Thursday, May 21, 2015

Laundry Detergent

I've been using homemade laundry detergent for over a year now.  AND I LOVE IT!  It cleans just as well as the fancy brands, and it's only fractions of the cost. 

The ingredient list:
1 Bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
5 gallon bucket

How To:
 
 
 
Grate the Fels Naptha with a cheese grater into a saucepan and add water until the soap is just covered.  Bring to a low simmer and allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until soap is completely dissolved; about 15 minutes.



Meanwhile, fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/4 - 1/3 with hot tap water and add 1 Cup Borax and 1 Cup Washing Soda and stir for a few minutes. 



When soap is completely dissolved, add to bucket and stir vigorously until mixture is smooth.  (Tip:  If you have the option, you can use a power drill and paint/cement mixer to make quick work of this part).  After the mixture is smooth, fill the bucket with hot tap water and mix again until smooth; it will go much faster this time. 

Allow the bucket to sit overnight to cool.  Mix one final time and divide into jugs if desired.  The mixture will need mixed periodically to prevent it from congealing.  (Tip:  I use my old laundry soap jugs and only fill about 3/4 full so there's room to shake it up before each load of laundry).

The Cost:
Fels Naptha..........................................$1.50
Borax
   $4/9Cups...........................................$0.44
Washing Soda
   $3.25/6Cups......................................$0.54_
                                               Total:    $2.48/5gallons

Talk about saving some serious money!  A 5 gallon bucket lasts my family of 5 for about 3 months.  In that same 3 month period I could easily spend $30-50 on laundry soap (or more) depending on the brand.  I love this stuff, and I hope you do to.

Nicole
 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Starting Tomato Seeds

Tomatoes like to be started indoors 6-8 weeks before being transplanted outside.  Here in northern Ohio, we can begin plating in our gardens sometime between May 1st and May 15th, depending on expected frost for the season.  That means I usually sow my seeds in mid-March.  It's tricky, because if you plant your seeds too early, your plants will grow too large before you can transplant and you cannot provide enough sunlight for them to thrive, but plant too late, and your harvest season is significantly cut short if there happens to be early frost.  For that reason, I usually do 2 plantings, about 2 weeks apart, and choose those that are largest and heartiest at planting time.

You can start your seeds many ways but there are two preferences for me.  Above, I've started them directly into disposable plastic cups.  Start by filling them about half full with potting soil then sprinkle in 2-4 seeds and cover lightly with more soil.  Keep the soil moist, but not soggy.  When they first sprout they'll grow two long smooth leaves, just as the second set of leaves sprout (after about 2 weeks, as shown above) add more soil until it's just below the first set of leaves.  Your tomatoes will then stay in these cups for several more weeks until ready for transplant!

These seeds I started using my alternate method.  I first planted them in just a tiny bit of soil in an egg carton.  Just as the previous method, once they started sprouting their second set of leaves, they were ready for more soil, so I transplanted them into biodegradable cups.  Fill the cup half full, then simply use a spoon to scoop out your tiny seedling from the egg carton (soil and all) and place them in your biodegradable cups.  Add more soil until it's almost to the bottom of the first set of leaves.  Another couple weeks and they'll look like the plants pictured above.  Notice how the first set of smooth leaves are starting to turn yellow/brown and fall off?  That's normal!

Whichever method you chose to start your seeds, once they're about 6-10 inches tall, they're ready to be planted outside!  As you can see above, your plants will have formed several sets of large leaves, and they will range in color from deep almost purplish green, to a bright lively green.  If you've only planted mass market seeds, you're likely to see only the bright green leaves, but I have found the heirloom seeds I've been saving over the years come in a much greater variety of color. 
 
Check back soon for some tips for hardening and transplanting your tomatoes outdoors.  And also, some helpful advice for getting your plants to produce the highest yield possible, since that's what all this works been for after all!
 
Happy growing,
Nicole