Growing Food: Starting Seeds Indoors Part 3
Starting seeds indoors for my spring garden? Check. And some of my babies are already peeking out of the soil. Hooray! Here’s how I made it happen.
heirloom seeds
Growing Food: Starting Seeds Indoors Part 2
I’m continuing my journey starting seeds indoors. Which containers are best? What kind of soil to use? Where to set up my plants? Here’s what I’ve learned.
Growing Food: Starting Seeds Indoors Part 1
I’ve had no success starting seeds indoors in the past. But I’ve done my homework this year and am determined to succeed! Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
A Green Gem of a Tomato: the Malakhitovaya Shkatulka
Like legions of gardeners across the country I’m always on the lookout for a tasty tomato to grow. The open-pollinated Malakhitovaya Shkatulka is my favorite from this summer’s harvest – indeed, it’s a real gem, true to its name.
The Rewards of a Seedy Garden
If you don’t let your edible garden flower and make seeds you are missing out on some great perks…
Genuine Heirlooms are Seeds with Stories
Genuinely heirloom seeds were passed down through generations. They have stories to tell and these, like the seeds themselves, are in danger of being lost.
Edible Garden Photo Essay
I can’t think of a better way to honor our planet than to take time to appreciate its natural beauty, and that may be as nearby as our own gardens.
The Beauty of Heirloom Seeds
Heirloom seeds offer small links to our past that can feed us today. Their proven track record can help us grow safer, better tasting, chemical-free fruits and vegetables while we’re trying to be self-sufficient and a friend to Mother Nature.
Take the Next Step: How to Grow From Seeds
There are lots of reasons for learning how to grow seeds, but my top reason is that I enjoy it: seeds are beautiful and mysterious and I love the process of nurturing them through their stages of growth. It’s magical to propagate your favorite seeds successfully for generations! Just give it a try…
The Heirloom Life Gardener: a Book Review
What are heirloom vegetables and why should we care? The Heirloom Life Gardener by Jere and Emilee Gettle provides ample explanation in their engaging book.
Sustainable Farming Issues for 2012: Bees, a Bill, and Seeds
It’s up to us to fix our broken food system. And even though I prefer to write about gardening and edible landscaping, I’ll be following three urgent issues this year, and they have to do with bees, a bill and seeds.
Heirloom Bean Project Wrap-Up
Now that fall is here the results of my summer heirloom bean project are in: a total yield of almost four pounds of beautiful dry beans of several types. In all I grew seven runner beans and five varieties of “common” beans in my suburban garden. Why the excitement? I think it’s fantastic to be able to grow a healthy, delicious, protein source in my own back and front yards. Besides that, I love the versatility of bean dishes, and the varieties are endless if you search beyond the grocery store. You can grow your own and enjoy cooking them all winter.