#Buy Online Microgreens Box

[inhydrogreens]

Hydroponic Vegetables Online in Delhi NCR | Inhydrogreens

Hydroponic vegetables offer several benefits over traditionally grown vegetables, and here are a few of them:

Higher Yield: Hydroponic vegetables can produce up to 3-4 times higher yields than traditionally grown crops. This is because the plants are grown in a controlled environment with optimized growing conditions, such as precise nutrient levels and lighting.

Faster Growth: Hydroponic vegetables grow faster than traditional crops because they are grown in a nutrient-rich solution, and the plants can take up nutrients more efficiently.

Water Efficiency: Hydroponic vegetables use up to 90% less water than traditionally grown crops because the water is recirculated through the system.

Pesticide-Free: Hydroponic vegetables are grown in a controlled environment, and pests can be easily controlled without the need for harmful pesticides.

No Soil Erosion: Hydroponic vegetables don't require soil to grow, so there is no soil erosion, which is a significant problem in traditional agriculture.

Year-Round Production: Hydroponic vegetables can be grown year-round, regardless of the season, climate, or weather conditions.

Locally Grown: Hydroponic vegetables can be grown locally, reducing transportation costs and the carbon footprint associated with transporting crops long distances.

Higher Nutrient Content: Hydroponic vegetables have higher nutrient content than traditionally grown crops because they are grown in a nutrient-rich solution.

Overall, hydroponic vegetables offer many benefits over traditional agriculture, making them a more sustainable and efficient way to produce food.

[tsghuntsvillealabama]

#stayconnectedHUNTSVILLE

This is our home. And even during these crazy times, living and loving local is even more important than ever! We can still support small businesses and community in Huntsville and our surrounding areas! In order to help everyone with this we have pulled some info about local members and our fair city to do just that!

Take care and be well everyone!

xoxo (but with elbow bumps now), Dawn

Updated: Monday, April 14th - 12:27am

Local Info About Our City of Huntsville

Huntsville City Resource and Information page, remember there are live media briefings weekdays at Noon

Huntsville City Council met on Monday, March 16th and unanimously voted for a state of emergency, The State of Alabama has issued a “Stay at Home” Public Health Order requiring individuals to remain in place at home with exceptions for essential work and certain activities such as buying groceries, going for a run, walking the dog, picking up medicine, visiting a doctor and traveling to and from work (if designated as an essential business or operation). 6 feet of social distance is necessary for all activities.

The order is in effect from 5 p.m. April 4 through 5 p.m. April 30, or extended to further contain the spread of COVID-19 in Huntsville and Madison County.

Downtown Huntsville has a great running list of Downtown Huntsville Restaurants & Retail Stores Expanding Delivery Due To Coronavirus Measures

Huntsville Madison County Chamber also has a good list of local restaurants offering take-out and delivery

WLRH has started a running list of How to Help in the TN Valley

Here is a good list of School and College Closings

Randolph School has a really good centralized information resource page

Efforts for collecting food for kiddos who could go without because of school closures can be found here via Native or Not and Touronimo! 

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra has canceled events through the end of March, more info can be found here.

US Space and Rocket Center will be closed till April 3rd.

Update from Progress Bank: Beginning Monday, March 23, our branch lobbies will be accessed by appointment only by calling 888.513.2288. All normal transactions will occur via our drive thru lanes or via curbside service in the absence of a drive-thru. For Business Banking, Private Banking, Mortgage Services and Financial Services, please contact your banker or advisor directly. If you need to access your safe deposit box, please call 888.513.2288. Electronic services: Access Online Banking here, Access Mobile Banking for Apple and Android devices

Burritt on the Mountain is closed until Friday, April 3rd, following the school system closure.

Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment also follows Huntsville City Schools protocol and will be closing the mill to the public starting Monday, March 16 and could re-open on April 4th. They encourage and welcome everyone to explore their website online so you can get to know all their local artists and makers!

Direct from Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre:  “All Classes are postponed immediately. We will not have class from March 16, 2020-April 3, 2020. As of now, we will resume class on April 6, 2020. Subject to change based on the CDC and school closures. Spring Break Camp is cancelled and After School Programs are cancelled. If you have questions about camps or classes, please email Candice at EducationDirector@FantasyPlayhouse.com. All other questions please email ExecutiveDirector@FantasyPlayhouse.com. We did not make the decision to close camps and classes lightly and understand the burden that it places on families. We hope you take solace in knowing that this act of social distancing will help our city curb the spread of this terrible illness and keep you and your loved ones safer. Despite the significant challenges this crisis poses, we are a resilient, loving community, and we know that we will get through this together. We speak on behalf of all faculty and staff when we say we look forward to the time when our students can return to their classes and we can gather together as a community once again. Until then, thank you as always for your patience and cooperation.” 

Decatur-Morgan Co. Chamber: Approximately 80 percent of your chamber’s membership is small business. It is everything from restaurants to retail to consulting to technology to real estate to the arts and so much more. They are a vital part of our economy and the personality of our community. In light of public health concerns, many of them will be struggling due to social distancing and limited public engagement. So, how can you help? Take a look at this infographic and transition your commerce to both support business and to protect yourself from risk. What are other ways we can support small business? Together, we can do this!

Mark and Ron of In Bloom are offering curb-side pick up from their Five Points location. And they are also making fantastic use of their downtime and started a new all wedding instagram that is already starting to fill up with gorgeous flowers! Be sure and give them a follow on insta! 

Shop & Learn From Home or Curbside

Consider gift certificates and purchasing future classes for later from local places who have either sanitized and stayed open or bravely closed their doors to help flatten the curve.

Elitaire Boutique has a great website to shop from! If you have sizing questions Kayla suggests calling one of their stylist - and they are even offering curb-side pick up or delivery straight to your door (within a 10 mile radius). They are also offering free shipping for the next two weeks! And now you can book a private shopping appointment with us! This way you and up to two of your best girlfriends can grab your favorite items at a discount in a clean, safe (and fun!) stress-free environment. Call for your appointment: 256.947.0618

Carriage House will porch deliver & pick up at no charge. You can call them at 256.355.4349 & they will put a box of Spring styles together for you. You won’t even have to leave the house!

Personal Couture is starting front porch, contactless drop offs and pick ups for purchases and consignment!

Direct from Vertical House Records: “Ok y'all. Wednesday will be the last day you will be able to access Vertical House Records unless the Mill figures out a way to keep the gates open. So if you wanna stock up before we all go into hiding, swing through on Wednesday. After that, Andy and I will be trying to brainstorm ways to get music to all of you fine folks. Since our 25,000 albums don't have barcodes, it's a bit tough to get our inventory online quickly. Therefore, we will be accepting lists of your "apocalypse albums" and doing the digging for you. If we have it, we can generate an invoice on paypal and once it's been paid, we can deliver or ship it out to yas! We also have gift certificates available should you want to buy one now and save it for when you can come dig yourself! You are welcome to paypal verticalhouse@gmail.com and note "gift certificate" and you will have instant credit with us woo!! We have and always will appreciate you fine Huntsvillians! Thanks so much for your continued support throughout the years. May we all come out of this safe and sound! We love you all! <3″

Jill’s Studio of Dance  - TBD

The Topiary Tree  - TBD

Eat Out, At Home

GrubSouth has a little bit of everything! If you want a huge variety of great local food delivered straight to your door take a peek at their menus - and now you can select a no-contact delivery option where they will leave it at your door!

