Sprouting Secrets: Reviving Your Garden With Everyday Things!

 In the world of gardening, even in your backyard, innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. Today, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite ways to elevate and kickstart my garden and seeds!

As mentioned in Garden Basics: Soil & Zones, I prefer direct planting in the ground because it aids in soil restoration, although I don’t plant seeds often. Instead, I opt for small plants or sproutlings that I've germinated over 4-10 weeks. Seed germination is the process by which a seed sprouts and begins to grow into a new plant. I love germinating my seeds because it gives plants a better chance to flower and produce while also allowing me to start gardening early.


The first year my family and I began our garden, we repurposed an old dish we no longer needed, filled it with dirt, and grew some cantaloupe sprouts. Although we didn’t get any melons from those sprouts, we had a lot of fun learning about different ways to start our seedlings. The Old Farmer's Almanac provides amazing insights into what seeds need for germination, including moisture, warmth, and oxygen!

Similar to the dish my family and I used for our cantaloupe sprouts, we have discovered a few different ways to start our seedlings using recycled materials. One of my favorite methods is what I call a ‘mini greenhouse’. Essentially, you take a used water bottle, cut it in half, fill it with a small amount of dirt, add your seeds, top it with more dirt, heavily water it, tape over where you cut, add the cap, and leave it in the sun. You should start seeing sprouts within 3 weeks. My daughter actually encouraged us to start using these mini greenhouses, and we have made them multiple times now.


Another favorite gardening hack of mine is repurposing old bookcases that would otherwise be thrown away into sectioned beds. We usually plant companion plants, those that assist each other in growth. Through this, we have successfully grown celery, onions, potatoes, garlic, and various peppers.

Recycling has become a proactive habit not only in my home but also in my garden. It's truly gratifying to witness the benefits of gardening even before plants begin to flower and produce.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Garden Basics: Soil & Zones

Image
Are you ready to dig into the dirt and unlock the secrets of successful gardening? Before we talk about the actual plants it's important to understand that the journey to a thriving garden starts with getting down to the roots – quite literally! Let's dive headfirst into the fascinating world of soil, where the journey begins. Soil isn't just dirt; it's the foundation of agriculture, the lifeblood of our gardens. Whether you're creating your own soil mix or plunging straight into the ground, knowing your soil type is absolutely vital. Why? Because it's the key to unlocking a garden that's bursting with life and productivity! So, let's get our hands dirty and decipher what our soil is trying to tell us. Is it loamy, crumbly, or sandy? Understanding the difference can make all the difference in the health and happiness of your plants. An easy way to tell your soil type is by actually getting your hands in it. Yep. That’s right it's recommended to dig a
Read more

Garden Basics: Garden Placement & Safeguarding

Image
     Photo Credit Pixabay  Creating a successful garden involves so much more than planting seeds and watering schedules. To maintain a healthy growing and producing garden you want to take into consideration a variety of different things from soil texture, sunlight exposure, and water accessibility to animal access in this blog we will talk talk about some of those things and share different resources to help you pick the best spot for your garden!  Photo Credit Alexis Kincaid When I first decided to begin gardening,   I took straight to my backyard.  My family and I were extremely lucky when purchasing our home  and have a large backyard space that I knew one  day I would want to turn into a garden utopia. While I still have a long way to go toward utopia I do have a really nice space for my garden. The space I chose (pictured to the left) for two main reasons: sun exposure and fencing. I knew I wanted to grow vegetables and herbs that required a lot of sun like citrus and potatoes
Read more

From Scraps to Seeds: A Sustainable Kitchen Revolution

Image
  We’ve talked a lot about seeds and seed germination and now I want to share with you my favorite way to reduce, reuse and recycle from my kitchen to my garden, Kitchen Scrap Gardening! Exactly as it sounds, kitchen scrap gardening is taking food scraps and regrowing plants and food from them.  One of my favorite gardeners who utilizes this fun and sustainable gardening tool is Misilla . A Pacific Northwest mom who shares her passion of sustainability gardening on a variety of platforms, I primarily follow her YouTube as her videos are very well explained with clear images and language. She even has a video where she discusses how she uses kitchen scrap gardening to grow carrots, celery, and onions! I have had luck with celery and lettuce through methods that are described in the blog Crafty Little Secret . In the blog post, Re-Grow Your Celery and Lettuce! celery roots by Crafty Little Secrets The author discusses how you can take the end of a celery bundle or lettuce, place it i
Read more