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Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Review Of Wolf ByPass Secateurs

As an avid gardener, there is a myriad of tools to buy to help with everyday tasks and it can be confusing to know what you really need. You could spend a significant amount of money on dozens of tools. With an experience of your needs and your garden's requirements, you will probably find you settle in to a few that become old friends and you use them all the time.

Uses Of Bypass Secateurs

One of my most treasured and most used tools is a pair of bypass secateurs. They are so well used I just keep them in my pocket or hang around my waist whenever I venture into the garden. There is always a spent flower head to be snipped off, a stray tendril to be clipped, flowers to be cut for the house, or a shrub that just needs a little neatening around the edges.

We have a lot of beautiful roses and so there is much deadheading in the summer months. Bypass secateurs give a nice clean cut to snip off the faded flower heads and do not damage the plants. I also love taking cuttings of a variety of plants and find bypass secateurs are great for this job.

Over the years I have had many secateurs, some good, some awful. There were the ones that hurt my hands due to the jarring action. The ones which broke all too easily, the green ones I lost and never did find and the ones that were just not up to constant use in my garden! The best pair I had I inherited from my Mum, but after years of use, they needed to be retired.

For those few months I didn't have any secateurs I felt a little lost walking around the garden and certainly frustrated trying to prune with a large pair of kitchen scissors which did neither my plants nor me any good!! As my most used tool I always coveted Wolf secateurs and this spring my husband gifted me a pair.

Using Wolf Bypass Secateurs

Wolf-Garten RR1500 Bypass Secateurs, 28.1x3.62x2.5 cm, Red

I am impressed. They look good and are mainly red in colour and therefore easy for me to see in the garden. This is important as if I get distracted I can and do leave them anywhere, but red is a good colour for me to notice!

They are light, so carrying them around is not a chore and they are small enough to fit easily in my pocket. The handgrip is good and the correct size for me. I have not yet felt any hand strain from using them and I can be out in the garden for hours at a time.

They are strong! I have so far had no problems with any of the cutting and pruning jobs I needed to do. These have coped admirably with small jobs and the more challenging tasks. For example, I have deadheaded flowers, taking cuttings of shrubs and lightly pruned back a large jasmine plant, ivy and hebes with no issues. They are not for heavy pruning jobs and thick branches though, we need different tools for that task.

Do check the width you are supposed to cut when buying any secateurs and try to stick to it. You will feel if they are struggling and it's best not to push too hard or you will shorten the lifespan. Get the right tool for the job and you will be fine. I have included two Wolf Bypass secateurs in this review because they cut at different widths and you need to choose the correct one for your garden needs.

The bypass action makes them precise and neat enough to do more delicate pruning as well and I can now power round all our roses and other flowers deadheading with precision speed and ease!

Generally, in my experience, these secateurs glide through jobs with no problems. I have noticed occasionally if I am doing a lot of jobs one after the other, where they might become sticky with sap, sometimes the blades clamp together. I then need to clean them with either just a damp cloth or sometimes WD40 and a cloth. They are easy to keep clean and I have always had to do this with secateurs though, so for me, it's just a part of the process.

These secateurs also come with a guarantee. This is important to me. I want to know when I buy garden tools now that they are going to last. If I am going to spend money and buy quality, I would like to have them for a long time. Like with any tools, if we want them to have a long life, we do need to look after them, clean regularly and don't leave out in the rain!!

As we all have different needs in the garden I also wanted to include this pair of secateurs for if you feel you need a pair of secateurs that will cut greater widths.

Wolf Bypass Secateurs

Wolf-Garten RR1500 Bypass Secateurs, 28.1x3.62x2.5 cm, Red

More than all of that I simply enjoy using my Wolf Bypass Secateurs. It is a pleasure, not a chore and so lovely to be able to do those tidying jobs and pruning required with ease to make our plants and gardens look and feel beautiful!

Reviewing Ten Ways To Keep Garden Plants Alive During A Drought

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Moving House With Your Garden Plants Reviewed

Growing Magnificent Magnolias In The Garden Reviewed

Reviewing Restoring A Metal Garden Swing Seat

How To Grow Camellias In Your Garden Or Container Reviewed

Reviewing Growing Annual Sweet Pea Plants And Flowers

Reviewing The Growing And Care Of Bottlebrush Plant

Reviewing How To Put The Garden To Bed For Winter

Metal Wind Spinners For The Garden Reviewed

Spring Woodland Walks For Wellbeing Reviewed

Why Insect Hotels Are Good For Wildlife And Gardeners Reviewed

Reviewing The Benefits and Drawbacks Of A Manual Lawn Mower

Growing Vegetables In Outdoor Containers Reviewed.

