Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pepper Sweet Banana ( How To Grow )

                       Hello!  Welcome back with us here on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.
            
                       Today we would like to talk about All America Selections Winner Sweet Banana Hybrid Pepper, it is a good looking pepper, it is light yellow in color and shape like a banana, and can grow up to 6 inches long.  Sweet Banana Hybrid Pepper has a sweet and juicy taste.  Great for the dinner table, lots of ways to prepare them, wash and chil in the refrigerator and set out for dinner table, good in any meal, or salad, stir fry, soups, pot roast, to name a few.

                      There are a lot of seed and plant company out there but the one we use the most is (Bonnie) they have been in the plant and seed business since 1918.

                      The Bonnie Sweet Banana Hybrid Pepper is easy to raise, but there are something that are very important things you need to remember.

                      1.  We recommend to plant (Bonnie) if you can.

                      2.  Make sure you have good rich soil in your garden, if your soil does not look dark and rich add some compost and some aged manure, just add 3 inches of compost and 3 inches of aged manure, mix it all up well togather, down under the soil about 7 to 8 inches is best. Good money saving tip, if you go to your local farmer he will probably give you all the aged manure you want for ( Free ) most of the farmers are happy to get rid of the manure, and you will have the best natural organic fertilizer that money can buy for ( Free ).

                      3.  Plant in full sun 6 to 8 hours.

                      4.  Plant deep 1/2 of the plant under the soil.

                      5.  If planting in row space 18 inches apart.

                      6.  Water well often, never let the soil dry out.  Extra water when plant has peppers on it.

                      7.  Fruit size: 6 inches x 1.5 inches.

                      8.  Maturity: 75 days after planting.       

                      If you plant the Sweet Banana Hybrid Pepper, you will be glad you did.  

                      Well that is it for today, we hope to be back here tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way, we hope you all can join us, until then Good Gardening from Ken & Marilou.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Pepper Bell Big Bertha ( How To Grow )

                 Welcome back and thank you all for being here on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou.

                  Today we would like to talk about Big Bertha Bell Pepper, it is a super big pepper and it is a beautiful pepper, very tender and juicy and has a great taste.  I don't think I am alone when I say the Big Bertha Bell Pepper is so delicious it is not a hot pepper, it has a mild sweet taste and we think if you ever plant Bonnie Big Bertha Bell Pepper you will be planting it every year.  They can be used in many different ways, Giant Stuffed Peppers, Slice up for salad, in Vegetable Soup, Stir Fry, great in Pot Roast, just to name a few ways you can serve them.  They are easy to raise, but there is a few thing we would like to add, that will help you raise the best Bonnie Big Bertha Bell Pepper.

                  1.  We plant (Bonnie) Bonnie Seed and Plant Company has been here since 1918, they have a good name. But there is a lot of other seed companies out there that are just as good.

                  2.  Good soil is very important if your soil does not look dark and rich, we recommend to add some compost and some aged manure, add 3 inches of compost and 3 inches of aged manure mix well, down in to the soil about 8 to 9 inches is best. Tip to save you a lot of money, go see your local farmer and he will probably give you all the aged manure you want, most all farmer are so kind and willing to help you, and they are happy to get rid of the manure. Just don't forget to ask for the aged manure, and you will have the best natural organic fertilizer that money can buy for ( Free ).

                  3.  Full sun 6 to 8 hours.

                  4.  Plant deep 1/2 of the plant under the soil.

                  5.  Spacing 18" inches apart.

                  6.  Water well, never let soil dry out, extra water when peppers are on plant.

                  7.  Fruit size: 7"inches x4" inches.

                  8.  Maturity: 72 days after planting.


                  Well that is it for today, we hope that we have been some help here today on Garden The Easy Way.  We hope to talk again here tomorrow, until then Good Gardening Always Ken & Marilou.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Pepper Red Bell ( How To Grow )

                 Hello!  We hope you all are having a good day.  This is Ken and Marilou we welcome all of you back here today with us on Garden The Easy Way.

                 Today we would like to talk about Red Bell Sweet Pepper.  The Red Bell Pepper is very popular here in the USA for many different reasons.They have a sweet taste, they are big and bright red , they look so good in any way you add them to any meal. They are great in salads, stir fry, pizza, stuff peppers, pot roast, vegetable soup, just to name a few ways to prepare them.There are hundreds of good recipes out there you can use with this good sweet tasting Red Bell Sweet Pepper.

                 1.  Beautiful dark red.

                 2.  Sweet taste

                 3.  Great for color in so many recipes.

                 They are so easy to raise, and if you do choose to raise Red Bell Pepper you will be happy you did.  Here are some things that we hope will help you.

                 1.  There is a lot of seed company that sell Red Bell Sweet Pepper plants and seeds.  We
recommend ( Bonnie ) Bonnie Plants and Seed Co. has been in business since 1918. There are a lots of companies out there that just as good plants and seeds. If you are buying a plant make sure it has a dark green healthy looks with no wilted leaves.

                 2.  Good Garden Soil, is so very important if your soil does not look dark and rich, you can add some compost and some aged manure, add 3 inches of compost and 3 inches of aged manure, mix it all up well together, mix down in to the soil about 8 to 9 inches is the best. A big money saving tip, if you go to your local farmer he will probably give you all the aged manure you want, ( Free ) most all farmers are very kind and always willing to help others, and they are glad to get rid of the manure too. The farmer near us even took his tractor and loaded our pick-up full, 3 scoop with his big tractor and we had a big load of the best all natural organic fertilizer money can buy for ( Free ).

                 3.  Full sun 6 to 8 hours.

                 4.  Plant deep 1/3 of plant under soil.

                 5.  Spacing in rows 18" inches apart.  


                 6.  Water well after planting, keep the soil moist. Water everyday or two after pepper come on your plant. Never let soil dry out.  Peppers plants love there water.

                 7.  Fruit size 4.5"x4

                 8.  Maturity: 70-80 days

                 Hope we have been some help here today, and we hope that you all will be back here tomorrow with us on Garden The Easy Way, until then Good Gardening Always Ken & Marilou.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Pepper Green Bell ( How To Grow )

                     Welcome back with us, this is Ken and Marilou with Garden The Easy Way.

                      Today we would like to talk about Green Bell Pepper Plants.  One of America's favorite garden treats has to be the Green Bell Pepper, you can fix them up many different ways for the dinner table, salad, stuffed green peppers, on pizza, stir fry, vegetable soup, just to name a few.  Most all of us love our Green Bell Peppers.  

                     We have a lot of Green Bell Peppers to choose from and lots of different brands.  The one we think is the best is (Bonnie) Green Bell Pepper, it is Sweet Hybrid Pepper, and they taste so good they are sweet and juicy.  Green Bell Pepper are so easy to raise, like most everything  in the garden, there is something you need to know.

                      1.  Good Garden Soil, is so very important if your soil does not look dark and rich, you can add some compost and some aged manure, add 3 inches of compost and 3 inches of aged manure, mix it all up well together, mix down in to the soil about 8 to 9 inches is the best. Big money saving tip, go see your local farmer and he will probably give you all the aged manure you want for ( Free ). Most farmers are very kind and always willing to help any way they can, and they are happy to get rid of the manure too.

 The farmer near us is always happy to see us, he will even use his big tractor and load our pick-up for us, he will put 3 big scoops in our pick-up and we have the best natural organic fertilizer that money can buy, and it is ( Free ).

 Go see your local farmer you will be glad you did. Do not forget to ask for aged manure. If you get it too  fresh it can burn up your plants up, it is the best you can get, but it must be aged manure. You can tell  if  it  is aged manure just by looking,  if  it  is aged it will be all dry out, a little moisture or wet  is OK.

     (  Always make sure when you add Manure or Compost Mix it up Well in the Soil.  )

                      2.  Plant your Green Bell Pepper 1/3 of the plant under the soil.

                      3.  6 hours of  full sun is good.

                      4.  Plant about 18" apart.

                      5. After planting water well. Pepper Plants like lots of water, never let the soil go completely dry.  Water in hot dry weather every 1 to 2 days. It is easy to check to see if your plants need water, just stick your finger under the soil about 3 inches if you feel moisture your plant is OK for the day. If  you want you can add some mulch, add about 2 inches the mulch will help hold the moisture in and it will also help keep the weeds out of your garden.

                      6.  Maturity:  75 days after planting.


                      We hope you will enjoy your (Bonnie) Green Bell Sweet Hybrid Peppers.  Until next time this is Ken & Marilou from Garden The Easy Way wishing you all Good Gardening Always.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Tomato Big Boy Hybrid ( How To Grow )

          Good Day to you all, and thank you all for being here with us today on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and My wife Marilou.  

            Today we would like to talk about Tomato Plants. There are so many different kinds of Tomato Plants, out there to choose from, we just don't know which one to plant.
                     
           My wife Marilou and I have tried a lot of different kinds of Tomato Plants, and the one that we think is the best one for us is the Big Boy Hybrid Tomato Plant, it has a lot of  Big Red Tomatoes, and it is great for slicing for the dinner table, and they are sweet and delicious, so good on hamburgers or sandwiches, they are loved by a lot of people.
 
           The Big Boy is a Hybrid tomato plant, which appeared in 1949 that is a very long time I guess because that is my birthday too,1949 hard to believe over 60-years old, so you see I will never forget the year the Hybrid Big Boy Tomato Plant appeared and it can have tomatoes that can weigh a pound or more, if given the right care, and it can grow up to 10 feet tall. My wife Marilou and I had 8-tomatoes plants this year that were over 8 1/2 feet tall, so many people has never seen a tomato plant that tall. You can see the pictures of our tomato plants on our blog. You too can have Big Tomato Plants if you give them the right attention.

