the leaves
in this picture. This is a good indicator
that something is amiss. 

BT is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils around the world. Research indicates that it is virtually harmless to non-target species (hence its approval for use in organic farming).

I aim to spray Bt on the stems and leaves of my plants once per week (or more if there’s a lot of rain), the squash vine borer’s eggs or larvae will be killed quickly, long before developing into large enough larvae to harm your squash plants. Many organic farmers use Bt spray, and it may be the most effective way to deal with borers and other squash pests.

To further minimize any potential harm to pollinators (just in case the current science is wrong), spray the plants as late in the evening as possible when daytime pollinators begin to go inactive, and avoid spraying the flowers.

You can even inject Bt into a squash plant’s stems if the larvae have already bored into the plant. In my opinion I would only do this if the plant isn’t already limp. I generally opt for the next intervention. You would just the same tool you use to inject a turkey.

 

Perform squash surgery. 

Let’s say you find an obvious entry hole on the stem of your squash plant with frass around it, but your squash plant still appears to be healthy.

What to do?

Break out the surgical tools and play doctor!

A box cutter or sharp knife and tweezers is really all you need.

First, make a straight incision down the stem of the plant (not across the stem which would sever it) starting where the hole is located. Cut as little as you have to until you spot the culprit, or culprits if there is more than one. 

You’re looking for white grubs with a black head. Remove them with tweezers and destroy them.

Then sprinkle some cinnamon over your incision (it will help with recovery) and cover the affected vine both at incision site and above the area with mulch/soil so that it can establish more roots. With some luck, your squash plant will continue to do well.

 

Side Note: Chickens love squash vine borer larvae and tomato hornworms. Can we say dessert? Plus it’s fun to watch them go bananas over them.

 

The following are more preventative options:

 

Mulch the squash plant’s stems & watch for eggs.

Keep the main stem of the plant covered with mulch as it grows along the ground. This helps prevent the adult Squash Vine borer moths from laying eggs on the stems. If the larvae bore into the main stem area of the plant, it won’t take long to kill the plant.

This method also helps vining and crawling squash varieties set new roots along their stems as they grow, so that the plants can continue to support new growth even if they have been infected by a squash vine borer further down the stem.

If you go this route, also be sure to keep a careful eye on the leaves of your squash plants, since borers also lay eggs on the leaf stems or undersides of the leaves. Squash vine borer eggs are small, round, shiny and copper-colored, very similar in appearance to “squash bug” eggs.

The difference is that squash bugs (aka demon spawn) lay multiple eggs in very tight clusters whereas borers will often only lay a single egg in one spot — or if laying multiple eggs, the eggs won’t be tightly clustered.

If you see either type of egg on your squash plant, remove them by hand immediately and destroy or drop them into a cup of soapy water. I find having an old cool whip container with a lid filled with soapy water in the garden to be helpful for just this sort of purpose. Duct tape works well for removal as well. The eggs stick right to it.

Also, if you see one leaf on your plant has gone limp and the others have not, this is a good indication that the limp leaf has a borer inside its stem, especially if you spot an entry hole. Cut the leaf and leaf stem off of the plant immediately, as close to the main stem of the plant as possible. Then make sure you bring swift and brutal punishment to the small white squash vine borer larvae munching inside.

 

Grow resistant squash varieties.

Most summer squash varieties are very susceptible to vine borers. However, there are other types of squash you can grow whose tough, thick stems are not nearly as susceptible to squash vine borers.

 

Use a row cover.

Want to be sure no squash vine borers get to your squash plants? I live in the Mitten State (aptly named give our winter season) so they don’t usually manage to over winter in my garden beds, but they may in your area.

Row cover is a lightweight fabric that lets sun, water, and air in, but keeps insects out, which means you’ll need to play the role of pollinator. Go outside with a q-tip or small paint brush in the morning to pollinate your squash plants by hand. Male flowers tend to be open early.

Using your q-tip, collect pollen from your male flowers. These are the ones that don’t appear to have baby fruit at the base of the flower. Then rub the pollen on the stigma of the female flowers. These are the ones that have baby versions of the fruit at the base of the flower. Then cover your plants back up.

Some gardeners have found success with wrapping the stems with foil to prevent the squash vine borer from being able to chew into the stem. I have yet to try this but I may as they are the BANE of my garden!

 

Keep those hands dirty and bee good!

 

Things you can do with a bag of dry beans... Canning and other uses...

Alright you know that bag of dry beans sitting in the back of your pantry? 

