from Waste Free Kitchen Handbook

Egg dye: 

• Boil 1 cup of water with vegetable matter. 
• Simmer covered 15-30 min. 
• Strain liquid, add 1 TB white vinegar. 
• Put eggs in and let soak for 30 min.

Colors: 

• 1 cup purple cabbage makes pale blue
• 1 cup red onion skin makes purple
• 1 cup yellow onion skin makes orange/gold
• 1 bag red zinger tea makes purple
• 1 cup shredded beet makes pink or red
• 2 TB ground turmeric makes yellow

Stone Pit Syrup (nectarine, peach, plum, etc):

• Boil 2 cups water 
• add 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup fruit pits
• Let cool, keeps in fridge up to 3 weeks

from You Grow Girl

Stick tools into a bucket of oil mixed with sand to clean and sharpen them

Fluorescent shoplights suspended on chains work great for seedlings. Baby plants do fine in the cool light or use one cool and one warm bulb for full spectrum

When sowing seed flats, press soil down with the bottom of another container

Sterilize your garden cutters in bleach 1:3 water

Soak clay pots for cleaning in bleach 1:10 water

Geranium herbal insecticide against leaf hoppers

Wait to set pepper plants out until nights stay reliably above 55°

Spray pepper plants and tomatoes with epsom salts dissolved in water for the magnesium, it prevents early blossom drop

Sorrel likes to stay moist. Try new varieties: 'rhubarb pie', 'silver shield' or French type

Stevia hates wet feet- dump its saucer promptly or don't use one

Lemon balm likes rich soil in part shade. Move mine?

Grow jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke) in container for the flowers, harvest for the root after frost

Grow calendula use the petals as substitute for saffron in rice and other dishes

Use a fine strainer to separate seed from its chaff

from Garden Open Today 

Miniature Daffodils do best in good drainage- plant on a slope. 

Rhododendrons do fine dug and transplanted even at mature size- if affordable, don't hestiate to buy a large one. 

Grow Morning Glories where the sun does not reach them until afternoon. They flower longer. 

Best way to grow lots of lilies: buy Lily bulbs, plant them and let flower, collect the seed and plant immediately when ripe into trays. Bring into cool room for winter. Next spring prick out the young plants and move into individual pots. Plant out into the yard following spring. 

Float Water Lilies in a bowl indoors: drop hot wax into the center of the flower when it is just placed, and the petals will stay open instead of wilting soon. 

Save Fish in a pond from getting eaten by herons and raccoons by giving them a refuge. Let a drainpipe lie on the bottom and they will hide in it from the predators. 

.

from Herb Gardening At Its Best

Herbs are from leaves, sometimes stems. Spices are from the root, bark or fruit of tropical plants.

Don't cut into woody growth (of rosemary, sage, etc) unless trimming shape of plant. Take cuttings for use from tender stems.

Don't overwater herbs, let the bed stay dry soil level down to 6".

Don't mulch herbs in growing season, it stays too moist. Mulch for winter.

Feed Basil, Parsley and Dill, not the others. Leaves of herbs have stronger flavor if the plant avoids overly large, lush growth.

from Coleus- varieties I want to acquire:
'The Line' - very pale lime green
'Pineapple Queen' or ' (greener)
'Inky Fingers' - dark center, fingered edges
'Mars' perhaps 'Wine Country' both very dark wc on the edges
'Definitely Different' - can look like a small evergreen shrub!
'Alabama Sunset'- pink and pale green
'Green Cloud' solid muted green- twisty tips
'Trailing Salamander' (or 'Tell Tale Heart')
'Golda' a bright, solid green
'Green Earrings' - bright green with pink line centers
'Marietta' - pale yellow green with paler midribs
'Olive' or 'Brazen Gambit' - muted green with dusty purple center tones
'Beckwith's Gem' violently garish- white-green-purple
'Carrot Cake' - not known if available
'Plum Frost'- deep lush purple green centers
.

from Garden Anywhere-

Wine boxes make great planters. Brace the corners, preserved with 3 coats of Danish oil- lets the wood breathe. Drill drain holes.

