Knowing what the life cycle of the plant you want to put in your garden is critical for garden planting. Putting perennials in the middle of your annual vegetable beds could be a frustrating thing when it comes time to clean up your beds. And what if you need to till? Having to work around that asparagus you put in the middle of the row of the middle of the garden would be pretty silly. Knowing what you have means you can plan to plant for optimum efficiency, and the least amount of waste.
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Where are you on your seed saving journey? We feel like the key to success and sticking with it is to keep it manageable, and make sure you are having fun! It will be very hard to convince yourself to keep up with it if you lose sight of the forest for the trees. And we are always here to help!
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Open-pollinated varieties are more genetically diverse and are able to adapt faster to their growing region and specific climate variances. Each open-pollinated variety remains protected in the public domain as the common property of everyone. We believe seeds should be owned by you, your children, and anyone you want to share them with.
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What do cardoons look like? The plants resemble giant artichokes, and indeed the two species are closely related. Cardoon is sometimes called artichoke thistle. Some people say cardoon looks like a cross between celery and burdock. The big purple blooms of cardoon are just like thistles, but unlike regular artichokes, which have the flower buds as the edible part, with cardoons it's the stalks.
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Knowing when the Persephone Days begin will help you plan for a green and productive winter garden. I also find this information helpful in knowing when the best time to start my cool season spring plants.
Successful winter gardening is getting a head start. This means knowing when to time plantings so that they will begin to reach maturity when the Persephone Period begins.
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Folks have been growing in cold frames for centuries, and whether you live in a region where winters are consistently cold and chilly, or a mix of mild temps, building cold frames into your gardens are a wonderful way to extend your season.
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Growing your own pumpkins is fun and easy -- if you have enough space in your garden -- and the uses are endless: the roasted seeds are a delicacy, the flavorful meat is good baked by itself or in soups and pies, and it's even possible to make melon-flavored wine from pumpkin!
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Add homegrown grits and cornmeal to your harvest next fall - it might be easier than you think! Find out why growing field corn in your garden is worth it.
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As the gardening season comes to a close, nature calls us to put away as much as possible to eat over the cold winter. Pickles, tomato sauce, jams, and dried herbs for tea, medicine, and flavoring our foods are all easy and satisfying to accomplish. Here are a handful of useful tips you can use to keep your plants healthy, and get the best quality herbs to last you through the year.
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Sometimes with beets it seems that people love them or… don’t love them. But we are of the belief that if you think you don’t love beets - you just haven’t cooked ‘em right! More on that later but we assure you the humble beet has earned its place in your garden. They can be stored long into the winter, adding much needed nutrition into our cozy, cold weather diets. They offer two crops in one (!) with delicious greens before you harvest the equally delicious roots. Not to mention how easy they are to grow! So let’s get started on everything you need to know about beets…
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Cabbage deserves more credit! It’s incredibly high in vitamins A, C, and K, and has an impressive amount of calcium, potassium, and folate. The term “superfood” gets thrown around a lot, but in the case of cabbage with its mild flavors, versatility in recipes, and being so easy to grow, cabbage really is super!
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Quick, crunchy, and very nutritious, radishes have developed a bad rap for being spicy and bland. I'm here as the champion of the radish, the singer of praises, the pleader of second chances. With a few growing tricks, you'll fall in love with these little gems and will have them growing at the base of your other plants forever and ever!
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