Marvelous mailboxes in the gardening

You’ve got mail!  Get inspired next time you see an old discarded mailbox at a Flea Market or a yard sale.  Many folks have heard the idea for using an old mailbox to store some garden gloves or pruners, but these beauties have been taken a step further!  They’re  some of the best ideas from Flea Market Gardening.  A marvelous mailbox can be at home in your garden and be useful and decorative,…even charmingly rusty like this one from Darcy Franco.

Darcy says, “My husband had this made for me. The mailman missed it the first time he saw it! I painted the leaves and trunk left the mail box silver.”  The weathered, even rusty look of the surface looks just right and it has the forgotten look of the tipped pot…flowers overgrowing and spilling out.
”When my husband attaches something it doesn’t come down.  He doesn’t mess around. Old newspaper boxes, like this Indianapolis Star, are great to hang on your fence and stash away your hand trowels, pruning shears, gloves, and I always keep a sturdy kitchen knife too. Then you can grab and go….´ Julie Brown says.

Nancy Anne says, “My husband burnt a hole in the bottom with a torch and then used galvanized paint around the hole so it wouldn’t rust before putting the post through the hole into the ground.

iggleworks Design Studio sends us this mailbox set onto a ladder. They say, “Step ladder, recycled glass planter, mailbox planter, all inspired from this Flea Market Gardening page.

Marvelous mailboxes in the gardening : amazon

How to Collect and Prepare Butternut Squash Seeds

To begin with - if you get a selection - select the most important, healthiest specimen that you just will notice, discarding something that's showing signs of malady.

When it involves gathering squash seeds, you want to wait till the fruit is ripe and prepared for ingestion. To air the safe aspect you'll be able to leave them inside on a heat sill for day or 2 to permit the seeds to develop additional.
Once you're happy that the squash is prepared, cut it open, scoop the seeds out into a sieve and rinse them below a running cold faucet. this may withdraw most of the fibrous, jelly like coating that covers them – this can be there to stop germination whereas they're still within the fruit.

Once beyond the fibrous jelly, unfold the seeds out onto a china plate to dry - then when some of days flip them over. it's vital to permit them to dry out totally though this could a number of weeks. this can be vital as a result of you are doing not need the seed to rot whereas they're in storage.
.Once properly dry, store in an exceedinglyn air tight instrumentation and place in a cool dark place wherever they will stay viable for up to 5 years.

How to Collect and Prepare Butternut Squash Seeds : amazon

Start Seeds at Home with a Seed Starter Kit

Starting your own seeds at home is an easy way to increase the variety of garden plant options that are available. Our own grow2girl from the Home Depot Garden Club forums shows you how to get started.

MATERIALS
Seed Starter Kit
Seeds

Planting a vegetable garden in pots

Before you begin figure out the best placement for your garden, observe your yard at different times throughout the day: The ideal location gets at least six hours of sunlight. Nearly all vegetables will grow better in full sunlight than in shade, but some crops (lettuces, mustard greens) can tolerate more shade than others (onions, tomatoes).
Planting a vegetable garden in pots : Amazon

Gardening on a Budget

There are lots of other savings to be made – containers are one.  Keep all your empty margarine tubs, yogurt pots, egg boxes, and the cardboard from toilet and kitchen rolls – they can all be used for seed sowing.  Plastic fruit punnets and meat packaging from supermarkets also make excellent containers or lids to cover your seedlings early in the year, as are one litre pop bottles – when cut in half they make excellent mini-greenhouses for your plants.  I also use florists buckets, when I can find them; cut the bottoms off, stand on the soil, and fill with compost to use for deep rooted veg such as carrots and parsnips.

Larger containers such as old recycling boxes or an old plastic babys’ bath also come in useful for something like potatoes. Plastic takes a long time to decompose but if you put it to another use, rather than sending it to be used as landfill then you are helping to save the planet as well.  Large clear plastic bags split down the sides make excellent cloches or as a covering to warm up the soil before planting, and potting compost bags turned inside out can be used to line window boxes and hanging baskets.

Gardening on a Budget : amazon

Propagating Basil from Cutting

Propagating Basil from Cutting : amazon

Preserved Lemons with Rosemary

Preserved lemons are a classic Moroccan condiment often used to flavor stews and sauces. Boiling the lemons softens them more quickly than soaking them in a salty solution alone, cutting your soaking time to around three days. Keep in mind that lemons with thinner skins will take less time to soften. Thinly slice or chop preserved lemons (both rind and flesh), and add to fish, lamb, or chicken recipes. They also give a big flavor boost to tuna, lobster, and pasta salads. Remember to taste before seasoning the dish with any additional salt.

Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil; add lemons. Boil 5 minutes; drain. Run lemons under cold water until cool enough to handle.
Cut lemons into wedges with pink salt, red pepper, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Pack into a jar. Pour lemon juice over lemon wedges to cover. Seal jar, and chill at least 3 days or until rinds are soft and pliable. Shake container daily. Store lemons in refrigerator up to 1 year.

