Interested in cultivating some seeds inside?

It’s a great and much cheaper way to get your garden going. Although there is some upfront cost in getting started, depending on your setup you can even grow plants all winter long. But one of the first things you need to consider is light. Not everyone has sunny south facing windows – and even if you do, you may not get enough sunlight year round to sustain plant growth. This means you need to consider supplemental plant lighting, typically called a grow light.

There are, as in all things, several types of grow lights at varying costs and varying intensities. But if you’re interested in growing plants indoors, then you need to consider all of them; their pros and cons and then choose what will best meet your needs.

Fluorescent Grow lights are probably the most popular option out there. Low in cost to purchase and run, these lights are also great for working in tight quarters. Because fluorescent grow lights don’t give off a lot of heat, they can be much closer in proximity to the plants without hurting them or burning them.

Some companies have actually started to incorporate fluorescent grow lights into special carts and trays to you can fit maximum plant growth in minimal square footage. In some cases, keeping fluorescent lights within four inches of the plants themselves yields the best growth. There are also high intensity fluorescent lights out there, and in the case of light – the more and the white the more growth, so consider that in your buying decision.

Incandescent Grow Lights are not the most efficient in just about every way. They use more power, they produce less white light and they give off heat. The best use for incandescent grow lights is as a spotlight grow light – sort of like a focused supplemental light source for tropical plants and small clusters that need an extra boost to really get going.

The other good thing about incandescent lights is that they fit in many sockets and fixtures – especially those super convenient clip on fixtures.

Finally, there is a class of lights called High Intensity (HID) grow lights that come in two flavors. Metal Halide (MH) grow lights offer light that is closest in color and intensity to sunlight. They are very powerful, long lasting and efficient.

The other flavor is Sodium (HPS) which had a red spectrum which prompts flowering and fruiting. Some people use these lights at various times to mimic the changing seasons – MH to grow strong and tall and then HPS to flower and fruit. In the case of HID lights, you can actually grow an entire little herb garden or even grow tomatoes inside.

So if you’re just cultivating seedlings for spring, fluorescent grow lighting should offer you the intensity and light that you need. If you’re interested in cultivating a small garden, or you want to grow plants quickly and keep them strong, you might consider an HID lighting setup. If you’re growing a number of plants indoors and you have one that needs an extra boost, employ an incandescent grow light!

And so it has begun! I’ve been planning my garden for months. I got the book that I needed for Christmas, chose the plants and even placed my organic seed order in late January. The seeds have been waiting for me, like Christmas morning in late March.

And when I say I’ve been planning, I’m talkin’ serious planning. I made a list of all the seeds I chose and used my book to organize a seed spreadsheet. I know, I know, it sounds crazy – but the only way I can make up for my lack of experience is by being organized. The spreadsheet lists when I need to start the seeds and then they need to be transplanted into the garden. I actually worked backwards after estimating the final frost day in my region.

I won’t go into too many details, but my seed start date was this last weekend; March 29th! We needed to start the mustard greens, radishes, cilantro, carrots and chard seeds.

Of course, this is also the time of year when everything gets busy. We’ve got plans, we’ve got yard clearing and all of our friends are coming out of hibernation. I have a trip per month this year so I’m missing three weeks of at home yard work and planting time. This means as a family we have to work on the garden, so I was motivated to find a simple way for my daughter to be able to help and to enable my husband to stay organized and maintain the seedlings.

One of my veteran gardener friends introduced me to the pellet green house kits. These are plastic trays with small disks of dirt that are encapsulated in biodegradable gauze. You can stay organized and start up to 72 seedlings per tray. The trays can be reused year after year and they come with a top to keep the plants happy, moist and warmer.

This was clearly the right solution for us, so we picked up just one tray to start the process. Yesterday, only one day off – my husband and daughter got to work on the seedlings.

• First, they added water and my daughter literally sat there for 30 minutes watching the little discs expand and grow.
• Then, my husband carefully showed her how to use the end of a chopstick to put small holes in the dirt and then they planted the right number of seeds per disc.
• Finally, they put the lid on the tray and put it in a warm, dark place for three days to allow the seeds to germinate.

The process was super simple, my daughter can’t stop asking about the seeds, and it was all completed in the comfort of my kitchen! There wasn’t even the slightest mess!

In three days time we’ll need to keep the babies under lighting – but that’s another post! In the meantime, we’re going to be doing a lot of digging in the yard, preparing the 100 square feet of vegetable gardening goodness for this summer’s project.

With seed companies citing a 19% increase in sales this year, it’s clear a lot of people want to get their garden on. Not only are people looking to cut costs, they’re also on a path towards a more sustainable lifestyle and what better way is there to sustain yourself than to grow your own food.

