How do I start tomatoes from seed? - Generate your own vegetable planting calendar on-line. I've put together a planting calendar that will calculate the planting dates for crops for whatever zone you're in.
Just enter your last frost date, click the button and everything gets calculated. (magic!) It's not quite done yet. I don't think the last few dates calculate yet. Check back to this page and I'll add fall planting too. Please let me know if any planting dates don't seem right. Since I have two gardens with different frost dates, I'm planning to print out a calendar for each and then highlight the crops I'll plant in each garden. I also started to add the culture information for specific crops at the bottom of the calendar, because I'm often looking these up at Johnny's website.
I'm glad to get this chart done because I see that I need to plant my onions the week of February 12. I have all my seeds, but don't have plant shelves and lights set up yet. Labels: calendar, planting and seedlings. l424.pdf (application/pdf Object) 10 Seed-Starting Tips. 2.
Store seed properly to maintain viability Seeds are a fragile commodity, and if not treated properly, their viability will sharply decline. While some seeds may survive for thousands of years under the proper conditions, others will lose viability quickly, even when properly stored. To maintain dormancy, keep seeds in a cool, dark location with low humidity, like a refrigerator. I recommend labeling them (seed name, source, year) and storing them in a small reclosable bag or empty film canister that is, in turn, kept in a larger plastic container. The Vegetable Garden: Planting Schedules. When to Plant Vegetable Seeds Each USDA zone has its own schedule for sowing seeds.
If you're new to vegetable gardening, you'll want to know that there is a right time to plant each variety of vegetable seed. By following our zone chart for both cool and warm season vegetables, you'll be sure to plant your seeds at the correct time, enabling optimum sprouting and yield. And don't forget, the seeds you pick are also of the greatest importance. Even if you are an old hand in the vegetable garden, we hope that our USDA zone planting chart will be a useful tool for organizing your spring and summer vegetable planting. Zone 1-2 Zone 3-4 Zone 5-6 Zone 7-8 Zones 9-10 Not sure what your USDA Zone is? Matching your vegetables to your season duration is a wonderful recommendation . First, though, get an idea of the growing seasons for your zone that you have to contend with (for info on growing seasons by zones, see below). You can even produce some veggies during the winter. Weekend Gardener - Horticulture for Busy People. Tomato Dirt: growing tomatoes, gardening tips, tomato facts.
The Rise of Urban Farming and Other Varieties of Sustainable Ag. My newest buzzword for 2011 is CSA.
I'd never heard the term until recently, but now it seems to be popping up all over, as is interest in sustainable agriculture and urban farming. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture -- the practice of signing up with a local farm for weekly produce and, in some cases, meat and dairy. I first read about CSA in Kristin Kimball's recent memoir, "The Dirty Life," which is justly attracting rave reviews on Amazon. A Manhattan writer who gave up the city for love, she has been farming an organic spread, Essex Farm, in upstate New York since 2003, with her husband, Mark. Essex Farm provides a complete sustainable diet for its 150 members. Kimball's book is an engrossing depiction of the back-breaking work and edible rewards of CSA. Urban farming is also on the rise. Urban farming comes in a variety of models. A vision of urban and vertical farming. Next Page: More visions of urban farms.