As an organic grower I think about where good plants come from, and the first elements that come to mind are sun, water, nutrients and good soil structure. We know that when we nourish the substrate of life, then life will manifest! The quintessence of this is found in a single statement, “Keep it covered.” If we cover the soil from the…
Tulsi grows best in the summer garden or in a greenhouse environment. Lacking these conditions, a solarium or very bright south facing window may be adequate. Growing Tulsi during the winter will require grow lights. You can purchase T-5 grow lights online that will work quite well. Keep the light 18 inches above the top leaf, and keep the light…
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…
For greenhouse growing, plant in pots or deep flats and allow them to come up closely together. When the tops reach 6 or 8 inches, cut back down to 3 inches and allow to grow back again. After the tops attain 6 or 8 inches again, cut back down to 3 inches again. What this does (besides providing you with an…
Germination benefits greatly from cold conditioning/stratification, possibly ~ 6 weeks at 5 Celsius or colder, though typically seed is sown on moist sterilized potting soil (in plug trays – 72 cell trays are popular) during the winter and placed outside for two months or more, preferably with snow cover. Seeds can be covered lightly or pressed into the soil…
Sow seed in regular greenhouse conditions or indoors in a warm and light location. Use 4 inch square pots filled with potting soil composed of 50% sifted compost and 50% coarse, sharp sand or pumice. Add a small amount of wood ash. Commercial cactus mix or standard potting soil are both acceptable, although mixing your own potting soil…