Epsom Salts, "In The Garden?"

   Using Epsom salt in gardening is not a new concept, its something I would see my Grammy and Aunt Annice use often in there vegetable garden and flower garden and then soak their tired feet in a hot tube of water with it after a long day in the garden! Using Epsom Salts in the garden has been around for many generations. But does it really work? I know I personally have seen differences since recalling this trick they used, so lets look at why I may have seen a difference.

  Why put Epsom salts on plants? Is Epsom Salt Good for Plants? Yes, Epsom salt helps improve flower blooming and enhances a plant’s green color. It can even help plants grow bushier. Epsom salt is made up of "hydrated magnesium sulfate" (magnesium and sulfur), which is important to healthy plant growth.  Even if you don’t believe in its effectiveness, it never hurts to try it. Magnesium allows plants to better take in valuable nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus. It also helps in the creation of chlorophyll, which is vital for photosynthesis. In addition, magnesium greatly improves a plant’s ability to produce flowers and fruit. If the soil becomes depleted of magnesium, adding Epsom salt will help; and since it poses little danger of overuse like most commercial fertilizers, you can use it safely on nearly all your garden plants.

  How to Water Plants with Epsom Salts? It’s easy. Simply substitute it for regular watering either once or twice a month. Before applying Epsom salt, however, it’s a good idea to have your soil tested to determine whether it’s deficient of magnesium. You should also be aware that many plants, like beans and leafy vegetables, will happily grow and produce in soils with low levels of magnesium. Plants like rose, tomatoes and peppers, on the other hand, require lots of magnesium; and therefore, are more commonly watered with Epsom salt.

  When diluted with water, Epsom salt is easily taken up by plants, especially when applied as a foliage spray. Most plants can be misted with a solution of 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt per gallon of water once a month. For more frequent watering, every other week, cut this back to one tablespoon.

With roses, you can apply a foliage spray of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water for each foot of the shrub’s height. Apply in spring as leaves appear and then again after flowering.

  For tomatoes and peppers, apply 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt granules around each transplant or spray (1 tbsp. per gallon) during transplanting and again following the first bloom and fruit set. One great article I found was"Fertilize with Epsom Salts" By: Charlie Nardozzi, it's a very good introductory into this subject!

 Another benefit that I have found personally with using Epsom salt in the garden is as a "natural pesticide" for snails and slugs around my hosta's and other shade loves. I mean think about it, if you sprinkle salt on a slug what happens but if you just sprinkle Epsom salts around the base of the plants, it deters the slimy buggers!

  It has many other benefits but we are just sticking with the garden aspect of it, here is a quick video to help get all of this stuck in your mind! "Epsom Salts" with Dr. Bruce.

  I hope you have a successful go with Epsom Salts and hopefully I can remember some more of these old tricks that I saw used growing up!

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go;even when he is old he will not depart from it."

"The Story of Grace!"

    A Fathers Son was brutally murdered by one of the must vicious and sadistic persons in the world. (Here are 5 endings to the story, you pick)!

1) The Father goes and gets a gun and shots the murderer dead in the streets. (This is Revenge)

2) The Father helps the authorities track down, convict and sentence the murderer to death by electrocution. (This is Justice) 

3) The Father helps the authorities track down and convict but before the judge passes down the verdict, the Father asks the judge to lighten the sentence to life in prison, with no parole, so he does. (This is Mercy)

4)The Father helps the authorities track down the murderer but before the trial the Father asks to talk with the judge privately. The Father tells the judge he wants to forgive the murderer, and drop ALL charges on the murderer and let him walk free. The judge allows the murderer to walk free!   (This is Forgiveness)

5) The Father helps the authorities track down the murderer but before the trial the Father asks to talk with the judge privately. The Father tells the judge he wants to forgive the murderer, drop ALL charges on the murderer, adopt the murderer into His family, take care of the murderer and live in His custody the rest of the murders life.  The judge agrees!  (This is Grace)

Which would you do if you were in the Fathers shoes?

 If you are saved and reading this you were NO different from the vicious and sadistic murderer before God provided you with His grace through His Son Christ Jesus! 