Domaine South has closed their doors for two weeks as of March 20th.

Church Street Family is still available for carry-out - this includes: Pourhouse and Mazzara’s  Purveyor, Church Street Wine Shoppe

Straight to Ale is available through GrubSouth for our delivery food options, or come pick up a take out order! We’ve got crowlers, growlers, spirits, and food! Open 12-8pm daily.

Sweet City Micros delivers! You can order each week by Thursday for Friday delivery. 

Piper and Leaf  Shop updates as of Monday, March 16: - P&L x Constitution Park curbside, pickup, and delivery. - P&L x Strong Station curbside, pickup, and delivery. - P&L x Pizitz food Hall pickup, and delivery. - P&L x Lowe Mill curbside, pickup, and delivery. And they have amplified sanitation procedures greatly

We discovered this great reference list for local vendors from Lindsey Keane for The Market at MidCity and wanted to be sure all our awesome local supporters knew about it! There are local eggs, veggies, fruit, honey, meats, breads and microgreens from Sweet City Micros all available with a phone call or email! 

Specifically for Ledges Members - Beginning Tuesday, 3/17/2020, The Ledges will offer meals to-go in two formats: Take-Out Meals where Members can order from our dining menus, and our staff will prepare the meals and have them ready for pick up & Pre-Prepared Meals - A daily special will be advertised to the membership. These will be pre-prepared, fully cooked meals the members can then take home and heat with the provided instructions.  

Coronavirus Information and Updates

Centers for Disease Control

World Health Organization

Hudson Alpha Sharable Science

[zorabianfoods]

Tandoori Chicken Sandwich Recipe - The Goodness of Tandoori | Zorabian Foods

The Zorabian Chicken Tandoori Tikka is such a game changer when it comes to making the chicken tandoori sandwich. The taste of tandoori chicken with mayo and a mix of veggies all make it so yummilicious. The pre-marinated tasty chicken tandoori tikka is ready in minutes and makes it so quick to make the sandwich without any elaborate meal prep.

Chicken Tandoori Sandwich is taste and all the goodness you can think of put together between two slices of bread. Sandwiches are always such a yummy treat to dig into. It is one that goes perfectly well for your tea party menu, dinner, the tiffin box, or your mid-morning cravings. With a chicken tandoori sandwich in the school lunchbox, you can be sure it will be polished off completely with a smile. 

This Chicken Tandoori sandwich is such a versatile, protein-packed bite of deliciousness. With so many veggies, tandoori chicken tikka, cheese and microgreens you surely have a plate that is happy and healthy all the way. Let us make this delicious chicken tandoori sandwich now.

Click on the link to read the full tandoori chicken sandwich recipe now

Buy chicken marinate online and get them delivered to your doorstep from Zorabian Online Store or Online Partners such as BigBasket, Zepto, Dunzo and more.

[herbyhut1]

What are the Top Advantages of Using Microgreens Growing Kit?

An increasing number of people are becoming conscious about what they eat, how they are grown, and the product's nutrient content. The chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides have negative consequences to health and the environment. Herby Hut brings an alternative by developing the best hassle-free microgreen kit to grow healthy veggies indoors at home. Start eating nutrient-rich, fresh, and tasty green in just a WEEK. You know it is FREE of pesticides and herbicides because you grow it. Herby hut's microgreens kit is designed for a busy lifestyle. These kits will make growing plants easier for you and provide many advantages. To know those advantages, keep reading: 1. No frequent watering needed: Water once and start harvest in a week. Scientists developed a unique design and method to reduce watering, uniform germination, and faster growth. An easy method designed for a busy lifestyle, no daily caring needed. 2. No green thumb is required: Practically anyone can grow it, even 5 years old. Herby hut has developed detailed easy to follow instructions. The system setup and care need less than 10 minutes. The kit comes with everything needed to grow healthy plants, and you provide water. 3. Eco-friendly reusable kit to reduce cost for regular growers: The stainless steel containers are reusable, rust-resistant, and dishwasher safe. EcoGrow Box comes with non-GMO seeds and growing media to regularly grow microgreens at dorms, homes, or apartments. If you need refills, Herby Hut has it. With herby hut, you can make fresh greens part of everyday meals. Refill, bulk seeds, and grow media is available at affordable prices. To learn, grow, and eat fresh and nutrient-rich green, you can order the best microgreen growing kit from Herby Hut. The online store provides everything you need to learn and grow microgreens. Herby hut has developed many unique kits for kids, beginners, and frequent microgreen growers. The beginner's kits come with dozens of varieties to help you discover the taste you like, such as Arugula, Cress, Radish, broccoli…You name it, and Herby Hut has it. Commercial microgreens growers can buy seeds in Bulk. So, visit Herby Hut now and get these kits delivered straight away.

Original Source: https://bityl.co/BCxI

[gardenassist]

In this article, we will explain six important things you should be known before you start selling your microgreens. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail step-by-step How-to Marketing Microgreens?

BRANDING

Branding is one of the most intimidating things about starting a business. Branding is not just about making a product and giving it to someone you know or selling it. You need a brand around your product, and sometimes that’s not so easy to do.

But what is branding? Quite simply, a product is what you sell, a brand is the perceived image of the product you sell, and branding is the strategy to create that image.

A unique brand can significantly impact your bottom line by giving you a competitive advantage over your competitors and helping you attract and retain customers at a much lower cost. First, understand your target audience, mission statement, and the unique qualities that make up your business.

Once you can say with confidence that you’ve mastered these steps, it’s time to move on to one of the more exciting parts of branding – visual design. We’re talking here about your logo, color palette, typography (fonts), iconography, and other visual components.

Logo

First, you need a logo. A logo is a symbol made up of text and images that identifies a business. A good logo is the cornerstone of your brand. It helps customers understand what you do, who you are, and what you value. You will use or print your logo on all promotional materials, communications, labels, products, stationery and vehicles.

If you are good with graphics software like Photoshop, you can create your logo. First, however, I recommend that you contact a professional graphic designer.

You can find many of them on a website called Fiverr, an online marketplace for freelance services with cheap providers from all over the world.

Fiverr is very affordable because it has people from all over the world who have all kinds of skills, from graphic design to website design to marketing and advertising.

When you choose a designer on Fiverr, you probably want to jump right into their portfolio, but first, look at how they present and market themselves. Logo designers live and die by their portfolios, and their past work will likely be the essential factor in your decision.

While some designers are generalists who work in various styles, many have a distinct voice and style or even focus on a single industry. And once you’ve decided on the perfect designer, you can contact them, and in no time, you’ll have your logo.

Marketing Informational Materials

To sell your microgreens well and get your brand noticed, you need to create printed promotional materials.

Flyers, business cards, brochures, catalogs, tablecloths with logos for farmers markets, t-shirts, hats, etc. are all part of your branding strategy.

