When you've gathered summer's bounty, it's time to plan for cool-season crops like salad greens, spinach, beets, carrots and peas. The vegetable garden is in full glory during summer, filled with ripe tomatoes, rapidly growing squashes, hot and mild peppers, melons, cucumbers, corn and a host of other summer vegetables that can threaten to take over your yard and your kitchen. Most fruit trees are in full production, and berries are at their peak. Is it any wonder that by fall, most people are looking forward to relaxing indoors with a seed catalog and planning for next year rather than actively nurturing their own edible landscape?
Still … there’s that empty space in the yard. And while most vegetables did great in the summer heat, there were those plants that literally went to seed when faced with warm temperatures. That’s when the cool-season garden comes into play. A cool-season vegetable garden is filled with plants that prefer the cooler temperatures and soils of spring and fall. Wondering what vegetables you can harvest in fall and early spring? More: See how to grow each of these crops in your own backyard. All about Growing Peas. (For details on growing many other vegetables and fruits, visit our Crop at a Glance collection page or check out our Food Gardening Guide app.) It's early spring, you're putting in a garden, and you've already decided you'll be growing peas. To help you achieve a successful harvest, here are a few recommendations and tips. Types of Peas to Try Vine length varies from one variety to another, and long-vined peas need a taller trellis than compact varieties.
Snap peas are eaten whole, and both the crunchy pod and the peas inside taste sweet. Snow peas produce tender, flat pods that are eaten whole. Shell peas are often called English peas, because many fine varieties were developed in Great Britain in the 18th century. Soup peas produce hard, starch-filled seeds for drying inside inedible pods. When to Plant Peas Sow in spring, about one month before your last frost date. How to Plant Peas All peas benefit from a trellis or other support. Harvesting and Storing Peas Saving Pea Seeds. A Beginner's Guide to Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. People take an interest in gardening for a variety of reasons—higher quality produce, exercise in the great outdoors, or saving money. Whether you hope to discover your green thumb or save a little green, growing your own fruits and vegetables can be an advantageous pastime. When you're just getting started, gardening can be intimidating. How do you even know where to start? SparkPeople's gardening resources will help you learn the basics, starting with the five-step process outlined in this article.
Step #1: Gather Your Gear You should gather several gardening tools before you get your nails dirty. I cannot stress enough the importance of quality tools. Trowel - Used for weeding and digging small holes Gardening gloves - As much as we like getting our hands dirty, we don’t like getting them that dirty. 5 Easy to Grow Mosquito-Repelling Plants. As the outdoor season approaches, many homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts look for ways to control mosquitoes.
With all the publicity about the West Nile virus, mosquito repelling products are gaining in popularity. But many commercial insect repellents contain from 5% to 25% DEET. There are concerns about the potential toxic effects of DEET, especially when used by children. Children who absorb high amounts of DEET through insect repellents have developed seizures, slurred speech, hypotension and bradycardia. There are new DEET-free mosquito repellents on the market today which offer some relief to those venturing outdoors in mosquito season. Here are five of the most effective mosquito repelling plants which are easy to grow in most regions of the US: 1.
Citronella is the most common natural ingredient used in formulating mosquito repellents. Citronella is a perennial ‘clumping’ grass which grows to a height of 5 – 6 feet. 2. Horsemint leaves can be dried and used to make herbal tea. KITCHEN COMPOSTER | Bokashi Indoor System. Waste Is Wonderful! Recycle waste into something wonderful! This unique, odorless indoor composting system ferments and pickles food waste in less than half the time of conventional composting methods using the Japanese method of Bokashi.
Convenient - Stores neatly under kitchen sink for easy access, every few weeks contents can then be buried in your garden. Large Capacity - Holds approximately 5 gallons of food waste. Air-Tight Lid - Ensures an ideal environment for anaerobic fermentation to take place, while controlling odors and deterring flies. Plastic Strainer & Spigot - Placing the plastic grate inside the bucket and then piling food waste on top of it separates the food waste from the liquid that accumulates at the bottom of the bucket. Bokashi - An all-natural compost starter containing beneficial micro-organisms that aids in fermentation.
Once the bucket is full, it will take only 10 days to produce a pre-compost product ready to bury in the garden. Bamboo Grow-Pot: Mint. Manufacture: Potting Shed Creations, Troy, ID materials: Handmade bamboo pot, organic soil, seeds, ribbon made from recycled plastic bottles dimensions: 4" tall x 3.5" diameter about: Growing a plant on your desktop or windowsill couldn't be easier: this handsome bamboo pot contains everything you need. Simply follow the easy instructions, and soon you'll have a plant that grows virtually anywhere. Packaged in a sustainable bamboo pot, tied with a ribbon made from recycled plastic bottles, this makes a great gift which needs no wrapping. Availability: Limited quantities available. Price: Hulling Strawberries With A Straw. My girls and I spent the afternoon at a strawberry patch, picking strawberries with good friends of ours.
It was so much fun! We came home with almost 40 lbs of strawberries. I plan on making freezer jam, strawberry pancake syrup, smoothies, popsicles, and strawberry bread. We started the big job of washing and hulling the strawberries right when we got home. I plan on mashing them up, then putting them in jars to freeze, thanks to this post I read. (she talks about why she likes to mash them instead of freezing them whole). I am so happy that I learned this secret to easy hulling from my step mom. Have any other ideas of how I can use up these berries? Customer Reviews: Oggi Countertop Compost Pail with Charcoal Filter, Made from Eco-Friendly Bamboo Fiber. How to Make a Plastic Storage Bin Composter - Make a Compost Bin from a Plastic Storage Container. Genova Plumbing, Vinyl Gutters, Vinyl Fencing, Vinyl Decking, Vinyl Railing, Choice Lattice&Vinyl Wire Management Products.