Tip: Stir finely chopped pieces into hot or cold dishes for a burst salty, lemony flavor.

Preserved Lemons with Rosemary : amazon

Smart watering tips for Summer

Homeowners devote as much as 60% of their home’s water to maintain lawns and landscapes. Much of it is wasted or lost to runoff, so a bit of smart planning can go a long way toward reducing both your environmental impact and your water bill.

Don’t let your landscape go thirsty on account of cracked pipes or rusty sprinkler heads. Start out the season with some routine maintenance to ensure that your irrigation system is in good working order.
For beds and individual plants, consider using soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system. By slowly administering water directly to the base of plants, these methods put water right where it’s needed while reducing waste. Use our quick guide to help you decide the best way to use drip irrigation in your landscape.
Turfgrass is often the thirstiest customer in your yard, so be sure that you’re watering evenly across the lawn. If you notice water cascading from some part of your yard, either when watering or during rainfall, hold onto that water by reducing runoff.
If your landscape is due for a change, spend some extra time selecting plants that are well-adapted to the amount of precipitation your yard gets annually. Practically countless are the hours of work and frustration you’ll save yourself with a few wise decisions now. Use our plant search engine to help find the best-suited plants for your region.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Keg

What better way to serve a pumpkin beer – and a host of other fall beers and beverages – than in your own homemade pumpkin keg.  No fancy brewing equipment or extreme sanitation methods required…I promise!

 came up with this great tutorial for creating your Halloween party masterpiece.

This idea is not limited to just pumpkins.  I can’t wait to try it next summer using a watermelon.  Fill with your favorite watermelon lager, summer beer or beverage.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Keg : Amazon

Plant a Beer Garden

Brew up this clever container garden featuring plants used in the beer-making process.

Plant a Beer Garden : amzon

Make A Raised Garden Bed

You know something is easy to make when the directions say “just add water.” Making a raised garden bed from a kit is almost that easy, since you only add dirt, plants, and then water. Raised garden bed kits come in a variety of sizes, so you can choose a bed that will fit into your available space and hold as many plants as you want to grow.

Elevated, ergonomically-designed kits are available to eliminate the strain of bending over when you garden. They’re great if you have back or mobility issues. Some kits come with casters so you can roll them around on a deck or patio. Kits with self-contained watering systems automatically water your plants; drainage holes on the bottom allow excess water to drain away.

MATERIALS :

• Pre-built raised bed kit, 
• Weed Block
• Top soil
• Sturdy Stakes
• Plant Props (available in assorted lengths)
•  Tomato cages 
• Velcro plant ties
•  Wire plant ties with cutter
• Plants or seeds

Plant A Garden Barrel For Your Zone

If you’re short on gardening space–or you have room, but your soil is less than perfect– plant a garden barrel instead. It’s a great way to grow beautiful flowers or fresh veggies and herbs, whether you place it in your yard or on a patio or deck.

Use a whisky garden barrel with a drainage hole, or make a few holes in the bottom with a drill, and fill the barrel with good planting mix. Tip: put the barrel where you want it before adding soil, plants, and water, or it will be too heavy to move later.

Then find your zone below, and check out the tips from our Home Depot Muddy Boots associates for the best plants to put in your barrel. Are you ready? Let’s get growing!

Plant A Garden Barrel For Your Zone : amazon

Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

How to use the rosemary oil/any kind of infused oil?

1 : drizzled over pasta and potatoes
2 : as salad dressing
3 : drizzled on soup
4 : brushed on bread while making bruschetta/toasts/sandwich
5 : in dips for breads or spreads
6 : for marinating fish or chicken
7 : braising and grilling vegetables
8 : makes the most wonderful homemade gift

Rosemary
Infused
Olive
Oil

Straw Bale Gardening

Using the above guide, I watered the transplants daily with my metal watering can. This allowed me to concentrate the water to the area where the transplant was put in. I also watered the bale area around the plants, to keep the whole straw bale moist. I set up the drip system in my garden a couple weeks after the transplants were planted, and had a dripper placed at each transplant's base.

My first straw bale was essentially finished. From this point it was basically just watering it like I would the other veggies in the garden.
In the next part of this growing experiment, I will let you know how the transplants are doing, and perhaps try the other side of Straw Bale Gardening, starting seeds in the bale.

Straw
Bale
Gardening

Cut and Come Again Lettuce Sampler

The red or green lobed leaves of the oakleaf types are pillars of the looseleaf establishment. There are at least half-a-dozen varieties of each color commonly found in seed catalogs. ‘Oakleaf’ is the original old standby that yields crisp, tender, light green leaves and keeps going through moderate heat. Although it has deeply lobed leaves, ‘Salad Bowl’ is not a true oakleaf. But it is an All-America Selections winner that produces rosettes of delicate lime-green leaves and also has good heat tolerance.

Tops for reliability, even through a hot summer, is ‘Red Sails’. Another All-America Selections winner, it’s a fast grower with green and reddish-bronze leaves.

