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#growing tips
askwhatsforlunch · 9 months
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Growing and Gardening: Growing Potatoes
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I had attempted to grow potatoes before, and even harvested a few; but no attempt was as successful as this year’s! And I’m not even done digging yet!
It all started on a cold January day. A local farmer was going around neighbourhoods in my town, selling his produce. A bit pricey perhaps; but excellent quality, and because he only sold in large amounts, I ended up with some twenty-five kilos of potatoes (in addition to fifteen of carrots, ten of white and five of red onions!)
It kept rather well in the garage, and the vegetables were delicious. But even in the dead of Winter, there are so many potatoes two people can eat!
Thus they started shrivelling and growing sprouts! Perfect, I thought; then, I could plant them!
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And so I did! On the 29th of March, I prepared the place I would plant them in, a large iron garden bin, where I had grown and harvested the last of the Mesclun. One thing to always remember when growing vegetables is to rotate your crops; you cannot grow the same type of vegetables in the same spot two years in a row. The previous crop will have taken most the the nutrients they need, leaving very little left in the soil, and your next harvest, if any, might not be as bountiful... Luckily, different crops need different nutrients from the soil they grow in; hence the rotation. Tubers (like potatoes), for instance, will appreciate a soil formerly hosting brassicaceae (like cabbage, kale, etc...) or leafy greens (like lettuce or spinach).
I tilled the soil thoroughly, and mixed in good soil and compost to amend it. I left it for a few days.
Then, on the 4th of April, I planted my sprouted potatoes. I had eight (8) of them, and arranged four (4) on two levels, so the bottom ones would not be right underneath the top ones. There was about 15cm/5.5″ of soil mixture between both levels.
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I covered them with about as much soil mixture (15cm/5.5″). I watered thoroughly. It is also important to have a good drainage, if you grow potatoes in a container, or they will rot. A few years back, I had hammered in four holes in this iron bin, and it wasn’t easy; but very much worth the effort! 
Then, I watered regularly only when the April showers were scarce! After a couple of weeks, potato stalks and leaves were starting growing in the bin.
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And after a month and a half (on the 16th of May), they were tall and luscious and very leafy!!! From then on, it is very easy to take care of them. Water when the soil gets dry to the touch, trim the leaves a little when they become yellow.
You can also sow herbs at the  feet of your potatoes. They may improve their taste and protect them against aphids. Cilantro and thyme are good companions. I only managed a very small bunch of Cilantro. Because they are in a bin, and the Cilantro stalks are significantly thinner and smaller than the potatoes’; they do not get as much light as they would if you planted and sowed in a Veg Patch.
That said, harvesting potatoes in a bin is heaps more convenient! You know where they all are; you just need to dig them out!
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I dug about 840 grams/1.85 pound New Potatoes (harvested about three and a half month after planting); and left the greenest, leafiest stalks in the bin to harvest later, and perhaps have bigger spuds! I might also try to sow more, as there is enough light for it now!
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I am so happy with this harvest of small (some really tiny!) to medium Garden Potatoes, though. Their skin is thin, and once scrubbed, don’t they look pretty?And their flesh is beautiful and tasty!
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growinginsa · 3 months
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How to Start Seeds like a Pro
Hey y'all! Its been a while. I said I would start back blogging and I'm here back on the saddle. Check it out! Show it some love! Share and comment. Thanks y'all!
To start seeds like a pro, you’ll need quality soil, containers, and proper care. Use a good seed starting mix (for recipe see below), provide consistent moisture, and maintain a warm environment. Ensure adequate light, either natural or artificial, and transplant seedlings to larger containers as they grow. Remember not to overwater and follow specific seed packet instructions for each plant…
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bumblebeeappletree · 2 years
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Tammy takes us through the basics of indoor plant care, starting with choosing the right ones for you. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
Time-poor plant parents:
A good rule of thumb is to choose plants based on the amount of time you have to look after them. If you’re time poor, then go for plants that are easy care and don’t need a watchful eye. Hoyas are great trailing plants that can withstand dry periods, Peperomia obtusifolia and dieffenbachias have variegated cultivars that make an impact, and homalomena or monstera can make a big, green statement with little effort.
Plants that need more TLC:
Rex begonias are showstoppers with colourful and hairy patterned leaves. They need high humidity, so group a few together to create a warm microclimate or add a humidifier to your indoor garden toolkit. Overwatering is a common cause of indoor plant issues so make sure they are not sitting in water and allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering again. Plus, increasing humidity will mean that they dry out slower.
