Mmmm, ginger. Yummy stuff, and so easy to grow really.
Ginger root is sold in a clump that’s often called a “hand.” You’ll want to choose a hand that’s fresh and firm with as many “fingers” as possible. To get as many plants as you can, cut or break the fingers off the main root. Each section with a growing tip will become a plant. Be sure to allow any cut surfaces to dry before planting them in moist soil.
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Mmmm. Shiitake mushrooms, grown at home. This looks like a pretty straight forward process. Maybe I can squirrel up some money for some plugs this year. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while.
Shiitake mushrooms are some of the most delicious and highly-prized of the edible fungi, and they are surprisingly easy to grow in your own backyard. There are but a few things you need, including a supply of freshly cut wood, mushroom spawn, and a shady, damp place to store your inoculated mushroom logs.
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Great instructions for growing raspberries. One of my personal favorites.
You may think the sheer gustatory pleasure of wolfing down ripe, juicy raspberries, whose flavor explodes in your mouth, is reason enough to grow them. Well, think again. Raspberries are not just another tasty berry; they are loaded with healthful attributes.
They’re high in fiber and contain vitamin A, folate, antioxidants, and numerous minerals; the juice contains vitamin C; and those sometimes-annoying little seeds contain vitamin E. And, of course, if you have a raspberry patch, you have endless dessert possibilities.
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Hope it works on black flies too! Looks like my cats are going to be high all summer long this year.
Catnip, the plant that attracts domestic cats like an irresistible force, has proven 99 percent effective in repelling the blood-sucking flies that attack horses and cows, causing $2 billion in annual loses to the cattle industry. That’s the word from a report published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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This is a great concept. Fighting pests with sex.
Some female insects might be getting lucky. As an alternative to toxic pesticides, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created “super-sexed” sterilized male leafhoppers to knock bug boots with females in the wild. Yes, that means that the female bugs will miss out on the joys of motherhood, but if the research proves successful, we may be able to eliminate a lot of the harmful and very ungreen chemicals that we currently use to keep food crops pest free.
via Scientists Use Sex-Crazed Bugs as Alternative to Toxic Pesticides | Inhabitat.
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Amy has decided to take a more active role in the garden! I’m psyched, because I have too many other dang projects to do right now to do the whole garden too. I’m more than happy to leave it in her hands this year. I promise I’ll help.
She’s decided to do square beds and has gotten a Square Foot Gardener book. I think it’s gimmicky, but it still has good info. We’ll see what happens.
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Seed Savers Exchange has some wonderful info on planting and seed saving. Check it out!
Vegetable Planting and Seed Saving Instructions
Arugula – Planting: Sow seeds outdoors just beneath the surface of the soil as soon as the soil can be worked and the danger of a hard frost has past. For a continuous supply, seed a new row every three weeks throughout the summer.
Seed Saving: Arugulas will cross-pollinate. Separate varieties by ¼ mile. Allow plants to bolt and form seed stalks. Seedheads may need to be protected from bird damage and rain when drying on the plants. Seeds are produced over a 2-3 week period and will require repeated harvesting.
Beans – Planting: Sow seeds outdoors after the danger of frost has past and the soil and air temperatures are warm. Plant seeds 1″ deep and 2″ apart in rows 24″ to 36″ apart. Pole beans will need support. Snap varieties will produce abundantly if kept well picked throughout the summer.
Saving Seed: Bean flowers are self-pollinating and almost never cross-pollinate. As a precaution never plant two white seeded varieties side-by-side if you intend to save seed because crossing may occur but not be visible. It is always best to save seed from plants that ripen first and are free from disease. Harvest seed pods when completely dry, crush in a cloth or burlap sack and winnow the seeds from the chaff.
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hmmmm. snails...
Mmmmh. Homestyle escargot!
Oriole Parker-Rhodes, 59, a grandmother, has begun making meals out of the snails she has found in her garden and has set up an internet blog with her recipes and tips, and information on keeping and breeding them.
“Last summer it was really wet and warm, ideal for snails,” she said. “I was treading on them and they were also eating our home-grown potatoes.”
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from fireballsedai on Flickr
Planning time. Or I guess it would be more a refinement of plans. Basically I’ve been convincing myself into a circle about a few issues concerning the garden.
First off: Rain barrels. Or water on the most fundamental level. Ideally I’d like to have the entire garden be fed with soak hoses, with supplemental water coming from a hose in hand and possibly a sprinkler too. My problem is that my well pump doesn’t have enough umph to power a sprinkler (has to do with the 1/2″ pipes that my entire house is plumbed with. Sigh…).
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We are all connected. If not for fungus, we wouldn’t have the life systems that surround us. A symbiotic relationship between plants and fungus was what made it possible for plant live to develop on land.
The greatest part of this read (you’ll have to wade through a lot of biology jargon) is the bit about the fungus that actually hunts (well, lures and preys upon) an insect-like creature for its nitrogen. The “hunting” can count for upwards of 25% of its nitrogen uptake.
Read the rest of this entry »
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