Getting your brand out there on every medium available is extremely important because it helps position you in the marketplace and makes you recognizable. Once again, this assignment may not be easy for you because you don’t necessarily know how to create marketing informational materials.

Not everyone knows how to design a brochure or knows how to create a flyer, and that’s not surprising.

Again, I recommend using Fiverr to find professionals who can do the work for you. The most important thing is that you know what message you want to convey to the public.

Then all you have to do is explain your ideas to the graphic designers and oversee their work. It would help if you also relied on a reputable print provider.

There are likely printers in your home that are capable of doing the job. You can certainly look around and inquire about their services and prices.

However, you can usually find better prices on the internet than in physical printing companies in your area. Just do a simple Google search to find many.

Vistaprint is the best online business card printer I’ve tested, thanks to its combination of excellent print quality, good design tools, and low prices. The company also prints promotional items such as mugs, posters, and even tablecloths.

Because Vistaprint offers such a wide variety of products, prices vary depending on the service. For example, Vistaprint offers glossy or matte business cards starting at 15 cents each ($15 for 100) and matte invitations starting at 72 cents each ($75 for 100). You can get a quote for your Vistaprint order by using the quote calculator on the company’s website.

To get an accurate estimate, here’s what you need to know:

– What product you want

– The size and style

– Any special features

– The quantity you need

You can test a possible design at Vistaprint by visiting the website and viewing the available templates.

PRICING

The pricing decision is one of the most important ones you will have to make. As we have seen in previous chapters, you can get 8 to 12 ounces of microgreens (depending on the variety) from a single tray.

Typically, you will not sell the whole trays, as it is best to do this business on a smaller scale.

The standard weight of a package of ready-to-sell microgreens is about 2 ounces (although much depends on the type of packaging), so you could pull 4 to 6 packages from a tray to sell.

The average price for a 2-ounce pack is about $3. You can decide if you want to sell each pack at a higher or lower price.

For example, some micro-greens producers sell each 2-ounce box for $ 7, and others sell for $2. The price of the product depends on many factors.

First and foremost, you need to consider the cost that you will incur. In the previous sections, I have already presented you with a general break-down of the costs. As we have seen, the variable cost of producing a tray of microgreens is around $4.

However, cases can vary, and only when your business is up and running will you be able to estimate your actual costs.

In addition, microgreens differ from each other. Seeds have different costs. The time to harvest can be longer or shorter.

Packaging can be more or less expensive, depending on what you choose. All of these things have a significant impact on the final price you choose, so it’s not possible to offer a one-size-fits-all solution.

But there is one more important thing to con-sider. You can’t set a price by looking only at your costs. Of course, the cost is essential, but it’s even more important to understand the acceptable price for the typical customer you’re trying to sell your product to.

Once again, you can’t ignore a careful analysis of your target market. Are there other vendors in the market? What prices are they charging? To whom are they selling their microgreens? To whom do you want to sell your products? These are all questions you need to ask yourself when setting your price.

If you sell your microgreens to people looking for a high-quality product with a well-crafted package and care about their health, you can get a higher price.

However, suppose you only go to restaurants that use microgreens essentially as a raw material and don’t pay too much attention to the packaging or other elements. In that case, you’ll have to lower the price.

Also, a restaurant may ask you to deliver an entire tray of microgreens every week. For these customers, you need to make a reduced price.

Your price choice depends on how you want to position yourself in the market, your costs, and how much your customers are willing to spend.

Of course, the price can make or break your profit margin, but I can tell you with certainty that the business is almost always profitable.

PACKAGING

Packaging is one of the fundamental factors affecting the sale of any product, and microgreens are no exception to this rule. Truth be told, in the case of microgreens, the packaging is even more important than for many other consumer products.

The target customers of these types of products are susceptible to environmental issues, so they will carefully evaluate the product you are selling and the way you have packaged it.

It is imperative that you know that everything you do in your business, including product packaging, impacts what can be called the “customer experience”.

Think of a customer who buys your product and takes it home but can’t open it because the packaging isn’t cleverly designed. Or think of a customer who opens the package, finds that it looks good, it smells good, but then finds that the box can’t be closed again.

Continuing with examples, think of your customer noticing that your product’s packaging is made of non-re-cyclable and environmentally harmful materials.

All of these factors can negatively impact the customer experience, create dissatisfaction, and hurt your business at the end of the story.

So what alternatives are available to you? The bulk distribution uses a lot of paper and cardboard. These materials can also be recycled and are therefore suitable from an environmental sustainability point of view.

The problem is that sometimes they are not strong enough to support the weight of a seedling containing moist soil.

On the other hand, there is also plastic packaging, but these are to be discarded in my opinion (although they are very cheap), as they are not very nice to look at and, above all, not environmentally friendly.

In any case, the choice of packaging depends a lot on the customer you want to target. Evaluate your market well before choosing your packaging.

For example, a restaurant might accept a product packaged in plain plastic trays without any problem.

If you sell produce at farmers markets, you may opt for even more straightforward and homier packaging. In this case, your customers will love to see that your product is handmade, and you can package it that way.

Many vendors who work at farmers markets bring the seedlings to the market, cut them in front of the customer, and put them in an envelope when they sell them.

However, if your product is destined for grocery stores and needs to be displayed on the shelves, you will certainly need to develop something more sophisticated. You also need to pay attention to design and labeling.

Transportation is also not to be underestimated. If the product is to be transported or shipped, you will need to opt for a sturdier packaging, and you may need to pack your already packaged product in a second container designed for shipping.

Bottom line: assess your market well first. Packaging has a significant impact on the perceived value of your brand, and making the wrong packaging choice can hurt your image. In conclusion, my advice is not to focus too much on saving on this element. An investment of a few cents in packaging can exponentially increase the perceived value of the product.

LABELLING

Labels are an essential thing in your business: you can’t have a product without labels. But most importantly, labels are a great marketing communication tool. There is much information you need to put on your labels.

If you have an organic certification that you’ve worked hard for, be sure to include it. Even if you are not certified organic, but you use organic seeds and soil, you can show that on your labels. Your microgreens are certainly pesticide and herbicide-free.

Point this out, even if you are not certified organic, if you are 99%, your customers will want to know. Here’s a sample list of information you could put on your labels:

Brand Name and logo

Product name

Product image

Certified Organic

Pesticide & Herbicide Free

Organic seed and soil Contact information

Call to social media

Weight

Harvest date

Place of business

Washed or not

Info on product use

Another thing to keep in mind is that each microgreen you sell is different and therefore needs another label. So, the best advice I can give you is to list all your products in an excel file.

I suggest that you create an excel file and put all the products that you have in your catalog in it. Next to the name of each product, you need to enter the information about the product: the photo, the weight, the instructions, etc.

Then you can provide this Excel file to the person who will create your labels, or you can upload them directly to websites like Avery, which I’ll talk about in a moment.

You can create labels using Canva, which is a free online graphics editor. It doesn’t have many features, but it’s simple and easy to use.

Many microgreen growers create their labels using the Avery app (avery.com). The site is elementary to use: You can register, choose the size of your label, select a template (among the many available), and create your project.

If you want, you can also import all the information from an Excel file. When you’re done, you can download the label file to print at home, or you can have it printed directly.

