How to Grow Your Own Food: A Step-by-Step Guide Got a big enough garden or by any chance a fruit tree farm? Great, you are fortunate enough to grow your own, healthy food. Growing food yourself is pretty enjoyable. It helps you spend some time in nature and saves a lot of bucks on daily […]
our selection of garden tools
Easi Grip Garden Tools Set of 3 Price: $49.95 Easi Grip Long Reach Garden Tools Set of 4 Price: $189.95 Touch ‘N Flow Pro Watering Wand 36 inch Price: $27.95 Dramm Colormark 30 inch Rain Wand Price: $38.95 Men’s Bionic Reliefgrip Gardening Gloves Price: $29.95 Easi Grip Long Reach Garden Tools Fork Price: $49.95 Easi […]
Caterpillar with red horn
The caterpillar with red horn is also known as the tomato hornworm, and if you are growing Tomatoes its almost a sure thing that you have to meet them. If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, chances are good that you’ve dealt with these green caterpillar pests. There are two main garden pest species, tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms. which […]
Choosing Your Bonsai Tree
When you go to choose your Bonsai Tree you will find that there are a great many varieties to choose from. In reality, any plant that has a trunk and branches can become a Bonsai Tree. A lot of people choose the tropical Bonsai Plant because they are beautiful and can be grown indoors all […]
Family farm is also a tree sanctuary and a home for rescued Taal horses
Originally from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UrbanOrganicGardener/~3/ZGpL0XUu3wg/
MB.Com – Sometimes, a farm isn’t just a place where crops grow. Sometimes, it can be a place of conservation and rejuvenation.
Artana Farm & Eco-Sanctuary is one such place. Located in Iba, Zambales, Artana is a family-owned, non-commercial agricultural estate that includes various planted crops,farm animals, a guesthouse for rent, an area dedicated to the preservation of native trees, and various farm tourism activities.
“Artana is a portmanteau of our parents’ names, Arturo and Ana Achacoso,” says Beng Achacoso-Pascua, a freelance voice talent and retired network executive who owns the farm together with her mom and seven siblings.
“All our lives, we had always referred to our farm as ‘Zambales,’” she says. In 2014, after our father passed on, my seven siblings and I came together to vote on an appropriate name for our farm-which we all acknowledged as the retreat we all loved, and our parents’ legacy.”
READ THE FULL STORY AT: https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/06/family-farm-is-also-a-tree-sanctuary-and-a-home-for-rescued-taal-horses/
Tomato Seed Saving Tips and Tricks
Originally from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UrbanOrganicGardener/~3/hI9SJjQA5v0/
Saving tomato seeds is a popular tradition amongst most gardeners. They take their most prolific plants, and favorite varieties and pay special attention to harvesting seed for the following year.
Hybrid vs. Heirloom and why it matters: Hybrid plants are a combination of two different sets of genetic material. If a hybrid tries to mate with another plant, even another plant of the same hybrid type, it may not be able to produce any fruit at all and will usually fail to show the desired characteristics of the mother plants. For example, if a large-fruited, disease-resistant tomato plant were allowed to mate with another similar plant, the offspring might have small fruits and lack disease resistance – the benefits of creating the hybrid, to begin with, would have disappeared in producing the next generation.
Heirloom varieties have been passed down from generation to generation and have stabilized over time. They will produce fruit true-to-type, like that of that plant it came from. Repeat variety and quality can be expected as long as you avoid any cross-pollination. Learn MORE About Hybrid vs. Heirloom Plants
There are several ways that you can save your heirloom tomato seeds, but here are two of the most popular techniques.
Fermentation Method:
- Choose a beautiful, healthy fruit that is slightly over-ripe.
- Slice open.
- Gently squeeze seeds into a cup.
- Add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the seeds.
- Cover the cup with a kitchen towel and make sure they don’t dry out. Let ferment for 3-7 days. (Mold will begin to grow, this is normal and expected.)
- Rinse well, and allow to fully dry on a paper towel.
- Store in a cool, dry place such as an airtight bag or seed vault.
Non-Fermentation Method:
- Choose a beautiful, healthy fruit that is slightly over-ripe.
- Slice open.
