Ferry-Morse - The Greenhouse

What's the difference between male and female flowers?

2022-07-18T14:56:19-04:00

There are two easy ways to tell male and female flowers apart that don't require a magnifying glass or close examination. The first is size and quantity. Male blossoms are often smaller and more numerous than female blossoms. But the main difference is that female cucurbit blossoms have "baby" immature fruit behind the flower. In contrast, the stems of male flowers are plain and thin.

What is seed stratification?

2022-06-10T13:33:42-04:00

Seed stratification is a term that originated when nurseries used to layer seeds and sand in wooden boxes outdoors. And while layers aren't always needed, the term stuck like those price tags you can't peel off flowerpots! Stratification is the practice of breaking seeds' dormancy to help them germinate by manipulating temperature and moisture to mimic the outdoor conditions under which they would grow naturally. This article will cover the basics of seed stratification and tell you how to stratify seeds at home. Let's dig through the layers and get started!

Caring for seedlings started indoors

2022-04-06T15:33:55-04:00

Whether you're a seasoned seed starter or a beginner, there's always room to learn more about caring for seedlings. And we encourage home gardeners to start seeds at home because it’s an economical way to have a lot of control over what you grow and the outcome. This article will cover seedling care from germination to hardening off. So, let's get into it!

What is the importance of soil texture in a garden?

2022-02-21T11:31:51-05:00

As gardeners, nothing immerses us in a state of euphoria more than sinking our hands into a bed of rich chocolate-cakey garden soil ready for planting. But have you ever wondered, how does soil get its texture?

In this article, we'll cover the different types of soil textures, why they're essential, and how texture works with other components to complete the soil recipe, so you'll know how to whip up your very own batch of life-sustaining garden soil at home. Let's see what we can dig up.

How to plan a garden

2021-12-28T19:19:13-05:00

A garden in the spring sounds nice, but where to start? Well, the first step is to create a plan. It's a fun and simple activity that's an escape from the cold and dormancy of winter, setting your imagination free to dream of all that's possible for the next growing season. It doesn't matter if you have a balcony, patio, a suburban lot, porch, an acre or two, or even a sunny window. In this article, we'll cover the essentials of creating a garden plan by going through a series of questions to help you lay it all out. So, let’s get started!

Is my garden receiving enough sunlight?

2021-12-17T15:41:57-05:00

So, here’s the deal, without sunlight, we wouldn’t exist! The life of every living thing on Earth depends on the massive ball of burning plasma at the center of our solar system called The Sun. In this article, we’ll help you understand how much sunlight your garden needs. So, let’s shine a light on this topic and get started!

How much water is my garden getting?

2021-11-04T11:07:47-04:00

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American household uses 30 percent of its water outdoors—amounting to almost 8 billion gallons each day! And during a hot summer, a single household’s outdoor water use can increase to 70 percent. It gets worse because about 50 percent of that outdoor water is wasted due to inefficient watering practices. It doesn't have to be that way. You can have beautiful landscaping and be more responsible while supplying adequate water to support your growing plants. It only takes a few extra turns of the spigot to tighten up your water usage, and we can show you how!
This article will cover water use and management concepts to help you understand how to use your resources to support an attractive landscape while protecting the environment. Let’s take a closer look.

Understanding fertilizer: How and when to use fertilizer for your indoor or outdoor garden needs

2021-09-30T10:29:02-04:00

Have you ever found yourself in the home improvement store, staring at a wall of fertilizers, all the packaging colors melting together like a mosaic of crayons left in the sun? Simply put, fertilizer helps plants grow by adding absent or depleted nutrients to the soil. And in this article, we’ll help you focus on finding the right one for you and your plants! Specifically, we’ll cover the information you need to fertilize correctly and responsibly in your garden and for your houseplants. Let’s zoom in!

