Starting Early in the Garden » milk-jug-cloches
A simple cloche made by cutting the bottom out of a milk jug my be all that is required to protect early garden plants from cold weather.
Broccoli plants covered with milk jug cloches
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* Digging a hole in hard ground for a tree or shrub? Dig a starter hole and fill it to the top with water - come back later and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to dig. After you dig fill it with water again, and wait for it to soak in before back filling and planting - the more stable soil moisture will give your tree a better start.
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* When planting trees don't mix a lot of organic matter into the soil or the tree might grow a compacted root ball in the improved soil without sending roots out into the surrounding ground. Just dig a hole and put the loosened dirt back in - then add compost or rotted manure as a mulch on top of the ground.
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* If you get your beds ready before time to plant, consider covering them with a plastic tunnel to both warm the soil, and to keep it dry so that when the right day for pea planting (or whatever) rolls around you won't be delayed by frozen mud.
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* Try starting lettuce in a length of plastic gutter and transplant out all in one piece.
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* When shopping for spring seeds buy some for the Fall garden while they are available.
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* When planting tiny fragile seeds cover with fine compost, potting soil, or peat moss so that the emerging plantlets don't have to fight through crusty soil.
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* When starting seeds indoors you will get much quicker and more reliable germination by keeping the soil warm - about 70 F. But, once plants emerge they can get leggy under artificial light if you keep them too warm.
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* When starting seeds under fluorescent lights you should keep the lights as close to the tops of the plants as possible - but even then the intensity is far less than real sunlight. Move your plant starts outside as soon as weather permits.
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* When starting seeds keep the soil moist and warm until the plants emerge, but then try to let the surface of the soil dry out a bit between waterings.
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* Check the germination rate of your seeds by putting 10 each between sheets of wet paper towels, keep moist and warm. In a week or so you will see how many you need to put in each spot.
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* One of the most important factors to successful gardening is to plant at the right time. Nothing else matters if you get this wrong.
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