Old dresser drawers can make planters- preserve, drill, brace, also line with plastic

Oil tins, drill drainage holes around bottom edge, not on the bottom for planters

other planters for herbs- coffee or cookie tins w/holes poked for drainage

Use bags that soil or mulch came in to line a planter box

Grow small succulents in grit in an old wooden cd rack, or line w/plastic and grow herbs/flowers in soil

grow in a plastic bag! just buy bag of compost or potting soil, poke holes in the bottom, grow straight in that- tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, chard, peas, potatoes etc.

Grow potatoes in a huge pot, plastic trash bin or just a bag of soil. Tip out onto a tarp to harvest.

Buy basic potting mix with coir not peat or peat moss (unsustainable). Use perlite, vermiculite to lighten soil if sand use sharp or horticulture sand not play sand (too fine, retains the water) or builder's sand (might have lime)

Grow cilantro, kale, celery, broccoli in winter with a little protection. Use flexible supports and put bubble wrap over to protect and let light in.

Hanging windowboxes dry quickly in the wind, water each day, feed 2x/week

Grow sempivivums and sedums in bricks with holes! mix 2 parts soil, 1 part vermiculite, pack into a hole, insert rosette w/a root, soak brick in tray of water until saturated. Then you only have to water by sloshing over brick when very hot- porous brick breathes and holds enough moisture from rain for the succulents

Put houseplants outside in summer when temps are over 60. Wind makes them stronger. If indoors, move away from a hot window at least 3 feet, light more intense can scorch.

Work with seasons for best results, sprout things in spring (even houseplants) tropicals in early summer

"Grocery store plants"

Papaya- clean the seed, make soil mix 1/3 vermiculite, plant 1/2" deep water and cover w/plastic put in the sun. Repot when you can handle the seedling. Water frequently; if it dries out dies

Mango- from a rotting fruit best. Clean and dry seed, split coat and take out the bean. Plant flat 1" deep cover in plastic bag remove only when seedling is 2" tall. Likes moist, fertile soil and lots of sun.

Citrus- ripe or overripe fruit best. Sow in summer. 2/3 soil, 1/3 crushed gravel good drain w/shards. Cover pot with 2" of grit. Don't let it dry out. Transplant to a 3" pot when you can handle by the leaves. Feed every 2 wk in summer

Avocado- Pot in soil when it has leaves. Put in an 8" pot immediately. When 12" tall prune of top 1/3 to a bud.

Chickpeas- grow for a summer plant. It sets fruit and dies by autumn.

Houseplants need fresh soil every year or so. White chalky deposit on pot rim means overfeeding.

When away, seal plant or just pot in plastic bag- tie around stem. Keeps moisture in. Move out of direct light, but not in darkness. Use plastic bottle waterer- poke holes in a lid, cut bottom off, upend neck in soil fill with water. Gravity waters it slowly.

Organic matter helps roots by maintaing air pockets in soil.

Carrots prefer sandy soil.

Push a straight thin wire into your soil. When it bends (if you haven't hit a rock) you've hit compact soil (hardpan).

To test your soil quality dig 1 spit deep and look for life. 3 worms = good, 5 worms = excellent, 0 worms = bad. 10 or more living things it's doing well! Test with red cabbage. Boil 2 cups chopped red cabbage, let cool. Put 2 TB soil in a cup, fill half with water, stir. Add 3mm cabbage water. If it turns purple/blue = neutral, green/yellow = alkaline, red = acidic.

Weigh your weekly kitchen scraps. For every pound of scraps, 2 pounds of worms will eat it per week.

Leaf mold is best for seedlings. It breaks down by fungi. Shredded ready in 8 mo, whole ready in over a year. Put in plastic bag, poke holes, leave it be.

Spend as much on the hole as you do on the plant, when setting out. Not just money, time and consideration for the right conditions. Put "something helpful" in the bottom of the hole. Perennials- compost. Succulents, lavender- grit for drainage. Seedlings- worm castings.

Tease roots out to encourage them to spread into the soil, otherwise they could keep growing in circles as when confined by the pot. Be brutal to be kind. Trim off some roots, new root hairs grow there. The best tree holes are square.

When planting a new tree, add mycorrhizal fungi not compost or manure (will just rot, or keep the roots "at home"). Fungi help it be an independent tree.

Make plant stakes tight on the stake, loose on the stem with a figure eight tie

When collecting rainwater, add 1 small cup veg oil it will suffocate the mosquito larvae (not hurt the plants)

Slow-release fertilizer is good for pots, containers

Use insecticidal soap in the evening when the good bugs have gone home.

Milk sprayed on foliage discourages mildews.

Slugs hate copper, coffee, sawdust, salt. Use as deterrents. They love beer. Use as traps.

Spider mites like dry conditions. Spray the plant w/water, especially undersides of leaves.

Rosemary and sage good for sore throat. Make a tea 1 TB dry or 2 TB fresh rosemary steep in hot water 5 min, add honey and dash lemon juice. Or boil honey, lemon, garlic, rosemary, sage and hyssop, steep as long as possible. Good for colds.

Soiled hands? rub in sugar and dishsoap paste. Wash off, rub again with sugar and olive oil. Sugar scours off the dirt, oil replenishes your skin.

Make the ground firm around brassicas, not only when planting but also throughout growing season.

Lilac-

move in early spring
plant on a well-drained site, like hillsides
roots go deep
mulch w/grass clippings
trim off flowers after bloom, down to next leaf
to encourage more next year
likes lots of sun, and a bit of lime

from Making Things Grow (houseplants)

To feed houseplants, put old, steamed bone meal into the bottom of the pot (if on the top it gets moldy)
 Easily water hanging plants by placing ice cubes around the rim- melts and absorbed slowly

To keep houseplant in same size pot, trim roots back so 1" clear of pot sides, also trim leaves off to match root size. Leave heart of root ball undamaged. Keep recovering plant out of direct sun, enclosed in plastic bag tent? Spring is best time for this work

Do not use dirty pots, always wash out before reuse w/mild bleach and air dry. Also, twice a year clean the saucers and trays in same manner, and if in a well of pebbles, clean those in boiling water (kills pests and germs)

Plants drop lower leaves if poor root system or too long pot bound

Don't give plants growing in poor conditions or low light (winter) excess food, and water sparingly
Only fertilize/feed when new growth is showing, or if you want larger plant. If size is right, limit food/water

Poinsettia propogation- after "bloom" at christmastime, cut plant back and let sit dormant. when new shoots emerge, use those for cuttings to grow new plant

Don't put new cuttings into direct sun, give them low light and water only when dried out

To clean dust, debris or insects off plant, several methods- blast of water from hose, or under faucet in sink. Cover pot top w/foil and dunk head of plant upside down, swish in soapy water (treatment for aphids) or put foiled pot into shower to knock off bugs/dust

Midwinter good time to treat for insects, as they attack dormant plants. Early summer good time to give plants cleaning, pruning, repotting- they have long warm summer days to recover before winter

from Growing Your Own Vegetables

Black walnut trees can kill other plants, don't put garden near its roots

Improve tilth of heavy, clay soil by turning over in fall, leave rough all winter (freeze and thaw breaks it up)

Turn over/cultivate soil only when it is dry. Working wet soil damages its physical structure

Set out tomatoes, peppers into a fertilized or composted hole

Peppers drop flowers and small fruit if not enough water

Transplant peppers into the garden when new leaves on oak trees are full grown

Temperature is more important than light when ripening tomatoes indoors (direct sun can ruin the quality)

Celery needs a long cool season and likes mucky soil (originated in marsh)

Escarole tolerates heat, drier conditions of summer- summer grown more bitter, fall sweet. Tie outer leaves loosely together in summer and inner leaves will be more tender/sweet

Dry ashes repels slugs

Onions need twice as much fertilizer than other plants

Don't use manure where carrots will grow, makes their roots misshapen

Apply lime in fall to soil where root crops will grow

Keep leaves of cucurbits dry to control foliar diseases. They don't need mulch- large leaves shade out weeds

Rhubarb grows best where summer temps don't go above 75. Mulch rhubarb with lawn clippings in spring and early summer. Never take more than 2/3 stalks off the plant. Harvest largest ones, leave smaller to grow. Remove the flowers. Plants produce well for 5-7 years, then in spring dig up and split the crowns, move to another part of garden and replant the best crown buds

Buy certified potato seed- free of disease and doesn't have sprout-inhibitors placed on grocery potatoes

Plant onions, potatoes, garlic in late fall- enough to set roots but not sprout above ground. They regrow in spring for early harvest; plant second crop spring to harvest in fall.

