Shake yourself from the dust and arise. Loose the bonds from your neck.
What do I plant and when? This is the biggest obstacle for most people just getting into gardening. Maybe they've gone to the big box store and bought a tomato plant, put it in the ground, and then it didn't produce anything before it died. It is easy to feel defeated and convince yourself you… Continue reading Get Yo Harvest On: Fall Garden Planning, Part 1
San Antonio has two growing seasons with some overlap in winter: Mid-March to July, and August to Mid-Nov. July is mostly a break because it's just too dang hot to have germinated seedlings try and survive into viable plants. This is when most farmers and gardeners in this area take a break. For now, let… Continue reading When to nuke your garden
A lot of time has passed since we last updated what was growing. Our backyard is a test garden, where we try out different seeds and varieties, as well as various methods for farming. This is where we fail forward, learning what works and doesn't work at any given time. Sometimes that is intentional, and… Continue reading What’s Growing: Updates on lettuce
Whether it is a small patio that holds your grill, a large expanse of turf for playing catch, or a landscaped garden to enjoy just being outside, backyards are excellent resources for family. They are also under-utilized resources for food production. If you have some sunlight, access to water, and a small amount of space,… Continue reading Grow Your Own Food: Backyard Pantries
In our previous Black Thumb post, we talked about why you should buy seeds from the same places commercial growers buy them: actual seed companies. At first I was probably like most everyone else: I bought what I saw at the garden center section of my nearest big box retail store. I didn't know the… Continue reading Five Seed Companies In Your Region That Are Worth Your Time
On Friday (02/15/2019) after a post-Valentines Day date with Amanda, I sowed two new crops I haven't tried before, Minuet Chinese Cabbages and Green Onions. The Minuet is a Napa type of cabbage, and we bought it to make some live-cultured sauerkraut. Transplanting is recommended, but we do not yet have our seed starting… Continue reading What’s Growing: Sauerkraut and Pickles
Want to have successful sprouting plants? Buy seeds where producers buy seeds. I've been to several small organic farms in various states, spent time in college horticulture departments, and have heard from various county extension agents. You know what they all don't do? They don't buy their seeds from a big display at a store… Continue reading “Why isn’t my plant sprouting?” Maybe, because you bought the seeds at a dollar store, Sharon.
As of Jan 31, 2019, we have Parsley, Malabar Spinach, and Radishes in the test garden. Parsley is slow to germinate and needs to be soaked overnight to assist it sprouting. Same with the Malabar Spinach. We very scientifically eyeballed an amount and dumped it into a half pint mason jar with some water. Oddly,… Continue reading What’s Growing: My Own Salad Bar
Ever notice how every seed packet says the plant grows best in loam soil? Loam is the perfect balance of sand, silt, and clay which allows for the best drainage and soil nutrition. The thing is, most people don't live in an ideal, well-balanced world with perfect soils. So what happens then? Here is what… Continue reading Raised Beds: A Small Garden Solution
As of Jan 25 we have a row of Salanova® Red Sweet Crisp Lettuce seed sown in the test garden. We want to see if this will be a good option for a "salad bar" garden. It grows as a head of lettuce, like your romaines and icebergs, but it is a loose leaf lettuce… Continue reading What’s Growing: Red Sweet Crisp Lettuce
Awake! Put on strength! 