Become a Patron!

Garden time is coming

Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hi Jimi,

The garden adventure of the year starts today with our first episode all about one of the cornerstones of a joyful garden…

WATCH IT HERE >>> Making the Most of Your Local Climate

**Keep in mind today’s episode is only up for free for the next 24 hours!**

It’s the one thing that can ruin (or bless) your garden before you even begin. It’s so crucial, so important that you need to think about it the moment you start a new garden.

It’s not your soil…
It’s not your plant varieties…
It’s not even your watering schedule…

Those are all great guesses though. The truth is… It’s your climate.

Not to say you can’t grow in certain climates. You can grow vegetables in ANY climate. But when your garden (soil, compost, plants, etc.) doesn’t match your climate… there’s nothing in the world you can do.

Not even Wonder Woman herself could get plants to grow if she planted the wrong crops, the wrong way, in the wrong climate.

(Although her lasso would make a sweet trellis for your tomatoes and cucumbers!) 🍅 🥒 🤩

But you can grow in ANY climate. I know this because I’ve done it. In fact, I’ve taught this to brand-new beginning gardeners. You’d be AMAZED at what they grow. In fact, you’ll see some real-life examples of incredible climate stories in today’s docuseries video...

WATCH IT HERE >>> Making the Most of Your Local Climate

Everything you’ll see is material we've taught to thousands of students right inside our Grow Your Own Vegetables course (these are clips from the actual course itself!). You can learn to grow 12+ vegetables and a handful of herbs to grow gardens like this student has:



How was she able to do this? She let her climate do the work for her. Your plants want to grow big and strong just like hers. You just need to set them up for success. 😉

That’s why today we’re going to go over some important climate secrets in Episode 1 of our docuseries:

🤝 Uncover what makes your site unique so you can partner WITH nature for easier yields.
3️⃣ The 3 key temperatures to plan your entire season (*hint* it isn’t your frost dates).
⌚ Save precious time and energy getting started right.
🌱 Discover how to create microclimates to extend your growing season.

Once you get an understanding of your climate, you’re already 80% of the way to a flourishing garden. From there on, it’s just building a routine to tend your garden.

Let Mother Nature do the work.

She’ll even let you take the credit when your neighbors come to gawk at your new garden. They might even start to call you “Wonder Woman” when you whip out your hose. 😂

Then tomorrow one of my good friends will be writing in my place about our next episode.

We think you’ll find her to be quite a character...

Peace, joy, and carrots,
🌱 The Grow Your Own Vegetables Team 🌱

P.S. You can get access to The Joyful Gardener’s Ultimate Field Notebook. Grab it here.

P.P.S. You can watch all 8 episodes on this page (as they are released each day) ===> https://growyourownvegetables.org/docuseries-episode/ (save this link)

mail


Not interested in receiving more information about Joyful Garden Docuseries? Click here and we won’t send you any more docuseries details.
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Kitchen Gardening At Home​

​
Learn how to create your own easy kitchen garden to produce fresh fruit, veggies and herbs for delicious, healthy meals. Start kitchen gardening at home and become an expert in choosing the best crops and preparing your garden site.​

Easy Gardening Tips for Beginners​

​
Consider using these seven organic gardening tips for your family’s home garden and start living more health consciously.​
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Sowing Seeds Indoors With Grow Lights​

​
Learn how to start sowing seeds indoors with grow lights. Make homemade seed starting trays, prevent damping off and watch your seedlings grow.​

Beginning Gardening​

​
For those pondering the first time creation of their own Eden on earth, we offer some beginning gardening advice.​
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Today we get started with Episode 3 of our docuseries. You can click here to get watching (shortly) at 10am Pacific today:

>>> Making Compost & Compost Teas

**Keep in mind today’s episode is only available for free for the next 24 hours!**

If you like a good Dad joke, you’re going to love the one overheard at our local coffee shop...

Q: “What did the compost pile say to the orange who’d lost her peel?”
A: "A Rind is a terrible thing to waste!"

You’ll see why this joke was very timely since today we’re going to talk all about waste…

...Specifically your Compost!

It’s the hot topic of Episode 3 in our Joyful Garden docuseries and also one of the most misunderstood. Compost is a good friend to gardeners, your neighbors, your plants, and even the planet. 🌎 Because it brings in lots of beneficial microorganisms, fixed nitrogen, and fresh nutrients to your soil.