           Here are some very important things to keep in mind when you are planting Big Boy Tomato Plants.   
                    
           1. You must have good rich soil, if your soil is not dark and rich looking, add some compost and some aged manure, add about 3 inches of compost and about 3 inches of aged manure, mix well down in to the soil about 8 to 9 inches. Here is a very good tip to remember if you go and talk to your local farmer he probably will be happy to give you all you will need, because they are happy to get rid of it. Just make sure you get the aged manure,the farmer will probably give you a pick-up load, the farmer near us took his tractor and  put 3-scoops in the back of our pick-up and we had big load of the best organic natural fertilizer that money could buy for ( Free ).    
                                 
           2. Plant deep, 2/3 of the plant under the soil.

           3. Water extra well after planting, after water has drained down in the soil, water your tomato plant again, this will close all the air pockets around your tomato plant. If you leave any air pockets around your tomato plant your plant could die, that is why you must water very well the first time.  
                            
           4. You can add mulch to help hold the moisture in the soil, and by adding the mulch 3 inches it will help to keep the weeds out of your garden.

           5. Full sun is the best, but you must have 7 to 8 hours of sun.  

           6. Fruit size: Large ( 16-32oz )        
                   
           7. Maturity: 78 days after planting.                                                                                  
     
          This year we had 8 Big Boy Tomato Plants that were over 8 1/2 Feet Tall and we had some Tomatoes that weigh a pound. And we had lots and lots of Tomatoes on every plant, most of our Tomatoes were a nice big medium size, but we did have some Big Ones too, and they all were so delicious. We gave a lot of Tomatoes away to family and close friends, and we put a lot of Tomatoes in the freezer for cooking this winter.    

          They are different Types of  Big Boy Hybrid Tomato Plants, there is a Big Boy F1 Hybrid smaller version of the Big Boy, it is a Bush Big Boy, and it only grows 3 to 4 feet tall, when you are picking out the plants you want to plant, read the label to make sure are getting the one you want.               
                                                                  



          Well that's it  for today , we hope that we have been some help and we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Garden Planning

                     Hello!  Welcome back here today with Ken and Marilou on Garden The Easy Way.

                     Today we would like to share with you all about  "Garden Planning".  Before you ever start to make a garden, give it some long thought.

                     Here are some important things to keep in mind.      

                     1.  Never put a garden in a low spot.  If you do, every time it rains your garden maybe under water, and that could kill most of your garden, or it cause you to do a lot of replanting. Also keep in mind in the summer it gets hot and dry so you will need to water a lot if you don't get any rain, so you must have easy access to water, you may have to put several garden hoses together, your garden must have a lot of water to produce fruit and vegetables.

                     2.  Always plant your garden in full sun.

                     3.  Take your time, and make sure on the right spot for your garden.  The garden spot you choose needs to be out of your everyday living, if not you could feel all boxed in.

                     4.  Always dig up some soil, where you would like to plant your garden, if there is a lot of red clay do not plant there, your garden will not do good and it will probably die in the hot summer.  However if you make a raised garden it will be OK, because you will be bringing your own soil into the garden spot.  And if you get too much rain it will be OK, the rain will run out the bottom of your garden on top of the ground.

                     5.  You must have a good soil, in order to have a good garden if your soil does not look dark and rich we recommend, to add  some compost and some aged manure, add 3 inches of compost and add 3 inches of aged manure, always mix it well. It is best to mix 8 to 9 inches deep in the soil. Here is a money saving tip, if you go to your local farmer he will probably give you all the aged manure you will need, most of the farmers will be happy to get rid of it, and they may do for you what the farmer close to us does for us, he will go and get his tractor and put 3 scoops of aged manure in our pick-up, so we leave the farm with a full pick-up of the best all natural organic fertilizer that money can buy all ( Free ).  Go see your local farmer he will help you out too. Make sure to ask for aged manure.


                     Well that's it for today, hope that we have been some help here today. We hope to talk to all of you again tomorrow.  Until then from Garden The Easy Way.  This is Ken and Marilou wishing you all a Happy Gardening Always

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Roses: Red & Yellow ( How To Grow )

                   Hello!  Happy Thanksgiving Day to you all and welcome back with us today with Ken and Marilou on Garden The Easy Way.

                   Today we would like to talk about Roses.  Some people say they just can not grow roses, roses are easy to grow as long as you plant them in the right kind of soil and care for them in the right way.  We will share with you how we raise our roses.  Just over 2- years ago I bought my wife Marilou 2-Rose Bushes, 1-red and 1-yellow.  I decided to put them in pots.  If you too wish to plant in pots, or in the ground it does not  matter you will plant them the same way.

                   Here are somethings you will need to get to plant and take care of your roses.

                   1.  Roses like sandy dark rich soil, dig your hole down in the soil, pick out all the rocks,you can buy rose potting soil mix by the bag, or you can make your own by adding 1/2 shovel of sand 2 shovels of aged compost, 2 shovels of dark rich soil, mix it all up well before adding to the hole for the rose bush.

