gardening Archives - SHOPPE BLACK

Published on March 2, 2022March 20, 2022

4 mins read

5 Steps for Creating Your First Vegetable Garden

Are you thinking of creating your own vegetable garden? Growing your own vegetables will provide you with inexpensive, fresh, organic vegetables and offer health benefits that come with being closer to nature. If you are a first-time vegetable gardener, follow these steps to start your garden now!

1. Plan and Prep

When you are new to gardening, it’s better to start small to make sure it’s fun and fulfilling. Plan your seeds, buy organic manures, get the required tools, and get enough pots or materials to separate the gardening area. Make sure you have everything you need before you start with gardening. If you don’t know where to start, here’s a checklist of must-have gardening tools!

Gardening Gloves
Secateurs
Hand Trowel
Wheelbarrow
Shovel
Rake
Hand Saw
Garden Pitchfork

2. Pick a Spot

Do you have a place in your yard that receives 6 hours or more direct sunlight? If yes, you’ve found the spot for your vegetable garden. Make sure this spot has access to a water source. If the water source is far, it is likely that the plants will get ignored. You can also use a self-watering system for sufficient irrigation.

The spot you pick should be sheltered from high winds to ensure the plants grow well. Use a trench or high bed to separate the gardening area from the rest of the space. You can also fence it with wooden planks, rocks, or any available material.

3. Plan Your Bed

You can plan where each seed will go in the garden bed. Make a visual representation of the space each plant takes in the garden bed. Knowing how much each plant will grow can help in the successful design of the space.

Keep companion planting in mind when you are planning the garden bed. Even though seeds and transplants are tiny, fully developed plants can grow huge. Plants struggle to flourish when they are overcrowded. Small, well-kept gardens thrive better than vast, unkempt ones.

4. Plant in Rich Soil

Your vegetable garden needs the richest soil for the best harvest. Rich, healthy soil is easy to dig and drains well. To determine the quality of your soil, check if it is gritty, powdery, or sticky.

A combination of sand, silt, clay in specific proportions will determine the quality of the soil for gardening as it affects the nutrients and drainage. Add enough compost and mix it well with the soil.

5. Sow the Seed

With everything else in place, it’s time to sow the seeds. The bulbs and the big seeds go directly in the bed, while the small ones need to be planted in a seedling tray or pot first. The sproutings can be replanted to the bed when they have grown slightly and have at least 4-5 leaves. With constant care, you will be harvesting and eating your own veggies in no time!

Gardening requires a lot of time and patience. If you find it difficult to water the plants and keep a check on them when needed, you can install a self-watering system by Torpedopot.

This doesn’t mean you can ignore the plants completely as they require regular attention; it will just take one more thing off the to-do list for you.

Powered by Torpedopot

Published on February 19, 2022March 2, 2022

5 mins read

5 Reasons Why Your Plants Keep Dying and How To Save Them

For any gardener, the relationship with their plants can get complicated when they start withering and dying no matter how much you care for them.

You water them regularly, keep away the pests, give them all the nutrition it needs; still, somehow, they end up dying on you every single time.

It can get frustrating and discouraging when that happens often. Let’s discuss the most common reasons your plants keep dying and smart ways to save them.

1. Not Watering the Right Way

Did you know that each plant requires a different amount of water? That’s right. So, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been watering your plants regularly or not if you are not doing it the right way.

Some plants need more water than others. Also, excessive watering can rot your plants and kill them. Make sure you understand your plants and get enough water—no more, no less.

Inadequate drainage is another issue that contributes to plant damage. If you flood the pot when you water it and do not have a working drainage system, your plant is doomed.

Torpedopot’s self-watering system can help you water your plants the right way and take off the pressure from you.

2. Not Getting Adequate Sunlight

If you remember your botany lessons from middle school, you probably know about the intrinsic connection between plants and sunlight.

On average, plants require 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. But, some plants benefit from more sunlight than others, and some require less sun time.

Excessive exposure to sunlight can dry out plants, while not getting enough sunlight stunts the growth of plants. It is important to know your plants well to determine the amount of sun they should be getting and place it accordingly.

3. Poor Soil Condition

Poor soil conditions may be the cause of your plants’ continued death, even after you’ve provided them with the necessary quantity of water and sunlight.

Check the quality and texture of the soil to ensure that your plants grow well. Each plant requires varied sand, silt, and clay soil ratio.

Your plants will thrive in soil that is well balanced and rich in organic matter and plant nutrients. Aside from soil type, elements such as pH level and mineral content influence whether your plant will live a healthy life or die early.

