Everything comes in the can along with instructions. All you need is a wide 1" paint brush, a small glass mixing bowl and some water. The kit comes with the natural powder that you mix with water and the mix of essential oils that comes in the kit. You simply mix and paint onto the trunk and lower limbs where sun may hit the trunk and lower limbs of the citrus tree. The product does need to be reapplied over time. I do a spring and late summer application. Even with our heavy rains in Atlanta, it holds up.
We've also applied it to a peach tree that has suffered from too much moisture last growing season (it didn't get re-treatment in late summer). It appears to be a sort of rust on the tree which concerns me. This product actually has essential oils in it that are anti-fungal including clove, cinnamon, garlic, peppermint, rosemary and spearmint. We will give you an update to see if it helps to save the tree or not.
While painting the trunk of our citrus and other fruiting trees, we also give it an application of fertilizer as temps begin to reach the day time temps of the low 70s. As the trees shift into growth mode, we want to feed them well and the IV Organic fertilizer is specially formulated for fruit and citrus trees. Simply follow the directions on the package.
I like to get the bigger bag to have on hand (like this one), or for those with limited storage space, they offer a small bag (like this one) which will make 20+ gallons.
As you prune and treat your trees with the 3-in-1, make a note to order the fertilizer as well so it is ready for when temps reach the low 70s.
It's also a good time to check all identification tags to make sure they are easy to read and that they fit loosely around the limb or trunk to prevent girdling which can cut off the supply line of nutrients from the roots to the top of the tree. I like to double tag my plants using these event wrist bands and a Sharpie permanent marker. Double-identification helps when adverse weather impacts your identification on the tree or plant. These tags will last you several growing seasons and you may even want to share with others you know who love to grow plants and fruit trees.
In addition to checking the identification tags, check any support ties to make sure they are loose as well and not girdling the tree trunk or any limbs. Now is a good time to clip off old ties and replace with new ones if you think the tree needs continued support. I like this one as it stretches which is important when you don't want to cause any tension on the circumference of a growing tree trunk.
So in summary, here is your checklist for early spring tree check-ups:
+ prune tree as needed
+ apply 3-in-1 IV Organic to base of tree trunk
+ order fertilizer to have ready for warmer days that are just around the corner
+ up pot into a larger pot if a young seedling, preferably an air pruning pot
+ make sure you have two places where you have your tree identified incase inclement weather removes one
+ as you place stakes as supports, make sure you tie in such a way that gives some flexibility for growth and remove any old ties checking for any girdling.
Hope that helps and be sure to tag us on social media #growyourhealthgardening and show us what you're growing for a healthier you!
Happy growing,
Erin
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The above article includes a review based on our personal experience of a product. We ask that if you decide to try the product, to use the links provided in this article as we earn a small referral which helps us continue to offer helpful tips and advice to our gardening friends.
]]>It's purportedly an El Niño year according to NASA, so here in the South we are seeing cooler weather and more rain than usual. That also means that we are seeing more snail and slug activity more than usual.
Learn more on what you can do to rid your plants of these pests without using any toxic chemicals or pesticides... click here to learn more: https://growyourhealthgardening.com/2023/05/22/slugs-snails-and-sourdough-starter-discard-a-recipe-for-success/
]]>*Valid to inventory on hand. No cash value. Non-transferable. Offer expires 2.19.23.
]]>Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) Seed Co. has been awarded the April Star Seller on Etsy for the fourth consecutive month in a row in 2022! Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. received a 100 percent score in every category for exemplary customer service.
Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. specializes in growing all their own hydroponic-adapted seeds and seeds adapted to being grown in the soil in the Southeast Zone 7B. Even though Grow Your Health Seed Co. sells on Etsy, their main online store can be found on store.GrowYourHealthGardening.com along with the latest releases and updates, how-tos, and more.
]]>Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) Seed Co. has been awarded the April Star Seller on Etsy for the fourth consecutive month in a row in 2022! Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. received a 100 percent score in every category for exemplary customer service.
Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. specializes in growing all their own hydroponic-adapted seeds and seeds adapted to being grown in the soil in the Southeast Zone 7B. Even though Grow Your Health Seed Co. sells on Etsy, their main online store can be found on store.GrowYourHealthGardening.com along with the latest releases and updates, how-tos, and more.