Yes the one that has been there for 3+ years.... (You know who you are). 

It's time to put those things to use. 

Things you can do with a bag of dry beans.

• Make bean bags for a games (such as corn-hole). This is a fun endeavor if you have kids about middle school age and it teaches them some skills (as in some basic sewing and measuring).
• Cut two squares of fabric in the desired size (five- to six-inch squares should do the trick). Sew together the two squares by sewing three sides of the square, leaving one side open to create a pouch. Use a funnel to fill the square with beans. Sew the fourth side closed to complete the bag. 
• Make heated weighted neck/shoulder wraps. Let me tell you, carrying around and nursing babies can result in sore neck muscles. So if you are prone to a stiff neck, use beans to make your own heating pad to relieve those sore muscles. This is also great for travel.
• Cut fabric into two equal sizes (a long rectangle is great for draping over your neck) and sew them together like a pillowcase. Fill with beans (and lavender if you like), then sew the final side to close up the bag. Heat it up in the microwave (1-1.5 min) before using for nice, warm relief. Add extra relief  with a few drops of lavender essential oil.
• Plant them - yes for real. I planted several last year just to see if they would grow - 5 out of 8 did. 
• Use them as pie crust weights. Just be sure to line your pie crust with foil or parchment paper first. You can reuse them over and over for this too.
• DIY Maracas. 
• Fill plastic Easter eggs with beans, tape together, place egg between two plastic spoons, and then use some fun colored tape to cover the whole thing. (Side note... this noise maker does not have batteries you can remove... food for thought),  you may need the neck pillow after this.
• Sensory play for children. 
• A sensory tub is a plastic tub filled with things to help young kids and toddlers develop their senses, explore textures and use their imagination. You can use a large Tupperware; it doesn't need to be fancy.  Usually, a sensory tub has a base filler (i.e. sand, rice, shredded paper, water beads or, of beans)The dried beans keep for a long time, letting you reuse the same sensory bin again and again with different toys. This is a great one for those rainy days where your small child needs something to do but can't play outside OR take it outside and have fun outside with it - it's mobile. 
• Can them for cooking! 

Canning dry beans has some advantages. 

• They are widely available at most grocery stores
• No preservatives and you know every ingredient used
• They are cheap - considerably cheaper than buying them already canned.
• You can always have them on hand for meals.

How do you can beans? 

I use the dry canning method. I find that soaking them overnight first makes them too mushy when I can them and I am going to be cooking them with meals, soups and such anyway so I would like them to be a little firm. That said - trust me they are cooked ALL THE WAY THROUGH still.

Things you need:

Beans (ANY dry bean you'd like, Navy, Pinto, Black, Red, Lima...)

Pressure Canner

Large Bowl

Kosher Salt (optional)

Quart or Pint sized Canning Jars

Lids and rims

Jar Lifter

So first thing WASH your beans. You would be surprised how dirty they can be. I don't know how well they are washed in factories prior to being canned but I know how well they are washed in my house. Pour them into a big bowl and run cold water over them while stirring. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear.

Using CLEAN canning jars measure: 

For QUARTS:

1 Cup dry beans per Quart.

1 tsp kosher salt (optional)

For PINTS:

1/2 Cup dry beans per pint.

1/2 tsp kosher salt (optional)

Fill with boiling water leaving 1 inch of head space. Place new lids and rims on jars and tighten rims to finger tightness. Place into canner.

Process your jars adjusting for altitude and size of jars. So for my altitude I use 10 lbs of pressure for 75 mins for pint size jars and 90 mins for quarts. 

NOTE: if you have both Pints and Quarts in your canner together you will need process for Quarts (so 90min)

Follow the instructions for your canner.  I have a weighted-gauge canner so I have to let the steam go full blast for 10 min prior to starting my timer. 

Here is the link for the National Center for Home Food Preservation

Table 1. Recommended process time for Beans or Peas in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot	Pints	75 min	11 lb	12 lb	13 lb	14 lb
	Quarts	90	11	12	13	14

Table 2. Recommended process time for Beans or Peas in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot	Pints	75 min	10 lb	15 lb
	Quarts	90	10	15

Make sure that once your time is up, that you shut the stove off and WAIT until the pressure is back to zero! DO NOT open your canner until the pressure is gone. Once the pressure is back to zero, then you can take your jars out and set them somewhere where they won't be in a draft to cool.

