Basil Tips

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There are many different kinds of basil to choose from for today’s gardeners. They range from cinnamon, lemon, to purple basil used mostly for decoration. Choose a variety right for you and your needs as basil is only an annual and will have to be replanted every year. Basil can be grown indoors with the right conditions but is most often started indoors and then transplanted outdoors. Start your basil seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost for your location. Drop a few seeds into each cell to ensure germination. Cover the seeds with a slight soil cover and dampen soil with a light watering. To speed up germination cover with a plastic top and place in a sunny location. Water twice a day and remove plastic top when seedlings emerge. Once two sets of leaves emerge basil can be transplanted into the garden. Pinch o the top two sets of leaves once the basil plant reaches reasonable height. This gives you a much higher quality plant.
Suggest Varieties:
Italian – Great aromatic leaves and most popular basil variety.
Lemon – An aromatic basil with a great lemon flavor.

 

Tomato Tips

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Gardens are by far the most popular vegetable in home gardens being grown in over 85% of them. There are many different types including beefsteak, heirlooms, organic, cherry, paste, mid-size, early ripening and the list goes on. Tomato seeds should be started indoors for best germination results. Start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date for your location. Plant 1/4” deep using sterile soil. This helps prevent disease and other problems. The tomato seeds will germinate best if the soil is kept between 80 to 90 degrees. Water lightly and keep the soil consistently moist until germination occurs. When ready to transplant be sure to harden the young plants o by placing increasing time outside for a 1 week period. Transplant tomato plants 32” apart and 32” between rows. The more space the better. Plant in a location with full sun and provide fertilizer when needed.
Suggested Varieties:
Brandywine – Popular home garden tomato with great flavor.
Sweetie – A prolific produce of cherry sized tomatoes.
Cherokee Purple – Favorite for taste, unique color, and high yields.

 

Pepper Tips

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Peppers come in a variety of shapes and sizes as well as a varying degree of sweet to very hot peppers. Today’s gardeners enjoy a large selection of home garden peppers; green bell peppers by far being the most popular choice. Peppers can be sowed both indoor and outdoor but for best results we recommend starting pepper seeds indoors, eight to ten weeks or more before the last frost date for your location. Pepper seeds are difficult seed to germinate and seedlings tend to grow slow as well. One way to increase seed germination is to provide a bottom heat to your soil raising it to 80 degrees. This will increase higher and quicker seed germination. When transplanting your pepper plants space 18-24” apart and 24” between rows. Select a location that receives full sun an add plenty of fertilizer to the garden soil. Keep soil moist but not wet.
Suggested Varieties:
California Wonder – A garden staple; easy to grow with great flavor.
Early Jalapeno – Early maturing, low-range hot pepper.
Cayenne Long Red – Medium-hot pepper with excellent flavor.

 

Pea Tips

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Peas are a hardy crop that can provide an abundant harvest in a limited amount of space. There are four main varieties of peas that are grown in the home garden. Garden peas (English peas) have hard outer shell and must be removed. Snap peas have low-fiber pods and are snapped and eaten before the seeds mature. Snow or Sugar peas should be eaten whole with both pod and seeds. Lastly, Cowpeas are shelling peas with excellent avor. Pea seeds should be directly sowed into your garden in early spring. When the seeds begin to germinate they will need a trellis or staking to provide the necessary support. In order to extend harvesting and yield try sowing seeds every week. Peas plants should be spaced every 5” inches. Peas are heavy feeders and will do best with occasional fertilizer. Too much fertilizer can increase foliage but decrease pea yield. Lastly, keep the soil moist and harvest mature pods to keep plant productive.
Suggested Varieties:
Super Sugar – Original tall snap pea that has been improved.
Oregon Giant – Home garden favorite with excellent yield potential.
Little Marvel – Excellent sweet flavor with high yields.

