Oregon Tree Hugger

I have never grown these before, but they sounded fun. Ground cherries are a type of tomatillo that is more sweet than tart. I’m having a lot of fun with the tomatillos because they have an automatic shutoff on the ripening process, thereby taking out the guesswork. Essentially, when the husk becomes brown and the [...]

Spring is fast approaching, so it is time for some spring planning in terms of planting! Now is the time to finalize those varieties that you will be growing and get your seed growing kits ready. I added new seed varieties this year as well as a new seed starting kit with heat mats.

Why start from seeds? First of all, it is cheaper to start from a seed than it is to buy pre-started vegetables. Secondly, I can get a greater variety of plants, because mail-order seeds are very easy to obtain. Third, it is just kind of fun to grow your own and let your kids participate in the process. (And if it doesn’t work out, don’t put too much pressure on yourself—you can always buy vegetable starts from a store, a plant sale, or the farmer’s market later in the season! Want to know more? Read on for the rest of this handy guide.