-Jordan Trent- Howdy, FSG crew! Question: How much is that fancy store-bought kombucha habit setting you back monthly? Is the sweet vinegary goodness weighing down your budget? Are your children’s extra organs looking more valuable by the minute (Just kidding kids, stay in school!) You’ve come to the right place, because I’m about to change your life. Not only is kombucha almost comically easy to make, it is also cheeaap. Dirt cheap. Ramen cheap. Prepare for the most delicious Pineapple … [Read more...] about Making Your Own Kombucha is Just This Easy
Tips for Growing a More Sustainable Garden
-Patrick Metz- People start gardening for a bunch of different reasons: the joy of creating and growing something; the deliciousness of home-grown vegetables and fruits; knowing where your food comes from and how it has been grown; concern for our environment and the impact of industrial food systems; the sheer delight of a beautiful landscape, and more. Here at Fifth Season we advocate gardening in harmony with, not in opposition to, natural rhythms and processes. It’s not only good … [Read more...] about Tips for Growing a More Sustainable Garden
Calculating Your Potential ABV
-Ryan Blankenship- As a home brewer at Fifth Season Gardening, I get fairly frequent requests about how to properly calculate the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of beer/ wine. In this blog, I’ll walk through the measurements and calculations necessary to determine ABV of your brew. First let’s take a look at what these numbers mean on a standard hydrometer (an instrument used to measure the density of liquids). One side of the hydrometer shows Specific Gravity, which is the ratio of the density … [Read more...] about Calculating Your Potential ABV
Beginning Hydroponics: Walking Through a Simple DIY Hydro Setup
-Naomi Austin- I started working at Fifth Season almost two years ago. I was hired because I love plants and am easy to talk to. Was I a super-experienced gardener? No, but I had basic gardening experience and wanted to learn (and HAVE learned) so much, by talking to customers and colleagues, and from my own experiences with plants at the store and at home. Now I am confident in my understanding of most plants’ basic needs, including common garden plants and houseplants in the home. One area … [Read more...] about Beginning Hydroponics: Walking Through a Simple DIY Hydro Setup
How to Tell if Your Garden Soil Is Ready for Planting
-Ryan Blankenship- The very first step in determining if your soil is ready for planting is to simply dig yourself a small hole where you would like your planting site to be. By digging this small hole, you will be able to determine if you have loose or clay soil. Like many people in our area, we typically have a lot of red clay where we would like to plant. I also like to send a soil sample out to our state agricultural extension program to get tested to understand the NPK … [Read more...] about How to Tell if Your Garden Soil Is Ready for Planting
Pet Friendly Houseplants
-Pam Scott- Fifth Season Gardening has an impressive array of tropical house plants ready for you to choose from for brightening and humidifying your home. The most frequently asked question we hear from our tropical plant customers is, “Which houseplants are safe for pets?” As the mother of two precocious boxer puppies, as well as the mother of close to 50 house plants, I know that keeping them all safe and healthy is a priority. Most cats and dogs eat plant material at some time. It's … [Read more...] about Pet Friendly Houseplants
Homemade Coffee Liqueur
-Luis Guerra- Looking for a delicious homemade gift to give your friends and family? This easy to make Coffee Liqueur is a simple and delicious way to show them how much they are loved. Similar to the Popular Kahlua or Tia Maria, this alcoholic coffee drink is simple to make at home with little effort. I’m going to walk you through the process I used in making my last batch of this delicious treat! First, combine ½ Cups of Espresso Coffee Grounds and 3 Cups of water in a Quart Mason … [Read more...] about Homemade Coffee Liqueur
WaterFarm and Indoor Gardening: Product Overview and Review
-Jordan Capps- Reporting from your friendly neighborhood Fifth Season Gardening store, I’m here to shine a light on a hidden gem in our inventory, a product that doesn’t get nearly enough attention for the ease and versatility it affords the home gardener. Adoring public, meet the WaterFarm, a hybrid Top Drip/DWC hydroponic unit from General Hydroponics. Each unit consists of a 4 gallon reservoir, a 2 gallon growing chamber that nests inside the reservoir, a pumping column, and a drip … [Read more...] about WaterFarm and Indoor Gardening: Product Overview and Review
Blumats and No-Till Gardening
-Mike Weeks- Growing organically has always been a passion for us, and we love learning and teaching the best methods to do so. Since it's cold, and none of us are really spending much time out in the garden, I thought I would bring you to one of our off-site, indoor hemp gardens, because there’s plenty of action happening there. I have been practicing a gardening method known as “no-till”, a term well-known in the outdoor gardening community, but there are ways to apply this to an indoor … [Read more...] about Blumats and No-Till Gardening
Caring for Christmas Cactus
-Pam Scott- Winter can seem pretty bleak on the plant front, but there are a lot of beautiful, colorful holiday plants for inside the home or office. Unusual varieties of poinsettia, lush green Norfolk Island Pines, and blooming exotic Christmas cactus are the perfect plants to brighten these dark leafless winter days. The decorative holiday plant we get the most questions about this time of year is the Christmas cactus, or Schlumbergera. We might assume that all cacti prefer sunny, dry … [Read more...] about Caring for Christmas Cactus
