Sprouting Seeds For Food
Cheesecloth may be secured onto the jar with a rubber band. It works well, but is a little messy and wasteful of expensive cheesecloth; those who want to do a lot of sprouting may want to make or purchase a more ... [... more]
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Lost And Found: Food Crops From The Tropics
Some of the crops imported to Europe from South America were eventually accepted throughout the world. However, after the Spanish conquest, the Spanish government in the region pressured the conquered Incan ... [... more]
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Coldframes
Management of a coldframe is quite simple if a few basic rules are followed concerning ventilation, watering, and protection from extremes in temperature. Ventilation is most critical in late winter and early spring ... [... more]
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Storing Fruits And Vegetables
Just before the first frost, pick unbruised and undamaged mature-green tomatoes for storage. You can identify the mature-green tomatoes by their whitish-green color. When you cut the fruit, you will notice the seeds ... [... more]
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Composting
Composting is a degradation process brought about by bacteria and fungus organisms. Large amounts of organic kitchen, garden, lawn, and/or farm refuse can be reduced in a relatively short time to a pile of black, ... [... more]
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Minimum Chemical Gardening
Grow winter annual cover crops to provide additional organic matter without the effort of hauling, fix free nitrogen from the air, reduce loss of soluble plant growth nutrients through leaching, and provide a bright ... [... more]
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Season Extenders
Row covers are a more recent development in extending vegetable production past frost dates. They are simple devices, pieces of material (in spunbonded polyesters) laid over transplants in the field. As the plants ... [... more]
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Irrigating The Home Garden
Several types of drip or trickle equipment are available. The soaker hose is probably the easiest to use as no installation is required. It is a fibrous hose that allows water to slowly seep out all along its length. ... [... more]
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All-America Selections
Over the years, the All-America Selections trialing program has remained consistent. The breeder is required to send seeds, descriptions, and photographs of each entry. The AAS office gives each entry a coded number ... [... more]
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Integrated Pest Management For Vegetable Gardens
Enlist the aid of birds in your garden. Overall, they do more good than harm. Consider planting shrubs and trees with fruits that attract them. Keep in mind, however, if you attract wild birds, you will have to ... [... more]
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Fall Vegetable Gardening
When planting fall crops, prepare the soil by restoring the nu trients removed by spring and summer crops. A light layer of compost or aged manure, or a small application of complete chemi cal fertilizer will boost ... [... more]
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Intensive Gardening Methods
The use of trellises, nets, strings, cages, or poles to support growing plants constitutes vertical gardening. This technique is especially suited, but not limited, to small garden spaces. Vining and sprawling plants ... [... more]
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