Potting Up Seedlings & How to Separate Seedlings

April 13, 2021 by Melissa Norris 5 Comments

Starting seeds indoors is a fantastic way to get a jumpstart on the growing season, or extend your growing season if it's too short for some crops like tomatoes and peppers. But chances are, you'll need to pot up your plants once, possibly even twice before they're ready to be transplanted into the garden. Here's everything you need to know about potting up seedlings, how to separate seedlings to prevent stunting their growth, and how to keep them from becoming root-bound.

A woman holding seedlings in her hands, standing outside by a potting bench.

If you're a first time gardener, there are many basics to know when planning a vegetable garden. If you're like me, you need to extend the growing season as much as possible on both ends in order to grow a year's worth of food that you can preserve and put up for your family.

Starting your seeds at home is a great way to get a jumpstart on the season, and using row covers, high-tunnels and other gardening structures can help extend the season on the tail-end.

No matter what what method of gardening you're using, chances are you want to increase your growing season, harvest, and self-sufficiency as much as is possible.

If you started seeds indoors this year, you may be noticing that some plants need to be potted up or separated out. Potting up seedlings is important in order to keep them from becoming rootbound or overcrowded.

Here are the basics:

When To Pot Up Seedlings

There are many variables when it comes to potting up plants. The type of plant, size of container, how densely the seeds were started, whether you thinned the seedlings, and when you started the seeds indoors (how long before the last frost).

Plant Type

If you've ever grown pepper plants beside tomato plants then you've surely noticed that the tomatoes germinate and sprout up much more quickly than the peppers. They also mature and outgrow their tiny pots faster, needing to be potted up sooner than peppers.

Herbs are another plant that can stand to be in a smaller pot longer than other plants. Although, depending on how densely you planted them, they may be in need of nutrition sooner than others.

Container Size

I've been asked many times before, “If plants always need to be potted up, why don't we just start them in a larger container to begin with?”

This is a great question, and there are multiple reasons why one should start seeds in a smaller container:

Better water control (it's easy to overwater larger containers)
More plants to fit under the grow lights
More plants to fit on a heat mat (if using)
Less space needed indoors for seedlings

Keeping consistent moisture on your seedlings is a time-consuming task, if you have more pots with more soil in them, this task is going to take much longer each day. Trust me when I say you'll spend more time watering than the time it takes to pot up your seedlings.

Also, if you're using grow lights (which most of us should be doing as seedlings need 8-10 hours of sunlight, or 16 hours of artificial grow lights, each day), you can fit more seedlings under one light, eliminating the need to buy more lights.

For those who like to use heat mats, if you're starting your seeds in larger pots, the heat mats may not be able to heat the soil all the way through to the seed. Not to mention, it's much easier to fit a tray of 24 cells onto a heat map than 24 – 6″ containers.

And finally, when I start my seeds indoors I set them over on the floor between my kitchen and living room. I don't mind keeping a few clamshell containers over there, but if I started each of my plants in a 6″ container, I'd have plants all over my living room floor! No thanks!

A woman holding a large plastic container with tomato seedlings growing in it.

Planting & Thinning

How densely you planted your seeds and whether you thinned your seedlings as they sprouted will also determine how quickly you need to pot up your plants.

As you can see in my video, I planted my tomato plants pretty densely in a large clamshell container. Because of this, they were beginning to compete to reach the light, so it was time for them to each get their own container.

If you plant 4-5 seeds per tiny cell, then thin them out once they germinate and sprout, you can possibly wait a few more weeks before potting up.

Timing

Knowing when your average last frost date is will help you know how long until the plants can be transplanted outdoors. If the plants can't go outside for at least another 2-4 weeks and the plant is already outgrowing its current pot, you should pot up.

Likewise, if you can see some of the roots poking out from the bottom of the cell, that's a good sign that the plant is outgrowing its home.

Tomato seedlings in a sink with a seedling tray in front.

Potting Up Seedlings

Choosing the Right Size Container

As your plants continue to grow, they'll need adequate space in their container. It's good to know about how long your plant has before getting transplanted out into the garden to get an idea of how big a pot you'll need.

In the video above, I'm potting up my tomato seedlings, which still have at least four weeks before they can go out into the garden, so I'm using a container no smaller than 4 inches wide. (I also like to use these trays that allow for bottom watering.)

If you have longer to go, you may want to choose a container between 6-8 inches in diameter to accommodate the roots.

Using the Right Soil

Because our plants are still small and in need of proper nutrition, I like to use potting soil not soil from the garden. This ensures I won't bring any gnat or fly eggs into my home where they'll hatch and make a mess. (This also holds true for any open bags of potting mix from the year before where bugs had access.)

I also recommend using certified organic or OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) potting soil. I can buy this at my local Costco for a very inexpensive price. I always buy one bag per year, just for potting up my seedlings.

A woman's hand potting up a tomato seedling.

Plant Seedlings Deep (Maybe)

This holds true for most seedlings, but most importantly your tomatoes. I like to plant my tomatoes where the first set of leaves are. The first set of leaves aren't the plants true leaves, and they'll actually turn yellow and fall off on their own after a few weeks, but if they're still on the plant, I like to remove them and plant my tomatoes right up to that level.

Tomato stems are pretty amazing because any part of the stem that's under the soil will begin to produce roots. We want our tomato plants to have a very strong root system, so potting them up and allowing them to produce more roots gives us a head start.

Planting deep also holds true for any plants in the nightshade family (peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc.), and many in the brassica family can handle planting deep (at the first set of leaves).

However, this planting deep theory doesn't hold true for all plants. If you saw this post on when and how to plant fruit trees you know that you should always keep the soil level the same.