How much you spend on labels depends on how many you order, whether you print fullcolour or black and white, and what type of printing you use (DIY laserjet/inkjet, buy a specialized label printer, or hire a professional printer).

If you buy labels from Avery, the cost can be relatively high. For example, when producing a thousand labels, the price can vary from 20 to 40 cents.

Avery is very expensive compared to a laserjet/inkjet printer, and I don’t advise you to use it for an extended time.

A professional label printer can cost upwards of $ 1,500, but that’s an expense you can recoup over time, as printing a single label cost much less with this type of product (about 4-6 cents, depending on the size).

Barcodes

Barcodes are another thing to consider, especially if you want to sell your microgreens in grocery stores. Barcodes allow businesses to distribute and sell their products in a variety of point-of-sale scenarios. Before you can begin selling your products, you will need to purchase a barcode for each product you wish to trade.

There are tow main types of barcodes:

1- UPC, which stands for Universal Product Code, is a 12-digit bar code used primarily in Canada and the United States. Retailers add UPCs to every item they sell to track their product inventory.

2- EAN originally stood for “European Article Number”, which is the bar code used by retailers outside North America.

The barcode issue seems complicated, but it’s straightforward: barcodes can be purchased on the Internet, and there are many websites where you can buy them, such as speedybarcodes.com/ or buyabarcode.com.

Usually, you can buy both the UPC (for the US and Canada) and EAN (for the rest of the world) formats of your numbers for the same price. The price varies depending on the quantity. If you buy only 50 barcodes, they will cost you $0.7 each, but if you buy 1,000, they will probably cost you only $0.15 each.

Once you purchase the barcodes from one of these sites, you will receive digital barcode images for all of your barcode numbers in JPG, PDF, and EPS formats. You can use the images to create your labels or print them directly onto your product packaging.

[microgreenshyderabad]

Microgreen And Its Health Benefits

Microgreens seeds are one of the healthiest food in the world, and the best part, you can plant them in your kitchen garden, and if you are living in a place that has limited space, any small area will do the job even a container. Microgreen Seeds are nothing but small plants that are planted with a seed and get mature into small tender plants much like shoots. They are getting popularity by different names like microgreens, micro vegetables, micro herbs, and edible flowers. In India they are famous for microgreens, you can find various Microgreen Kits if you look at “Microgreens Near Me” on Google. Aside from this if have incurred the habit of having microgreens you can signup for the Healthy Food Subscription Box as they will take care of your daily dose of healthy eating.

If you want to grow them at home, they get grown very easily and perfect to use for as little as 5 days old to the 6 weeks, based on the type of microgreen and preference. If you are not familiar with gardening get them online, search “Buy Microgreens India” and you are good to go.

Microgreens and Nutrition

Microgreens are dense with nutrition. While their concentration of nutrients may vary, most classes likely to be rich in potassium, zinc, and copper. They are great sources of antioxidants too if you want to remain ageless sprinkle some microgreens and enjoy the blessing of staying young forever.

What’s more, their nutritional value is dense, which confirms they hold an ample amount of vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant levels than the full-size version of them. Studies revealed relating microgreens to more mature greens states that they have higher nutrient content than the full-size green vegetables sometimes up to 10 times. The same studies also found that they are richer in antioxidants too.

Why You Need Microgreens

Eating vegetables is famous for its health benefits. This is because of the high amounts of nutrition the plant compounds have and makes it even more important to eat them.

Microgreens have a similar amount of nutritional value as the full-size vegetables and sometimes even more. As such: they are certainly helpful in dealing with the following diseases.

Heart Problems: Microgreens are a trusted and known source for polyphenols, a type of antioxidant greatly helpful in easing heart disease and other problems related to the same. Studies were done on the animals revealed, subjects treated with the polyphenols had a significant drop in bad cholesterol.

Alzheimer’s disease: Antioxidant-rich foods, including those rich in the polyphenols, are proven to deal with the problem of Alzheimer’s disease. As well as it increases your brain activity.

Diabetes: Antioxidants found in the microgreens helps in deflating the stress that works as a barrier for the sugar entering into the cells. Researchers confirm fenugreek microgreens promising in enhancing the cellular sugar uptake by 40%.

Microgreens are great in flavor and easily get blended into any dish making it even more delicious and healthy. They’re also helpful if you trying to achieve certain goals such as weight loss or taking care of diabetes. On top of all these benefits, they are pocket friendly

[gethealthy18-blog]

It’s Time to Bring Back Victory Gardens

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/its-time-to-bring-back-victory-gardens/

It’s Time to Bring Back Victory Gardens

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

During World War I and World War II, many countries encouraged their citizens to grow gardens, often called “Victory Gardens.” This relieved some of the burden on the public food supply and was marketed as a way to help the war efforts. In fact, some sources report that 41% of the food Americans consumed during these times was grown in these home gardens.

Vacant lots and public parks became fields of vegetables and many people grew beets, swiss chard, tomatoes, and lettuce in their front yards or on rooftops.

The victory garden was a practical way to improve food security on the home front. I think it’s time to bring them back in fashion!

Why Grow a Victory Garden

It’s no longer World War II, but today we face a different kind of battle. Current events remind us all too clearly that access to fresh, healthy, local food is one of the most important aspects of daily life.

Even when we are not facing a global crisis, our food system is at risk… and putting us at risk.

Of course, I’m talking about our food supply and the state of health in our country. We aren’t facing an enemy armed with rifles, but a much smaller invader that we often willingly consume and feed our children.

Most sources agree that the majority of us are not consuming enough vegetables and fruits. In fact, the CDC reported that only 27% of us are consuming the recommended amount of vegetables per day (and many experts claim that the recommended amounts are lower than they should be anyway!)

Much of our food is a source of inflammatory substances like polyunsaturated oils, sugar, and processed grains. We consume sugar to the tune of over 100 pounds per person per year and recent studies show that many of us are lacking in the basic vitamins and minerals we need for basic health.

Here’s thing: We vote with our dollars, and our actions. We can claim “victory” over over current food trends in the United States by growing our own gardens.

Bonus: Our kids are much more likely to grow up loving fresh vegetables if they eat them right off a plant that they helped to grow!

The New Battle: Rising Food Prices

We also face the problem of rising food costs. Prices are rising on all types of foods. We all know too well that organic vegetables and fruits and other “healthy” products are often especially pricey. In fact, even in the comments on this blog, the most common reason cited for not eating enough vegetables or choosing organic options is the prohibitive cost.

There are strategies for eating real food on a budget, but it’s an uphill battle. Sadly, this problem doesn’t seem likely to get better any time soon. Food prices are expected to continue to rise in the coming years and choosing to buy organic produce will only get more difficult.

It’s liberating to discover that you can grow your own organic lettuce, spinach, and kale in your own backyard (rather than buying week-old lettuce shipped in plastic from across the country!).

If starting a garden isn’t possible for you, find and support your local farmers and farmer’s markets. They can do the work for you!

Victory Gardens: A Solution to Both Problems

I’ve said before that there is much wisdom we can learn from older generations, and their knowledge of food production is no exception. Though about 40% of U.S. households grow gardens of some kind, increasing this number could address both rising food costs and increasing health issues.