                   2.  Rose Pride Fertilizer the brand we use is ( Ortho )

                   3.  Rose and Flower Insect Killer the brand we use is ( Bayer Advanced )    

                   How to plant your Roses and take care of your Roses.

                   1.  The most important thing is never plant your roses too deep, just up from the roots on your rose bush.  There will be round like a little ball that is called the "crown", never plant the crown under the soil, just your rose bush roots only.

                   2.  Always plant your roses in full sun.

                   3.  You will need to fertilize your roses every 6-weeks to have strong beautiful roses.

                   4.  Water often but not too much, never let your roses go completely dry.  When roses are in full bloom they need a lot of water.

                   5. Only use your insect killer when you see any kind of insect.  Spray all over your plant even under the leaves.  Do not spray everyday, only spray 1-time and check your rose bush again the next day, you should be insect free.  The one we use is listed above will kill on contact and most of the time will last up to 30 days.

                   6.  In cold climate, after your first frost, cut your roses back 4-6 inches from the soil, if left outside cover well with lots of mulch 3 to 4 inches. You will need to uncover them in the spring, after all cold weather has passed. If you are planting roses in pots, you will need to cut them back the same way 4-6 inches . (All potted roses should be brought in the house until spring).  Your potted plant in your house just give them a little water about every 21/2 to 3 weeks. Important keep your roses out of the sun, and keep them in a cool dry room, You do not want your roses grow or blooming in the winter, your roses need a brake, just like us they need their sleep, the rose growing professionals call it going dormant.

                   That's it for today, we hope that we have been some help. You can have Strong Beautiful Roses.
Hope to talk to you all tomorrow, here on Garden The Easy Way until then this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all happy gardening always.  


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Green Onions ( How To Grow )


                       Hello and welcome back here on Garden The Easy Way with Ken and Marilou.  Today we would like to talk to you all about green onions.  Most of us love eating fresh green onions out of the garden, and when you raise your own green onions, it does not get any fresher than that.  For those of you out there that love eating green onions and would like to know how to plant green onions, we will be happy to share that with you all today.    
              
                       It is very easy to raise Green Onions, this is all you need to do:  

                       1.Good soil.  If your soil has any red clay in it or if your soil packs down after a rain or after you water it, you will need to mix in some good grade of garden soil mix.  We recommend natural organic fertilizer cow or horse manure, just mix it up well in your soil.  It works great in your green onion bed.  In our green onion bed that is all we use.

                       2. After you have worked up your soil, level it off with your garden rake  and you are ready to plant your green onions.

                       3. You will need to pick up some green onions bulbs, you can get them at any green house or Walmart store.  Green onions bulbs come in 2 main colors, white and yellow, they both are very good.  But we prefer white over the yellow.  Green onions bulbs are so easy to plant.

                       4. After your green onion bed is worked up well and leveled out, make your rows across your onion bed about 1-inch to 1-1/2 inch deep.  Put your green onion bulb roots in the soil, space your green onion bulbs about  2 to 3 inches apart.  Cover well and just leave the pointed tips out of the soil.

                       5. Water well after planting.  Green onions love a lot of water, never let them dry out.  You will have your fresh green onions in about 1-1/2 to 2-weeks.  If you wish you can plant extra green onions, they are great to cook with, just wash well and let dry and chop them up then put them in a freezer bag and put in the freezer.




  1.                        Well that's it for today.  We hope we shared something to you all about how to plant green onions.  Until tomorrow here in Garden The Easy Way.  Ken & Marilou

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Green Beans Part 2. ( How To Grow )


          Good Tuesday to you all, Marilou and I welcome you all back here on Garden The Easy Way.

 Today we would like to pick up where we left off yesterday on planting fresh garden green beans, you know from yesterday blog what seed company we like to use , but for those that don't know the name is FERRY-MORSE Seed Co. And they are like a lot of other seed company's, they have a lot of different kinds of green beans to choose from to plant. And they are all good eating, but Marilou and I do have a favorite one and we both think it is a lot better,the name of it  is: TENDERGREEN IMPROVED ( BUSH ). Unlike a lot of green beans this brand does not have a lot of strings and does not have big tough stem.
                                
           As you all know Marilou and I love planting in our raise garden it is so much easier to work with and you never have any rocks. But you can plant green beans just about any where, rocky soil, sandy soil, green beans are so easy to grow they are not picky, they are very hardy and willing to grow in about any kind of soil, as long as they get plenty of water and lots of sun they will produce green beans.
                             
            If you want beautiful green beans and a lot more per-plant, there are some important things you can do to help them on the way.
                                                                                                         
            1. Never plant until the soil is warm from the sun, always plant after all danger of  frost, and all cold weather has past, cold weather and frost will kill your green beans.
                                                      
            2. Work up your soil well, some people use a garden tiller, and some use a big tractor, what ever you use will work, Marilou and I plant in our raised garden so we don't have to use nothing but our potato fork and shovel and our garden rake. After all of your garden has been worked up well, take your garden rake and brake up all of the remaining soil that has clodded up using nothing but your garden rake,  level all of your garden.