Well, if you’re new to growing a vegetable garden, one of the critical pieces of the puzzle is your soil. Perhaps you’ve been thinking that you just spread some seeds and you’ll get some fabulous crops – and while this is possible, it isn’t really probable. If you want your first foray to be successful, you’ll want to consider testing your soil so you can understand what you’re working with.

Why is this important? Well, depending on what’s going on with your soil in its natural state, you may be able to grow beautifully, or you may not have soil that wants to help things grow at all. There are several components in your soil that you need to understand.

1. pH. Soil pH is the relative acidity of your soil. Some plants love a high level of acidity while others thrive with more alkalinity. The acidity of the soil can be too low or too high and the pH actually determined whether or not the plants in your garden are able to absorb the nutrients in the soil. If the pH is wrong, it won’t matter how much fertilizer you use because the plants simply won’t be able to pull them from the soil.
2. Nitrogen – Plants need nitrogen in the soil to thrive. With sufficient Nitrogen, you’ll see excellent growth of stalks, leaves and stems. But, if there is too much, the plants can be somewhat weak and tend to stay in “active growth” which means they may flower late or not at all within your growing season.
3. Phosphorus - Excellent for jumpstarting your plants, phosphorus stimulated growth, blooming and seed formation.
4. Potassium – Potassium or potash in the soil will get your plants to grow stronger and deeper roots which are great for plants like potatoes. Too much potassium can make plants more susceptible to problems in drought conditions and it can delay plant maturity.

Testing your soil in its natural state will give you a good idea as to its acidity and give indications about nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. By understanding what your soil has naturally, you’ll be able to effectively choose the right fertilizer to help your plants in your yard thrive.

You can get home soil testing kits like these:

• Home Soil Test Kit from Nature Hill Nursery – This kit is designed for the home gardener and test quickly for all the major markers you need to understand.
• The Soil Test Kit from Planet Natural – This kit is color coded and contains 40 actual test kits so you can test you soil during the season to ensure that you’re getting maximum benefit from your fertilizers.
• The Garden Soil Test Kit from Edmund Scientifics– This kit is serious. You get a full kit, help with charting and a booklet with recommendations depending on your results. A bit more expensive than the super simple ones you see above, this garden soil test kit is worth the extra investment.

Did you know spring is here? We’re up in Massachusetts and it always takes forever but there is in fact evidence of tulips, daffodils and crocuses all over the place! The economy is hitting everyone and maybe you’re sitting at home bored and unsure of where to put your energies? Well, skip the gym and hop into your garden!

Maybe you’ve only done nominal yard work up to this point and you’re nervous to really jump in with both feet? Well, to start here’s what you need to make sure you don’t make yourself miserable:

1. Get a pair of gardening gloves. Don’t be afraid to invest because these will keep you warm and callous free and nothing will stop your gardening-go faster than fat blisters and wrecked hands!

2. Pick a pair of shoes that will become your “gardening shoes.” They’re going to get dirty people – just accept it – so choose a good pair – I use Crocs and then stick with them.

3. Go with long pants and long sleeves in the spring. Why? Protect your skin from the sun, protect your knees from dirt, rocks, leaves and debris and if you don’t know what poison ivy, sumac or oak look like, just protect yourself period!

Ok, now you’re decked out and ready to dig in – both literally and figuratively!

Here are three easy things you can do to learn about your garden and get your green thumb mojo going!

1. Enjoy tidying! We rake in the fall just like we’re supposed to but no matter what there always seem to be more leaves to rake come spring. There is almost no better exercise for your upper body than a good hour a day raking leaves and debris as you clear the decks for your growing season. We have a huge compost and leaf pile in the back of our yard and rather than stuffing bags full of garden waste we try to use it to replenish our soil.

We also try to capitalize on this time before a lot of leaves have grown in to remove any unwanted plant friends growing around our deliberate plantings. For example, did you notice that maple tree growing in the middle of your forsythia? Or did you miss that bittersweet winding up your lilacs? Take care of them now before you can see the weeds for the leaves!

2. Start some seedlings! This is a great thing to do with kids and you can really grow interesting plants and vegetables on the cheap. Grab some seed packets on sale at your local home store, use some rubbernecks you have lying around and even just dig up some soil for your yard! If you want to you can buy potting soil or use compost to boost your growing power and start a little tray of seedlings in your garage or basement. There’s nothing more satisfying that calculating the money you save by sprouting your own – and watching your little babies grow!

3. Learn about what you have! Go to the library and look up your tree and bush types. Learn about when they should be trimmed and what’s good for them. You can even do some research online and identify plants that flourish with what you have. Write it down in a little notebook. You don’t need to try to keep it all in your head but it is useful information. This means you’ll keep what you have happy and as you augment your garden you know things are more likely to thrive.

Now – go on out there and get dirty!

