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How to investigate the pests/diseases attacking your plants
Though there are many sites that contain this information, my experience in the past you have to go through a series of detail on colors and attributes of the insect/fungus and without a degree in botany or Entomology I really have little idea what they are asking for. Gardeners.com’s “Pest and Disease Detective” on the other hand allows you to simply select the specific plant and the area that…
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More Early peppers
The tomatoes have been lacking this year though the peppers are still doing great. Under normal circumstances this would make no sense at all but the secret with this success is the two months this summer these peppers have been spending in the grow box with their perfect temperature and lighting conditions…otherwise there is little hope for me growing peppers in my short season here in the Pacific Northwest.
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Serious weed control
I have been having a losing battle with cattails for the past couple years. This was what was lurking under my snow peas after I pulled them out. The problem with cattails is they do not emerge until the temperatures increase and given their broad root structure trying to remove them will most likely kill the plants (in this case peas) surrounding them. If you attempt to pull cattails…
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cheap | hydroponics | recycle
Create your own hydroponic window farm
If I didn’t have a big house blocking my southern exposed window, otherwise I would have completely tried this myself. The basic idea is to take come recycled plastic bottles, use an air pump and some tubing to create an air water pump to push the nutrients to the top and gravity takes care of the rest. The great part of this is that it is an open design…
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How to use egg shells in your vegetable garden
Egg shells are a great additive to increase the calcium content in the soil of your vegetable garden. Calcium is important to plants specifically because it helps with cell wall structure imperative for strength of plants. There are many specific plants that respond well calcium supplementation: apples, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, citrus, conifers, cotton, curcurbits, melons, grapes, legumes, lettuce, peaches, peanuts, pears, peppers, potatoes, tobacco,…
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basil | dehydrator | herbs
How to make dried basil
Summer has finally appeared here in the Pacific Northwest with temperatures in the 90s I decided this would be a good time to dry some herbs in the garage given it was already at the right drying temperature without any heating required. Here is the basic steps to harvest, dry, and store your own dried basil. 1. Pick and clean (optional) the leaves Start by trimming as much as…
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How to clone your own herbs in your garden
Cloning herbs is an inexpensive and fast way to expand your herb garden. This is also a great method to possible give or receive (with permission of course) from friends/neighbors. Unlike cloning other organisms, plants have a much simpler procedure you can do in your kitchen. 1. Take cutting from mother plant. Cut a stem of total length of about 4-5 inches, cutting 1/2 inch above a leaf node. …
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Still no tomatoes…
Lots of blossoms, still waiting for that first fruit, hopefully our warmer weather coming this week helps out…
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How to make dried oregano
This winter I went through my spice rack (which was given as a wedding gift 11 years ago) and threw out any spices I have yet to open and took inventory of spices I have at least used half of the container. These herbs were added to my growing list which one of which was oregano. Here is the basic steps to harvest, dry, and store your own oregano:…
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Guest Post – Sustainability Through the Consumption of Things Conserved
I do not have too many guest posts but I thought this topic was so interesting I couldn’t refuse. Though Dan specifically talks about purchasing more exotic foods for consumption but the very same principals can also be used when selecting species of plants to grow in your garden. “In other environmental issues we tell people to stop something, reduce their impact, reduce their damage,” – US Ecologist Gary…
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Growing a stevia plant
While heading to my local home improvement I noticed an unusual plant in the herb display and moved closer to investigate. It turned out to be a Stevia plant which is more well known as the primary ingredient in a new artificial sweetener Truvia. I immediately grabbed a good looking plant, I have wanted to grow one of these myself but given the high price of the seeds and…