How to Grow Leeks

Instructions.
Things You'll Need:

•Bypass Pruners

•Compost Makers

•Fertilizers

•Garden Spades

•Garden Trowels

•Mulch

•Plants

•Seeds

•Seeds

•Plants

Step 1Choose a site that gets full sun and has well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2 to 7.0 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested," under Related eHows). Work in plenty of compost and manure.

Step 2Buy started leek plants at your local nursery for planting about the time of the last spring frost. Otherwise, start seeds indoors at least 10 weeks before the average frost-free date.

Step 3Harden off seedlings when they're about the thickness of a pencil, then transplant them to the garden.

Step 4Set seedlings 4 to 8 inches apart, depending on the variety (check the directions on the seed packet or plant label). To encourage long, thin stems, plant leeks closer together; for thicker stems, set them farther apart.

Step 5Use a dibble (a planting tool that looks like a fat, pointed stick with a T-shaped handle) or the end of a rake handle to make a hole that's just deep enough to leave only the top inch of the transplant exposed. Set the transplant into the hole and fill it loosely with soil.

Step 6Make sure the plants get at least an inch of water a week; otherwise the stems will toughen. Mulch to conserve moisture, and side-dress with manure tea once a month.

Step 7Begin harvesting leeks as soon as they're big enough to use. Young, tender ones are good raw; once they reach scallion-size, they're better cooked.

How to Grow Lemon Trees

Instructions.
Things You'll Need:


•Mulch

•Plants

•Fertilizers

•Compost Makers

•Pruning Shears

•Shovels

Step 1Purchase a lemon variety adapted to your area. Most lemon trees are very sensitive to frost and grow best where winters are mild.

Step 2Plant the tree in a warm, sunny area where the soil drains well. Planting next to a house or under an eave will provide some frost protection.

Step 3Water the tree deeply once every 7 to 10 days in midsummer (newly planted trees may need more frequent watering until established). Water less often if it rains or if the weather is cool.

Step 4Apply 2 to 3 inches of organic matter under the canopy of the tree to conserve moisture.

Step 5Fertilize every four to six weeks from February to August.

Step 6Prune trees every year or two to keep them within bounds and easy to pick. Cut back new growth by one-fourth to one-third.

Step 7Protect trees from frost if temperatures are forecast to drop below 30 degrees F.

Step 8Harvest lemons when fruit reaches full size and color. Timing will vary by variety and growing area.

How to Grow Ginger

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

•Bypass Pruners

•Compost Makers

•Fertilizers

•Garden Spades

•Garden Trowels

•Planting Containers

•Potting Soil

•Ginger Roots
 
Growing Ginger in a Container


Step

1Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.

Step

2Plant ginger in spring when you can supply warm enough temperatures, whether indoors or out. The dormant tubers will sprout only when the mercury hits 75 to 85 degrees F.

Step

3Use a container that's about 14 inches across and 12 inches deep and has excellent drainage. This size will hold three average-size tubers comfortably.

Step

4Fill the container with potting soil enriched with plenty of compost.

Step

5Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them in the pot just below the soil surface, spacing them evenly, with the buds facing up.

Step

6Set the container in light shade, indoors or out, depending on the temperature.

Step

7Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts. Keep plants dry in winter, when they're dormant.

Step

8Move plants outside only when the temperatures have reached 50 degrees F. In cooler weather, growth can be stunted.

Step

9Shield plants from high winds, and move them indoors at the first sign of cool temperatures.

Step

10Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.

Step

11Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.

Step

12Clip young, tender stems anytime.



Growing Ginger Outdoors in USDA Zone 10

Step

1Buy fresh ginger roots at a grocery store or an Asian market. Look for fat tubers with numerous buds.

Step

2Choose a lightly shaded site with rich, moist but well-drained soil. Work in plenty of compost to ensure the right combination.

Step

3Plant ginger in spring when temperatures are 75 to 85 degrees F. Soak the tubers in warm water overnight, then set them just under the soil surface with the buds facing up.

Step

4Water lightly at first, then more heavily when growth starts.