                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                
            3. After your garden has been raked and leveled, now you are ready to plant. If you wish you can soak your green beans overnight before you plant them by soaking your green beans overnight, your green bean will come up 1-2 days sooner. But you do not have to soak them, they will do fine straight out of the pack. Take your garden hole and make a row across your garden, spacing rows about 20 in. apart. Plant your green beans about 1-1 1/2 deep in the soil, never plant deeper if you plant too deep your green beans will not come up.            
                                                                                                                                  
            4. The green beans should come up after 6-8 days and after they have grown about 2 inches, get your garden hole and carefully work up the soil all around your green beans plants, by doing that you have opened up the soil, so more oxygen can get down to the roots of the plant. All living things must have oxygen and water. After 3 weeks your green beans should be about 8-10 in. hole all of your green beans, again make sure the soil has been work up all around your green beans.
                                                                
            5. Never let your green beans go completely dry, to test the soil for moisture is easy if the soil does not look wet, just put your finger down under the soil about 2 inches and you can tell by the feel if you have dry soil or wet soil. If the soil  feels dry and looks dry, water it well. Green beans like a lot of water and  full sun. You should be harvesting your fresh garden green beans in about 50-54 days. You can preserve by freezing or canning.
                                                                                                               
             Well we hope to talk to you all tomorrow, until then Good Gardening.  Ken & Marilou

Monday, November 21, 2011

Green Beans Part 1. ( How To Grow )

               Good Monday to you all, we hope you all had a good weekend. This is Ken and Marilou with you today on Garden The Easy Way.

 Today we would like to talk to you all about fresh garden green beans, they are so delicious and I don't think I know anyone who does not love eating them.
                        
                We sure have some good news here today that we would like to share with you all about green beans, they are so many different companies out there selling garden seeds, and we have tried a lot of them but the one company we like the most is FERRY-MORSE they have been in the seed business since 1856 so very long. And they too have many different kinds of green beans, the one Marilou and I like most of all is called TENDERGREEN IMPROVED ( BUSH ) they are so tender and delicious, and unlike a lot of green beans they do not have a lot of strings or big stems on the bean.                                             



                  For those out there that never planted green beans, you will be happy to hear this anyone can raise lots of green beans, when I think of planting green beans I sometimes think of the children's story book of ( Jack in the beanstalk ) were the little boy throw the beans out of the window, well it is just about that easy.  Green beans will also bloom up to 3-times giving you and your family 3-picking, as long as you do not let your green beans plants go dry, you must give them plenty of water.

Well I guess that is it for today until tomorrow we hope that you all are right here with us on  Garden The Easy Way.  Ken & Marilou

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Organic Garden

           Good Sunday to you all, hello this is Ken and Marilou back with you on Garden The Easy Way. Today we would like to talk to you all about going green, we are hearing a lot about going green the last 2 or 3 years, like it is something new well, I would like to tell the one's out there that don't know that is nothing new in gardening.
    
           I can remember back as a boy my Dad would go and barrow the neighbor horse to plow our garden , our neighbor was my Aunt Biola in Birch Tree Missouri. After my Aunt Biola husband Ott Kelly plowed there garden with that big white horse, my Dad would barrow there horse to plow our garden, My Aunt husband Ott Kelly would never charge us any money for using there horse, Ott would just say feed and water the horse. 
          We lived way out in the country, and yes we were all poor country people, but we were happy. After my Dad cut down a lot of trees he would cut the big part of the tree up and we would save it for fire wood for the coming winter, we would pile all the tree limbs and all the brush on the garden to burn, we would make 3 to 4 piles my Dad said it is good for the soil when you plow the ash under the soil it will fertilizer the soil and help the garden grow even better.

  We always had a big garden when I was a boy, we would keep my Aunt Biola horse about a week, it takes a long time to plow up new ground with a horse, when I say new ground for those that don't know what that means, it is ground that has never been plowed. My Dad would have to stop and rest the horse after one round of plowing, and it was hard work for my Dad too, he would be so wet with sweat, you see when you plow with a horse you have to keep the plow under the soil by pulling down on the plow as the horse is walking, My Dad would stop and get some water for the horse and get some water for his self and cool down a little and get up and do it again.

 After 3 to 4 days of plowing with the horse the plowing is all done. My Dad would  get out his chopping axe and start cutting off tree roots that came up from the plowing. My Mom and my little brother Marvin and I carry the tree roots off the garden and put them in a pile to burn later, the next 2 to 3 days we all are picking up rocks, so many thousands of rocks,  like  I  said before we are blessed with too many rocks here in Missouri. Some of the rocks were so big my Dad would have to tie a rope around the rock, and go hook the horse up to pull them out of the garden.

