Soil blocking is a seed-starting technique that uses cubes of compressed soil to grow healthy, vigorous plants. It’s my go-to method for starting vegetable, flower, and herb seeds and produces a lot of seedlings without the need for plastic pots or cell packs. The cubes of soil are made using metal soil blockers which come in a variety of sizes. Soil blocking isn’t difficult but there are a few points to keep in mind to boost success. Below you’ll learn all about soil blocking and the best way to make sturdy cubes of soil for seed starting.
Japanese maple fertilizer: How and when to apply
Applying the right amount of Japanese maple fertilizer at the right time is a lesson in attentiveness and restraint. Exercise both of these when offering your Japanese maples supplemental nutrition and you’ll be rewarded with consistent, healthy growth. This article discusses how and when to feed Japanese maple trees and what products are the best ones to use.
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Fencing a vegetable garden: Options and ideas
Millions of gardeners around the world enjoy growing their own veggies, but not fencing a vegetable garden means the local wildlife may enjoy the garden even more than you do. Whether it’s deer, rabbits, groundhogs, or any number of other garden interlopers, learning how to fence a vegetable garden properly can be the difference between an ample harvest and a non-existent one. In this article I’ll cover the most popular vegetable garden fence ideas and share some tips for using them successfully.
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Growing mushrooms in a bag: Step by step instructions
Growing mushrooms in a bag is one of the easiest ways to cultivate homegrown mushrooms. If you’ve ever tried one of the boxed, mushroom-fruiting kits available online or in specialty stores, then you may already have some experience with growing mushrooms in a bag. That’s because the kits frequently include clear polypropylene bags filled with growing mediums that have been inoculated with mushroom spawn. As a result, by the time a mushroom growing kit makes it to you, that bagged substrate is almost fully colonized by bright white mycelium—the fungal organism which ‘fruits’ by putting out loads of tasty mushrooms. Still, relying on a pre-packaged grow kit isn’t the only way to grow mushrooms at home. With a few supplies and close attention to detail, you can cultivate many different kinds of mushrooms—and a lot more of them—economically in bags. Keep reading to learn more.
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Seed storage: Options and tips for your seed packet collection
I have stored my seeds in many ways—in jars, in plastic storage containers, in used bubble mailers, in cute “binder” gift books, in Ziploc bags. Keeping seeds organized can be a challenge, especially when you grow an extensive vegetable garden. There’s the question of how to organize and categorize. But did you know that your seed storage conditions can also affect the viability and germination rate of your seeds? In this article, I’m going to share some tips on how to keep seeds and container options for storing them.
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The best LED grow lights for indoor gardening
Using a grow light to start seeds or grow houseplants, microgreens, and herbs inside your home is an efficient way to promote healthy plant growth. LED grow lights have become the standard for indoor gardeners for their energy efficiency and long life. Yet with so many options available you might be wondering how to choose the best LED grow lights. Over the years I’ve used many LED light systems to grow all types of indoor plants. Below I share my top choices for LED spotlights, tabletop models, and multi-tier grow stands. Keep reading to learn more.
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