Tag: grow bags

Spring 2020: Garden Roundup-Veggies

I’ve had a lot of time during this pandemic to plan and tend to this year’s garden. I can’t say I’ve minded this part, I’ve actually really enjoyed the time to get back to basics in the garden.

Like usual, I started a number of vegetables in the house from seeds and shopped for the rest at the local nursery (shout out to Vern Goers Greenhouse that was thankfully open, with appropriate restrictions of course).

  • seedlings grow light
  • vern goers hinsdale

We had a bad cold snap in early May, so I kept everything nice and cozy under grow-lights in the house and in the mini greenhouse on the porch.

I am so looking forward to a summer of fresh vegetables straight from the garden.

What did I grow this year from seeds in the house?

What seeds am I starting outside?

What plants did I buy?

  • Redarling Brussel Sprouts
  • Sun Gold Tomato
  • Early Girl Bush Tomato
  • Juliet Tomato
  • Sweet Million Cherry Tomato
  • San Marzano Tomato
  • California Wonder Sweet Pepper
  • North Star Sweet Pepper
  • Habanero Peppers
  • Kohlrabi

Here’s some of the seedlings I grew in the house, all ready to plant. Some I planted in one of the raised beds, others in my new fabric root bags.

What did I try new this year?

Tatsoi! I didn’t even know this was a thing until it popped up on an Instagram post by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. We’ve had to change up our diet a bit to eliminate high oxalate foods like rhubarb, spinach and swiss chard because of kidney stones. 🥺 So out of the garden they went. Instead, I am growing an abundance of kale (which I’m not a huge fan of but learning to like it), lettuce, microgreens, sprouts, brussel sprouts and this new tatsoi green.

According to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, “Tatsoi is nicknamed Vitamin Green, and rightfully so. This gourmet green is known as one of the richest sources of vitamin C and it is replete with other incredible vitamins, minerals, and health-promoting compounds! It’s super sweet and easy to love, with a mild and refreshing flavor. The low-growing rosettes are comprised of tiny, glossy spoon-shaped leaves that boast crisp and juicy mouth-feel.” As a bonus for us, it’s related to cabbage/mustard, so low in oxalates! I can’t wait to try it out.

What else is new?

Lots more fabric grow bags! I couldn’t really expand my gardens very easily, so went in a different direction. I bought a variety of sized bags from A.M. Leonard and GeoPot and a LOT of potting soil/compost/peat. Watch for a future post on this adventure. I have so much more garden space, I’m making another trip to the nursery!

One more thing…

My herb garden has always been on the north side of the house. right outside the side door. Very convenient. The herbs grew “fine”, but they really could have used more sun. I finally decided to move them since I had the time to think where they should go.

They are a little further away near the grill, but still convenient. Definitely will get a lot more sun. On either side are the coleus pots I plant every year. They add some pretty interest to the area and attract pollinators. I started then from seeds inside this year instead of buying them. Much less expensive and easier under the circumstances. But I think I should have started them earlier. They’re a little small right now, but with some sun and heat, they’ll take off.

How is your vegetable garden this year?

2019 Stephi Gardens Holiday Gift Ideas

This has been a very hectic December at my house. Are you as behind in Christmas shopping and preparations as I am? Here’s some (slightly late) holiday gift giving ideas from things I love!

Friends: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission for each sale. All reviews are my own and are not influenced by any compensation I may receive.

Gardening:

Titan A-Frame Trellis: I’ve always grown cucumbers on trellises, but this year I tried it for my summer squash and zucchini. It didn’t look like the Pinterest squash trellises, but it saved space and was super convenient. The trellis was pretty easy to put together, and Gardener’s Supply Company has a nice video to show how to assemble it. It’s made of plastic, so won’t rust but is plenty strong enough to hold zucchini and squash. It’d work great for any climbing vegetables!

Mini Greenhouse: I start a number of my vegetables inside the house in the spring, and before they can go in the ground they need to spend some time outdoors to harden off. With our unpredictable Midwestern weather, that can be tricky to do. I don’t know what I’d do without my Gardman 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse. It’s super handy to keep the most tender of vegetables and annuals safe from cool spring nights until it’s planting time. As a bonus, it’s a handy place to grow microgreens.

Gardman Mini greenhouse

Grow Bags: In addition to raised bed gardening, another way to add space and grow really healthy vegetables is in grow bags. I’ve had mine from Gardeners Supply Company for years and have grown carrots, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes in them. Their BPA-free fabric is really strong, yet allows for breathing and “root pruning”. No root bound plants in these bags! I’m adding more to my garden this year!

My grow bags full of carrots

Stratus Rain Gauge: I was forever trying to figure out how much rain we got during a storm, or how little during a drought. And not in general, like somewhere in the greater Chicago area, or at one of the airports, but in my backyard. It’s a huge help to know how much to water the garden, and to satisfy my curiosity. You can read more about my rain measuring adventures in a previous post, “How Much Rain Did We Get?“. If you want to get super nerdy, I actually found a handy plastic ruler for measuring snow in tenths of inches. Much easier than converting all the time 🙂

Stratus rain gauge

Of course, gift cards to any local garden center or catalog seed company are always appreciated! Some to consider are Burpee, Botanical Interests, and Territorial Seeds.

Reading

I love to read! This year so far I’ve read 41 books. On the right sidebar of my blog you can see the latest books I’ve read and would recommend. I do read “bad” books, but don’t worry, I leave them off.

You can also find me on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/stephigardens. Friend me, I love to see what everyone else is reading!

What were some of my favorites this year? Top spot would be Dan Egan’s The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. Anyone who grew up near the Great Lakes will appreciate this journalists very readable history of man’s influence on the Great Lakes. I spent most of the book shaking my head in disbelief over the things that we’ve done to the lakes, but remain hopeful about the amazing resiliency of the Lakes to remain viable. From the building of the canals, St. Lawrence Seaway, lampreys, salmon, zebra mussels, asian carp, water levels, it’s all there. Much food for thought!

I also throughly enjoyed reading:

What were your favorite books of the year?

Cooking

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer: I have no idea what took me so long to get one of these amazing kitchen gadgets. My friend was telling me about hers and I knew I needed one. I’ve been vacuum sealing meat, fresh vegetables, soups, and even banana bread (ok, that took a little practice). I’m so excited to have frozen food that still tastes fresh and be freezer-burn free. Plus, everything fits better in the freezer! I bought the FoodSaver FM2435 Vacuum Sealing System & Starter Kit and I’m thrilled with it.

Souper Cubes: I make a lot of soup and broth and have all kinds of containers for the freezer. I came across these amazing silicone freezing trays that are perfect for freezing soups and broths in perfect portions. No more messy freezer bags full of broth. They also have a clear fitting lid to keep the soups fresh in the freezer and make for easy stacking. Need a new healthy soup cookbook? My latest favorite is Clean Soups: Simple, Nourishing Recipes for Health and Vitality by Rebecca Katz.

I’m really a sucker for kitchen gadgets. Who doesn’t need a…

Be sure to check out my Holiday gift ideas from 2018 for more suggestions, and my Favorite Things page.

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

Carrots

I don’t think there is anything as tasty as a carrot pulled fresh from the garden. The grocery store carrots really can’t hold a candle to them. I’ve tried to grow them in rows in the garden like you’re supposed to, but, like many things I try to grow in nice rows, doesn’t always work. The soil needs to be just perfect for carrots, or they get oddly deformed. Or, some of the row will grow and then there’ll be unexplainable gaps in the rows.  Just not reliable in my garden.

Carrot Grow Bag from Gardeners Supply Company
Carrot Grow Bag from Gardeners Supply Company

A few years ago, I came across growing bags from Gardener’s Supply Store.  They used to have carrot specific bags that I bought two of, in a very carroty orange color, but they’ve since discontinued those.    Since those are unavailable,  I would recommend the Universal Grow bags as a good replacement (that luckily still come in that wonderful orange color, among others) for either carrots or peppers.  I have some of those now, too.

To use these bags, I fill them with Miracle Gro Potting Soil.  I prefer that to regular garden soil since it won’t get too compacted in the bag and holds water a bit better.  It does start with fertilizer, but I will add some Miracle Gro fertilizer through the year, and again in the beginning of the next year.  Before placing in bag, be sure to wet the soil and keep it moist, but not soaked, until the seeds germinate.  Gardeners Supply Company has a good, thorough, description of how to grow carrots in their grow bags here.

I’m not always conventional in the way I grow things. I’m sure I throw way too many seeds in at the beginning of the year, much closer than is recommended on the packages. But I still get lots of tasty carrots!!  As it gets closer to harvesting time, which is usually 60-70 days, I try to look for the ones growing a bit too close together and “thin” them by starting the picking season picking every other one or so.  Usually it’s recommended to thin early on, but this way I get more carrots over a longer season. At the beginning of the picking season I get pretty little, but very tasty carrots. Later on, I get bigger ones that have more room to grow. I get a nice long carrot season in a very small space!

The bags also have the advantage that if I don’t like where it’s located, I can just pick it up and move it to another spot.  I’ve had mine for at least 4 years and they’ve held up amazingly well for something that feels like a very strong felt.

My grow bags full of carrots
My grow bags full of carrots

Looking for ones to pick and "thin" out the growing carrots. Look for ones growing too close together and remove a couple.
Looking for ones to pick and “thin” out the growing carrots. Look for ones growing too close together and remove a couple.

Pulling one out
Pulling one out

Today's harvest
Today’s harvest

One of my boys gave it a "Wow, that tastes good"
One of my boys gave it a “Wow, that tastes good”

While they make a pretty display and look more home grown to have all the greens left on, if I’m storing in the refrigerator I will cut off most of the greens.  They seem to stay fresher that way.  Enjoy!

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