This holds true for growing beans as well, and some say that cucumbers don't like to be planted deep, but I tend to just direct sow my cucumbers outside anyway, as I've done some side-by-side comparisons and the direct-sown seeds always catch up to the seedlings that I started indoors.

Ultimately, if your seedlings get adequate light from the start, they shouldn't get leggy or need to be planted too deep anyway.

Water

In order to prevent your plants from getting stressed, you want to be sure to get them adequate water as soon as possible.

I will actually water my plants as I go along, instead of waiting until I've potted up an entire tray. After this initial watering, I will switch from spraying and watering overhead to bottom watering. I do this to avoid any fungus from growing on my plants and to promote a deeper root system.

A woman's hand holding two tomato seedlings.

Choose the Healthiest Seedlings

I always start more seeds than plants I'll need in the garden. I do this, first of all, because seeds are very inexpensive and I want to make sure I get enough seeds to germinate for the number of plants I want to grow.

Second, I like to plant extra seeds so I can choose the heathiest and strongest seedlings for potting up. To do this, I not only look at the height and leaves of the plant, but I also take a good look at the root structure.

Even if a plant is taller than another, if it has a stronger root system, I will choose to pot up the one with stronger roots. (In the photo above, you can see the plant on the left has a much stronger root system than the plant on the right, even though the plants themselves were about the same size.)

A woman's hands separating tomato seedlings.

Avoid Rootbound Plants

One of the things I do when starting seeds indoors is to use clear plastic clamshell containers. Not only does this allow me to get a greenhouse effect while my seeds are germinating, but it also means I can keep an eye on my seedling's roots to avoid them becoming rootbound.

The term “rootbound” is used when a plant has outgrown the container that it was planted in. Oftentimes this means the roots have circled around the container and become a tangled web of roots.

Certain plants don't like their roots being messed with, so if your seedlings become rootbound, and you go to pot them up or transplant them into the garden, you may stunt their growth or they may even die.

Furthermore, if the root system can't be untangled, this will keep the roots from growing out into the ground once transplanted into the garden. Because the strength of the plant relies on the strength of its roots, this doesn't set your plants up to be productive.

We obviously want to avoid this if at all possible, we don't spend weeks on end tending to tiny plants only to have them die, am I right?

Ideally, you'll pot up or transplant your seedlings before they outgrow their container.

A tray of tomato seedlings that have just been potted up.

FAQs

Why do my plants look like they're dying after potting up?

After repotting your plants, they may look a little sad, stressed, and droopy. This is to be expected as they've just had their environment disrupted.

Be sure to get them water as soon as possible, and get them back into their normal environment (if you're doing your potting up outside as I am).

A woman's hand showing the leaves of a tomato plant.

Why do my tomato plants look purple on the leaves?

This is a sign of a nutrient deficiency, usually it means they're low in potassium. If you overcrowd your pots when starting seeds, the seedlings may use up all the nutrients before you're able to pot them up.

They should do better by getting them into fresh potting soil and watering them with a bit of fertilizer.

A woman pouring fish fertilizer into a watering can.

Do I need to fertilize my seedlings?

This answer will vary depending on the plant, how densely you planted the seeds, whether you've thinned out the seedlings, and if your plants are giving you signs of nutrient deficiencies.

After about 2-4 weeks, most plants will likely benefit from some type of fertilizer. I like to use a fish fertilizer that won't burn my plants. It's a 5-1-1 mixture, which means the ratio of “N-P-K”, or nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

All-in-all, potting up seedlings is likely going to be something that you need to do at least once if you've started your seeds indoors. Hopefully this post was helpful and alleviated some of your fears of potting up or transplanting your plants.

When and How to Plant Fruit Trees

March 10, 2021 by Melissa Norris 25 Comments

Late winter and early spring are the best time to plant fruit trees and bushes. This post shares everything you need to know from picking the right fruit tree, the correct variety, and even orchard planning tips if you're wanting to grow a variety of fruit trees.

A woman crouched down next to an established fruit tree with mountains in the background.

While I love my veggie garden, there is a beauty in only having to plant something once and being able to harvest if for years to come. Can I get a holler? No, sheesh, this is exciting stuff, okay, at least a high five.

Having a fruit source on your homestead is a great step towards self-sufficiency and lowering your grocery bill. Plus, there is nothing and I mean nothing, like fresh ripe fruit straight off the vine… or tree or bush. This makes jam, jelly, and syrup making almost free as well.

Growing Fruit Trees From Seed

I don't actually like to grow my fruit trees from seed, and the reason is that you're going to be adding that many more years before they being to produce fruit (usually bare-root trees or saplings you buy at a nursery are already 2-3 years old).

Another reason is that, depending upon the variety of fruit tree, when you plant them from seed, you don't always get the same variety.

So, to make sure that I'm getting the exact fruit variety that I want, I like to start with some immature, bare-root fruit trees.

When to Plant Fruit Trees

A woman crouched down next to a newly planted fruit tree.

Planting in the late winter or early spring is generally the best time to get your new fruit trees in the ground. As long as the ground isn't too frozen to dig a hole, you should be good to go.

Bare root stock should be planted in winter, while raspberries and blueberries can be planted into spring.

A good rule of thumb is to check the local nursery's in your area. If they have bare root fruit trees and other fruit plants out, then it's time to begin planting. Your goal is to have the fruit tree/plant in the ground so the roots can get over the shock of transplanting and begin establishing their root system before the stress of summer and the work of growing leaves and fruit begin.

Where to Get Good Fruit Stock

You have a few options for finding good fruit stock. Your best bet is to go to a local nursery (not the garden department at big box stores but a true independent nursery). You'll be able to inspect the stock, it's most likely grown in your region (acclimated to your weather), and the varieties best suited to where you live. Many nurseries will let you schedule a meeting with an experienced staff member to pick out the best varieties based on your needs.

