Layering

I cant Speak for everyone , but for me I try to recreate the natural environs with my garden. I trult believe that both humans and plants prosper in a more "Natural" Setting. For me Part of that was the anhilation of rows. Plants grow better without structure in my opinion (note it as opinion , not fact) . When I plant I really think about how to layer things in the Garden. Here is an example. Swiss Chard has a few companion plants. I want to optimize how I place these. So that I optimize my apce , and my sun exposure. You have to think about light exsposure when you plan these placements. Chard Companions are Beans , cabbage & onion. Possible placements would be as follows Beans are tallest , chard is second tallest , cabbage or onion are smaller than chard. If sun was coming from the right it would penetrate to all  , but if sun were to come from the left the beans would block the chard , cabbage & onions light. If there were no beans the chard would still black the cabbage & onion light. By layering these thing close enough together they can block out weeds and conserve soil moisture.

Naturtium .08¢

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13984968@N02/ This photo will be replaced when my own plant comes to maturity.  NOTE : Do not fertilize if you want flowers or seed. Nasturtium, Mastuerzo Tropaeolum majus Seed : RH*1 .  Value : 1.95 / 25  = Aprx  .8¢ Ea Full Cycle : 10-14 Days + (Variable) , Height : 6-12 in Traditional Spacing : 6-9 in     Closer : 1-3 in  Light : Full Sun  / Partial     Water : Avg Start : In / Out (Direct Preffered) Flowers : Summer / Fall Seed Saving : Bag When Near Rip , Pods will pop Dramatically Dry & Remove from Pod - Will Cross Pollinate w/ other varieties , either seclude or let run wild Harvest Method : Come & Come Again , Cut & Run =============== Nutrition : Magnesium ,Iron Cooking : Raw Preservation : Dehydrated , Pickled (Immature Seed Pods) , Crystallized (Flowers) Store Price : Frozen St Price : Dried St Price : SIngle Plant Yield : Yield Value : ======================================= Companions : Tomatoes , Cabbage , Cucucmnbers Enemies : Cauliflower ===== Height Placements (L=Tallest , R - Shortest) : *1 See Seed Sources *To Better Understand the Sidebar Images Please Refer to Cycles -->

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Bright Lights Chard >.01¢ Ea

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gringod/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
This photo will be replaced when my own plant comes to maturity.

Swiss Chard, Seakale Beet Beta vulgaris var. cicla 'Bright Lights' Seed : Common*1 .  Value : 1.98 / 60 = Aprx  .3¢ Ea  MONOCOTYLEDON*2  >.01¢ Ea. Full Cycle : 90 D Height : 12-24 in  (1-2ft) Traditional Spacing : 9 - 12 in     Closer : (1 Small Hand  width) 5-6 in  Light : Full Sun       Water : Avg Start : In / Out Flowers : Fall Seed Saving : Bag Seed Heads to Collect  - Will Cross Pollinate with Beets , Must be Bagged for Isolation Harvest Method : Come & Come Again , Cut & Run =============== Nutrition : Magnesium ,Iron Cooking : Raw , Sauteed , Steamed , Braised , Roasted Preservation : Freezing , Canning , Dehydrating Store Price : Frozen St Price : Dried St Price : SIngle Plant Yield : Yield Value : ======================================= Companions : Beans , Cabbage  , Onion Enemies : =====  Height Placements (L=Tallest , R - Shortest) : *1 See Seed Sources *2 MONOCOTYLEDON - More Than 1 Plant Per Seed*To Better Understand the Sidebar Images Please Refer to Cycles -->

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Understanding The Plants Life Cycle

To the Right you can see a number of Icons . I will be using these Icons to Identify  how far I have personally proofed the information I have about each highlighted plant. The first Icon is seed starting , whether inside or outside The Second Icon is Sprouting Straight out the seed stage The Third Icon is Vegetative Stage , where leaves grow , but is not quite ripe for usage The Fourth Stage is blooming (not all Plants do this) The Fifth Stage is Fruiting (not all plants do this) The 6th Stage is Seed Saving The 7th Stage is Cooking The 8th Stage is Preservation Every time I pass a stage I will make sure it has a check-mark *To Better Understand the Sidebar Images Please Refer to Cycles -->

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List of Seeds

Vegetable                  Value of Single Seed             Whole Value of Single Plant          ================================================================== Bright Lights Chard            (Monocotolydon) >.01¢ Fruit                          Value of Single Seed             Whole Value of Single Plant       ================================================================== Herb                          Value of Single Seed             Whole Value of Single Plant       ================================================================== Flower                       Value of Single Seed             Whole Value of Single Plant       ==================== ============================================== Nasturtium                 .08¢ Wildcraft                   Value of Single Seed             Whole Value of Single Plant       ==================================================================

Disclosure

This policy is valid from 04 February 2010  This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact  preppermom@gmail.com.  This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.  The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.  The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.  This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified. To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Seed Sources

TYBL - The year before last (not last year , but before) , I happened on a wondrous deal  , seeds on sale for 3-5 ¢ a piece . Hot Dog !! Then when I had finished picking out hundreds of packets and watching my poor cashiers eyes water and weary from ringing up each one (she didnt know how to do it otherwise) , I was pleased to see they were ringing up @ 3 for 1¢ .  So any of those seeds  cost less than 1¢ a seed . This is not the first time I have seen these sales , I have seen them @ CVS ,  Walgreens , Walmart , & Big Lots in the late fall. The germination rates may be lower than fresh seed its better than no seed. By my usage I got a 95% germination rate last year , I have no Idea what to expect this year. ABC - I got the Heirloom Master Gardeners Pack from Abceeds.com , @ 99$ W/63 Varieties that would place each packet @ 1.57 a packet , I will represent each seed by its packet amount (or estimated amount) as it is questioned. RH - I bought a number of Nasturtiums  from Schumways because they are teh only supplier that has a large variety for an affordable price. Those were 1.49 a packet , I will price down their seeds as need be by estimated seeds per gram. RHFree - I got a half dozen packets of seed for free from Schumways with my order Food - I got seed from food sources , prices were normally under a dollar per food item with multiple seed. I will count these as free. Saved - Saved from some source , wild or domestic , these will count as free Common - Seed From The Store bought @ varying prices , will be noted if remebered , or otherwise approximated.