Having a garden provides other benefits as well!

Statistically, gardeners live longer and there are many potential reasons for this. They spend more time outside, get more natural vitamin D, and come in contact with the rich microorganisms found in soil. Dirt has benefits of its own and the simple act of getting our hands dirty can provide immune benefits.

Many people also report stress relief and better sleep from spending time outdoors gardening.

A side benefit for families is that gardening is a great activity to do together and an excellent remedy to spending too much screen time and not enough outdoor activity.

How many things could be remedied if families would garden and walk/hike/play together?

How to Start Your Own Backyard (or Front Yard!) Garden

No matter how much (or how little) space you have, you can grow your own organic vegetables. From tiny-scale gardens like sprouts and microgreens in the kitchen to a large-scale garden in the backyard, we can all grow something!

Before we talk about methods, let me just share an important lesson I’ve learned: Don’t get bogged down by the details! Getting started is the most important step.

A Full Garden

Those who have enough room can grow much or all of their own food on their own property. Where we live, many people do this, and I’ve heard my in-laws talk about how they grew all of their own produce growing up. Even a 10 x 10 garden can grow a tremendous amount of food and is a great family activity.

Those without enough backyard space have gotten creative as well. Some people are growing beautiful front-yard vegetable gardens to make use of limited space.

New to gardening? Consider using an app (like this one) to plan and know optimal spacing and planting times for your zone. I’ll also list some of my favorite books and how-to videos for beginning gardeners at the end of this post.

Square Foot Garden

A highly efficient way of gardening that has gained popularity in recent years, square foot gardening allows those with small yards to produce a large amount of food.

Square foot gardens are typically raised beds that add soil on top of the existing ground and soil. They are more expensive up-front but are easy to maintain and typically produce very high yields. In fact, one small square foot garden can grow enough produce for an entire family if cared for correctly.

Square foot gardening turns the idea of traditional garden rows on its head and maximizes space by planting in one-foot square blocks. It’s a great way to maximize a small garden plot.

Rooftop or Container Garden

Families with limited outdoor space can grow a container garden of some kind. A small planter can grow lettuce, spinach or herbs, while a larger planter box can grow a small square foot garden. Even a tiny window box on the outside of the window can contribute some greens or herbs.

The following plants grow quite well in containers:

Sweet peas

Strawberries

Basil and herbs

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Look at the flower pots and containers you have around and get creative! Wash them out with soap and water, add some potting soil (recipe to make your own here), and follow the directions on the seed packet.

Container gardening is also great for getting an early start on the season, because you can cover or bring plants inside easily if frost threatens.

Vertical Gardening

If you don’t have a lot of space, grow up! Vertical methods of gardening can work in a traditional garden plot, in a raised bed, or in containers on a patio or balcony. Peas, beans, and even squash can grow in less space with a simple support or trellis.

Sprouts + Microgreens

Even families with absolutely no outdoor space can grow some food indoors. Lettuce, kale, spinach, or even broccoli or sunflowers are incredibly nutritious and delicious at the sprout or microgreen stage. You can be eating fresh greens in a matter of a week, all grown at home!

Foods like sprouts will grow easily in glass jars on a kitchen counter, and with a little more work, a tray of microgreens can create a lot of nutrition for a family.

This video explains how to grow your own microgreens step by step. Even kids will love to follow along and help! (And are much more likely to eat green veggies if they help grow them!)

Tips for Getting Started

Want to get started (but not overwhelmed)? Here are some practical tips I’ve learned from trial and error over the years. Hopefully they help you get off to a smooth start!

Start Small – Variety usually is the spice of life, but not so great for the new gardener. If you’re new to gardening or a self-proclaimed “black thumb,” start with just three or four types of easy to grow vegetables. I wouldn’t suggest trying to grow anything in the cabbage family your first year, for example, since they are a magnet for pests and difficult to grow organically.

Choose Easy to Grow Veggies – Herbs, swiss chard, kale, and zucchini are easy to plant, hardy, and keep producing for much of the summer.

Pick Veggies That Are Fun for Kids – Sweet peas, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, mini sweet peppers (also called lunchbox peppers), and scarlet runner beans are all crops my kids have loved. Think small, sweet, and easy to pick and snack on. Consult the Vegetable Gardening Week by Week book below or research gardening sites to know what to plant when.

Use Local Gardening Networks – Chances are many gardening groups exist in your area. Join online groups for advice, seedling swaps, and local plant sales.

Add Some Beauty – Don’t forget to add a pot of flowers to your container garden! They help attract pollinators and add some color! Nasturium and calendula are beautiful edible flowers, and zinnias make an easy to grow cut flower.

Supplies for Victory Gardens

Here are some resources if you’re just getting your feet wet:

Organic Gardening 101 – Find step by step guidance in this post.

Vegetable Gardening Week by Week – If you buy only one gardening book, this should be it. It lays out exactly what to plant when with a simple formula based on your local last frost date.

Biochar Soil Amendment – In an organic garden, it’s all about the soil. I can’t say enough about this natural fertilizer designed to restore the minerals and microbial balance so lacking in much of our soil today. I add it to potting soil or right into the garden beds. It’s a great option if you don’t have homemade compost on hand (yet).

Seeds or Seedlings – Get them from your local grocery or nursery, or order them online. Seed companies often have a wealth of knowledge in their catalogs and websites. Try seed companies with organic, non-GMO seed like Johnny’s or Seed Saver Exchange. Also check online groups in your area as many gardeners will give away seedlings for free or very cheap!

Some Flats or Pots – Most anything that holds soil but has drainage holes will work! I’ve saved pots from past flower gardens or drilled holes into containers from yogurt. I’m also a fan of peat pots because they are biodegradeable.

There are many ways to plan your garden, but experience is always the best teacher. Victory gardeners were certainly not all gardening experts!

When in doubt, apply seed to soil in a sunny spot, water, and see what happens!

I challenge you all to start your own victory gardens! Are you up to the challenge? What are you going to grow this year?

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/118967/victory-gardens/

[diy-nutrition]

Microgreens: Benefits and DIY

You have heard it before: eat your fruits and veggies, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, eat whole foods, eat fresh foods. Whether it is the time of preparation or the time of going to the store to purchase your veggies, there is away around. If you are constrained financially and cannot afford fresh fruits and vegetables or cannot afford a way to the store multiple times a week, there’s a simple fix. Grow your own microgreens!

If you live in a place where it snows all winter, if you don’t like weeding, if you don’t like preparing your own food, if you like simplicity and quick fixes, then DIY microgreens are the thing for you.

So why Microgreens?

Microgreens are considered a vegetable by the USDA. As you know, the USDA encourages veggie consumption. Vegetables help decrease the prevalence of chronic diseases (think cancer or cardiovascular disease). Studies have been done that show as you increase your veggie consumption your risk of asthma chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, dementia, diabetes mellitus (type 2), hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, eye damage, and osteoporosis all decrease (can we say HALLELUJAH). So what exactly about fruits and veggies that work magic in your body? Well it is believed that it is the high amounts of human bioactive compounds in the fruits and veggies. What are HBC? They are better known as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotenoids (provitamin A compounds), phylloquinone (vitamin K), and tocopherols (vitamin E), so vitamins! Now that you understand why fruits and veggies, why focus just on microgreens? Microgreens are the baby version of mature veggies. Many people grow a mix of different veggies for their microgreen crop. They will grow cabbage, kale, cilantro, beet, radish, and Swiss chard. These baby versions contain crazy high amounts of those HBC compared to their mature veggies (think up to 40 times as much, and on average 22 times as much). Talk about a superfood!

So why grow them yourself?

Because they are harvested only days or a couple weeks after they are planted, microgreens do not need a lot of space to grow. This means you can grow them in your own house or apartment. They also do not require weeding if you grow them inside, and you don’t have to drive to the store multiple times a week to get fresh veggies because they are already in your house (saving time and the environment by driving your car less, look at you go!).

Another great thing about growing them yourself if it is a lot cheaper than buying them from a farmer or grocery store (think $5-27 per serving compared to your own $0.85-1.70). Also (the benefits are never ending, I know), by growing them in your house they can be harvested minutes prior to you eating them. This means you get the most nutrition out of them because there is no waiting time where their nutrients start disappearing into thin air (literally).

So how hard is it to grow microgreens? It sounds like it could be difficult.

Not at all! It will actually be one of the easiest growing projects. Since I have done all the number crunching and research I will outline it for you in just six simple steps.

1) You can buy 10”X20” plastic growing trays, or you can just take any plastic box (old food boxes or milk cartons) and cut down the sides to about 3” tall.

2) Put soil in them.

3) Buy seeds online from Amazon (it’s the cheapest) or support your local business and see if you can buy in bulk (that will help it not be as expensive). Look for cabbage, spinach, ­­­beet, carrot, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna mustard, radish, Swiss chard, or amaranth seeds, or mix and match! If they are selling microgreen seeds just make sure they are ok for human consumption.

4) Sprinkle ½ to 1 cup of seeds per 10”X20” plot of dirt. Make sure the seeds are evenly distributed and there’s enough to mostly cover the dirt.

5) Water the seeds, place them somewhere near a window, and then wait for 7-14 days watering them whenever the dirt starts to look dry.

6) Once the seeds have sprouted and the green parts are 1-3 inches tall you harvest them. Cut off the plants above root.

To eat the microgreens you can toss them in salads, soups, drinks, desserts, use them as garnishes, and in sandwiches or burgers instead of lettuce. Feel free to branch out though and use them whenever you want to add a different texture, provide more/different flavor, and increase the color profile of your food.  

Bon appétit, ami!

References: 

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/microgreens-the-salad-you-can-grow-inside

http://wholefully.com/how-to-grow-microgreens-indoors/

http://www.cityfarmschool.com/free-workshops-series/

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/grow-your-greens-indoors-with-sprouts-shoots-microgreens/

http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/how-to-grow-microgreens/7987.html

http://redearthnaturals.com/growing-microgreens-at-home/

https://www.brit.co/microgreen-recipes/

[inhydrogreens]

Find the Leafy Green Vegetables in Delhi NCR | Inhydrogreens

Hydroponic produce from reliable local farmers, so you can be sure of getting the best quality vegetables. Your order will be delivered directly to your doorstep within two days. All our boxes come with a detailed list of the ingredients inside, so you know exactly what you’re getting. So go ahead and order your Salad Box today – it’s never been easier to get fresh, leafy green vegetables in Delhi NCR.

[fredrickarbon]

How to do gardening in winter?

Winter may not seem like the time to think about your garden. But take advantage of this break from the growing season to catch up on tasks that were put off during the rest of the year. Whether it’s protecting plants from severe cold, decorating the yard for the holidays, or planning for next year, there’s plenty to keep you busy while you dream of spring. Frozen Seed Pods, Winter Garden Garden Design Calimesa, CA

How to Revive An Air Plant http://www.homegardeningplans.com/how-to-revive-an-air-plant

Winterize the garden

To protect plants from cold winter temperatures, water the garden thoroughly before the first hard frost. Once the ground has begun to freeze, mulch around the base of more tender plants with several inches of shredded leaves, ground bark or evergreen boughs. Newly planted trees or shrubs can be wrapped with a layer of burlap stuffed with insulating material such as straw or dried leaves.

For more tips: How to Prepare Your Garden for the Winter Swiss Chard, Winter Crops Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Swiss chard ‘Bright Lights’. Photo by: Janet Loughrey.

container plant ideas front door http://www.homegardeningplans.com/6-gorgeous-container-plant-ideas-for-front-door

Grow food

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't have fresh food from the garden. Greens such as lettuce, arugula and mustard, along with cold-weather crops including kale and Swiss chard can be grown in a cloche or cold frame. Many root crops and brassicas will overwinter for a spring harvest. For best results, check with your local nursery or extension service for winter vegetable gardening tips in your region.

shallow microgreen trays http://www.homegardeningplans.com/shallow-germination-trays-microgreen-trays-growing-your-own-vegetable-confetti-heaven

Here’s a unique perspective on starting seeds in winter: Seed Sowing in the Snow Yellow Blooms, Witch Hazel Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Barmstedt Gold’. Photo by: Janet Loughrey.

Four season interest

Evaluate your garden for winter color. There's nothing like winter-blooming plants to lift your spirits during the colder months. Shrubs such as winter hazel, witch hazel and honeysuckle offer color and fragrance at a time when you need it most. Early bulbs including snowdrops, species crocus and winter aconite will even pop up through a shallow cover of snow, giving you hope that spring is not far away.

Learn more on the best witch hazels to grow. Bird Sunflower, Red Breasted Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Red-breasted nuthatch. Photo by: Janet Loughrey.

How to select a perfect Gardening Tool Set for Mom to gift

Think nature

Make sure your feathered friends have a steady source of food and water so they'll stay year-round to help with pest control and balancing your garden's ecosystem. Place nesting houses by February if you want to increase your bird population. Make sure each house has the right sized hole and dimension and is sited properly for the kind of bird you are trying to attract.

For more on wildlife-friendly landscaping: A Naturalistic Garden Welcomes the Birds and the Bees Gardening Catalogs, Winter Planning Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Order catalogs

Diehard gardeners look forward to those luscious mail order catalogs that begin arriving in January almost as much as they do the Christmas holiday. Poring through glossy pages filled with colorful plant photos is a great way to beat the winter blues and get inspired for the upcoming growing season. Make sure to include your favorite nurseries, and order a few plants so you have something new to try in your garden come spring. Holiday Décor, Outdoor Décor Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Decorate outdoors

When decorating your home for the holidays, don't forget about sprucing up the yard. Use evergreen boughs and berries from the garden, or purchase them from your local nursery to create wreaths, garlands or arrangements to adorn entryways, winter-proof containers and window boxes. Add twinkling lights or ornaments for additional festive cheer.

For decorating inspiration: From-the-Garden Wreaths Amaryllis, Bulb, Apple Blossom Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Amaryllis ‘Apple Blossom’. Photo by: Janet Loughrey.

