Gardening for the beginner:Growing Vegetables from Seed

Seedling Heat Mat

A lot of people shy away from growing their plants from seed because they think that it may be to hard for them. I think it simply is a fear of the unknown. I will attempt to get you through the necessary steps to grow you very own successful vegetable plants starting from seed. The first step is to select a quality organic vegetable seed from your local garden center.
The seeds should display the USDA organic label on the package.You will need a few seedling growing supplies to start your plants off properly. The first item is a seedling heating mat. This mat is necessary because it warms the root area 10 to 20 degrees over room temperatures to improve germination. The organic seeds you selected need the best growing medium possible to grow. You should select seed starting mix which contains Canadian sphagnum peat moss, plug grade perlite, and vermiculite. All of these ingredients provide the optimum environment for seed germination.
The next item necessary is a seedling tray to place your seeds into the growing medium. One smart way is to purchase a small hot house growing kit which comes with all the items necessary for proper growth.
The seedling tray is filled with soil, and in each section a small hole is poked for your seed. When all your seeds are planted into your growing medium you will want to lightly water the soil till moist, but not too damp.
The next item is very important. It is the lighting which simulates the suns vital rays. A good system is the T-5 growing light by Jump Start. You should leave this light on so that when your seedlings start to come up they will get the proper amount of lighting.
Your grow light should be left on for 12 to 14 hours a day to help your young plants thrive and grow. As your plants start to develop its first leaves you will be soon be able to transplant your organic vegetables outside.

Gardening for the beginner: Vegetable Garden Maintenance

Hello there, A very important aspect of vegetable gardening is upkeep or maintenance. You should check your garden every day preferably in the morning when your first wake up. Your plants are constantly growing every single day and different things could be going on with them. An example I sometimes come  across is having a tomato hornworm ( caterpillar ) munching on my tomato plants leaves.

I am an organic gardener so all I do is pluck the worm off my plant and kill it. The result no more leaf eating caterpillar. Garden maintenance consists of checking the growth of your plants, looking for insects, and clearing away dead leaves. If you do this daily your plants will thrive and be healthy and produce.

Gardening for the Beginner: Checking your Soil PH

Hey There,  Are you sometimes puzzled about why a certain plant does not grow where you want it to? You plant Blueberries in this certain spot in your yard and the next thing you notice is that your plant is not growing as well as you hoped or even worse it dies.

The reason more and likely could be your soils condition or pH  level. This describes how acid or akaline your soil make-up is. Certain plants need a more acid like condition like our blueberry plant we just talked about above. There are  inexpensive pH meters that you can buy that will tell you the exact condition of your soil. You would then add Sulfur to lower the pH or add Dolomite Lime to raise it.

Proper soil pH is a factor in determining whether roots can absorb and process nutrients available in the soil.

Gardening for the beginner : Container Tomato plant care 1

Hi there, who does not like to eat big red juicy tomatoes with your sandwiches or salads. I love growing tomatoes, and have been doing so for years now. To start your young start (plant from nursery) off right prepare your soil for the arrival of your new plant.

I mix into my soil organic powder fertilizer with a NPK( this stands for nitrogen, phosphorus,and potassium ) of 4-6-2. This is a all purpose fertilizer that is ph balanced to counteract acidic soil conditions. It contains blood meal, fish bone meal, Langbeinite, soft rock phospate and humic acid. please contact me at our website to learn how to get this brand of organic fertilizer.

To plant your plant dig hole in center of your pot. (please make sure that your growing pot is at least 25 inches in diameter.) All tomato plants grow extensive roots which need the room to expand and give you a strong healthy plant. Place your young plant into the hole and cover the root ball all the way up to the first new leaves of the stem. This will cause your plant to grow additional roots along the stem.

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Gardening for the beginner: Garden tip 5

Friends, Do you drink coffee ? Great your plants do to ! let the coffee cool and dilute it with water and give your garden plants a drink--they will appreciate the pick me up.

Here is another tip that i use in my garden. I keep the egg shells from my morning breakfast , rinse with water and let dry. I then crush the egg shells and place into what ever plant i have. These egg shells are a great source of calcium for your plants. This is one of many extra trace minerals your plants need to thrive !

Gardening for the beginner: Strawberries Tips 2

New daughter plant on runner

Hello, Did you ever wonder what are those long running stems on you strawberries plants? They are called runners. Your plants are trying to reproduce themselves! At the tip of the runner is another strawberry plant. You can help create another new strawberry plant by covering this tip end with soil and expose only the green leaf part poking thru the soil. The runner will take root and grow into a separate new plant from the mother plant.

Strawberries Tips 1

Hi friends, Have you wondered about trying to grow your own plump, juicy, red strawberries? Well  you can do it ! The First thing you will need to do is decide on what variety you would like to grow. I am currently growing Ozark Beauties which are medium size and grow quite well in a sunny location. You can find the type you would like to grow by going to our website and clicking on Burpee or Cooks garden product lines.

I get bare root starts from my garden suppliers. I always get ever bearing plants which produce to yearly crops in early summer and in the fall. Another variety is called June bearing which gives you a big harvest during late spring to early summer.

Youve picked your favorite type, now it time to select your growing pot size and shape. Fill your pot with organic potting soil about six inches from the top and press a hole in the center of the pot. Select the root end of your plant and place into the hole. Strawberries come with long roots so plant your plants to cover all of the roots right up to the crown or (the part where the stem meets the root ball). Water and Fertilize with dry organic powder fertilizer and enjoy !


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