GenAcres Homestead

Growing Milkweed for the Monarch Butterflies The first time I saw a Monarch butterfly up close in my garden, I was completely awestruck by its grace and beauty. Their bright orange wings and solid black borders make the Monarch butterfly one of the most recognizable butterflies. And they are, without a doubt, little migrating miracles.

How to Harden Off Seedlings Getting your seedlings to a healthy state and ready for the great outdoors can be a challenge in itself. They've been loved and pampered indoors, probably under fluorescent grow lights with pretty consistent temperatures.  So there's no doubt that it can be a big shock for them when they are moved to the variable and sometimes harsh elements outside. 

Spinach is a cool-weather quick-growing annual related to Beets and Swiss Chard. Spinach has high amounts of carotenoids, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium. It is one of the healthiest salad choices you can make. The Basics Annual Height: 6" to 3' Width: 3" to 15" Types: Savory Spinach. Dark green crinkled leaves. It grows flatter compared to other Spinach. It tends to be more cold-hardy and becomes sweet and crispy after a frost. Flat-Leaf Spinach. Grows more upright and easier to wash. Semi-Savory. A hybrid between the two. Leaves aren't as crinkled or as smooth.   Starting Seeds of Spinach Seed Depth: 1/2" deep Seed Spacing: 2" apart, thin seedlings to 4-5" apart. Mature 10-12". Days to Germinate: 1 week at 60 degrees. Days to Harvest: 20-30 days for baby greens. 35-45 days mature leaves. Seed Longevity: 1-3 year

How to Minimize Transplant Shock Transplant shock is a natural occurrence whenever a plant is uprooted from its former home and moved to a foreign environment. Moving a plant from one place to another is not as simple as digging it up, plopping it in the ground and hoping it will be fine. Plants that undergo too much transplant shock can be open to diseases, pests, and can weaken them to the point where they never fully recover. If they are food plants, you may notice a smaller harvest or no harvest at all.

Making Seed Tapes  I used to think making seed tapes was a waste of time and I didn’t understand why gardeners would spend time making them. That was until I was at my wit’s end trying to thin out carrot seeds that I had direct sown. I find it nearly impossible to get the spacing right on those tiny seeds. So I tried the seed tape thing and made enough of them to fill a four by eight foot raised garden bed. The result?  The carrots germinated with just the right spacing – NO THINNING!  I was sold.