What's Growin' On Archives - Page 62 of 142

Packed for 2000. That doesn't mean it expires then, it just means they aren't packaging old seed.

Seed Storage is Key: 18 year-old seeds? No Problem!

Well smack my fanny and call me Pearl! I just germinated tomato seeds that "expired" in 2000. What's the secret to prolonged seed vitality and successful germination? It's all about seed storage, baby. The truth is seeds don't expire. They lose viability if stored improperly. While most seed companies will tell you to replace seeds every 2-3 years, those seeds will keep for decades and will germinate when planted if kept in a cool, dark, and dry place. The germination…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 7, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:23 Comments

What to Grow When

The top requested subject on our New Year's survey was "What to Grow When." For those new to Gardenerd, we want you to know that every year--nay--every spring and fall, we publish our list of what to grow for the coming season. Often the information is buried in a Gardenerd Gazette, so here it is in easy-access form. It's spring, and for many climates that means it's time to plant cool season crops. If you live in an area where…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 6, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

My feet stayed warm an average 40 minutes longer than without Snuggly Toes.

Review: Snuggly Toes

Last year, during a heat wave, Meredith of Snuggly Toes sent me a free, unsolicited pair of her alpaca fur shoe inserts to test out. Meredith runs a small farm in Oregon, and calls herself the "head pooper scooper and alpaca lover at Springtime Farms." Ever since I wrote about FiberShed I've been keen on supporting local fiber. When the package arrived, my first thought was "when will I ever need these in California." But then I remembered that my…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 21, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

Not nearly enough butter, according to our guide

Field Trip: Iceland’s Geothermal Bakery

Nothing grows outside in Iceland in the winter. The land is blanketed with snow and scarcely a twig is visible for miles. Lava rock punches through the landscape and geysers power the entire island. Iceland gets 100% of its energy from either wind, geothermal, or hydroelectric power sources. And you can swim in the runoff as a health benefit. It's another world. I'll bet you're wondering why I'm writing about Iceland. I was there last week for a scant 2…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 20, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

The top three choices came in loud and clear.

Survey Results – What You Want to Learn in 2018

Thank you to everyone who participated in our New Year's survey about what you want to learn in 2018. It's so helpful to know what you gardenerds want to explore this year. It's hard to limit the choices to just 3, but it does help narrow the field. Which Topic Won? Topping the list of topics to cover in 2018 were: What to Grow When? Organic Pest Control Garden Design Surprisingly, Garden Design rose to the top three from pretty…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 13, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

Another purple beauty we can't get enough of.

Favorite Seeds for 2018

We're like kids in a candy store when it comes to seeds, aren't we Gardenerds? As we do every year here at Gardenerd, it's time to pick our favorite seeds for the coming season. This year we're featuring the color purple (again- can't help it!), and a couple of unusual challenges for more advanced gardeners. Let's get to it: Black Nebula Carrot We're suckers for anything purple or black. We've grown Pusa Asita in the past, and the yield has…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 7, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Wordless Wednesday swallowtail caterpillar

Swallowtail caterpillar on curly parsley. They love it!

Wordless Wednesday: Our 1,000th Anniversary

Apparently we've written 1,000 posts on the Gardenerd Blog since 2006, not including monthly newsletters. That number sounds small compared to the wealth of information available in our archives. At the same time it's huge and accounts for hours of typing, researching, and exploring this wondrous thing called organic vegetable gardening. Happy anniversary, Gardenerds! You got us here! To celebrate the first post of our next thousand, let's look at what's happening in the winter garden in Southern California. Anniversary…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 31, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

Parnsips need thinning in order to produce strong roots.

YouTube: How to Thin Seedlings

Our first video of 2018 answers the many questions we're received about how to thin seedlings and what is thinning to begin with. In this YouTube video you'll learn two techniques for thinning: how to snip away extras from established seedlings, and how to transplant baby seedlings to a new home without disrupting seedlings you want to leave behind. Check it out here: How to Thin Seedlings To see proper thinning in action (or not) read these posts below: Grow…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 17, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments

Farewell Bountiful Gardens

Today we mourn the loss of one of the best resources in organic biointensive gardening. Bountiful Gardens, the retail wing of Ecology Action's Grow Biointensive, has closed its doors much to my dismay. I'm actually heartbroken over this, there's no other word for it. I feel as though a good friend has died. I went to Bountiful Gardens's website to find out when my catalog would arrive (looking for clues on shipping dates) and found this instead: When you scroll…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 16, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:13 Comments

Kale brings happiness and balance to our garden.

Be F.A.B. in 2018

Every gardener needs tools to keep a garden healthy and thriving. This is not only true for the garden, but for the gardener. We get tired, overwhelmed, frustrated, bored, and burned out each year, especially when garden failures appear to outweigh successes. It's 2018, a fresh start with seed catalogs arriving daily to re-ignite the passions that may have sputtered out over the past gardening season. But what if that's not enough? How do we rejuvenate? What tools do you…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 10, 2018
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments