All posts filed under: sprouts

The Basil 🌿 has Sprouted!

Published by

WE DID IT!  WE HAVE ACHIEVED SPROUTYNESS!!!! Now What????? If you have made it this far, you might be wondering what to do next to keep your basil babies alive.  Here’s a short list of things to do to keep them going. Remove your seedlings from the top of the fridge once they begin to sprout Reduce the number of times you spritz your seedlings to once a day, and gradually taper down to every other day, and then just start watering them with a watering can as the soil starts to dry on the surface. Why?Seeds need to be kept moist constantly until they sprout, then you want to gradually reduce the amount of water you give them to avoid causing them to rot or suffocate. This could be another separate article! Take the set up to a warm, sunny room, away from heat vents(at least 5 feet away) I have mine sitting on the top shelf of a bakers rack that sits in my sunny foyer. Begin removing the clear lid from the …

It’s April. What Vegetables Can I Plant Right Now?

Published by

It feels like spring.  Finally!  We can all get out, get some air and get our hands dirty again.  But what can we plant that isn’t going to freeze on us and have to be replanted again later?  Here’s a list to get you started in your veggie patch. Potatoes:  as of Good Friday, you can start planting seed potatoes. Carrot seeds Beet seeds Peas Raddish seeds Broccoli Plants Cauliflower Plants Cabbage Plants Salad Greens Kale Arugula Mizuna Bok Choi Pak Choi Sweet Corn Asparagus crowns Strawberries I’m sure there are many more, but this is just off the top of my head and will at least get you started:) Wilcox tools are great for digging holes for annual flowers and vegetables, especially for those of us who don’t like to get down on our knees!  The extra long handle is 18″ long, super sturdy from tip to tip, and made in my native state, Iowa!     Click here for a great online seed selection

7 Reasons You Should Grow Microgreens

Published by

Why the Sudden Interest in Microgreens? A few years ago, when my boys were ages 2 and 7, I discovered microgreens.  It had been a long winter, and I was aching to be outside.  January and February are the months when my family gets a new seed catalog in the mail at least once a week!  This may be from my last 17 years of mail ordering seeds and bulbs! The first time I heard the term, microgreens, was at a “Grow Your Small Market Farm” class my husband Tim and I took at Iowa State University during our days as cut flower growers.  I had no interest in microgreens at the time, because I was deeply invested in growing cut flowers.  I was always curious about what they were and how to grow them, but never made the time to learn more, until that long, cold winter a few years ago. I must have seen something about microgreens in one of our seed catalogs, and decided to learn more that winter.  It was a …

Starting Basil Indoors

Published by

How to Start Basil In Your Kitchen I just got a question from Shaina about how to start basil so she could have fresh herbs in her kitchen.  Basil is an easy one to germinate, or start from seed.  And fresh basil tastes wonderful in so many dishes.  So this one is for you, Shaina, hope this helps:) First and foremost, you’ll need some seeds!  Below are links to where you can order some of my favorite varieties!  And there are tons of different kinds of Basil! As I was hunting for links for Basil seeds and looking at pictures of this delicious herb, I began smelling Basil!  I told my family, “Man, all of this talk about Basil is making me so hungry, I am starting to smell it!!!”  Then I walked into the kitchen and realized that my son, Harrison, was eating his breakfast, leftover angel hair pasta with basil pesto mixed in!   Getting Started Potting Soil Prep:   One thing that nobody seems to tell you is that potting mix is …