When I was a kid, I loved worm hunting. I was at turns grossed out and fascinated by fat earthworms and as I learned about what they could do I came to cherish them. Now my own daughter loves to hunt for worms and since I’ve started composting, I’m thinking it’s time to start a worm farm!

What is a worm farm you ask? And why would you want something so wiggly? Well, we love composting and we’re also doing our best to start some plants (and keep some going) in our basement for the vegetable garden. I would love to have access to compost year round and I love the idea of being able to dump our compost materials in the basement instead of having to trek through the snow!

A worm farm is basically a large bin filled with a couple of pounds of worms and existing compost, some newspaper cut up into strips and your organic kitchen waste. The worms are super efficient and can devour all of those organic materials keeping them out of your trash, the landfill and creating great soil for your garden or even your herb window box!

As the worm reproduce you can also take some of your worms out of your bin and move them to the outdoor compost heap to keep that production going and you can just spread them out in your garden so they help your soil. Or you can give a friend their own worm farm to get them started! This is seriously a gift that keeps on giving.

I have a friend whose brother is an organic farmer and he told me this crazy story that involved newspaper, compost material (organic kitchen scraps), a kiddie pool and the generation of a crazy worm farm but I don’t think I believed him until I saw this video by the Environmentals:

The Enviromentals (Episode 1) How to Make a Worm Composting Bin from Hal Brindley on Vimeo.

After watching this, my husband and I have been totally inspired. I went online to find a worm supplier and came up with this great site, FindWorms.com, which has a map of the US so no matter where you are you can get your start up worms.

We’ll be ordering from the most local supplier possible, who happens to be on Cape Cod. I’m so excited at the idea of having so many worms and some good compost to get started with this spring in the garden!

The website also lists great recommendations for worm bins, but I think we’ll be going with the DIY version involving some rubber storage containers with air holes and some screening. Looks good to me! We have just the right space in our basement which is cool but comfortable or in our heated garage to help the little guys flourish and I can’t imagine a better little science project for my 4 ½ year old to manage and participate in!

So if you’re looking for a way to compost year round, make more worms for your property and even for a great environmentally friendly science project for your kids, consider vermicomposting! I know I am!

Gardening is one of the easiest ways to make an immediate impact on your own environment while giving back to the earth. Many people think of mowing their lawn or creating artful “grounds” but if you take a couple of tips from relaxed and organic gardeners you can help the bee colonies, support native plant growth and enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors.

First of all, make sure you are ready to garden.

• Wear comfortable, breathable clothing – and we recommend long sleeves if you aren’t yet savvy about poison ivy, oak or sumac.
• Pick up a great hat – baseball cap or wide brimmed for gardening to protect your face (and neck) and to keep you cool.
• Choose fun and functional gardening clogs or some great rubber boots for autumn and spring. These will keep your feet dry and stand up to cut grass, dirt, water and the like – we washable and super comfortable.
• Check out Bogs Boots for garden clogs or great insulated rubber boots for gardening in all weather conditions.
• Cloggens has an amazing variety of clogs perfect for the garden – vented, slip resistant and made with anti-bacterial and anti-macrobial odor resistant materials.
• Get one of those kneeling pads unless you just don’t care about getting dirty. They might seem frivolous until you’ve been bent over your bed weeding with your knees in mud, mulch or wet grass.
• Grab a couple of portable tubs with simple handles. They will be more useful than you know!

Once you are dressed and ready to rock, consider your style and choices.

For example, say you are a fan of hummingbirds or that, as someone environmentally aware, you want to make sure you have lots of bee friendly plants. Menarda (or bee balm) is a great choice from the mint family. Great color, incredible fragrance and it spreads like mad and blooms for a long time.

Flox, Echinacea and Daisy’s are some other wonderful choices for the simple and easy to maintain cottage garden. The idea being that you plant large clumps of wildflowers and let them flourish – weeding occasionally but keeping them pesticide free to encourage pollination and a more natural landscape.

One of the next great tips is to not go crazy on your lawn. Honestly, the golf course is beautiful but did you know one of the leading causes of the death of bees is actually pesticides? It isn’t a disease as much as it is poison. Additionally, you are deterring the natural order of bugs, frogs, toads and the like that flourish in a more natural lawn environment. Keep the natural order going and relax a little bit on your lawn!

Additionally, did you know that gas powered lawn mowers make up 5% of the U.S. air pollution? According to the EPA we spill more that 17 million gallons of gasoline onto the ground filling up our lawnmowers every summer in the US alone. This is a great reason to cultivate a wildflower garden – just so you use your lawnmower less!

Feel free to leave some habitat untouched! This year we left the back quarter of our lawn to grow as it would. I admit I kept the bittersweet under control, but otherwise we let it run wild and the number of animals making their homes back there, and the wonderful wild flowers we got accidentally was charming and fun.

So get out there in your garden, get some fresh air, look fabulous while you do it and watch your garden come to life with color, insects and animals.