Here are a few things our customer's have shared with us over the past month:
"Seeds look great will be planting soon! Fast shipping and good communication. Clean light colored and not dark. I recommend this seller. I will be back!" — Gigi
"Amazing customer service- they always go above & beyond! I love their seeds too- highest quality, hand selected and always packed with care. They always offer growing help and sent extra growing information and some free goodies with my order too. i LOVE this company and always shop here first when i'm ready to get growing!" — Gabrielle
"This shop is always amazing. They ship fast and the seeds always grow! I’ll be back for more!" —Karen
"Thank you for your fast shipping, beautiful packaging and helpful instructions. I can not wait to plant them with the rest of my seeds indoors tonight." — Donielle
"100% germination rate 👍" — Laurie
"Very fast and great condition 💚" — Nita
"These have ALL sprouted beautifully in about 2 weeks! I will definitely be purchasing more seeds!" — Skylar
"The shipping was so fast and I loved the little info leaflet that was sent with the seeds. So far every single seed has germinated and the sprouts are looking great! Every seed has germinated and sprouted so far. Very happy! Very pleased."
—Laura
Thank you to our customers who trusted us as their seed source this growing season! We appreciate your support of our small family business!
]]>You can read all about my best canning and preserving tips as well as a list of where to find canning details for recipes and how to get started canning in your local region here.
Hope you have a fantastic growing season!
Erin
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Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) Seed Co. has been identified as March Star Seller on Etsy for the third consecutive month of 2022 in a row and has received a 100 percent score in every category for exemplary customer service.
To purchase hydroponic-adapted seeds and seeds adapted to being grown in the soil in the Southeast Zone 7B, you can order on Etsy.com or better yet, for the latest updates and product releases visit Grow Your Health Gardening's online store.
]]>Plastic organizers may be appealing visually, but they are not practical if you're looking to preserve your seed stash for longevity — especially if your container does not seal completely.
Once you get your order of seeds, place your seed packet(s) in some sort of sealed glass container right away and store in a spot that is consistently away from light, cool, and low in humidity (dry) within your home.
We recommend placing your seeds with an oxygen absorber if possible, in a wide-mouth glass Mason jar that has a screw-on lid. Keep this closed, sealed glass jar in your refrigerator until it is time to plant your seeds. Try to keep your humidity levels below 60% at all times. A general rule of thumb for seed storage is that temperature + humidity level should not ever exceed 100%.
When the time to plant comes, be sure not to leave seed packets out and exposed to the intense hot rays of the sun. We also recommend using glass containers that seal with a metal lid because rodents can chew through plastic lids/containers. And remember, when you are finished using your seed, immediately return any left-over seed packet(s) to the same protected environment as indicated above.
Know that when you put into practice these simple steps, it can dramatically extend the life of your seed investment!
And if you want to see a real-life example of how controlling these factors can affect the life of a seed, you can read about how a rancher found a clay pot and sold it to a collector who uncovered that inside was 1,000 year-old corn seed with lost traits. You can read more about this story here!
]]>Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) Seed Co. has been identified as February Star Seller on Etsy for the second consecutive month of 2022.
To achieve "Star Seller of the Month" status, orders had a perfect score offering on-time shipping guidelines 100% of the time (a one day turn-around with USPS tracking on every order), communication response within 24 hours was 100% of the time, and Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. received 100% 5-Star Ratings from customers who received their seed orders. We provide the same wonderful service on our online store! (Which is our primary store.)
Here’s some of what our customers are saying about Grow Your Health Gardener Seed Co.’s service and quality grow with organic methods seeds...
]]>Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) Seed Co. has been identified as February Star Seller on Etsy for the second consecutive month of 2022 and received a 100 percent score in every category for exemplary customer service.
To achieve "Star Seller of the Month" status, orders had a perfect score offering on-time shipping guidelines 100% of the time (a one day turn-around with USPS tracking on every order), communication response within 24 hours was 100% of the time, and Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co. received 100% 5-Star Ratings from customers who received their seed orders. We provide the same wonderful service on our online store! (Which is our primary store.)
★★★★★
“My seeds came perfectly marked with a lovely thank you note and a helpful chart of past repelling plants. I could not be happier with my purchase and cannot wait to plant my little seeds with my kids and watch them grow. Thank you!!!" — Crystal
★★★★★
“Got here really quickly! Would buy form again! Can’t wait to start growing ^_^!" — xstiney
★★★★★
“Wonderful seed company with lots of information that comes with your seed order. Also check out the website. They have tone of wonderful seeds and information on it." — Royal W
To purchase hydroponic-adapted seeds and seeds grown in the soil in the Southeast Zone 7B, you can order on Etsy.com or better yet, for the latest updates and product releases visit Grow Your Health Gardening's online store.
