-Gabrial House- This week on the blog I wanted to talk about one of my favorite products on the market today, Mammoth P - the beneficial bacteria that packs a punch! Mammoth P is the only microbial inoculant that will help your plant uptake phosphorus, giving you a significant increase on your end harvest results. Mammoth P is a microbial inoculant that does exactly what it says it will do, and that’s organically increase your yields. It breaks down the phosphorus within your growing media, … [Read more...] about Product Review: Mammoth P – Get The Most From Your Grow
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Nectar-Producing Plants and Host Plants: Superheroes of the Garden
-Pam Scott- The importance of pollinating and beneficial insects in our world cannot be over stressed. The production of 3⁄4 of our major food crops depends on insect pollinators. Most of the crops we grow and eat (tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, eggplants, fruits and berries, to name just a few) need pollinators to produce fruit. Unfortunately, the population of both native and managed pollinators is in decline due to destruction of habitat and the use of broad-spectrum pesticides. Perversely, … [Read more...] about Nectar-Producing Plants and Host Plants: Superheroes of the Garden
Kokedama: Lazy-Person’s Bonsai
-Kristin Weeks- It wasn’t long after first learning about kokedama that I decided to try my hand at it, and that meant reading as much as I possibly could about its history and all the best practices that the internet had to offer about how to make these adorable, container-less string gardens. A lovely woman then came into the store looking for a new plant for her bathroom and we went on a hunt for the perfect pot to go with it. After exhausting our options (since surface space was a … [Read more...] about Kokedama: Lazy-Person’s Bonsai
Kveik: A Hot New Yeast Trend in Homebrewing
-Peter McMindes- Norway has been using kveik for centuries, passing it down through generations of brewing families, providing unique characteristics to farmhouse ales. Kveik (pronounced “kwike”), means “yeast” in Norwegian, and the strain has remained relatively unchanged in areas that engage in traditional farmhouse brewing. The name kveik refers to the yeast itself, not the style of beer, and it is extremely genetically diverse while exhibiting characteristics not typical in other brewing … [Read more...] about Kveik: A Hot New Yeast Trend in Homebrewing
Build Your Own Super Soil
-Ryan Blankenship- What exactly is super soil? Super soil is a blend of many different amendments that will feed your plants from seed to harvest. This blend will give your plants all of the essential nutrients they need to lead happy lives and keep them from having any deficiencies. In this blog I will give you a great recipe and explain what each amendment does for your soil. 8 x 1.5 cu.ft. bags of organic soil (Roots Organic or Ocean forest works the best) 30 lb bag of … [Read more...] about Build Your Own Super Soil
P-K Boost
-Gabrial House- During a plant’s life cycle it goes through several different phases of growth. At the beginning of its life, it wants a lot of nitrogen and a good amount of phosphorus. These nutrients allow the plant to grow in biomass, meaning the plant is creating a large root system and lots of leafy green material. As growers, we refer to this phase in a plant’s life as its vegetative stage. As the plant enters its reproductive stage, however, it shifts focus away from green, … [Read more...] about P-K Boost
Edible Perennials – Deliciousness Year After Year
-Mike Weeks- So here we are, back to that time of the season when gardeners get that itch to get out and start planting something. This post will focus on the gift that keeps on giving: edible perennials. Fruit trees, berries, and perennial vegetables provide a bounty year after year, and now is the best time to plant them. In this post, I’ll cover planting and care basics for a few of our most sought after selections. Strawberries These can be planted in early spring and will need a … [Read more...] about Edible Perennials – Deliciousness Year After Year
Fining Your Beer With Gelatin
-Peter McMindes- As homebrewers, we pride ourselves on delivering delicious tasting beer to our friends, family and ourselves. While demonstrating how well-made fresh beer tastes, we also like to focus on the presentation. When seeing the brightness and clarity of other homebrewers’ beer, you may wonder how they achieve such a level in the finished product, and the answer is usually a fining agent known as gelatin. Many commercial and larger craft breweries may filter their beer and use … [Read more...] about Fining Your Beer With Gelatin
Beginning with Bonsai
-Naomi Austin- There are a lot of opinions out there when it comes to bonsai plants -- so many, that it can be a bit intimidating to approach this deeply enjoyable pastime. But trust me, once you get started, you’ll have a hard time foregoing the pleasure that bonsai gardening affords you. It can be so calming to focus on small spaces and intricate details, creating and trimming your tiny worlds in a pot. Let me start by saying that I am not a “Bonsai Master”. I have learned how to pot … [Read more...] about Beginning with Bonsai
Growing Microgreens Indoors – It’s Easier Than You Might Think!
-Mike Weeks- Growing food indoors might seem intimidating, but it is something that you can incorporate into any homestead. Using LED or even T5 fluorescent lighting, it is very easy to set up a small growing space that doesn’t require much energy to produce quality results. This single indoor space can serve several purposes: growing plant starts for the outdoor garden; keeping a few herbs around through winter; supplying supplemental lighting for a house plant or two; or growing my favorite … [Read more...] about Growing Microgreens Indoors – It’s Easier Than You Might Think!
