Tag: beginner gardening

Two Easy Ways To Grow Celery

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Vegetables
person feeding vegetable on brown animal

Did you know that MARCH IS CELERY MONTH??!! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate celery regularly by growing and eating this nutritious vegetable!

Going to the grocery store is quite a pain to the posterior to get any vegetables. You never know if the product is worth buying at such prices and with the quantity of the produce. Have you ever gone to the grocery store knowing the celery there is a toss-up between if it is fresh or nasty? It’s disappointing when you get the nasty sleeve of celery. When growing your celery, you don’t need to front a disgruntled face. You will know how it is grown, what soil its uses, and how healthy it is.

If you are interested in sowing it in your garden, here are the two most straightforward ways to grow celery.

These 2 Easy Ways include:

  • From a seed
  • From the bottom root of the celery

Planting Celery from a Seed

  • Plant the seed in nutritious soil. For example, if you have any from your compost pile or manure, use that. Miracle-Gro also works.
  • Make sure you water the seeds consistently. Celery loves moisture. The plant will get limp and stringy if celery doesn’t get the water it needs.
  • When you plant a celery seed, it takes approximately 135 days to mature. Therefore, if you are adamant about growing celery, start early.

Planting the Root of Celery

Have you thrown out the root of the celery in the trash or the compost bin after using what you need? Of course, but you don’t have to do that anymore.

Here are the steps to planting celery in your garden:

  • Chop off the end of the celery
  • Please put it in a bowl with a couple of inches of water, and make sure you change the water every few days.
    • I wanted to experiment with a celery end since my curiosity was piqued. I always wanted to see if growing celery from the end scrap was proven accurate, from what I kept hearing about growing vegetables from scraps.
    • When I put the end of the celery in a bowl, I started to see the middle of the bunch beginning to sprout within a week.
    • These ends sprout for months until the growth is stunted.
    • Below is a picture of my experiment.
  • Plant in your desired location once the middle of the celery end sprouts.
    • I would do about 6 inches to 1 ft before sowing into the ground.
    • Be careful of the middle when you are planting celery in soil.
  • To harvest, look below for tips.

Perennial or Biennial?

Celery is a biennial plant. Biennial plants will not return after two years of producing food for you. Therefore, you will need to plant it again if you want more.

Tips for Celery

  • When you plant your celery, grow it outside in colder temperatures or even in containers in your house with a colder environment.
    • If you decide to plant the seeds in the spring outside your garden, make sure that they have some shade or cover them for the first six weeks.
  • According to Almanac.com, celery needs three things to grow well.
    1. Cool Weather.
    2. Constant Watering
    3. Rich soil, like compost.
  • Can be grown in a sunny place or under a grow light
  • As a note in the back of your brain, remember that when you grow celery, it takes a long time. The growth time is about 135 days or approximately a 1/4 of a year to develop (3 to 4 months)
  • For Harvesting:
    • You can either cut the stalk individually or from above the soil line. It all depends on how much you need and when.

In conclusion:

Celery is low carb, low calorie, and great for your health. You can eat it in soups, cook it in other recipes, or even have it as a snack with peanut butter if that tickles your fancy. Celery might take longer to grow than most. But in the end, it helps your health and your wallet.

One thing you should note before growing your celery: it takes approximately four months to develop. Please ensure you are committed to celery and know how much you need for your family since it’s one of the slowest growing vegetables.

If you want to know more, Almanac.com has more information about celery, pests, and more tips on celery.

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Happy Gardening!

20 Foods Your Dog Absolutely Love from Your Garden

My pup, Deacon, is my adopted child. I wouldn’t want him to eat anything I wouldn’t eat besides dog food. If you love your dog(s) as much as I do, you will do anything to ensure your fur baby is happy and healthy.

When I grow food in my garden for Deacon, he loves it more when it comes straight from my garden. Honestly, it’s probably because of the fresh dirt and its smell.

Store-bought VS Garden Grown

I don’t know about you, but I would rather know what is in and on my dog’s food than buy it from a store with pesticides. Plus, when you grow foods from your garden, you will feel a sense of pride and know your dog will love the foods you harvest.