Review Of Wolf Garten Shears For The Garden

Gardening Reviews By Contributors On Review This Reviews

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts

Raintree Earth Designs

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit and Seed Quilts Review

The Easiest Way to Grow Your Own Microgreens - Hamama Seed Quilts

With a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit and the company's proprietary seed quilts, growing and harvesting fresh, delicious, and nutritious microgreens is nearly effortless!

Fresh, crisp microgreens are colorful, refreshing, and extremely nutritious. Since last year, when I committed to making healthy lifestyle changes, including a special focus on healthy food choices, I have been adding microgreens to salads, sandwiches, soups, eggs, and other dishes as often as possible.

Although buying packaged microgreens at our local Whole Foods is an expensive and frustrating proposition, growing my own hadn't seemed like a viable option, given my poor track record with keeping even healthy plants alive, much less growing them from seed.

Then, four months ago, I found out about an innovative microgreens growing system from a company called Hamama, which was designed to be as as simple, effortless, and low-maintenance as possible, so that even container gardening newbies like me could grow these healthy, tasty, nutrient-dense greens year-round.

The proprietary, patent pending Hamama Seed Quilt Growing System is the brainchild of co-founders Camille Richman and Daniel Goodman, who met when they were mechanical engineering students at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following their graduation from MIT, they worked together full-time at the MIT Media Lab, researching high tech indoor agriculture. After growing food both in the lab and at home for several years, they wanted to make it possible for more people to experience the benefits of growing healthy food at home.

In May, I decided to order a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit, including three seed quilts and a reusable grow tray. I was surprised and delighted by the results, and a few weeks later, I ordered two more growing trays and 18 more seed quilts. Although I've skipped a week here and there, I've successfully grown and harvested around more than a dozen seed quilts at this point. Now, I'm anxious to share my experience, and perhaps inspire others to try growing their own healthy, delicious, superfood microgreens, even if they have never had any experience, or luck, growing vegetables in the past.

P.S. Make sure to read all the way to the end of this review to find out how to get a 10% discount off the purchase price of your first order of a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kits, Seed Quilts, or other microgreens growing accessories!

Microgreens Are Superfoods That Pack a Powerful Nutritional Punch

Increasing our consumption of nutritious, dark leafy greens is an important part of healthy eating. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, including dark leafy greens. For those of us who have chosen a low carb, ketogenic approach to eating, dietary restrictions make it even harder to get enough nutrients from the foods we eat, rather than from supplements.

Adding more microgreens to our diets, in particular, provides even greater health benefits. A 2012 research study found that microgreens contain between four and 40 times higher concentrations of essential nutrients than their mature counterparts!

These nutrient-dense, immature plants can be excellent sources of key vitamins such as C, E, K, and also carotenoids including lutein and beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A aka retinol), two important antioxidants provide a wide range of health benefits, including helping to protect our eyes against macular degeneration.

Large, colorful, salad topped with Hamama microgreens

We enjoy a large, colorful, salad with a generous helping of freshly harvested microgreens every day!

Why Not Just Buy Packaged Microgreens Instead of Growing Them?

Unfortunately, many supermarkets and grocery stores either don't sell them, or run out of them quickly. Even when I've been lucky enough to find one or two containers, those commercially grown microgreens have cost a pretty penny. Far too often, the expensive organic microgreens we've bought at our local Whole Foods Market have become not just limp but slimy and inedible after just one or two days in the vegetable drawer of our fridge. Most are also sold in single-use, plastic clamshell packaging, which is bad for the environment.

Finding organic microgreens or ones that have been grown from non-GMO seeds can also be a challenge.

Unfortunately, since March, these problems have been further exacerbated by the widespread negative impact of the current, unprecedented health crisis.

