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

Autumn is here! Time to make some Leaf Mould

Hello all,

Sorry I haven't posted on this for a while but this is still getting traffic so thought I must continue with it!
Autumn has set in hard with us and leaves are falling so I will be sure to use them up, and one great thing you can do is make leaf mould, and why should you? It's perfect for a nice mulch for the plants and can be used as a mix in your garden soil to add more nutrients.

Fall leaves

Firstly grab a black bin bag or any bag that you can't see through and fill it three quarters of the way up with leaves, then sprinkle in some water, tie it up and poke a few holes in the base. Finished the hard part already, now place the bag(s) in a sheltered place and forget about it till the following autumn and either dig it into the ground or keep it for the spring and mulch your young seedlings, how easy!

So that's that, a video will be made soon but if you would like to see my latest videos just go and browse them here.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more tips!

Huw Richards

How to Make a Hanging Planter Cheaply (step by step)

Hello Friends,

Today I'm going to show you the easiest way to make a hanging planter out of a tin can. This method is great for herbs for baked bean sized cans but the bigger you get them you could start growing tomato plants in them. At the end there is also a video to watch about it too!

Hope you enjoy it and if you liked the idea please comment below.

First get a general tin can any size and put water in it to freeze and makes it easier to make holes in (Ice isn't in the picture)

Make two holes at the top opposite each other.

Make 4-5 drainage holes at the bottom.

Fill up half way with good quality peat-free compost.

Get your plant ready (here a herb).

Fill it around with some more compost.

Feed the string through one hole.

Tie it on tightly and repeat with the other end.

Here you have made a hanging planter, easy!

So there you have the hanging planter, how easy was that? It looks great so why not make it and hang it on a fence or on your wall. This will help save loads of money too!

The video shows you in more detail of what to do. If you don't use tin cans simply ask your friends and family to save them up for you. It's important to reuse what you can.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure"

Thanks for reading!

How to make Easy Seed Packets (3 methods)

I always end up collecting to many seeds and never have any place to put them and I don't want to go out to the shops to buy some so why not make your own?

These methods are the most easy ways you can make a seed packet mainly for scrap paper, your being crafty and saving money and the planet at the same time!

Method 1:
All you need is a post-it note and a pair of scissors.

 

How easy was that then?

Well if you think that was easy I have something even easier for you. Behold the easiest seed envelope in the world:

                              
Then a simple origami envelope will do the trick if you have a bit more time on your hands:

Okay so those were fun, I enjoyed it so I thought you would do too. If you need loads of packets you can order them cheaply off the internet here for UK and here for USA, but it's way more exciting making your own then giving them away to friends. Hope you enjoyed this blog! Please share it, thanks

How can I Grow Food in Containers for FREE?

I have had this question many times over, and I have some great answers. You have to think inside the box, literally. From old vegetables plastic crates to shoe boxes they can all be used to grow food in! Yes in cardboard, well won't it just fall apart? Yes - in the long run. In the short run there is a completely different answer.

The reason why you should use cardboard boxes is because you can easily grow vegetables like lettuces and radishes furthermore the squash families!

I'm trying to get you into growing saving as much as possible and getting healthy food out of it. I have found one great video about using plastic crates below, watch it, then I'll show you how to grow radishes in a cardboard box.

That video sure would have helped you, it's great! Also I made a video about a week or so ago about growing in carboard boxes and here it is:

 So finally you can use plastic bottles for growing herbs in, just cut the top off and you have a pot! It's very simple and easy to grow your own food, why not start today? I can not tell you enough how easy and important it is to grow your own fresh food, thanks for reading.

How to grow Peppers from Seed - Step by step guide!

Welcome

Growing peppers is fun and easy, you can use the seeds of organic ones you buy from the shops like hot peppers or bell peppers. I would use bell peppers to start off with!

Bell Peppers

1. So first thing you need to do is to cut them in half and scrape out all of the small seeds inside. Eat the pepper now or save it for a pizza topping for later.
2. Place the seeds on a plate and select the biggest ones.
3. Prepare a few pots (you can make one from cutting a plastic water bottle in half) and fill up 3/4 of the way with good organic compost or nutritious dirt.
4. Place a seed or two and lightly cover with compost.
5. Water and keep compost moist and add a clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect.
6. Place on top of a flannel on a radiator or in a warm room and wait for it to grow.

 After the seedling is about two inches tall transplant to a larger container and make sure the dirt is still moist.

• After a few weeks it should grow well and needs plenty of light and feed it with Pepper Feed
• After a few months some flowers should start forming and then small immature fruits
• Then a few weeks later you will have your well deserved peppers that you grew from a shop brough fruit! Well done! Store it in a frost free place over the winter will compost and then it will carry on bearing fruits for the next few years!

 Written and published by Huw at https://www.youtube.com/user/HuwsNursery