Best of all, a good compost pile takes just MINUTES a day to save you hundreds of $$$ on fertilizer! It’s a no-brainer once you put a good compost pile together.

Not to mention all the household waste you’re diverting from landfills. You just have to combine 3 things in your compost pile to get it to work:

1️⃣ Your “green” organic waste
2️⃣ Your “brown” organic waste
3️⃣ Lots and lots of air

All aerobic compost bins use these three elements. Now you may not be familiar with the difference between “greens” and “browns” in your garden. For example, most people in the city have an especially hard time getting “browns” for their garden.

(There MAY be an easy solution for you when you watch the video 😉😉)

But no matter where you live, we’ll show you how you can get your compost setup right in Episode 3 of The Joyful Gardener. You’ll learn how to...

💚 Pick the right compost system that suits your lifestyle (there are wrong ones).
💚 Discover how to fix wet, dry and smelly compost piles as well as speed up the composting process.
💚 Create your first line of defense against pests and diseases (it’s NOT dish soap, canola oil, or baking soda).
💚 Brew compost teas and apply biochar that will protect and nourish your crops without chemicals or pesticides.

And you know what else is really cool? A humble little compost bin can support a garden big enough to feed 10+ people. It really doesn’t take much.

If you want to learn the secrets of creating homemade compost with just 10 minutes a day turning the pile… check out episode 3 today:

>>> Making Compost & Compost Teas
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hi Jimi,

Can you believe it’s already time for Episode 4 of the Joyful Gardener docuseries?

Thyme really flies when you’re having fun. 😉

You can click right here if you’re ready to plant new seeds of knowledge:

>>> Small Plot Growing & Packing In Plants

**Keep in mind today’s episode is only up for free for the next 24 hours!**

And get ready for even more fun… because it’s time to talk about the gardening subject everyone LOVES…

🌱 Your Plants!

It may sound strange or silly to talk about gardening for several DAYS without talking about plants, but you’ll see why it’s worth the wait. We needed to lay the groundwork first. It’s like Abe Lincoln used to say…

“Give me six hours to plant a garden, and I will spend the first four sharpening the hoe."

Okay maybe Abe Lincoln didn’t say that, but it’s close! 🤣

Now that you know your climate, your soil, and your compost, it’s time to plant…

But here’s where most people make a mistake and fall off the turnip truck. Because what you plant is just as important as how, when, and where you plant. When you plant the right plants next to one another, you get…

🍅 Bigger and longer harvests
🌱 Healthier plants and soil beds for next season
🐜 Less pests, diseases, and wasted space

But when you DON’T plant the right combination of herbs and vegetables you get…

🍆 Crops that fight for space or may even change how your entire harvest tastes
😥 More wasted time, energy, and $$$ as you try to keep your garden on life support
🐛 Stronger, more persistent pests that eat at your garden like it’s their favorite new dinner

The key here is good PLANning beforehand. We call them the 6Ps...…

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Plant Performance!

It’s why today in Episode 4 of The Joyful Gardener you're going to learn all about crop planning. We’ll go over:

🥕 The “tropical jungle” trick to use every last inch of your growing space efficiently.
🥕 How to seed and transplant densely to maximize your harvestable space.
🥕 Why companion planting, crop rotations and succession planting are so complicated and what to do instead.
🥕 Simplifying the seed starting process for success every time.

Stacey spent years coming up with her simple crop planning system. It works for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

If you already have a few harvests under your belt, Episode 4 of The Joyful Gardener docuseries is really going to be a treat for you.

Proper planting is a sure fire way to feel more in control of your garden every time you plant. So grab your notebook and get ready to plant some seeds! 📓 🌱 👏

>>> WATCH NOW: Small Plot Growing & Packing In Plants
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
You’re in luck! Because Episode 5 of the Joyful Gardener docuseries starts shortly...

And you’ll get to hear about how to preserve the MOST valuable resource in your garden (more on that in a minute). Go here to watch it right away:

>>> Fitting Gardening into Your Lifestyle
**Keep in mind today’s episode is only up for free for the next 24 hours!**

Before we get to what resource we're talking about, there’s a wasteful myth out there in the world of gardening. It’s so persistent that it’s GOT to be some kind of weed! 😬🥀

This myth is so sneaky, even experienced gardeners fall into its snares…

But today, we are going to debunk this myth once and for all!

