Grow Your Own Vanilla Beans!

How To Grow Your Own Vanilla Beans? Many people are interested in growing their favorite plants in their house. For all those who love the aromatic vanilla flavor, here we describe the steps involved in growing vanilla beans indoors. Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a climbing orchid native to Mexico and it is the only edible member of the orchid family. These amazing plant is the most widely used orchid, which has economical importance, and probably, everyone is familiar with vanilla flavoring used in cooking.

Check out this link to find out how!https://coffeebreak.life/how-to-grow-your-own-vanilla-beans/

The Beauty of Pollination

Watch this wonderful video on the beauty of pollination! 

https://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Harvesting Potted Ginger

http://livedan330.com/2014/10/06/harvesting-potted-ginger/
I found this awesome website with lots of information on gardening, cooking, and such. You should check it out! Love to have home-grown ginger around when you need it. Enjoy :)

GROW VEGETABLES IN CONTAINERS

There are 6 major considerations in container gardening:

1. How much sun is available?
Choose plants according to how much sun or shade they’ll get each day. Most vegetables need at least 6
hours every day. Leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, onions, carrots and beets will do okay in partial shade.
But plants that bear fruit such as tomatoes, eggplant, squash, peppers need full sun (at least 6 hours).

2. What type of container?
Almost any container will do as long as it has good drainage. Smaller containers dry out very quickly in
summer. The smallest for outdoor use is probably 8 to 12 inches in diameter. In part shade you may have
success with smaller containers. If you are using recycled containers, scrub them well and rinse in a
solution of 9 parts water to one part bleach. If containers are porous (clay, wood, cement) soak them well
in water before filling so they won’t act like sponges and pull all the water out of your soil.

Since roots are above ground, they’re more sensitive to temperature extremes. Midsummer heat can fry
tiny, hair like feeder roots. Without these feeder roots, the plant will wilt even if the soil is wet. Then
larger roots become very susceptible to root rot fungus that can destroy the rest of the plant. Overheating
of the soil is a common cause of failure in container plantings. Thick wood insulates best, dark colored
containers will absorb more heat, light colored containers reflect heat.

Leafy vegetable and herbs don’t need as much room, but use a pot at least 9 inches deep so you don’t have to water as often. Vegetables with extensive root systems such as cucumbers, potatoes, squash and tomatoes need containers with a minimum depth of 16 inches. Remember, the bigger the pot, the bigger the yield. An additional 2 inches deep can more than double your harvest.

3. Preparation of the soil.
Do not use garden soil! It may contain diseases and fungi and is usually very heavy and slow to drain.
Buy a high quality soil mix that is sterilized, and able to absorb moisture and drain quickly.

4. Fertilizing. A must!
Plants trapped in containers cannot search for nutrients with their roots. Confined root systems demand
frequent light fertilizing in summer. Nutrients are leached from the soil with every watering and need to be
replenished regularly. Two to four weeks after planting begin applying a water soluble fertilizer mixed half
strength. Continue to apply fertilizer every two to three weeks unless you supplement the soil with a slow
release fertilizer.

Organic gardeners can use liquid fish emulsion, liquid kelp or blood or bone meal.

You will find 3 numbers on the fertilizer package that explain what the fertilizer is formulated to do. The
numbers are always in the following order:

Nitrogen - is for green leaves Phosphorus – is for flowers and fruit Potassium – is for root growth
When one of the numbers is higher than the others, that means the fertilizer is designed to promote growth
in that specific part of the plant.

Do not overfeed. A little is good, a lot is NOT better!

5. Watering requirements.
All containers dry out quickly, but watering requirements will vary according to the season, type of
container, soil mix and exposure. To be safe, check containers daily. Stick your finger into the top inch of
soil. If it feels damp there is no immediate need to water. If it feels dry then you should water until some
runs out the bottom of the container.

In mid summer and on windy days this can be a daily job. In summer provide a saucer that can fill with
water and be absorbed more slowly. In winter remove the saucer so the plants don’t sit in water and
stagnate.

Water early in the morning to avoid wet leaves at night when temperatures drop and mildew and disease
organisms flourish. Use a slow even spray to avoid washing out the soil.

6. What should you plant?
Shallow rooted crops like herbs, lettuce, green onions, radishes and spinach are easy to grow.
Carrots, potatoes, turnips and other roots crops are simple as long as you have a container that’s deep
enough. Choose a container that’s twice as deep as the length they’ll reach at maturity. Tall or sprawling
vegetables have extensive root systems (eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes). They will bear well if
they have enough room for roots to develop.

To get the most out of your limited space, choose high yielding and dwarf varieties with moderate to
standard sized fruit. These include beans, beets, carrots, lettuce, peppers, radishes and some varieties of
summer squash and tomatoes. Stay away from varieties labeled “whopper”. Look for bushy rather than
vining plants. For the highest yield provide support for vining or trailing crops and add the stakes or trellis
when you first plant the seeds or transplants so that you won’t damage roots by adding them at a later date.