Companion Planting: Breaking down the concept of companion planting and identifying which plants benefit others and why

2021-09-30T10:28:57-04:00

Companion planting—It sounds great! But what in the blooming meadows is it? Companion planting is the practice of establishing plants in a garden to benefit each other mutually, although not necessarily equally. The only thing is, it also depends on who you ask, its interpretation being akin to holding a tilt card at various angles and seeing a different picture each time. Well, let’s start tilting to see how it works.

Houseplants: The basics to growing and keeping indoor plants healthy

2021-09-30T10:28:52-04:00

Houseplants bring us little bits of comfort year-round, particularly throughout those months where all the vibrant greenery outside is dead and gone until the next growing season. They brighten and soften rooms and are great for those who experience a little difficulty handling the physical demands of outdoor gardening, don’t have the time or space, or just prefer houseplants. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of growing and maintaining houseplants and even debunk a couple of myths. Let’s see what we can uncover.

Beginner gardening: How to grow your own indoor or outdoor herb garden

2021-09-30T10:28:46-04:00

Have you ever strolled past a rosemary bush after the rain? It’s a simple aromatic pleasure everyone should experience. Rosemary and other herbs help us create masterpieces in the kitchen, but they’re capable of much more than that. Pollinators love their flowers, they’re beautiful in a landscape, and the secret is that deer, rabbits, and other garden-chomping pests detest herbs’ strong aroma and taste! Simply put, herbs are distinctive plants with culinary, medicinal, and fragrant applications, which is why we treasure them. While there are herbs for every season, with the help of a grow light, you can grow annual herbs like basil all year long in small containers in your home, giving you a steady supply of your favorite fresh seasonings and spices. Are you ready to learn how to grow your own fresh herbs? Keep reading because this article will teach you everything you need to know. Let’s awaken our senses!

How to grow your own backyard flower garden

2021-09-30T10:28:41-04:00

Flowers are like sprinkles on a cupcake, adding color, texture, depth, and dimension to an otherwise unembellished landscape—and the best part is they’re just plain fun. While their beauty often enchants us as ornamental plants, have you ever wondered if they serve any other purpose? Here’s the truth, flowers attract pollinators that plants need to produce fruits and vegetables from—you guessed it, pollinated flowers! Their presence in the landscape also improves emotional health. And a fun fact is that some flowers are edible and even medicinal! In this article, we’ll explain petal-by-petal how to grow a backyard flower garden. Let’s see what blossoms.

How to grow a backyard vegetable garden

2021-09-30T10:28:36-04:00

Have you ever asked yourself if you should grow your own vegetables? Do you know that growing and consuming your own vegetables has enormous health benefits? First of all, it’s great exercise that burns lots of calories, up to 300 per hour for light gardening chores alone! Secondly, studies show that consuming an assortment of vegetables and fruits lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and other health problems. Think about that for a moment. Whether you want to try a few varieties or several, this article provides the information you need to grow a bountiful backyard vegetable garden. So, let’s get some dirt on those gloves and dig in!

Beginner gardening: How to start a backyard garden from seed in 9 easy steps

2021-09-09T08:16:07-04:00

Believe it or not, the first thing you need is a sense of adventure. OK, I know what you’re thinking, gardening is peaceful and just so zen—and it is! However, undertaking the tasks involved in growing fruitful plants in uncontrollable environmental conditions is an exciting and sometimes testing endeavor, putting you in touch with your adventurous spirit while enhancing your ability to conquer challenges. With that in mind, here’s the step-by-step process of creating your very own backyard garden from seed.

Beginner gardening: How a plant is grown from seed and the easiest plants to grow for beginners

2021-09-09T08:12:44-04:00

Have you ever wondered how to grow a plant from seed? While it seems pretty straightforward, sometimes the results are disappointing for new gardeners. So what’s the secret to "starting a seed"? To give you a better understanding, we're here to break down the process of seed germination and provide a list of plants you can easily grow indoors from seed! So let’s begin.

