My Favorite Things...

I wanted to make a list of my favorite things for Garden Anywhere Box.  This list will be ongoing. As I find new favorites, I will add and share.

 1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

www,rareseeds.com

I use heirloom seeds in my garden. Heirloom seeds are "seeds with a story."   Some seeds date back to the days of Thomas Jefferson. There are seeds that have been handed down through families. The people at Baker Creek travel the world to find rare and unique seeds.
Here is a link to read more about the Gettle family and their mission in life. 

http://www.rareseeds.com/about/

My favorite seeds: American Beauty sunflower, Cosmic Purple carrot, Boston Pickling cucumber, Golden squash, White Scallop squash, Cocozella di Napoli squash, Black Beauty squash, Strawberry (pop) corn...

2. Sea Agri

www.seaagri.com

I first learned of Sea Agri years ago, but the shipping cost was pretty high. Now you can find it in most states and can get it easier. You do not have to have this to grow food in a GAB, but adding extra minerals from the sea to your food couldn't hurt. Go to their website to read more about Sea Agri and its benefits to your garden and lawn and livestock.

3. Eckroat Seed - Dolomite

http://www.eckroatseed.com/

Eckroat Seed is a local company in OKC. They sell a 50# bag of dolomite for less than $10. We include a 2 cup bag of dolomite and fertilizer in each GAB. These two things plus black plastic is all that you need to redress your GABs each season. A 50# bag of dolomite will last a long time. Check with different seed/feed stores where you live to see what you can find.


4. Mason Bees

http://davesbees.com/masonbees.html

If you are lucky enough to have bees in your garden, you are very lucky. If you are not

seeing bees in your garden, consider making a Mason bee house. 

Mason bees don't make honey, but they are great pollinators. I provided a link to show you how to make your own Mason bee house. It is not hard and will reward you with hard-working bees all summer.



5. Willow Water

http://www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.htm

i just learned about Willow Water. Gather some new growth small willow branches. Cut them into 1 inch pieces. Boil water and pour over the twigs. Let steep 24 hours. Discard the twigs and use the water as a rooting hormone for your plants. We pruned back a couple of tomato plants that had gotten spindly. The stalks did not look that great, but they were putting off new growth on the ends. We trimmed the ends and stuck them into potting mix. Now we have lots of new tomato plants. We will use the willow water rooting hormone to help stimulate root growth.