Cool Weather Gardens - Start Your Peas, Lettuce and Tomatoes?
Cool weather gardening is a great way to start the spring gardening push. For the earliest garden, or in extremely cold climates, cold weather crops give us a great way to get started in the garden even before the last chance of frost has faded away. And most of these favorites will thrive in containers, so you can start them inside if you like.
One of the easiest and earliest to produce are radishes. Simple to sow and grow, they can often be harvested in only about 30 days, so these are a must for anyone trying to start an early garden. And they are great for a salad.
Speaking of salads, no salad is complete without lettuce or spinach. Leave lettuce is easy to grow almost anywhere. It germinates well, will tolerate some light frost, and is quick to mature. It can be planted from seed, or transplants. Start with the leaf or buttercrunch lettuce, they're easier to grow than head lettuce, mature more quickly, and the harvest time is longer as well. Spinach has a growth pattern much like leaf lettuce. However, it's a little hard to germinate, so you may want to start it in a peat pot before setting it out in the garden.
Another cold weather garden standby is peas. In some parts of the country you can plant peas in the ground as soon as the ground thaws enough to stick your finger in to push the seed down. A light feeder, this one actually improves the soil as it grows by fixing nitrogen. And for a variation on the pea theme, there are few crops that are as mouthwatering straight out of the garden as sugar snap peas, which can also make a great addition to that salad.
One other crop that is not normally thought of as cold weather crop are tomatoes. These favorites are not frost hardy, and prefer warmer temperatures to thrive. But that's not to say that with a little help we can push mother nature to let us gain a few weeks on starting those tomatoes. By using container or hanging planters, or water teepees in the garden, you can get the jump on your neighbors on getting those tomatoes going in your garden.
(ArticlesBase SC #843328)
How to Protect Trees in Winter
It's interesting when there is a chance of bad weather, everyone flocks to the grocery store. But you know, if you want to protect your trees and shrubs, the best place to go is probably the hardware store. (01:47)
How to Protect Shrubs in the Winter
This time of year, the weather can be especially unpredictable; ice, snow, low temperatures, high winds can all play havoc on our trees and shrubs and these can be expensive losses. (01:47)
How to Grow Cool Weather Houseplants
Dave and Lee Thomas talk about three houseplants that do well indoors in the cooler weather: christmas cactus, amaryllis, and cyclamen. (02:44)
April Gardener's Calendar
Dave lists the gardening tasks you can perform in April to prepare for the growing season. (02:41)
Helping Plants Survive Hot Weather
Dave shows you how to use watering crystals to provide moisture for your plants when you're not able to. (02:53)
Start a worm farming compost bin right now and you'll generate a steady supply of rich, brown fertilizer high in nutrients and free of dangerous chemicals. Your flower and vegetable gardens will thrive and you'll save cash.
Have you ever spent an evening of fun on a friend well landscaped patio sitting by the warm glow of their outdoor fireplace? I have and it made me want to be able to experience in my own backyard. I like to get involved in home improvement projects, but for many this type of project is a little overwhelming.
For thousands of years people have enjoyed keeping plants indoors but what exactly are the benefits?
Flower horticulture is getting much more a favorite by gardeners every single moment. Blossoms can easily brighten up everybody's moment. They smell wonderful, and they are an excellent activity. Flower gardening can be easy, low-cost, and hundreds of excitement can be seen.
Having an organic garden means growing organic plant food like fruits and vegetables. This will save you a lot because planting organic vegetables will not cost a lot. You can make a garden right at your backyard and you will be able to grow organic vegetables for your family. Organic foods are healthier because no chemicals were used in during the growth stage of the vegetables. And you will be able to help Mother Nature because you are using organic fertilizers for your garden.
Having a garden sounds expensive and can require a stiff investment: lawns, landscaping services, plumbing services, plants, fertilizers, water and a lot more. But fret not, because you can save a lot of money by growing organic plant food that, amazingly, can be found in your own household or can be brought directly to your local supermarkets!
Planting your own tomato seeds and watching them grow is a great way to start your garden while it is still cold outside. Browsing seed catalogs allow you to dream about next summer's harvest of baskets of bright red tomatoes.
As chimeneas become more and more popular, make sure you stay safe whilst enjoying these wonderful additions to any garden or patio. Here are some essential tips for how to use a chimenea.
The bane of most homeowners who try to feed the birds are of course those bandit squirrels. Here are some ideas on how to squirrel proof a bird feeder.
Most every gardener knows some of the benefits of compost, but often they have a hard time making enough for their use. Here are some tips to getting your garden compost bin working faster.
Wintertime doesn't have to be unproductive for the gardener. Indoor greenhouses can help keep your gardening going year round.
One pattern that has worked over many years is a tendency for the market to move in seasonal patterns. Here we take a look at one of the best performing seasonal market timing systems.
If you are trying to grow tomatoes in someplace other than a garden like a patio or balcony, growing tomatoes in pots can be a good way to get your tomato garden started. Here are some tips to get your tomatoes off right.
Tomato cages are great for increasing the yields of your tomatoes, especailly the larger tomatoes that we all want to grow. You can make them or your can buy them, so here are some things to look for.
The Blue Ribbon School award is given to less than 5% of the schools in the country and attempts to recognize some of the best public and private schools our country has to offer.
There's a lot to be said for gardening using a raised bed. Much of the work and pain will can be cut out using a raised garden bed. Here's a look at using raised garden bed kits, and some of the options available to gardeners.
0