As spring approaches, pea seeds are some of the first seeds that go into our gardens. Seeds germinate based on soil temperature and soil temperature can stay quite cold even when the days get into the 50's and 60's here or there. The cold soil can greatly delay germination and that is a problem for peas seeds. The longer they sit swollen with moisture, waiting to germinate, in cold soil, the greater the chance of rotting. Mold and other soil microbes usually takes hold and the pea seed is digested when they sit in the ground for weeks. Pea plants can manage well in cold weather and can even t ..read more

Winter sowing is a modified way to direct seed outdoors when it is too cold out for seeds to germinate. Milk jugs and other containers, you fill with soil, are best used when the ground is frozen or when there is snow on the ground. An alternative method, once the ground can be worked, is a simple shoe box method. It is like using a cloche.  This method is used for cool weather crops, crops that can take a frost or a freeze. Seeds planted directly in soil, without a cover, can sit for weeks or months before germinating when soil temperatures are in the 40's. The use of the shoe box ..read more

Let's start with the basic question I get asked all the time which is, can basic white LED shop lights be used for starting seeds and growing garden transplants. The answer is 100% yes. I have been growing with basic fluorescent, and then LED shop lights for over 20 years. I am not recommending them for full flowering, fruiting, and complete growing indoors. They are outstanding for growing garden transplants. Though possible, as I have grown Dwarf 'Tiny Tim' Tomatoes Indoors, I don't recommend using them for large scale indoor harvest growing. You will hear people say 'lumens are for hum ..read more

You can grow tomatoes indoors. They are self pollinating and do not need a pollinating insect to help them out. Simply shake the tomato plant, when you see clusters of flowers and you will get plenty of tomatoes. You can grow any tomato plant indoors but the indeterminate varieties can grow six feet tall. The lighting systems needed for this are different than a basic shelf setup. However, any determinate tomato variety that grows 1-2 feet tall, make perfect indoor tomatoes. You can grow them right under basic white LED shop lights. Specialized grow lights are wonderful but expensive. Basic ..read more

The Rusted Garden Seed and Garden Shop I will be doing at 2022 video series called Seed Starting 101. This series will teach you how to start seeds indoors, with the goal of having inexpensive transplants for your gardens. Transplants can easily cost $3-$5 a plant when purchased at stores.  Growing your own transplants, taking in all the start up costs, will cost you about .25 cents a plant or less. The lights, seed starting supplies, and seeds will last for years, further bringing down the cost of growing your own garden transplants. You can find seeds and seed starting supplies at my s ..read more

 Ultraviolet Protection: Vertical towers are made from plastic and sit outdoors. Any vertical tower you purchase must have ultraviolet (UV) protection from the sun. The sun will degrade unprotected plastic in 1-2 years. Plastic will become brittle and the tower will actually crack and crumble. I have had some of my GreenStalk Garden vertical towers outdoors 24/7 for over 6 seasons. They have not shown any degradation, damage, or cracking from UV rays. You are making an investment and want your towers to last and not need replacement every year or two. Ultraviolet protection is key number ..read more

Stratification is the process of giving your seeds a period of 'cold' to prepare them for better germination. If you dont stratify seeds, they can still germinate but the rate is often much lower and they can actually take 2 or 3 times longer to germinate. A refrigerator is all you need. Most seeds don't need to be stratified. Generally speaking many perennials, that are native to areas with a freezing  winter, benefit from a chilling period. I prepared a list of 35 plants that can benefit from being stratified. These are plants I often seed start. There are two ways to stratify seeds. On ..read more

Getting started growing amazing garden transplants begins with buying budget friendly but effective lights. Starting seeds indoors is not as difficult or expensive as you might think. I have been germinating and growing my own transplants for over 20 years and have always had success. The first thing to understand is that you are growing transplants and not flowering or fruit producing plants. Just transplants. And the key is... just transplants. That means you do not need expensive garden grow lights.  You can spend hundreds of dollars on specialized grow lights if you wish, but they ar ..read more

Thanks So Much for Your Support and Donation 100% of all donations given to The Rusted Garden Homestead (The Rusted Garden LLC) go directly to my 'Giving Gardens Charitable Fund' to be used 100% for non-profit organizations and families in need. Donations are used to build or fund projects related to some aspect of gardening that helps communities. I will provide ongoing quarterly updates, on this blog post, showing how the donations where used to help share our passion of gardening with others. I created a donation link through PayPal to provide a secure and easy way to collection donations ..read more

The Rusted Garden Seed and Garden Shop I am often asked what is the key to having a successful container garden and the answer is consistent even moisture. If a container plant dries out completely, one time, it devastates the future growth and production of that vegetable plant. For instance, tomato plants, can manifest a physiological disease called blossom end rot. The bottoms of the tomato turn brown and rot. This is due to the plant not being able to access calcium through its roots. While fertilizer, sunlight, and pest and disease management are important, success starts with soil. Vis ..read more