  
In case you were wondering, the jars are piping hot when they come out of the canner. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES do you loosen, or open the rims or lids. There is a great deal of pressure in these jars before they cool.

Once you are comfortable with that process, you can start to experiment with spices and such.  Here is the recipe I use to make my homemade chili beans. These are great for chili dogs, crock pot chili, spicing up Taco Tuesday, 

Recipe for dry canning method for Chili Beans in Quarts. 

(just cut measurements in 1/2 for pints.)

1 C dry kidney beans (sometimes I use pinto)

1/4 C tomato sauce

1/2 tsp canning or kosher salt

1 tsp smoked paprika (yes the smoked makes a difference, but regular works too)

1 tsp granulated garlic (use minced if that is what you have)

1 tsp granulated onion (minced onion works too, I have even just diced up onion)

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional - I like the heat)

Cinnamon in the Garden

Nasturtiums I planted this week
with my little one

In case you haven't picked up on it, I love to garden. I love that my children are playing in dirt while getting fresh air, learning a skill, where their food comes from and eating natural healthy food. 

In my last post I talked about pest management with things like Neem Oil, DE and others things for organic critter control but there are other ways too. Essential oils, herbs and companion planting are some other ways to deter the unwanted pest. But there is one that is really easy and convenient to use, it's readily available at any grocery store and it is not super expensive... and that is Cinnamon folks! Wait whaaaat - use it in my garden you say? Yup and in more than one way so you really get your money's worth... you know the whole $2.99....

Check it....

1. It's a rooting agent. You don't have to spend money on expensive hormone rooting powders or gels. Use cinnamon (side note: Aloe is another good rooting agent). Put a spoonful on a paper towel. Dampen the ends of the stem, roll them into the paper towel and plant and viola!

2. It prevents Damping Off Disease. What's that you ask? It is a jerk of a disease. It is a fungus that attacks small seedlings just as they start to grow. Cinnamon kills the fungus before it has a chance.

It also works on other fungus as well. You can use it as a fungicide on older plants too. Mix 1-2 spoonful's of cinnamon into water and let sit (overnight works best in my opinion). You will need to strain it before you use it, but once you do you can just put it in a spray bottle. Use it on soil, leaves, stems, or where ever. 

3. Ant Removal or rather "deter-ant"... Girrr little buggers. Last year we battled over my Luffa... We are not friends. Cinnamon came in handy. Use it like a border so to speak. In the end I found that the essential oil version of Cinnamon worked better in this instance.

Fun fact - especially fun if you have boys as I do who love bugs: Did you know if you dig up and swap out two separate ant colonies - they fight/kill each other?  That my friends is guerilla warfare there. Basically a good shovelful of colony A gets dumped on ant colony B and sit back and watch the carnage unfold. I know I'm sick. To each his/her/their own.

4. Prevents Rust. No not the kind on a car. It's a fungal infection and it is soil borne. Just sprinkle it when you plant. (Calendula can be prone to it.)

5. It can help heal plants. When applied to a fresh plant wound it can help healing and prevent infections. I have small children with clumsy hands; this can be a handy item in the garden basket.

6. It deters small rodents. Rabbits, Mice, Squirrels, you get the idea. I am not saying it will completely get rid of them but they don't like it. This is where I generally use the Cinnamon Essential Oil mixed with water in a spray bottle. Cinnamon is strongly scented and small rodents don't like that so they tend to avoid it. Just remember if it rains you need to re-apply.

7. Repels Mosquitoes. I live in "The Mitten State", and when we don't have snow, we have mosquitos.... they are a bad word I can't say in front of my children. Which one? Pick your favorite and it works. I HATE them!

Same concept as with the rodents. I prefer the cinnamon essential oil in a spray bottle with water for this BUT you can just sprinkle it around the garden too.  

NOTE:

For the record I do not find this to be as effective as Citronella but it does help. 

As far as wearable bug sprays go, TerraShield is my hands down go-to personal bug repellant. Made with essential oils and safe for skin.

8. Cinnamon can be used indoors and in greenhouses. It can be used to kill spider mites, whiteflies, gnats, mildew and mold and other pests. Just sprinkle on the surface of the soil around plants.  Non toxic and organic!

Sooooo next time you are at the grocery store and you walk by the spice rack... Scoop up some cinnamon for your garden. Your plants will thank you and so will your wallet.

I am pretty sure that my two year old planted some
Airsoft BB's in with my peas. LOL

Gardening Stuff - Tips & Tricks

Marglobe tomatoes

   So many of you have started gardening recently and I have been asked by several of my family and friends to share my gardening tips and tricks. As promised here they are... Get comfy.

