TIPS AND IDEAS



 
When you are growing your own food you are in control of every step of the growing process — from seed selection and soil and pest management all the way to harvesting and composting. Plus a garden can provide a relaxing way to connect with nature and work with your hands.
And while a home garden might sound intimidating, gardening can be done on any scale, from a windowsill of kitchen herbs to a backyard vegetable plot. With the right plan in hand, a home garden can easily fit the demands of busy lives and tight budgets.



How to Stream-Line Your Gardening

 
Spend more time admiring your garden and less time keeping it up.


 
How to use your time more efficiently.
 
Low-Maintenance 20x80 melon patch
10 lb Canteloupes and 35 lb Watermelons
         (This is normal)

For a long time now, I have been growing melons the same way.  It controls weeds!  It controls watering all season!  It controls insects!  AND, I just pick more melons than I can use.

When we sold our melons, people kept coming around wanting more.  Next year, I will have to grow a larger crop!
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How to start 600 plants early without buying any heating pads.

We plant many varieties of tomatoes.  We start our seeds a month before they can be set in the open garden.  One year we started 2700 tomato plants.  We found that there was room for a lot of mistakes.  But, we learned how to work with all of them.  Now we restrict which plants we concentrate on.  We only experiment with a limited number of new varieties each year.  We don't tie our vines anymore.  That is a real time killer!  We found a much faster and better system.  Invest your time, Don't spent your time!

We plant hundreds of seedlings.  We don't use our heating mats any more.  It is not practical and too expensive when you are seeding a thousand at a time.  There are even secrets that no one will tell you, because they are actually illegal to promote.
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COMPANION PLANTING
There are things that insects like better than your watermelons!
(For more detailed information see the Companion Planting tab)
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IRRIGATION
Have you ever watered your garden?  Don't you think that once a year is enough?  Well, that's how I do it!

I use drip irrigation.  Set it up once and use it the rest of the season.  Drip irrigation for my corn field, for my melons, for my tomatoes, for my cabbage, broccoli and everything else!

I set my AA battery watering timer anywhere from every 5 minutes to only once a day.  This is the best way to water a garden!  What ever way you want to!
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ANIMAL DETERRENT
Stop those pesky critters in their tracks the natural way with predator pee!

Every Predator has its favorite animal food sources. Those are called the prey and the prey
greatly fear those predators.  If the prey catch the scent of the predator, they run!


           Use predator urines for all-natural home & garden pest control.


COYOTE PEE -  keep raccoons and others away (it's a predator pee)

WOLF PEE - keep a lot of critters away.... it even keeps away bears (it's a predator pee)

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INSECT DETERRENT
CINNAMON - Ants hate cinnamon.  When you are planting your melons, sprinkle a liberal amount of cinnamon in the hole with your seeds,  I lost most of my first melon seeds to ants before I found out that cinnamon would keep the ants from eating them.

CAYENNE PEPPER - - keeps some 4 legged creatures away
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PREVENTATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR PLANTS
ASPIRIN - for tomatoes  (aspirin and water)