 After all the tree roots are picked up and the rocks are picked up the ground is one big mess, the soil has big dirt clods and lambs in it, but the soil looks so good dark in color very rich soil great for planting.  

        My Dad would hook the horse up to a big home made rake, made out of big heavy steel frame with big steel spikes sticking out. After my Dad made a round in the garden with the home made garden rake, he would have to stop and clean out the rake, it would be so full of tree roots and rocks, my Mom and my little brother Marvin and I would follow behind the rake with a 5-gallon bucket picking up rocks and tree roots, some of the rock were just too big so we would have to leave them for my Dad to pick up.

My Dad worked so hard putting in a garden every year. My Dad did not have to cut down any trees the next year, and that made it a lot easier on him, and the ground was a lot easier to plow the 2nd. year, after being plowed the year before.

         My Dad went and barrow my aunt Biola horse again to plow our garden the 2nd. year . After my Dad had finished the garden again just like the year before there were thousands of rocks to be picked up. But we always had a big beautiful garden.
                                                                             
          We always had lots of rows of sweet corn, my Mom and Dad would cut the corn off of the cob and  can the corn. We also planted lots of rows green beans and always 2 to 3 rows of red potatoes, and always 1-row of sweet potatoes. And 2-rows of tomatoes, we always had lots of tomatoes. My Mom and Dad loved red beats so we always planted them, also they loved there green onions, and lettuce in the spring as a boy my brother, Marvin and I did not like the Red beats, green onions,and lettuce,but now we both love eating them, and when it is fresh out of your garden it taste so much better then store bought.

           The 3rd. year of planting in the spring my Dad would add some chicken manure  and some cow manure  to the garden, Dad said it was nutrition back in the soil that are garden plants had took out in the 2 years before.  Dad said you had to put back in the ground what you took out.
       
            And just like in the past my Dad would barrow the horse and plow and rake from my aunt Biola. My Dad had to work all the manure up and all through the soil by plowing the garden cross ways and  then plow long ways, just like so many times in the past we had a lot more of Missouri rocks to pick up.

             As you all know by reading this Going Green in The Garden is nothing new people have been going green in the garden for many years. The story I just told you about is over 53-years ago, I was only 10-years old but I will never forget it.
                                                        
              Some people call it the Good Old Days well it sure was in lots of ways. Lots of hard work, I can remember my Mom canning in 1-Qt. jars out side the house on a old wood cook stove in the yard. Mom caned in a old granite cooker, my brother Marvin and I our job was keep the fire going in the old wood cook stove, we had to take the chopping axe in the woods and cut the old dead wood up and carry it back to the stove.

 And after that we would have to help Mom out and wash the canning jars, Mom had 2-Big wash tubs set up in the yard one tub had soap in it and the other tub had clean water in it to rinse out the jar after washing. My brother Marvin and I had no school  in the summer so we were home all day and we would help our Mom with the canning.

              Lots of hard work but we had a lot of garden vegetables to eat in the cold Missouri winter. Well we all have came a long way in the last 52-years and a lot of things have changed. And gardening is one of the big changes, there is a lot better ways, that is why I like to Garden The Easy Way, as another old saying goes I have been there and done that.  Although we still have the Amish People that use the horse and plow their garden yet today, we have some that live near us at Seymour, Missouri. And they raise chickens and cattle for their food and they put the chicken and cow manure back on the garden for fertilizer.
                           
              We have to put nutrition back in the soil, we can not raise a garden in the same spot year after year with out putting something back, if you try your garden will die. Going green in the garden I think it would be safe to say it has been going on for over 100 Years, but there is some people that don't know that.

 And there is a lot of things I don't know about gardening, but there is another old saying ( You Are Never Too  Old  To Learn ) I'm still learning about different ways to plant different things in the garden and I'm 62-years old, WOW that really sounds old, but it's not, I love gardening and gardening they say it will help keep you young and it is good for you and they tell me it even  lower your blood pressure, because gardening is so much fun and it is so rewarding When your crop comes in.

 But when I think back, I can not believe 52-years has went by,  it just seem like yesterday I was picking rocks with my Sweet Loving Mom and Dad and my brother Marvin.   


               I have learned a lot a long the way, and that is why I believe in Garden The Easy Way.

 Well that is it for now. We hope that we shared something with you all today that might help you with your gardening. Hope to talk to you all soon until then  Good Gardening Always  from  Ken and Marilou

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Flower Garden ( How To Grow )


           Hello and good Saturday to you all from Garden the Easy Way with Ken and Marilou.

 Today we would like to talk  about flower gardens. We are all so blessed to have so many beautiful flowers and so many different kinds of  flowers. My wife Marilou and I  sometimes will just get in the car and take a drive and go look at the different  ideals of different  peoples landscaping  and we will see so many beautiful  flowers, and get so many different  ideal on what we want and what we think would  looks the best and you all can do the same as we do and I promise you both  will enjoy your ride too.   