"Nobody is born into this world a child of the family of God. We are born as children of wrath. The only way we enter into the family of God is by adoption, and that adoption occurs when we are united to God’s only begotten Son by faith. When by faith we are united with Christ, we are then adopted into that family of whom Christ is the firstborn."~R.C. Sproul

I need Help On Blog Moving!!!

   I know I have been really busy this summer and I know very garden/parent understands. I have been tossing around the idea of moving my blog to another place to blog but I see that there are many option. So my question to you all is, what do you recommend? And How do I transfer all this stuff?

  Any info would be appreciated!

Examine It For Yourself!

  Well Said!

    I have been on vacation/Volleyball camp for my daughter for a week. Busy Busy Busy! I need to garden fast, lol!

Simple Canned Pickles, for Dummies!

Simple Canned Pickles for Dummies like me, lol!

  I canned pickles today! Two types, Dill and just pickles and onions, I also canned a couple jars of Jalapeno peppers! This is something I really enjoyed doing with my Grammie and Mom growing up. It was kinda like the icing on the cake for a gardener. See what you have grown being preserved. Its fun and its very easy, Its also a dieing art that needs to be taught to our children.

Here is the Basic Recipe, you can customize it to your tastes and likings:

The Redeemed Gardener

Grammies Basic Pickling Recipe
4 lbs any vegetables (harder ones work better)
2 3/4 C Vinegar
3 C Water
1/4 C Sea Salt or Canning Salt (make sure it's not iodized)
When everything is set up and prepared, mix your pickle juice ingredients - salt, vinegar, water - and heat them up in a pot on the stove. Stir until salt dissolves.

Spices commonly used in pickling spice :
Coriander, Fennel, Dill, Black pepper corns, Dried red peppers, Mustard Seed, any spice you want!


   Rather than using commercial pickling spice, play and blend the spices! Put a fair amount of the spices at the bottom of the jars, but save some to top them off.
   For sweet pickles, add sugar.  For smoky pickles, add black cardamom, chipotles, etc.  After you add the spice, pack the vegetables into the jars ( the tighter the better or as we say in West Virginia "the Fuller the Better").  Pour the hot pickle juice over the pickles, leaving 1/4-1/2"  head space at the top.  Use the corner of your clean towel to wipe off the band mouth of the jar before you put the lid or the band on, so that there is no solids blocking the seal.  Put the lid and the band on and tighten finger tight. Note: we always put the lids in boiling water right before we put them on for a few minutes (this kills bacteria and helps make the rubber softer for a better seal) .

Caution! Make sure to load the hot jars on the clean towel, and to use hot pickle juice, because the heat differential between jars, the juice and the counter can cause the jars to explode! Trust me I have had it happen and no matter how careful you are you will as well.
   Put the jars into a hot water bath.  Make sure there is at least 1" of water covering the lids, and bring to a boil.  Boil for 10-14 minutes (add 5 min for every 1000 feet above sea level you are). If boiled for less time, there is a greater risk that it won't seal or kill the bacteria, but your pickles will be crisper! Longer times will result in greater safety, but softer pickles.
   When done pull jars out of Hot water bath and set on towels to cool and seal. Listen for the pooping sound. Then do the push test on the lid to make sure they are sealed. It doesn't take long!

Have fun and make it a family project!

How to Grow Pumpkins Successfully

   I have had a question asked that is post worthy so her we go with the answer and I will try to keep it "Jethro Simplified"! It was a three part question.  (1. I didn't get any female flowers..why? 2. How do you keep the bugs off the pumpkins? 3. How often do you feed and water the pumpkins.)

Cinderella Pumpkins and Squash

 
  First things first, this may help with a lot of things. Did you know that cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkins are all in the same family? Usually the same problems you have with one you will the other and usually the same solutions! I grow "Cinderella" variety and have much success!