The Star Seller badge is Etsy’s way of recognizing sellers with a proven record of providing a great customer experience. To become a Star Seller, your store must meet certain criteria for messages, shipping, ratings, orders, and sales. If these core fundamentals of delivering great customer service are achieved, a shop may receive a badge that shows buyers that a shop has consistently provided an excellent customer experience.
]]>
Here's some of what our customers are saying about Grow Your Health Gardener Seed Co.'s service and quality grow with organic methods seeds:
★★★★★
"Wonderful seed company with lots of information that comes with your seed order. Also check out their website. They have ton of wonderful seeds and information on it." — Royal W
|
★★★★★
"Liked that a lot of this company's seeds are adapted to hydroponics. Love the large selection of heirloom cherry tomatoes which should be perfect for my large indoor Aerogarden. I haven't had a chance to start any yet, but will try to update review once I do." — Danielle H. |
★★★★★
"Seeds look great. Looks like a huge tomato can't wait for a tomato sandwich I'm looking forward to spring to plant. Thanks for the gift pack of seeds!!" —GiGi |
★★★★★ "Not only was a cute piece of tape holding my seeds, a note was hand written. The best part, it came with a chart of repellent plants for pests. Put of all my orders, this was the best." — Davena
|
★★★★★ "Arrived quickly and was very well packaged, thank you so much!" —Kate |
★★★★★ "Can’t wait to buy again" —Allen |
★★★★★
"Awesome service on all the seeds I bought. So excited to watch these guys grow! :)" —Anna |
★★★★★ "Super fast shipping can’t wait to plant these thank you!!!" — Lushes Lips Lotions |
★★★★★ "Purchased several seeds, and received them all safely, including a gift pack of calypso bean seeds. Very friendly, easy to communicate, and the seeds came packaged very neatly. I truly enjoyed shopping from this company. Thank you!"— Carrie C.
|
★★★★★
"The seeds shipped promptly and were well packaged. I planted them three days ago and two have already sprouted." Be Sure to Loop |
★★★★★
"Seeds came quickly. I can’t wait to grow them in my hydroponic setup." —Christine G. |
To purchase hydroponic-adapted seeds and soil-grown seeds grown in the Southeast Zone 7B, visit Grow Your Health Gardening.
]]>Just a friendly reminder that the United States Postal Service (USPS) will be raising their rates yet again and the new rates will go into effect on January 9th.
All that to say, if you want to beat increased shipping charges on any order, be sure to order before January 8th! And as always, we cover the cost of shipping on all seed orders over $35 at Grow Your Health Gardening Seed Co.
• First Class Package Service will increase by $.06–$.07 USD in the 1–4oz weights.
• Domestic Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express rates will increase by an average of 3.1%.
• First Class Mail Flats and Letters will remain unchanged in 2022.
You can learn more on the USPS website.
We mail our packages with tracking keeping mindful of protecting seeds and watching temperatures that the seed experiences during transit. The cold winter months are an ideal time to purchase your seed as heat from shipping containers can damage or in extreme heat situations actually kill viable good seed.
And remember, we are a small business that simply focuses on growing the best seed money can buy. We are not a shipping company. Know that we will make every effort to make sure your seed investment gets to you safely, but once we mail your seed order, USPS takes the "baton" so to speak, and is responsible for ensuring that the service you paid for will be carried out.
So, if you don't plan on spending over $35, you will want to get that seed order in before Saturday, January 8. We will ship all current seed orders taken in over the New Year Holiday on Monday, January 3, 2022 when USPS receives mail again.
Looking forward along with you, {{ data.customer.first_name|default:'my friend' }} , to the growing season ahead! Happy New Year!
Erin
Owner and Lead Grower
Grow Your Health Gardening
PS: Did you know that researchers have found that sending a handwritten note boosts positive emotions and well-being of both the letter-writing "expresser" and the recipient when they receive a hand written note or card in the mail? Consider pausing for 15 minutes today to send a quick note through the mail to someone you love to remind them you are thinking about them and care. It's good for your health as well! :)
PSS: What new plant will you learn to grow this year?
]]>November 2, 2021
By Erin Castillo
The dazzling display of crimson and orange as autumn summons the changes in the colors of leaves will soon fade within a matter of weeks as tree leaves settle to the ground at our feet. To the untrained eye, their purpose seems to have ended only to be tossed to-and-fro by the wind across our yard. But did you know that these fallen leaves from trees can improve your soil? How? Through Leaf Mold.
What is Leaf Mold?
