It’s Gardening Season – Let’s Make the Most Out of it Right Now!
I’m going to be sharing with you my top gardening tips that you can start with right now. How exciting is that? Simple steps that’ll help you grow big.
#1 Start with the correct seeds
#2 Start saving eggshells
#3 Learn to seed save
#4 Save your coffee grounds
Read in depth on all topics below!! Enjoy!
#1 It’s Important to Start off with Correct Seeds
Heirloom Vs GMO
Heirloom Seeds:
These seeds have been saved and passed down through generations with no modification. These seeds you can save seed from. I suggest heirloom and or organic seeds. You will be getting true to form veggies with the highest nutrition.
GMO Seeds:
These seeds have been produced in a lab with parts of animal parts, weird things, pesticides, and grabbing dna from other plants to create a new plant that can be sprayed with pesticides and not killed. These seeds can NOT be saved. If you try to plant these you will end up getting a mutant species. I DO NOT recommend these seeds.
There’s lots of different information (and controversy) out there about GMO Seeds, up until recently GMO Seeds were not available to purchase for the general public, only large corporations used these for mass planting. However things are changing.
Hybrid Seeds:
These seed are made from desirable traits from two different varieties in the same species to create a better product. However if you were to save the seed from these you would only get one of the varieties and not what you expected. (F1 Hybrid is what you typically find in the stores)
Conclusion:
Purchasing Heirloom seeds (which you most likely will not find at a dollar store) is your best, truest option and the only one I recommend. There are several options at all the big box store I suggest only purchasing the Heirloom one’s which are most likely the Organic packaged varieties. You can seed save and in my opinion are the safest option to choose.
Sources to purchase seeds:
Baker Creek – www.rareseeds.com
- Please research which seeds will grow in your location
- I purchase many seeds from here with great success
Siskiyou Seeds – www.siskiyouseeds.com
- I’ve recently purchased herb seeds from here
Sources to purchase plants & bulbs:
Organic Heirloom Gardens – www.organicheirloomgardens.com
- I ordered my strawberries and onions from here
I suggest getting Red & Yellow Onions (White seems to mold, even though I peel off and still eat) Choose Grade #2 (Larger and will help in our short growing season) 4 Lbs /288 bulbs for $43. You could also purchase potatoes here, I have not but I really like the company.
Maine Potato Lady – https://www.mainepotatolady.com/
- This is where I order my seed potatoes from
In 2019 I purchased 5 lbs of Caribou Russet & 5 Lbs of Strawberry Paw for $44 (includes shipping) Each year I continue to save from this same crop, this past year 2022 I harvested 450 LBs of potatoes! This is a huge savings!!
Price today with shipping is $56
*Make sure to choose the organic potatoes!
#2 Saving Eggshells for the Garden
grow/cultivate/harvest/preserve
What a great way to use your egg shells! Most of the year the shells go right back to the chickens for them to get a snack of calcium. However before the garden planting season I’ll start saving, drying, and crushing up the egg shells to use in the garden. It’s really easy and adds quite a bit of nutrients to each of the plants. I recommend using eggs from chickens fed an all natural diet preferably an organic diet. What they eat helps build their shell which then will be going into your soil and feeding your plant. Something to keep in mind.
I add a tablespoon for each Tomato Plant, Eggplant, and Pepper Plant. I also add in 1 table spoon of epsom salt.
How to do:
Saving Your Eggshells for The Garden
After using your eggs your left with the egg shell- simply save these shells by placing into a container without a lid to dry out on your counter. Collect enough shells to fill up a baking sheet.
Note: Do NOT tuck the shells into each other after cracking, this will make it very difficult to separate when you go to bake them.
1. Collect Shells
2. Spread out eggshells onto a cooking baking sheet in a single layer
3. Bake at 250 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Timing will depend on how dry your eggshells already are.
4. Remove and let cool.
5. Once cool take a meat pounder and very lightly and easily crush the shells up. You can gather the shells up onto each other to help smash even smaller. You could also place in a food processor.
How to Use in the Garden:
When your planting your Tomatoes, Eggplant and Pepper plants you’ll simply place approx. 1 tablespoon in the bottom of your hole along with 1 tablespoon Epsom salt and place your plant and cover as usual.
Eggshells Adds Calcium To Your Soil and
Feeds Your Plant!
Epsom Salt Adds Magnesium Sulfate to your Garden and Feeds Your Plants!
#3 Top reasons to save your own seed!
1. Adapt Seeds to Your Garden
When you save your own seeds those seeds get smarter! They’ll learn to adapt to your climate and soil conditions. So Smart!
2. Help Pollinators
A lot of varieties will go to flower which then produces the seed, while it’s flowering the pollinators will love them! Having pollinators around is a great thing with the garden.
3. Control Your Food Supply
When you save seed and start your own plants you know exactly what’s going into them. It’s great for organic farmers and gardeners. It just doesn’t get any better!
Best types of crops to start with:
Beans, Peas, Herbs, Lettuce, Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes
Hard seeds to save:
Anything biennial – carrots, onions, cabbages Or easily cross pollinated – Cucumbers, Squash, Corn
Three ways to save these seeds:
Dry – Wet – Fermentation
Dry Seeds: lettuce, beets, cilantro, beans
Wet Seeds: peppers, eggplant, squash seeds
Fermentation Seeds: Tomato, cucumbers, zucchini
#4 Saving Your Coffee Grounds
Coffee– You need to grind your own coffee and I highly suggest it to be organic. The typical coffee beans are sprayed with pesticides and who know’s what else. If you purchase organic whole beans and a grinder the cost is not that much more (depending on what brand you buy) than regular coffee that’s already ground up. Plus it’s fresh!
Plus using your coffee grounds in your garden or compost. According to The Spruce “The grounds can be added to the compost or used as a fertilizer. The organic matter in coffee grounds includes 2% nitrogen, 0.06% phosphorous, 0.6% potassium, and micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, boron, copper, iron, and zinc that benefit plants by encouraging healthy growth.”
We like to buy whole beans from Costco, Mercola OR Azure Standard.
I LOVE my Mr. Coffee Grinder here’s one like it on Amazon!