You can go back and read "Great Soil Foundation, Parts 1, 2, and 3"

Soil, Water and Planting Spot:
   Pumpkins love good rich composted soil that drains well but also hold moister (Loamy soil), lots of organic matter should be worked into the soil. The perfected soil pH is between 6.0-7.0, so check your soil before planting.
   Pumpkins love lots and lots of sun, so pick an area with 8 plus hours of direct sunlight a day.
   They  require heavy and even watering (because of shallow roots), mulching around them will help hold moister in those hot dry times, Trickle irrigation is best, but soaker hoses also work well. Overhead sprinklers are effective; however, wet foliage increases the chance of disease, especially mildew.
   If you have amended the soil right you shouldn't have to fertilize more than once a week and just an multipurpose fertilizer will work.Giant pumpkin vines require approximately 2 pounds nitrogen, 3 pounds phosphorous and 6 pounds potash per 1,000 square feet of growing space.

Planting and Growing:
  Pumpkins have a very long growing season, some verities up to 120 days (4 months). So start them indoors 3-4 weeks before YOUR last frost or wait til the soil is 70 degrees to direct plant seeds.
  Pumpkins are very sensitive to temperature, so always be prepared to cover them in the early season to protect from cold night or even cold days. They grow best when days an nights are above 70 degrees.

Insects and Diseases:
  The planting site of your plants should be rotated each year to reduce the incidence of insect and disease pressure. An insect and disease control program must be initiated at transplanting. Insects are the primary reason for transmitting disease. Once a viral infection has occurred, there is no way to stop it. But if you start at the beginning and give them lots of soil preparation, water and a control program, this will help drastically. If you need pesticide help, Bonide has many good things to use! Remember if you grow cucumbers and have succeeded then you already have a great foundation for pumpkins!
   Insect pests of pumpkins include spotted and striped cucumber beetles, which can transmit bacterial wilt disease, which causes vines to collapse and die. Treat adult beetles with neem or pyrethrum. Be aware, however, that these are toxic to all insects, including beneficial predators and bees. Make applications at dusk to avoid harming bees. Other insect pests include squash bugs, which must be controlled early or they can be devastating, and squash vine borers.

Pollination:
   Although hand pollination is the preferred method to fruit setting, natural pollination by bees will work well. Hand pollination allows for a more controlled genetic cross.But don't begin pollinating until the plant has approximately 200 leaves. Some experts even say pull the first female flower on each vine to allow your vines more time to grow stronger? Initially it is recommended to allow only 4 to 6 pumpkins per plant but the more you reduce the competition for nutrients, the greater your success rate will be for achieving a giant size pumpkin.

Male and Female Flowers:
  Pumpkin vines are going to produce male flowers long before it produces female flowers. Because female

Female Flower

flowers need to be pollinated, there is no point of them blooming first because the male flower needs to be present in order to pollinate it.
  I wont go into the scientific ways to know the difference, just the way Grammie taught us! To figure out the gender of the flower just look underneath of it. The female flower will have a pea-sized lump underneath the base of the bud. As the bud grows and prepares to open, the lump will gradually get bigger until it is about the size of a doughnut hole. If pollination occurs, this lump will develop into your pumpkin! The male flower is lacking this lump.
 Why do I have NO female flowers?
  If you follow all of the soil preparations, watering, fertilizing and give them lots of sun the should always give you female flower but some years, some crops just fail, its part of the process! So depending on conditions, the female flowers may bloom long after the male flowers. The plants should continue to produce flowers all season, so patience is in order here and lots of patience.
 Again, Be patient. Pumpkins can take a long time to set and develop, especially in shifting weather conditions, i.e. too hot, too much rain, etc. They are very sensitive!

Harvest Time:
   As pumpkins form, you can slip a piece of cardboard or folded newspaper beneath pumpkins to prevent contact with soil and possible rot, especially if you are growing a precious few. Toward the end of the season, remove any leaves that shade ripening pumpkins.Harvest pumpkins before frost. Fruit is ripe when it is fully colored, skin is hard, and the stem begins to shrivel and dry. Pumpkin vines are often prickly, so wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting to keep from itching. To harvest, cut stems with a sharp knife, leaving at least an inch of stem on fruits (more stem is better). Lift pumpkins by slipping your hand under the bottom of the fruit. Never lift a pumpkin by its stem; if the stem breaks, the pumpkin won’t store well.
Tip: To protect the pumpkin from direct sunlight, construct a shade out of burlap or other lightweight material. This will prevent premature hardening of the outer skin and will allow the pumpkin to reach its full genetic potential in terms of physical size.

Nutritional Facts:
Did you know that Pumpkins are full of nutrition, dishing up vitamin C, beta-carotene, fiber, and potassium. One half cup of cooked pumpkin provides a day’s supply of vitamin A.

Q&A Time! Ask Away and Lets Have Fun

 
   I want to open up a line of Question & Answers; from you the readers on the things that we talk about here at "The Redeemed Gardener". If you have followed for a while you know the 3 Topics that I really enjoy talking about: 1) Gardening 2) Things of the Bible and 3) Family! So if there are any questions that I may answer to do with these 3 subjects please feel free to leave a comment or email me at cbfom3@ymail.com. If the answer is short I will just reply to comment in this thread. If it is article length, I will post it in an article. I hope this is as fun as I think it will be, so here we go!!

 

"Salvation is the exchange of all that we are for all that He is" ~ John MacArthur

Crazy Summer for this Family and updates

   It has been a crazy Summer school break and really past year and a half. As you remember I asked for prayer for my son about a year ago. He is doing wonderful (Thank you Jesus), his problem is on the mends, he lives a state away now where he works and the best part is, the Lord Jesus found it fit to save his souls!!!! I stand in awe in the work that God has done in his life.
   As for my daughter she keeps us hopping with her interests. She is 13 and had her first vacation with another family, without out us. She is growing up way to fast! When she returns, which is today, we start many weeks of volleyball camps/clinics before school starts. It will only get busier!
   We have had three deaths in on my wife's side of the family since the first of the year, among other things! As for me, just trying to hold everything together and keep a trusting faithful eye on Jesus! Well the next two months will be very very busy indeed for this group. So be patient with me with my blog. If you have any questions that I may answer please email me at cbfom3@ymail.com.

God Bless you all,

"When do we harvest potatoes?"

The Redeemed Gardener

  I had a question emailed to me a few days ago and knew I needed to answer this, the question was; "When do we harvest potatoes?"

  Well, it all depends on what you are wanting. If you want “new potatoes”, small, immature potatoes, you should harvest them before their vines die or earlier in the summer (around the first day of summer). They will be about 1 to 2 inches in size.

 

  If you want mature potatoes, or “late potatoes,” (as Grammie called them) you should harvest them in late summer/early fall. Just wait for the vines and the flowers to die, and then harvest the potatoes at full maturity.

 

  Here's another method we used, If you have a lot of plants, you can harvest some of the plants earlier in the summer and get “new potatoes” and leave the rest to dig up later. Just experiment and try digging some at the end of July, some at the end of August, and some at the end of September. Then next year, you’ll have a better idea about how big they are at what time of the season.

 

 When you go to harvest your potatoes, here is an article that I posted a while back on a cheap Mini Root Cellar.   "Cool, Cheap, Mini Root Cellars"

 

 

 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 

Dad Passed this story on to me, Now I am to you!

The story of Grace!

David A. Baker Sr.

  A Fathers Son was brutally murdered by one of the must vicious and sadistic persons in the world. 

(Here are 5 endings to the story you pick)!

1) The Father goes and gets a gun and shots the murderer dead in the streets. (That's Revenge) 

2) The Father helps the authorities track down, convict and sentence the murderer to death by electrocution. (That's Justice)

3) The Father helps the authorities track down and convict but before the judge passes down the verdict, the Father asks the judge to lighten the sentence to life in prison, with no parole, so he does. (That's Mercy)

 4)The Father helps the authorities track down the murderer but before the trial the Father asks to talk with the judge privately. The Father tells the judge he wants to forgive the murderer, and drop ALL charges on the murderer and let him walk free. The judge allows the murderer to walk free!   (That's Forgiveness)

5) The Father helps the authorities track down the murderer but before the trial the Father asks to talk with the judge privately. The Father tells the judge he wants to forgive the murderer, drop ALL charges on the murderer, have the murderer move into His house, take care of the murderer and live in His custody the rest of the murders life.  The judge agrees!  (That's Grace)

 

  Which would you do if you were in the Fathers shoes?