Leaf Mold is essentially partially decomposed hardwood tree leaves. If you were to go out into the woods and lift up the layer of leaves to reveal the top soil surface, you’d find Leaf Mold. Instead of leaves breaking down with bacteria, like traditional hot composting pile methods, leaf mold uses a slower, but important, fungi-driven process. The result is Leaf Mold—an excellent carbon-rich natural soil amendment that doesn’t cost you a dime. It can be turned and mixed into your soil or simply added to the top of your soil as a surface mulch.
What Leaf Mold is not
Leaf mold is not a source of nitrogen to be applied as a fertilizer. If someone is advising you to just mix freshly fallen leaves into the soil, that's bad advice. Remember, tree leaves are high in carbon and low in nitrogen with the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio being typically 60:1. In a traditional hot compost pile, you need an ideal bacterial decomposition carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 24:1. Because tree leaves have a high carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) level, it is not recommended to till freshly fallen leaves directly into your soil. Micro-organisms in the soil will use the existing nitrogen in your soil to break down the leaves. You want to retain this nitrogen in your soil, so your plant can instead utilize it.
What are the benefits of leaf mold?
Trees draw up through their roots from deep within the earth, nutrients and minerals and then send to their leaves. The leaves then contain Ca as well as N, K, P, Mg, S, and trace minerals. As the tree begins to go into dormancy, these leaves fall to the ground to redistribute these elements back into the soil where they decompose. Fifty percent (50%) of this decomposition feeds the tree through the soil beneath the tree canopy. These leaves broken down by fungi and added to your garden’s soil, provides a proper habitat for the soil’s micro and macro-organisms and an essential part of the soil’s food web.
Leaf Mold essentially adds valuable organic matter to your soil improving soil structure (tilth) which, in turn, improves water and air movement within the soil. At the same time, Leaf Mold is able to increase the soil’s water-holding capacity. In addition, research has shown that adding Leaf Mold to your soil can improve plant health, crop yields, and even enhance a plant’s resistance to disease. When used as a top layer mulch, it can moderate soil temperature and limit moisture loss.
For example, in one particular three-year study, scientists grew onions and amended one plot of sandy soil with Leaf Mold compost and in another identical plot added no Leaf Mold to the soil. The Leaf Mold compost-amended plot had significantly greater yields than the cultivars grown in those not amended. Not only did the onion bulb weight increase, but those same compost-amended plots produced a great number of onions than the non-amended plot. Interestingly, in addition, the compost-amended plot of onions did not exhibit soft rot disease despite receiving higher than average precipitation.
In another study, scientists compared tomato yields from compost-amended plots to un-amended plots and found that the plots that received Leaf Mold had again, a significantly higher yield. Further, tomato plants that received compost developed less blossom-end rot than fruit in all other treatments.
Making Leaf Mold
If you have hardwood trees, you can make your own free Leaf Mold at home. Find a corner of your yard or garden, simply rake fallen leaves into a pile or place a column of fencing wire into a circle creating a column to hold fallen leaves. Your leaves should be moist, but not soaking wet as to encourage the right level of moisture fungi need to thrive. Let your pile “mold” for 1-2 years before using. Remember this is a slow fungal cold process of decomposition. But, you can speed this process up a bit if you add the simple step of breaking down leaves into smaller pieces using a leaf shredder or lawn mower before placing into a pile or wire column. In chopping up leaves into smaller bits, it allows more space for microbes and fungi to work as well as prevent leaves from becoming compacted layers that slow down the decomposition process.
In fact, if you place a 6-10” layer of dried shredded leaves on your raised bed in November and continue to come back to break them down with a mower or shredder once a month from December to March, you can speed-up the process. You’ll have a layer of beneficial mulch when it comes time to plant in your garden come April! To further help things along, walk out to a wooded area near where you live and dig down below the layer of fallen leaves to the wood’s soil. Scoop up this top soil layer and mix in your newly chopped layer of leaves you’re preparing as leaf mold. The micro-organisms from your soil sample will “inoculate” the chopped bed of leaves you have prepared and kick-start the fungal process.
If piles or columns of wire are not your preference, there is another method to making Leaf Mold. Again, shred dried fallen leaves using a shredder or mower, then scoop them up and fill a large plastic yard waste bag. When you have filled the plastic bag with as many fallen and chopped leaves you can, tie off and create a few slits in the bag with a pocket knife for airflow. Sit this plastic bag of fallen chopped leaves aside in a shady corner of your yard and recheck every few months, adding water to them if they seem too dry. Before you know it, you’ll have free Leaf Mold compost to add to your soil or garden!