The Pros and Cons of Using Hamama Seed Quilts vs. Growing Microgreens From Seed

Buying packets of loose seeds and growing them on a bed of moistened potting mix, soil, or coconut coir is, without question, the cheapest way to grow microgreens at home. However, it also requires watering the seeds once or twice a day, and monitoring their progress daily, from the the time they are planted until they are ready to be harvested, usually takes somewhere between 9 days and a few weeks. And they do best with 4–6 hours of direct sunlight, or natural light supplemented by a grow light(s).

While this may be a good option for experienced container gardening enthusiasts, not everyone was blessed with a "green thumb," or enjoys growing things from seed. Some of us just want to have convenient and consistent access to a variety of microgreens and enjoy them when they are at their freshest, tastiest, and most nutritious, and are happy to pay more for an approach that requires significantly less time and effort than growing these immature greens from seed.

That's why Hamama developed its proprietary seed quilt system, which makes growing fresh, delicious, nutrient-rich microgreens indoors as easy, effortless, and care-free as possible.

Anatomy of a Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilt

Each seed quilt consists of three layers (excluding the seeds):

The bottom layer is a loosely woven coconut coir mat (aka coconut fiber mat or coconut husk pad).

The middle layer is a thin sheet of white felt.

The top layer is some type of unbleached paper.

The seeds are sandwiched between the white felt layer and the light brown paper cover, divided into 20 long, narrow, rectangular, "quilted" sections that hold the seeds in place in a fairly even distribution.

Key Benefits of the Hamama Seed Quilt Grow System for Microgreens

By combining the seeds, the growing substrates, and the papery cover into a single, compact unit and pairing it with a perfectly-sized growing tray, Hamama has removed as many variables as possible.
The Hamama Starter Kit contains everything you need to grow microgreens, except the 24–26 ounces of water for the initial soak. (Depending on the quality of your tap water, I recommend using filtered water.)
Starting a new seed quilt takes as little as 1–2 minutes! After that, you can basically ignore it for the next 4–6 days, until the seeds have germinated.
This bottom-watering and self-watering growing system is the closest thing to "set-it-and-forget it." Once you pour water inside the grow tray up to the fill line and briefly submerge the seed quilt to get all 20 sections evenly moistened, you shouldn't have to mist the seeds quilt or seedling, or top up the water. (Toward the end of the growing period, I try to check the water level every couple of days, if I remember. just in case it drops below the midpoint of the coconut coir mat.)
The brown paper cover helps to filter the ambient light during the initial 4–6 day germination period, then it peels off easily to provide the seedlings with full exposure to the ambient light.

Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilts Are So Effortless, They Practically Grow Themselves!

Growing a Hamama microgreens seed quilt is as easy as 1-2-3:

Do the brief initial "soak." Add water to the growing tray's marked fill line (no higher) and submerge the seed quilt for 10–30 seconds, just until all 20 sections have uniformly changed to a darker shade of brown.

After 3–5 days, when the seeds have germinated, pushing against the paper cover and causing the sections to puff up or balloon, peel the paper cover.

Approximately 7–10 days after the initial soak, harvest your microgreens!

You can harvest the entire seed quilt at once and store whatever microgreens you won't use immediately in the refrigerator, if you wish, or harvest a few sections at a time over the next few days.

Hamama Earthy Clover and Super Salad Mix seed quilts and are puffed up and ready to peel

I often grow more than one Hamama seed quilt at a time

What's Included In the Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit?

One reusable Grow Tray.

Black plastic or white ceramic

Your choice of three Hamama Seed Quilts (choose all one variety, or mix and match up to three different types)

Easy growing instructions.

Choose From 10 Different Types of Microgreens Seed Quilts

Hearty Broccoli, Refreshing Cabbage, Spicy Daikon Radish, Super Salad Mix, Sweet Wheatgrass, Zesty Mix, Energizing Kale, Earthy Clover, Hot Wasabi Mustard, and Fragrant Fenugreek. All the seeds in Hamama's microgreens seed quilts are non-GMO Six are also organic (Energizing Kale, Fragrant Fenugreek, Hearty Broccoli, Spicy Daikon Radish, Earthy Clover, and Sweet Wheatgrass). The company is working on making the switch to an all certified organic line.

Save 10% on Your First Hamama Order!

Use my Hamama shopping link, add the products you want to the shopping cart, then use the discount code SUPERGREENS during checkout to get 10% off your product total.

Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit and Seed Quilts Review by Margaret Schindel

Posts About My Keto Diet Journey

My First Year on The Keto Diet

Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part One

Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part Two

Low Carb Muffins & Cupcakes: Treats to Enjoy on a Keto Diet

Low Carb Keto Chocolate Yogurt Granola Chip Pudding Recipe

Good Dee’s Keto Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix Review

Hamama Microgreens Growing Kit Review & Success Tips

My Favorite Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilt Accessories

Keto Cheddar Cheese Biscuits With Chives Recipe

The Ultimate Keto Hot Chocolate Recipe

The Best Low Carb Keto Gift Ideas: Keto Gift Guide

The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffins

Wholesome Yum Keto Bread Mix and Yeast Bread Recipe

The Good Chocolate 100% Organic No Sugar Dark Chocolate Review

The Best Advice to Maintain Your Keto Diet Weight Loss

My New Irresistibly Delicious Keto Cheese Crackers Recipe

Luscious Low Carb Keto Triple Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies Recipe

Quick & Easy Livlo Blueberry Scones Keto Baking Mix Review

Snack Better With The Best Healthy Keto Cookie Dough Bites

The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Pizza Recipe

The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe

Comparing the Best Keto-Friendly Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads - No Added Sugars

The Best Low Carb Keto Sandwich and Burger Buns Mix

Blueberry Biscuit Scones — New, Easy, Low Carb Keto Recipe

The Best Keto Pizza Crust Mix With 0 Net Carbs

An Unusual, Delicious Strawberry Chocolate Tea With 0 Calories

Delicious Sugar-Free Keto Cookies That OREO Fans Will Love

Healthy Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cereal Treats Recipe

Easy, Decadent, High Protein, Sugar-Free Rocky Road Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Sausage and Ricotta Calzones

How to Make Refreshing Vanilla Italian Soda (With or Without Cream)

Reviews of the Keto Diet by Barbara C. (aka Brite-Ideas)

My Personal Keto Testimonial

How I Stayed Committed to the Ketogenic Way of Eating

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Plants That Need to Be Brought Indoors Need Special Care

Plants that need to be brought indoors need special care- A Garden Review

Summer is the time when we gardeners are itching to get our indoor plants outdoors for all the growth opportunity that summer sun and warmer temperatures brings. But come the end of September, gardeners are counting the days until they need to bring all those tender plants back indoors!

I know I am scoping out all the window areas of my apartment for possible "growing spots", for all the plants I took out to my balcony in the spring.

One of the most important parts of bringing our favorites back to the indoors, is making sure there are no hidden "bugs" hitchhiking their way indoors.

During the summer months outdoors your plants have been visited by many flying, crawling and maybe even jumping insects. Believe it or not I had a grasshopper on one of my plants and we are on the 18th floor of our building. So anything is possible.

When I am bringing my plants indoors, I like to un-pot them! Yes you heard me right. I take my plants out of their pots, set aside the soil they were growing in and move the plants into by bathroom.

Then I shower them well with warm water, on both the top sides of the leaves and the bottom sides as well. I check their roots and if there are roots that look decayed I will snip them back.

I also check their stems to see if there are any scale insects that may have made their home on my plants. One of my Ivies is infested with scale, so I will take cuttings from it and treat the cuttings with Safer's Soap spray. Then I will root these cuttings and start with fresh soil in a few weeks. They will be potted up only when I am sure they are free of the scale insects and have set new roots.

I do get the pots and clean them out with a good hot soapy water solution, and then let them air dry. I will use fresh soil in these pots to give the plants and cuttings a good start in their indoor home.

With my plants, especially the orchids, I let them stay outdoors until the temperatures drop to about 10 degrees Celsiusor 50 degrees Farenheit. Most orchids like a real drop in temperature for a few nights as it signals the plant to set flower bearing stems. Do NOT let these delicate plants freeze! If there is a chance of the temperatures going down close to freezing, bring them indoors for the night.

By January you should be seeing lots of stems on your orchids that will surely lead to some gorgeous flowers. One of my orchids starts blooming in January and doesn't stop till June or July. They are truly one of my many joys.

Having said that, orchids do need special care. Their leaves are tightly figured and can harbor scale or other bugs. I make sure they are drenched with Safer's Soap Spray before they come in for the winter! You can spray them once a week on both sides of their leaves. Better to be safe than sorry. If one plant comes in with a scale infestation, it can ruin all your plants in very short order.