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Probably not. Fortunately, for people who wish to transcend function for form, there is another option. Rain chains ('Kusari doi' in Japanese) offer a highly attractive and unique alternative to traditional downspouts. The principle is simple - rain chains do exactly what downspouts do, but they do it in a way that brings visual pleasure and delight. Installing rainchains is as simple as 1, 2, 3. 1. 2. 3. All done! Chains vary in style from simple chains bought at your local hardware store to artistically designed copper chains that oxidize over time. Rain chains may not be quite as efficient as gutters, especially in areas prone to heavy downpours, but offer a highly attractive alternative in areas where aesthetics are crucial. Links: Cascade 3 Tray Worm Factory™ > Green Products, Green Building Materials | Green Depot. Worm composting is an incredibly efficient way to convert kitchen scraps, junk mail, and cardboard into nutrient-rich compost. The Worm FactoryT's stackable, multi-tray design is very simple to operate.
Worms eat waste in the lowest tray, migrate upward as food sources are exhausted, and so separate themselves from the finished compost--which is then ready to take right outside. Managed correctly, the Worm Factory is virtually odorless, making it the perfect composter for small apartments, garages, or porches. Each tray weighs only 12.5 lbs. when full, and the 16-page instruction manual gives tips on how best to manage your composter year-round. Made in the U.S.A. Makes composting easier & more convenientHelps reduce food wasteDurable Size: 16"L x 16"W x 21"H Color: Terracotta For more details, please refer to the Instructions Manual. Spu01_006291. Rainwater Hog 50 Gallon Modular Catchment Tank (RAINHOG) The Rainwater HOG is a 50 gallon storage module which can be linked horizontally or vertically for collecting rainwater.
Each HOG joins to the next - so you can start with a few units for irrigation purposes then extend the number of modules to allow toilet flush, as an example, from the HOGs as well. HOGs are designed to screw together - and screw apart for reuse. This means you can change your rain storage capacity as your needs change. The Rainwater HOG is made of high density polyethylene that can withstand temperature extremes of between -30°C/22°F to +60°C/140°F and has been designed to withstand the hot Australian sun and has a UV stabilizer added - UV8, the maximum UV protection for polyethylene.
The Rainwater HOG can be installed vertically or horizontally, such as under a deck or beneath the floor boards and can be installed underground or above ground, and inside a building or outside. Tank plastic complies with FDA and HPB regulatory standards for food contact. Growing A Greener World | Learn, Create and Grow a Greener World. Naturalyards – Raised Garden Beds, Planter Boxes and Garden Trellises – Free Shipping! How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden.
Good news and bad news. I had planned to film a short video showing you how to make a pallet garden, but the weather didn’t cooperate. I was stapling the landscape fabric onto the pallet when it started drizzling and got really windy. That’s the bad news. But I know I promised a tutorial today, so I took photos and have kept my word to share how to make the pallet garden. I tried to be as detailed as possible. So keep reading my pallet loving friends, instructions on how to make your own pallet garden are just a few lines away… Find a Pallet The first thing you need to do is–obviously–find a pallet. Don’t just take the first pallet you find. Collect Your Supplies For this project, you’ll need the pallet you found, 2 large bags of potting soil, 16 six packs of annual flowers (one six pack per opening on the face of the pallet, and two six packs per opening on the top of the completed pallet garden), a small roll of landscape fabric, a staple gun, staples, and sand paper.
Now for the sides. A Beginner's Guide to Composting. When organic matter such as leaves, grass clippings and food scraps break down, you get compost, a dark, dirt-like "soil" that is rich in nutrients. Compost happens even without human involvement; for example, the leaves that fall on the forest floor (or even in your own backyard) will compost and return much-needed nutrients to the soil, like a slow-release fertilizer. How quickly natural matter turns to compost depends on many factors, from the size of the organic matter to the temperature and oxygen availability. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years for organic matter to turn into compost.
Many people, from gardeners to farmers to environmentalists, choose to compost for a variety of reasons. Although nature does all of the work, human involvement can help speed up the composting process to ensure the best possible conditions for nature to do its work. Why compost? Anyone can compost, whether you live on a 500-acre farm or in a 500 square foot apartment. Create a Bee and Butterfly Friendly Pallet Garden. I recently had an immense amount of fun talking about growing food in urban spaces and attracting birds, bees, and butterflies at Eat Real Fest in Los Angeles. For part of my demonstration, I created a special wildlife-friendly pallet garden with plants donated by Proven Winners.
I think it turned out really cool! If you’d like to make a pallet garden designed to provide nectar and pollen for hummingbirds, butterflies, and honeybees (which are all important pollinators for edible plants), here are the plants I used: Ageratum ‘Artist Purple’ (Floss Flower) Ageratum is a really neat and unusual looking flower. The small flowers look like fuzzy buttons and are held in clusters practically covering the plant. Lantana ‘Luscious Lemonade’ Lantana is such a great plant. Petunia ‘ Supertunia Citrus’ Supertunias don’t ask for much. Cleome ‘Spirit’ (Appleblossom) These delicate, pink and white flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Zinnia Zinnias are a great plant for attracting bees. Layout. Do It Yourself Worm Bins can be made of anything that works for you and is not toxic for the worms.