New gardeners need help!

Eric and Fendi just posted their 4th video!



Just look at them guys - Only 3 weeks ago they weren't exactly sure about which direction to go. Yet now they are doing it like the pros!



They even said thanks to all of us, for assisting them. So we should say welcome - However, in my opinion no thanks is required. You guys taking up organic gardening is something to be really proud of. Therefore give yourselves a pat on the back!

But if you really want to do something to show your gratitude - Then find others like yourselves, and get them interested in gardening also!

And make them join Garden Stew too.

 

I agree S-H ! got my cast on yesterday so typing is not great ! hate this one handed stuff !

 

They are really off to a great start. So now they only need to watch out for 3 things.

1 - Regular garden pests, (bugs).
2 - Birds picking their tiny seedlings.
3 - Rodents and other land creatures invading.

Planting marigolds is going to show results for sure. So number 1 issue is taken care of. However, the marigolds you guys got aren't enough for a patch as big as yours. They are OK for the plants you have now. But later as your plants will grow - You'll need about 5 to 6 times as many.

Keeping the birds away can be easily achieved by hanging a few old CDs or DVDs from a string. Purpose is to have something shinny moving in the air, - As birds can very easily spot reflections from up above. So if it isn't natural, like reflection from water, birds will assume it's trap, (and so will stay away).



You can even use the cut away lid of tin cans, but they will eventually get rusty. So the objective would be lost if the floating object isn't shinny anymore.

Humane traps for rodents, we have already covered in detail. I even posted a video of making my own design of a mouse trap. So no need to repeat.

Drip irrigation and other things like solar lighting can be considered later. Right now just relax and enjoy what you have already achieved!

 

We really are grateful for all of the advice so far! (But we are proud of ourselves too)

 

Thanks @mart !
We're sorry to read about a cast and we wish you a speedy recovery!

 

The mystery plant is probably a potato.

 

Wow, interesting! Thank you @Odif !
So, we planted our peppers right near the mysterious potato. Do you think they will compete with each other and/or not play nicely nearby each other?

 

A month and a half from now, you will start to see the results of all the hard work you guys put in. So that will be a moment to really be very proud!

Anyway, remember to save the seeds of whatever you grow - For next season... Also avoid hybrid or genetically modified plants, as a lot of them are tweaked to produce useless seeds (so you keep on buying fresh seeds from the suppliers every season).

Therefore start maintaining a personal private seed bank of your own. I swear to you, it will go a very long way in self sustainability.

Also let me know if you guys need any seeds from Pakistan, (100% organic of course).



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_plant

 

It takes a bit of trickery when it comes to sending seeds internationally from my end. See this thread how I did it.

https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/sending-receiving-seeds-by-mail

 

@S-H if @Simple Gardening only listen to one piece of advice from you seed saving is the one.

 

We will definitely save our seeds. It makes perfect sense to do so. Any advice on how to store them? Refrigerator? Air tight container? Etc?

 

There are many ways to storing seeds for long term.

Vacuum packing. Or enclosing in plastic with the help of a hot sealer, (like I often do). Some suggest sealing them in presence of an inert gas (to keep them from decaying due to oxygenation). Another time tested way is to introduce a little powdered sulphur in a tiny bottle in which the seeds would be kept, (to keep fungus from growing in them). Freezing them in liquid nitrogen is also an option, but not practical at home.

Using silica gel crystals (which are often kept in medicine bottles, that looks like a tiny pillow) - Is also a great help. As it absorbs moisture from the air in a sealed container.

But in my opinion, best way to keep the seeds alive, is to keep planting and keep collecting fresh seeds each season. As that usually gives the best results. Save some also, in case there is a mishap. But always keep collecting fresh seeds, and keep using them for next growing season.

Of course, however way you decide to store your seeds - Always dry them out completely at first, under natural sunlight, (exactly like in nature). Once seeds are completely dry, they by themselves get set for long term storage, (as moisture is the enemy of all seeds in storage).

Wet seeds can't be stored, as they start to decay because of moisture. It's actually part of the seed's maturing process, to dry them out completely. As that creates a hard shell around them, (protection for their genetics in the core). This hard shell on the outside is also a barrier against mold and infection when they get hydrated again in the soil - Letting only water in, to kickstart the germination process, but not letting in anything else which would be harmful at this stage.

Once the seed starts, it will break open the shell by itself and emerge out of the soil. As now the immune system of the tiny plant would be ready to fight off problems on it's own.

So however you store the seeds - Always make sure that they get fully mature, by drying them out completely, (under natural sunlight).

In other words, just following nature is the best policy - You really can't go wrong!

 

Great, thanks!

 

Always collect 3 to 4 times as many seeds as you think you'll need. To cover for any type of unforeseen mishap.

And just keep them dry. You will not experience any problem getting them to sprout next season. Even after 5 years, over half of them might still grow.

However if you need really long term storage. Then refer to the methods I mentioned above. Otherwise, don't need to bother with doing anything too complicated.

I again say, following nature, sane as our ancestors - As working with nature always gives better results, (and is less labor intensive too).

 

Each type of seed has a certain amount of time before it loses its germanitive power, so learn. I usually dry well my seeds and store them in a dry cool environment and try to plant them before their “sell by” date.