Bring the garden indoors

Growing bulbs indoors such as paperwhite narcissus or amaryllis is a great way to keep your hands in the dirt and bring some living cheer into your home. Even if it's too late to buy bulbs, you can still force branches of witch hazel, crabapple and forsythia by cutting the budded branches and bringing them inside to bloom.

Find out how to force your own bulbs. Pondless Fountain, Water Feature Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Take stock

While making your personal New Year's resolutions, take time to evaluate your yard. What are your goals for next year? Do you want to simplify so you can spend more time enjoying your yard? Tackle a big project? Whether you decide on a new pathway, gazebo, arbor, fire pit, water feature or patio, get inspired on sites such as Pinterest or Houzz to check out the latest trends.

Here are some winter planning tips from the experts. Garden Show, Education Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Educate yourself

Winter is a great time to learn more about gardening and design. Take a workshop from a neighborhood garden center, an online class, or a course from your local college. Master Gardener training is an option for those serious gardeners who want to give back to their community. Join a garden club or attend a flower show.

To learn more on design: Garden Design Ideas Garden Books, Winter Reading Garden Design Calimesa, CA

Now is the time to catch up on your reading. Did you get new gardening books for Christmas or subscribe to a magazine that you haven't had a chance to peruse thoroughly? Curl up by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite book or magazine, and dream about next spring.

Here are a few of our book recommendations. Kwanzan, Cherry Blossoms Garden Design Calimesa, CA

‘Kwanzan’ cherry blossoms. Photo by: Janet Loughrey.

Prune your plants

Start pruning trees and shrubs in late winter before they break dormancy. Don't prune early bloomers until after they flower or you'll lose this season's blooms. Research pruning techniques for each variety before you start in order to obtain the best results for a healthy and attractive plant.

[aaltjebarisca]

How to Extend Your Gardening Season

As the weather gets colder, green thumbs may find themselves with limited options when it comes to continuing their hobby.

While it may be challenging to keep your plants alive past the traditional growing season, it’s not impossible, especially if you live in a more temperate climate.

How can you do it? Read on for some tips on how to keep gardening going even into the winter months

Start Before the First Frost

You’ll generally want to get seeds planted well before the first hard frost, while the ground is still warm, but that depends on where you live. Check out this handy zone map from the U.S.  Department of Agriculture to figure out whether cold-weather crops will thrive in your area.

If you live in a higher-numbered zone, you’ll likely be able to get away with planting fall crops later in the season. If you’re in a lower-numbered zone, you’ll want to get those seeds in the ground weeks or even months before the first frost to give them the best chance of survival.

Some seeds need to be started indoors. Be sure to read the instructions on your seed packet to learn how and when to plant them.

Pick the Right Plants

There are certain plants that just aren’t going to last in the cold, no matter how hard you try. If you want to keep gardening, you’ll want to focus on hardier crops. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious veggies that are up to the task. In fact, these plants will taste better when grown in a cold climate.

Summer Rayne Oakes, founder of Homestead Brooklyn and the YouTube channel “Plant One On Me,” said that it’s possible to keep veggies going into winter, usually by housing plants in a transparent enclosure like a cold frame.

“You can grow some cold-hardy plants like kale and spinach, for instance – and prolong the growth through November and even further into the winter months (like up until March!),” Oakes said.

Broccoli and peas need to be grown in a cooler climate. Plants such as parsnips, according to Oakes, actually need a few frosts to develop their sweet flavors.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the (ice)box. While growing veggies is a great way to keep your freezer stocked with fresh produce through the winter, planting some non-edibles is a great way to keep up with your gardening hobby when it starts to get chilly.

“Though it’s already starting to get a chill in the air in the autumn, it’s a really good time to plant certain plants, like trees, shrubs and native flowers, for instance,” Oakes said.

The fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs in the Northeast, where Oakes resides, because it’s too cold for insects, so you don’t have to worry about infestations ruining your foliage, she said

Cover Your Crops

If you only have a few plants that you want to protect from the cold, consider using a garden cloche. Traditionally, cloches are bell-shaped covers that are placed on top of a plant to keep it warm and safe from the wind (picture the glass display used to protect the magical rose in “Beauty and the Beast”).

There are a variety of cloches you can use to cover your plants, including makeshift ones. A big plastic bottle or milk jug with the bottom cut off will work well. Drive the bottle or jug  into the ground around the plant, and leave the cap on. If the weather warms up during the day, remove the cap for venting and replace it in the evening.

If you don’t have any recyclables lying around, you can buy glass or plastic cloches online or in garden supply stores. You can also buy pop-up greenhouses, which are basically mini tents made of plastic, or water-filled cloches that use sun-heated water to insulate your plants and keep them toasty.

If you need to cover a larger area, you can also construct another type of cover called a hoop house with a few easy-to-find materials. Place wire or PVC in arches over your garden rows. Cover with a plastic sheet and secure. You can make it as big or as small as you need (shorter ones are called low tunnels).

If it’s particularly cold, and you need to bring additional heat into your covers, run an outdoor extension cord to your gardening area and lay some strings of incandescent outdoor Christmas lights by your plants. Believe it or not, these festive little lights will generate just enough heat to give your plants a fighting chance

Bundle Up

You can also cover your plants  directly using blankets. Blankets can provide enough insulation to reduce cold damage even when temperatures drop below freezing.

Plastic can also be used but will generally need to be held up on stakes so it doesn’t directly touch the plant, otherwise your plant can suffer freeze damage. The downside to fabric covers is that they are heavier, and if it rains, they may become so heavy they damage your plants.

You can buy fabric garden covers like a frost blanket online or in garden supply stores. Alternatively, you can repurpose old blankets to cover your crops in the cold. For extra insulation, throw a plastic sheet on top of the blanket. Use weighted objects, such as stones, to seal your covers to the ground, so no air can get in.

If you use a blanket, make sure to take it off during the day so your plant can get some sunlight

Construct Your Own Cold Frame

A cold frame is an enclosure built into the ground that is designed to protect your plants during the colder months. A transparent roof, sometimes made from repurposed materials such as old windows or shower doors, lets in sunlight and traps heat, creating a habitable environment for your plants when it gets cold.

You can construct your cold frame out of almost anything, even straw bales. Simply build or arrange your walls in a rectangle around the area you want protected and set the roof on top. If you can, build the north-facing wall of the frame taller, so that the roof slopes toward the south.

As a general rule, the thicker and sturdier the materials you use, the better off your plants will be.

A good cold frame can keep some of your crops going through the winter, depending on where you live

Go Green

The best and most reliable way to extend your growing season is with a greenhouse. A greenhouse will protect your plants from any sudden changes in weather while providing them with a stable environment to continue to grow in when the temperature starts to drop.

While this can be an expensive addition to your gardening space, with high end, professionally installed ones costing upwards of $25,000, there are greenhouses that fit nearly every budget. Low-end ones can be installed for around $5,000, and if you only need something simple, you can buy greenhouse kits that you assemble yourself for less than $1,000.

Novice gardeners might find even a couple hundred bucks too much to spend for a cold-weather garden, but if you’re a serious hobbyist or a semi-professional, it’s worth considering, as these structures are a game-changer when it comes to gardening in cold weather.

