Strawberries

Plant type: Fruit
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Soil type: Loamy
Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral
These sweet, juicy berries are treats when right off the plant. Supermarket berries tend to be tart with grainy texture; this is because the natural sugar in the berries begins converting to starch as soon as it is plucked from the plant. It’s definitely worth your while to try planting your own strawberries, and the good news is that they are relatively easy to grow if you have full sun.
Strawberry plants come in three types:

• Day-Neutral: Insensitive to day length, these varieties produce buds, fruits and runners continuously if temperature remains between 35 and 85. Production is less than that of Junebearers.
• Everbearer: These varieties form buds during the long days of summer and the short days of autumn. The summer-formed buds flower and fruit in autumn, and the autumn-formed buds fruit the following spring.
• Junebearer: Length-of-day sensitive, these varieties produce buds in the autumn, flowers and fruits the following spring, and runners during the long days of summer.

For the home garden, we recommend Junebearers. Although you will have to wait a year for fruit harvesting, it will be well worth it.
 

Planting

• Buy disease-resistant plants from a reputable nursery, of a variety recommended in your area.
• Plan to plant as soon as the ground can be worked in the Spring.
• Strawberries are sprawling plants. Seedlings will send out runners, or ‘daughter’ plants, which in turn will send out their own runners.
• Make planting holes deep and wide enough to accommodate the entire root system without bending it. However, don’t plant too deep: The roots should be covered, but the crown should be right at the soil surface.
• Provide adequate space for sprawling. Set plants out 20 inches apart, and leave 4 feet between rows.
• Roots shouldn’t be longer than 8 inches when plants are set out. Trim them if necessary.
• pH should be between 5.5 and 7. If necessary, amend your soil in advance.
• Strawberries require 6-10 hours a day of direct sunlight, so choose your planting site accordingly.
• Tolerant of different soil types, although prefer loam. Begin working in aged manure or compost a couple months before planting.
• Planting site must be well-drained. Raised beds are a particularly good option for strawberries.
• Practice crop rotation for the most success. Do not plant in a site that recently had strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant.
• Establish new plants each year to keep berry quality high each season.

Care

• In the first year, pick off blossoms to discourage plants from fruiting. If not allowed to bear fruit, they will spend their food reserves on developing healthy roots. The yields will be much greater in the second year.
• Eliminate daughter plants as needed. First and second generations produce higher yields. Try to space each plant about 10 inches apart.
• Moisture is incredibly important due to shallow roots. Water adequately, about one inch per week. They need a lot of water when the runners and flowers are developing and again in the fall when the plants are mature.
• Keep the beds mulched to reduce water needs and weed invasion.
• Be diligent about weeding. Weed by hand, especially in the first months after planting.
• When the growing season is over, mow or cut foliage down to one inch and mulch plants about 4 inches deep with straw, pine needles or other organic material. This can be done after the first couple of frosts, or when air temps reach 20 F.
• Remove mulch in early spring, after danger of frost has passed.
• Row covers are a good option for protecting blossoms and fruit from birds.

Pests

• Grey Mold
• Powdery Mildew
• Japanese Beetles
• Spider Mites
• Slugs
   

Harvest/Storage

• Fruit is ready for harvesting 4–6 weeks after blossoming.
• Harvest only fully red (ripe) berries, and pick every three days.
• Cut by the stem; do not pull the berry.
• Harvest will last up to 3 weeks. You should have an abundance of berries, depending on the variety.
• Store unwashed berries in the refrigerator for 3–5 days.
• Strawberries can be frozen whole for about 2 months.
• Watch our video on How to Make Strawberry Preserves!

Recommended Varieties

Try planting more than one variety. Each will respond differently to conditions, and you will have a range of different fruits to enjoy.

• ‘Northeaster’ is best suited for the northeastern US and southeastern Canada. Fruit has strong flavor and aroma.
• ‘Sable’ is hardy to zone 3, early season, great flavor.
• ‘Primetime’ is a mild-flavored, disease resistant variety, best adapted to the Mid-Atlantic.
• ‘Cardinal’ is a good variety to try in the South.
• ‘Camarosa’ is a good variety to try on the West Coast.
• source:  http://www.almanac.com/plant/strawberries

Apricot Dump Cake

Apricot Dump Cake


Ingredients 1 stick Blue Bonnet Light Margarine, melted 2 (15 oz) cans Taste of the West Apricots, undrained 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix whipped topping (optional)

Didier, Chef (2012-06-15). Top 19 Dump Cake Recipes (Kindle Locations 520-526).  . Kindle Edition.