Dogs can eat several human foods you grow in your garden. However, dogs are different regarding what they love to eat from the garden. For example, my Deacon loves carrots, apples, and watermelons I grow for him.

According to the American Kennel Club, there are a few things that you can grow that your dogs can eat. However, please don’t overfeed them. Contact your vet if they get sick or are allergic to one of these things.

What Foods From Your Garden Can Your Dog at Any Time?

Remember my gardening lovelies: don’t go crazy feeding them these, even if they suit them.

Also, as a side note, if your dog needs to lose weight, I’ve been told by my vet a couple of times that green beans are great for them to eat and get them to lose that flab. You can add them to your dog’s dry food or homemade, wet food you give them, especially if they have a sensitive tum.

Of course, there are foods that you can only give in moderation. They are below.

Crops that you can give your dogs in moderation:

  • Bananas
  • Cantaloupe
  • Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries)
  • Oranges
  • Mangos
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach

Things to note Before Giving Your Dog different foods from your garden:

Please note that depending on your dog’s stomach, they might have an allergy to that particular fruit or vegetable. Make sure you talk to the vet if they have an allergic reaction.

Also, ensure that fruits with seeds are removed before feeding them to your kids. You don’t want them choking or getting sick.

Is it okay to feed my dog their dog food and the produce I grow?

Yes. This is okay. Ensure you cut the servings so your dogs don’t gain weight and become rolly-polly. That’s something that you don’t need: to be yelled at by your vet about your dog’s weight.

Your dog(s) need different vitamins and minerals besides the store-bought dog food you can grow. So feeding them different things gives them a complete diet worth. Plus, brownie points, if you develop these for your dog, the cost of groceries won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Try out some different fruits and vegetables for your babies you have grown in your garden. Of course, there will be some that they will not like and others that can’t get enough of them. Please remember that your dog should be like when you eat, all in moderation.

Happy Gardening, lovelies! 🙂

How To Compost And Why It’s Important?

Composting is one of the aspects of gardening that is gross but essential to growing plants. It’s the circle of life. There is dirt to grow crops. Crops grow, and we harvest them. We eat it, then throw it away. But where does it go after it’s thrown out? Usually, a trash dump, right? Of course. However, what if you can help your garden by throwing out the things you eat by composting them instead of tossing them to improve your soil? How does this help me, and why would I compost?

What is Composting? Why is it important when gardening?

Composting is a mixture of decomposed organic materials, which helps with fertilizing your plants. Your pile comprises green and brown materials from your yard or food waste. Once you have the elements for your Compost together, add water regularly and sunlight. Finally, ensure you turn over the Compost, and abracadabra, you get rich Compost.

Composting is important for plenty of reasons:

Photo by Sippakorn Yamkasikorn on Pexels.com
  • By composting, you return food waste back to agriculture and not into a dump
    • It keeps food waste out of the dumps. Did you know that more than 25% of food is tossed into dumps that could be composted instead?
    • It also helps with reducing methane gases from landfills.
  • You have better quality and growth of crops with compost.
  • Compost helps to repair your contaminated soils from hazardous waste, and it doesn’t break your budget.
  • It helps with reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization by remedying and improving their soil.
  • Protects the quality of groundwater
  • Prevents erosion and turf loss from roadsides, hillsides, etc.
  • Reduces the use of fertilizers
  • Increases earthworms in your soil to aid in producing good quality crops
  • If you have sandy or clay soils, compost will increase soil content.

What Do I Need to Start Composting?

Before you start composting, you have to decide or think about where you live and how that will affect your composting. You can compost if you live in a city or a rural environment. But, you need to consider what kind of gardening you are doing and how much soil you need for your plants. Again, this depends on where you live; you can build a compost pile in your backyard.

You will need a few things before starting your pile. The supplies are below. Some are optional, and you can use them, depending on how deep your bin or pile is.

Supplies include:

  • Water (a hose or a watering can)
  • A bin (depending on where you live)
  • Compost pitchfork (a long one lets you toss the organic matter better if it’s a pile)
  • Shovel or Spade (to turn the almost completed compost

These supplies depend on what compost container or pile you use.

