Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again Remember when we tested and shared how to grow onions indefinitely last week? Well, at the same time, we've been testing out another little indoor gardening project first gleaned from Pinterest that we're excited to share the successes of today — regrowing celery from it's base. We've figured out how to literally re-grow organic celery from the base of the bunch we bought from the store a couple weeks ago. I swear, we must have been living under a rock all these years or just not be that resourceful when it comes to food, but we're having more fun learning all these new little tips and tricks as we dive deeper into trying to grow more of our own food. This project is almost as simple as the onion growing project — simply chop the celery stalks from the base of the celery you bought from the store and use as you normally would. We let our celery base hang out in the saucer of water for right around one week, give or take. Update 2: Here's how we are looking at almost 3-4 weeks of growth:
How to Grow Potatoes, Growing Potatoes, Potato Eyes Ah!! The versatile and lovable Potato. Spuds, or tubers, as they are affectionately nicknamed, are a regular at the dinner table, as well as breakfast. Plain by itself, a potato does not have a strong, overpowering flavor. Despite it's mealtime appeal, it is surprising that more home gardeners do not grow potatoes. Old Fashioned Headache Remedy: Put sliced, raw potatoes on your forehead. Types of Potatoes: Idaho Potatoes - Famous for their quality as "Bakers" White Potatoes - This is the basic and most popular potato. Did you know? More Potato trivia: Potato chips were first made by Chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 24, 1853. Growing Potatoes: Potatoes grow best in soft "muck" soil. Potatoes are grown from "Seed Potatoes". Potatoes can be planted as early as two weeks before the last frost in your area. The most common form of planting is in "hills". A second and less common method, is to use furrows. Fertilize potato plants every two to four weeks. Potato Bag Planter
7 Cheap But Beautiful DIY Garden Decor Ideas I must be painting a terrible portrait of myself. Lazy gardener. Lazy cleaner. I'm also incredibly cheap when it comes to garden decor. You can make these pieces from things you have around the house, items you've collected, salvaged, or thrifted, and some of the cheapest supplies your local Lowe's has to offer. Bonus: Nothing here is hard to make. Stepping Stones -- These are deceptively simple to make, and it’s one project where you determine the budget and materials. Luminaries -- These are particularly great around the patio, or in a sitting space you’ve created out in the garden. Bird Baths -- There are nine million ways to make a birdbath. Copper Trellis -- This is one of my favorite pieces to make, and it creates big impact in the garden. Hypertufa Leaf Casting -- Hyper-wha? Tea-cup Birdfeeder -- I love these, especially using thrifted vintage cups -- the really delicate ones -- and putting them in a group at varying heights.
50 Resources To Help You Become More Self-Sufficient We live in an interdependent world. Although at one time all of humankind lived independently and self-sufficiently, group cooperation allowed for more efficient use of resources when hunting and gathering, raising young, making clothing and tools, and building shelters. Banding together ensured our long-term survival; dividing labor into specialized tasks has helped sculpt today’s modern, globalized society. Because of specialization, we enjoy a high quality of life. Yet being a small cog in the greater machine means we are often disconnected from – and unaware of – the processes that go into fulfilling our most basic needs. Becoming more self-sufficient means you’ll develop practical skills that will surely serve you well throughout your lifetime. Grow Your Own Food Fruit & Vegetable Gardening – Green thumbs are made, not born, and anyone can learn how to grow a backyard cornucopia of fresh, organic produce. Permaculture Techniques Attract Beneficial Insects – Stop using pesticides.