- Gently squeeze seeds onto a paper towel.
- Let fully dry for about 1 week.
- Store in a cool, dry place such as an airtight bag or seed vault.
Living Sustainably: Put nature to work for more effective gardening
Originally from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UrbanOrganicGardener/~3/rKpljtR1BTQ/
HollandSentinel.com – The urban environment is dominated by buildings, pavement, lawns, and other non-natural elements. We constantly struggle against nature to maintain our built environment, especially our lawns and gardens.
This can include the use of fertilizers and pesticides that, if used improperly, can cause environmental harm. Our built landscapes can also be very water intensive, which can lead to high demand on our public water utilities.
However, there are ways to work with nature to create an attractive, low maintenance landscape that will help protect the environment, conserve water and provide places for urban wildlife.
Gardening with nature starts with careful planning. Take an inventory of what you already have.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20200914/living-sustainably-put-nature-to-work-for-more-effective-gardening
New Green Urban Park Designed For Social Distancing
Originally from https://www.urbangardensweb.com/2020/07/09/new-green-urban-park-designed-for-social-distancing/
How will the pandemic change the design of public parks and gardens? Many of these much-loved spaces around the world are closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and officials continue to grapple with how to safely reopen… Read More…
The post New Green Urban Park Designed For Social Distancing appeared first on Urban Gardens.
Tips For Becoming A Better Seed Saver
Originally from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UrbanOrganicGardener/~3/crQq3b4fe3c/
Saving your own heirloom garden seed year after year can be very rewarding! Here are just a few reasons why gardeners everywhere are saving their seeds!
SAVE YOURSELF MONEY
HAVE BETTER FLAVORED FOOD
PRESERVE GENETIC DIVERSITY
SAVE THE BEES
BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT
SHARE WITH A NEIGHBOR/FRIEND
CONNECT WITH YOUR GARDEN
Check out the 4 important TIPS below on how to get started saving your own garden seeds:
Seed Saving TIP #1:
When saving your seeds, make sure you are using open-pollinated varieties. These will produce true-to-type crops year after year!
Seed Saving TIP #2
Start with EASY TO HARVEST crops such as peas, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes! Each of these are annuals and self-pollinating. Plus, you will only need a few plants to reap a decent harvest of seed.
Seed Saving TIP #3
Curious as to when it’s time to harvest? For crops with wet fruits, you’ll need to leave a few fruits on the plant to fully mature in the garden. If your harvesting from dry fruited crops such as grains, lettuce, or beans… they can be removed from the plant once the seeds are dry and hard.
Seed Saving TIP #4
Always store your garden seeds in a cool, dark, and dry place. This rule of thumb makes THESE seed vaults the PERFECT solution for long term seed storage. Place your properly dried seeds into the airtight container and store it in the refrigerator or freezer for several years!
How to Get Rid of Tomato Hornworms
Hi, as an organic gardener I grow organically, for a healthy and safe food supply, for a clean and sustainable environment for an enjoyable and rewarding experience. It’s summertime and the garden is in full swing but doesn’t rest on your laurels it’s time to check for pests such as the tomato hornworm. Tomato hornworm […]
Propagation and Transplanting: How to Avoid Transplant Shock
I want to talk to you about the transplant shop. It’s, not that dramatic, but transplant shock is a gardening term for bummed out plants, specifically during the days following a move from one container to another. Growth slows to a crawl and your plants, just mope around, like moody teenagers, faking an illness to […]
Bonsai with Japanese Maples
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) is chosen for bonsai primarily due to its lobed leaves, color, and its adaptability to become a bonsai. Also, there are countless varieties and the bonsai tree can be formed in a variety of styles. Position: The Japanese Maple prefers a sunny, airy position but during great midday heat it should […]
Opuntia mesacantha
article source is plants.ces.ncsu.edu Common Name(s): Barbary Fig Cochineal Prickly Pear Drooping Prickly Pear Drooping Tree Pear Prickly-pear Spreading Prickly Pear Prickly-pear is a native evergreen succulent found in coastal dunes, sandy riverbeds, and pine forests. It is a fast-growing, shrubby cactus with heights of up to 20 feet (ca. 6 m). Its short trunk […]