   If you are saved and reading this, you were NO different from the vicious and sadistic murderer before

God provided you with His grace through His Son Christ Jesus!

   This Story my dad passed alone to me and know I am going to pass it on to you. Continue to pass if you wish!

Happy Father's Day!

Sun & Shade Quick Growing Veggie Tip

A simple little growing tip from me to you! I found this little picture to describe it the best!

"The object of saving faith is not a creed, not a church, not a pastor, not a set of rituals or ceremonies. Jesus is the object of saving faith." ~ John MacArthur

How To Freeze Broccoli

  How To Freeze Broccoli, its very simple! So fare this season I have harvested 16 heads of broccoli and I have frozen 8 heads, which made up 16 quart bags for later use. Yummy!!

  Supplies you will need: Large Pot, knife, couple bags of ice, quart or gallon size freezer bags, Sharpie, Large Strainer Ladle,

The Redeemed Gardener

Step 1: Wash it in a sink full of water, I mix a hand full of Sea Salts in with it. It helps with bugs!
Step 2: Cut broccoli up to sizes that are gonna be easy to eat.
Step 3: Bring a Large pot of water to boil.
Step 4: Put cut up broccoli in boiling water, for 4 to 5 minutes. Note: do amounts that are easy to handle.

While this is boiling, fill up sink half way with water and dump a half bag of ice in.

Step 5: After 4 to 5 minutes ladle the broccoli into the ice water, this will stop it from cooking. Let it set in the for about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Ladle the broccoli out of the ice water and allow water to drain off. I laid mine out on a clean dis towel, you could just use a big strainer. Whatever you choose will be finr.
Step 7: Put broccoli in Freezer bags, label with sharpie. try to get air out of bad. But you don't have to get it all out.
Step 8: Place in freezer til you are ready to cook. Its that easy!!

  If I can do it, anyone of you can do it. And by the way Jesus Loves You!

The Redeemed Gardener

Staring to Harvest in 2013

  Just a few pictures of what is going on and coming out of the garden!

Broccoli

Carrots

Potatoes

Turnips and Radishes

Before Starting My First Bee Hive

   Well its not really my first "Bee Rodeo" but it will be my first urban bee experience! See, my dad and brother had kept bees years before dad passed away. So now I'm gonna carry on the tradition in the urban setting. There are a few things that a person should do long before they get started keeping honeybees. See, I have started this spring getting everything together but I won't get the bees until next April or May, that's the best time to get a new swarm of bees, so that they can get all the honey they need to make it through the following winter.
  So what are things you should be doing to get ready for your new adventure of bee keeping?

The Redeemed Gardener

1. Read lots of books and articles about bee keeping (my favorite book, "The Backyard Beekeeper"). Get to know everything from the anatomy of the bee and hive to tricks that more experienced bee keepers have learned. Learn about pest and other things that could interrupt or even kill of your hive.
2. Find and join your local bee keeping club. Each county in West Virginia has a club, which meets often and you learn loads of stuff. Most libraries hold classes and clinics as well!
3. Find a neighbor or local that has kept bees for a while and talk with them about what they know.
4. Contact your local and county government to see if you have any laws or regulations to follow.
5. Blogs are a great source, just make sure the information is correct before using. Here is one I found in my research  "Early American Gardens".
6. Try to find a reputable bee supply company to pre-buy your hive body and supplies from. We have a local supplier through our club and the mail order one I use is Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.  
   
     Many thing should be do before you even think about buying your first swarm of bees. Even though I helped them a lot, I have still learned a lot during the preparation period. But most of all have fun!
   
   

    Proverbs 24:13 "My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;"

"Berdine's" America's Oldest Five and Dime Store

  I know this has nothing to do with gardening but I have to tell you about a place that is in the town that I grew up close to and visited this store weekly! It has been in many national magazines and the next time your are in this area., you need to step back in time and visit this Old five and dime! We take our kids there from time to time to share the experience and that's exactly what it is an experience! It opened in 1908 and today it's like stepping back in time to go shopping!
 Her is the link to Berdine's Five and Dime; and its located in Harrisville, West Virginia, just a few miles from North Bend State Park (my grandpa was the Master Carpenter that help build their lodge and my mom and brother used to work here)! Here are a few pictures I took on our last visit!

