How to Grow Sunflowers

Many people love the idea of growing sunflowers. It is because it can easily add a stunning feel in your garden, and can also be a nice source of fresh and vibrant flowers that you can use to decorate your home.

Sunflowers do not always have to be planted in lawns or in the ground. You can also plant them in pots, so that you do not have to cut them, in case you want to place them indoors to bring summer inside your home.

If you are planning to pot and grow sunflowers, here are the things that you have to do:

Choose Your Sunflowers

There are several types of sunflowers that you can grow. Some grow really big that you can use to boarder your lawn, while some are smaller in size, which you can use to decorate parts of your garden.

Sunlight for Sunflowers

Even if your sunflowers will be planted in pots, you still have to remember that they need at least 6 hrs of sunshine every single day. Therefore, you have to place your pots in an area where there is sun. Sunflowers that do not receive enough sunlight will be weak and will not be able to grow as expected.

Containers & Pots for Sunflowers

If you want to grow giant sunflowers, you will have to give them separate pots. You do not always have to buy the pots. You can use an old 5 gallon bucket that you might have in your basement. Just make sure to clean them thoroughly, so that it will not contaminate the soil.

What Soil to use for Sunflowers

Garden potted soil is always best to use for sunflowers. This is because this type of soil is often treated with fertilizers that will help your sunflower grow tall, produce vibrant colors, and will have a lengthier life.

Growing Sunflowers from Seed

The seeds can be purchased anywhere. Sunflower seeds are very common, and you will be surprised to find them even in your local grocery store (in the garden section). Most often than not, the packets will have instructions on how to plant your seeds. Follow them, because the way you plant your sunflowers will depend on the type of seed that you want to grow.

How to Arrange Sunflowers

If you want to create a stunning sunflower display in your garden, then you might want to arrange your pots accordingly. Big flowers go at the back, while the smaller varieties should be arranged in front. You might also want to arrange them according to color. Your creativity will be exercised here. You can check out some pictures online to find inspiration on how to arrange your sunflower garden.

As your sunflowers grow, make sure that they are receiving enough sun. They love the sun, and they will only grow appropriately when they receive the needed nutrients from the sun. Water them too, but not too much, because you will just loosen the soil to the point of knocking the off.

These are the ways that you should do, if you want to plant sunflowers in pots to make a beautiful and stunning sunflower garden at home.

How to Grow Strawberries

The best way to get fresh, healthy, and cheap strawberries is to learn how to plant and grow them at your home. Planting strawberries can really be a good idea because aside from the nutritional benefit of this fruit, strawberries can also be nice decorative pieces in your garden.

If you are planning to grow strawberries at home, then here are some tips that you might want to consider:

1. Choose the type of strawberry – the thing with strawberries is that you can choose from a wide variety of it. Strawberries are very easy to grow, but they do have several requirements that include space, climate, and more. Choosing the type of strawberry should also be determined to the way you want to use it. For instance, if you plan on making preservatives out of it, then you might want to choose the small type of strawberry that bursts with flavor, which is called the Alpine strawberry. To better know the type of strawberry that you want to plant, speak with a local farmer or better yet, do a separate research about the different types of strawberries available.
2. Re-potting – if you are planning to buy the potted seedlings, you may do so. That way, you are kind of doing the shortcut, which is okay, because you want to make sure that the plant has already grown. However, you should remove the plant at once and plant it or re-pot it, so that the plant will grow healthy, will have vigor, and produce more fruits as well.
3.  Nurturing – as your strawberry plants grow, make sure that no disease is attacking it, which can prevent it from producing fruits. Check on the leaves for any damages like spots or withering. The leaves, ideally, should be vibrant green. The roots should also be abundant and light. Fungus often attack strawberry plants. If you do not want to have problems with this, you might want to spend a little more on your seedlings, to purchase strawberry plants that are treated to resist fungus and other diseases that can kill the plant.
4. Growing the strawberries – the nice thing about strawberries is that you can grow them in your yard or even in containers. But make sure to give them proper sunlight, because this is what they want. If in case you live in an area that is cold, you might want to consider planting your strawberries in a container, so you can move them in a warmer area like the indoors.
5. Harvest time – harvesting strawberries is easy. You can snip it, or just pull the fruit by hand. It is easy to tell when the strawberries are ready for harvesting. If it’s red all over, then this is already a good sign that your strawberries are ready for the pick!

As you can see learning how to grow strawberries at home is rather simple. There isn’t many things better than a fresh picked strawberry that you grew in your own garden.

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How to Grow Sprouts

If you enjoy making recipes involving sprouts, then you might also want to learn a few basics on how to grow sprouts at your own home, so that you can always have a fresh supply of it whether you need it for making a delicious dish, or if you just want to grow it to make your vegetable garden fuller and more appealing.

