Unlike roses, which chug Miracle-Gro as if it were water, perennials don’t need a whole lot of extra fertilizer. In fact, if you give them too much fertilizer, perennials get leggy and tend to flop.
This time of year, you’re going to be seeing pests coming at you from all directions. Read on for some helpful, eco-friendly hacks to help you keep the damage to a minimum.
If you have a limited amount of space, or if you have terrible soil, then you can grow your tomatoes in a container. A number of determinate tomato varieties are specially bred for this purpose, bearing a nice bunch of tomatoes in a small pot.
It’s time to get those roses growing! There are many other organic ingredients that you can add to the soil to improve it, as well as stimulants to boost growth in your roses.
Once the potato vines blossom, you can carefully dig into the side of the hill to start harvesting new potatoes. Take only what you need so the potato plant can go on producing.
The soil amendments you add don’t have to be scientifically balanced. Many times I simply use what I have at hand.
Have you ever seen a bare-root rose? When you pull one out of the cool, moist mulch it’s stored in, all you see are a couple of thorny sticks on top, a couple of black roots on the bottom … if this is the bottom …. And you think, I’m spending twenty-some bucks for this? However, a good bare-root rose is worth every cent.
One of the most important things a gardener can do is to build up the soil in her garden. But keep in mind that soil-building is not a one-time operation – it’s a process.
In the fall, after you stop deadheading the rose, you will be rewarded with large, orange hips. (On the rose, not on your body.)
The tomato seeds will germinate more effectively if you have a heat mat under the cups or trays. This will warm the soil with dependable heat, allowing the seedlings to germinate more quickly and grow out more quickly. Just be sure to get a thermostat with the mats so you can adjust the temperature so you don’t end up cooking your seeds.