gardening

THE STORAGE LIFE OF SEEDS

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I spent part of today talking to a retire Professor from the California University system.  His expertise is in plants, particularly tomato plants.  The subject we discussed was the long-term storage of plant seeds.  Based on his many years of experience he said that the best method is to store seeds in a paper sack in the refrigerator.  In his opinion, the preferred temperature to store seeds is 50 degrees.  For practical purposes, a refrigerator works well.  He recommended against freezing your seeds.  High heat will also shorten the storage life of seeds.

He has germinated tomatoes seeds that were 50 years old that had been stored correctly.  On one occasion, he received wheat seeds (wheat berries) from a cave in South America that were several hundred years old and they germinated.

If seeds fail to germinate, he said it is often because the seed coat has become hard.  He said that you can soften the seed coat by soaking in them in a mixture of two parts water to one part chlorox for thirty minutes.  Then rinse them in clean water and plant.  This will not always work but is well worth a try.  He told me the story of another Professor who had some tomato seeds that would not germinate so they were fed to his turtle.  After going through the digestive track of his turtle, the seeds were then discovered to germinate.

The length of storage life varies from plant to plant.  However, most plants seeds should last a few years.  Legumes have a short shelf life compared to tomatoes.

The following is additional information that comes from the University of Colorado.

for the rest of the article, please click this link:

http://preparednessadvice.com/gardening/the-storage-life-of-seeds/#.UaXxHEDVDE1

BUILDING A GARDEN THAT BUILDS SOIL

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As you can see from a prior post on building raised beds, this is how i garden. I build the soil under the plants so they are always fed. Lasagna gardening is the way to go. This article gives you a lot of good information explaining the importance.

 

 

 

 

 

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I wouldn’t know how to begin a discussion on gardening without beginning with the soil. When I teach a workshop, I ask people what they think of when they think “garden”. Most often, the answer has to do with the harvest. And, of course, we wouldn’t garden if we couldn’t look forward to a bountiful harvest. But, I always encourage my students to think “soil” because healthy soil will result in a healthy, nutrient-dense harvest. A garden with poor soil may produce fruit, but that fruit can’t possibly contain the nutrients, or taste as good, as one grown in soil that has provided all that is needed for its health. And plants grown in healthy soil have less problems with disease and pests.

Components Of Healthy Soil

So, what makes soil healthy? Soil is so much more than dirt. One of the components is, of course, weathered rock. That is where our garden plants will receive many of the minerals that they need. Good soil also contains organic matter – things like worm castings, decomposed leaves, and even the remains of soil organisms like insects, fungi and bacteria. Replenishing organic matter is essential to soil care.

SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT THE LINK:

http://www.modernalternativekitchen.com/2013/05/building-a-garden-that-builds-soil/#.UaK4EUDVDE1

COMPOSTING 101: HOW TO MAKE A COMPOST PILE

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If you’re one of those people who throws away food thinking, “I wish I knew how to make a compost pile,” — this article is for you!  The good new is… you’ll be pleased to know that setting up a composting system at home isn’t as much work as it sounds.

A compost pile takes some prep work.  Start by clearing the perfect patch of ground by:

1.   Choosing a space which is away from trees or fast growing vines as the roots of these plants can enter the compost pile and take away much needed nutrients.

2.   Removing weeds from the area you are going to make into your compost pile so that the seeds from the weeds don’t germinate when you lay your compost on your garden beds.

3.   Identifying a space which is slightly elevated so that it will have good drainage.

4.   Positioning your compost pile away from the house and shed as the pile can attract insects.

5.   Placing your compost pile away from a wooden fence or deck as the compost can stain and rot wood.

http://www.greenchildmagazine.com/how-to-make-a-compost-pile/

5 EASY STEPS FOR FAST COMPOST Get garden-ready compost in about 30 days.

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http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/5-easy-steps-fast-compost

Making compost is probably the single most important thing you can do for your organic garden. The success of your garden depends on the soil, and the health of your soil depends on the compost you give it. And making compost isn’t difficult. With very little effort on your part, you can turn throw-away materials into this sweet-smelling, nutrient-rich, no-cost soil conditioner. So how do you start this easy composting?

 

Self Reliant Living and 40 Ways to Self Sufficiency

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Self Reliant Living and 40 Ways to Self Sufficiency

Here we show you 40 ways to self reliant living and self sufficiency whether you live in the city or the suburbs. Urban homesteading and urban self sufficiency is a lifestyle sought out by the baby boomers, and for good reason! So many people think that having a large piece of land allows them to be self sufficient. As I have always said, it is not the size that counts, but what you do with it! 😉

 

Self Reliant Living and 40 Ways to Self Sufficiency.