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  1. grow_my_own

    New to starting plants from seed, could use some pointers

    Well, everything in my Jiffy pellets sprouted, only to die about 3 weeks later. I did everything I could think of. The seedlings I started in soil are doing great. The ones in the Jiffy pellets seemed to "dry out" at the base of the stem only, then keeled over. About 1/4 of them are still...
  2. grow_my_own

    What are you planting today... 2012

    About 5 days ago, I planted cauliflower outside. I have already planted (and it is already sprouting!) snow peas, kale, radishes, brussel sprouts, & kohlrabi. I planted spring onions, but thus far only 1 has sprouted (they are from seed, though, so I will be glad if anything happens with them...
  3. grow_my_own

    How long have you been gardening?

    Let's see, how long have I been gardening? Hmmm... when I was a little girl, my parents always had some kind of garden in the back yard, at least a few rows of this and that, and the whole family participated in it. We also had fruit trees in our back yard, and my grandmother had a...
  4. grow_my_own

    HOW-TO: Make seed tapes

    I would like to take this opportunity to share my experience thus far with the seed tapes. On my first planting, I planted homemade seed tapes with snow peas, kale, green onions, and brussel sprouts. It took them a few days longer to sprout, but they did sprout & are doing GREAT (the green...
  5. grow_my_own

    Propagation Prohibited - ?

    This thread got me to thinking about a couple of things. Now, while I do not save seed to sell, I am starting my own seedlings this year. I've actually sold a couple of seedlings to friends and neighbors and was thinking about expanding a little (not to be a business, but a little pin money...
  6. grow_my_own

    Heat mat alternative

    You know, I have never heard of a heat mat until last year. Never really tried to start my seedlings indoors before, either, but my mom, grandmother, and aunt all did when I was a kid & I remember "helping" them. Never once did I see a heat mat. They would put them in a warm place in the...
  7. grow_my_own

    HOW-TO: Make seed tapes

    I have good news! They are just slower to germinate, probably because of the tissue breakdown. But they are germinating & I have sproutage as of yesterday afternoon! Green onions & brussel sprouts are peeking out the soil! I was so happy, I was dancin' a little diddy there in the garden...
  8. grow_my_own

    HOW-TO: Make seed tapes

    Okay, quick question for those of you who have made/used seed tapes in the past. Do you find it takes them substantially longer to germinate? As an experiment, I put a radish seed tape in my covered seed bed, and in the next row, I put a few seeds directly into the soil. The direct-sown...
  9. grow_my_own

    Salsa getting a vinegar flavor with age= yuck!

    If you liked the salsa before it went bad, why toss the recipe? Just either make it next time without skins or use a pressure canner. Chalk it up to "I learned something new today!" and make another batch for you and your family to enjoy. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!
  10. grow_my_own

    Where to get non Monsanto ONION PLANTS from.

    Maybe it's the soil where I was living until last year, but I've always done onions from seed. Put seeds in ground. Water. Wait. Eat onions. It really was not hard.... not even kinda.
  11. grow_my_own

    Asking Yourself, "How much should I Plant?!"

    DH has the measurements written down in his little notebook, which he has with him in the car & he's at work right now, but if I remember correctly, we're going to have about 1000 square feet of garden space this year. Our garden area/yard is about twice the size of our house, and our house (a...
  12. grow_my_own

    Asking Yourself, "How much should I Plant?!"

    Well, beings that last year, we got 6 bok choy plants, 4 tomato plants, and 6 pepper plants (moved in the middle of planting season so didn't have a "real" garden), ANYTHING this year is gonna be considered a big garden. What we did is laid our yard bare, and when we're off next week we're...
  13. grow_my_own

    Nasturtium Salad.

    That's a beautiful salad! When ya got food that fresh and yummy, who needs salad dressing?? (grin) Never grown nasturtiums before, but I bought seeds a couple of weeks ago. This will be my first year growing them. I've never eaten them, either, but I hear they have nice flavor. I like using...
  14. grow_my_own

    Potatoe Question

    No, you do not need soil to grow potatoes. Two years ago, I had cleaned out my fridge one day, pulled the crisper drawers out and cleaned thoroughly (you know how stuff falls behind them), found a small selection of old, dried-up produce. There was ONE tiny dried up, old little red potato in...
  15. grow_my_own

    Salsa getting a vinegar flavor with age= yuck!

    Catjac is correct. If you use peppers of ANY kind, you either have to peel the peppers OR use a pressure canner. You cannot use a water bath canner for ANYTHING that has the skins on it. I would toss that batch and make another. It's gonna make you sick if you keep eating it.
  16. grow_my_own

    Cooking in the Bag

    Same here about using plastic in the microwave. BPA is not your friend. ETA: We would get rid of our microwave, too, if it wasn't built into our house, but it doesn't get as much use as it used to. I mostly use it for reheating my coffee because I have a tendency to let my cups of coffee get...
  17. grow_my_own

    Stretching your EBT/Food Stamp Dollars

    I do not know if this is still the case, but back in the late 1980s when I was getting food stamps, we could buy fruit and vegetable seeds and seedlings at the store with food stamps. For those here who are on the EBT/food stamp program or if someone you know/love is on that program, you may...
  18. grow_my_own

    I got a green house for my birthday--what do I do with it?

    Hey, ya can't blame a girl for trying! Hehehe! Seriously, though, that's an awesome birthday gift. I'm so glad for you! When you get it set up, please do post a pic & let us know what you're putting in it and how you like it.
  19. grow_my_own

    New to starting plants from seed, could use some pointers

    Thank you! Someone else told me 4-6 inches from the top of the tray dome. Should I remove the clear plastic dome?
  20. grow_my_own

    New to starting plants from seed, could use some pointers

    My seedlings are stretching. I have the grow light 6 inches from the top of the pellet tray, but alllll my seedlings are leggy.
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