We don't have any local nurseries with fruit trees and my favorite online source for healthy plants is RainTreeNursery.com I've ordered both my elderberry bushes, strawberry plants, and received five fruit trees from them and all the plants are packaged excellently and have been very healthy. (Use coupon code: modernhomestead to get 10% off your order.) I've also had decent luck with fruit trees from Costco, they partner with regional nurseries/growers.

Bare root fruit trees are usually the cheapest route to go and most nurseries will have them on sale in winter, as this is the time they must be planted. Because you'll be purchasing and planting the trees before they've leafed and blossomed out, it may be harder to tell if the tree is healthy.

Branches in tiers and with even scaffolding are what I look for when purchasing bare root stock fruit trees. Make sure they're evenly spaced and not right on top of one another.

I look for a tree that has a good set of well-balanced limbs, a solid scaffolding in place, and no cracks or scabbing on the limbs or trunk.

If you have a friend with a good raspberry patch, ask if you can get a few canes (the viney branch part of the bush) to start your own patch. It will take a few years before your own canes need thinning, but this was how we got all of our raspberries. An overgrown patch was on my aunt's property and we transplanted an entire row in the early spring to our yard. Raspberries will also send out runners and you can dig those canes up as well.

How to Plant Fruit Trees

Digging a Hole

If you plan on moving an established fruit tree or fruit plant or planting a bare root or potted tree, be sure you dig a hole twice as wide and twice as deep. Create a cone shape of dirt in the bottom of the hole and spread the roots out and down this dirt cone (same technique in How to Plant Strawberries)

Filling the Hole

Backfill the hole with loose dirt and a layer of compost. If any of the roots are broken, remove them before planting. Keep the level of dirt at the same level it was in at the nursery. You can usually see the line on the trunk of the tree or bush.

Create a mote around the base of the tree to allow the water to filter down onto the roots instead of running off into the surrounding soil or land.

Use a small amount of water when you plant the tree. The soil will settle and you'll be able to see where you need to add more dirt.

Watering Schedule

Don't over water in the winter months. In the late spring, when the tree leaves out and the soil becomes dry, water deeply 5 to 10 gallons once a week.

Throughout the first few summers, you'll want to water the plant once a week if you don't have any rainfall. I neglected to this with one of our new apple trees and lost it. So even in the rainy Pacific Northwest, you'll still want to follow the rule of watering deeply once a week with a newly planted tree if there isn't any moisture falling from the sky.

Note: It takes an average of seven years before you'll be able to harvest a sizeable crop from your fruit trees. Most bare rootstock is a few years old, but you can ask the nursery for more specifics.

The bigger or older the stock, the more expensive it will be.

Raspberries will produce the following year (or the same year in the fall if they're an ever-bearing variety and planted in the spring) and blueberries usually take a couple of years. Learn how to plant berry bushes here.

Picking Your Variety of Fruit

A small apple tree with about a dozen apples on it.

An important thing to remember when planting your fruit trees is to be sure you either pick a self-pollinating fruit tree or you purchase two varieties that will cross-pollinate. A crab apple will cross-pollinate almost all apple tree varieties as it blooms for a longer period of time than a regular apple, allowing it to pollinate early, mid, and late-season apples. Although a crab apple is so sour you'll never make the mistake of biting into one twice, it is high in natural sources of pectin and will help you get a beautiful set on your jams and jellies.

Some varieties of apples become ripe later in the season. If you live in a zone with early frosts or shorter growing seasons, you might want to pick an earlier ripening variety.

You can also purchase “fruit cocktail” trees, where several varieties have been grafted onto one stock. We haven't had much luck with these as the grafted branches tend to die off after a year or two and the main stock of the tree takes over.

Even if a fruit variety is self-pollinating, you'll get a larger harvest if a cross-pollinator is nearby.

My favorite apple is the heirloom Gravenstein, but because it's sterile (doesn't pollinate anything else) so we have a crab apple, and also a Gala and Honeycrisp.

The best fruit trees for small spaces are dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties.

Need help picking the right fruit trees for your area? Read 5 Tips to Starting an Orchard

Self-Pollinating vs. Cross-Pollinating Fruits

As mentioned above, you'll want to be sure whether or not your fruit tree is a self-pollinating or cross-pollinating variety. Here's a list to keep in mind, but wherever you buy your tree, you should be able to find out which variety you're purchasing.

Self-Pollinating Fruits

Apricots
Pomegranate
Citrus Fruit
Grapevines
Persimmons
Sour Cherries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
European plums

Most berries and European plums will do better if they have another variety to cross-pollinate with.

Cross-Pollinating Fruits

Apple (there are a few self-pollinating varieties like Golden Delicious, but they will do better if they have a cross-pollinator)
Blueberries
Elderberries
Pears
Japanese Plums
Sweet Cherries
Most nut trees

Bare Root Fruit Trees to Plant in Winter

Apple
Apricot
Asian pears
Crabapple
Sweet Cherry
Sour Cherry
Pears
Peaches
Plums

Bonus: Use the same tips for planting Filberts or hazelnut trees.

Fruit Trees for Small Spaces

Even if you don't have a large yard or any land you can still plant fruit trees. Look for dwarf varieties. They can be grown in containers.

Berry bushes like blueberries are well suited to containers as well.

More Resources for Planting Fruit Trees in Your Yard :

What kind of fruit do you grow? Do you have a favorite variety or tips to share?

Pruning Blueberry Bushes & Blueberry Bush Care

January 28, 2020 by Melissa Norris 82 Comments

Pruning blueberry bushes and proper blueberry bush care can help yield not only a larger harvest but also larger, juicier berries. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions on how to prune blueberries and properly amend the soil for quality growth.

Why Should I Prune My Blueberry Bushes?