If you decide to have one installed, make sure it’s in a spot that gets a lot of sun.

Know When to Head Inside

Those who live in warmer climates might be able to significantly extend their growing season using these methods. However, if you live somewhere that frequently has falls and winters with a lot of snow and subzero temps, be realistic about how long your harvest can last.

Even if the weather outside is frightful, you can still satisfy your green thumb with an indoor garden.

Whether you decorate your windowsills with them or have your own designated garden space with grow lights, there are many delicious veggies and herbs that grow well indoors.

“Grow lights – particularly LED ones, which have a range of more amenable lighting options �� have made it possible to grow everything from microgreens to full salad greens and herbs,” Oakes said. “I have six grow lights myself so I can continue growing plants indoors no matter what season.”

What are your cold-weather gardening plans? Tell us in the comments!

The post How to Extend Your Gardening Season appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/extend-gardening-season

[aaronsniderus]

How to Extend Your Gardening Season

As the weather gets colder, green thumbs may find themselves with limited options when it comes to continuing their hobby.

While it may be challenging to keep your plants alive past the traditional growing season, it’s not impossible, especially if you live in a more temperate climate.

How can you do it? Read on for some tips on how to keep gardening going even into the winter months

Start Before the First Frost

You’ll generally want to get seeds planted well before the first hard frost, while the ground is still warm, but that depends on where you live. Check out this handy zone map from the U.S.  Department of Agriculture to figure out whether cold-weather crops will thrive in your area.

If you live in a higher-numbered zone, you’ll likely be able to get away with planting fall crops later in the season. If you’re in a lower-numbered zone, you’ll want to get those seeds in the ground weeks or even months before the first frost to give them the best chance of survival.

Some seeds need to be started indoors. Be sure to read the instructions on your seed packet to learn how and when to plant them.

Pick the Right Plants

There are certain plants that just aren’t going to last in the cold, no matter how hard you try. If you want to keep gardening, you’ll want to focus on hardier crops. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious veggies that are up to the task. In fact, these plants will taste better when grown in a cold climate.

Summer Rayne Oakes, founder of Homestead Brooklyn and the YouTube channel “Plant One On Me,” said that it’s possible to keep veggies going into winter, usually by housing plants in a transparent enclosure like a cold frame.

“You can grow some cold-hardy plants like kale and spinach, for instance – and prolong the growth through November and even further into the winter months (like up until March!),” Oakes said.

Broccoli and peas need to be grown in a cooler climate. Plants such as parsnips, according to Oakes, actually need a few frosts to develop their sweet flavors.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the (ice)box. While growing veggies is a great way to keep your freezer stocked with fresh produce through the winter, planting some non-edibles is a great way to keep up with your gardening hobby when it starts to get chilly.

“Though it’s already starting to get a chill in the air in the autumn, it’s a really good time to plant certain plants, like trees, shrubs and native flowers, for instance,” Oakes said.

The fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs in the Northeast, where Oakes resides, because it’s too cold for insects, so you don’t have to worry about infestations ruining your foliage, she said

Cover Your Crops

If you only have a few plants that you want to protect from the cold, consider using a garden cloche. Traditionally, cloches are bell-shaped covers that are placed on top of a plant to keep it warm and safe from the wind (picture the glass display used to protect the magical rose in “Beauty and the Beast”).

There are a variety of cloches you can use to cover your plants, including makeshift ones. A big plastic bottle or milk jug with the bottom cut off will work well. Drive the bottle or jug  into the ground around the plant, and leave the cap on. If the weather warms up during the day, remove the cap for venting and replace it in the evening.

If you don’t have any recyclables lying around, you can buy glass or plastic cloches online or in garden supply stores. You can also buy pop-up greenhouses, which are basically mini tents made of plastic, or water-filled cloches that use sun-heated water to insulate your plants and keep them toasty.

If you need to cover a larger area, you can also construct another type of cover called a hoop house with a few easy-to-find materials. Place wire or PVC in arches over your garden rows. Cover with a plastic sheet and secure. You can make it as big or as small as you need (shorter ones are called low tunnels).

If it’s particularly cold, and you need to bring additional heat into your covers, run an outdoor extension cord to your gardening area and lay some strings of incandescent outdoor Christmas lights by your plants. Believe it or not, these festive little lights will generate just enough heat to give your plants a fighting chance

Bundle Up

You can also cover your plants  directly using blankets. Blankets can provide enough insulation to reduce cold damage even when temperatures drop below freezing.

Plastic can also be used but will generally need to be held up on stakes so it doesn’t directly touch the plant, otherwise your plant can suffer freeze damage. The downside to fabric covers is that they are heavier, and if it rains, they may become so heavy they damage your plants.

You can buy fabric garden covers like a frost blanket online or in garden supply stores. Alternatively, you can repurpose old blankets to cover your crops in the cold. For extra insulation, throw a plastic sheet on top of the blanket. Use weighted objects, such as stones, to seal your covers to the ground, so no air can get in.

If you use a blanket, make sure to take it off during the day so your plant can get some sunlight

Construct Your Own Cold Frame

A cold frame is an enclosure built into the ground that is designed to protect your plants during the colder months. A transparent roof, sometimes made from repurposed materials such as old windows or shower doors, lets in sunlight and traps heat, creating a habitable environment for your plants when it gets cold.

You can construct your cold frame out of almost anything, even straw bales. Simply build or arrange your walls in a rectangle around the area you want protected and set the roof on top. If you can, build the north-facing wall of the frame taller, so that the roof slopes toward the south.

As a general rule, the thicker and sturdier the materials you use, the better off your plants will be.

A good cold frame can keep some of your crops going through the winter, depending on where you live

Go Green

The best and most reliable way to extend your growing season is with a greenhouse. A greenhouse will protect your plants from any sudden changes in weather while providing them with a stable environment to continue to grow in when the temperature starts to drop.

While this can be an expensive addition to your gardening space, with high end, professionally installed ones costing upwards of $25,000, there are greenhouses that fit nearly every budget. Low-end ones can be installed for around $5,000, and if you only need something simple, you can buy greenhouse kits that you assemble yourself for less than $1,000.

Novice gardeners might find even a couple hundred bucks too much to spend for a cold-weather garden, but if you’re a serious hobbyist or a semi-professional, it’s worth considering, as these structures are a game-changer when it comes to gardening in cold weather.

If you decide to have one installed, make sure it’s in a spot that gets a lot of sun.

Know When to Head Inside

Those who live in warmer climates might be able to significantly extend their growing season using these methods. However, if you live somewhere that frequently has falls and winters with a lot of snow and subzero temps, be realistic about how long your harvest can last.

Even if the weather outside is frightful, you can still satisfy your green thumb with an indoor garden.

Whether you decorate your windowsills with them or have your own designated garden space with grow lights, there are many delicious veggies and herbs that grow well indoors.

“Grow lights – particularly LED ones, which have a range of more amenable lighting options – have made it possible to grow everything from microgreens to full salad greens and herbs,” Oakes said. “I have six grow lights myself so I can continue growing plants indoors no matter what season.”

What are your cold-weather gardening plans? Tell us in the comments!

The post How to Extend Your Gardening Season appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/extend-gardening-season

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