Healthy Self Reliance
Sweet clovers (both white and yellow) are excellent soil-builders because they have a deep taproot that extends through the soil profile which takes up nutrients and minerals that can be used by crops. What is the difference between white (Melilotus alba) and yellow (Melilotus officinalis) sweet clovers? The biennial yellow sweet clover takes two years …
Melilotus officinalis or Yellow Sweetclover was the king of green manures and grazing legumes in the South and later throughout the Midwest in the first half of this century. Sweetclover is used as a cover crop most commonly now in the Plains region. This cool-season biennial is an expert at mining insoluble minerals like potassium …
It is said that few legumes match Vicia villosa or “hairy vetch” for spring residue production or nitrogen contribution. Widely adapted and winter hardy through Hardiness Zone 4 and into Zone 3 (with snow cover), hairy vetch is a top nitrogen provider. The cover grows slowly in fall, but root development continues over winter. Growth …
Trifolium incarnatum, the botanical name for Crimson Clover means “blood red”. Crimson clover is a cool-season annual (in southern states) that is relatively easy to grow and is more tolerant of poor soils than other clovers. A benefit of crimson clover is it is relatively inexpensive. It is less than half the price of perennial …
Alsike clover is a nitrogen fixing legume from the Fabaceae family, the same as alfalfa, with the same ability to glean nitrogen from the air and store it in the roots, as most legumes are famous for. Alsike clover is rarely used as animal feed, as it grows close to the ground making it hard …
Beets are wonderful food plants to grow because they give a double bang for the buck. If you plant thickly, you can have plenty of greens while the young and tender plant is growing and they are most nutritious. And as you thin them out you leave room for the large bulbs to grow as the plant matures. It’s an easy way to have a lot of young greens and still keep the remaining plants growing in the garden for a while longer to produce plenty of mature beet roots for later.
Although tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, there can be problems with a variety of tomato pests and disease. The most common tomato pests and disease Aphids – I wouldn’t use pesticides when there is such an easy way to kill them. An organic way of dealing with them is to spray with soapy water. …
There are many advantages seed planting your own tomatoes Starting tomatoes from seed is a very rewarding experience. Watching them grow from a tiny (and tomato seed ARE tiny!) seed into a towering plant full of the most delicious taste experience ever is tremendously fun! It may have a few days of hard work involved, …
It’s easy,very inexpensive and they taste better too so lets get started! STEP 1: Which tomatoes should I grow? If you have a long growing season then you would want to go with an indeterminate variety which grows all summer long. If your growing season is short then you would go with a determinate variety …
Compost is what is left over when organic matter decomposes. Organic matter can be things like vegetable scraps, leaves, mown grass and any other garden waste. This material will decompose without any assistance at all, though you can help it along and enjoy the benefits of compost faster if you wish. Because it doesn’t contain …