Using Leaf Mold
Leaf Mold can be tilled into your soil in the early spring, but consider using it simply as a 2-inch layer as it is an extremely effective mulch for a no-till garden. Worms and micro-organisms will come up to this mulch layer and incorporate the humus and nutrients back into the soil. Using Leaf Mold as a mulch will also reduce weed pressure and slow down any nitrogen in the soil from leeching or the loss of any top soil erosion due to heavy spring rain storms. And if you don’t like the look of Leaf Mold as a mulch, simply add a couple of inches of pine straw or decorative natural bark on top of your Leaf Mold layer to make your landscape look polished. No one will know that you are feeding your soil!
Dried Fallen Leaves Can also serve as Insulation:
Don’t forget that in November, you can also take leaves you've raked and shredded and use to insulate cold-tender plants by applying a 6-inch blanket of leaves around them. This extra layer of dried leaf insulation can be put on fall veggies like carrots, beets, and kale and can extend your harvest well past those first nights of freezing temperatures. And perennials like Lavender, Rosemary, and Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower) also might like a layer of protection for winter’s cold.
Don’t use Pecan and Walnut Leaves
One important thing to mention in closing—do not use Pecan or Walnut leaves. Pecan and walnut leaves actually contain natural compounds that suppress growth in other plants. If you have these trees in your area, leaves from these trees should go into a “hot” bacteria-based compost pile where they can be sure to completely decomposed before adding them to your garden.
In Summary:
References:
Although we take all precautions, be advised that our seeds are open field and hand pollinated, meaning they have access to bees, moths, and wind. We try our best to prevent any cross pollination from bees, moths and wind by covering buds and offering isolation distances, but can never guarantee that this has not occurred with open pollination vegetables. If you find something has not grown true to it’s variety and might possibly have been cross pollinated, please contact us and we will do all possible to make you happy.
]]>With genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we risk transforming our food into a patented commodity controlled by a few multinationals, and stripping farmers and consumers of their rights. GMOs are unreliable from a scientific point of view, inefficient in economic terms and unsustainable in an environmental analysis. Little is known about them from a health perspective and from a technical standpoint they are obsolete.
A GMO is an organism in which a gene belonging to one species is transferred to the DNA of another – for example a bacterium to a plant. This process cannot occur in nature through breeding or natural genetic cross over.
Supporters of GMOs would like to make consumers believe that they have always existed. In reality they are intentionally confusing the genetic engineering that produces GMOs with other biotechnologies such as grafting, interbreeding, seed propagation, etc. These techniques, some of which are thousands of years old, actually underlie the fundamental developments made by agriculture and humanity itself. GMOs are born exclusively in laboratories; there is no way in which they can be created in nature.
99% of GMO crops are not destined for human food, but rather for animal feed and biofuels. Land dedicated to growing GMOs is being expanded at the expense of food production.
GMOs have not increased productivity. According to official data from the United States Department of Agriculture, there has been no recorded increase in the soya and corn yield following the introduction of GMOs to American agriculture.
Genetically modified plants are resistant to specific herbicides. For example, Monsanto sells genetically modified corn seeds and also sells Roundup Ready, an extremely potent herbicide that is the only one able to be used with cultivation of this corn. However, using Roundup on the GMO fields doesn’t eliminate all of the weeds: some resist the herbicide and this resistance is strengthened with each generation. These weeds become problematic and new chemical products must be invented to deal with them.
According to the Environment Working Group (EWG) this is a problem and why they, as a 'think tank' to monitor the government's role in managing this with our food system.
"Nearly all corn and soybeans in the U.S. – totaling more than 150 million acres – are genetically engineered to withstand glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. But over-reliance on glyphosate has led to the growth of “super weeds” that are resistant to the weed killer. Today, more than 60 million acres of U.S. farmland are infested with weeds resistant to glyphosate.
Because of this super weed problem, farmers are turning to a chemical cocktail of glyphosate and 2,4-D, a possibly cancer-causing herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease and thyroid problems. The leading cancer researchers at the World Health Organization recently classified glyphosate alone as 'probably carcinogenic to humans.'"
GMOs require larger areas of land and intensive monoculture cultivation to reduce production costs. This in turn means farmers are displaced from their land and cultures and traditional knowledge are lost.
The multinational companies that patent and produce GMO seeds control the majority of the seed market and often also produce herbicides and fertilizers.