Bringing our plants indoors is a time consuming endeavor if you are a crazy gardener like me. If you only have a few plants(3 or 4) outdoors, you should be able to do this in a weekend. If you are more like me, and have 8-10 plants to bring indoors, you might need a couple of weekends to finish the task.

You don't need to be in a hurry yet, but don't leave this task till late October or November. Then you will be scrambling to get it done. Bringing in the plants without checking them well for pests, could be your downfall. Take the time while the weather is still relatively nice and do it now. Check them all closely and if you don't want to start with fresh pots and soil, you can also drench the plants and soil with the Safer's Soap. It is better to do that then to just bring them indoors without any preventative measures at all.

This is the product I use on all my plants and I have never been disappointed in the results. It takes care of all the insect/bug problems you could have with moving your plants indoors. I use this product on my plants all through the winter months(if I see a problem) and will be using it again in spring and summer of 2021. Pests are always just waiting to get a hold of something they like and your houseplants could be on their menu. Don't be disappointed, be prepared and have a great time in the winter enjoying your healthy happy houseplants while the snow flies outdoors.

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Monday, September 21, 2020

Reviewing Baker Creek Seeds: Strawberry Watermelon

I am excited to have been able to order a packet of Watermelon seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I am very excited about this coming gardening season. This Watermelon variety is the "Strawberry". It is the most delicious watermelon I've ever tasted.

For the sake of transparency, I have to share that I am not currently gardening. I am in a metro-area apartment. I have grown some fantastic tomatoes on my southwest facing balcony. But I barely remember my last real garden. I own some land in a rural area. While I don't have a garden there yet, I did experiment this summer and was surprised to grow some monster zucchini squash and some very healthy looking cabbage. That experiment made me even more anxious to plant more edible plants this spring.

However, with the current craziness of 2020, including difficulty with the supply chain, I thought I'd buy my garden seeds now. In order to ensure I have seeds when it is time to start them. This watermelon is one of the plants I am most excited to try to grow.

Watermelon - Strawberry

I had been hearing, from serious gardeners, that they were extremely pleased about their Strawberry Watermelons. They were happy about the plants, the size of the melons, and the wonderful taste. At that same time, I had the opportunity to taste some of this melon. It was delicious! So flavorful. I love watermelon and eat some about 5 days a week during season. Some from the grocery and some from local farms. But none were as flavorful as the Strawberry Watermelons. There is a bit of a berry flavor - slightly different than a typical watermelon. But it is not overpowering. And the traditional melon flavor is present.

More about this variety:

Name: Citrullus lanatus
85 days
sugary sweet pink flesh
ripens to within a 1/2 inch of the rind
oblong melon, 15-25 lbs.

About Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Baker Creek specializes in heirloom seeds. It is highly recommended by avid gardeners, especially those who like to save their own seeds for future gardens. You can find Baker Creek seeds at their website: rareseeds.com .

They carry familiar plants and varieties as well as plants and varieties you have likely never heard of. I have placed two orders and have received both orders without problems and in a timely fashion.

The headquarters is a place that during normal times (as opposed to during times of quarantines and social distancing) can be visited. Watch for announcements for the re-opening of their village, store, and restaurant near Mansfield, MO.

In the meantime, you can browse their selections online or request a printed catalog.

In addition to their vegetable seeds, they offer some gorgeous flowers. I always try to plant some flowers for the pollinators. This year I can't wait to plant these gorgeous Zinnia's along with several varieties of sunflowers.

I have never seen these types of Zinnias, have you? I love "regular" zinnias. I can only imagine how amazing these will be in my "garden".

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Friday, August 21, 2020

About Raintree Annie On Review This Reviews

Hi, my writing name is Raintree Annie and I am otherwise known as Jasmine Ann Marie. In life and online I get called any combination of those names! I am really happy to be a part of the Review This Reviews writing group. I started writing many years ago and always love it most when I am part of a creative and enthusiastic writing family.

I like to write about what I know and experience. From a young age I developed an interest in nature and loved animals, birds and plants. I was given my own little patch of garden by my parents who encouraged me in these interests.

My interests merge together really. My love of creating a beautiful garden that has wildlife at its heart, has become a passion and I find a great sense of calm, peace and happiness from learning about and nurturing our garden.

