One almost avoids giving instructions on growing tomatoes since there are so many tomato growing aficionados out there—tomato culture is part of almost every gardener’s DNA. I see a lot of nice caged tomatoes when I drive around and snoop on other people’s gardens a bit. Yes, you can bury the stems horizontally at transplant, that’s a good one….
Peppers prefer a scanty, even water supply, good drainage, full sun, and a long, hot summer. Start indoors 40 to 50 days prior to the last frost. Plant seeds in pure organic compost in pots in the greenhouse. Thin to one best seedling per pot. Do not overcrowd peppers in a flat—they will get crinkly and stop growing. Transplant…
To plant (any) Aloe, first cover the hole in the bottom of the pot with a pot shard, put a layer of sand in the bottom of the pot (2 inches or so deep), then a 2 inch or so layer of compost or any kind of humusy potting soil will do, then finish off with more sand on…
Arnica montana (Mountain Arnica), the endemic European species, is considered official. However, other species of Arnica (there are 28 in North America) are used by local herbalists, and appear to be medicinally interchangeable with the official species. Arnica chamissonis (Meadow Arnica) enjoys a wide distribution in North America and Europe, and is listed in the German Commission E Monograph…
Ah, how exciting to contemplate the planting of your seeds! Keep it simple and concentrate on success the first time. Put the seeds in the soil in the right way—and fine-tune it later. The earth is your best teacher in this! Standard planting technique means fill a deep flat or a pot with soil, or prepare a weed-free seedbed…
There are many different methods for curing tobacco, but the easiest is to pick the leaves when they get a tinge of yellow on them, then hang them in an open shed or under the eaves. You can string them on a piece of bailing wire or strong string. Set it up so that the leaves dry out during the day…
