A good day to everyone, and here's the lastest article from gardening for beginners, the blog catered towards aspiring gardeners and people who want to grow organic fruits and vegetables.
In today's article, we will cover a little bit on the uses of onions and how to grow onions.
Onions belong to the genus allium and have been cultivated for thousands of years. They can be used in many different recipes and, like many vegetables, are a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants.
It's easy to grow onions if you start with a good bulb. You can buy these at the supermarket in large amounts for mass growing. Onions can be grown relatively near to each other, but make sure you do your research before growing other types of vegetables near them as they might not be suitable.
Select whole onions for growing that are not dented or broken. An onion with a portion chipped off will not grow. I've found that smaller species of onion tend to grow faster and are easier to cultivate than their larger counterparts. Place the onions in soil, make sure the soil is deep enough to accommodate the new onions that will bud off. Do not bury the entire onion, leave the top one-third of the onion sticking out of the soil. Water regularly but do not over-water.
In the next two weeks or so, the onion will grow roots although you will not be able to see anything happening. Do not uproot the onion once you have planted it or you will kill it. After about 10 days, you may start to see green shoots sprouting from your onion, this is spring onion and it is an indicator that you're doing good. A healthy onion plant under good conditions should have 7 to 10 such shoots sprouting.
Your onion will continue growing, be sure to water it regularly. You can harvest the shoots (spring onions) for dishes such as fried rice. It takes about 3 to 6 months for a new onion to be fully developed from the onion that you have planted, depending on the species. When you think the time is ripe, you can then uproot the onion and harvest off the new onions which would have budded from the one you planted.
Good luck in growing onions!
Showing posts with label plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plants. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
How to grow good tomatoes
Tomatoes are actually fruits although they are commonly grown in vegetable gardens. They are a close cousin of chili peppers and are relatively easy to grow. With a little determination, anyone can enjoy fresh, home grown organic tomatoes from their own garden. Tomatoes are powerful antioxidants, a good source of vitamin C and can ward off prostate cancer. Who can resist it's juicy goodness?
Tomatoes need acidic soil to grow, with a PH between 5.0 to 6.0. They thrive in warm weather, so they are ideal for growing in tropical regions. If you do grow them in temperate places, make sure you only start after the frost is gone.
Find a spot in your garden with the above mentioned soil. Do not plant the tomatoes too close to each other. Place the seeds deep into the soil and make sure they are well covered up. The area must receive a good amount of sunlight if you want good tomatoes. Note that the same plot of land should not be used for growing tomatoes every season, instead, rotate different crops. Top the soil with around 3 inches of compost.
Water your plant 2 to 3 times weekly, but water the soil with the roots, not the leaves.
When it begins to flower, shake the plant so that the pollen will distribute evenly.
Enjoy fresh tomatoes! You may also want to check out this recipe for tomato soup!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
How to grow chili
In this article, I will give you some tips that can help you grow chili.
First, a short introduction on chili. Chili is the fruit of the plants from the genus capsicum. They are a subset of chili peppers, usually comparatively smaller and hotter than other types of capsicum. There are many variants of chili, and different species require different conditions to thrive. The following is a general guide as there is no one size fits all approach to growing chili.
By nature, chili isn't hard to grow though it requires constant care in order to survive. You would probably want to grow them indoors first as they are vulnerable to harsh weather for the first few weeks. Ideally, chili should be grown towards the late part of spring after all the frost is gone. They grow best and produce hot fruits in tropical regions with year long summer.
Start by preparing a small pot inside your house. The pot should be around 3 inches in diameter and be filled with rich topsoil. Holes at the bottom will allow excess water to drain out. Fertilizer can be added at a later time once the plant starts to flower. Personally I think that asian varieties of chili such as chili padi are a great choice to grow. Place the pot in an area that receives plenty of sunlight as chili plants need plenty of sunlight. Start by sowing the seed approximately 6mm below the soil. Make sure the soil is well aerated. Add some water to the soil and wait for the seed to germinate, which should take anywhere from 4 days to over a week. Even before germination, water regularly, ensuring that the soil is damp but not soaked.
If conditions are not too warm, water the plant two to three times a week, otherwise water the plant every two days. Especially in hot tropical regions, chili plants can lose water quickly and wilt. Water early in the morning before it gets too hot. Do not water so much until the soil gets completely soaked as the roots will have no air and begin to rot, killing your plant.
When your seedling grows to good height, you might want to transplant it to a larger pot. Continue watering it regularly. When it begins to flower, you may want to help it along by adding some organic fertilizer every few weeks. Leave the flowers on the plant as they will die after a few weeks. If all goes well, chilies may start to form.
Chilies will take a few weeks to develop and a further couple weeks to turn from green to red. You may pick them off the plant any time after they are fully developed but the longer you leave them on the hotter they will become. Do not leave them on for too long though, as delaying after the chili is ready for harvest will result in a decline of further yields.
Chili can be used to spice up many dishes and is a good source of vitamin C.
First, a short introduction on chili. Chili is the fruit of the plants from the genus capsicum. They are a subset of chili peppers, usually comparatively smaller and hotter than other types of capsicum. There are many variants of chili, and different species require different conditions to thrive. The following is a general guide as there is no one size fits all approach to growing chili.
By nature, chili isn't hard to grow though it requires constant care in order to survive. You would probably want to grow them indoors first as they are vulnerable to harsh weather for the first few weeks. Ideally, chili should be grown towards the late part of spring after all the frost is gone. They grow best and produce hot fruits in tropical regions with year long summer.
Start by preparing a small pot inside your house. The pot should be around 3 inches in diameter and be filled with rich topsoil. Holes at the bottom will allow excess water to drain out. Fertilizer can be added at a later time once the plant starts to flower. Personally I think that asian varieties of chili such as chili padi are a great choice to grow. Place the pot in an area that receives plenty of sunlight as chili plants need plenty of sunlight. Start by sowing the seed approximately 6mm below the soil. Make sure the soil is well aerated. Add some water to the soil and wait for the seed to germinate, which should take anywhere from 4 days to over a week. Even before germination, water regularly, ensuring that the soil is damp but not soaked.
If conditions are not too warm, water the plant two to three times a week, otherwise water the plant every two days. Especially in hot tropical regions, chili plants can lose water quickly and wilt. Water early in the morning before it gets too hot. Do not water so much until the soil gets completely soaked as the roots will have no air and begin to rot, killing your plant.
When your seedling grows to good height, you might want to transplant it to a larger pot. Continue watering it regularly. When it begins to flower, you may want to help it along by adding some organic fertilizer every few weeks. Leave the flowers on the plant as they will die after a few weeks. If all goes well, chilies may start to form.
Chilies will take a few weeks to develop and a further couple weeks to turn from green to red. You may pick them off the plant any time after they are fully developed but the longer you leave them on the hotter they will become. Do not leave them on for too long though, as delaying after the chili is ready for harvest will result in a decline of further yields.
Chili can be used to spice up many dishes and is a good source of vitamin C.
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