In this short article, we are going to teach you some of the very basic steps on how to grow sprouts. Please see the details below:

The first thing that you have to do is to find seeds. Seeds that will turn into sprouts can be purchased in garden supply stores, greenhouses, or even at your local supermarket. You should only make sure that your seeds are untreated and healthy. Treated seeds are harder to move from its dormancy stage, which will prevent it from sprouting.

When you already have your seeds, you can now soak them. You need to soak your seeds for several hours or until a day in order to move it from dormancy. After that, rinse your seeds. Make sure to rinse it well, because this will promote your seeds to start sprouting.

After rinsing, you will also have to drain it well. Remember, your sprouts can be prone to bacteria or dirt that have accumulated in the puddle, and rinsing it well will prevent the sprouts from failing.

It is also important that your sprouts are able to breathe. This is actually one of the most commonly forgotten aspect when sprouting, which often leads to failure. So make sure that your seeds will have enough air in between washing and draining, in order for them to grow.

If you want to grow sprouts, you can often use two types of sprouting mediums. One is the soil, and one is a damp and moist medium. Either will do, but there are some sprouts that do well in soil, while some do well in a moist medium. You should know this upon doing your research about the sprout that you want to grow, or by checking out the packaging of your seeds.

De-hulling is also a part of growing sprouts, particularly if you are growing brassicas. De-hulling means removing the actual cap of your seeds, in order for them to grow sprouts. However, not all seeds require this, as the caps normally fall off when the sprouts are ready to grow.

Harvesting sprouts is actually easy, as it does not require any resistance when harvesting them from their growing / sprouting mediums. However, upon harvesting, you have to make sure to dry them before storing in order to prevent them from spoiling.

There are also several sprouting equipment that you can purchase from garden supply stores that will allow you to work on your sprouts easier.

Learning how to grow sprouts at home isn’t very hard, it just takes a bit of attention and patience.

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How to Grow Saffron

Saffron is actually a very popular spice. You can find them inside the Crocus sativus flower, which is a beautiful lavender flower that comes with a yellow stamen. Inside that stamen are the red stigmas that make the saffron spice. Saffron is said to be very expensive and popularly used in many Mediterranean cuisines.

The thing with crocus sativus flowers is that it can only produce three pieces of saffron (stigmas), making it one of the most expensive spices in the world. Buying a small packet of it is like buying a barrel of black pepper. So if you enjoy Mediterranean dishes or any dish that uses saffron, then you might want to learn how to grow saffron instead, so that you can save money from this expense.

Here is how to grow saffron the simple way:

Raised Garden Beds

The Crocus Sativus flowers grow better in raised garden beds because you can control the temperature of the soil better, the nutrients that comes in it, and so much more. Ideally, the Crocus Sativus flowers like the warm temperature. It also likes to be planted in rich potting soil mixed with mature compost. The soil should also be well draining, so that the water will not drown the roots of your flowers and kill them.

Planting Your Saffron Bulbs

You can grow the Crocus Sativus flowers through bulbs that you can buy from greenhouses, nurseries, or even in a local garden supply store. Plant your bulbs at least 3 inches deep. The bulbs should also be planted at least 6 inches apart.

Ideally, you should start planting the bulbs during the first day of fall. But after planting, do not water them. Watering your bulbs will not help. Instead, it will just rot. Wait for it to sprout before watering. Sprouting should begin on the next autumn, so you should be a little patient on this.

After a year, or when the next autumn has started, you should already see some sprouts. You can now start watering them, but not too much. Making the soil moist is already enough to keep the sprouts well nourished.

Harvesting Saffron

When the flowers starts to bloom, gently pluck each stigma that you see. You might be disappointed during your first harvest, as you can only yield about a tablespoon of it. But don’t worry! On your second harvest, you will be able to yield more, as the bulbs under the grown have already divided, giving you more blooms for the next year’s harvest.

Once you have finished your first harvest, wait for your flowers to wilt. When it does, stop nurturing it like watering it and weeding the ground. It will already enter the dormant stage again, and the only time it will bloom again is next year. Normally, the crocus sativus flowers grow and bloom during the winter season, and starts wilting during the spring season.

Growing it isn’t hard if you follow the simple steps on how to grow saffron. Pretty soon you will have more saffron than you know what to do with.

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How to Grow Roses

Growing roses in your garden is one of the nicest way to make your garden look appealing, interesting, and super romantic as well. Who would not fall in love with roses anyway? They are charming, vibrant, and when grown properly, you can easily turn your garden into your very own relaxing sanctuary.

Roses come in a large variety, you can even grow the ones with long stems, same as the ones you see in flower shops. So why will you settle for roses in bouquets that can only last for days, when you can just grow them in your garden and enjoy them for months?

