Growing Berries in Your Own Backyard

Without a doubt, fresh berries are a culinary favorite, and a highlight of summertime, especially if you live in northern climates where the berry season is short and sweet. You might purchase your strawberries and raspberries at the local supermarket, or maybe a farmer’s market, but did you ever consider planting berries in your own backyard? It is much easier, and much more rewarding, than you might think!

Many berry plants are self-pollinating and multiply quickly, which means that in just a few years you could have a whole patch of strawberry plants or raspberry bushes in your yard. Berries also produce generous harvests of fruit every year, with minimal maintenance required.

Growing your own berries can also be cost-effective, as berries—especially organic varieties—can cost a pretty penny at the store. In addition, berries are easy to store and can be frozen for eating in the winter season.

If you’re thinking about planting your own berries, there are a few things you should consider when choosing which type of berry to plant and which side of your yard to dig up:

• Berries thrive in full sunlight and well-drained soil
• Different types of berries ripen at different times—if you want a full season of endless berry picking, choose your varieties accordingly
• With the exception of blueberries, which require neutral soil, berries can grow in a wide variety of soils

Here are a few tips that might help you decide which types of berries you want to grow.

Strawberries

There are three types of strawberry plants. Everbearing and day neutral strawberry varieties produce berries all season long and flourish when planted as a ground cover among other flowering or non-flowering plants. June-bearing strawberries, on the other hand, produce one generous crop of large berries in the spring.

Strawberries should be planted in early spring and weeded carefully as they can become easily overgrown.

Raspberries

There are many varieties of raspberries bushes, and many of them can be planted directly in the ground or in a raised bed to prevent excessive bramble growth. Raspberries should be planted in late fall or early spring and given plenty of room, as they tend to spread rapidly. To promote fruit production, you’ll want to prune your raspberry bushes in the winter or early spring.

Blueberries

Blueberries are slightly more particular, and need to be planted in acidic soil, preferably with a 4.8 pH level. If you prepare your soil correctly, your blueberry bush will thrive with little maintenance required.

There are many types of berries to choose from, and with little work required on your end, you could soon have a backyard haven of delicious, juicy fruit. If you haven’t considered growing your own berries before, maybe now is the time—they are guaranteed to add an impressive flourish to your family’s dining experience. Don’t forget to like or follow us for future posts on Your Family Dining Room.

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The Easiest Plants To Grow Indoors

Many people would like to add Indoor Plants to their home, but they don’t have a lot of time and energy or patience to devote to it. In this case, it would make good sense for most people to get a plant that was easy to care for. There are a pretty good number of really easy to grow Indoor Plants to choose from overall.

The easiest plants to grow indoors require very little maintenance although all plants require some watering. Indoor plants require also at least a little additional maintenance from time to time beyond the scope of normal day-to-day (low) maintenance, as all plants will. The easiest plants of all to grow require very little water and can grow in most average temperatures.

There are a large number of plants in the world, and there is a basic list of the indoor plants that are the easiest to grow and maintain. Some of the plants on this list includes many plants that most people are familiar with. The basic list includes wonderful plants such as aloe, rubber tree, areca palm, shamrock plant, heart-leaf philodendron, ficus, and the snake plant.

There are additional plants that are also easy to care for, but these are the most common. You can find them at most home gardening centers or home improvement stores. If you are really pressed for time concerning your plants, you could hire someone to take care of them for you; perhaps a college student you could pay a few dollars.

Remember to take additional steps to take care of your plants on occasion, besides your regular watering. These steps may include pruning off dead leaves and adding fertilizer to the soil. Sometimes you will re-plant the Indoor Plants into different containers. You will want to make sure that your plant is healthy and the room is the right temperature for the plant.

If you are thinking about getting plants for your home or are interested in other subjects about the home and kitchen make sure to Follow Us For More Great Articles and Topics on Home and Kitchen.

Vegetables You Should Start Planting In The Month Of May

Different types of crops grow well in different months of the year. For instance, there are certain crops that can only be planted in the month of May because the temperature, humidity and rainfall are conducive. If planting vegetables for home dining is on your to-do list, you may want to consider planting the following plants in the start of May.

Carrots

Carrots grow very well in warm weather. After two and a half months, you will start harvesting the veges for home dining. Some of the best carrot varieties that you may want to plant include; Scarlet Nantes and Little Finger.

Cabbages

One of the easiest crops to grow in an outdoor garden is the Golden Acre cabbage. Other varieties that can be grown in May include; Michihili and Flat Dutch. It is important that you choose a suitable variety for your garden. When the cabbage head starts to form, be sure to add water-soluble fertilizer in the irrigation water.

Beans

People often make the mistake of sowing all their bean seeds at once. When the crop matures, most of it goes to waste because of oversupply. Ideally, beans should be planted continuously over a period of ten days. This will ensure that you have a continuous supply. Furthermore, no crop will go to waste. Some bean varieties that can be grown in May include; Kentucky Wonder, Contender and TopCrop.

Cucumbers

This fast growing vine can give you a steady supply of cucumbers for several months to come. When planting vegetables, especially vines, be sure to consider the size of your garden. After all, you do not want a single crop to occupy the whole garden. Alternatively, you can grow bush varieties of cucumber. Some popular cucumber varieties that you may want to grow include; Marketmore 76 and Muncher.

Melons

Water melons are great for hot summers. They are also easy to grow. One plant can give you as many as a dozen melons, or more. Depending on the type of soil in your garden, you can plant Hales Best or Sugar Baby varieties among other varieties.

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Grow Fruits and Vegetables with Natural Organic Fertilizers

One of the most heated debates in the United States and the world is the debate over the safety of our food. In short, food in the United States is dangerous. It is over-processed, genetically modified, and nutritionally deficient. Of all of the dangers that are inherent in our foods, many of them come from the fertilizers used to grow the crops — the food that our food eats.

Fertilizers are supposed to be organic material and soil that is made from decayed natural plant material. For the past century or so, many of the fertilizers used around the world are not natural, but rather are made up of chemicals or other elements created in a lab. These chemicals can be quite dangerous and may even pose a health risk to you and/or your family.

The best way to stay away from foods containing synthetic fertilizers is to grow your own fruits and vegetables with natural organic fertilizers. Natural organic fertilizers are 100% natural — the way nature intended — and they produce a more nutritious product.

 

Get your own organic fertilizers and start growing your health and nutrition: