Just About April: Daffodils and Irises are Blooming (In the Snow!)

Snow In March - Woohoo?Well it has been a crazy last week of March. We got snow. A record. The nights are still freezing but are starting to creep out into garden planting weather. I did manage to put in radishes and transplant my kales into cups.  Growing transplants can save you weeks of time.This...

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How to Build A Garden Beer Slug and Snail Trap

How to Build a Garden Slug Beer Trap(My 2010 Garden was Hit Hard by Slugs) Slug and Snail Garden Damage - The Rusted Garden BlogThe evidence is my Bok Choy! Bok Choy!. No it's not a war cry to attack and destroy slugs. It is the casualty. All the holes in the leaves are from snails and slugs. You...

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Using Plastic Cups Three Ways in Your Vegetable Garden: Frost is One!

Using Plastic Cups Three Ways in Your Vegetable GardenAs I mention, I am going to catalog the entire 2013 garden season. I am currently dealing with very cold nights where the frost is much harder than it should be. Plastic cups can provide you with a tool that will help with: (Notice two types...

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25 #$%@ing Degrees Garden Freeze: What to Do?

Managing a 25 #$%@ing Degrees Garden FreezeSo... I apologize for the expletive but come on! My third 25 degree night or colder here in the suburbs.  My shelf greenhouses are filled minus the tomatoes that bit the dust to the frost last week. Most of my plants can handle a few degrees of sub-freezing...

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How to Build a Low Cost Garden Vegetable Trellis: About 10 Bucks!

 How to Build A Low Cost Basic Garden Vegetable TrellisWhy Build a Vegetable Trellis?A vegetable trellis will give you more room in your garden to grow vegetables. Vine crops will grow up the trellis and not take up space sprawling along the ground. The trellis also creates a shade area. If...

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Three Finger Method to Pruning Tomato Plant Suckers

Three Finger Method to Pruning Tomato Plant Suckers(Some Benefits of Pruning)What is the Three Finger Method?Make a peace sign and extend your thumb at the same time. You should have your thumb, index finger and middle finger extended. Your ring finger and pinky should be closed. The three extend...

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Frost Protection and 'Toughen-up' Tomato Tips: Mid March Garden Update

Mid March Garden Update at The Rusted GardenFrost Protection and 'Toughen-Up' Tomato TipsI will be doing two monthly updates of my garden as 2013 progresses. This is my first update. I will be adding in several garden tips and tricks within the updates to help make the videos a little more valuable...

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60 Seconds or Sow: How to Kill Snails and Slugs with Iron Phosphate

How to Kill and Control Snails and Slugs in Your Garden Using Iron PhosphateSnails and slugs once devastated my vegetable garden. Iron phosphate helped me greatly reduce the populations of these pests. I feel it is the safest most effective product out there for controlling snails and slugs.It...

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Fertilizer: What does 10-10-10 or N-P-K Mean for My Vegetable Garden?

Vegetable Garden FertilizerWhat Does 10-10-10 and N-P-K Mean to Me and My Garden?You will see 3 bold number on every bag of fertilizer. A typical set of bold numbers is often 10-10-10. The bag will also have a weight. It may be 2 pounds, 5 pounds 10 pounds or 40 pounds.  The numbers are the amount...

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60 Seconds or Sow: What are First Leaves and True Leaves on Tomato Seedlings?

First Leaves and True Leaves on Tomato SeedlingsSeeds are essentially embryos. Cotyledons form the embryonic leaves. Botanists classify plants based on the number of cotyledons or leaves. I think.  Sorry, I am not a botanist. What I can tell you for tomato seedlings is that the First Leaves to...

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How to Build a Recycled Potato Container Bucket: Harvest Potatoes ANYTIME!

How to Build A Potato Bucket from Two Recycled ContainersThe Potato Bucket Design - The Rusted Garden BlogBasically, you are recycling two black plastic garden containers. This is designed for smaller potatoes. You will use 1 or 2 small potatoes based on the size of the containers. You can...

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Planting 9 Types of Great Cool Season Vegetables

Planting  9 Types of Great Cool Season VegetablesWhy do some vegetables grow best in cool weather?The best answer is the simplest answer. When it gets warmer the plants move from leaf or vegetable production to reproducing. Radishes get woody. Greens get bitter. Broccoli flowers. They do this to...

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