It’s the myth that more time = bigger harvest... And it’s just not true!

If you believe this myth, you’re not alone. Stacey was the exact same way when she first started. In her little Brooklyn garden she was watering, planting, weeding, and everything else sometimes 10-20 hours a week! It felt like a part time job without the pay…

Don’t get us wrong. Being in the garden is wonderful. But some days you may start to feel… well… burned out.🔥

And we see the same thing happen to a LOT of people trying to grow their own herbs or vegetables (like this poor person)…

mail


In case you can’t read that image, this young gardener says…

“So I love gardening and it hurts to say this but I simply don't have the time and patience anymore for vegetable gardening. I work full time and go to grad school part time. I don't want to give up on my garden completely because I get at least some satisfaction with seeing the wildlife I have given a space to live and I enjoy doing it when I can. But, washing, harvesting and prepping the veggies has become such a chore, that I simply don't have time for, that I have come to dread.

I have raised beds installed. Is there something I can grow like shrub or low maintenance perennials so I can have something edible in that space? I was thinking, I live in Florida and there are these cute little native blueberries. Recommendations?”

Our heart goes out to them...Stacey was just like them when she was getting started. But lucky for her, she was blessed by a visit from some local organic farmers. And they showed her that she was spending WAY too much time in her garden!

Stacey was working too hard because she didn’t have a system for managing your most valuable resource…time.

Once she got to understand their systems for watering, composting, weeding, and harvesting… she was growing 40-50 lbs of food a week in 500 sq ft. of space!

And she did it with less than 2 hours per week...

mail


You just need to see how to...

💪 Master garden efficiency and eliminate unnecessary work for MORE GARDEN JOY.
🤕 Prevent injuries when you’re working in your garden.
⌚ Walk step-by-step through a gardening system that can cut your garden time in HALF… if you want (it IS fun after all!).
💫 Start off with a “set-it-and-forget-it” garden that practically grows all on its own.

You’ll discover all of this and more today inside Episode 5 of The Joyful Gardener.

THIS is the lesson Stacey didn’t even know she needed when she first started gardening! It’s how her lifestyle improved and how “garden chores” were transformed to quality time in the garden.

And it’s been used by dozens of new and intermediate farmers. They don’t worry about “having enough time” anymore. And they don’t buy into the more time = bigger harvests myth either. 😉

Just watch Episode 5 of The Joyful Gardener if you feel like you want less “busy work” and more quality time in your gardens:

>>> Fitting Gardening into Your Lifestyle

To Your Joyful Garden,
🌱 The Grow Your Own Vegetables Team 🌱
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
You’ve made it to Day 7 of the Joyful Gardener Event! Today’s our second-to-last video and it will be a GOOD one. It’s all about harvesting more vegetables and herbs with less work.

If you want to dig right into the yummiest lesson of them all, go to this video...

>>> Harvesting and Pruning to Improve Yields

Now before we start, we have a small mini-lesson to share with you from today’s video...

Have you ever seen or read Pride and Prejudice? Who didn't love this book (and the movie too)!

If you haven’t, here's a short summary…

Elizabeth Bennet is a young woman in 18th century England whose parents are looking to marry her and her sisters off to gentlemen from “good” families. Fitzwilliam Darcy is just such a man… but during their first meeting he has a LOT of flaws.

He seems arrogant, awkward, and inconsiderate. Elizabeth to say the least, is completely turned off.

mail


...but as she gets to know him and “prune” away his cold, gruff exterior she finds a trustworthy, honorable man and falls in love with him.

And it turns out you could have just as easily written this story for your garden too.

Not sure what this means?

Well just like Mr. Darcy, if you don’t give your plants a good pruning and harvest at the “right time,” your garden will…

🍅 Grow less food for your family
😝 Leave a weird or bitter taste in your mouth (like Mr. Darcy)
🐜 Become more vulnerable to pests & other unwelcome guests

BUT if you do a little bit of work pruning & planning your harvest, you’ll get…

🥕 Bigger vegetables
🥗 Bonus salad greens for the whole season
😋 Harvests that taste so sweet and delicious, you’ll never look at grocery-store veggies the same ever again!

Here’s the secret to pruning… when you prune your plants (after they reach “adolescence” of course) you’re helping them grow!