What is my soil type? How to identify and amend your garden soil

2021-09-03T09:38:09-04:00

When it comes to gardening, you may think you need a lot of specialized knowledge to be successful. The truth is, most of us learned what it takes to grow a plant when we were very young: water, sun and soil. Most beginning gardeners feel fairly comfortable diagnosing how much sun and water their plants receive, but are stumped when it comes to the quality of their soil. This article will show you how to identify your soil texture and introduce you to various soil amendments and their use.

Home gardening: How to identify and control garden pests

2021-08-04T13:03:28-04:00

Abundant flowers and green leaves that suddenly show signs of decline can be stressful and disheartening. After all, seeing your plants healthy and thriving provides a sense of peace, relaxation, and accomplishment. The sheer amount of advice, methods, and products to handle pests can be overwhelming. Trust me. You're not alone. This article is going to cover some simple solutions to your garden pest problem.

Extend Your Growing Season With Succession Planting

2019-06-07T11:17:40-04:00

Succession Planting

To Extend Your Growing Season

There are many different styles and functions for gardening, but if you are someone who likes to garden for the purpose of growing vegetables for your kitchen, you may face a particular challenge. Plant all of your seeds at once and a couple of months down the road you'll end up with a giant harvest, more than you can reasonably eat before the plants start growing beyond their peak maturity. It's inefficient and can result in a lot of unnecessary waste. There is a better way. How do extend your harvesting season and produce a continual succession of harvestable produce?

What is succession planting?

The practice of succession planting is a way of of staggering your planting so that your plants will reach maturity on a staggered schedule. The results are having a steady production of vegetables and saving space by replacing old plants with new ones throughout the season. There are a few different methods for succession planting and the timing will vary between different vegetable varieties, but the basics are simple.

1. Pull Some, Plant Some

This is the simplest rule of thumb for succession planting. Simply put, when one plant is done producing vegetables and you've harvested them at their peak, pull up the plant and use the same spot to plant a new seed.

What are the advantages?

Firstly, you'll notice that this an incredible space saving technique as you can re-use sowing spots multiple times throughout a season. Some gardeners effectively double their seasonal yield per square foot this way.

Secondly, re-using a planting space is beneficial because the soil will already be conditioned for growth when you plant in the new seed, maintaining the bustling microbial environment without requiring soil amendment for each new planting.

2. Compost The Old Plants

When you uproot the old, succeeded plants, they can continue to serve a productive purpose for your garden.

Keep a pile of your trimmings in a bin just as a way to keep them all in one place. You may need to break down your waste to help give it a head start. Yard waste composts most efficiently when broken down into smaller pieces. This can cut down your composting time from a full year down to being a 4-6 month process.

The Mix

Of the utmost importance for maintaining a balanced composition for your compost is mixing both browns and greens into the mix. A general rule of thumb for a good mix is about two-thirds browns mixed with one-third greens. You'll know you have too many greens if your compost mixture is slimy. You'll know you have too many browns if your pile just sits there (this signifies a lack of nitrogen to get the pile churning).

3. Sow The Right Crops

What kinds of plants are most suitable for succession planting?

For crops with short growing seasons, you can use the succession planting technique to replant a space with a later season crop. For instance, when your Radishes pass their maturity and their growing season comes to an end, you can transition those spaces into Broccoli.

The most successful vegetable varieties for succession planting include: arugula, basil, beans, beets, broccoli raab, carrots, cilantro, dill, green onions, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, bok choi, radish, spinach, swiss chard and turnips.

Want to get started? We curated our very own collection of seeds and Plantlings best suited for succession gardening.

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4. Follow A Timeline

Every vegetable has it's own maturity timeline. When succession planting, it may seem intuitive to know when a plant has passed maturity and is ready to be replaced, but it is still very valuable to have some hard numbers on it.

We are sharing with you a short and sweet schedule from theprudentgarden.com which you can use to map out up to four successive plantings for all kinds of vegetables.

VIEW THE SCHEDULE

Want to get started?

Check out our selection of Plantlings and seeds that are perfect for succession planting in your garden:

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HAPPY GARDENING!

- Ferry Morse