It seems so contradictory to cut OFF branches in order to get MORE fruit, but that’s exactly what we need to do with our fruit trees and shrubs, namely, blueberry plants.

If you want larger, tastier berries, then yearly pruning of your blueberry bushes will become your new best friend. The best (and most tasty) blueberries tend to grow on newer, stronger canes that are pointing straight up, and while the older canes will still bear fruit, you want a constant steady rotation of new fruit-bearing canes to maintain the fruit quality.

Furthermore, blueberry bushes that are neglected year after year can become overcrowded, making it hard to produce sizeable fruit. The bush may also become unruly and an undesirable shape for harvesting berries.

Pruning blueberries is slightly different than pruning fruit trees, though some of the principals remain the same.

I can’t help but think of this verse every time I think about how to prune blueberries or any of our plants. I’m always amazed at how gardening brings to mind so many of the scriptures.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2

Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits. They’re sweet and juicy on the tongue, freeze better than any other berry, dehydrate well, and can even be grown in a container or pot. Plus, they turn things purple (one of my high school’s colors), what’s not to love?

Looking for great ways to preserve all those blueberries your bushes will be producing? Check out my FREE Preserving Blueberries & Blueberry Recipes eBook or my Home Fruit Preserving eCourse.

How to Prune Blueberries & Proper Blueberry Bush Care (For a Better Harvest)

Update: Watch this video to learn how to prune blueberries, especially older or mature blueberry plants, including restoring old blueberry bushes that might have missed a few prunings.

Blueberry Bushes are Great for Small Spaces

Almost anyone can grow blueberries, even if all you have is a patio or small yard because blueberries can be kept compact. One mature bush, allowed mostly full sun will produce a good amount of berries for eating fresh and preserving.

Blueberries make a gorgeous addition to your flower beds as their flower buds turn to dainty white blossoms in spring and in the fall, their leaves turn a pretty red before falling.

Blueberries are a fairly slow-growing plant. If your plant is only a year or two old, I wouldn’t prune it yet, just let it grow and establish its root system. Our bushes are going on five years old and are definitely in need of some pruning.

When is the Best Time to Prune Blueberry Bushes?

The best time of year to prune blueberries is in late winter or early spring. You want to prune them when the fruit buds are showing. It's also best to prune on a dry day.

If you're like us, the answer for when to prune blueberries (in Washington State) would be mid-January through the first part of March. I also was out for a run and happened upon my wonderful neighbor pruning her blueberries. She's an organic farmer who has served on the board for Organic Tilth, making her my go-to person when I have gardening questions.

She gave me a quick pruning lesson and I'm passing it along to you guys, cuz us homesteading peeps have to stick together.

An up close look at a blueberry branch with pruning sheers cutting off the end.

The Best Method for Pruning Blueberry Bushes

As I mentioned in the video above, I had just pruned my elderberry bushes with my garden tools. Because of this, I always start by sterilizing my tools to avoid the possibility of spreading disease between my plants.

Once you're ready to prune, the first thing you want to do is take off all of the dead branches, these should be the oldest canes on your plant. You'll want to be sure your pruning shears are nice and sharp because it's best if you prune off the dead branches at a 45-degree angle.

If you're cutting off an entire branch, you'll want to cut the branch straight across, right at the very base.

How to Prune New Blueberry Bushes

If your blueberry bush is brand new (the first or second year after planting), you'll stop after the step mentioned above and only remove any dead or diseased branches. You don't need to prune anymore than that on first or second-year-old blueberry plants. The goal for newer bushes is to establish their shape and set them up for success in years to come.

Gloved hand holding a blueberry bush branch. Arrows pointing to the red new growth and the dead branch.

4 Tips to Identify Which Branches to Prune Off Your Blueberries

As mentioned above, the first thing you'll look for is dead branches. They have to go.

Next, step back and look at the bush. You want the middle of the bush to have good circulation. If it's too compact the berries in the center won't receive much light and won't ripen well.

Look for branches in the middle that don't have any or very much new growth. Those will be the ones you want to remove.

Be sure and cut the branch off down to the very base of the bush. This will encourage healthy new growth.

Now, look at the bush again. Are there branches that don't have any new fruit buds?

There's no point in keeping branches that aren't going to be producing any fruit. Each fruit bud will produce a good handful of berries, so if a branch has several, that's a decent amount of berries.

Finally, look for branches that grow long and leggy with no branches until the end. It's best to cut these as they're not producing fruit along the length of the branch, just the end. Your goal is to keep the branches with lots of new red growth and fruit buds.

Learn how to prune blueberry bushes for a larger harvest. If you've ever planned on having blueberries or have them, this step by step tutorial shows you how to prune blueberries for a maximum harvest and how to mulch and fertilize for healthier bushes. Read this now to get your bushes in prime condition.

So to recap, when identifying branches to prune off you're looking for the following four things:

Dead branches.
Branches in the middle with zero or very little new growth.
Branches with no (or very few) fruit buds.
Long and leggy branches.

As your blueberry bush grows, you'll want to cut off any small shoots coming up at the very base of the plant to encourage upright growth. It's not much fun to hunch over the whole time you're picking berries. Or maybe that's a sign I'm starting to get old… nah.

Once your branches start showing signs of slowing down their production (usually after six years or so) you'll want to begin to trim them back to allow new younger shoots to get established.

Mulching and Feeding Your Plants

After you've gone through and pruned your blueberry bush(es), you'll want to add some new mulch and fertilizer. Blueberries are one of the most acid-loving plants around. In fact, our soil is about a 5.5 on the ph scale and it's not quite acidic enough for the blueberries. My neighbor even adds sulfur to her soil.

I've found various reports on the acidity of used coffee grounds. Some articles say it's only about a 5 while others say it's more. Regardless of how acidic it is, it's an excellent food for your bush and something most of us have on hand.