40 Fruits, vegetables and herbs that will grow in partial shade

We all know that most garden crops want as much sun as possible. Tomatoes, melons and peppers will positively pout if they don't get oodles of light. What you may not realize is that many other garden crops will do quite well with limited sunlight.
Which plants will put up with lower light levels?
A general rule is that plants grown for their stems, leaves or buds generally tolerate light shade fairly well. Those grown for roots or fruits tend to need more sun.
That said, even many of these crops will also tolerate light shade, simply providing smaller yields. These are noted on the list with an asterisk (*).
The following crops will grow with as little as three to six hours of sun per day, or constant dappled shade. While size or yields may be affected in some instances, taste will be just as good.

1. Lettuce
2. Arugula
3. Spinach
4. Broccoli *
5. Green onions
6. Cabbage *
7. Parsley
8. Sorrel
9. Garlic
10. Mint
11. Collards
12. Endive
13. Cress
14. Cauliflower *
15. Peas *
16. Currants
17. Pak Choy
18. Beets *
19. Kohlrabi *
20. Brussels Sprouts
21. Mustard greens
22. Thyme
23. Coriander
24. Tarragon
25. Radishes
26. Cardamom
27. Potatoes *
28. Rhubarb *
29. Swiss Chard
30. Kale
31. Turnips *
32. Carrots *
33. Sweet potatoes and yams *
34. Gooseberries
35. Cilantro
36. Dill
37. Lemon Balm
38. Strawberries *
39. Beans *
40. Blackberries and raspberries *

Keep in mind:

• If trees or other plants are the source of shade, garden plants may not only have to compete for light but also nutrients and water.
• The amount of shade may vary by the seasons when the angle of the sun is different. Study your land carefully and see if sunlight is a bigger or smaller problem than you may have thought later in the season.
• Bright and light surfaces nearby (such as white fences or walls) can increase the amount of light plants get.
• Morning shade and afternoon shade differ in their effects on garden plants. Some cool season vegetables may actually prefer lots of morning sun and then shade during the hot summer afternoons.
• Areas with partial shade in the afternoon can also extend the growing season for some cool season crops that are prone to bolting during higher heat, such as lettuce.
• Pay attention to air circulation. Walls and branches can block air flow, allowing moisture to build up and encourage some diseases. Plant crops with more space between them in shady areas, and be careful to water around the root area and not soak leaves from above.
• It's even more important to keep weeds at bay for shade crops that are already competing for light, water and nutrients in less ideal conditions.
• Pruning nearby trees and bushes can dramatically help increase sun exposure.

 source:  http://www.examiner.com/article/40-fruits-vegetables-and-herbs-that-will-grow-partial-shade

 

Growing Potatoes in a Laundry Basket

 

I bought the laundry baskets at a local dollar

store (I have 2 baskets).  I filled the baskets with about 2" of soil & compost, then put a seed potato into each basket (each potato was cut into about 3 pieces with 2-3 eyes each).  I then covered the potato with soil, and have been gradually filling the baskets with soil as the potatoes grow, simulating "hilling" the potatoes in a garden.  The garden center that recommended this method to me said each basket should yield 8-10 lbs of potatoes.  So far, so good!  It's been fun with our kids too, because the potatoes are growing out of the holes in the sides of the baskets. Be sure to keep the baskets watered well - it takes some patience (ie - slow watering) to not have all the water run out the sides of the basket.

You can use grocery store potatoes if need be, but most are bred and treated to NOT grow eyes quickly or easily, and they very likely may not be organic. You can order seed potatoes through a variety of online sources (Google organic seed poatoes and you'll find a ton) or you can likely find some at a local garden center. Heck I think last year I even saw them at the WalMart garden center (non-organic). You'll likely have quicker growth and a more plentiful yield from seed potatoes. I also now line the laundry baskets with straw to help keep the dirt in, but still allow the potato shoots to grow through the sides. And yes, when you "hill" the potatoes you cover up all but the top few leaves. It's best to hill every 7-10 days and add a little dirt more often than a whole bunch of dirt over a big chunk of the plant at once.

 

DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Today, our sweet friend Jen, from Blissful 55 is guest posting on Dirty Laundry. No, I am not talking about the problems and dirty little secrets of our lives….we are talking legit, dirty, smelly, laundry; or more importantly, how we get that dirty laundry clean. 

