-Gabrial House- On the blog this week I wanted to take a closer look at flushing our indoor crops before harvest. I often get asked if I flush my plants, what I use to flush my plants and for how long do I flush my crop? Flushing your indoor crop at the end of its life cycle is a critical step that should not be overlooked. To get the most out of our indoor crops, we tend to push our plants hard, using an array of fertilizers and supplements; however, when it comes time to harvest our … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Flush
indoor gardening
Hey Gardeners? No Need to Be Bored During Winter!
-Naomi Austin- This time of year, as the leaves fall, and the wind’s chill stings our cheeks, a lot of us don’t think about gardening. However, this time of year is ideal for maintenance, planning, and preparations that will pay great dividends come spring planting time! Tool Care Your gardening tools get a lot of abuse during planting season! They need care during the winter months to keep them sharp and rust free, especially if you own any of our DeWit heirloom tools or Felco pruners. … [Read more...] about Hey Gardeners? No Need to Be Bored During Winter!
The Indoor Gardener’s Gift List of Dreams
-Gabrial House- The Holidays can be a fun, hectic time filled with family and friends. With holiday shopping, dinners, and outings the season just flies by. Today I want to talk about a few items that the indoor grower has probably put off buying until this special time of the year. If you are or know someone who loves to garden indoors, then Fifth Season Gardening Co. is the one-stop shop for you! Lots of growers have a tried and true nutrient regimen that they trust and love. … [Read more...] about The Indoor Gardener’s Gift List of Dreams
Hydroponic Growing Media (Part 2)
-Luis Guerra- In my last submission for the Fifth Season blog, I spoke about three types of media used in hydroponic growing: Canna coco, expanded clay pebbles by Hydrocorn, and Sunleaves ‘Rocks.’ These are all great choices, but they are not the only options available. This post will cover three additional growing media for use in hydroponic growing. Let’s start by talking about rockwool. Produced by heating basalt rock and chalk into a molten lava, rockwool is then spun out (sort of … [Read more...] about Hydroponic Growing Media (Part 2)
Winter Gardening Indoors
Gardeners can have mixed feelings at this time of the year. Some start getting antsy, looking for something green to start or plant. Others see this as a time of rest, a time to enjoy the fruits of our labors. For those of you who just want to kick back and enjoy the time off for now, this article is not for you. But, for those of you who are itching to grow something right now, read on, because where there is a will, there is a way. Lighting technology has not only allowed humans to thrive … [Read more...] about Winter Gardening Indoors
Hydroponic Lettuce, Simple!
Hydroponic lettuce is surprisingly easy to grow and a great confidence builder for a beginner hydro enthusiast, myself included. I work part time at Fifth Season Carrboro (one year this month!). When I first started working at the store, there were several young guys who were enthusiastic about hydro and took care of that part of the business. They were dialed in, and it was all a mystery to me. My husband was more enthusiastic than I was. But as I watched the plants cycling in and out of … [Read more...] about Hydroponic Lettuce, Simple!
Plant Containers: Plastic vs. Fabric
Humans have been cultivating plants in containers for thousands of years. Horticultural pottery fragments from Egyptian settlements date back to 10,000 years ago, and more recent Roman remains have shown that they were likely the first to grow perennials in containers for the purpose of bringing them indoors during colder weather. As gardeners in 2015, the only things that differentiates us is the technology. Unglazed terracotta containers were the OGs of container gardening – these porous … [Read more...] about Plant Containers: Plastic vs. Fabric
How to Grow Year Round Salad Greens
Every gardener I know grows lettuce for salad greens, because it is one of those vegetables that we tend to eat on a daily basis, and usually with at least one meal every day year round. So, we need a lot of it, and we need it often and always. Luckily, salad greens are one of the easiest crops to grow for a perpetual crop. Perpetual, or year round, salad greens can be grown indoors or out and I do both. I have two 4’ x 6’ raised beds that I use outdoors, and a table set up with grow … [Read more...] about How to Grow Year Round Salad Greens
Electrical Conductivity and hydroponic gardening
Electrical Conductivity (EC) measures a material's ability to conduct an electric current and the conductivity of a solution is directly related to the amount of salts dissolved in it. The more salts, the higher the EC. Why is this relevant to hydroponic gardening? Well, hydroponic nutrients are primarily composed of mineral salts, so Electrical Conductivity can give you an idea of how many nutrients are in your solution. Each ion in the solution has a different specific conductivity and … [Read more...] about Electrical Conductivity and hydroponic gardening
Plant Lighting Pt 1: Plants see PAR, humans see Lumens
Most gardeners know lumens to be the “measure of the total ‘amount’ of visible light emitted by a source.” What they often do not know is that this “visible light” only refers to light that is visible to the human eye with no regard to the distribution of that light energy over the spectrum. Why does this matter? Imagine three lamps: let these lamps be red, blue, and green, and let each emit the same number of watts of optical energy. On a lumen scale, the red and blue lamps would have a much … [Read more...] about Plant Lighting Pt 1: Plants see PAR, humans see Lumens