4. Mold and Fungus

Whether you have a yard or simply a few houseplants, pests and plant diseases can infest plants. Knowing how to clean and care for your plants properly will keep them healthy and extend their lives. White mold is infectious, which means that if left untreated, it can swiftly spread to other plants.

Powdery mildew can block photosynthesis in plants, causing them to weaken and wither over time. Using home remedies like neem oil, mouthwash, vinegar, or store-bought products can help save plants.

5. Too Much Fertilizer

Sometimes too much love can hurt. Likewise, if you have been adding too much fertilizer without checking how much the plant needs, you may cause them harm. While the right amount of fertilizer helps the plants grow, overuse can burn the roots and kill the plant.

Without the roots, the plant will not absorb food and nutrients from the soil and eventually dies. Using just enough fertilizer and diluting it before applying are very important. Also, one must ensure to not fertilize when the ground is burning-hot as it can cause root damage.

Taking care of plants requires time and effort. You need to do enough research on each plant to ensure you give them the care they need. Investing in products like Torpedopot’s self-growing planters can take some of the work off your hands.

Published on February 11, 2022March 2, 2022

5 mins read

10 Step Guide for Growing Your Own Food

Growing your own food is a fun and fulfilling experience. It’s tremendously exciting to watch the seeds sprout, grow new leaves, blossom, and bear fruit.

The highlight of it all is harvesting and eating meals made from veggies you cultivated yourself. If you plan to grow your own food, check out our ten easy steps to guide you through the process.

Choose the Seeds

The growing conditions of each plant are different. Thus, knowing what you will be growing will help you with your research and the rest of the process. Based on the seed availability, your favorite veggies, and the area available for gardening, choose what you want to grow and how much you want to grow.

Know the Veggie Friends

Growing certain plants together is a simple trick gardeners use to increase the profit. As you plan your garden for this year, make sure you choose companion plants that will complement each other and help your garden flourish. They can provide each other with nutrients, shade, or support, as well as attract pollinators and repel pests.

Do Your Research

Now that you know what you are planting, read up on the season, the growing conditions, and processes for each of the seeds you have chosen. Know that each plant grows in different seasons and requires different amounts of sunlight, water, and manure. Have an understanding of the growing process for each seed to monitor the growth and make informed decisions.

Find Your Spot

The perfect spot is where you can get a lot of morning sunlight. Sunlight contributes to the growth and development of a plant. However, planting it where the noon light shines a lot can make maintenance more difficult since it would require frequent watering and might even wither quickly. Plants require around 6–7 hours of sunshine to flourish. So, look for a spot with direct sunlight.

Know Your Soil

Each plant requires different types of soil and pH levels for growth. A simple squeeze test can tell you whether your soil is clay, sand, or loam. Knowing your soil will help you determine how to prepare your soil for maximum yield.

Prepare the Soil

After understanding your soil type, you need to prepare your soil for each produce. Adding compost and fertilizers will help enhance the richness of the soil and help produce better yields. Add a generous amount of garden compost to the soil and mix it well before planting the seeds.

Plant It the Right Way

Depending on the seed, the way to plant it also differs. Some seeds need to be buried deeper, while others need only a light layer of soil to cover them. Bulbs can go straight into the pot, whereas the vulnerable range needs to start seed trays. They can be transplanted into the pot when they have a minimum of 4–5 leaves. Make sure to choose the right pot depending on the expected growth of each plant.

Add Nutrients and Water

Like any living being, plants require sunlight, nutrients, and water to grow well. Keep a tracker and add fertilizers once every two weeks, and water it depending on the requirement for each plant. You can dip your finger in the soil to check the soil’s moisture level. Also, remember to add pesticides as and when needed.

Harvest

Keep a close eye on ripening plants. Some need to be harvested raw, some fresh; some are happy to wait till you are ready to harvest, while some wait for none. Know and identify the right time to reap and enjoy harvesting the produce grown all by yourself.

Enjoy!

The final step is to enjoy the organic vegetables/fruit and make a healthy meal to share with your friends and family.

If you are looking for advanced ways to handle your garden, Torpedopot can help you set up a self-growing garden with a built-in, fully automated, pressurized plumbing system that waters your plants for you.

Related: Black Inventor Creates Farming System To Combat Food Shortage

Published on September 6, 2020May 29, 2023

1 min read

Black Owned Plant and Home Garden Related Businesses

The global plant and home garden market is projected to reach $130 billion by 2024, with North America alone expected to reach $45 billion.

Factors such as the rising number of people working from home and the popularity of indoor gardening are contributing to this growth. Black owned plant and home garden businesses have a unique opportunity to thrive in this dynamic field by meeting the increasing demand for plants and gardening supplies.

In this article, we’ve listed several businesses that are making waves in the industry.