GenAcres Homestead

Signs Your Hosta Plant is Water Stressed Hostas are well known as easy-care perennials.  The fact that they come in such a variety of sizes, colors and leaf shapes is just one more reason why hostas remain one of the most popular perennials for shady and part sunny gardens. One of the most important ways, if not THE most important way, of keeping your hostas healthy and beautiful is simple -- water.  

  Parsley is a tender herb with soft stems and leaves.  It is popular for many reasons including its variety of uses, vitamin content and its ability to grow and give you a flavorful harvest even after a light snowfall.  Parsley has a light, peppery flavor that complements other seasonings. Great Herb to grow for your Hens! Parsley is the perfect addition to your chickens diet as it is rich in vitamins, promotes circulatory system development, and is a strong stimulate for laying.  While they may not take to it at first, there are a few different ways you can incorporate parsley into your girls diet. Adding it fresh and chopped up to their layer feed is the best and easiest option (they will hardly even tell!) or you can try leaving a pot in the run for them to peck at the leaves, or scattered around the coop-it’s all down to your chickens preference! Parsley is high in nutrients and vitamins and can help with blood vessel development.  You can feed chickens parsley fresh or add it to

Use of Epsom Salt on Hostas! Hostas continue to be one of the most popular perennials in shady and party shady gardens. It's no wonder. Hostas are easy to grow and care for, they don't require a lot of special attention and they come in a vast array of sizes, shapes, and great leaf colors.

Spring Care for Hosta Plants After a long, dreary winter, Springtime in the hosta garden seems like a magical time.  The hostas are sprouting their gorgeous green tips signaling the beginning of another great gardening season! Keep your hostas looking happy and healthy with these seasonal reminders and care tips for Spring!  

The Sun's Effect on Blue Hostas Blue hostas require the most protection from the sun because the blue color is actually a waxy coating on the top and or bottom side of the leaves. The leaves are actually a shade of green, but the waxy coating makes them appear those great shades of blue. Too much sun can cause the waxy coating on blue hosta leaves to melt off and expose the green leaf underneath. This is the reason it is recommended that blue hostas are planted in more shade than other hostas. The blue hostas are always very popular and there are several shades of blue-leaved hostas. Blue hosta leaves will become bluer and bluer each year as they move to maturity, usually about four to five years. 

Mustard greens are fast growing, nutritious leafy greens. They're perfect for gardens and containers in both spring and fall.  They are a  high biomass, nitrogen lifter for growing over the summer. It is one of the quickest growing, green manuring species and is very good at suppressing weeds. Used for creating short term green cover and game cover. Mustard Greens aka Mizuna, Mustard Spinach, Indian Mustard Annual plant Height:  6"       Width:  Up to 2' Mustard Greens are a leafy plant with a zesty mustard flavor that is a fiber and nutrient-rich addition to salads and stir-fries. Types: Curly Leaf.  Curled or frilled leaf edges resembling Kale.  It's a very spicy tender green used in salads. Flat Leaf.  Broad delicately flavored leaves are good for steaming or in soups. Mustard Spinach.  Smooth leaves.  This plant is more tolerant of heat, making it a good choice in warmer climates. Starting Seeds of Mustard Greens Seed Depth:      

aka Frisee Annual Plant related to Chickory Height:  6-12"       Width:  6-12" Endive and Escarole are different forms of the same plant.  Endive has curly or crinkly-edged leaves and a sharp, somewhat bitter taste.  Escarole is a type of Endive which is hardier with flat, somewhat thicker leaves and a less bitter flavor. Types: - Curled Endive with pointy leaves. - Smoother-leafed Escarole Starting Seeds of Endive/Escarole Seed Depth:                   1/4" deep. Seed Spacing:                3 seeds per inch. Days to Germinate:         5-7 days. Days to Harvest:             45 days as baby greens.  60-100 days as mature heads. Seed Longevity:              4-6 years. Sowing Indoors: Spring:  Sow 8 weeks before your average last frost date. Sowing Outdoors: Spring:  Direct sow as soon as the ground can be worked. Fall:  Direct sow 15 weeks before the first expected frost date. Salad Spinner Winter Sowi