If you want to know how to grow long stem roses, here are the things that you have to do:

Rose Canes

The first thing that you need to do is to source the right variety of roses. You can buy seedlings from nurseries and greenhouses for this. The thing with roses is that it can be quite challenging to grow them. So if you want to do it the easier way, you might want to buy the canes already, so that roots have somehow established already.

The Soil

The best time of the year to plant roses is during early spring. This will ensure that your roses will have a cool breeze and an equal amount of sunlight. Make sure that your roses will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight during the day. The soil where you intend to plant your roses should also be well draining. This means that the soil has the best ability to absorb the water, and drain it, so that the water will not sit on the ground.

Dig a hole for your canes. The hole should be twice as deep and twice as wide. Place compost around the hole so that your roses will have the best nourishment that they need while they are growing. Plant your roses and make sure to water them at least 1 inch deep, in order for the roots to establish.

Rose Pruning

Pruning your roses every year is also required. This will prevent unwanted sprouts that will not bear flowers, which will only use up the plant’s energy. You might also want to remove the branches that are too thin, because these branches, although healthy, will not likely produce flowers as well. You should also watch out for branches that is showing spots. This can be an indication of a disease that can kill your plant.

Make sure to wear safety goggles and protective gloves when pruning roses. This is because roses have hard and sharp branches, including big and sharp thorns that can easily scratch your skin.

Nurturing Roses

Adding fertilizers around the area where your rose is planted is also necessary. This will promote growth and abundant production of flowers.

Roses make a beautiful and super romantic garden. It can easily catch anyone’s attention. Not to mention, roses have a distinct appealing fragrance too, which can surround your garden for a more relaxing and aromatic experience.

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How to Grow Rhubarb

Rhubarb is considered a perennial vegetable and they are great for pies, muffins, and more. The thing with rhubarb is that its roots cannot start growing if the soil isn’t at least 40 degrees F in temperature. It is pretty simple to grow in cooler climates. Ideally, for the most success, you want to plant rhubarb in the early spring..

Rhubarb is not normally planted using seeds because it can be very difficult or challenging to grow them. So if you want to grow them with better chance of success, you can grow them by the crowns instead. You can buy rhubarb crowns from garden supply stores, nurseries, or even from independent vegetable growers online.

Now that you already know some facts about this perennial vegetable, it is now time to plant them and grow them. Below are the steps on how to grow rhubarb:

Choosing The Right Spot

Although rhubarb is fond of cooler climates and soil, they still require sunshine in order to grow healthy and with vigor. Therefore, if you are choosing a spot where you can grow them, make sure that the area has a lot of sunlight during the day. Also, you might want to allot 1 square yard of soil for every rhubarb plant that you want to grow to give them adequate space.

Preparing The Soil

Rhubarb grows best in soil that is mixed with compost/peat moss, or aged manure. If you want, you can also add commercial fertilizers. But if you want your rhubarb to be organic, you can omit the last step. Make sure to loosen the soil up to 12 inches deep. Create holes; but make sure the holes are bigger and wider compared to the crowns of your rhubarb. Cover the rhubarb plant with 2 inches of soil. Make sure that there are no air pockets inside, by pressing the soil with your palms. Water the soil to moisten it. Make sure to water your rhubarb every week.

Once your rhubarb has developed leaves, you can now put mulch on the soil. However, when it starts developing flowers, you might want to remove them, because flowers will just eat up too much energy of the plant.

It will take two years before you can actually harvest a good amount of rhubarb. To harvest it, you need to grab the stalk, twist, and pull. Usually, you only have to wait two years for the first harvest. But the succeeding harvest can happen 3 – 5 times for each season.

Just follow those simple steps on how to grow rhubarb and you will have a patch that continues to produce year after year. Rhubarb is delicious, sweet, and refreshing. It can be used in a lot of ways in the kitchen. That is why growing them is such a treat.

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Using Herbs & Vegetables in Cooking

One of the reasons I love to garden is to get fresh herbs and vegetables for grilling and cooking. Fresh herbs are great to use in marinades, rubs, oil infusions, and so many more things. The same thing goes for vegetables. Ones that I use a lot are sweet peppers, and jalapenos. Of course there are other veggies I use on the grill too like potatoes, and zucchini.

Besides using herbs and vegetables in the kitchen, they are great on the grill. I've used cilantro and other herbs in marinades for pork, chicken, and steak. There are so many things you can do to make a great grilled meal. One of my favorite things to make on the grill is a good steak. I like to marinade the steak in some olive oil along with some fresh herbs like cilantro and oregano. I like my steak medium-rare, so I use the best instant read thermometer I can find so I have a quick accurate temperature reading.

Roasted veggies on the grill or in the oven are one of the best parts of having a garden. I'm a grilling guy so I always use them on the grill or even on the smoker. If you haven't yet used fresh herbs and veggies for grilling, you should really give it a try.