Easy vegetables to grow Planting a garden doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. But the fear of failure keeps many a gardener-wannabe from spending time and energy on planting backyard crops. Knowing the easy vegetables to grow for your region — in addition to when and where to plant them — is the best way to ensure success. When planning your crops, try to space out the planting of foods that have a short harvest season. Some of the easiest garden goods for first timers are yellow squash and zucchini, potatoes, radishes and tomatoes. Squash plants can be planted into small hills, and are ready to eat when they are about 6 inches in length. Radishes are another no-brainer crop. Strawberries are popular for their ability to grow in many places and for their sweet, tangy taste and beautiful appearance. Keep in mind that something must be done to keep away the squirrels — they have a thing for those sweet berries. Tomatoes are possibly the most popular garden vegetable. Know of other easy vegetables to grow?
How to Eat Common Milkweed Disclaimer: Eating certain wild plants can be deadly!! Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants. Milkweed is one of those plants that I have fond memories for. As a young boy I used to love opening the late summer seed pods to feel the silky soft down inside and watch the wind catch it as I would toss one after the other in the air. In my late teens and early 20s, when I was big into practicing wilderness survival skills, I would often use the outer fibers on the stalk to make a serviceable cordage (I still enjoy doing this) and I learned to use the seed down but it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I learned how wonderful this plant is as a wild edible. How to Identify Common Milkweed How to Eat Common Milkweed Variety of Foods in Common Milkweed Conclusion
The Lazy Lady’s Guide to DIY: Hanging Herb Garden At some point near the middle of March, I always decide that I’m “done” with winter. The sweaters and jackets get pushed to the back of the closet, the flip flops come out, and I inevitably freeze my butt off for several weeks until the weather catches up with my warm-weather state of mind. Likewise, my cravings for fresh herbs and veggies are always a little ahead of the season. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money and avoid buying too much at a time and letting most of it go to waste. What you’ll need: Tin containers with snap-on plastic lids (tea, cocoa, and coffee cans are a good bet), coat hangers, pliers, scissors, herbs (I bought basil, rosemary, dill, and cilantro for about $2.50 each), masking tape, coffee filters, a nail, a hammer, X-acto knife, scrap fabric or paper, and glue or spray adhesive. After you’ve emptied and cleaned your cans, remove the bottom of the can with a can opener. Slide the bottom inside the can, holding it up from inside. Happy growing!
Pallet Gardening 101: Creating a Pallet Garden This year I will be planting a large salad garden and I thought it would be fun to grow my lettuce and other greens in wood pallets to change things up a bit in the backyard. All you really need to do a little pallet gardening is a wood pallet, some good soil, and a few seeds. Using a wood pallet to start a garden can be a great space saver, plus as a bonus, there is no soil to til or weed. This is exactly the kind of project young children would love, especially if they could have their own wood pallet to work with. What to look for in a wood pallet: If you live in the Tacoma area you can purchase new pallets from Girard Wood Products in Puyallup, Washington for about $9 each. Personally, I suggest using a new, clean, fresh pallet. But if you like to live life on the edge, Here are a few pointers when looking for recycled pallets: Look for a pallet that has HT stamped somewhere on the pallet. Also, watch out for old, rusty nails or staples. So here we go. ~Mavis Related posts:
Just in Time for Winter: How to Build Your Own Mini-Greenhouse | Living on GOOD Gardeners looking to extend the growing season into winter can do so with a cold frame. These handy mini-greenhouses trap heat and keeping cool-season veggies growing in spite of frosty weather. Cold frames are inexpensive to build and don't consume a lot of energy. They yield fresh, local vegetables when mediocre grocery store fodder is being shipped from afar. Fall is the perfect time to build a cold frame and start planting. This modular cold frame design offers two frame options: single- and double-tier. The lid should be kept shut on cold days and propped open for ventilation on unseasonably warm days. WOOD SELECTION: Cedar is best. WOODCUTTING 1 — Each 10-foot, 1 x 12-inch board will yield one 60-inch front/back panel and one 40-inch side panel. 2 — For the two-angled side panels, choose the most flawless 40-inch side panel and mark a diagonal line lengthwise, from corner to corner. 4 — Cut the lid pieces from the 1 x 6-inch lengths of cedar. Text by Wilder Quarterly.