You see when you get rid of small, dying, or pest-ridden stems and leaves, you are freeing your plants...

...Because they don’t have to give precious energy, nutrients, or water to that leaf or stem!

Which means that they can then grow bigger, tastier, and more nutritious fruit! 🍇 🍋 🍈

And that’s just one thing that proper pruning does. It also has terrific advantages for preventing pests from entering your garden too (more on that in today’s video).

It’s a true “superpower” when it comes to gardening. Which is why in today’s video you’ll…

✂️ Discover simple pruning tips to promote plant growth and increase your harvest.
✂️ Know when your harvest is perfectly ripe so you don’t waste food.
✂️ Watch how you can get multiple harvests out of a single plant.
✂️ See how to pick for peak flavor… what no one tells you about harvesting.
✂️ Identify the different crop families so you know HOW to harvest what (different plants like to be picked differently!).

That’s just the beginning though. The lessons you’ll learn in Episode 7 of the Joyful Gardener docuseries will help you KEEP more of what you’ve grown than ever before.

*Which is one reason why this is a FAVORITE lesson for seasoned gardeners who join the Grow Your Own Vegetables course.*

When you’re ready to see how to get the most out of your garden, go here:

>>> Harvesting and Pruning to Improve Yields
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Veggies?

I found growing veggies to be a lot of work. Years ago, Kimberly and I decided to go to the farmer's market and let the experts do it. This way, we supported local farmers and always had amazing veggies year round.

Medicinal plants?

Growing healing herbs is so easy that I used to have a calendula and mint garden on the balcony of our apartment when Rowan was little.

And it's so empowering to be able to grow your own apothecary.

We only grow herbs that do well in our climate. Often, the more stressed a medicinal plant gets, the better medicine it produces. A little weeding and watering is all we ever do.

However, there’s a little more to gardening than simply sticking a seed (or plant) into the ground.

My friend, and fellow gardener and herbalist, Sue Kusch has an amazing amount of gardening knowledge. I often turn to her myself for gardening help!

This week Sue is presenting...

“How to Start Growing Your Own Medicine”



Sue shares lots of tips for growing a successful garden whether you have a big yard or live in a small apartment.

As Sue says, “There is no such thing as a brown thumb — just a gardener who needs a lesson.”

Join Sue for a knowledge-filled webinar to help you successfully grow herbs!

See you there!
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Transplanting Seedlings: How to do it Correctly​

​
Starting seedlings indoors and then transplanting them outside gives you a jump-start on your growing seasons. It can be a tricky process though and plants can die. Here's how to do it correctly.​

Tips for Transplanting Asparagus​

​
Learn to prolong the life of your overcrowded asparagus patch by transplanting asparagus using these tips to ease the process of transplanting.​
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Self-Seeding Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers​

​
Make the most of self-seeding plants for cottage gardens and self-sufficiency. These self-seeding vegetables, herbs and flowers can be coaxed into providing seeds season after season.​

The Pros and Cons of Direct Sowing and Transplanting​

​
When is it better to direct sow a crop in the ground and when is it better to sow indoors and transplant later? Here are the pros and cons of each.​
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
This is it Joyful Gardener! The moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Your final episode of the Joyful Gardener docuseries is here!

>>> Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Show Them Who’s the Boss!

Did you know that there is one thing more than anything else that keeps pests, diseases, and weeds away from your garden?

In fact, just one (1) OUNCE of this can often save dozens of pounds of harvested produce.

But before we get into that, a quick note to all you new gardeners reading this...

You may not know this but you are at a fork in the road right now. 🍴

You’re just a few tiny decisions away from having a garden you love (or calling it quits).

Because the #1 reason people give up on gardening is because of pests, diseases, and weeds.

That’s why we call them the Terrible Triplets. This terrible threesome is not only the killer of your plants… they are also dream killers! Which is way worse in the long run!

Because as a newer gardener, you might make it all the way from seed to mature plant only to watch in frustration as uninvited guests turn your garden into their personal banquet. When you end a season with just a salad bowl full of produce to show for it...

...It can make you feel like you want to hang up your gardening gloves for good. 😤

We don’t want that to happen to you! Which is why in today’s video you'll learn…

🐛 The #1 investment you can make to avoid pests, diseases and weeds.
🐛 How to show pests, diseases and weeds they are no longer welcome.
🐛 The best strategy to weed just ONCE each growing season.
🐛 How to find which weeds are really a threat in your garden (and which ones are harmless).

