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With the trend towards “going green”, recession or victory gardens and the economy The Gardeners Rake will be doing its part to encourage gardening with a Win Free Seed’s contest. Whether you are a new gardener or a seasoned gardener come join in the fun.

photo credit: operaticomnivore

There are three contests.

1.    Write a mini story on a gardening experience. No, it does not need to be long. This story could be a gardening tip that saves time or money, a humorous event while gardening, or just why you garden. You can send your story to me via the contact page or post it in the garden forum that will be opening in a few days. The winner of this contest will receive 10 seed packets and directions for a mini recession garden.
2.    Best gardening tip: Enter your best gardening tip and win 5 packets of seeds and a garden plan for a small raised bed garden. This plan is perfect for a patio or balcony garden. There will be two winners.
3.    Best natural control for insects. Send a recipe for natural control of insects. The winner receives a booklet of insect identification.

And everyone receives something for entering. But that’s a surprise. It’s a lot like a garden you plant the seeds and wait to see what happens.

************** Rules: ***************

If you live overseas I may have to send something other than seeds depending on the country.

Legitimate entries only. No spamming, business ventures, etc.

Send your entry to me via the contact page on the site. Or you can use the comment section on the post.

The contest will run two weeks. It begins on Ground Hogs Day, February 2nd 2010  and will end February 15th 2010.

Check out my garden section on free seeds and plants and Recession Gardening.

Good luck and have fun. Denise

Technorati Tags: free seeds, free seeds information, recession gardening, win free seeds

The start of the Winter Recession Garden is under way and I am pleased so far.  I have my pots washed, sterilized and I added sterilized soil to more small terra cotta pots.  I already have lettuce, spinach, onions and garlic growing.

photo credit: jacobsons

And I have a cherry tomato plant hanging plant and strawberry hanging plant already growing and producing.

My next step is to add a few more vegetables and a few herbs. I have pots ready and I will grow these in a windowsill garden.

The herbs I grow are basil, chives, thyme and oregano. I start these from seed but I also want rosemary and sage. I think I will buy a plant for these herbs. It will give me the “instant big garden” look. And while I’m out buying herbs I’ll look for a lavendar plant.

I will be starting my pepper and tomato plants soon but I want to make compost and build a few raised bed planters for more planting room.

Tip: If you are planting tomatoes and peppers for outdoors you may wan to wait. I use a repotting method for tomatoes that gives me 3 foot producing tomatoes by May. It’s a bit of work so many people prefer to start plants in late March or April.

photo credit: rudy.kleysteuber

I also have a portable mini greenhouse to set up. That’s tomorrow project.

Making compost indoors.

I need a lot of compost to add to my potting soil for repotting and making hanging baskets so I make my own compost indoors. I am using the downstairs basement for my project. I have brought in two large plastic 55-gallon barrels. I placed 6 inches of pebbles in the bottom for drainage. I don’t have drainage holes in these barrels so I have to make sure I don’t add to much water to the compost. (All compost needed a little moisture to start to work.)

Next I have compost material I have saved. First I add about 9 inches of straw, 9 inches of shredded leaves, 9 inches of old sawdust that has broken down already. I will add 3 inches of fresh sawdust to help the pile work and top off the mix with a thin layer of peat. I will also dust the top layer with old rabbit manure.

And believe it or not, I am adding ½ can of coke to each compost barrel, which I will sprinkle on top of the mix. For some reason coke really helps break down a compost bin. In the summer months I would use the herbs comfrey, yarrow or add fresh grass clippings. And for a few days I will cover the barrels with clear plastic to hold in heat and moisture.

I can either let the compost containers sit like this for a week or stir it up to help it compost faster. For today it’s sitting. I will stir it up when I add kitchen table scraps. (Fresh vegetables, coffee grounds and eggshells only. No meat or grease items)

Uisng a composting method like this I can usually create good usable compost in two weeks.

I have a start on two working compost bins so I will sort through seeds to see what I can start in a few days and call my winter gardening quits for today.

Technorati Tags: indoor composting bin, indoor gardening, recession gardening, winter recession garden

Today is day one of my Winter Recession Garden.

photo credit: thebittenword.com

I have left over seeds from summer, which are still viable so I will not be buying any seeds at this time. Fresh seeds also do not hit the stores until later February or March in my zone 5 climate.

Tip: Order your seeds from catalogs as soon as possible. I always enjoy ordering seeds when he snow is falling and is too cold to want to be outdoors

Today I am organizing my seeds and cleaning my potting containers and raised bed containers.

I clean my pots in a mild bleach and warm water then I also use dish soap for one more cleaning. I let the pots air dry. If there is any staining on the pots I use either red cider vinegar or baking soda to remove it. I want to make sure any dirt or bacteria is not on the pots.

I will also be building indoor raised beds for starting seeds this year. I am using old drawers from vintage dressers that were about to be tossed. I will need to line the drawers to make sure hat if the wood was treated any chemicals will not affect the soil. The drawers do not looked treated and are very old, but I will take the added precaution anyways.

I will need to drill drainage holes in the drawers and make sure the soil drains well. Directions will follow for this project in a few days.

Next I will check my soil. I use a mix of compost and sterilized soil mix but you may want to use just a soilless potting mix. If I feel I might have a soil mildew problem or if I am concerned about my lighting I use a soilless potting mix.

This year I have a strong natural lighting and will use a few watering tricks that have halted any mildew or soggy soil problems.

Once my soil and pots are prepared I will take stalk of my planting area. Its still cold here in NW PA and if I heat the greenhouse it will cost a lot. So this year I am using the basement apartment to grow my garden. The basement was severely damaged in flooding this summer so it’s the perfect place to use this winter as its just sitting there waiting to be redone.

I have two wonderful windows with natural lighting that I will sit my seedling by. And believe it or not, I have a small portable mini greenhouse that I plan to set up by the one window that has a draft to protect the plants and add more heat to the area. This area will be for plants that want more heat like tomatoes and peppers. Leafy greens will do just fine by the other window.

And to make better use of my lighting, my plants will be placed vertically by the windows. The dresser drawer raised beds will be used in the mini greenhouse and pots will be placed on glass shelves I am making for the windows or in hanging pots and baskets.

photo credit: WaveBreaker

So now that I have a plan in place and my seeds set aside, its time to get busy.

And as expected, greens can be easily grown in the winter along with herbs, a few edible flowers, onions and garlic. But I am also growing tomatoes, a few bean plants, peppers, and I am trying a few cucumber plants. A few of these plans will need hand pollinated but its winter and I am trying to distract myself from the snow that is falling and covering the ground.

My next post will tell how to create the dresser drawer raised beds and how to make a warmer climate area in your home, particularly if you have limited space

Technorati Tags: indoor gardening, portable greenhouse, raised beds, winter recession garden, winter recession gardening planning