Posts tagged: gardening
Vacation Houseplant Care
By MarvinWindowsWe all enjoy vacations, but it is important to remember to make plans for our houseplants for the time that we are away so that we can return home to healthy plants rather than a heartache. Here are a few tips that you may find effective. 
If you don't plan to be away too long, you can help conserve moisture by placing the plants in a location out of the direct sun. This will slow down the growth of the plants and reduce the amount of water they » READ MORE
How To: Growing Sprouts.
By Chrisjob
All you need is a mason jar.
Growing sprouts is super easy, super inexpensive, super nutritious, and makes a super great project for those who aren't home often and have a hard time taking care of other plants.
Simply pick your seeds, such as "alfalfa, broccoli, buckwheat, cabbage, chickpea, garlic, lentil, oats, yellow mustard, peas, onion, radish, sunflower, fennel, arugula, pink kale, fenugreek, wheat, or wheatgrass." Soak them overnight, and » READ MORE
Roll-Out Vegetable Mat Makes Gardening a Snap.
By ChrisjobNo kidding...it even includes a set of garden markers.
"Chris Chapman’s Roll-Out Veg Mat could be just the solution you’re searching for. The corrugated cardboard mat is sowed with four types of vegetable seeds and organic fertilizer all ready to be rolled out - all you need to do is add water and soil... Complete with fun graphics and instructions, Chapman’s design makes gardening much more approachable to budding green thumbs." A different ma » READ MORE
How To Ripen Tomatoes.
By Chrisjob
I can't speak for the rest of the States, but in my climate, the intense amount of rain and cool temperatures equals little sun, very few fireflies, and enormous homegrown tomatoes still a bright green on the vine. So, here's a few options from TipNut to encourage ripening on and off the vine.
How to turn a hanging pocket shoe organizer into a vertical garden.
By DIY Maven
Want a garden like pippa5 but don't have the space? Then you might want to give her hanging shoe organizer garden a shot. What I particularly like about this project, is it would great for condo or apartment dwellers, provided the light on the patio/balcony is right for the plantings. To make one, you'll need....
10 Tips for Starting a Simple Garden.
By ChrisjobBriana Feola of Brainstorm Print & Design. is a full time artist with a huge passion for gardening. She's assembled ten great tips for Indie Fixx on getting started with your own food production garden.
1) START SMALL
2) START PLANTS INSIDE
3) COMPOST!
4) OBTAIN APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES
5) PICK SEEDS AND PLANTS NATIVE TO YOUR AREA
6) GET PROPER FENCING TO KEEP CRITTERS OUT
7) GET THE SOIL READY
8) DON’T PLANT TOO SOON
9) DON’T FORGET TO » READ MORE
Ginormous Vegetables
By DIY Maven
In some parts of the world, they grow 'em big. I mean REALLY big. Take, for instance, Lebanese farmer Khalil Semhat grew an astounding 24.9 pound sweet potato, which, frankly, looks very little like a sweet potato at that size.
We hear about gigantic pumpkins every Halloween, but they're usually not as big as this monster grown in Rhode Island, which clocked in at a hefty 1689 pounds.
How to make a propagation chamber.
By DIY Maven
'Propagation chamber' sounds like highly complicated do-dad you'd find on the International Space Station, but, in actuality, it's a simple little set-up that you can put together in minutes with just a few inexpensive supplies. » READ MORE
How to Make a Garden Tote
By DIY Maven
Backyard Living gives us the low down on how to whip up a garden carry-all. Outfitted with pockets on one side to tote your tools, seeds while the center part can hold the big stuff, like your knees-y. It could be a great gift for the gardening dad for Father's Day! To make one, you'll need:
☼ Grow A Gnome Home
By DestinybyDefinition
I wanted to share my gnome home since it's spring and if you're anything like me, you love unique ideas for potting and planting. I love miniatures so this came as a super~exciting idea to me. I had these cute little gnome dudes in my flower pots inside the house.
My husband recently got into woodwork, and I had him build me the flower box and the little 'house' (a bird house would likely work just as well). I gorilla-glued the rocks and got t » READ MORE
Wash Away Poison Ivy with Fels Naptha Soap
By ModHomeEcTeacher
With pesky weed and vine removal comes the likely possibility of rubbing up against some poison ivy, sumac or poison oak. If you're sensitve to these weeds, the coming weeks could be miserble. A quick anecdote is to » READ MORE
Recycle Old Blinds Into Garden Markers
By ModHomeEcTeacher
Greening it up this week with a clever little project using old vinyl blinds as your plant markers. Wooden paint stir sticks were my previous favorite, but after two good rains, they're a mess. » READ MORE
How to make a living willow dome.
By DIY Maven
In the UK, a beautiful and relatively frugal alternative to traditional gazebos are living bowers. Totally earth-friendly, the domes are a collection of woven and tied willow whips. To make one, you'll need the following:
Green Thumb
By Stacey Folsom
It may still be too early to start planting your garden, but it's definitely not too early to start planning. So for those of you excited to start digging in the dirt, I came across a handy (and free) garden planning tool at Gardener's Supply.
The site provides six different 3'x6' pre-planned raised vegetable garden designs based on a simple 1'x1' grid pattern (the grid allows for maximum yield in the pre-defined space). The variety of garden » READ MORE
Decorative Recycled Tin Cans
By ModHomeEcTeacher
Photo by Susan Beal
If you're living in the same weather belt as we are, you've had it with the cold. Instead of stashing old cans under the sink for old grease, put them to work for you. CraftSylish gets you going » READ MORE
How to Grow Your Very Own Pineapple
By DIY Maven
Rick over on Rick's Woodshop Creations tells us everything we need to know to grow our very own pineapple in 5 easy steps. To get you started, here they are:
How To Build a SeedHouse/Mini Greehouse
By ModHomeEcTeacher
My husband grew up on a farm. He professes to love his fruit trees and vegetable garden. Once he plants, that's about the end of it. I think he really just likes buying seeds. He may very well be the worst gardener/tree grower I've ever seen. This has tainted my desire to plant my own veggie garden, up until now. I'm ready to stake out my own Victory Garden this weekend. How fortuitous to come » READ MORE
10 Perennials You CAN Grow from Seed
By DIY Maven
Starting perennials from seed is one of the most cost-effective types of gardening out there. First, seeds are MUCH less expensive than seedlings or mature plants. Second, once you get your perennials growing, they'll come back year after year. Third, you can harvest some of their seeds and plant even MORE perennials. It's a lovely circle of life, isn't it? Anyway....if you think actually GROWING perennials from seed is easier said than done, you might be surprised at this list from Fine Gardening. Their top 10 choices include » READ MORE
How to Grow Potatoes in a Trash Can
By DIY Maven
If you've never dug for potatoes, you don't know what you're missing. Finding spuds hiding in dirt is sort of like uncovering buried treasure. That is until your garden fork impales one of the darlings.
How to create graffiti with moss.
By DIY Maven
'Painting' with moss is relatively easy, so says artist Helen Nodding. The perfect location for these lush creations is damp, shady walls.
