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Nifty Food & Plants To Grow Indoors {May Surprise You

Nifty Food & Plants To Grow Indoors {May Surprise You
If you don’t have any garden space or you live in a climate with a short growing season, you can still exercise your green thumb with these indoor plant ideas…a few will even produce fresh produce too! You’ll find tips for growing assorted herbs, a couple vegetables and a few neat-o plants to try your hand at. You can grow them inside year round but many will thrive outdoors during the summer months (if you have the space) but move them indoors once it gets a little chilly and before the first frost (imagine having garden fresh tomatoes over the winter!). Never Pay For Onions Again Enjoy Garden Fresh Onions Year Round With This Tip Here’s a great tip from MyByrdHouse: Onion Recycling Tutorial: I learned this tip a couple of years ago and have tried it and found that it works and is quite marvelous. The trick is to take the cut end (root side) and plant it in a pot, water well, give it some time and voila! Please visit the site for complete details, great tip! Bean Sprouts In A Jar

Putting Food By - Beef, Onions and Vanilla A freezer door left open accidentally left me frantically trying to figure out what to do with the contents. I was especially concerned about the organic, free ranged, grass fed beef and chicken steadily thawing. I have this marvelous All American 921 pressure canner, which I had only used to cook meals in. For whatever reason, the idea of actually using it to CAN scared the self sufficient right out of me. So I posted on the Facebook page, "Take Back Urban-Homestead(s)" for help and support - and the members there came through in a hurry. When I realized I couldn't find the rack that came with my pressure canner, it was recommended that I use quart size canning rings in the bottom to keep my glass jars off the metal. I managed to get all the beef put up yesterday. I managed to put up 5 quarts of beef. And did you see that little bit of green hanging out in the picture above? You can see in the next picture how the roots grow and tangle in the cup of water. ***update - 2/5/12.

Grow 100 lbs. Of Potatoes In 4 Square Feet: {How To Quite the clever gardening tip here folks! Today’s feature includes tips from three different sources for growing potatoes vertically (in layers) instead of spread out in rows across your garden. If you have limited garden space or want to try some nifty gardening magic, this could be a great option for you. First, there’s this article from The Seattle Times: It’s Not Idaho, But You Still Can Grow Potatoes: The potatoes are planted inside the box, the first row of boards is installed and the dirt or mulch can now be added to cover the seed potatoes. You plant in one bottom layer, boarding up the sides of each layer and adding dirt as you go higher (you wait until the plants have grown a bit before adding a new layer). I traced the information provided in the article to Irish Eyes Garden Seeds, they also advise you can skip the box and try growing them in a barrel or wire cage instead. Bonus! Reader Update: Here’s some info sent in by Christine who made a bin using wood pallets:

we like it wild: bottle gardens As much as we love to garden, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. If there’s a way we can shorten our to-do list, we’ll take it. This week’s project, a no-fuss recycled windowsill herb garden, has knocked watering the plants off our list. Although this project may take a little more effort than your average windowsill garden initially, the pay off is worth it for us: we get to usefully recycle bottles, we get fresh herbs we don’t have to dote on, and we get a sparkling window display. CLICK HERE for the full (photo illustrated) project steps after the jump! You’ll just want to make sure the neck piece is shorter than the bottom piece so it will rest inside without touching the bottom. Pass the string through and tie a tall knot large enough to keep it from slipping through the screen. Run the string down the neck of the bottle top with the screen resting at the top. Transplant your herbs (or add dirt and plant seeds) to the bottle top.

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