To check if your plant needs water, use your finger to feel if the first few centimetres of soil are dry. If so, give them a good drink making sure there’s enough water to run through the drainage holes of the pot.
The popular Fiddle-Leaf Fig has caused a lot of heartache, dropping leaves as soon as they’re moved into the wrong spot. Make sure you give them the right environment by finding a brightly lit site with no direct afternoon sun and watering once the soil has mostly dried out.
Potting Mixes:
As a minimum, use a premium potting mix. For aroids, such as anthuriums, scindapsus, philodendrons, aglaonema and monstera, it’s worth making your own mix to ensure they have adequate water and drainage.
Tammy’s aroid mix is made from:
- 4 parts perlite (dampen before use as it can be dusty)
- 4 parts orchid bark
- 1 part compost
- 1 part coconut peat
- 1 part horticultural charcoal
Light:
Most house plants are happy in bright indirect light. For variegated plants, brighter light can encourage more variegation. In hot spots with direct sun, try plants such as crotons that have tropical, colourful foliage or in low light, try an aspidistra or dracaena.
If your sunshine is in short supply, artificial lights will allow you to grow a wider variety of plants. General household light bulbs don’t supply all the light spectrum needs for your plants, so go for something designed for plants that mimics sunlight. You can even find lights tailored for different plant stages, such as more red light that promotes flowering.
When using artificial lights, consider the distance – leave at least 40-50cm between the light and the plant so the leaves don’t burn, and don’t leave them on all day and night as plants need rest time just like us!
A little TLC and the right planning upfront will go a long way!
Featured Plants:
WAX PLANT  - Hoya sp. 
BABY RUBBERPLANT  - Peperomia obtusifolia cv. 
- Homalomena cv. 
DUMB CANE  - Dieffenbachia x memoria-corsii cv. 
MONSTERA  - Monstera deliciosa  
REX BEGONIA  - Begonia rex ‘Escargot’  
FIDDLE-LEAF FIG  - Ficus lyrata 
SATIN POTHOS  - Scindapsus pictus cv. 
CHINESE EVERGREEN  - Aglaonema cv. 
- Philodendron hederaceum ‘Brasil’ 
- Croton cv. 
CAST-IRON PLANT  - Aspidistra elatior  
HAPPY PLANT  - Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana'
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kupahdraws · 8 months
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a little informational guide on trying to find skintones from 3d refs :)
i know that finding skintones from 3d characters is tricky and can result in accidental whitewashing and this isnt to make fun of those ppl! this is simply to inform and help other artists out :)
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ratwizz · 3 months
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From a Snake Queen to a Solitaire Peasant <\3
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jenny-osborne · 1 year
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Herb Garden Ideas: Design, Growing Tips, and Planting Advice
A herb garden is a great addition to any home, offering a variety of benefits, from adding fresh flavors to your meals to providing natural remedies for common ailments. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting, creating an herb garden is an easy and enjoyable way to get started with gardening. In this article, we’ll explore some herb garden ideas to inspire your garden design and…
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fairycosmos · 2 months
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tips for acting like the grown woman i am and not like the stunted mentally ill freak that i also am
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ligayagardener · 1 year
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Tomatoes in bags
Short of money? Lots of Tomato seedlings but no pots? Planting directly into potting mix bags could be your answer. It reduces plastic use too – what else do you do with your potting mix bags? All you’re doing with a pot is to change the container for the potting mix and improve the drainage a bit. If you don’t have a container, why not use the bag that your potting mix came in. The process is…
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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 7 months
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Introvert adoption
[First] Prev <–-> Next
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askwhatsforlunch · 1 year
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Gardening Tip: Nasturtium Water (Natural Fertiliser and Aphid Repellent)
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I always think one law of physics that works well in the kitchen is Lavoisier’s Law --“Nothing is lost, nothing is created; everything is transformed”-- which I mostly apply to leftovers! It works even better in the Kitchen Garden!
Think about it: Coffee Grounds repel slugs, and an Elder Leaf Decoction chases unwelcome rodents, whilst Nettle Soup and Onion Skin Decoction will help make your soil fertile; like Egg shells which can be used both outside or while caring for your house plants.
