During an Essential Oils party (I'll tell you more about this later) one of the participants said that she thought gardening was hard. I said NO! You just need to try one thing to get started. Here is a good way to start Growing It First. Take a small pot and plant some lettuce. You can get a salad for two every other day or so just by pinching off what you need. It will grow back pretty quickly. Here I have Bibb and Red Leaf lettuce. We’ve been eating lettuce off of these plants all winter long. (Keeping them inside) If you don’t want to start with seed just go to your local nursery or hardware store and buy the plant. Now is the time to do this before all the plants are gone.
Here I have lettuce that somehow survived the winter. Unfortunately it will have to be pulled because it got very bitter during the cold weather. Bitter lettuce is perfectly safe to eat but I don’t care for it.
I am going to plant these fingerling potatoes that I got from Whole Foods. They are organic and have developed eyes or buds. You can cut potatoes leaving two or three buds on each piece because each bud will produce it’s own plant. Always plant a certified seed potato but this is an experiment of mine so I’m going against my own advice but just this once. Cut the potato into pieces two days before you plant. That way the potato will form a kind of a scab and this will help to keep the potato from rotting in the soil. Plant the potatoes in a sunny spot with well drained soil. You can always grow potatoes in a container that is deep enough to hold the root if you don’t have a yard or a place that has a lot of sun. Just make sure you have drainage holes in the bottom.
Just wanted to show you some peach blossoms. They are so pretty! My peach trees are now about 5 years old and if you remember I planted them about 2 years ago so they are still growing strong. I have more about pruning fruit trees on an earlier blog if you are interested.
I wanted to tell you about my new go to side dish for dinner. Onions, kale, carrots and chickpea sauté. My kids will be so proud!
I heard a great review on the Pocket Hose from my friend Shelly and wanted to try one. Unfortunately when I went to the web site they wanted $7.99 for shipping and handling so I was happy to find it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was able to use my coupons there as well and since I got such a great deal - I bought 2. I gave one to a friend and used the other one. It’s a very light weight hose that expands when used and shrinks down to fit into a small pot for easy storage. I liked it a lot until it starting leaking at the spigot and nozzle. Had to throw it away after about 3 months.
Another thing I found was a scratch free Scrub Daddy. It’s firm in cold water and soft in hot water. I was told it originated on Shark Tank (one of my favorite shows) so I had to try it. It really does what it says it does. I'll need to get another for outside use. It's cool and I like seeing that smiling face at the sink every morning.
That’s it for now. I’m going to start planting and I’ll keep you updated on my progress and results. Let me know how your plants are coming along. You can comment here or go to my Facebook Page “Grow It First”. Happy Growing!
8-1-13 update:
The potatoes worked. It was just too wet this summer for plants that grow down in the ground. Many potato harvests were very small because of the over abundance of rain. I will try the pot growing method in February and write a blog on that for you. If you grow potatoes in a pot it really doesn't matter how much rain you get. Drainage is the key for potatoes, garlic, carrots and the like.
Here I have lettuce that somehow survived the winter. Unfortunately it will have to be pulled because it got very bitter during the cold weather. Bitter lettuce is perfectly safe to eat but I don’t care for it.
I am going to plant these fingerling potatoes that I got from Whole Foods. They are organic and have developed eyes or buds. You can cut potatoes leaving two or three buds on each piece because each bud will produce it’s own plant. Always plant a certified seed potato but this is an experiment of mine so I’m going against my own advice but just this once. Cut the potato into pieces two days before you plant. That way the potato will form a kind of a scab and this will help to keep the potato from rotting in the soil. Plant the potatoes in a sunny spot with well drained soil. You can always grow potatoes in a container that is deep enough to hold the root if you don’t have a yard or a place that has a lot of sun. Just make sure you have drainage holes in the bottom.
Just wanted to show you some peach blossoms. They are so pretty! My peach trees are now about 5 years old and if you remember I planted them about 2 years ago so they are still growing strong. I have more about pruning fruit trees on an earlier blog if you are interested.
I wanted to tell you about my new go to side dish for dinner. Onions, kale, carrots and chickpea sauté. My kids will be so proud!
I heard a great review on the Pocket Hose from my friend Shelly and wanted to try one. Unfortunately when I went to the web site they wanted $7.99 for shipping and handling so I was happy to find it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was able to use my coupons there as well and since I got such a great deal - I bought 2. I gave one to a friend and used the other one. It’s a very light weight hose that expands when used and shrinks down to fit into a small pot for easy storage. I liked it a lot until it starting leaking at the spigot and nozzle. Had to throw it away after about 3 months.
Another thing I found was a scratch free Scrub Daddy. It’s firm in cold water and soft in hot water. I was told it originated on Shark Tank (one of my favorite shows) so I had to try it. It really does what it says it does. I'll need to get another for outside use. It's cool and I like seeing that smiling face at the sink every morning.
That’s it for now. I’m going to start planting and I’ll keep you updated on my progress and results. Let me know how your plants are coming along. You can comment here or go to my Facebook Page “Grow It First”. Happy Growing!
8-1-13 update:
The potatoes worked. It was just too wet this summer for plants that grow down in the ground. Many potato harvests were very small because of the over abundance of rain. I will try the pot growing method in February and write a blog on that for you. If you grow potatoes in a pot it really doesn't matter how much rain you get. Drainage is the key for potatoes, garlic, carrots and the like.