Step

5Shield plants from high winds, and cover them if temperatures dip lower than normal.

Step

6Expect plants to reach maturity, and a height of 2 to 4 feet, in 10 months to a year.

Step

7Dig up new, young sprouts that appear in front of the main plants (they form their own tubers), use what you need, and freeze or replant the rest.

Step

8Clip young, tender stems anytime.

How to Grow Spinach

How to Grow Spinach 



Contributor By eHow Contributing Writer

Instructions.

Things You'll Need:


•Bypass Pruners

•Compost Makers

•Fertilizers

•Fish Emulsions

•Floating Row Covers

•Garden Spades

•Garden Trowels

•Mulch

•Plants

•Shovels

•Spinach Seeds

•Limes

•Plants

•Shovels

•Limes

Step 1 Choose a site that gets full sun in cool weather and partial shade in warmer temperatures. Soil should be light, fertile and moisture-retentive, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

Step 2 Dig in plenty of well-cured manure to ensure the right soil conditions and to provide the nitrogen necessary for good leaf production.

Step 3 Sow spinach seeds directly into the garden as soon as the ground can be worked, normally anywhere from four to eight weeks before the last expected frost. (Because spinach resents transplanting and seeds germinate well in temperatures as low as 50 degrees F, there's no advantage to buying plants or to starting seed indoors.)

Step 4 Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart in wide rows. For a continuous harvest, sow every two weeks until daytime temperatures start to average 75 degrees F.

Step 5 Begin sowing fall crops in mid-August in cool climates, later in warm ones.

Step 6 Thin seedlings to 6 inches apart when the plants are 4 inches tall. Be ruthless; crowded plants are more likely to bolt (go to seed prematurely), and you can use the cuts in salads.

Step 7 Keep the soil moist, and feed plants manure tea or fish emulsion every 10 days until they're 6 inches tall (see "How to Make Manure Tea").

Step 8 Mulch established plants to conserve moisture and deter weeds, and cover the area with floating row covers to discourage insects.

Step 9 Cut spinach leaves as you need them from the outside of the plant, or harvest entire plants when they reach maturity and before they begin to flower. (If you see buds starting to form at the center, cut the whole plant immediately.)

How to Grow Carrots

Instructions.Things
You'll Need:

•Carrot Seeds

•Compost Makers

•Fertilizers

•Garden Spades

•Garden Trowels

•Mulch

•Planting Containers

•Shovels

•Shovels
Step 1
Choose a site that gets full sun (carrots will tolerate light shade but won't do as well). Soil should be light, with a pH of 5.8 to 6.8 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested").

Step 2
Dig to a depth of at least 12 inches, and remove all traces of rocks and other debris - even a small twig could injure a carrot's growing tip, stunting the root or making it fork.

Step 3
Add plenty of organic matter; it will lighten heavy soils and increase the moisture retention of sandy ones. Carrots grow sweeter and less fibrous in soil that remains moist.

Step 4
Sow carrot seeds directly about two to three weeks before the last expected frost in cool regions; in warm climates, you can plant in fall, winter or spring. (Like most root crops, carrots rarely appear as started plants in nurseries.)

Step 5
Speed germination, which can take 10 days or more, by soaking seeds in water for 6 hours before you plant them.

Step 6

Make early sowings shallow to capture warmth from the sun; sprinkle the seeds on the soil surface, tamp them gently and cover them with a thin layer of finely sifted compost. If planting later, when the soil has warmed up, plant seeds between 1/4 and 1/2 inch deep.

Step 7

Thin seedlings before the tops become entwined: Either clip off the greens with scissors, or pull the roots very gently from the ground so you don't disturb the remaining plants. Allow 3 to 4 inches between carrots, depending on the variety (check the seed packet for details).

Step 8

Spray young plants once with compost tea (see "How to Make Compost Tea") to ensure good growth, and mulch with compost to deter weeds and retain moisture. Young plants need at least an inch of water a week, but cut back on watering as they near maturity (check the seed packet for timing).

Step 9

Begin harvesting carrots when they've turned deep orange.