You are getting some of the BEST techniques for fending off the Terrible Triplets. All of which are safe, organic, and natural. No toxins, poisons, or sketchy chemicals here.

But the real secret weapon (the one mentioned earlier) is simple…

(*hint* you only need an OUNCE of this to save dozens of pounds of your fresh produce)
.
.
.
It’s prevention!

An ounce of prevention is worth dozens of pounds of fresh herbs and vegetables.

👌 = 🥒🥦🥕🥗🍅

It’s also the easiest way to keep your dream garden safe and bountiful from seed to plate.

(That’s why you get over 27 of our favorite different prevention techniques inside our Grow Your Own Vegetables course.)

You’ll be amazed how much time it saves you in your garden when you have a simple set of prevention techniques in place. It’s a lot better than trying to tear our whole plots of fully-grown vegetables, let us tell you. 🚫🥦😭

These routines are all about interrupting the lifecycle of the Terrible Triplets. Once you do that… pests, diseases, and weeds will RUN out of your garden with their tails between their legs. 🏃

When you watch today’s episode, you’ll see what we mean (with some real life examples too!):

>>> Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Show Them Who’s the Boss!

Let’s send those Terrible Triplets packing this year!
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hey!

Herbalist and Master Gardener Sue Kusch has a brand-new webinar to show you how easy it is to grow your own medicinal herbs.

"How to Start Growing Your Own Medicine" will cover…

  • How important soil is for a successful garden
  • How to grow herbs by both seeds and cuttings
  • How to choose herbs for your garden
  • Growing tips for 10 important medicinal plants that should be in every healing garden

Sue’s webinar will help you whether you have a big yard or live in an apartment. And she has tips and insights for the beginning gardener and even if you’ve been at it awhile.

I tell you all about it right here...

Gardening Webinar Promo

If you’re thinking about an herbal garden, or if you’d like more success with the one you already have, you won’t want to miss this webinar.

You can register for free right here.

Enjoy!
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
mail
👀 Looking for replays? More on that in a bit …

First, we want to invite you to join the Grow Your Own Vegetables Course!

This may sound strange, but what does a successful harvest mean to you?

A way to get closer to nature? 🌱
Being able to feed you and your family? 🥗
Something you can share with your friends and neighbors to show them love? 🤝

Whatever your harvest means to you, imagine that moment in your head right now. Imagine how your garden looks with all the ripe vegetables and healthy herbs.

Picture the smells … can you smell the tomato or mint plants?

Maybe you can hear the rustle of the leaves as you reach for a fruit and hear that satisfying *snap* as you gently pluck the big green cucumbers from your vines with a small pair of scissors. 🥒

Imagine the feeling of your harvest basket or apron getting heavy as you take in your first haul of the season. Your muscles might even feel heavy or tired from the workout you’re getting from lifting so many vegetables! 💪

And finally… imagine the TASTE of your first vegetables!
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

Cool Flowers (Plant These 10 Hardy Annuals Now for Beautiful Spring Blooms)​

seedsnsuch.com

Cool Flowers (Plant These 10 Hardy Annuals Now for Beautiful Spring Blooms)

March is just around the corner, and spring planting is surely on your mind (when is it not?) You might be planning your summer garden already and organizing your seeds, so they’re ready to plant. But what if you didn’t have to wait until summer to enjoy beautiful, fragrant flowers? As much as...
seedsnsuch.com seedsnsuch.com
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hi, Jimi,
Gardening can be fun and immensely rewarding — the satisfaction of enjoying food that you’ve grown yourself is uniquely rewarding. Not only that, but home-grown food can be higher in nutrients — not to mention flavor — than what you might typically find in a grocery store.
New breakthroughs in gardening that benefit new and experienced gardeners alike are taking place all the time. That’s why we’re bringing you this month’s Action Hour!
Listen in as Charlie Nardozzi and I discuss gardening tips that will help you turn your yard space into a beautiful gardenscape.
Watch this month's Action Hour video interview right here.
Charlie Nardozzi is a regional Emmy-Award-winning garden writer, speaker, radio, and television personality. He has worked for more than 30 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners through radio, television, talks, tours, the internet, and the printed page. Charlie delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun, and accessible to everyone. He is also a garden coach and consultant, teaching and inspiring home gardeners to grow the best vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, and shrubs in their yards. His books include The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening, Foodscaping: A Practical and Innovative Way to Create an Edible Landscape, Urban Gardening for Dummies, and Vegetable Gardening for Dummies.
I can’t wait for you to tune into this Action Hour with Charlie!
Check out our inspiring conversation here.
Yours for a healthy and bountiful garden,
Ocean Robbins
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years

