When it comes to tomatoes, they can be quite an unruly plant. That overgrowth can make harvesting a chore, not to mention "set the table" for hornworms and other pests. These and other issues can make growing tomatoes less profitable for you. Learning the skill of pruning tomato plants can help that bottom line in positive ways. Gardening can be an expensive undertaking if ...
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How to Make a Simple Organic Banana Peel Fertilizer for a Healthy Garden
Most plants need a certain amount of these top three macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. While there are TONS of different ways to get nitrogen to your vegetable garden, there are fewer to boost potassium. Banana peels can help with that, and and banana peel fertilizer is so easy to make. Potassium helps your plants move water and nutrients between cells. ...
How to Make an Easy, Shelf Stable Homemade Fertilizer from Banana Peels
Banana peels make a great liquid homemade fertilizer to provide essential nutrients to our potassium-loving plants. But sometimes you just need a shelf-stable option, and it's tempting just to go to the store and get something that fits the bill. Instead, make this version of homemade fertilizer that you can keep on your shelf for a couple of months, ready to use! Homemade ...
6 Simple Tomato Growing Tips for a Great Harvest
If growing tomatoes has been a thorn in your side and it seems like everyone else is able to grow them without even applying any tomato plant care rules, this post is for you! I've been there too, so I'm sharing my best tomato growing tips with you. For years, I would plant my tomato transplants that I bought from the local garden center, along with bags of manure....and ...
A Simple Method for Hardening Off Plants Easily
Now that you've started your seeds indoors, you are wondering when it's time to plant them outdoors. There is something that needs to be done before you do that, called hardening off plants. This will aid your little plants in making their way to their final destination, your garden. What Is Hardening Off Plants? Grown indoors, seedlings have live somewhat of a charmed ...
When to Transplant Seedlings Outdoors, Plus Helpful Instructions
Beside starting seeds indoors, planting your seedlings is one of the most pleasurable parts of gardening outdoors. Knowing when to transplant seedlings is critical to whether they do well outdoors. Equally important is knowing each step to planting seedlings outdoors. By the end of this article, you will be equipped to introduce your precious little plants to your garden ...
How to Get Free Plants Through Plant Propagation
As rewarding as gardening is, it can cost you a chunk of change if you don't watch where and how you spend your money. Thankfully, gardening doesn't have to break the bank if you are into gardening on the cheap. Inexpensive options abound at your local dollar store, and even in your own garden when you learn plant propagation. Propagating (also known as cloning or planting ...
How to Avoid Blossom End Rot This Year Using Eggshells
Does this feel familiar to you? You go out to the garden, ready to harvest your lovely vegetables. You head to your favorite tomato or cucumber plant for some lovely additions to your newly harvested greens, only to find that your vegetables are rotting. Why? You, my friend, may be seeing blossom end rot. Blossom end rot can be a real discouragement in the garden, ...
How to Grow Lemongrass and Ways to Use It
When it comes to growing herbs, lemongrass may be one of the most rewarding. Its uses span across culinary, medicinal, functional, and even ornamental uses. Here's how to grow lemongrass and some of the ways you can use it. How to Grow Lemongrass Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a versatile herbaceous plant that can be grown to use fresh or dried for culinary use. ...
How to Have an Awesome Pomegranate Season
Pomegranates are a fantastic addition to a garden or fruit orchard, but not if the season doesn't yield the harvest you want. Here are some tips for planting, growing, and caring for your tree that will be sure to grant you a fabulous pomegranate season! Pomegranate flowers are one of the most beautiful flowers to grace your garden or orchard. Their lovely, abundant, deep ...
How to Grow Rosemary and Ways to Use It
Ahh rosemary--who doesn't love the pungent aroma and flavor of this beautiful Mediterranean herb? I suppose there are some, but not many can say that they don't love this versatile herb for something, whether that be cooking, making herbal remedies, or keeping flies at bay. Here's how to grow rosemary and all the ways you can use it. Rosmarinus, rosemary’s scientific name, ...
How to Have an Easy Garden {and Still Get a Harvest}
It takes some work to grow your own food. Believe me, I’ve been trying to get ‘er done for many years, and it does take some doing. What I have learned over these years is that it doesn’t have to take a lot of time to grow your own food, thankfully! These are three of my best tips for an easy garden, my fellow busy homesteader! I almost called this post “The Lazy ...