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Home » Complete Guides » Page 5

Complete Guide to Soil pH Testing

Updated : February 25, 2015

25 Comments

Soil pH is very important for optimum plant growth.  The term pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, in this case, the soil.  It ranges from 1.0-14.0, with 7.0 being called neutral. The lower the number the higher the acidity.  The higher the number the more alkaline, or less acidic,… Click here to read more…

How to Get Rid of Slugs in Your Garden

Updated : December 18, 2014

6 Comments

If you love Hostas, you also know the damage caused by slugs.  Besides eating large holes in all the pretty leaves they also leave long silver slime trails as they move across the leaves feeding. Here are four simple home-made traps to show you how to get rid of slugs in your garden.  There is… Click here to read more…

DIY Sawbuck Bench

Updated : February 4, 2015

8 Comments

How To Build A Folding Sawbuck Bench A sawbuck bench makes it easier to cut long pieces of wood by getting the wood at an ideal height off the ground. This article shows you how to build a sawbuck bench that folds for easier storage. TOOLS What tools you will need: Saw (power or hand)… Click here to read more…

Simple Bat House Plans

Updated : February 25, 2015

27 Comments

Why would anyone want to build a bat house?  Because bats are the primary predator of those  annoying, flying nighttime insects like mosquitoes, moths and beetles.  One bat can eat thousands of insects in one evening! And if you build a bat house for them, they will stay out of your chimneys, rafters and attics. … Click here to read more…

How to Create a Hydroponic Garden

Updated : February 4, 2015

26 Comments

Hydroponics is simply growing plants in water without soil. In commercial settings liquid nutrients are utilized for this style of growing plants. This is a step by step guide for creating a very simple and extremely effective hydroponic garden system. You can use this system to create a miniature indoor hydroponic garden or to propagate… Click here to read more…

DIY Raspberry Trellis

Updated : December 18, 2014

11 Comments

Raspberries will grow happily without any support at all, but having a raspberry trellis /support system makes gardening easier for you!  If left to their own devices, raspberries will form an arching plant about 7 to 9 feet tall. Making a support keeps these plants neat and tidy, enables easy walking between rows, and makes… Click here to read more…

How to Heat a Greenhouse Without Electricity

Updated : January 17, 2019

113 Comments

How To Heat A Greenhouse Without Electricity There are two main concepts concerning heating a greenhouse without electricity. The first is by collecting the sun’s warmth as sunlight hits upon a dense material called thermal mass, such as rock and water. Thermal mass will absorb a lot of heat throughout the day and release that… Click here to read more…

How to Amend Clay Soil

Updated : December 1, 2014

8 Comments

Clay soil can be black or red, is as fine as dust, and is hard for plants to move through. Clay soil is waterlogged in wet months and rock hard in summer. If water does reach a plant’s roots, the plant will drown because water can’t escape. This is called root rot.  Clay soil does… Click here to read more…

How to Care for a Potted Amaryllis

Published : January 23, 2015

1 Comment

Amaryllis bulbs are often given as gifts for the holidays, later producing their large, spectacular flowers to brighten the recipient’s home or office. Potted amaryllis bulbs can be found in many stores in December, or in mail-order catalogs. Amaryllis bulbs are sometimes also sold without a pot so they can be planted in a pot… Click here to read more…

How to Regrow Vegetables

Updated : December 1, 2014

50 Comments

How to regrow vegetables During the winter months I enjoy making home made soup.  I always use leeks and green onions, and have discovered that I no longer have to buy them!  I simply regrow them! Step 1: After chopping up the leeks and green onions, I saved about a one and a half inch… Click here to read more…

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Busting Gardening Myths!

Posted On May 1, 2022 By Mike

How to Move Heavy things the Easy Way.

Posted On April 13, 2022 By Mike

21 Plants that are Easy to Grow and Sell Like Crazy!

Posted On March 25, 2022 By Mike

Hardwood cuttings of Dappled Willow.

Rooting Dappled Willow from Hardwood Cuttings and Starting a Fun Little Business with Nothing but a Handful of Sticks.

Posted On March 21, 2022 By Mike

Tips and Tricks for Growing Plants from Seed.

Posted On February 2, 2022 By Mike

What is a Plant Patent and How Do they Work?

Posted On November 12, 2021 By Mike

Dianthus, Appleblossom Burst

Fall Plant Sale at Mike’s Plant Farm!

Posted On August 8, 2021 By Mike

Mike McGroarty sucks at landscape design.

My Landscape Design Skills Suck!

Posted On May 8, 2021 By Mike

Japanese maples balled in burlap.

How to put a ball and burlap on a bare root tree that has been previously dug.

Posted On April 15, 2021 By Mike

Mike McGroarty interviews a successful backyard grower from Tennessee.

Mike Interviews a Very Successful Backyard Grower from Tennessee.

Posted On February 23, 2021 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Mike McGroarty sucks at landscape design.

My Landscape Design Skills Suck!

That's what he told me. He said my landscape design skills totally suck. Or something to that effect. Last summer when I did a post about landscape lighting some helpful visitor to my website suggested that I stick to growing plants because I was a … Read Full Article

Japanese maples balled in burlap.

How to put a ball and burlap on a bare root tree that has been previously dug.

One of the most important things you need to learn as a gardener is that there is a digging or transplanting season that has a beginning and an end. Digging season starts in the fall, usually around Thanksgiving, after deciduous plants have lost their leaves. … Read Full Article

Mike McGroarty interviews a successful backyard grower from Tennessee.

Mike Interviews a Very Successful Backyard Grower from Tennessee.

See more photos and learn more about Nathan and his nursery here. Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond. Until then, by any and all means stay inspired! I often share this quote with Our Members . . . “Until one … Read Full Article

Red Prince Weigela

Red Prince Weigela

Red Prince Weigela is one of the best selling plants that I grow. I guess it's the striking red flowers that attract attention that make it such a great seller. Red Prince grows well in zones 4 through 8. Red Prince loves full sun but it will also … Read Full Article

Bare Root Japanese Maple Trees about to be Heeled in.

Digging and storing bare root trees for later potting.

These are rules for digging trees and other plants. Only dig trees or plants when they are dormant. Here in Ohio dormancy occurs usually right before Thanksgiving, after we've had at least on night with temps down around 28 degrees F. or lower.That's when … Read Full Article

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