How To Prevent Damping Off So That Your Seedlings Survive​

seedsnsuch.com

How To Prevent Damping Off So That Your Seedlings Survive

Every gardener’s worst nightmare is damping off. It’s a quiet affliction that often appears out of nowhere: one minute your seedlings will be fine, and the next they’ll be on the ground. And at that point, there’s no saving them. You know how they say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound...
seedsnsuch.com seedsnsuch.com
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Jimi,
Each month we dig deep and bring you our Tree, Garden and Seed Chats and this month a special drip tape class. Check them out...

image
image

Tree Chat
"Let's Talk Olives"
March 14
Click HERE to register​


image

Seed Chat
"Seed Selection" March 21
Click HERE to Register​


image

Seed Chat "First Garden is Worst"
March 28
Click HERE to Register​

image

March 22 - Introduction to Drip Tape Class
with Greg Peterson and Janis Norton
Click HERE to enroll!​

About a decade ago my amazing mentor Scott Murray introduced me to what I believe is the most innovative way for us to get our gardens watered. It is called drip tape and back then it was primarily used on small and medium farms. Janis and I have figured out how to down size it for you so that you can take advantage of this incredible watering system. Join us for this free Zoom class & if you like you can purchase drip tape materials to create your own.
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hey, Jimi

As a small-scale farmer, gardener, or homesteader, you know that we're always looking for innovative and sustainable ways to improve our land and increase productivity. That's why I wanted to share with you some of the benefits of incorporating willows into your farm.

Willows are versatile and fast-growing (up to 10 ft. per year) trees or shrubs that offer numerous benefits to farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, and landholders, including:

  1. Cut Branches for the Floral Industry
    From the beautiful catkins in pussy willow bunches to the twisty branches of curly willow and fantail, willows are highly popular for both wholesale and retail customers! It’s a great cash crop in early spring, when not much else is available!​
  2. Livestock Feed
    Willows are a great source of food for livestock. They can be pruned regularly to provide fresh, nutritious feed for your animals, especially goats, sheep, and even geese!​
  3. Cut Sticks for Propagation
    Willows are propagated by cut sticks or rooted sticks, and are popular with customers for landscaping and wildscaping. We’ve had great success with selling rooted cuttings (takes 3-5 weeks) in our spring plant sale.​
  4. Basket Making
    We’ve all seen willow baskets, and the willows to produce them are easier to grow than you think!​
  5. Medicinal Properties
    Willows contain salicin, a natural form of aspirin, and have been shown to have pain-releasing and anti-inflammatory effects.​
  6. Rooting Hormone
    By soaking willow branches in water, a natural hormone called auxin is released, which stimulates root growth in other plants.​
  7. Pollinator Habitat
    Willows produce early-season pollen, providing a valuable food source for pollinators like bees. (Check out the bees harvesting pollen here on our farm last week.) This can improve crop yields.​
  8. Renewable Energy
    Willows are a great source of biomass, which can be used to produce renewable energy. They can be harvested every 1-3 years, providing a reliable source of fuel for your farm.​
  9. Erosion Control
    The extensive root systems of willows can help stabilize soil on slopes and prevent erosion, protecting your land from erosion damage.​
Here at the Farm on Central, we offer a range of willow varieties that are well-suited to different growing conditions and purposes, including soil improvement, cut bunches for florists, basket weaving, and beneficial pollinators. Most willows will work well from zone 3 to 8!

Check out our willows here.
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Why settle for sad-looking baby plants...

You really don’t want to plant them in your garden.

If they aren’t raised right, baby vegetable plants can be tall and spindly, yellowing, or just plain sad looking.

And when baby plants aren’t healthy, they are more prone to pests and diseases throughout their life. So getting your plants off to a good start means less work later! 👍

But growing your own healthy plants from seed can be tricky. Even expert growers have trouble keeping their seedlings alive and well.