I put a good layer of coffee grounds around the base of my blueberry bushes each year, making sure to mix it up so it doesn't grow mold. Here is my article on 4 tips for using coffee grounds in the garden.

Next goes on a good layer of manure. Because this layer is going on top of last year's layer of mulch, I don't worry if it's a little bit hot because it won't be hitting the roots right away. After I've added my manure I put on a 5 to 6-inch layer of sawdust.

Cedar is a good choice for blueberries (but not all plants), fir, maple, and pine will work as well. Whatever you can get your hands on basically.

The reason we mulch so heavily here is threefold.

A row of blueberry bushes without leaves.

Why Mulch for Proper Care of Your Blueberry Bushes?

Prevent new weeds from growing.
Help keep in the moisture come our drier summer months (though in the Pacific Northwest that's usually not until after July 4th).
To prevent mummy berry fungus.

What is the Mummy Berry Disease?

If you're in a wetter climate like me, you've probably heard of the dreaded mummy berry disease. It's a fungus that infects first the branch of the plant and then the blossoms. The berry starts to develop, but then stops about halfway through and instead of ripening, turns into a shriveled mauve-colored berry that resembles mummification.

If the infection gets worse, you'll eventually end up with no berry harvest.

The fungus actually comes from a tiny mushroom that grows during the first part of spring (and develops where the mummified berry falls). If you put down a thick enough layer of mulch, the fungus can't grow and therefore can't spread.

Do you have blueberries or plan on putting some in?

Here's a great resource for further reading:

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6 Ways to Drought Proof Your Garden

August 5, 2015 by Amy Maus 2 Comments

Worried about your plants in the hot summer months or during a water shortage? Learn how to use these 6 easy tips to drought proof your garden.

If you’re like me, this is not a happy thought…looking forward to a drought. But then again, having one facing you when you haven’t prepared for it would be far worse so here we go!

Drought conditions arise when an area is subject to a deficiency in water supply over an extended period of time. In the United States since 2012 much of the country has been suffering from at least moderate drought. If you live in the western United States this is currently a real concern.

6 most helpful aspects of getting your garden ready for a drought

1. Soil – The type of soil you have in your garden spot is one of the most important aspects of determining how much your garden is going to suffer from the extreme heat and dry conditions you are facing. And although you might not be able to change the type of soil you have in a big hurry, just knowing what your soil type is and how it reacts to drought will be a help to you. The healthier your garden soil, the more drought resistant it will be.

3 Main Soil Types

Sand: Sandy soil has larger particles of soil. It feels gritty to the touch. It warms up quickly in the spring and has the best drainage of any soil types. The problem with straight sandy soil is that the drainage is so good that the water will go right through it.

Silt: Silt has smaller particles of soil than sand. It feels slick to the touch. It holds water well so it doesn’t have very good drainage and is colder than sandy soil. It packs easily so it doesn’t aerate well.

Clay: Clay soil has even smaller particles than silty soil. Because of this, it holds water and nutrients the best. Clay feels sticky to the touch. Clay soil takes a very long time to warm up in the spring. The particles are so tiny that they pack together very tightly and then when they dry out the soil is ‘stuck’ together, making working dry soil very difficult.

How to tell what type of soil you have: Take a handful of soil, moisten it and pack it into a ball. If a ball will not form, but the soil falls loosely into your palm, then you have sandy soil. If a ball forms easily and stays in perfect shape, then you have clay soil. If you have silty soil, you will be able to form a ball, but a lot of the soil will be stuck to your hand and will leave your fingers dirty.

Loam: Loam is not a soil type but a combination of the three above soils. This is a gardener’s dream. Loam also contains humus which is decomposed organic matter. Humus is extremely valuable during drought conditions as it will hold the moisture a long time close to the roots where it is needed. In addition to this, because of the aerating properties, if a small amount of moisture is added to the top of the soil, it is quickly absorbed into the humus and retained there. Loam is dark in color and feels partly sticky, partly gritty due to its combination of soils. When doing the ball-test, loam will form a ball, but then as you open your hand the ball will fall into chunks due to the mixture.

2. Mulching – Mulching your garden is probably the biggest help you can give to your garden if you are facing a drought. Mulch can be organic or inorganic, but is basically placing a layer of something on top of the soil to protect the soil from drying out and to protect the root area from the temperature of the air. It also helps prevent weed growth and can protect against erosion. Do not be stingy with the mulch…the deeper the better. Also organic matter added to your soil will give great benefit toward water retention.

The insulating qualities of mulch keep the hot scorching temperatures of a drought from damaging the roots of your plants and also slows down moisture evaporation from the soil surface. Organic mulches absorb moisture quickly and retain it longer than soil that has not been mulched.
Mulch is generally put on the plants from 2-6 inches deep. The smaller the particles of mulch, the shallower you can put it on. Larger pieces like branches or twigs should be put on deeper.

Common organic mulches

bark

compost

grass clippings

peat moss

wood shavings or sawdust

straw

pine needles

Common inorganic mulches

crushed rock

plastic film

3. Weeding -Weed with care during a drought. Use of pesticides and herbicides are hard on the plants and require more water for the plants to remain healthy. Try to avoid using these in your garden during a drought. Although the weeds take valuable water and nutrients that are needed for your plants, I think you should be careful with your weeding.

I have noticed that a few tall weeds can help shade the plants. At times of severe drought you may want to wait until a cooler day to pull those last few weeds.

