Growing Potential Produce Possibilities

Garden and Landscaping Seedling Sense

Picking the Perfect Spot

To understand what will grow well in your climate and how long your growing season typically lasts, check out websites such as the U. S. Department of Agriculture( USDA) that can help you with this endeavor.

Another option for easy research is when you purchase seed packages, they typically feature a climate zone map( usually from a source like the USDA) to help you figure out when you can plant seeds outdoors.

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Adjust and Improve Next Year

Depending on how much you produce this growing season, you can adjust your plan for next year accordingly. For instance, if you sold out of the vegetables you were selling at your local farmer’ s market, you’ ll want to plant more next season if you have the room on your property and the time to give.

The Benefits of Gardening

So far, this all sounds like a lot of work – and it can be. However, many would say the pros of growing your own food can far outweigh the cons.

Growing your own food on your acreage comes with several advantages beyond just enjoying fresh produce. Here are some key benefits:

• Money Saver: In addition to reducing your trips to the grocery store, it decreases your dependency on store bought items.

• Bartering: If your neighbor has honeybees and you have vegetables from your garden, why not make trades instead of purchases? Plus, you will be building community with and helping out your friends, family and neighbors.

• Freshness: The journey from field to table often involves extensive shipping, meaning your produce may travel great distances from field to table. When you have a garden, you can pick a tomato for your salad or an onion for your burger just steps from your home.

• Canning: If you grow enough and have the supplies to do so, canning is a great option. Many families subsist through the lean, winter months on the fruits of their labor from spring to fall.

By investing time in planning and preparing your garden, you can turn your acreage into a productive, rewarding space. Whether you’ re growing to feed your family, trade with neighbors or selling at local markets, the process not only enhances your self-sufficiency but also fosters community connections and sustainability.

With the right approach, your yard can go beyond being a patch of land— it can become a source of nourishment, creativity and financial opportunity. Start small, experiment and adjust as needed. From yard to table, the journey is as fulfilling as the harvest itself.

A Guide to Starting Seeds Indoors

By Richard Zondag

( SPONSORED CONTENT)— Maximize your gardening budget by starting seeds indoors. Starting your seeds indoors lets you grow unique flowers and vegetable varieties not typically found at local garden centers. There’ s great satisfaction in starting seeds and watching them grow into healthy seedlings that can later be planted in your garden to provide a bountiful harvest.

Choosing the Right Seeds for Indoor Starting

Many types of seeds, including beans, peas, sunflowers and zinnias, can be directly seeded into the garden and reach maturity before the growing season ends.

However, some crops, like tomatoes, peppers, impatiens and petunias, require more time and should be started indoors in late winter or early spring, weeks before the last frost date.

Cole crops such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can be directly seeded outdoors, but starting them indoors will allow you to harvest earlier.

Track Your Gardening Progress

Stay organized and refine your growing schedule each year by tracking key data in a spreadsheet or notebook.

Things to keep track of include:

• Varieties planted

• Planting dates

• Transplanting dates

• Whether plants reached maturity at the appropriate time during the growing season

• What went well and challenges you faced

Seed Starting Tools

There are a few items required to get your seeds started. This includes:

• Seed-starting trays

• Starting mix

• Plastic dome or bag

• Seedling heat mat

While light is necessary for plants to grow, it is rarely required for seed germination.

Seed Starting Steps

Start With Clean Trays

Make sure your seed-starting trays are clean and allow for proper drainage. If you want to reuse trays and domes, clean them first by dipping them in a 10 % chlorine solution.

Fill Trays

Fill the clean tray with pre-moistened starting mix and place the seeds in rows or broadcast them over the surface. To reduce the risk of diseases like damping off, use a sterile, peat-based starting mix such as Jung Family Garden’ s Seed Starting Mix. Damping off is a common disease that affects seeds and young seedlings. It is caused by soil-borne water molds and fungi. Damping off is a fatal disease spread in soil or through contaminated pots and tools. It most often occurs when seeds are germinated in cool, wet soil. Affected seedlings can emerge looking healthy but soon appear wilted and fall over.

18 AcreageLife February 2025 AcreageLife. com

AcreageLife. com February 2025 AcreageLife 19