 I will share this funny little thought with you that I sometimes get when I think about it, and sometimes it makes me  laugh about it. You know how some of us guys say we do not  like Flowers or do not want to admit that we do like  flowers, well as you know it is probably just a macho thing, some men just will not admit they do like flowers, but they know all the ladies love them. But just like I said we are so very blessed with so many beautiful colors of  flowers how could any man say he does not like flowers and be telling the truth, I guess when I was a younger man I too probably said the same thing. OK, back to gardening I just had to share that little thought with you. 
     
           Marilou and I just love to plant a flower garden it is so quick and so easy, when you Garden The Easy Way, and when the flowers all come up it is so beautiful. As you all know if you have been following our blog, Marilou and I are completely sold on a raised garden, not only all of our vegetables, but all of our flowers that are on the ground. Poted plants are very nice to have too, but if you like to have lots and lots and lots more flowers you need a flower garden. Here are some of the reasons why we like the raised garden over the ground garden.
                                                                                             
            1.You add your own soil in you garden frame you made, and unlike the ground with a lot of rocks ( you will not have any rocks ) Making it so very easy to work with and plant.
                            
            2. If or when you get too much rain you will not have to replant, the rain will flow out of the bottom of your raised garden on ground.
                                                                                            
            3.The next year, you are already set up no frame to build, no soil to add. no rocks to pick-up all you have to do is work up the soil and plant.
                                       
             4. When you plant your flowers in a raised garden your flowers just stand out better and they do look so beautiful. Like having a picture in a frame.  
                                                            
             There is a old saying, (  Its what's on the inside that counts. ) And that is especially true when it comes to gardening weather you are planting vegetables or  flowers your soil means everything, don't ever forget that,  it is just like putting water in your gas tank, your car will not run on water, the same thing applies to your soil, you must have good soil or your garden will fail. The very best top soil is very black looking and you can buy it by the truck load if you want or buy the bag.  
                               
             If you are just planting a small garden we highly recommend Miracle-Gro garden soil Mix. We have tried just about everything out there and trust me, we could not find any kind of garden soil that would even come close to Miracle-Gro garden soil mix.

                                                               




             Well I guess we will sign off here for today we hope that we have been some help with your gardening. Until tomorrow Good Gardening Always  from,  Ken & Marilou

                                                                                                                     

Friday, November 18, 2011

Spring Gardening Part 2.

           Good day to you all, and welcome back with us here on Garden The Easy Way, my wife name is Marilou and my name is Ken for those that are here on our blog for the first time, we are picking up more viewers everyday and we would like to thank you all for reading our blog daily.
                      
            Following up from yesterday blog, we said we would tell you what you can plant in your garden in the early spring and what you can not plant, well that all depends on where you live, the reason I say that is the weather. Here in Missouri our winters are so cold the ground will freeze, and it takes a lot of sun and warm weather to warm up the soil so the seeds you plant will come up.  And if you choose to plant to early all your plants and seeds will die.

            You  cannot plant most seeds or plants until the soil warm up, here in Missouri you are safe to plant most every thing you want by the 2nd week of  May. But if you live in Florida you can plant just about anything you want all year round, because they have warm or hot weather all year round.
                   
              Good news for all of us is, no matter where we live in the USA the seed companies have on the back of their pack of seeds a map of the USA and it is marked off in zone you pick out the state you live in and what ever the zone is that is when you are safe to plant that seed, not only that the seed companies will tell you how to plant their seed, the depth and how far apart to space the rows, you see they want to make it easy for you too so you will keep on buying their seeds.
                                                                                
               The name of the seed company we like is FERRY-MORSE they have been around for a very long time, weather we are planting vegetables or flowers we always use FERRY-MORSE seeds.                

                Here in Missouri early we can plant just a few things such as, green onions, lettuce, turnips, radishes, flowers, and maybe a few more things, but that is just about it until our soil warms up in May.
   


                 Well I guess that will be it for today here on Garden The Easy Way, we hope we have been some help with your gardening, Take care and Good Gardening Always Ken & Marilou

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Spring Gardening Part 1.

          Hello, and good day to you all, we hope you all are having a good day. Welcome back with us on Garden The Easy Way, this is Ken and Marilou. Today we would like to talk about taking care of your garden, here in Missouri the weather is so very cold it will kill your garden every year. Today we would like to talk about taking care of your garden, after the weather has killed the garden.   
                                     
           My wife Marilou is from the Philippines and they do not have cold weather there, like we do here in Missouri, in the Philippines it is summer weather just about all year round, except for the rainy season, and even then the weather is great for the gardens.