So can Nasturtium Water. It is the water you have blanched your Nasturtium leaves in, when making a delicious Nasturtium Pesto. Don’t throw it away (“Nothing is lost”!) Allow it to cool and then pour it in your watering can and water your plants with it. 
You can also pour Nasturtium Water in a spray bottle and spritz it onto ferns in the house or in the garden, and onto growing carrots and Parsnips in the Kitchen Garden! It acts both as a fertiliser, helping your plants grow lush and green, and an aphid and white flies repellent, keeping your growing vegetables healthy!
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growinginsa · 1 year
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How to Grow Huge Basil and Harvest Through the Summer
Check out the new Blog Post! Its all about Growing, Caring For, Harvesting and Storing Basil!
Basil is an easy-to-grow, versatile, delicious, warm-weather annual herb that should be included in every herb garden! Keep reading to learn how to grow basil, including tips for harvesting that will get your plants huge and bushy. You only need a couple basil plants which will provide plenty of fresh leaves to enjoy with your summer salads and sauces. Buuuttttt, if you’re intending to stock the…
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bumblebeeappletree · 2 years
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In many parts of Australia, Autumn is the best time to start planting onion seeds or seedlings, particularly in warmer areas because onions need a long cool growing season to develop well. Tino waits till it's consistently cold before he sows his onion seeds. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
There are lots of onions you can grow at home, with long keeping onions able to be stored for many months after harvesting. Tino has chosen ‘White Gladolan’ onions to grow from seed, characterised by a white flesh and a sweet flavour. For the seedlings, he has chosen common brown onions, for their longevity.
Regardless of what type of onion you sow the cultivation technique is always the same.
Onions like a sweeter soil of around 6.5 pH, that is high in organic matter, but not overly rich. A bed prepped with aged sheep or cow manure is perfect.
They also love a full sun position and grow above the ground unlike their close cousin, garlic. So drainage needs to be good but it's not as important as it is for garlic.
Onions are also a great follow up to nitrogen hungry crops, like leafy greens and brassicas. That’s because if there’s too much nitrogen in the soil, onions tend to produce soft leafy growth, at times impacting bulb development.
Growing Tips:
1. You can grow your onions from either seeds, Tino’s preference, or seedlings, just make sure the plants aren’t too overly developed, otherwise, they can flower early.
2. Find a glass jar and half fill it with sand, add your seeds and mix together. The sand helps with drainage.
3. Fill the rest of the jar with dolomite lime which helps sweeten the soil with added calcium and magnesium.
4. Find a lid, tighten and give it a good shake.
5. Make a small hole in the lid then use it to pour the contents along a row of soil.
6. Then water with some added seaweed extract.
7. They need about 6 months in the ground
8. When the leaves yellow off, it’s time to harvest.
9. Store them in a dry dark place
Featured Plants:
ONION ‘WHITE GLADOLAN’  - Allium cepa cv. 
ONION ‘BROWN’  - Allium cepa cv. 
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magnusdixon · 26 days
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Do I need to wear more than this?
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lachiennearoo · 7 months
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How to Make Friends
A more-or-less clear guide on social interactions
Growing up with heavy ADHD and generalized anxiety, it was always a bit hard for me to make friends and socialize. Despite my yearning for friendship, I was always "the quiet one" and "a loner", simply because I didn't know how to approach certain social situations, and it made any friendship I had extremely unstable (except for my sister @vive-le-quebec-flouffi, who was so extroverted and friendly it was literally impossible to escape her clutches of socialization)
As I grew older, I learned through a lot of trial and error what makes a good friendship.
Or, rather... what's the best way for someone to WANT to be your friend (without being superficial or hypocritical.)
Now, obviously, this doesn't work for everyone. But this is what I found helped me the most in social circles (especially online) and I hope it can help others too
LET'S BEGIN!
1 - Be yourself
Now that sounds very cliche and cringe, I know, but hear me out, because my opinion on this is not the same as all those feelgood inspirational movies and ads.
"Being yourself" isn't as simple as it seems. Because after all, what does "self" imply? If someone is, say, a criminal, would "be yourself" mean that they should embrace their sinful side?
No, obviously not.
"Be yourself" is a bit more nuanced, but I'll try to boil it down for you.