 

Onion Tips

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Onions can be a tricky vegetable to grow. The most important aspect to remember about onions is there are two different categories: long-day and short-day onions. Long-day onions will grow best in northern states while short-day varieties do well in southern states. Short-day onions develop bulbs with an average of 12 hours of daylight. Long-day onions develop better with more sun, around 15-16 hours of daylight. To ensure proper maturation be sure to grow the variety of onion that is suited for your location. Onion seeds can be started both indoor and outdoors but for best results seedlings should be started indoors. When ready to transplant, place onions 3 to 4 inches apart, in rows divided by 15” inches. Onions grow best in rich soft soil, but can grow well in most soils especially with fertilizer. Keep the soil moist and allow good drainage.
Suggested Varieties:
Sweet White Walla – A mild onion that can be eaten like an apple.
White Spanish – A standard large sweet onion.
Yellow Spanish – One of the most popular home grown onions.

 

Cucumber Tips

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Cucumbers require full sun and a large amount of space in order to develop properly. If space is limited there are some varieties available that can grow in small spaces and containers (Spacemaster). Cucumbers should be directly sowed into your garden and should not be transplanted. Be sure to plant after last frost as any freezing temperatures can kill your plants. In general cucumbers can grow in most soils but prefer a pH of around 6.5. Be sure to add a generous amount of organic compost to your soil before planting your cucumber seeds. This will ensure proper nutrition and produce strong vigorous plants with heavy yields. To maximize fruit growth try applying a minimal amount of fertilizer when needed. A good way to reduce weeding and increase soil moisture is to apply some type of mulch to your garden. Try using at least 4 inches of wood chips or mulch.
Suggested Varieties:
Spacemaster – Great for containers or small gardens.
Homemade Pickles – A very popular pickling variety in home gardens.
Straight Nine – Very good quality, flavor, and yield for cucumbers.

 

Bean Tips

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Should be directly sowed into your garden and shouldn’t be grown as transplants. Be sure not to plant bean seeds too early as they may rot due to cold weather and moist soil. If you insist to start early place a black tarp over the soil to warm its temperature. For Bush bean varieties try a continual planting schedule by sowing a seed every couple weeks which should give you a consistent harvest. Plant bush seeds every 12-18” and be sure to water consistently until germination occurs then every few days. For pole varieties they will need some time to grow their vines but will produce continuous harvest for a couple months. Pole beans need some type of support so be sure to have a trellis or fence ready before planting. Plant seeds every 4” and supply moist soil. Add fertilizer halfway through their growing season.
Suggest Varieties:
Topcrop – A great bean for canning and freezing.
Slenderette – One of the best tasting home garden beans available.
Contender – Very productive and needs little care.

 

Jumbo Melon Seeds

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Approximately 30 melon seeds per packet

Local market, home grown favorite.
Developed by a Japanese market gardener in California this muskmelon became widely popular because it combined excellent flavor with earliness. Hale’s Best Jumbo is a beautiful oval melon deep green skin with golden netting. The flesh is an appealing salmon color, aromatic and sweet.

Product Details
Zones: 3-9
Planting Depth: 1″ inch
Spacing: 2-3 feet between plants, 4-6 feet between rows
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Germination: 8-10 days
Days to Maturity: 85 days
Weight: 4-4.5 pounds
Fruit: Tan rind with salmon interior color.

 

Tendersweet Carrots

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Approximately 1000 carrot seeds per packet

A uniform deep orange carrot with great sweet flavor.
The Tendersweet is one of the sweetest carrots on the market! It has a rich orange flesh that won’t fade and holds color during cooking. This variety is great for home gardens.

Product Details
Zones: 3-9
Planting Depth: 1/4-1/2″ inch with fine soil
Spacing: Plant close together and thin 2″ inches apart, place rows 12″ inches apart.
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Germination: 10-15 days
Days to Maturity: 69-80 days
Root Size: 9 x 2″ inches
Top: 16-20″ inches

 

Large Leaf Italian Basi

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Approximately 100 basil seeds per packet

Organic – A delicious basil plant that offers great aromatic leaves!
Produces very large leaves. One can cover a slice of bread! The Genova strain of the Italian Large Leaf variety produces an attractive, bushy plant with very popular, aromatic leaves.

Product Details
Zones: 3-9
Planting Depth: 1/4″ inch
Spacing: sow 1″ inch apart. thin plants to 6-12″ inches apart. 12″inches between rows
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Germination: 5-10 days
Days to Maturity: 90 days
Plant height: 18-24″ inches
Annual/Perennial: Annual