Once your vegetable garden is planted and flourishing, it is time to think about succession planting in order to keep the beds producing throughout the growing season. Even though our Maine, Zone 5 gardening period is relatively short, there are plenty of quick maturing crops that will maximize harvests all season long. What is Succession…
seed starting
How to Grow Onions From Seed
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Onions are a staple in the kitchen and essential for adding flavor to numerous dishes all year long. One of my garden goals each year is to plant enough onions to satisfy our meals, canned sauces and salsas, and winter storage. Onions can be planted from transplants, sets, or started from seed. Onion transplants are…
Benefits of Pre-sprouting Seeds
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One of the most frustrating things about starting vegetables from seed is waiting for them to emerge from the soil. You can eliminate the wait time by pre-sprouting seeds. A few years ago, I had some pepper seeds that were quite old. I hated to just throw the package away without checking to see if they…
Soil Blocks for Growing Seedlings
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A soil block is a cube of lightly compressed soil and nutrients that will grow one seedling. When the plant is ready to be transplanted, the entire block is planted into the soil. No root mangling will reduce transplant shock. When I first began gardening, I purchased transplants from a local nursery and had a…
Sowing Onion & Leek Seeds
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The first seeds I sow each year are onions and leeks. This weekend I sowed some Copra Onions, Evergreen Bunching Onions, and American Flag Leeks. I also ordered some Rossa Lunga di Tropea Onion seed from Fedco that should arrive soon. I mass sow onion seeds in recycled berry trays. I use a regular organic…
Simple Seed Germination Test
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As I eagerly wait for spring, and the stores begin to roll out their seed starting supplies, I find myself drawn to the seed displays. Before I know it, I usually have a few packages in my hands to purchase. Sometimes I arrive home to discover that I have duplicate seed packages. Luckily, depending on…
2014 Garden Dreams and Musings
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Happy New Year to you and the ones you love! I hope 2014 brings you great happiness, success, and fortune in your personal lives and in your gardens. The busy holidays are over, snow from several storms has blanked the garden, seed catalogs have arrived, and now planning for next year’s garden begins. New beginnings…
Expanding the Seed Starting Area
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I love gardening. It is like meditation allowing me to relax and tune out the busy day and focus on the sounds of nature around me such as the wind blowing through the trees, the birds singing their various songs, and the bees buzzing around the garden seeking out nectar. Winters can be long here…
Seed Starting Area
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I set up a seed starting area in the basement on the workbench. For several weeks, I have been shopping around for shelving units that would accommodate a 4-foot shop light per shelf. I wasn’t able to find one, but I did find two 24-inch shelving units. Placed side by side, I am able to…