Organic Gardening: Part 3 – Starting Seeds

This is Part 3 of my Organic Gardening Series: Starting Seeds. The series of images below is a really fast and basic guide to seed starting if you’re already familiar with some of the details. For those that are very new to gardening, I’ve elaborated on each step in the process below. If you still have any questions, please comment here and I’ll get back to you! Step 1: Gather Your Supplies You will need the following: Seed trays with…

Organic Gardening: Part 2 – Garden Planning

This is Part 2 of my Organic Gardening Series, Garden Planning. I’ve included a link to my garden plan, as well as a nifty seed starting timeline for folks in my hardiness zone! Today I’ll go over my earliest phases of garden planning, which I do before I even start my seeds. The level of planning that you do can vary, but after a few years of winging it, I’ve decided to try planning things out a bit more. I’ve…

The Importance of Dirt: Seed Starting Soil

I originally put my veggie seeds in cheap seed starting soil, and while it was advertised as organic, it just wasn’t high quality. My seedlings sprouted and after a couple weeks they started to die. I knew I had to do something fast if I didn’t want to lose all of my baby tomato plants, so I did a bit of research about seed starting soil. The photo below was taken right before re-potting. The sad looking little plants you…

DIY Friday – Re-Growing Green Onions

Most people don’t realize that green onions can be easily re-grown; all you have to pay for is the first bunch! It’s a great way to be frugal while still using your green thumb (at least a little). Just stick them in a jar with water covering the white part of the ends. Place them in the fridge, or on a bright area in your kitchen- both will work. Within a week or so, they’ll be ready again! You can…

My Summer Garden Experience in Retrospect

No matter how many lovely, sun-shiny days we have in Minnesota, the summer always seems to fly by.  I’m always anxious to get my seeds and plants in the ground come May, and inevitably end up killing a few because I put them out too soon.  Before long, I’m willing my tomatoes to ripen faster, in the hopes that they’ll turn red before the first frost hits. This summer was no exception.  I managed to snag an awesome community garden…