Gardenview™

For those of you who have limited space to grow things, grow boxes are a great solution. It is a great way to have fresh vegetables and fruits in the summertime without needing to have lots of room to do it in.The number of plants you can grow in a box depends on the type of plant you are growing.

Grow boxes can be purchased locally in most areas and also over the internet. They come with full instructions on assembly and how to lay out the plants to get the best results. You will get high yields so therefore you may only need one plant to have enough for eating fresh. For instance, you can plant a tomato on the end and put a cucumber next to it because the cucumber will grow low and spread out and creep down the side of the box and across whatever surface you have the box setting on.

The other convenience factor about a grow box is that they have a self-watering resevoir in the bottom and therefore you just fill it up when it gets low and the maintenance in very low. There will be little to no weeds because you fill it with potting soil. You will want to use potting soil not topsoil because the potting soil will stay loose so that the roots can have plenty of room.

I have two grow boxes on the corner of the deck just for the convenience of having them close at hand. Last year I harvested two dozen anaheim peppers off of one plant in my grow box, which made for some yummy stuffed peppers and frozen peppers for the winter. One green bean yielded several meals worth. This year I am trying a cucumber, several types of peppers, two types of tomatoes, and a watermelon in my grow boxes.

So for limited space, these are the quick and easy answer. Give it a try and don’t be scared. You will enjoy the freshness and benefits of grow boxes.

Nettle, also known as stinging nettle and itch weed grows along the banks of rivers and creeks. Did you know that it is particularly useful for treating hay fever, seasonal allergies, gout, rheumatism and arthritis? It is also full of vitamins, potassium, iron and calcium. Not only is it good for you, it is easily accessible and available.

You must be sure to wear gloves, long sleeves and pants, and not contact it with your skin at the time of harvest. If it contacts your skin you will get an itchy rash caused by the itch-inducing needles on the bottoms of the leaves. After harvest you can make a tea or tincture from the fresh leaves. The stalks can also be hung to dry and the leaves stored for making tea in the winter season.

To make a fresh tea, you need to infuse or steep the leaves for at least 10 minutes to avoid the sting from staying in and causing an irritation to the body. The tea is wonderful and usually you do not even need to add a sweetener. The tea can be consumed hot or iced. You should never consume more than three cups per day as this will give you bad diarrhea. Do not drink the tea if you get any kind of allergic reaction, such as hives, swelling or difficulty breathing.

To make a tincture you can use dried nettle leaves. Chop the leaves and place into a glass jar. Add ¾ cup vodka and ¾ cup water to the jar. Seal the jar and shake well. Allow the nettle to infuse for two weeks. Shake the tincture daily as it infuses. After two weeks has passed, strain the nettle from the tincture.

Place the tincture into a dark-colored glass jar with a dropper. Be sure to label it and put the date of preparation on the jar. Nettle tincture can be stored for several years if done properly.

Use 2 ml of tincture three times daily as an adult dose for such conditions as hay fever, seasonal allergies, gout, rheumatism, and arthritis.

To some people the task of starting plants seems to be looming overhead as soon as it starts to warm outside. I have learned through trial and error that you just can’t get too excited and start all the seeds at once. What happens when you start them all at once is that some grow quicker than others and therefore when they are ready to go outside, it is still freezing at night, and they get too large for the pots and sometimes expire before making it to the garden. I have experienced this in the past so I attended a Garden 101 class at the local Zamzows store. It was well worth the one hour that I spent there. They also handed out some valuable reference materials. One being a week-by-week chart of when to start what plant inside or if sowing straight into the ground, when is the proper time to do so.  It has done wonders for taking the guesswork out of timing problems.

Next is using the proper starting materials for your plants to grow in. There are specific seed starting soil mixtures. It does not work to just use potting soils. They are too dense for the proper germination of the seeds. The starting mixtures are very light and soak up water very quickly. I like to use the little peat pots because you can just set them in a tray and add water to the tray and let them soak it up as needed.  After adding the seeds, I cover them with saran wrap until the seedling push through. I then remove the saran wrap so they can stand up and begin to form leaves.

Lighting is the next requirement. There is a lot of information on the great wide web about grow lights and wattage of bulbs and so forth. I have used only a four-foot fluorescent shop light that we had lying around and not in use. It has done very well. The important thing is to keep it lowered right over the top of the seedlings (about 2-3 inches above) so that they will not become spindly and tall. Keeping the light low over them will make them develop much thicker, stronger stems. You want the light on 24/7 until the plants have emerged. Once the plants have emerged and formed true leaves, you can put it on an automatic timer and have it switch off 6-8 hours per day. Preferably overnight so they are in total darkness.

Thinning is also very important. You want to make sure the little seedlings have plenty of room to grow. When you see which seedlings look strongest, you can take a scissors and snip the top off the weaker ones to allow for more room. After about two weeks of growth, take the seedlings, more pots, some potting soil, and water and gently separate the seedlings and split up into separate pots with potting soil in them. This soil will start to prepare the plants for outdoors. Place them back under the lights and continue to water and let them grow.  Good luck and happy planting!