I am never happier than when I am immersed in nature and wildlife. I also like to have plants in the house to carry the natural world through into our home.

I love taking photographs of natural environments, wildlife, flowers, plants and landscapes. I spend hours in the garden and whenever we can my husband and I go out to visit the countryside, beaches, woods and nature reserves so we can exercise and spend time together relaxing in nature. I enjoy making unique cards and gifts from those photographs.

I gained a significant back issue over a decade ago and now take good care of my back and keep as fit and healthy as I can in order to continue to care for our garden and be out and about in nature. I always take my back into account when I am gardening and choosing products to assist me.

Articles By Raintree Annie

When I am not in our garden, the countryside or a nature reserve you can find me online at these places!

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden, my blog where I write about my reflections of everyday life gardening and looking after wildlife in our wild country garden.

Life With My Pet Back blog covers reflections on life with back pain and the journey to recovery.

Raintree Earth Designs is my blog where I share my love of photography with cards and gifts made from my photographs of wildlife and countryside with the stories behind them from my Raintree Earth Designs Zazzle Store.

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts where I share practical, fun and beautiful gardening items which make lovely gifts for the gardener.

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Thursday, August 6, 2020

The Garden of Small Beginnings - Book Review

multi-colored paint splashes on white background

Check Here for Lowest Price

Let's start with the harvest here. Lest you think this is going to be a book about a widow who has had a breakdown after her husband's untimely and tragic death, and who is still struggling with that loss, let me assure you that this is a book where the reader reaps joy. I found The Garden of Small Beginnings, by Abbi Waxman, to be a brilliantly written, and delightfully humorous, take on how we get through the gritty times in life.

It's not often that a book begins with whale genitalia. This is when you know this is not going to be your grandmother's gardening guide. No... not at all. This is where the irreverent humor and quirky cast of characters begin to emerge.

You see, Lilian Girvan is a textbook illustrator. And sometimes, though perhaps not every day, you are called upon to draw things like a whale's, ahem, penis. Am I allowed to use the word penis in a book review? This is surely a first for this reviewer.

Anyway, getting back to Lilian. On the day of her infamous illustrating assignment, she is called up to meet with her boss. Lilian has been assigned a plum project designing the illustrations for a series of vegetable guides. In order to garner favor with an important client, Lilian has been volunteered to take a Saturday morning gardening class at the Los Angeles Botanical Garden. This is where the plot (literally) thickens.

Over the course of six weeks, lives will be changed in beautiful and unexpected ways by an eclectic crew of aspiring gardeners. Though this is not a gardening book, per se, it is a book about how we grow from loss, and grief, and other heartbreaks into who we will become in the next season of life.

I loved this book's characters and witty banter. Lilian's young children are sheer delight. This is my favorite kind of read: so well-written, clever, funny, and full of heart. Highly recommended.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Totally Natural Healthy Ways to Increase Your Garden's Growth - A Garden Review

It's mid-summer and everyone who has a garden is starting to reap the rewards of their spring labor. Now I must confess, I did not do a whole lot of back breaking labor. I live on the 18th floor of an apartment building and digging in the ground is not an option for me. So I have three Rubbermaid Tubs on my balcony. These are my "garden" and that is my space to grow my tomatoes and cucumbers.

Don't go feeling sorry for me, I like it this way. I gave up my "home garden" a few years ago, but missed my fresh tomatoes so much, I had to find a way to grow some higher up.

When we first moved into the apartment, I tried to grow tomatoes in smaller pots (10 inch diameter), I would water, feed (with fertilizer) and talk to them daily. I was somewhat successful that first year. My husband would eat his balcony fresh tomato and say, "that was a lot of work for this tomato, you can buy them cheaper at the farmer's markets now that they are in season!"

He was right, the first year, even though I did my best at caring for these plants, they did not produce anything that would have made a gardener's heart go pitter-patter! Our garden produced a few tomatoes that we did enjoy, but overall we were disappointed.

Fast Forward to today: My balcony garden has been expanded (no more little pots) and I have found the secret (I think it's the difference between the first year and now) to keeping my garden happy, healthy and producing more fruits than ever before.

So do you want to Know What Made the Difference?

As a gardener (we share what works and what doesn't work) I will tell you! I have NOT used one ounce, tablespoon, teaspoon or any other measuring device, of fertilizer this year! Yet, I have already picked, eaten and enjoyed at least 10 cucumbers since the beginning of July, and countless cherry tomatoes!

As you can see in the picture above and the ones below, there is no lack of little tomatoes for us to enjoy in the next little while.

Our balcony garden has been prolific in producing these cherry tomatoes for our enjoyment. I attribute it all to the help I have procured for my containers. The "help" is totally organic, pesticide free, natural and abundant.

What is this help that I keep mentioning?

Red Wigglers (they get all the credit) have made all the difference in my containers this year.

As I mentioned earlier, I have used NO chemical fertilizers in my containers this year. A dear friend of mine (Cheri Kochir Salt (owner and operator of Mobius8Organics.) and I have been trying our best to minimize our carbon footprint on the earth. Many people are interested in doing this and have no idea where to start. If you are a gardener, you could start right here.

In many discussions with her, I found that red wigglers can make all the difference in the world to your gardens (whether in the ground proper or in a container). Helping the earth to renew, means (for me anyways) not adding any extra chemicals and getting rid of organic wastes, without adding to landfills.

When you have red wigglers in your containers you can do both of these things. Red Wigglers love to eat all your organic waste (peels, cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and even your paper products). Yes you should read that list again (and it's just a small list, there is much more they could eat if you have an outdoor garden and compost heap.)

These are just a few of my "Red Wiggler" family, who are enjoying their home on my balcony! I have uncovered them for you to see how these guys and gals (actually worms are both male and female scientifically known as hermaphrodites) work. Their home usually looks more like this picture below:

Red Wigglers and earthworms in general do not like the light! They work best in a dark, damp environment. So, I make sure that they are happy by covering the soil surface with damp cardboard or my weekly newsprint flyers! You can also see coffee filters with the coffee grounds still in them on the surface of the soil. My worms, like myself, seem to love coffee.......

Now the only absolute must that you have to maintain is a certain level of moisture in your containers. You cannot let them dry out, or your earthworms will dehydrate and die as well. So far in my experimentation this year, that has not been a problem. I water regularly and sometimes the rain helps too. My worms seem to be happy and multiplying without any further help from me.

What do these worms do that makes the garden grow so well?

Earthworms and red wigglers in particular are prolific at eating organic waste. When they eat this waste, the worms then expel the waste(worm poop) and if your garden is in a container, this waste becomes part of the soil composition. Vermicomposting is the "proper name" for working with worms in the garden. For you homesteaders who are looking for a cottage industry growing worms and selling Red Wigglers for both fishermen and farmers is a growing industry (no pun intended). Once you have your vermiculture set up, there is nothing more for you to do!

The worms will provide you with deep rich soil, full of nutrients and depending on how you set yourself up, you may even have worm compost tea to feed your plants. This worm tea (my version) is the best fertilizer you could ever want. It's rich in nutrients, has no odor and your plants will thrive. This worm compost tea won't burn the roots of your plants either. I have a set up on my balcony that allows me to enjoy collecting this worm tea and if you are interested you can do this too.

Behind the picture of my worm tea, you can see my garden tower. It has 50 different pockets to plant and a nice tower in the center to add organic waste without disturbing your plants. There is a drawer at the bottom which collects all the extra water and worm tea (again my version). The castings remain in the tower for your plants to thrive on. You can watch a video here and see the difference between this and other vertical gardening options: Garden Tower 2 Project

There will be no need for Chemical fertilizers! Chemical fertilizers, if they are incorrectly mixed can sometimes do more harm than good. Save yourself the time and trouble by using an Earth Friendly Natural Way to fertilize your plants. I know that this has made the difference between my first attempts at gardening 18 stories up and this year's attempt! We've had a great year so far and I'm sure it will continue to prosper and grow well into the fall.

If you want to know more about Vermiculture or Worm Farming there are several really good websites and YouTube Videos that you can watch.

Basic Vermicomposting or
How to Compost are just two of the really good sites to learn from.

If you want to get started you will need a good bin. I use these ones for both growing my garden and I will use these for my worm farm too!

My own experiment will continue in the fall as I try to bring my worms indoors so they won't freeze over the winter months. I will let you know how it goes come spring of 2021.

Stay tuned there is more good sound ecological information coming up!

***All of the pictures in this Post are from my balcony garden, taken August 4, 2020.