Starting A Vegetable Garden

<BACK

Consumers can save a lot of money at the grocery store by planting a vegetable garden from seeds. Michelle Obama is leading the way, planting the first vegetable garden at the White House since World War II.

According to the National Gardening Association:

  • A $70 investment in a garden can yield as much as $600 in produce for the year.
  • The number of people planting vegetable gardens is expected to be up almost 20% in 2009.
  • One-fifth of this year’s gardeners will be new to the activity.
  • Some local Ace Hardware stores are already seeing a 300% increase in seed sales in 2009 over last year.

 What you’ll need:

  • Peat pellet greenhouse ($7.99)

  • Spray bottle (or watering can)
  • Assortment of vegetable seeds ($1.79 to $2.99)
  • AeroGarden (for year-round indoor gardening, starting at $99.99)

 Tips:

  • You typically want to start flower seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting outdoors and vegetable seeds 4-5 weeks before transplanting outdoors.
  • Peat pellets serve as the soil and the pot and have a hole in the top for the seeds. The greenhouse cover keeps the plants warm and keeps moisture in until the seeds germinate. Using peat pellets also helps avoid the mess of potting soil.
  • Starting seeds indoors is a great family activity. Even small children can help plant the seeds in the peat pellets, keep the pellets watered and, eventually, transplant the peat pods into an outdoor garden.

Steps:

 

  • Water peat pellets until they are approximately 1 1/2” tall, dark brown in color and no longer absorbing water.
  • Sow 2-3 seeds per pellet to a depth that is twice the thickness of the seed. Cover lightly with peat.
  • Cover tray with greenhouse dome, place in warm location and keep moist.
  • When seeds sprout, remove dome and place tray in sunny indoor location.
  • Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost is past. Gradually increase pellet exposure to outdoor temperatures before transplanting.
  • Dig holes to depth to cover top of peat pellets and plant the entire pellet in the ground.

 

  • An AeroGarden is a great way to quickly and easily grow herbs indoors. The secret to hydroponic gardening is that it doesn’t use soil. The plant roots are suspended in air and a nutrient rich water solution continually drips over the roots, making it easier for the plant to absorb nutrients.
  • The AeroGarden is easy – you just plug the seedpods in, add the nutrient tablets and add water every week or so.
  • Because it’s so much more efficient, you can grow plants in a hydroponic garden much more quickly. Most plants grow within 3-6 weeks and you can harvest from them for a full 6-8 full weeks.

For more information contact us at info@acealamedastation.com.

 
<BACK

2011 Invoco Enterprises, Inc.  All rights reserved.