Dee Dee Lantzy

Gardening

Starting Micro Greens

GardeningDee Dee Lantzy

Microgreens are an easy way to start growing things if you have a hankering for gardening but don’t have enough space, time, or maybe even you think you don’t have a green thumb.

Here is a step-by-step guide to get micros on your plate in 7-10 days.

Things you will need:

  1. Grow tray

  2. Water tray

  3. Soil

  4. Seeds

  5. Brick or something heavy

  6. Water sprayer

  7. Window sill or table near a window

How to make it happen:

  1. Pour enough water in your soil to make it wet but not soaking, this will do two things, it iwll make it easier to work with but also start the seeds off with all the water they will need for the next 4 days.

  2. Fill the soil tray with soil to be flat with the edge of the tray.

3. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the top of the soil.

4. Cover with the water tray. Place a brick on top and place in a dark place for 4 days.

5. After 4 days, take the greens out of the dark place and put them in a place that gets plenty of sunlight. They will look sort of yellow and crazy at first but by the end of the day they will look green and happy. You can underwater and or spray the plants daily. Depending on your sun exposure placement and the amount of greens you are growing you need to balance how often and how much you water. At least once a day if not twice a day typically.

6. Keep watering and watching them over the course of the next 3-5 days. You can start harvesting them around day 7-10 and they will keep growing and be good to eat until around day 14-18in my experience.

Winter Pantry Must Haves

Cooking, Pantry, Must-Have, Gardening, RecipesDee Dee LantzyComment

I love a quick meal and a key to making that happen is to be prepared ahead of time. One thing that helps me a ton is to have some key go-to ingredients in my pantry. A bunch of these items can be used in different recipes for instance I use the canned eggplant, tomato and onion in both my spaghetti sauce and to elevate a pot roast.

I’ll be sharing more of my go to meals soon in the meantime here’s a list to have on the ready and might spark some ideas for yo to create as well.

Trader Joe’s Go-To List:

Fresh things

Onions

Sweet potatoes/White yams

Broccoli

Spinach/Kale

Apples

Bananas

Spaghetti squash

Everyday Must-Haves

Pancetta

Parmesan

Olive Oil

Flour

Honey

Chicken Thighs

Ground Beef/Elf/Bison

Ground Turkey

Trager Seasonings

Eggs

Milk

Yeast

Sundried Tomatoes

Recipes coming soon:

Pot Roast

Beef Ragu

Turkey and Sweet Potato Morning Hash

Chicken Thighs and Rice

Salmon my way

Roasted Veg

Tuna salad

Spaghetti squash spaghetti

Let’s plan a garden!

GardeningDee Dee Lantzy
 
 

Ok, it’s about that time!! ………Let’s start planning our garden!

A few things before you start buying seeds.

  1. What zone do you live in? You can use this tool to find out.

2. How much space do you have?

3. What is your garden’s exposure to the sun?

4. What would you like to grow, flowers, herbs, veggies?

I always like to have a rough idea of my goal for the spring. I always, and I mean ALWAYS, buy too many seeds. That said I also plan on succession planting and trying new things every year. The good news is, seeds don’t go bad for at least 2 years.


Below you will find some of the places I use to purchase seeds, bulbs and tubers. I have had amazing luck with purchases from each of these companies.

Johnny’s: This place is great for microgreen seeds, veggie seeds, and flowers as well.

https://www.johnnyseeds.com

Burpee’s: Similar to Johnny’s. I tend to purchase from Johnny’s more than Burpee.

https://www.burpee.com/vegetables/

RARE seeds: This is a really fun resource for seeds. We purchase a lot of our greens and tomato seeds from these guys.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Bring Your Garden to Life

Dahlias: If you are in an area where you can grow dahlias, do it! They are my favorite flower to grow. They are the most satisfying thing I grow (other than my tomatoes). I am absolutely obsessed with them and secretly (not actually a secret) hope to one day be able to grow so many I can sell them.

Dahlias grow by seed and tuber. I will be sharing more about what I have learned about dahlias in the near future. For now what you need to know is if you want your bloom to be predictable then invest in tubers, if you like a surprise then purchase seeds and see what happens. The only way to get a predictable flower is by tuber. After the blooming season you can pull up the tubers, store them and replant them next year. They also multiply so, if you do it right you can expand your tubers year over year.

There are a bunch of different places to purchase tubers. Here are a few I have had good success with. I have also purchased from places and the tubers didn’t thrive. Huge bummer and its one reason why I purchase from a few different places each year and stick to the ones that work.

Eden Brother’s

Coseytown

Dahlias by Julie

Floret: The owner of Floret is a wealth of knowledge. She has stopped selling dahlias and seeds for the moment however, her website and books are super helpful resources.

Sunflower Steve

Seeds UK

Rananculs

Favorite Things- Seed Start Edition

Must-Have, GardeningDee Dee Lantzy

Seed Start Preparation.  All of my favorite things to get your baby seeds started in a few weeks.

It is the middle of winter, and I am totally starting the planning process for this spring and summer.  For there to be a gorgeous garden in the spring and summer I need to do some proper planning in the winter. I will be sharing the entire process with you guys.  Here are a few of my favorite gardening tools we will be using.

Seed Start Trays

Perfect for seed starts.




Lower Tray

These are necessary for under-watering which you will do after the seeds have sprouted.





Grow Lights

These lights are super light weight and work great to give the seedlings the extra light indoors they need to get a head start.


Water Sprayer

I like to keep the top of the soil a bit wet, especially while they are germinating.  This sprayer works great to get a good amount of water over the top of the soil.




Plant Tags

You will need to keep track of what seeds you planted where.  This will help.




Jiffy Seed Start Soil

The best seed start soil.  I have tried a few different brands.  This one has given me the best results. If you are only starting a few plants.  If you are starting a bunch of plants you can make your own seed start soil or purchase a larger bag from your local nursery.

Change of seasons

Gardening, RecipesDee Dee Lantzy
 
 

We are in the midst of ushering in a new season. When people ask what my favorite time of year is I can never fully land on just one. It is clear to me what I love most is all seasons. I love the closing of a period of time marked with the anticipation of what is to come. I love the rhythm that seasons bring to our lives. I appreciate the changing of the guard, a moment to reflect on what has just occurred and at the same time take a moment to set some new goals.

We have just harvested the last of the tomatoes and dahlias in the garden and are preparing everything for winter. I have taken a few moments over the past few days to quietly celebrate some tiny victories in the garden and write down somethings we need to improve on next spring and summer. We will be digging up the dahlia tubers in the next few days and storing them for next year. We have harvest seeds and will have a few for sale in early spring if you want to try some of our seeds harvested here on the micro mini homestead.

Here is a recipe a lovely neighbor shared with me this summer. It has been a go to for the girls as I can get them mixed and in the oven during the morning shuffle. No rise time. Quick bake. Power bagels for the win.

Power Bagels Recipe

I make these in the morning for the girls before school. This is a quick and easy recipe to make a bagel with more protein that doesn’t need any time to rise.

Makes 8 bagels

Preheat oven to 375

2 cups organic unbleached flour

2 cups organic greek yogurt

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 Tbs honey

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix honey into yogurt. Mix dry and yogurt together. Let sit for 10 mins. Roll into a ball. Divide into 8 pieces. Roll into bagel shape. Egg wash. Add topping, we sometimes use everything bagel sprinkle from Trader Joe’s. Bake for 20-25 mins.