Plant all regular vegetables. When seedlings have come up, plant basil in the gaps where the veg didn't germinate.

from the Virginia Gardener vol II

Melted snow has mineral content. Use it for houseplants in winter.

Plant new rhubarb, asparagus, strawberry beds in March.

Make biodegradable seedling pots! Three layers of newspaper in a square, mark off nine squares, cut to corners of center square and fold up. Overlap and staple the edges together. Or, cut a 3" strip of brown paper bag and spiral it up to form a bottomless cup, glue sides together. Line bottoms w/coffee filters, pack together in a container for support and fill w/soil. When seedlings are large enough, put the whole pot directly into soil.

Save plastic mesh from orange bags. It is good use for drying out bulbs, herbs, etc.

Nice decorative tree: striped, paperbark or manchurian snakebark maple. They all have brightly colored or striped tree bark looks pretty in winter.

Plant fruit seeds for interesting houseplants. They won't make flowers or fruit, but some have pretty foliage. Try orange, grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, pomegranate. For a real exotic looking one, plant a mango. After removing the fruit, clean the husk and let it dry several days. Pry it open and plant the large seed. 2-3 weeks to germinate.

Plant an avocado from the pit. Save pit and wrap in damp paper towels. Seal in plastic bag and leave in warm place. Check every few days to see that it's still moist. When roots begin to grow from the pit, plant in a pot.

Dry herbs by hanging, then crumble into a jar for storage. Or microwave 2 min between 2 layers paper towels, until brittle.

Plant outdoor ferns early in the fall.

Lay cardboard or large leaves from cabbage, lettuce, among plants in the garden. Slugs hide on the undersides during the day; then you can just pick up the whole thing and discard in trash.

Variegated hosta does best in partial shade. If it gets full sun, the leaves will just be solid green.

In winter at night put a piece of cardboard, newspaper or folded towel between houseplants and the window to protect from a chill.

Keep a bucket of sand in your garden shed. Moisten the sand w/used motor oil. To clean & oil garden tools, dip the blades several times in the sand.

from The Virginia Gardener vol I

Mark inches off inside a can w/permanent marker and sink partway in the ground to measure rainfall.

Punch holes 2" apart w/large nail in a plastic milk jug. Bury in the ground and fill w/water. It will seep out gradually to water surrounding plants.

In late fall dig a shallow trench and plant sweet peas. They will set roots, lie dormant and come up in early spring.

Sow small seeds with a salt or other type of shaker that sprinkles.

Fall is the best time to reseed the lawn.

Trees and shrubs have property value. If one gets damaged by winter ice or accident, see if your homeowner's policy covers it!

Cut a plastic milk jug into strips to use for garden labels.

Dampened newspaper rolled into a tube left in the garden will provide daytime hideout for sow bugs. Then you can just pick it up and trash.

Mulch the garden when seedlings are 4-6" tall.

Spider plants are very good at purifying your indoor air- they absorb many toxins. Be sure they are well-watered to avoid the tips going brown.

Preserve herbs by freezing. Chop herbs, put in ice cube trays, fill w/water & freeze. Later you can easily add to soup and sauces.

When you buy leeks from the store, plant the discarded root and it will grow again.

When it is wet and muddy spring, lay potato cuts on top of soil & cover w/6" dirt or leaves instead of digging a hill or trench.

Green potatoes, which are bitter and toxic, caused by too much sun. Heap up more dirt or mulch.

To keep cauliflor heads white, fold several of the large outer leaves over the head and secure w/ a clothespin.