A 1998 introduction that did well for me was ‘Green Vision’, which produces dark-green, glossy, savoyed leaves; it is a slow bolter. ‘Lollo Rossa’ has light-green leaves with elegant rosy margins, while its cousin, ‘Lollo Biondo’, is pure pale-green. Both ‘Lollo’ cultivars are deeply curled and heat tolerant, and very decorative both in the garden and in salads.

Stepping beyond the looseleaf varieties, there are some butterheads and romaines I like to grow as cutting lettuces. They will also sprout new leaves, if less energetically than the looseleaf varieties.

Of the butterheads, ‘Ermosa’ has dark green leaves and stands up to a fair amount of summer heat. In a weak pre-spring moment I ordered seed for a romaine called ‘Freckles’ or ‘Trout Back’, simply because I liked its name. I wish all my weak moments worked out this well. It is a beautiful lettuce, lime-green flecked with wine-red markings, and has a fresh, delicate taste.

materiel :

• Cut and Come
• Again
• Lettuce
• Sampler

Dwarf Citrus Fruit Trees

Thanks to a grant from Highmark we were able to order dwarf citrus trees. We got a dwarf orange tree, a dwarf lime tree, a dwarf lemon tree, a dwarf clementine tree and a dwarf pineapple plant. Dwarf citrus trees will produce regular size fruits but will not grow to be bigger than 8 feet tall. That means we can move them indoors over the winter so they will survive.

We purchased organic top soil, bags of sand and big pots for our dwarf fruit trees. Mixing sand in with our top soil is important for citrus fruit trees to thrive.

E-Club students mixing the top soil and sand to get our pots ready for planting.

Our fruit trees by our raised beds.

Dwarf Citrus Fruit Trees : amazon

Cavendish Banana Tree

The Dwarf Cavendish Banana Tree brings bananas within reach of any home gardener… no matter where you live!

In cold areas, the can easily be grown in containers and moved indoors during the winter. Makes a great looking tropical house plant.

The problem with other varieties that grow 20 ft. tall is you couldn't bring them indoors to ripen fruit.

The Cavendish is dwarf-sized, only maturing to 8-10 ft. tall... so you can easily bring it in your kitchen or sunroom and start growing delicious bananas!

Although the tree is a dwarf variety, you still get plenty of regular-sized fruit.

If the fruit is not reason enough to grow the Dwarf Cavendish, the huge leaves and pretty flowers are beautiful to look at. The leaves grow up to 4 feet long, are extremely lush, and provide you with shade and privacy. Young leaves may tinge with red, but the majority of the leaves are a fresh green color.

The beautiful flower is football shaped and can be quite large. With pollination, the flowers drop and the bananas form. For the fruit to mature and ripen, a frost free environment is needed.

Cavendish Banana Tree : amazon

Gala Apple Tree

Do not wait 3-5 years to start picking your apples Gala - Plant a better developed for fruit earlier and a lifetime of more apple tree!

Gala apples are so popular because of their sweet taste, but also their texture crisp business. They resist bruising, softening and other defects. You can even store up to 6 months.

Gala apple trees produce fruit in late spring for decision in August and September. On average, you will get between 6 and 12 bushels of apples Gala when your tree is mature.

Gala apples are adaptable and easy to grow. Yours will quickly mature to a great height up to 15 feet and have an oval shape full - making it an attractive courtyard tree.

You can even grow your organic Gala apples. Grow your own fruit without spraying chemicals.

It is essential that you buy an apple tree that is already "connected". This is where the nursery pruned back its young trees to promote more branches. More branches mean more fruit production earlier, strong limbs and a healthy tree. This method has already been apple to produce fruit in our nursery!

Most nurseries sell large stems, thin, without branches - these are called "beaters". They can take several years for the fruit and will generally be less productive maturity.

Our trees are pruned back and trained to develop a massive tree structure. This process means more work and an additional year for us, but the difference is that you are experiencing dramatic.

Before your trees are shipped, we give them one last pruning no extra cost to you. This final size allows your trees remain "eclipsed", which means you have more apples to facilitate picking up safely!

With proper care, you'll be able to start picking apples after the first season, or the first year under optimal conditions.

Order early because our popular Gala apple will sell quickly. Only limited quantity available.

Gala Apple Tree : Amazon

Cold Hardy Avocado

Whether on the deck or inside by a window, the Cold Hardy Avocado Tree offers dual functionality: it's a resilient plant on the patio and a reliable producer of fruit in the kitchen.

Able to withstand frigid temperatures as low as 18 degrees, from Green Bay to Tampa Bay, the Cold Hardy Avocado lives up to its name. Producing an abundant yield of fruit for more than half the year, in colder climates, just bring it in during winter months and watch your tree continue to grow.

You can get the molds from : Amazon

• materiel :
• Cold
• Hardy
• Avocado

Breeding and Propagating Lilies

Breeding and Propagating Lilies
materiel :

• Breeding
• Propagating
• Lilies