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7 Tips for gardeners in 2021 by Eliza Brooks

January 19, 2021

7 Tips for gardeners in 2021: The last couple of years have seen more and more people turning to gardening as a new hobby. Despite the lack of space for most, newbies are keen on making both their outdoor and indoor space as natural as possible. For this new year, new trends for gardening are emerging. Below are a few of them.

Sustainable gardening
One of the many reasons why people get into gardening is in hopes that they might incorporate it into a sustainable lifestyle. Instead of purely caring for plants for aesthetics, they hope to nurture plants that they might make use of. A lot of indoor plants can be used as natural air purifiers while certain vegetables can be grown in the backyard to supplement the diet of the family.
Learn to compost
If your goal in gardening is to grow lush and healthy plants as quickly as possible, there are a number of fertilizers, both organic and manufactured, that you can buy to get the job done. But if you want plants that are more naturally grown yet still healthy, you should learn to
make your own compost. Composting isn’t as hard as people think. With the right soil chemical mixture, you’ll be able to grow healthy soil for healthy plants.
Plant native
There is a growing problem within the gardening community wherein people only choose plants that are beautiful to look at, not minding that they don’t necessarily fit the environment. Not only is this not sustainable, it only wreaks havoc when these new plants are introduced to the environment.
Use mulch
Mulching serves a lot of purposes. It can:

● stabilize the soil and prevent erosion;
● help soil retain its moisture;
● helps prevent the growth of weeds; and,
● mixes organic compound back into the soil.

Just like composting, mulching can be done right in your own back yard. Mulching is also a sustainable way to introduce nutrients back into the soil using unwanted plant materials.

Colorful containers
Ideally, gardening should be done directly into the soil but some people don’t have space for it. The next best thing would be to use containers. This could be a good thing since there are various containers to choose from, all in different colors, patterns, and materials. Containers also make it easy to transport plants around the house.
Buying online
The internet is not just a place to buy non-organic things. It has expanded to include offerings of plants and, in some cases, even live animals. Getting your plants online, like those from a landscape contractor website, is a convenient way to get a hold of rare species
that your local nursery doesn’t have. And if you have a little bit of skill in negotiation, you might even get a good deal for a plant.
More house plants
House plants have seen a recent surge in popularity owing to the fact that people have been forced to spend more time indoors. To add a touch of nature inside, people turned to indoor plants. These plants are perfect for new into growing plants as they require very little maintenance. They beautify the space as well as ensure the air inside is kept clean.

Thank you Eliza Brooks for the great article!

Vegetables

Unusual Vegetables

January 14, 2021

Feeling like a new adventure in the garden? Try growing some unusual vegetables. These are not new vegetables because they have been around for thousands of years, but are not common around here.

Romanesco (Roman Broccoli) grows a tight, spiral head. Its flavor is much milder than regular broccoli. This is one of Gordan Ramsey’s favorite vegetable.

Cucamelon is nothing but a gherkin cucumber for pickling. These smooth-skinned fruits are good eaten raw or pickled with a slightly bitter taste. While the size of a large grape, they are one of the most prolific plants.

Lemon or apple cucumber grows to the size of a small apple with yellowish or white fruit. They are very mild and not bitter. Also makes good, sweet pickles.

Tomatillos have been grown in Mexico forever. They are a berry with a paper lantern covering the fruit. Belonging to the nightshade family, so all parts of the plant are poisonous except the fruit. Two plants are enough for a family and grown like a tomato. You can dry the fruits which will taste like cranberries with a hint of tomato taste.

Winged bean (there is also a pea plant with winged pods) which can be cooked like a regular bean. Most varieties need something to climb on.

Bitter gourd (balsam pear) resembles a cucumber used in Asian cooking. When mature, cut them open and eat the sweet, red pulp.

Most of us know what kohlrabi is. For those who do not, it is related to the cabbage family with a bulb (swollen stem) that form above ground. Can be eaten raw or cooked.

Salsify is a root vegetable tasting like oysters. I grew it one year and liked it. The only thing salsify needs are loamy soil and not compacted soil. You can also eat the stems.

Celeriac is a vegetable that forms a swollen stem above the ground. It can be eaten raw or cooked tasting like celery but can be grown with less water.

Prickly pear cactus, while not grown much as a garden vegetable here, it is down south. The fruits which a sweet and juicy, can be eaten raw. The leaves (pads) are stripped of their needles then sliced and cooked.

It’s stated that all carrots started out purple. A Dutch Queen wanted orange carrots, so after much breeding, they had an orange variety that gains popularity. We are going back to the darker colors because they have more nutrients than their orange cousins.

Home Improvement

Paint Color Trends for 2021

January 11, 2021

Paint color trends for 2021 will reflect the mood in the coming year. This year’s paint trends reflect a more subdued direction mimicking nostalgia and nature. As this year was so filled with anxiety and unrest, 2021 colors reflect calm and comfort.

Many colors reflect nature neutrals as earthly browns, watery blues, and dark greens of nature. The greens are still the mainstay adding beige as accents.