The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!
Rose propagation can be an interesting hobby for those who enjoy growing these beautiful flowers. To produce plants that are exact duplicates of the parent plant one would propagate roses with cuttings. But rose propagation from seeds can be a fun experiment, even though this propagation method does not produce duplicates of the parent plant…. Click here to read more…
Do yourself a huge favor and print this off and keep it near your potting bench. Heck, print off a few copies and hang them where you can see them. January-Mid Winter You can do hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. Just wait for a day when the ground is not frozen so you can either… Click here to read more…
Growing blueberry plants from cuttings is a quick and easy way to get new bushes. Cuttings can be done from both hardwood and softwood, but hardwood cuttings tend to be easier to work with and more likely to root properly. Hardwood cuttings are best taken in the late winter or early spring, before the leaf… Click here to read more…
One of the most heartbreaking moments for any gardener may occur in early spring when their carefully-tended seedlings suddenly keel over and die, seemingly for no apparent reason. This occurs most often in seedlings that have been started early indoors, and the cause is typically one of several soil-borne plant diseases collectively known as damping… Click here to read more…
Tips for Growing Lilacs Lilacs are one of those plants that people either love or hate. Gardeners have been growing lilacs for centuries, not only because of the show-stopping spring blooms but also for the flowers’ exquisite fragrance. Folks who hate lilacs think of them as just a weed, but those of us who disagree… Click here to read more…
Golden Curls Willow, Salix matsudana tortuosa The Golden Curls Willow, also called Corkscrew Willow by some, is a fun and interesting tree with an elegant and graceful appearance. This Golden Curls Weeping Willow is in my front yard. At the end of the growing season I always trim it up about as high as… Click here to read more…
We get a lot of emails from our readers. One question often asked is: Which brand of pruning shears does Mike use? This question is an easy one for me to answer. If you were to swing by the nursery right now, you’d find Mike there in his bib overalls. The way he looks in his… Click here to read more…
Friday May 8th will be the first plant sale of the season for Mike’s Plant Farm 4850 North Ridge Road, Perry, Ohio 44081, Fri-Sun 9-5 Mike, Pam and Cathy have been working non-stop getting everything ready. Come on out and meet the whole gang! Mike, Pam and Cathy will be there Fri-Sun. Duston and Sharon… Click here to read more…
Today I’m going to talk to you about growing plants in beds, and when it makes sense and when it doesn’t. Whether you are growing plants for yourself or to sell it doesn’t really make a difference. Gardeners are gardeners and we all love plants. I’ve been doing this my whole life and I really… Click here to read more…
Wheelbarrows! Why so many options? Why can’t it be simple? One wheel? Two wheels? Plastic tub? Metal tub? Is a two wheeled garden cart better? Wheelbarrow Logic from Mike McGroarty. Here’s my take on wheelbarrows, from a guy that has made his living for the better part of 40 years using wheelbarrows. In my… Click here to read more…
DIY Bird House Step 1: Gather the required materials and tools. Materials: – Seven lengths cut from a 1” x 6” cedar board (actual dimensions 5/8” by 5 1/2” – see note below) to create the following panels (see illustration below): — Two 8” panels (8” x 5 1/2”) — One 8” panel (8” x… Click here to read more…
I am going to give you suggested propagation techniques for a variety of different landscape plants. Arborvitae: Cuttings taken in mid to late summer can be rooted in coarse sand under intermittent mist. Cuttings taken in the fall can be rooted in coarse sand in an outdoor frame. Cuttings taken during the winter can be… Click here to read more…
You can grow a citrus tree from a seed anytime of the year, though summer is best. Most fruit trees are best grown from grafted trees for quicker fruiting. Lemons, grapefruit, lime, tangerine, orange etc. are easily grown with great results. Sprout and grow a seed from a great-tasting specimen and there is a chance… Click here to read more…
THE SIMPLEST WAY TO GROW FROM CUTTINGS If you have a tree or plant you wish to clone, look no further. This method is uncomplicated and quite easy to do. Materials needed: · Healthy cutting from a tree of your choice · Potting soil or local soil or an equal mixture of both · One… Click here to read more…
People often wonder, “What is this Backyard Growers Business Center?” Then they exclaim, “I’m just interested in growing plants, not selling them.” Well it’s not all that stuffy and formidable. The members of the Backyard Growers Business Center are growers who help each other out. The more experienced old-timers, (and young-timers) are eager to help… Click here to read more…
After eating your favorite avocado, don’t throw the seed away! Grow a beautiful decorative houseplant or even your own avocado tree following these simple steps. Materials needed: · Avocado pit/seed · Small, clear bottle in order to see the roots grow · Water · toothpicks STEP 1 Remove the large pit/seed inside the avocado. STEP… Click here to read more…
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…
This is the million dollar question that I get asked a lot. “How big does a plant have to be before I can sell it for $5.97?” And of course the answer is . . . it depends. To help explain this, I’ve made a movie about plant sizes and value. Actually my intent here… Click here to read more…
Is it really possible that one lonely rooted cutting could change your life forever? I suppose it could. I decided to write this because this morning I was giving some advice to one of our Canadian members about getting started selling small plants. I felt that he was thinking way too small and taking way… Click here to read more…
Last year, 2013, I built this shelter house for our miniature donkeys. And wouldn’t you know it, the very first year we have miniature donkeys on the farm we get hit with the worst winter in years and years. Temperatures as low as 15 degrees below zero! Finnegan and Fergus did fine with lots and… Click here to read more…