As I was walking through a friend’s garden recently on a scorching hot 109 degree day, I noticed her garlic patch. The half that she had recently completely weeded were turning brown and curling up. The half that she hadn’t weeded yet, had several tall weeds around each garlic plant. The weeds were taller than the garlic, but weren’t crowded enough to give much harm, and I could tell were actually aiding the plants by shading them. In this section, the garlic was still green and standing up tall and the heat didn’t seem to be bothering them. The watering was equal throughout the patch. I think it is a lot like spring transplanting, the disturbance of the roots at transplanting time calls for a cool shady day to prevent damage, much like the disturbance of these garlic roots when these were weeded during a drought.

4. Water – Mulching is a huge help to retain water in the soil, but you will still need to add water if it hasn’t rained in a long time. Putting the water beneath the mulch is the very best if you can. With a drip irrigation system this is easier to do.

If your plants have been deprived of water for a long time, they will wilt, and even if they don’t die, they will be unproductive because they are starving for water. Watering less frequently and deeper is the best way to water. The water reaches down to where the roots are and encourages deep root growth.

If you water often and shallow, then the roots will stay near the surface, which is very dangerous for the plants during drought. With proper maintenance, a drip irrigation system is one of the best things you can do for your garden to prepare for a drought year.

Overhead watering will allow more water loss through evaporation, as will watering during the heat of the day. Evening watering is considered the optimum time to water during a drought. With all of your plants, it is best to wait until the plants are close to the wilting stage before you water them to encourage deep root development. If they are in the flowering or fruiting stage, it is important that you don’t let them become too dry.

5. Shade – Have you noticed that the part of your lawn that remains green the longest when the summer sun is scorching everything else, is the section that has shade during parts of the day. If you have areas of your garden with no shade, you can provide artificial shade.

The type of shade cloths that are used for dog kennels would work quite well. This burlap shade cloth works well with multiple garden uses. We don’t always know ahead of time if it’s going to be a drought year. Long narrow rows of vegetables look neat and tidy, but they are much more susceptible to harm by drought than wide rows or blocks of vegetables.

Blocks or wide-rows tend to shade themselves once the plants are a bit larger and this also cuts down on weeding. The shade helps preserve the available moisture.

Another planting arrangement that may help a lot is knows as “the three sisters” Corn, Squash and Beans. These three plants can be planted together in the same area as a way to use the soil more efficiently. Corn sends its roots deep into the soil, beans send their roots out wide and shallow and the squash roots are in between. This way the water and nutrients in the entire area are well used and not wasted. Other plants can be placed together in the same manner.

6. Making the hard choice– We know there are some plants we consider warm-weather plants and some we call cool-weather crops. The warm-weather plants don’t necessarily do well during a drought and may still require some special care.

However we do know that some plants fair much better than others during a drought, and you may want to consider just which plants you should be spending all your time and money on.

Drought tolerant vegetables:

Beans (choose chickpea, limas or moth beans) Eggplant, Okra, Peppers (varieties that produce smaller fruits will bear the heat better) Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkin, Swiss chard, Roma Tomatoes, Melons, Mustard Greens and both rhubarb and asparagus if they are established before the drought comes. Potatoes are a dry-land crop and require little water after they are first established well.

Many Heirloom varieties from the Mediterranean area are prized for their drought tolerance, like these blueberry seeds.

If you’re trying to decide between two varieties of the same vegetable, choose the plants with the smallest leaves. Varieties with extra large leaves tend to lose water into the air sooner than the smaller leaved varieties.

Plants you ought to avoid if you are planting a drought tolerant garden:

Corn, although it can tolerate the heat, it does suck up a lot of water, so if you are going to be low on water, you might as well skip it. Unless you can find Black Aztec Corn , which will do well with the drought. Prepare it by roasting the kernels.

Other vegetables that don’t do well in a drought are peas, lentils, brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips and watercress.

Shallow rooted greens will also die in severe drought. Greens can easily be grown in pots though, so if you love the shallow-rooted greens like lettuce you can pot them and move to a shadier, cooler location. If your garden is already growing and showing signs of stress, you may want to concentrate on the varieties that are more resistant to drought.
Again here is a list of some items that can greatly benefit your garden during a drought.

● drip irrigation system

● mulch

● humus

● organic matter

● heirloom varieties

● shade cloth

5 Reasons You Need Heirloom Seeds + Seed Giveaway

February 18, 2015 by Melissa Norris 205 Comments

Been hearing about heirloom seeds? Heirloom seeds are the ultimate in preparedness and survival. They're how human kind has been eating since creation, but it's not what's in your seed packets at the big box stores. Learn how and why you should be using heirloom seeds. Read now if you're planting a garden or plan on it.

It's time for our annual heirloom Tarheel Green Bean Seed Giveaway!! For those of you who don't know our story my grandparents brought this strain of pole beans with them when they migrated from North Carolina (Avery County area) in 1941. We've been saving it and replanting every year since.

When I think of how many lives have been touched by that first seed my ancestors planted, I'm humbled by what God can do with something so small. It's nothing short of amazing to me how we can put a small hard seed in the ground and with a little care it produces bushels of food for us to eat. Talk about a modern day miracle right there in our backyards.

With the threat of GMO's invading our food source (the FDA just approved an GMO apple) I'm even more excited and dedicated to only planting and growing heirloom seeds. And to help you out, I'm giving away 10 packets to 10 winners of our families strain of heirloom Tarheel green pole bean seed. Enter via the Rafflcopter widget below. Contest is open to the United States of America and you must be 18 years old or older. For full contest rules and regulations go here. ***Contest Closed***

5 Reasons You Need Heirloom Seeds

1.Frugal. Buy once, harvest for life. Heirloom seeds need only be given or purchased once. You can save the seed every year (unlike hybrid or GMO seeds), making heirloom seeds the ultimate in self-sufficiency. How to save heirloom seed. Heirloom seeds are the ultimate preparedness plan and self-sufficiency must.

