Tag Archives: gardening

Early Potatoes

Here is my first harvest from the early potatoes I planted this year. These were grown from some leftover little potatoes from last year’s crop that I planted early this spring.

First Harvest Potatoes

I was pleased how my seedling potatoes that I planted, sprouted and grew so nicely. The tops died off recently and I dug up the potatoes yesterday. It is always fun, like a game to dig and find the potatoes. This harvest of potatoes was from just two plants. I still have many more but this was from the first planting which were ready for harvest. Now I have some nice homegrown potatoes for breakfast to cook tomorrow!

A useful tip: As these are early potatoes, the skins are thin and can not be stored long. You want to use early potatoes right away as they will only store for about a week or so.

0

Spring Garden Prepping

Spring is nearly here and time to start planning for this season’s garden. Last year I started seedlings indoors and had lots of extra time for spring garden prepping due to the pandemic shutdown. I was off work and had more time to get my seedlings started and work on my garden area.
Garden Seeds

Last year my husband built cedar raised bed boxes for our garden and fenced a large garden area to keep out critters. We live in the woods and have to fence out deer, moose, elk and other critters that would love to eat my garden for their meal.

So this year, I have the garden area already fenced and the garden boxes in place. I just need to do some clean-up, fertilizing and tilling to get things ready for planting. But I also need to get some seedlings started in-doors.

If you are on a budget like I am, you will probably want to check out your local dollar store for garden items that you can pick up cheap. I scored some veggie and flower seeds that were priced 4 for a dollar. I also got some nice white garden stakes that I can write on to mark my plants. Additionally I was able to get some flexible tie wiring that is very handy for tomato plants, beans and other veggies to keep them off the ground and tidy. They also have garden gloves, planter pots, potting soil, and other gardening supplies which are all priced at just a dollar. You can’t beat those prices.
Garden Supplies

I used some dollar store tomato, lettuce and other vegetables seeds last year and they produced nicely. So if you have a chance, check out your dollar store to score some extra seeds and supplies as it is always wise to have extra items that you obtained at great prices on-hand. These items sell out fast so don’t wait too long.

Anyway hope everyone is thinking about gardening and growing some of your own food this year. As they keep saying, these are uncertain times and we need to be certain we have food growing in our yards that we can eat and supplement what we can or cannot buy at grocery stores.

0

Tomatoes

Just wanted to share a photo of my tomatoes that I harvested today. I have several containers of tomatoes growing this year. The tomatoes are starting to ripen and here is today’s little bounty.

These homegrown tomatoes have just the best taste. Not like some of the plastic-tasting tomatoes you buy in the store. Anyway, we are just loving our tomatoes and still have more green ones on the vines that hopefully will ripen soon.

0

Self-Watering Tomato Plant Containers

Here are my tomato plants that I am growing in my self-watering containers. I made these containers a few years ago and just reuse them each year. I did have to replace the tin water cans in the bottom of the buckets this year but other than that these can be used year after year.

Self-watering plant containers work well as the water is sucked up through the wicking can directly to the roots of your plants. Additionally you don’t have to water your plants every day as you have a reservoir of water inside the outside bucket for your plants to draw from.

All you need to make a self-watering plant container such as mine are two recycled plastic buckets, a tin can, and a piece of plastic tube or pipe. I used Urban Organic Gardener’s post and video to help me assemble my self-watering containers.

Here is a photo of a new can with the holes drilled in it to absorb the water from the bucket. Continue Reading →

0

Lettuce Netting to Protect my Plants

I’ve been having a problem with mice getting into my greenhouse and eating my tender seedling plants. The mice appear to really love my tomato starts and have been eating the leaves off my starter plants. I have been trying to think of a solution and came up this idea.


I used recycled lettuce netting that comes around the lettuce I buy to protect my plants from mice. These plastic nets fit over the milk jugs that I have seedlings in as well as over smaller pots that I am using for plant starts.

The nets are working great. I can water the plants and they get sun and air but the mice can’t get at the plants or seeds. So far I haven’t had any problems since covering my seedlings with the produce nets.

0

Using Epsom Salt for Tomato Plants

Epsom salt is very useful for fertilizing and feeding your tomato plants. Last year I discovered using Epsom salt can help with magnesium deficiencies in soil and also helps with yellow leaves on tomato plants. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate and several other important nutrients that encourage leaf and root development.

Using Epsom salts to grow tomato plants appears to be an excellent alternative to naturally fertilize the plants. Another wonderful thing about Epsom salt is that it’s readily available and cheap to buy.

Using Epsom Salt:
To use dry, mix about a teaspoon of Epsom salt in the dirt around a new tomato seedling or growing plant. Once the plant gets bigger, you can use more salt. For example, use 1 tbsp. for each foot of plant height. For watering application, use 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water. Mix well and water plant weekly with the mixture.

The results I obtained were healthier, greener and better producing plants. Bottom line — Using Epsom salt is frugal and provides a more natural way to fertilize your tomato plants with great results.

5