Now that you have your supplies in your compost pile, you are ready to begin composting. All you need now are the main elements to make compost.

Green VS Browns of Composting

Composting consists of both green and brown materials in a pile. Each has its job of creating rich soil for your garden. There are nutrients that your compost pile needs to create quality, rich soil.

Greens are materials that add nitrogen to your compost soil. In addition, these materials give decomposer organisms that assist in creating healthy soil and protein. Some examples include vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee, tea, green clippings, and plants.

Brown materials are carbon materials. Browns help by being energy for organisms in the soil. It also needs to be triple the number of greens. Some examples are dead leaves, pine needles, hay, and newspapers.

 A GOOD THING TO KNOW:

The compost pile is NOT supposed to smell. What if it does? What should I do? When it starts to reek, you have more green materials in your bin than browns. The ratio of your Compost is 2:1.

So, remember adding more brown materials than greens equals better and less stinky odors. A bonus point for you is that your neighbors won’t complain about the smell if you do this. I know it’s easier to put in green materials than add browns.

What Can I Put in the Compost?

GreensBrowns
Most kitchen scraps, such as most fruit and vegetable wasteHay and Straw
EggshellsNutshells
Pet fur and human hairCereal boxes
Tea grounds and tea leavesString, wool, and cotton thread
Corn husks and cobsLeaves
Coffee grounds and filtersToilet paper and paper towel rolls
Fresh grass clippingsSawdust, wood chips, and ashes from wood

Above are only some examples of green and brown materials that can go into your compost bin.

What Cannot Put in the Compost?

  • Plastic (like plastic grocery bags
  • Animal bones
  • Meats
  • Fat, oils, and grease
  • Colored newspaper
  • Dairy products
  • Whole eggs
  • Pet waste and kitty litter (only put waste in the compost if the pet has a vegan diet)
  • Glossy paper
  • Coal or charcoal
  • Large wood pieces
  • Treated wood
  • Leftovers (unless they are vegan)
  • Combustible utensils and take-out containers
  • Tissues and paper towels (REMEMBER: ONLY PAPER TOWEL AND TP ROLLS)
  • Plant waste treated with pesticides

Where Should I Put My Compost Pile or Bin?

It would help if you had your compost pile or bins somewhere easy to access. However, please do not put it where your neighbors catch wind of the awful smell of the pile. As a side note: your compost should NEVER smell.

Make sure the compost bin or pill is placed on leveled, well-drained land and a place that gets ample sunlight.

How to Get Quicker Results for My Compost Pile Since I Need It Now?

 There are quite a few opinions about the completion rate of your compost pile. The average rate you can have completed Compost is from 1 month to 1 year, depending on how much you are tending to the mound and how much is in a pile.

Is there a way to get your compost to finish faster? Yes, there are a few ways. You can:

  • Air it out. Organisms in the compost pile need a bit of oxygen every once in and while to live. Turn over your pile weekly to ensure that these little creatures helping you out are properly oxygenated.
  • Increase your space inside the bin for new materials. Use your pitchfork to get in there and break down the compost into smaller bits before adding more into the pile. This aids the organisms in breaking down the compost easier and faster.
  • Check the Water of your compost pile. I
    • If you want to speed up the process for your compost pile, make sure you have about 40-60% water in your compost pile. Your compost proceeds slower if you have a dehydrated pile.
      • To test your pile, take the clumps of the piles from different areas and squeeze them. You are on the right track if the clump feels like a wrung-out sponge. If not, water that pile.

If I Have More Food or Yard Waste Than I Need for My Compost Bin or Cannot Compost, How Can I Contribute and Help the Environment? Where Can I Take It?

If you want to help your community and have extra brown and green materials that you need for your compost pile, you can:

  • Check out the Compost Now website at compostnow.org to see if they service your area. The service office, homes, and restaurants help reduce food waste in trash dumps.
  • Donate to a local farmer.
  • Contact your county extension agent for possible places to donate food waste
  • Look into local nurseries or landscapers to see if they make compost for their business
Rachel Wagaman

Rachel is a content writer who helps create engaging content for clients to succeed in their endeavors. You can see her snuggling up with her pitbull, gardening, or watching old movies in her free time.