2. A stronger plant. Because you the gardener are selecting the best producing and strongest plants to save the seed from each year, your saved heirloom seeds will become a stronger plant due to your natural selection. They will also acclimate to your weather and climate, making them the very best choice for where you live.

3. Taste. Heirloom seeds haven't been selected and bred for uniform shape in order to sell better on a grocery store shelf. They have a depth of flavor rarely found in hybrid seeds. Check out our Pioneering Today Podcast on Benefits of Heirloom Seeds.

Learn how to save your garden seed. There's nothing like never having to buy seed again and upping your self-reliance and preparedness level. Great tips, her family has been saving several strains of seed for over 100 years.

4. Variety. They're way more varieties and colors in heirloom and open-pollinated plants. From purple potatoes to blue tomatoes. There is beauty in the varieties you'll likely only find in specialty stores and farmers markets. Gardening should be as colorful as a masterpiece painting and just as beautiful as it is delicious.

5. The stories. Heirloom seeds are a living part of our ancestors, a living connection back to those who went before us. They're just as God made them when He created this world and nature. I love to hear the stories you've shared with me on different strains of seed you've come across or your family has saved and passed down.

For further information on heirloom gardening, check out these articles as well!

Where to Buy Heirloom Seed

List of Heirloom Varieties to Grow in Your Garden

10 Unique Heirloom Vegetables to Grow in Your Garden

Natural Weed Control & Heirloom Flowers

Heirloom Seed Saving & Gardening

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Grow Swiss Chard in your Fall Garden

August 20, 2014 by Melissa Norris Leave a Comment

Grow Swiss Chard in Your Fall Garden. I'm so excited to grow a fall garden this year and increase our growing season. Great tips on sowing swiss chard, how to grow it, and way to even eat the stalks!

I don't know about you, but if I don't know how to do something, I'm not shy about asking. Because no one knows it all right? Between you and me, if someone does seem to know it all, I usually don't like to hang with them for very long.

While I'm a pretty old hand at gardening, there is a lot I'm still learning. And one of those things is increasing our fall vegetable garden. These 5 Plants to Grow Now for a Fall Harvest are some of my favorites, but I knew there had to be more veggies I could put in. (P.S. Did you catch our Planting a Fall Garden Podcast? It's packed full of tips for putting in your fall garden, cooling the soil, and using the frost to your advantage)

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5 Vegetables to Plant Now For a Fall Harvest

August 6, 2014 by Melissa Norris 6 Comments

There's nothing as good as harvesting home grown vegetables from your own backyard. One of my favorite things about summer is having a free grocery store next to my house. Growing up and the first years of our marriage we planted our garden the end of May and wound up the harvest by the first of October.

Our food bill went down considerably and we naturally ate more vegetables than any other time of year. As I became more of a garden and determined to live a self-sustainable lifestyle, I really wanted to be able to grow more of our food year round. The cooler and somewhat normally soggy temperament of the Pacific Northwest seemed to make that out of the question. Do you see my extreme pouty face?

If I only planted warm weather or summer crops, the above statement is true, but cool weather and root crops, now these are a whole ‘nother story. And I love stories that take me by surprise, how about you?

Cool weather crops are sometimes grown during the summer months around here, especially in places with cooler or more mild summers, but they really thrive in the early spring and fall.

The trick, you need to plant them now in order to harvest them this fall. Seems kind a weird, right, you plant during the hottest part of the year, in the dead smack middle of summer for fall? Yep, you do.

These are some of our favorite fall and cool weather crops to grow. Depending upon your first hard frost date, you might be able to sow some of these up into September or about 4 weeks before your first hard frost. Our's is typically the tale end of October or first of November.

These are 5 vegetables to plant now for a fall harvest.

1. Carrots. Carrots are an excellent fall crop. If your winters aren't extreme, you can even leave them in the ground and cover them with a layer of straw or mulch. Plus, you get to make carrot cake and carrot muffins and baked carrots and… yea, I kind of like carrots. Carrots are best sown by seed on top of the soil. Keep soil moist until they germinate and thin once they greens are a few inches tall.

2. Beets. Beets are something I developed a taste for as an adult. But they're like carrots, you can keep them in the ground or store them in the root cellar. They're super yummy pickled, roasted with garlic, or in my Chocolate Gluten-Free cake. I might have a thing for vegetables and dessert. Here's our complete tutorial on how to plant and grow beets.

3. Parsnips. I love roasted parsnips with a bit of butter and garlic. Like I will eat the entire pan by myself, in one sitting, without sharing unless I really absolutely have too.

4. Cabbage. Oh, cabbage, I love you stuffed and rolled, shredded in a slaw, and fried in butter with some sausage. Cabbage is one you should plant using seedlings. If you don't have any started, many nurseries and stores will have seedlings for sale this time of year.

5. Kale. How did I live over two decades without knowing about kale? We adore kale. It's super easy to grow. Sow it by seed on the top of the soil either in rows or scatter it for a cover crop. These kale chips are so good my son even questioned if they were actually a vegetable.

What are your favorite fall crops? Do you grow any crops year round?

Interested in growing more vegetables into fall? Learn how to cool your soil during planting, which crops to sow from seed, harvesting tips, and how to use the frost to your advantage.

Planting a Fall Garden Now. Learn how to plant now for a fall harvest, seed sowing, how to cool the soil, and tricks for using the frost for your advantage.

How to Prune Tomato Plants for a Better Harvest

July 9, 2014 by Melissa Norris 48 Comments

Learn how to prune tomato plants for a better harvest, because we all want more delicious tomatoes right?

How to prune tomato plants for the best harvest ever. Love these tips on how to get more yield from your plants.

Tomatoes have long been my nemesis crop.