How can organic, biodynamic and conventional farmers be sure that their crops haven’t been contaminated? The spread, even limited, of GMO cultivation in open fields will change the quality and state of our agriculture, taking away our freedom to choose what we cultivate and eat.
At the international level, labeling laws regarding GMO products lack uniformity and are insufficient. In Africa and Asia no legislation exists at all. In America there is no acknowledged difference between products containing GMOs and conventional products, and therefore it is not deemed necessary to inform consumers of the presence of GMOs. In Europe, producers are obliged to declare the presence of GMOs if in a quantity above 0.9%. However, also in Europe the majority of animal feeds commercially available contain genetically modified soya, but it is not obligatory to declare derivative products such as milk or meat on the label.
In the last several years, numerous scientists have shown that neonicotinoids such as clothianidin are lethal for pollinators at agricultural field concentrations and are the most likely cause of colony collapse disorder in bees. Other studies show correlations between environmental neonics and the loss of birds, especially species that consume aquatic invertebrates. Despite the
When choosing seed for your garden and your health, select non-GMO open-source, non-patented and heirloom seed like seed grown by Grow Your Health Gardening. Not only will you play a large part in helping to maintain biodiversity within our food supply, but you'll also enjoy the nutritional benefit of these fantastic seeds!
Shop seeds adapted to growing in the southeast (hot and humid zone 7B) in hydroponic systems at store.growyourhealthgardening.com
Sources:
https://www.usda.gov/topics/rural/cooperative-research-and-extension-services
#growyourhealthgardening #gyhg #growyourhealth #gyhgseedco #growyourhealthgardener #gardening #growyourownfood #personalempowerment #startstrong
“Food is a weapon. When you sell real weapons you control armies. When you control food you control society. But, when you control seed, you control life on earth.”
— Vandana Shiva, Activist and one of the pioneers of the Global Seed Movement
Film Screening: The Seeds of Vandana Shiva
We are delighted to share the film screening of the newly released documentary, “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” by Camila and Jim Becket.
Watch the short trailer below to learn more about the importance of seeds and why it’s important of who owns rights to seeds.
“Food is a weapon. When you sell real weapons you control armies. When you control food you control society. But, when you control seed, you control life on earth.”
— Vandana Shiva, Activist and one of the pioneers of the Global Seed Movement
You can purchase a ticket to view this amazing documentary of Vandana Shiva right now through April 17. The video will be available by ticket only from Friday, April 16 4 PM PT – Sunday, April 18 4 PM PT.
Grow Your Health Gardening (GYHG) does not profit in any way from this screening. Screening is available by ticket only and only shown between dates noted.
]]>Those who know me, know that I like a good challenge and have a competitive spirit if it’s for fun. So, I’ve made a personal challenge this year to grow the biggest tomato I’ve ever grown — like State Fair worthy ginormo’ big. I’m not looking to grow bigger than someone else — just the biggest tomato I’ve ever grown.
Now mind you, I do know how to grow tomatoes. In fact, when other growers struggled last season in our region, I had a bountiful crop. My friend even commented on that observation. But, as ling as your living, there’s more you can learn, so I’ve dove in yet again to read and glean knowledge from others who have successfully grown large tomatoes.
I loved that the first pages of “How to Grow World Record Tomatoes “ by Charles H Wilber had in the forward this belief by author Barbara Pleasant...
”But growing world-record tomatoes is much more complex than that...It begins when you sort through the seeds you hold in the palm of your hand.”
Exactly. DNA of a plant and Epigenetics plays a key role in setting yourself up for success. Start with good seed and you’re well on your way to having strong plants. We’ve seen the vigor first-hand in our hydroponic growing where plants are more disease and pest resistant as they continue to grow in hydroponic conditions and seed from these plants that has adapted to these conditions are harvested and used for the next generation of hydroponic plants.
The same is true with soil grown plants — if collected and grown in the same region and weather conditions, they are stronger in soil and have vigor when given proper nutrients they need.
We take pride in what we grow from seed start clear through to harvest and seed collecting, processing and storage. We don’t just buy random seeds and repackage them to sell like some seed brokers. That doesn’t help our customers. We want our customers to have confidence in the seed purchased from us.
So, I’ll return to my reading and IF the good Lord blesses me with the opportunity to grow a really big tomato, I’ll be sure to share what I learned along the way. Like Barabara Pleasant also says, “I suspect that the learning never ends.”
Have fun growing your own food!
-E
PS: Check out how our hydroponic-adapted seeds look when compared to other brands that were grown in soil ...
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