 -disclaimer - I do not get paid to promote or sell any of these products. I just like them.

Mulching

I used to not mulch my garden beds because I preferred to rototill / turn the soil manually each spring/fall to amend. However in the last few years I have learned that this is actually not helpful for the good microbes and the health of your garden soil so now I do mulch but with partially completed compost in the fall. I may turn the soil in the fall after everything is out but not before that. This allows the compost to breakdown over winter and have it ready in the spring. It also prevents it from burning tender plants in the spring. (see homemade compost below) 

Here is some info on that. These are listed in my personal preference from preferred to least preferred…

1. Partially Completed Compost - This is hands down my most favorite. This is the stuff that is almost done composting, but still has some small sticks and stuffs in it. It will add some great nutrients and microbes to your soil, act as a mulch to keep weeds at bay and eventually will be soil itself. Its a set it and forget it kind of gig. If you are lucky enough to have a large compost pile and can add a 2-3" layer of this yearly to your beds - your garden will thank you! Spring and fall are great times to do this in the garden.
2. Wood Chips – at least 6 in deep (8-12 is better – see back to eden gardening on google). Pull them back to plant and leave them pulled back until young plants are well established. Always plant into the soil not the mulch. Cheap way to get them (by cheap, I mean FREE) is if you see a tree service in your neighborhood ask them if they will dump the woodchips in your driveway. Many times they will. Some municipalities also have places you can obtain wood chips for free. Bring a truck and a shovel for this.
3. Straw (NOT HAY – Hay is full of seeds) – Pull back to plant until young seedlings/seeds until they are well established. It does a good job of keeping back weeds.
4. Leaves – Pull back to plant until young plants are well established. Some leaves (Oak for example) are acidic so be aware of this as some plants do not like this.
5. Grass – At least 2-4 in deep. I don’t like grass for two reasons. One it mats so thick that water and nutrients can have difficulty penetrating and two grass tends to hold seeds so you could end up battling rogue grass a bunch. BUT some people swear by it. I prefer to compost it.

SOIL Amending and Seed Starting

Why amend? Well your plants use up nutrients and this can help replenish those. Also over time you may notice your garden beds sinking a bit. This is due to soil loss (when pulling up plants/roots/weeds) and the break down of organic material. 

I mix soil to amend my garden beds (4-6 wks prior to planting) and to fill my pots every spring. 

 

BASE:

This is an equal parts blend. So basically I fill 3 painter’s buckets (5gal) with each of these and then mix them up together for a 1:1:1 blend per 3x10’garden bed. You certainly can use more but I have good soil so it is just an amendment for me.

 

Black Kow Composted Cow Manure (about 50lbs worth)  

Peat (or Coir)     (this bag will last you for AWHILE)                                                                

Perlite  (this bag will last you for AWHILE)                                                                        

THEN I add the following and mix in to the above mixture

Other Add Ins:

Worm Castings (whole bag)   I will top dress my tomatoes and other veg every 6-8 wks in the summer with this (throw a handful around the base of the stem)                                

Homemade Compost: I will also top dress my plants/veggies with homemade compost from my mature compost pile to supplement nutrients. (compost that is not broke down can burn tender plants due to high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Letting compost break down completely first will prevent this.

Mycos                   (1-2 Tbsp)                            

Powdered Egg Shells:                     
(1-2 cups for the whole garden bed,  1 Tbsp for each tomato hole I plant in)       

I save my egg shells, let them dry and then grind them up in a coffee grinder to powder them. I save them in a mason jar all winter long. By spring it is full. 

This can be used as soil amendment (especially for Tomatoes & heavy calcium feeders like brassicas). If you are fighting with blossom end rot in your tomatoes your soil is likely lacking calcium. I put a tablespoon sprinkled in the hole of each tomato seedling when I plant each time. 

It also can be used similarly to DE (diatomaceous earth) as insect control – see below for more info on that.

 

I use the following for my seed starter mix 

I start most of my plants/flowers/vegetables indoors so this works well and I know it comes bug free. (verses soil from outside)

Compressed Soil:    Just add water and it has everything to have happy seedlings. I like this product a lot. Also for whatever reason it always smells like chocolate to me when I add the warm water. (no complaints there)

Worm Castings:   Adds extra nutrients for a healthy robust seedlings.  I add about 1-2 cups to the compressed soil after I have "decompressed it"

Handful of Perilite  Keeps roots aeriated to prevent root rot

Mix well and use for seed starting. I have had great success with this blend.