From the rainy summers of the Pacific Northwest, the dreaded blight, and even blossom drop. But this year, I've finally got a gorgeous bunch of tomato plants. And nothing, I mean nothing, is going to come in the way of my harvest. At least, if I can help it.

There's nothing more discouraging than putting in all the time, effort, and money, to care for a plant, and then not get a harvest. And, if I'm being totally honest with you guys, it feels like a black mark on my homesteaders badge. I consider myself a fairly decent gardener. I'm also a tad bit stubborn.

This my friends, is a recipe for going-to-get-it-right-if-it-kills-me. While that kind of makes me crazy at times, it's a huge win for you. Because you get to learn what not do and what works, without all the hair pulling and rotten tomato throwing.

Course, maybe you don't throw rotten tomatoes. Maybe you're way more reserved and calm. I however, took great relish in hucking those rotten tomatoes as far as I could across the fence for the livestock to nose through.

Resources for How to Prune Tomato Plants for Maximum Yield and Good Plant Care

Soaker hoses– never all water to cause fungus or encourage blight by using a soaker hose

Pruning shears– for small tomato plants I use my fingers, but for the larger vines, I use pruning shears. If you can't easily pinch them off, you don't want to leave a gaping wound by ripping it.

This year, we put up a high-tunnel, or a.k.a. off-grid greenhouse. I was through taking chances with our rainy weather. I'm also thinking it's the reason we're having an unseasonably hot and dry season…. kind of like wash your car it will rain. Put up a greenhouse and it won't!

Want to know how we tie up our tomatoes (check out the video below Tying up Tomatoes [DIY tomato trellis that works BETTER than cages] )

I also invested in a soaker hose. Not one drop of water was going to touch my tomato plants this year. After raising my darlings from seed in the house, taking a full two weeks to hardening them off, you can bet I wasn't done after I'd planted them in the ground.

One of the secrets to a good tomato harvest and larger tomatoes, is in the pruning. Why prune a tomato plant you ask?

A bit different than pruning a regular fruit tree, but the end result is the same. A better harvest.

How to Prune Tomatoes

There are two reason we want to prune our tomato plants. One is to eliminate chances for disease in the first place. Any of the leaves that touch the soil should be removed. If they drop down into the soil, they'll get water on them and act as a ladder for any disease to climb up into the plant. Any of the leaves that appear damaged, yellowing, spotty, or dying should also be removed, they can be the beginnings of blight and you want that eradicated immediately and done when pruning determinate tomatoes.

Wondering when to start pruning tomato plants?

As soon as they bottom leaves are dragging the dirt with at least two to three branches above them. Never remove all the leaves, your plant does them to grow and thrive.

The second reason is your tomato plant will put more energy into the foliage if not pruned than it will into producing fruit. We don't tons of lush green leaves, we want tons of ripe tomatoes. A bonus reason is we want plenty of air circulation around the ripening fruit and too many leaves don't allow for good air flow. Below I've got how to prune tomato plants pictures for ya.

Damaged leaves and also touching the soil need to be removed.

You'll want to prune off all the lower leaves that can or are touching the soil. You may use pruning shears or just use your thumb and pinch them off if small.

How to Prune Indeterminate Tomatoes

pinching out tomato side shoots, picture of pruning sucker shoots

The second item you'll want to prune is the sucker shoots. This is true for Indeterminate tomato plants, not determinate. Say what, a determined tomato? No, not quite. Don't worry, I got ya covered.

Most heirloom tomato plants are indeterminate and need the sucker shoots removed. We grow an all heirloom garden so we're safe there. However the packet of seeds you used should tell you which kind it is. If not, here's the basic difference between them.

Determinate tomato plants are bushy, not tall, yield all of their crop in one to two weeks, and it dies after the first crop.

Indeterminate tomato plants are taller, need to be staked or caged, produce fruit until the first frost, and do best when their sucker shoots are removed.

Now that you know what kind of tomato plant you have, what's a sucker shoot?

Sucker shoots grow in the crotch of the branch, between the main stem or trunk of the tomato and the branch. They grow up right. They will produce flowers and fruit, but too many of them and they compete with the main plant and will actually produce a smaller tomato and harvest.

If you remove all of them, you do cut into your overall yield. I prefer to leave about two to three sucker shoots on my larger plants. It's totally up to you how many to leave or not leave.

Take your discarded leaves away from your plants

If you leave them, it won't hurt your plant, but the plant will do better without them. Just pinch it off with your thumb.

Don't leave your pruned leaves on the ground by your tomato plant. Discard of them away from the garden.

How to prune your tomatoes for the best harvest ever. Start now for a larger crop yield.

One note of caution, if your tomatoes are in direct sunlight, don't remove so many of the branches there isn't any shade left for the tomatoes. Tomatoes need to be shaded by the leaves so they don't become burnt in the hot sun.

Will you look at these beauties, just waiting to turn to drops of rubies in a few more weeks. Is your mouth watering thinking of all the tomato fun we'll have in the kitchen? Or maybe a fried green tomato to get things started early…

P.S. pruning tomato plants in pots? Same procedures.

Now that you know how to prune tomato plants do you have any other best tomato growing tips?

How to Grow and Plant Beets

April 23, 2014 by Melissa Norris 14 Comments

How to plant and grow beets, soil type, planting tips, and why your beets won't grow if you don't do this crucial step

Our goal is to have vegetable crops growing in our garden as close to all year as possible. One way to do this is to plant some cooler weather crops, or plants that will grow before the last frost date. We grow garlic over the winter, and already have our potatoes in the ground. Beets is one of these plants.

Beets seems to be one of those foods that you either love or hate, kinda like oysters. I tend to not like oysters, much to the happiness of my husband, because he loves oysters and that means more for him. Beets are a vegetable I have grown into. As a kid, I wasn't so crazy, but as an adult, I'm a newer convert.