Bring green tomatoes indoors to ripen. Pick when turned from dark to light green, or a hint of red. (If still dark green will just rot). Place in sealed container w/a ripe apple to instigate ripening.

Extend asparagus harvest by only removing mulch from half the bed in spring. Several weeks later, uncover the rest of the plants.

from Pitiful Gardener

Find plants of the same family that already does well in your yard. Avoid plants that need winter care. Plants grown on freeway strips are especially hardy. Get a list of reliable low-maintenance plants from a nursery.

When buying annuals, select plants in bud, not bloom- you'll have a longer blooming season.

If you want roses get antique shrub roses- more fragrant, require less care. Also called rugosa, moss rose, hybrid perpetuals, cabbage roses, polyanthas, gallicas, albas, dog roses.

Buy bulbs early in the season. If you go later, some are mixed up in bins and you don't get what you want. If buying late, get pre-packaged bulbs.

Weedless Gardening

Basics: knock plants flat, sprinkle fertilizer, cover w/newspaper wetted down, blanket w/mulch (1-3" compost) and plant!

In winter mulch dead leaves over beds, wood chips on paths.
Use cover crops, when ready to plant rake off dead oats, mow and shift aside others.
Use soybean meal as general fertilizer.

Indicators of acid soil: wild strawberry, plantain, wood sorrel (my lawn, C bed)
of Alkaline soil- queen anne's lace- the W bed?

Drip irrigation is good because: uses less water (less evaporation), more regular, keeps foliage dry (less mildew). Need to still hand-water to start seed until plants big enough reach damp zone.

Good layout plan- 36" wide beds (can reach into) and 12-18" wide paths (fit a wheelbarrow- not neccessary in my garden- narrower might be ok)

1" compost over all beds in spring, grass clippings is good for mulch because you can just reapply compost next time. Other mulches must be removed before composting.

Ignore row spacing suggested on packets (suitable for farm production) and stagger spacing.

Don't use compost for flower beds, they don't need as much food and it encourages weeds. If you want to plant a tree or shrub, do it in fall when roots/growth are dormant.

Good interplantings: broccoli w/lettuce, radish w/carrot, tomato w/lettuce, peppers w/carrot

Plants to train up: peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes. Put in stakes before planting. Use twigs to form teepee trellis for peas. Make a leaning melon trellis (mesh to catch fruits) and plant lettuce, spinach in the shade!

Succession plantings: Spinach then tomato, Bush beans then cabbage or beets, Early beets then bush beans, Lettuce then beans then late radish, Peas then late carrots.

Start lettuce indoors then transplant to bare areas. Cabbage and broccoli do the same.

Cool weather comes remove cover crop two weeks before planting.

Wildflower/meadow plantings- prepare w/paper, layer thin mixture of half compost, half sand.

Vegetable Specifics

Asparagus- dig hole wide enough to fan out crown, then cover soil & blanket 2-4" mulch. Tall, ferny foliage good background for flowers.

Beans- plant down a row, in between quick cool-weather crop that will be out of the way (lettuce, spinach). Repeat plantings for all season. Or grow pole beans- longer maturity, produce all season. 1 pole per plant. Lettuces & other cool crops like their shade.

Beets- thin to every 5"

Broccoli- cool weather, space 18" apart, plant early spring & 2 mo before fall frost date

Brussel sprout- takes all season to grow. Space 18" apart. Stake plants up to keep tidy.

Cabbage- space 12" apart. Closer together makes smaller heads.

Carrots- thin to 1-2" apart. Plant in summer for fall harvest.

Cauliflower- grow mini-cauls & space 6" apart. Plant early summer for fall crop.

Celery- Plant 2 rows in a bed, spaced 8" apart. Need constantly moist soil, fertile. No need to "hill up"

Corn- Plant in clumps spaced every 18" & staggered. 6-8 seeds per clump thinned to 3-4 best plants.

Cucumbers- plant straight down middle of a row, 18" apart. Or short-vined variety ("salad bush") or trellis the vines up (sown 6" apart) a leaned latticework, w/shade crops (lettuce, spinach) underneath.