 

Gardening Methods:

I use the Stake & Prune method for tomatoes. Here are a couple of videos you can watch on that:                     

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvX9x-BFG34   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH0uegIOoK4 &

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmKK136KH7Y

 

I also use The Square Foot Gardening Method with Succession Planting: 

be aware – square foot gardening is not just about spacing. It is specific about soil blend (see the 1:1:1 ratio listed above) and pruning methods so your plants are not starved for nutrients and not shading/choking each other out.  There is a book called The Square Foot Gardening Method by Mel Bartholomew that teaches all of those things. Good read.

Keeping Track of Things & Knowing When... to do things...

The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season y Ron Kujawski

I love this book.  It is an easy to follow week by week to do list. It breaks things down from your last frost date.  So if you move, it is still applicable. I find it very helpful as a checklist of what to do and when, thus the whole experience is less overwhelming. It tells you when to start your seedlings indoors, when to transplant, when to plant, how to manage pests, and LOTS of great tips.

This is another wonderful tool that I keep tucked right in the book above. Clyde's Garden Planner! It is a sliding calendar of when to plant what based on frost dates. One side is Spring the other Fall planting dates. You will know just when to start your tomatoes and peppers indoors and when to transplant!

If you aren't sure when to start seeds indoors, when to transplant, when to harvest - these tools will make this MUCH easier 

Organic Pest Control:

These are non-toxic and organic methods only. I do not use any chemicals.  

Please Note:  These can affect pollinators (protect our bees!!!) so I apply in the evening when they are not busy and when it won’t burn the plants in the sun. Also I avoid applying on the actual flowers of the plants so our polinators are safe there too.

NeemOil             

BT (AKAThuricide)     - works great for cabbage worms and hornworms      

BeneficialNematodes   

Food Grade DE aka Diatomaceous Earth –   you can use eggs shells too, but DE tends to be more effective. Remember you will need to re-apply if it rains.

 

BUG SPRAY - 

As far as wearable bug sprays go, TerraShield is my hands down go-to personal bug repellant. Made with essential oils and safe for skin.
I find it works very well.

Gardening Channels I follow:

The Gardening Channel with James Prigioni 

Roots And Refuge 

Huw Richards 

MIGardner  

Groups: 

Find a local gardening group on Facebook. You will be amazed what you find and learn.

Seeds: 

MANY seed companies will send you a FREE Seed Catalog if you go on their website and request it. I currently have around 12 different ones sitting next to me. 

They serve a couple of purposes. 

• They all tend to have great tips and tricks for different things.
• It helps to pass the winter months as I dream about my garden.
• It helps me visualize what I want to grow or what I want to seed swap for.

Speaking of Seed Swapping....

This part is so great if you are on a budget. Join a local seed swap group or two on Facebook and swap seeds.  

Few tips:

• Purchase a few varieties of seeds. (think heirloom varieties)
• I recommend posting that you have 1 seed type available at a time for trade and see what that brings. This will keep the confusion down on what needs to be mailed out. Most people will respond with "I am interested and I have.... to swap" You can get pretty much anything you are looking for this way. 
• Example: "I have 6 packets of 25 seeds of Giant Noble Spinach for trade."
• For larger seeds (corn, beans, melon, squash, you get the idea) be sure to pack in bubble wrap. Also mark the envelope NON MACHINABLE
• I find thank you cards that you can purchase in packs of 6-10 at the dollar store work great for these swaps. I just put my seeds in a mini zip lock and a couple slips of bubble wrap and I am good to go.
• Make sure your seeds are dry when you send them. Nobody wants moldy seeds.
• Read your seed swap group rules. Some groups have rules about numbers of seeds, mailing procedures and such.

BE WARNED: Seed Swapping is FUN and Dangerous. I started with 8 sets of seeds, I currently have close to 300... Yes that happened this winter... I store them in baseball card sheet holders that I snagged from my husband LOL (Thanks honey!)

The up side to that is I now have some really cool varieties of tomatoes, flowers, peppers and much more that I am looking forward to growing this year. AND I didn't pay for much more than postage on the majority of them.

So there it is... Lots of info and lots of resources to keep your garden and your experience growing.

 

Someone I know and respect often signs off with the following and it seems appropriate here. 

    "Bee Good To Each Other and Keep Those Hands Dirty"...               

                                                           ~Angela