-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
Lettuce
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!
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
Bugging Out: Part Three
Pests are on the rise at this time of season, but so is Dig It's eradication knowledge. Here are more bad bugs and ways to get rid of them. Cucumber Beetle The Lowdown: Like the fabled mermaids, cucumber beetles are gorgeous in appearance, but deadly in their actions. More unfortunate is the fact that the cucumber is just one of many plants the beetle attacks. Documentation of the cuke beetle indicates it will feast on over 200 different plants in … [Read more...] about Bugging Out: Part Three
The Groundhog Has Spoken Part Two: Buffet Preparation for the Hole Dwellers
Spring should be early this year thanks to some solid predictions by a glutton inspired groundhog. What do groundhogs love to eat? Virtually anything that grows. And since Nibbles (Asheville's resident cuddly crop destroyer) did give gardeners a head start, it's only appropriate that we plant some veggie seeds for her future munching. Some of the best veggie seeds to start this weekend indoors (and then transplant outside) are broccoli, cabbage, chard, kale, and lettuce. All these seeds are … [Read more...] about The Groundhog Has Spoken Part Two: Buffet Preparation for the Hole Dwellers