It just means "be unashamed of your qualities which you think are flaws". For example, "be yourself" would apply to someone who sees themselves as ugly, or maybe someone with an odd yet unharmful hobby, or a weird sense of fashion, or someone with say a handicap, a speech impediment. "Be yourself" is a sentence for the specific people who have genuine good in them, but are afraid to show it to others because they have been persecuted in the past, or are scared to be. It does NOT mean to accept genuine flaws. "Be yourself" does not include say violent anger issues, an addiction, a recent crime committed, or a generally unpleasant personality. Those are obviously not things to encourage. You can understand they may be a thing that happen to you, and accept it in your life, but that's different from being proud of it or encouraging it.
Speaking of personalities... let's talk about that
2 - Be kind
Now when some people hear that, they think it means "always smile no matter what, always look happy and positive, always agree with everyone just so you don't hurt their feelings, and never cause any drama", like you're Deku in My Hero Academia or Steven Universe in his titular show.
But that's... not quite that.
Obviously, kindness is something you use to help people feel better, to cheer up, and feel happy, and obviously to be kind, you need to have compassion, heart, empathy, and always put yourself in other people's shoes regardless of who they are. But it is not necessarily all-encompassing.
There's a rule that I think anyone learning kindness must learn. It's that sometimes, kindness means to be firm.
Not mean, of course. Not judgmental, not insensitive. Don't insult anyone, don't belittle or patronize anyone or make them feel inferior to you. That's still very rude and that's not what you want.
But what I mean is that sometimes, if you know that a person's actions towards something are wrong, especially if it's towards someone else, you must be able to point it out, and act accordingly. Don't just stand there and agree with them just because you don't want to hurt their feelings. You must still be able to know right from wrong. Kindness just means you won't be an ass about it, it doesn't mean to stay silent.
Hey, that brings me to point three!
3 - Show your own opinions
If there's one thing people hate just as much as meanness, it's those who stand by and do nothing about it.
Regardless of if you agree with them or not, if you say absolutely nothing when genuinely bad behaviour is happening, out of fear of "starting a fight", you are actively making the person who is being attacked feel alone.
I remember myself, when I was bullied in the first two grades of secondary school (11-13 years old for those who don't know) for "being ugly", I was told by my mother (who was friends with other kid's parents) that some of the kids "didn't hate me" and "didn't agree with the bullying". And I asked her "if they don't hate me, why won't they talk to me?" She never managed to answer that one. And it broke my heart, because outside of my sister, I had no one else.
Don't be like that. You may be scared of acting, but you know who would be grateful if you did act? The victims. And isn't their opinion of you much more important than the opinion of someone who acts with hatred and bigotry?
If you see someone suffering injustice, or even just hear someone who has a rather harmful opinion, don't be scared to tell them that you disagree. Obviously don't be an asshole about it, stay civil, but if you voice out your opinion, you will be seen as someone who stays true to their beliefs and is brave enough to stand up for them if the opportunity comes.
There's obviously much more that comes with social life (nonverbal cues, sense of humor, timing and mood), and I don't know everything (I'm just some random québécois girl on the internet). But I hope this was a bit more helpful. I did have fun writing this, at least. So I guess that's better than nothing!
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femmefatalevibe · 7 months
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can you give a tips about how to act more mature??
Understand and validate your own needs/boundaries
Clearly communicate your needs/boundaries
Uphold your boundaries consistently without (non-emergency) exceptions
Display radical empathy and respect for the needs/boundaries of others
Practice emotional differentiation: Understand where someone else's needs, wants, and expectations end and your desires/personhood begin
Depersonalize other people's actions
Get curious instead of combative when in a disagreement or a conflict
Stand up for yourself using assertive communication, empathy, and tact
Get comfortable admitting what you don't know
Converse to understand others, not "win" a debate or gain someone's approval
Internalize that invalidating yourself makes you repeal others
Detach your emotions from a situation then consider how you can re-regulate your emotions by crafting a resolution
Approach conflict head-on by stating facts to open up a dialogue rather than accuse or get aggressive with the other party
Think before you speak. Never respond while angry or stressed. Taking your time is better than saying or doing something you'll regret
Understand that you are not your thoughts and feelings, but what you do in response to these emotions and desires
Build your habits/daily routines around your long-term goals, but take everything one step at a time
Embrace your need for rest, pleasure, and taking life slow at certain times.
Savor each moment. Understand life comes in stages of productivity, leisure, highs, and lows
Take care of your health and set yourself up to win in the long term with preventative measures, even if they go against your desires for instant gratification
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wistfulwatcher · 27 days
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The Girls on the Bus | 1.04 Two Americas
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