Seeds or Transplants?
Plant beans, beets, carrots, lettuce, peas and radishes from seed. Cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes and squash
are best purchased from transplants. Buy the smallest size available (6 packs if possible). They will
develop better roots and larger sizes are not worth the extra cost.

Here’s how to grow your own sprouts

                                                           

 The Glass Jar Method

There are many different sprouting kit options, ranging from stackable plastic rings to glass jars, sprouting bags, and automatic sprouters. My favorite is the glass jar method. Sprouting with this simple system involves soaking your chosen seeds overnight and covering the jar with a mesh screen and rubber band. In the morning drain the soak water and rinse the seeds twice daily, placing them on a rack to drain during the day. Harvest them within three to seven days. Some of the easiest sprouts to grow are alfalfa, fenugreek, radish, broccoli, mung beans, onion, cabbage, mustard seeds, chickpeas, quinoa, lentils, pea sprouts, and wheat seeds. For most sprouts, continue to sprout them until they have developed a long tail or their first leaves have begun to go green. In the case of chickpeas, quinoa, pea sprouts, and lentils, they are ready to eat as soon as their tails begin to unfurl or emerge from the seed.

Soil-grown Microgreens

Another way of growing sprouts is directly in soil trays. These kind of sprouts are called microgreens. My favorites are wheatgrass, barleygrass, or sunflower greens.

How to grow soil-based sprouts:

*Buy trays and organic growing soil from a garden nursery.

*Fill the trays with soil.

*Soak wheat, barley, or sunflower seeds overnight.

*Drain them in the morning and allow them to stand in a bowl for 24–48 hours.

*Small tails will sprout.

*Place the seeds on top of the soil, cover with another thin layer of soil, and lightly water them.

*Place them in an area that gets either the morning or afternoon sun (midday summer sun will burn the young shoots) and water daily.

*Harvest the wheatgrass or barleygrass after seven to ten days and juice it.

*Harvest the sunflower sprouts after seven to ten days and either juice them or eat them in salads.

To provide your soil-grown sprouts with a full complement of minerals and trace minerals, take Himalayan rock salt and make a salt-water solution of one part salt to 200 parts water. Water the sprouts from day four to day seven with this salt-water solution. Alternatively, get sea water (from a clean source, preferably a few miles out to sea) and make the solution from one part sea water to 20 parts fresh water and proceed as before. You will have the healthiest looking, best-tasting, super-nutritious sprouts around.

Time To Think About Saving Your Seeds

Which seeds can be saved?

Save the best seeds! If you have a tomato that bore fruit early or a watermelon that was particularly tasty, be sure to save those seeds. Saving your own seeds is more work than buying them, but the benefit is to encourage the traits you want in your supply of garden seeds. The steps you take to save seeds will depend on the fruit or vegetable. Some seeds can be scraped easily from the flesh of the produce and are relatively dry. Other seeds are small and deeply embedded inside the fruit, making them hard to separate. For fruits and vegetables that separate easily from the produce and are not covered in pulp, simply scrape the seeds away from the produce. Spread them out evenly on a glass dish. They should NOT be layered on top of each other. The air will need to circulate easily around them to dry. Place them in a sunny window for one week. Using a glass dish, or plate, in this step prevents the seeds from sticking, as they do to a paper towel. You won't have to worry about damaging the seeds trying to remove them from the towel if you spread them out well on a glass surface.

For seeds that come with a lot of liquid or pulp, remove as much pulp as possible from the seed with your fingers. Then, soak or rinse them immediately to remove the remainder. After soaking, strain the seeds from the water with you hand or with a strainer. Then follow the steps above to dry the seeds in a window. When you are certain the seeds are well dried, place them in an envelope. Write the type of seed and the date on the envelope. Store them in a dry, dark and cool place. Very small seeds from flowering vegetables such as lettuce may simply be shaken into a paper sack. Make sure these seeds are ready to harvest before removing them from the plant. A good indication of the seeds readiness is when the flower becomes dry or begins to drop a few seeds. If you enjoy saving seeds there are a variety of seed trading forums online. You might also find it rewarding to swap seeds with other gardeners in your local area.

Saving Tomato Seeds

Save tomato seeds for planting next year. Most people think tomatoes are vegetables, but they are a fruit. To save the seeds, cut the tomato in half and with a spoon scoop out all the seeds into a glass bowl. Add some waters to the seeds to leach away sprouting inhibitors. Set the bowl aside for two to three days then pour the seeds into a fine sieve and rinse them with water. Pat them dry with a paper towel, then shake them onto a paper plate, and set them in a bright airy place to dry. Store seeds in a resealable plastic bag or container.

Saving Seeds From Summer Squash

Save seeds from the summer squash in your garden. Allow the squash to over-ripen. You'll know it's time to harvest the seeds when the flesh can be dented with a fingernail. Slice the squash open, and scrape out the seeds. Wash them and let them dry on a paper plate or paper towel. Store the dry seeds in a paper or plastic bag.