Start your own seeds from home!
Starting seeds is just one more step toward self sufficiency and facilitates an intimate connection between the growers and their food. Starting your seeds is fun and easy! Here are a few simple tips for getting your spring crops growing:
1. Soil needs to be loose, seeds need to be able to push through it in all directions.
2. The soil needs to be made up of only small particles. (large pieces in the soil mix can lay on top of small seeds and get in the way of them sprouting.)
3. The soil should be rich and full of all the nutrients it needs to get started. (The soil should be at least twice as fertilized as the garden where they will be transplanted)
4. The soil should be able to hold water but not too much. (Peat moss or coco fiber really helps.)
If you have any more questions or would like to be a part of making a batch of
amazing germination mix come to one of the classes.
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Plant of the Week:
Swiss Chard
Chard is a leafy green and a descendant of the Sea Beet. The plant is harvested by selecting leaves from the base. Chard is directly related to garden beets, even though leaves are exclusively eaten as opposed to the edible roots found on most beet plants. Chard is bitter and salty and contains extremely high levels of Vitmains A, K, and C and numerous other essential minerals. Many cultures grow Chard and cook it the same way you would cook Collarsd, Kale, or spinach. It has deep flavors much like kale and collards, with the tenderness found in spinach varieties.
Check this simple yet elegant preparation of Swiss Chard! |
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Chalkboard Talk:
School Garden tips from Farmer Ashley
This week is an important week for schools around the United States. Congress will be updating the Child Nutrition Act which affects the quality of school meals, potential farm to school programs, and nutrition education. Slow Food USA is calling all citizens who care about what food their children get offered at school everyday to contact their legislator and let them know how they feel.
Email your Legislators in support of real food in schools, today! |
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Compost
Corner
Keeping
It Hot! Farmer D's Compost Tips
Spring and Summer Carbon Sources
As we approach the beautiful, green spring, you may notice that there are less and less dry leaves available to add to your compost as a source of carbon. A good composting system works on a ratio close to 3:1 of carbon sources such as dry leaves, to nitrogen sources such as green waste and table scraps. A good way to get carbon sources during a green, nitrogen rich growing season, is to let your weeds and plant matter from the garden dry in the sun. When they go from green to brown, they have lost their nitrogen richness and what is left is a light carbon source. If your compost is not heating up and staying pretty stinky, that means there could be too much nitrogen.
Check out these great Composting resources! » |
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Farmer D Organics Garden Center - Now with 2 Locations!
2154 Briarcliff Rd. Atlanta, GA 30329
4050 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Norcross, GA 30092
Opening Hours:
M-Sat: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Sat: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sun: 11am - 4:30pm |
Call or email us for more information
(404) 325-0128
info@farmerd.com
Copyright © 2009 Farmer D Organics |
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