I decided to take a trip out to the greenhouse the day after Christmas. It was 29 degrees outside and 52 degrees in the greenhouse.
I just sat in the chair thinking how thankful I was to have a place to go where it’s warm, life is going on and my joy of gardening is not stifled by the weather.
So, it was then I decided to jot down 10 reasons why I love my greenhouse so much. And then I decided to do a video on 10 reasons why everyone should own one.
So here is the video:
Gardening
How To Make Your Own Grow Bags
After many requests from my video “How To Make Your Own Grow Bags”
I decided to lay out the gallon sizes and dimensions for the fabric needed to make them.
You can make these in any size you desire.
In the first video, I explain the process of making them.
In the second video, I show how to layout the fabric and calculate the dimensions.
First Video “How To Make Your Own Grow Bags”
Second Video “How To Calculate Fabric For Making Grow Bags”
How To Grow Garlic
I usually get my fall garlic in the ground around Halloween or the first week of November. I’m running a little late this year. But in Zone 7b, I can actually plant anytime before the new year as long as the ground does not freeze. In this video I am planting in my newly cultivated raised bed.
Make Your Own Soil-less Seed Starting Mix
I typically like to start my seeds in a soil-less mix. Especially if I’m germinating seeds that take a long time to sprout. Even so, it’s a good practice to start everything in this mix.
The mix I use is 1 Part Perlite and 1 Part Coconut Coir.
There are many reasons for using this mix, but let me give me my top 5
- You can control the density
In other words, with my two part mix, I just have to increase one or decrease the other to adjust how heavy I want it. If I increase the Coir, it makes the mix denser. If I increase the perlite, it becomes more aerated. - Virtually no damping off. Damping off is a disease caused by a fungus in the soil. This fungus kills the seedlings before they can get well established. Since this mix is inert, the fungus can’t thrive.
- No fungus gnats. No fungus (#2) means no gnats. If the gnats have nothing to feed on, they can’t grow.
- No shock to the seedlings. The seedlings don’t need to extract any energy from the soil. All the energy is stored within the seed itself to get it to the first stage of true leaves. Adding all kinds of fertilizer only stresses the plants and offsets the balance of the seedlings
- Watering is a breeze. Both Coconut Coir and Perlite respond well to watering. The Coir retains the water and releases it out slowly. The Perlite helps with the drainage if the coir gets too saturated.Watch the video below:
Compost Tea, Help or Hype?
Is compost tea helpful in the garden? In this video I give six reasons for not making or using it.
There is no evidence to support the use of compost tea as beneficial to your garden. Here I will explain why.
Growing Goji Berry or Wolfberry Plants From Seeds
I bought my first goji plant 5 years ago as a small 10″ seedling. The bush is now 5′ tall and taking over the grow box I built to contain it. They grow fast, produce prolifically and provide some of the most nutrient dense berries on the planet.
The health benefits of Goji Berries:
Goji are members of the nightshade family and native to the Himalayan mountains of Tibet and Mongolia. Goji berries have been used medicinally in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
They have the highest concentration of protein of any other fruit and more carotenoids of any food.
Loaded with vitamin C, high in fiber and 21 trace minerals, Goji berries have 10-15 times the iron found in spinach. They also contain zinc, calcium and selenium.
People are starting to realize the benefits of eating this super fruit and are scrambling to buy the berries fresh, dried or frozen.
Finding Good Carbon Sources For Your Compost Pile
The art of composting consists of adding both nitrogen and carbon to a large pile and letting it break down over time. However, the rate at which it turns into compost, is greatly affected by the nitrogen to carbon ratio.
Typically, I add about 25% carbon to 75% nitrogen. Although this recipe varies greatly. To understand the difference between the two types, see the video here:
What to add and what not to add to your compost pile
If you’re like me, it’s very easy to find lots of greens. Rotting kitchen scraps pile up daily forcing me to take multiple trips to the garden daily to dump my compost bucket.
The real challenge for me, is finding brown sources to add so the stench doesn’t drive my neighbors away. (on second thought, that might be a good thing)
In this video, I will discuss how easy it is to find carbon, most often sitting right under our noses:
Carolina Reaper/Banana Pepper Taste Test
The results are in (maybe not). Is it genetically possible for two distinct varieties of peppers to grow on the same plant?
People have been patiently waiting for me to bite into the morphed red runt.
I’ve grown the yellow banana for years and decided to cross it with the extremely hot Carolina Reaper.
I was amazed to see this red pepper growing right alongside of the regular banana. So what are the results?
Watch the video and see.
Dealing With Difficult Soil & Why Are My Tomato Skins Tough?
In this video, I will answer the following questions:
1. Are snow peas the same as Mange Tout
2. How to improve bad soil
3. Why are my tomato skins tough
4. You shouldn’t degrade people. Two wrongs don’t make a right
5. You must till in the compost to make it work
6. Will you send me some seeds
Fertilizing My Plants and Pelleted Seeds Q&A
Today I will answer the following questions:
1. When it comes to large scale farming, you can only really plant in soil, right?
2. What’s the difference between soil and potting mix?
3. What are pelleted seeds?
4. What ever happened to your potatoes in the bucket I looked for a harvest video and I didn’t see one?
5. Do you fertilize your plants?
6. Have you ever tried growing the Carolina reaper?
7. Are there any disadvantages to compost?