It took me a while to come around to the idea of making my own laundry soap. I tend to be very particular about my laundry detergent. I need it to not fade my colors, smell good, and most importantly clean well. I do not have children at home who like to get their clothes extremely dirty but I do have a husband who insist on coming home from softball games each week looking like the Dirt Monster (he enjoys sliding…and is usually always safe). I have never opted for just the cheapest, non-smelling detergent. I love my clothes and was always worried that, by paying for the cheapest detergent possible, I would “get what I paid for”. My favorite detergent was Gain’s “Liquid Apple Mango Tango” with the coordinating fabric softener.

It met my every need, with the exception of the price tag. We always bought the size that says it contains 48 loads for $10.97 (Wal-Mart price) and that was just the detergent. The fabric softener was $4.47 for 52 loads. Both lasted us around 3 months based on our 4 loads of laundry a week. That brings the total to around $60-$65 a year. I don’t know about you but I would like to have all the extra money I can get. The husbands law school expenses tend to cut down on my craft budget and that is just unacceptable! I need my crafts to keep my sanity so I started looking for ways to save money. I was seriously a huge skeptic when it came to homemade laundry soap but when I realized the price difference, I just had to try it! I did a ton of research and looked up so many varying recipes and then determined what I thought would be best. I tried one smaller batch, thought it was okay but knew there was room for improvement so I went back and did more, yup you guessed it….research! I’m thrilled to say that it was all worth it and I love our homemade laundry detergent. So what do I have to do to entice you to run to the store and get these ingredients? How about I share how much it cost….are you ready? Try approximately $28…A YEAR! That’s based on 6 loads of laundry a week (It’s just me and Mr. Awesome at home so we normally only do around 4, which means this will last around 18 months!) Now let’s get started.

You will need…

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (This is optional but I highly recommend adding it)

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- Found in the detergent aisle (we chose to do pink for the scent but the white would be just fine. You can also use Fels Naptha)

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box, we couldn’t find the larger 4lb box when we went)

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- or use 3-4 bottles of Scentsy Washer Whiffs. Scentsy washer whiffs are my top choice, (they smell out-of-this-world amazing – my favorite is Quiver), but when in a hurry, I opt for the Purex, (which can be found in the detergent aisle).

The hardest most time consuming part is grating the cheese soap. The hubs thinks it looks like pink cheese….has anyone ever seen pink cheese? Ya didn’t think so! I’m not fortunate enough to have a food processor so I was stuck doing this with a typical hand grater. I did try a blender just for kicks and giggles….total fail! Stick to either a hand grater or food processor if you are blessed enough to have one. I should make it known that the soap dissolves just fine, even in cold water. I know that tends to be a concern but you need not worry. Oh and I would recommend using a large mixing bowl to grate into and using the fine side of the grater.
 

Another option is to microwave the soap before hand. First, cut the bar into chunks, like this:

Pop it into the microwave for about a minute. It will expand… a lot…but then it is dry and just crumbles into tiny bits!

The hardest part is now over and all that’s left is to mix everything together. I used a very large bucket that I got from my Father-in-Law and took a layering approach to mix it easier. I took a small amount of each ingredient and layered it on top of each other, then I grabbed a large mixing spoon and mixed it together. I did this probably 5 times but it was so much easier than dumping all the ingredients in at once and then trying to mix it well.

Here it is in all it’s mixed up glory.

Colleen Lanning <colleen.lanning@gmail.com>	9/15/13
to Tim

This batch makes A TON! Now for probably the best part…you only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load depending on the size…I’ll give you some time to re-read that since I’m sure your in total disbelief…recover yet? That’s right, you only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load! Now here comes the stroke of genius, if you opted to put the Purex Crystals in your batch, you can scoop the detergent right into your bottle and use the cap as your measuring spoon. There are 3 lines on the side and the middle one is approximately 2 Tablespoons…genius right?

Just to give you an idea of how long this bottle lasts, I’ve used about half this bottle and have done around 40 loads, not to mention the huge amount still left in my bucket.

I know that I’m not the only skeptic out their so to put your mind at ease, take a look at the comments!

I thought I would answer the question that has been sent in the most by our readers. The question is how well it worked in a High Efficiency Washer. It actually works really well! This is mostly because it doesn’t create any suds. It took me some time to get used to that but it is actually better for the washer.

Hope this motivates you all to run out and make our own batch. We would love to hear from you whether it be your questions, concerns, or reviews of the soap after you have made it. And don’t forget to stop by and check out Blissful 55′s other projects!