The Best Spacing for Vegetables to Maximize Yields

Thanks for tuning into today's episode which is about square foot gardening and how you can get the most out of every inch of your garden which is ideal for small-space or urban gardens.
Get the square foot gardening book here: http://goo.gl/J6enmN
I hope you enjoyed this video and if you did like it please like and share, see you again on Tuesday and I hope you have a great weekend!

Huw Richards
https://www.youtube.com/user/HuwsNursery

The new 'Super-food' that is inexpensive to buy and grow

Kale, yep kale. Many people will wince at the thought of eating mounds of the leafy greens but really you don't have to! Firstly before we get in to the nitty-gritty details of this wonderful vegetable I must make some of my personal opinions clear. At the moment many families have no idea how to make vegetables appeal nicely for their kids or know how to spice it up a bit but I am going to change that. There is the image in many peoples head of a pile of overcooked sludge when we speak about vegetables but really it can easily be changed with some imagination and creativity (or a cook book). If you want to skip my complaining go down to the fourth chapter.

Leafy greens are usually served as salads. How boring? 

For example with Kale you can make a delicious kedgeree along with some great flavorful haddock which immediately changes the taste that you may not like of the kale into a scrumptious meal. I have this idea in the back of my head for doing a video series on turning boring vegetables into amazing mouthwatering meals that are healthy. All these fast food restaurants serve you rubbish quality meat and fatty junk. You are what you eat and you don't want to turn in to junk do you?

There is a crisis going on in the world and it needs changing. One final personal view before we get in to why kale is amazing is a company that makes me turn in my sleep, well almost. Don't Cook Just Eat. It is promoting for people to stop cooking their own meals and eating food that is terrible for your body and I disagree with that completely. You can almost see it as promoting preventable death. Heart disease is the world's leading killer both in high and low income countries according to the COPD Health center but this can easily be prevented.

Okay so here in Britain kale sales have increased by 32% in the past year and this is expected to continue. But why, why are people so fussed about a green leaf? I have listed 10 things why:

1)     Kale has more iron per calorie than beef

2)     Kale has more calcium per calorie than milk

3)     It is high in Antioxidants

4)     Low in calories, fat and carbohydrates

5)     High in Vitamin A,C and K (10X more vitamin C than Spinach)

6)     High in potassium and other minerals

7)     Helps grow strong bones

8)     Reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer

9)     Helps weight loss

10)   Lowers cholesterol

There you have it. Those are the main reasons why it is a super-food. It is amazing for such a plain vegetable to have so many important uses and powers it is a bit of a hero, Captain Kale!

Kale can be eaten in many ways. A growing trend is juicing and luckily my sister received a power juicer for Christmas so hopefully I will be able to do a bit of juicing. Another easy way of eating this leafy green is by boiling it lightly and then whenever you like drain it out and add some melted butter and there is an easy side-dish that anyone can make.

How to grow Kale in a Pot

• Choose a fairly large planting pot and fill it using organic compost.
• Make a few 1/2 inch deep holes and put in a seed and another for luck.
• keep the pot in a sheltered place and away from strong sunlight and make sure you keep the soil watered and moist.
• If the seedlings get too bit transplant the smaller ones into other pots so you get even more Kale. You can begin harvesting in about 2 months after transplanting the seedlings.

I really hope you found this blog post interesting and please share it with your friends and on social media to spread the word about this great vegetable that is really easy to get and grow. Have a great day!

Huw

Saving money by growing vegetables - A free guide

Hello!

Here it finally is, a thank you gift for 5,000 subscribers just to help you save money by growing fruit and vegetables in your backyard. This article has been laid out with top cash saving tips on all the main sections in gardening from containers to seeds. You can get your hands on it for free right now, right HERE.

So what is in this?

1. Introduction – why bother? 
2. Herbs and vegetables 
3. Buy herb seeds and save some cash 
4. Plant some spuds – save some money 
5. Eat your greens – be healthy – save money 
6. Materials, compost and growing medium 
7. The myth of ‘Isn't gardening expensive?’ 
8. Ideas for low-cost containers 
9. 4 options of filling your raised beds and containers 
10. Get tools cheap! 
11. Nutrients – dry and liquid organic fertilizers 
12. Luscious liquid fertilizers 
13. What pH do my plants want? 
14. How to get seeds for free! Or very cheaply! 

And much more! So thanks for reading and I really hope that this will help you out!

Please share this to any friends and family you think this might help them out with,

Huw Richards

Get it here too: http://www.scribd.com/doc/183941264/How-to-Grow-food-Cheaply-Article-to-save-you-money-by-growing-Vegetables

What you should and shouldn't put in your Compost (GardenFrugal's Guide)

Good Morning Friends!

First of all I'm sorry for not posting any posts in the last couple of days, but I hope to make this a daily blog.
Today I'm going to tell you what you should and shouldn't put in your compost.

So what can and can't I put in my compost heap?
gardenfrugal.com did a great post on his facebook page about what you should put in and what you should never put in.

So that's a very easy guide for you and for great videos by GardenFrugal visit his gardening youtube channel here. The reason why you don't put in any meat or fish is to help prevent rats and diseased plants as they will spread even more!

Thanks for reading, now time for me to catch the school bus!

Crop Rotation Plan - Explained

Why rotate crops?

The two year gap allows mineral balace of the soil to be maintained, makes better use of organic matter and most importantly reduces the risk of pests and disease. This method works for almost any garden apart from very small gardens.

These do not need to be rotated:
Rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes, Globe artichokes, Asparagus, Seakale and Herbs

The 3 year rotation plan

Plot A
Potato, Tomato, Pepper and Aubergine (Eggplants), Marrows, Courgettes and other cucerbits and squashes
Plot B
Legumes, Onions and Roots
Plot C
Brassicas Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohl-rabi, Oriental greens, Radish, Swede and Turnips

Brassicas follow legumes, onions and roots. Legumes, onions and roots follow potatoes and potatoes follow brassicas.

 So that's the 3 year crop rotation plan all explained for you and if you have any questions please post a comment down below and also check out my YouTube channel