In the Philippines gardens grow all year round, so you can imagine the how surprised Marilou was when she seen her first snow at the age of 33, Marilou was so happy to see the snow for the first time, we made her first snowman, but Marilou was a little sad when I told her the cold weather here would kill all of our garden, unlike in the Philippines where the garden can grow all year round.  So here in Missouri we do have to replant our garden every year in the spring.  
                                     
            Here in Missouri, what we do is after the cold weather kills our plants, we pick all the vegetables off and we remove all the plants off the garden. And as you all know if you have been following our blog we have a raise garden so the soil is so easy to work with, so after all the plants have died, I will remove them just by pulling them up, and then I will use my potato fork or a shovel and work up the soil and just let it set all winter.
            The first week in April I will work up the soil with my potato fork again, and then I will use my garden rake and level the soil. Now we are ready to plant.                                               
           

             Tomorrow we will tell you what you can plant in the early spring and what you can not plant until the weather get a little warmer.

 Well I guess that is it for today, we hope to talk to you all here tomorrow, on Garden The Easy Way. Until then good gardening. Ken & Marilou

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Gardening, ( How To Make A Garden )

              The first year you make a garden you will work a little harder, if you are planning to have a raised garden you will have to decide what size garden you want and build it, and if you plan on making a ground garden you will need a big garden tiller or a farm tractor to plow up the ground, and if you live in Missouri or Arkansas you will have to pick up lots and lots of rocks.  
                                                                    
               Which ever garden you decide on planting it is up to you, but I will share this with you, I have been gardening for many years and even as a little boy, I can remember picking up lots and lots of rocks out of our garden every year. Here in Missouri we are blessed with too many rocks. That is one good reason why I like a raised garden no rocks. We like to Garden The Easy Way and with a raised garden there will be no rocks, and if you build it out of treated wood it will last you for years to come.  
                                                  

                Another reward is buckets and buckets of vegetables, it sure makes you feel thankful when you and your wife goes to the store and see the cost of only 1-cucumber is dollar, and tomatoes are about the same price. All vegetables are just too high to buy in the store, but if you and your family have buckets and buckets of vegetables you will be happy, and save a lot of money!!!
                                       
                That is it for today, we hope we have been some help, and we hope to talk here again tomorrow on Garden The Easy Way. Until then this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cucumbers, ( How To Grow Cucumbers ) Part 2.


               Hello, from Ken and Marilou and welcome back with us on Garden The Easy Way. We hope you all are having a good day.

Yesterday we talked about cucumbers and how delicious they are and so many ways to prepare them for the dinner table.
                                                                                                    
               Today we would like to share with you all how we plant our cucumbers. As you all know if you have been reading our blog, we plant all of our garden vegetables in a raised garden, and we also told you how to make a raised garden.
                                                                                                                      
                So now what, I do is I work up the soil with my potato fork, if you don't have one you can use a shovel, I never use a garden tiller in our garden you can if you wish. After you have worked up the soil well, just take a garden rake and level the soil, now you are ready to plant.
                                                           
                 We make 2-rows about 12 in. apart, we just use our finger to make the rows. They are some very important things about cucumbers you should never forget.
                                                                    
                   1. Do not plant to deep in the soil, by using hands to plant it is easier. ( Planting Depth 1/2 in. )
  
                   2. Never Plant in Shaded Area. ( Full Sun Only ) 
                                                                    
                   3. Cucumbers love lots of water. Never let the dry out.
                                                        
                   4. Never water in the middle of the day the hot sun will cook your plants. Water in early morning or late evening.

  Well that is it for the day, hope to talk to you all tomorrow, Good gardening always  Ken & Marilou


Monday, November 14, 2011

Cucumbers ( How To Grow Cucumbers ) Part 1.


Hello and good Monday to you all, we hope you all had a good weekend. Welcome back with us Ken and Marilou on Garden The Easy Way.

I would  like to tell you all how we grow our cucumbers, I discovered this several years ago. Cucumbers love to climb, so what we do is after we plant our cucumbers we put up a fence about head high. Cucumber vines will climb all the way to the top and and across the top of the fence. And all you have to do is walk up and pick them off of the fence, now that is what you call Garden The Easy Way.

 All you do is watch them as they grow and when they get big enough pick them. We just love cucumbers, they are so delicious and you can fix them so many ways. And great in salad, stir-fry, or just peel and wash them and slice and put them of the dinner table, they are so good with your meal.

Cucumbers not only taste good but they are very healthy for you. Some people will even can them this is called pickling cucumbers, that is where sweet and sour pickles come from for those people that don't know.

There are so many different kinds of cucumbers, some cucumbers have a lot of seeds inside, and then there are some that don't have a lot of seeds, but there seeds are a lot bigger.They all taste good but our favorite cucumber is Ferry-Morse ( Marketmore 76 ). They are dark green and have little seeds inside and not as many seed as a lot of cucumbers do. They are a very good looking cucumber. Ideal for slicing, so-delicious.

We will post a picture so you all can see, cucumbers love to climb but most of people just plant them in the soil and let them grow across the ground, this takes up so much of your garden. We will share with you all tomorrow how we plant our cucumbers.

 You all take care, and Marilou and I hope to talk to you all tomorrow, until then Good Gardening Always, Ken & Marilou