The Redeemed Gardener

The Redeemed Gardener

The Redeemed Gardener

  Well I hope you get to stop in and enjoy!

More Articles on Berdine's:

 WVLiving

"History is a story written by the finger of God." ~ C.S. Lewis

Bolting Spinach

  Well you know what it means when spinach starts to "Bolt"? It means its time to harvest it all!
But what is bolting? In a little 2'x2' patch, I harvested close to 10 gallons of spinach in all! Bolting is when agricultural and horticultural crops prematurely produce a flowering stem (or stems) before the crop is harvested, in a natural attempt to produce seeds to reproduce.
What causes Spinach to bolt?   Spinach bolts quickly to seed during the long days in late spring or summer. Warm temperatures accelerate this development. Varieties that are "long standing" or slow to bolt are best adapted for spring planting.

Spinach Bolting

 The variety I planted was: Winter Bloomsdale (45 days, tolerant to cucumber mosaic virus, slow to bolt, cold tolerant, good for over-wintering)
 I trust these helps and really growing Spinach is very easy and you can grow it in spring and fall!

"Recycled Garden Markers", garden tip

   Here is my easy and cheap way to mark your plants in the garden. I know there is many ways to do this but I like this one! I just collect plastic knifes and spoons that are not used at work (and sometimes used), using a sharpie I write the names of the plants on them and put them in the ground (No Rot, No Rust). Think about it, how many time's have you or someone else opened one of those plastic cutlery sets only to use the fork and most of the time throwing the spoon and fork away. Well, here is a great way to recycle!

The world asks, “What does a man own?” Christ asks, “How does he use it?” ~ Andrew Murray

"Colonial Gate Closer", What is it?

  Do you ever get tiered of having to go behind people and shut your garden gates or are you just wanting to add a little interest to your garden? Then try a "Cannonball Gate Closer", they are traced back to Colonial times in America and may go back even further than that. We found ours in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It makes it much easier when you came through the gate with your hands full to shut the gate. Plus not to many people know what they are so its a great conversation starter as well.

"The Redeemed Gardener"

Matthew 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Around the Redeemed Garden in 2013! Part 2

  I told you I had more for you to see, lol! If you didn't get to see Part 1, there it is! So much to do and so little time but the rewards are well worth it all.

Solomon Seal peaking over the bench!

   These two pictures are of what we all call "The Secret Garden", it is where my daughter and her friend next door have sat and played for hours. Its a shared space and brings us closer with our neighbor. Years ago it was all grass and it a 11'x28' area. My wife and I made many trips to the rivers in the West Virginia area and collected each rock and hauled them back (lots of fun stories there). I hand dug all the grass up, pored all the sand to set rocks in,  painstakingly sat each rock by hand, pored pea gravel between the rocks and planted each shade loving plant. Lots of hard work but well worth the finished garden! And there is my little garden sidekick, Maple!








  Here are the new additions to the front gardens. On the left, we had to remove a storm damaged bush, so we replaced it with a male "China Boy" Holly. Yes, you do have to have a male and female bush of this verity to produce berries! We also planted another Dwarf Boxwood. Its a little empty looking now but it will fill in quickly. On the right, is our new "Flowering Purple Plumb", if you will remember we had a bad storm, called a "Derecho" hit us, and it took out one of my "Bradford Pears". We just replaced it and we think we will like this specimen much better! Read more on my thoughts of "Bradford Pears", in "Bradford Pears, You can Keep Them".

  I know this isn't part of the garden but she is such an obedient and loyal friend! This is a make shift bench beside my garden, I call it my prayer bench. When we go to it she knows not to cross the railroad ties for anything, she lays right there. As you can see, I have my coffee, read the scriptures, pray and listen to God's creation as the sun comes up or goes down as often as we can. We could all learn a lot from how unconditional a dog loves!
  I'm sure more will come as the season progress. Until next time, God Bless and happy gardening!

Psalm 12:10 "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal."