Container Gardens & Window Boxes
March 17, 2010
Starter Fertilizer is organic and contains all the ingredients you need for success
Monrovia has a great organic fertilizer. It is pelleted for ease of use and can be sprinkled around container plants or along a row of seedlings in the garden. I particularly like that the bag itself is compostable. There's no waste and no throw away with this purchase. It's meant to get your plants off to a good start.
- Long-lasting, slow release fertilizer that is made from 100% natural and organic ingredients.
- A gentle organic fertilizer formulated for all types of transplanting.
- Contains: Feather Meal, Blood Meal, Bone Meal, Sulfate of Potash, Kelp Meal and Alfalfa Meal.
- Also includes 12 different strains of mycorrhizae.
- Available in 4 lb bag.
At Starter Fertilizer
March 10, 2010
Dr. Earth Organic Starter Fertilizer gives a good start for seedlings
This is a great fertilizer for your seedlings as well as your container plants. You can work it in around the plant or make a tea with water and pour around the plant. Quck and easy. The fact that it contains beneficial soil microbes is a big plus.
- People and Pet Safe
- 100% Organic and Natural
- For Your: Flowers, Vegetables, Trees, Shrubs, Bedding Plants, Potted Plants
- Contains Pro-Biotic Beneficial Soil Microbes, Ecto & Endo Mycorrhizae
- Feeds 55 Square Feet or 80 one-gallon Transplants
At Dr. Earth Organic Starter Fertilizer - 4 Pounds
March 9, 2010
Pelleted Organic Fertilizer is a great for the garden and for containers
Organic fertilizer should come from animals that have been fed only organic food. For years I bought Steer Manure from the nursery thinking that I was being organic until I realized that it came from feed lots where the animals were not fed organically and worse, were given hormones and anitbiotics. These toxins are in the manure of animals who are given them.
So now I get only organic fertilizer and potting soil. There don't seem to be any tests or standards for labeling organic fertilizer, but the basic rule that the animal is fed only organic feed.
The next few weeks I'm going to be analyzing various organic manures and their relative nurtrient values. The manure I mostly use is chicken manure. The Stolzman Organic Chicken Manure is what I used on the broccoli and primroses I planted this week. Chicken manure is a higher source of nitrogen, potassium, and potash than other animal manures. It is 4-1-1. When you see number like this on a package of fertilizer the first number is nitrogen, the second potassium and the last potash. When we had chickens it was such a delight to till it in early in the spring and then later plant corn and watch the results! Now I buy it which is less fulfilling but works just as well.
Raw chicken manure should be composted. Composting at 158 degrees destroys most bacteria, weed seeds and samonella which makes the manure save to use although it should not be used around seedlings, but always mixed with soil to avoid burning tender new growth. It will help with ph also, making acid soils more neutral.
This pelleted chicken manure is easy to handle and compact, thus reducing the work shoveling and spreading it and the odor is reduced when it is in this form. This package of three 12 oz bags is a good trial size.
At Organic Fertilizer Soil Conditioner,Odor Free and Pelletized for Easy Application-All Purpose Chicken Manure for Vegetables,Flowers,Fruit Trees,Lawn & Shrubs.Compost Production Process Destroys Pathogens and Weed Seeds,340g/12 oz Trial Size Set 3 Bags
February 24, 2010
Mini-Garden Stacker Flower Pot is a great early season garden
This planter comes in three section each one with three pockets to be filled with soil and a plant. You can hang it or stack each section on top of the other which makes it very versetal. It comes with a chain for hanging and shipping weight is 15 pounds which makes me think that when it's filled with soil, it's going to be heavy so if you intend to hang it, better fasten it to something sturdy. I would also go nicely on countertop, deck or balcony. It is 11" in diameter and will be two feet tall and strong enough to hold herbs, strawberry plants or even tomatoes.
At Mini-Garden Stacker- Stackable/Hangable All Season Planter- Indoor/Outdoor Stacking Flower Pot- Great Gardening Gift Idea For A Gardener.
February 23, 2010
Greenhouses can be made of second hand material
One of the top gardeners in our town, and it is a place noted for gardening, built their own green house out of used building materials. They got old windows from a friend who was remodeling their house. They cut some poles from small trees that had died and picked up some lumber from another building site. Often contractors are willing to let you have used lumber and windows if you will haul them away. It saves the contractor some time and money.
You also don't have to be a wonderful carpenter to put together a building for a greenhouse. The roof can be fiberglass which lets light in and is very lightweight so you don't need a strong frame to support a heavy roof. The sides can be build entirely of windows nailed or supported by a wood frame. This greenhouse had old masonite tacked on the shade side of the structure to add support.
This first photo shows seedlings that they are growing under a grow light in the attic. The light is on a timer and comes on when the sun no longer shines on the plants. The grow light is why the color in the photo is so orange.
Notice how they planted with such care to give each seedling enough space so that when they are transferred to larger pots or into the soil, their roots will not be entangled and each plant can be lifted separately with the soil and roots intact.
Here is their cludged together greenhouse. Note the organic potting soil stacked in front. 
They have hanging shelves in the greenhouse to discourage a inquisitive and hungry mouse from deciding that the little broccoli look very tasty.
This post is to encourage you to create your own greenhouse. You can recycle materials and although the outcome may look like early American ramshackle, it will do the job and you can have all the young plants you need to garden with, grown by your own hand. If on the other hand, you just want to put up something that will work and is guaranteed to last for a decade or more, and if money is no object, here is the quick fix.
Rion Greenline 6- By 8-Foot Backyard Hobby Greenhouse
February 22, 2010
Horticultural Vermiculite makes room for seedling roots
For those of you making up your own growing medium for seeds, this vermiculite is a good buy. As a growing medium horticultural vermiculite improves drainage, provides aeration, stores moisture, and prevents compaction, and its safe and easy to use. Furthermore, it is very light and so shipping will be minimal.
At Vermiculite Horticultural Grade 18 Qt Bag
February 18, 2010
EarthBox Garden Kit simplifies growing in a small space
This is a good looking planter that comes in both green and terracotta. It's perfect for the patio, sunny window or apartment balcony. The EarthBox measures 30 by 13-1/2 by 12 inches (l x w x h) for a soil capacity of 2-1/2 cubic feet. The box rests on four wheels and easily rolls into full sun and then moves to the back row so another Earthbox or your favorite potted flower can get sum rays. The growing kit includes fertilizer, dolomite, and two germination covers for jumpstarting your garden so they have tired to take the guess work out of starting seeds and growing plants. The box is UV protected, and it's recyclable.
At EarthBox RB-EB-GRN-PBB Garden Kit
February 11, 2010
Stargazer Lily Collection blooms and is fragrant all summer
Day lilies, as opposed to dahlias, are easy to grow and are hardy over most of the US, from zones 3-11. This jumbo pack has 12 lilies of three different varieties in pink and white. They grow quite tall so plant them in against the fence or in the back of the border as they get as tall as 24" to 40". They are perennials and can also be grown in containers and make great cut flowers. Plant them 4" to 6" and space them a foot apart, sprinkle fertilizer and you're good to go. Only $23 from Holland Bulb Farms.
At Holland Bulb Farm
February 8, 2010
Gurney's Catalogue has it all
Gurney's Seed and Nursery company is located right smack in the midwest and carries every aspect of seed and plant and supply that a gardener needs. They have no particular ideology other than supplying what they consider to be the most reliable and the best. They have both heirloom and hybrid varieties. They sell fruit and nut trees as well as vines and shrubs, hedges and grasses. They have house plants and windbreaks, just about anything you could possibly want.
They are promoting a sweet corn called "You gotta have it" which they claim is the sweetest and stays the sweetest longest of any corn you can grow. It is hybrid but not sugar enhanced. One feature I like about their online catalogue is that they include comments from growers who have tried the seed and the comments are negative as well as positive. For example, after reading the growers comments you have a good idea that you need to wait to plant it until the soil is really warmed up--trying to rush the season will most likely end in failure or at least poor germination. This is a very helpful section for anyone interested, like me, in giving this sweet corn a try.
At Gurney's Catalogue
February 1, 2010
Burpee Seed Starting is an all in one system for a great price
Burpee's most advanced seed starting system is guaranteed to grow bigger and better seedlings every time. I'm not sure what that means, but it has been developed by Burpee and is an all-in-one kit that has everything you need to start growing seeds. It is easy to set up and requires less maintenance and watering than other systems.
The transparent cover retains heat and moisture to get your seeds up and growing fast and a capillary mat draws water from the bottom tray reservoir and feeds it to each cell evenly. Roots don't stick to mat as in other systems and the bottom tray holds plenty of water so your seeds stay healthy and you don't have to water as often. Plus, it is a large 72-cell tray which makes it easy to start all your seeds in one unit and it's reusable so all in all it sounds like a great deal for the price.
At Burpee Ultimate Seed Starting System
January 26, 2010
Easy Sprout Sprouter lives up to its name
There are tons of sprouters on the market, but this one gets all rave reviews. You can grow a pound of tasty sprouts with little or no rinsing. The Easy Sprout Sprouter is a unique quart size dual container system that uses heat from sprouts to circulate fresh humidified air by convection. It stores easily in the fridge and is stackable, durable and easy to clean made from plastic that is food safe. It comes with instructions and a 30-day love it or return it guarantee and everyone says that you will love it.
At Easy Sprout Sprouter - Easy & Fast Way to Grow Fresh Salad Sprouts in Your Own Kitchen - Grow Alfalfa, Mung Bean, Brocolli, Radish, Red Lentil, Green Lentil, Clover, & More.
January 22, 2010
Container Lettuce Seeds are small succulent Butterhead
Here's a seed to start now even as more snow flies in Boston. These butterhead lettuces are small. They grows only to heads of 5 or 6 inches but they are perfect for container growing and work well for individual salad presentations. They have a soft sweet taste and smooth texture. They can be harvested early to a lovely addition to a regular salad.
At Container Lettuce Seeds - Garden Babies Butterhead E
January 20, 2010
Meyer Lemon Tree is easy to grow and produces great fruit
A Meyer lemon is a lovely plant and grows nicely in containers and outside in zones 8-11 Fragrant flowers produce thin skinned, juicy lemons year round. They are different than conventional lemons in that the taste is more sweeter, and less acid. The rind is thinner and more orangish in color than typical lemons. The tree is evergreen and needs full sun or a sunny room in the house. It grows to about 8 to 10 feet tall, or can be pruned to be shorter.
At Meyer Lemon Tree One Gallon by Monrovia Growers
January 13, 2010
Some big bargains on indoor plants at IKEA
I was in IKEA this weekend looking for countertops from my new kitchen and on the way out of the store, you pass the plant section which is located in a good place for impulse buying. I was totally boggled by the size of the $50 plants which were head high with no yellow or brown leaves. They had Ravena, Dragon Tree, Unbrella tree, and Yucca in $20 sizes which were about waist or chest high. This is where I'm coming to get plants for the house! There were small pots of Bird's Nest Fern, Ivy, Song of India, Bromeliad and some tiny seeded pots of herbs all at unbeilevably low prices.
The Dragon Tree and the Ivy are both mentioned in "How to Grow Fresh Air" as being high in their ability to remove toxins. Since this book covers only what was used in NASA's experiments with their biosphere, there's no information on many of the plants. I'm definitely getting several large plants that are well established as well as smaller ones. One reader mentioned getting a Boston Fern for her baby's room. It is the best toxin remover and easy to grow.
If you are far away from IKEA, like I am, and only make a trip there twice a year or so, it seems Amazon has some plants to try.
At Lemon Lime Madagascar Dragon Tree - Dracaena - Easy!
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