How to Deal With Being Stung by a Bee

It’s warm weather season! All kinds of bugs come out of the woodwork, including bees.

Bees are amazing creatures and important for naturally pollinating our crops. Some pollen sticks onto their bodies when bees pollinate a flower and fly off. As the bee flies from flower to flower, fertilization occurs, and plants thrive, reproduce, and give other wildlife a food source while carrying to produce their own.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Bees and wasps can make their nests anywhere.

It’s a pain to get stung. I did two summers ago. Wasps buried their nest underneath one of my parent’s bushes near the front walk, and I got stung in the chest.

It is scary that the nest could be anywhere you don’t expect them to be. So, while you are gardening or relaxing on your porch, make sure that you look under trees, roof eaves, equipment, pool decks, etc.

What can you do to avoid being stung by bees while outside gardening?

When you see a bee, do your best to avoid being stung, especially if you are allergic. Here are some ways to do that.

According to the CDC, you should do these things to avoid bees:

  • First, wear pale colors as much when outside.
    • Bees believe that you are a flower if you wear vibrant colors outdoors
    • Beekeepers wear white suits because they will not get stung as much with light-colored clothes.
  • Avoid using scented soaps, shampoos, and deodorants.
    • Make sure to shower/bathe every day.
  • According to the CDC, when you sweat, bees sting you. Sweat angers bees.
    • If you know that you will be around many flowering plants or gardening, wear clothing that will cover your body as much as possible. Also, ensure it is sweat-resistant, if possible. I know it’s tough not to sweat while outside in the heat tending to your garden.
Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com
  • Working outside in your gardens, keep the food waste to a minimum.
    • It also applies if you have a compost pile that is not a bin. Wasps like to hide underneath those as well near discarded food. So, please be careful when you are around garbage and food waste.
  • If you are allergic to bees, ensure to have your EpiPen with you at all times, just in case something does happen. It’s always good you are prepared for anything.
    • If it is a severe allergy, wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace for the EMTs to care for you as fast as possible.
  • Have you ever had a bee fly into your car? Trust me. It happens more times than I like. I joke that they think I’m too sweet and want to ride with me.
    • If a bee comes into your car and you drive, slowly pull over to the side of the road and open all the windows. You want to make sure that the bee has a way to escape from your car.

What can you do if you get a bee sting?

  • Do your best to stay calm. From experience, you will get irked and frustrated, maybe even scared.
    • When you swat at an individual wasp or bee, it may sting you again.
  • Got stung by multiple bees, what do you do? When bees sting, it releases a cocktail of chemicals (Melittin, histamine, and other proteins), according to Bee Culture, the magazine for American beekeeping.
  • When getting stung, all I have to tell you is to: Run away! Get to a safe place away from the bees.
  • Go indoors and take cover.
  • Get into a shaded area to hide from them.
  • What not to do: Jump into the pool or other bodies of water. Bees are known to hover over the water and continue to sting you.

Applying First Aid to a Bee Sting

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  • Do not know if you are allergic, have someone watch over you for a bit to make sure you don’t react to the sting.
  • Clean the area with soap and water.
  • If you see a stinger in your skin, use your finger or a piece of gauze to wipe the area.
  • Apply ice for reduction of swelling
  • Put a bandage over the wound.
  • It will help not to scratch the site, and you won’t risk any infection.

Wrapping it up

Remember: Bees are friends, not foes!

Please ensure you are careful around them if you see them pollinating near where you are weeding or hanging out on your front porch.

Key things to remember when you do have a bad interaction with bees: know first aid, have an epi-pen (for allergies if applicable), get to a safe place where bees can’t continue to sting you, and the #1 thing is to make sure you do your best to stay calm in the situation.

However, if the situation is that bees have made a home somewhere dangerous to your family, call your local exterminator.

Happy Gardening, Green Thumbs lovelies!