Luckily, three simple keys are all you need to focus on.

Discover how to start your plants off right so they thrive.

You’ll thank us when you taste your abundant harvest.. 🙌🏽

It’s a fact: the healthier your baby plants are, the more food they will produce… and the healthier, more nutritious that food will be too!

[Video] - 3 Keys to Successful Indoor Seed Starting
Laptop 3D Image of Video Still

To your thriving plants!

🌱 The Grow Your Own Vegetables Team 🌱
 
VapeOn1960

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I was so lucky when I lived up in the mountains (5000 ft) A few years we had tons of morels... some years almost none. They usually came in early May (will be heading up there then) Last year was either a bust or I just got there too late.
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hey Jimi,

Have you ever wondered if there’s a connection between planets and plants? 🌏→🌱

Or maybe you always suspected there was a link but never quite knew how to put it all together?

Our friend Sajah Popham explains it like this...

Think of a triangle… ▲

Now, at the bottom two corners are plants and people. You probably know about the connection between those two.

But then add astrology as the top corner of the triangle. This illustration totally changed how I think about astrology and herbalism.

>>> Sajah explains it in more depth in this video

There’s a saying — ”As above, so below.” Sajah shows how knowing astrology gives you powerful insight into plants and people. 🌱 🤝

In the second video of his Astro-Herbalism Mini-Course, Sajah reveals the 7 things you need to know about a plant to determine its planetary energy and how the 7 inner planets can give you deep insight into herbs.

You'll learn how the fundamental principles of herbalism like…

➡️ Actions
➡️ Energetics
➡️ Organ systems
➡️ Constitutions

…relate to the planets.

The benefits this knowledge has for your practice of herbalism are astounding. You’ll be totally blown away by how much amazing content there is in these training sessions... and they’re just giving it away!

>>> Go check it out here

To plants and people!

🌱 The Grow Your Own Vegetables Team 🌱

PS: The third video is coming soon, and it’s one you don’t want to miss.

>>> Click here to watch videos 1 and 2 so you’re ready when video 3 comes out
 
VapeOn1960

VapeOn1960

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
That was my harvest and a friend's harvest. We ate all we could but ended up drying the rest. He was OCD about drying (I thought my were dry but was wrong... they got moldy in the jars) He dried his more and they were fine. Might try freezing some this time (you basically coat with a little flour, partially fry them then freeze... should be good for 6 months)
Did that pic blow your mind?
 
Jimi

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
VapeOn1960 said:
That was my harvest and a friend's harvest. We ate all we could but ended up drying the rest. He was OCD about drying (I thought my were dry but was wrong... they got moldy in the jars) He dried his more and they were fine. Might try freezing some this time (you basically coat with a little flour, partially fry them then freeze... should be good for 6 months)
Did that pic blow your mind?
Click to expand...
Yes they have to be very dry to keep them in jars. Cool, I was lookin for a way to freeze them, raw they turn to mush. I can't have fried foods so gonna try to figure another way to cook them.
Yes sure did make me hungry too.
 
W

walton

Gold Contributor
Member For 3 Years
New Member
Reddit Exile
Jimi said:
I figured I would make a thread for those here who garden. With the rising prices of food, and it WILL go up a lot more sooner than we'd like, here's a chance to save, eat healthier, and get out in the sun more.
Please post what you want (garden related), chat, post info, ask questions, and post pictures, lets all learn from one another.
Click to expand...
it took me a long time to find out how to stop snails eating everything without using poison. an old guy solved it. just encircle the area with your plants in with bramble/blackcurrant/.rose bush stems. snails cant cross it because of their soft bellies. some people use sawdust or course sand, but after rain they need to be replaced. i found thorns better than beer traps. mind i put a box pattern around plants with another section inside about an inch away just in case some move. no problems since, and saves potential harm to pets and kids by not using poison.
 
Bliss Doubt

Bliss Doubt

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Jimi said:
Yes they have to be very dry to keep them in jars. Cool, I was lookin for a way to freeze them, raw they turn to mush. I can't have fried foods so gonna try to figure another way to cook them.
Yes sure did make me hungry too.
Click to expand...
You can't just let them sit around in a cardboard box? You can buy plain dried ones, so sellers must do it something like that way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

VU Sponsors

Top