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Stratification is simply tricking seeds into growing/germinating, in simple terms. It is creating an artificial winter and than creating an artificial spring. Some seeds need to be cold for a few weeks to months before they will germinate. A way to mimic winter is to put seeds into the fridge and than growing them under grow lights before moving them outside. "The seeds of many native plants have built-in dormancy mechanisms that protect them from germinating before killi

Some seeds need to be started indoors and some can be direct seeded in the garden. If you don't have an indoor plant room or don't care to start seeds indoors LP Farm Store sells a wide range of plants . Direct seed, these seeds go straight into the garden: Beans Beets Carrots Sweet Corn Kohlrabi Parsnips Peas Dill Cilantro Radish Rutabaga Peas Potatoes Swiss Chard Start indoors or buy plants: Sweet and hot peppers Broccoli/Cauliflower Cabbage Celery Eggplant Onions Tomatoe

How do you efficiently store seeds? How do you protect them from the elements?

Some seed packets have a wealth of information on them and some seed packets are bare bones. What does all the wording and numbers on the seed package mean? The year is when the seeds were packaged. 2020 means it was packaged last year. The yellow box contains information on planting. A tip for planting seeds is to plant two times the width, or diameter, of the seed. For super fine seeds like oregano and thyme I cover with just a dusting of soil. Days to maturity is when

This is an older post from 2021 on what seed companies LP Farm Store use to order from.

This is an older post.

An older post from July 2 2020.

Growing most herbs is quite easy and my favorite blog on herbs is the  Herb Gardener  and a general gardening site  Gardening Know How.   It provides information on how to grow herbs and lots of interesting recipes. Basil  : it likes full sun and the soil consistently needs to be wet.  One way to know if a plant needs water or not is to put your finger in the soil, if the soil feels dry give it a drink of water.  Also the leaves can give a lot of information: droopy leaves me

Gardening is very rewarding and with a little research very doable. Gardening can be done in containers, raised beds, or gardens. To have the most success you need to know whether you direct seed the veggie seed or need to start the veggie seed inside. Now not everyone has a grow/plant room set up so buying plants would be the route to go. Some veggies are direct seed or start inside, it's a choice. I start my pumpkin seeds in my greenhouse because of critter pressure (m

Imagine you are sitting in a toasty hot tub and the outside temperature is 0 Celsius or 32 Fahrenheit. What happens when you get out of the hot tub? You're freezing and want to get some place warm. When you buy plants/seedlings from a greenhouse they are used to a tropical and almost perfect environment. They're not used to the cold, direct sunlight or to the wind so you need to gradually introduce them to the these conditions. Somethings to keep in mind: Peppers and toma

A list of mints that LP Farm Store grew in 2020.

Step 1 . Scout out where you want to grow. Do you want to grow on a balcony, raised beds, or right in the ground? What kind of light does the area get? It is very important to note what kind of light the area gets in the morning and afternoon. Vegetable plants generally want full sun. I have grown vegetables on an east facing balcony successful so if you're willing to take a gamble vegetables can be grown without full sun. Step 2 . If growing in containers you need to c

How to grow lavender.

Bees are super important to a garden. There most important role is to help pollinate flowers. Some plants have female and male flowers and these plants rely on bees transferring the pollen. This is a really interesting article on male and female flowers. This is an interesting article on what would happen if all the bees would die off. There are certain flowers that bees, butterflies, and humming birds prefer. Plants such as Milkweed, Bee Balm, Yarrow, and Lavender.

What is the difference between heirloom, hybrid, and GMO seeds? Can you even buy GMO seeds? Which seeds are the best ones to buy?

Tomatoes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, weights, tastes, and colors. Some varieties are perfect for salads, others for sandwiches, and others for sauces. Cherry tomatoes are tiny marble sized or slightly bigger tomatoes. They are usually sweet and juicy. Cherries are perfect for snacking, Greek salad, drying, and so much more. Varieties: Sungold, Indigo Cherry, Red Pear. Roma/Paste/Plum these tend to be drier and perfect are for making salsa, sauces, and canning.

How do you start seeds? What type of equipment do you need?

Where to buy seeds? Over the years I have bought from many different seed companies.