Listed below are several homemade sprays that I have used for years. I believe that my grandfather also used these and left the recipes in one of his gardening journals

photo credit: ellievanhoutte

Seaweed Spray

Seaweed spray is rich in nutrients and minerals. It provides protection from many fungal diseases and can be used to prevent damping-off.

How to make Seaweed spray:

Use 2/3 cup of kelp or seaweed concentrate to 1 gallon of water, spray. You can get kelp or seaweed and many gardening centers or a health store. And if you live near a lake you can harvest your own.

Chamomile Spray

Chamomile tea is an excellent preventative for damping-off. This is my most important spray in the spring when I am starting seedlings. Use the chamomile spray on seed starting soil, seedlings and in any humid planting area. Chamomile is a concentrated source of calcium, potash and sulfur. The sulfur is a fungus fighter. This can also be used as a seed soak prior to planting.

How to make a Chamomile spray:

Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1/4-cup chamomile blossoms. Let steep until cool and strain into a spray bottle. Use as needed. This keeps for about a week before going rancid. Spray to prevent damping off and anytime you see any fuzzy white growth on the soil. Chamomile blossoms can be purchased at health food stores and usually grocery stores. Tip: If you don’t have access to Chamomile blossoms, Chamomile tea will work just as well.

Apple Cider Vinegar Spray

This works well for leafspot, mildew, and scab.

How to make Apple Cider Vinegar Spray:

Mix 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (5% acidity) with one-gallon warm water and spray in the morning on infested plants. Spraying in the morning gives the plant and soil a chance to dry during sunlight hours.

I use a diluted cider vinegar mix to clean my plant leaves. I also rinse my pots in cider vinegar after I have washed them.

I prefer homemade sprays to most store bought sprays. They have fewer chemicals and when I need a spray, I just mix up what I need. This way I have lees bottles of garden and plant sprays sitting around.

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It’s the beginning of a new year and a perfect time for garden planning. I just read about a theme garden called the “New Years Resolution” Garden.

photo credit: slideshow bob

Most people have read that gardening benefits the mind, body and soul. So the purpose of the Resolution Garden is to inspire positive changes in nearly every area of one’s life.

A New Year’s Resolution Garden will bring your family closer together while helping you relax, make better food choices, save money, increase exercise and become a better steward of the environment. 7 varieties of plants, one packet each, will create an ample kitchen garden.

The New Year’s Resolution Garden provides solutions for many of your resolutions:

BETTER FOOD CHOICES – Carrots. Carrots have many valuable vitamins and make an excellent snack. There are the small finger carrots to the longer carrot varieties. This is another crop I prefer to grow in a container. They are easier to harvest from a container. Just tip it when ready to harvest.

EXERCISE – Pole Beans. Blue Lake is a very easy and heavy producer. I also like the scarlet runner bean. It is color and edible. I like to mix it in containers for a vertical garden. Staking and harvesting make it more of a vegetable where you get exercise.

LOSE WEIGHT – Lettuce or any greens. Spinach, bibb, leaf lettuce or the gourmet varieties are just a few ideas
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REDUCE STRESS – Mixed Cutting Flowers. Flowers add color and atmosphere to the yard, garden areas, and containers and as cut flowers in the home. A packet of mixed cutting flowers will produce bouquets all summer long. One other flower suggestion would be nasturtiums. They are easy to grow, pretty and edible!

SAVE MONEY – Tomatoes. Tomatoes are often one of the more expensive vegetables to buy. Grow several varieties, including cherry tomatoes.

photo credit: Kyle McCluer

SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY – Sunflowers. Sunflowers add color and charm to any yard. They grow anywhere form 18 inches to ten foot depending on the variety. They can be used for bouquets, for crafting and for snacks. They also make great bird food and will attract birds into your garden area.

STEWARD OF THE ENVIRONMENT – Monarda Bergamo. This variety of bee balm will attract birds and beneficial insects but not suffer from the damp like many of the bee balm plants do. This is both a flower and herb with many useful purposes.

This garden can be set up in a very small area and will actually make an excellent patio or container garden. And the colors and height of the different plants will add to your garden décor but not be an overwhelming task.

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As 2009 ends and 2010 begins, I look more to garden planning for the next year. In my Zone 5 climate gardening is usually in the planning only stage in December and January.  But this year will be different.

photo credit: Hair Squared

For 2010 recession gardening and perennial gardening will become a more important part of my garden plans.

Community gardening has always been an interest to me and recently Recession Gardens their benefits for our health, environment and economy have become a focus of my garden plans for the future.

This year I plan to document my recession garden plans and start early. As a matter of fact I have a winter recession garden ready to start. It’s amazing what you can plant in the winter in the house or a small hoop house or greenhouse. I plan to push the limits of what can be grown and see if I can get more than salad greens, mini tomatoes, herbs and strawberries to produce.

Last years Recession Garden.

Last year I planned a 20-dollar Recession Garden. My goal was to start a garden using only $20 for any seeds or garden tools. I grew 20 plus vegetables, most from seed but some vegetable do better from transplants so I bought a few plants. I easily managed to stay within $20.00, using a few frugal gardening techniques.

Overall the garden was successful. I saved over $2000.00 in grocery bills and still have some of the garden harvest frozen or canned. And I know what chemicals were used on my produce – none!

My biggest changes in gardening last year were the use of small space gardening techniques, more use of container gardening and growing more crops under cover. Our summer was so wet and cold at night I moved most of the garden under cover and plan to garden this way from now on.

photo credit: Gardener_24

Why garden under cover?

• Less insects
• it solved the small animal destruction I have had for years
• more control over climate and moisture issues
• tomato blight can be controlled easier
• it leads to time and back saving ideas.
• extended gardening season
• your garden location is usually closer to you home, or attached.

But gardening under cover meant I had to learn to water differently, control the climate if I had hot days and make and recycle soil and planters. It was a learning experience and I must admit I lost a few plants.

So this next week is “order any seeds I want” and start my winter recession garden.

Technorati Tags: 20 dollar recession garden, garden planning, recession garden, small space gardening, winter recession garden