Garlic- plant cloves in late summer (more time to set roots) 6" apart. Harvest in summer when lower leaves begin to turn yellow. Save some cloves and sow again late Aug/early Sept.

Kale- Early spring plants grow very large, plant down center of a row. If planted later as fall crop, stagger 2 rows 12" apart. Will keep coming up- very resistant to decay.

Leeks. To grow nice fat leeks start plants indoors 10-12 weeks early. Transplant seedlings 4 rows staggered 6" apart. Poke hole 3/4" diameter 3" deep, drop seedling in & wash w/water.

Onions- fill their space. Closer, more but smaller onions. Farther apart, larger ones. 4" apart small onions, 6" apart med/large ones. Time to maturity depends on daylight length.

Peas- like cool weather. Plant early. Space rows 4" apart, drop seeds in every few inches.

Peppers- sow indoors 8 weeks early, transplant seedlings to 18" apart and fill in space with early greens or beets.

Sweet potato- love heat. Grow in mounds.

Potatoes- Set rows of seed potatoes few inches deep, 8-12" apart. When 6" tall, hill soil around them and mulch heavily. Keeps sunlight from turning the tubers green and bitter.

Radishes like cool weather. Plant as fillers. Spacing determines size (like onions).

Spinach- grow early and late in season, likes cool weather. Space seedlings 4" apart.

Zucchini & squashes- plant solo down center of a row, or at edge of garden where can sprawl out. Space plants every 3 feet to avoid crowding.

Swiss chard- grows all thru season, even into winter. Space plants 8" apart, pick outer leaves.

Maximum Plant Health

Fertilize/mulch/compost based on seaweed or fish!

Garlic

In fall (sept/oct) Prepare soil, then break apart cloves, soak overnight in water w/1 heap TB baking soda, peel & soak in rub alcohol 2-3 min, plant immediately. Right side up (pointy end). Plant cloves 4-8" apart, 4" deep in raised beds. Water well once, then water once/week thru the winter. Keep soil slightly moist but not wet. Cut scapes when appear in early spring- tall bendy stem w/little white head (eatable). Don't water last week-2 of growth before harvest. Harvest spring/early summer when green fades of stems, lower leaves begin to wilt. Dig under garlics & lift out of soil. Handle gently- they bruise & then won't store well. Don't wash, rub off dirt. Keep in cool shaded place until stems are dry, then cut off. Store in paper bags w/holes punched in cool area, or braid & hang. (in mudroom?)

In Season

Seasons of produce follow growth stages of a plant:
April-May- leaves & shoots: asparagus, lettuce, spinach, kale, chard
June- July- heads: romaine lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflors
June- tender young fruits: snow peas, squash, cucumber
July- green beans, bell peppers, small tomates
late July- Aug- mature fruits: large tomatoes, eggplant, yellow peppers
Late Aug- hard shells: squash, pumpkin, melons
Fall- root crops: potatoes, beets, onions, carrots

Eat Beets

How to eat beet greens-
- Boil lightly with salt & butter
- Sautee w/onions & bacon
- Eat thinnings raw in salad!
- Braise greens with a broth & onions, or sautee w/garlic and serve w/lentils

Thin seedlings to 1" between. When roots size of a quarter, pull every other one, lightly steam baby beets, allow rest grow to maturity. At golf ball size good for roasting. Beets are ready when shoulder above the soil. They like moisture- mulch bed of straw.

Radishes taste too hot when they get old, or soil is poor.

Asparagus

Rhubarb, strawberry and Asparagus come back each year. Establish a patch. Asparagus grows from a crown. Let it grow 3 years to tall "tree" & die back. Fourth year harvest shoots- a few weeks' worth in april or may. Then allow mature plant to grow, die back again for next year.

Planting

Plant edible legumes first in new garden space to improve soil. Then layer half-done compost over it? Consider peas, g beans for ash rows or under kitchen window. Give green beans lots of room when you plant them- spaced out evenly. They grow healthier, produce more, and are easier to work around when picking beans.