Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Planting your own vegetable garden is a great way to save money on vegetables and even improve the value of your property. It does take some time and effort to get started, but once you know what you are doing tending a vegetable garden can be very fun and rewarding. Here are some tips that should help you get started.
Starting Small
If you’ve never planted a vegetable garden before and you aren’t totally familiar with growing anything on your property, it’s always best to start out small. Decide what kinds of vegetables you want to grow, and only plant as much as you think you’ll need. Keep in mind that a lot of vegetables such as tomatoes, squash and peppers will keep growing throughout the season, so you can actually get a lot of food with relatively little work. Just don’t overdo it.
Know How Much Space You’ll Need
The next step in growing a vegetable garden is determining how much space you will need. You could choose to grow your garden in a dedicated area in your yard and make it a semi-permanent addition to your property, or you can choose to grow your plants in pots if you don’t want to dig up a part of your yard. In any case, you’ll be surprised to find that you don’t need a lot of space to plant a good vegetable garden, and in fact a smaller space around ten square feet in size should be enough for most properties.
Picking the Best Spot
Choosing a good spot for your garden is very important, perhaps more important than knowing how much space is needed. In order for any garden to thrive, it needs a space that gets plenty of sunlight and has plenty of soft soil rich in organic matter such as compost or peat moss. You also need to make sure your vegetable garden gets plenty of water since many of the vegetables you find in most gardens aren’t very drought-resistant.
Caring for Your Garden
Caring for a vegetable garden usually involves keeping the soil moist since, as we said before, many of the vegetables don’t do well in drought conditions. This means watering when the top inch of soil is dry and watering at least once a week for in-ground crops. Since weeds compete with your vegetables for water and nutrients, they should be removed as you see them. A hoe will help remove seedlings before they start to grow.
Harvesting Your Vegetables
You will be able to harvest many of your vegetables at several stages; you don’t always need to wait until they’re ripe. Lettuce can be harvested when it is still young, especially since you can just snip some leaves and let the rest of the plant continue to grow. Squash and tomatoes can be harvested when the fruit looks big enough to eat. Use your own judgment, and know that there will always be more vegetables as long as you take care of your garden.
Source:
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/planning-your-first-vegetable-garden/#page=0
Bee Well Honey Bee Supply and Bee Well Honey Natural Market are having a 10% off everything sale (excludes Bees, Honey, Gift Certificates, and Classes) now through December 23.
Purchases of $100 or more get a FREE Bee Cause T-shirt ($25 value) while supplies last.
One of the tastiest and healthiest treats you can eat is sweet honey candy. All the confection recipes described in this article are made from the natural result of hard-working honeybees, so every bite will call to mind the sweet honey produced by our industrious little friends. If you enjoy making your own treats, and you appreciate the natural goodness of honey, these are recipes you just can’t go wrong on. Here are a few easy-to-make treats that the whole family will love.
Honey candy
Put 2 cups of honey into a fry pan, and boil until it reaches a soft ball stage, after which you can pour it into a cooling pan. When the honey has become cool enough to handle, take it out of the cooling pan and start pulling it until a creamy consistency is achieved. Stretch this into a rope which is 1/2″ to 1″ wide, then cut into bite-size pieces.
Honey nut candy
Mix 2 cups of white sugar with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of honey in a saucepan, and cook the whole mixture without stirring until it becomes a soft ball. Beat this until it’s thoroughly mixed, then add 1/2 cup of nuts and pour into a lightly buttered dish. Cut into snack-sized squares and enjoy!
Honey crunch candy
Mix together 1/4 cup of honey, 1/3 cup of butter, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon into a 2-qt mixing bowl, preferably of glass construction. Microwave this mixture at a high-temperature with no covering, for about 4 1/2 minutes, or for two minutes after you first see the mixture start to boil. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 4 cups of whole-grain flakes cereal, and 1 cup of dry-roasted peanuts. After this is all well mixed, drop spoonful’s onto waxed paper and allow plenty of time for it to cool, so it can set.
Bit-o-honey candy
Mix together 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt into a saucepan at medium heat, until it comes to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add in 7 ounces of marshmallow cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, before pouring the hot mixture into a lightly buttered pie dish. Allow the mixture to set by chilling, and then it will be ready to serve.
Where can you get the main ingredient?
If you live in South Carolina, or happen to be traveling through the area around Greenville and Spartanburg, make sure to stop in the town of Pickens at the Bee Well Honey Farm, where you can find the most delicious, raw and unfiltered honey anywhere around. Here we have the best honey to use for making your own sweet honey candy treats, as well as all kinds of beekeeping supplies, for those of you interested in taking up the hobby yourselves.
The skin says a lot about the general health of a human body. As a result, skin care is one of the most important routines that healthy people are keen to maintain while using the right ingredients. The benefits of using natural honey for skin care have been documented over the years. An all-natural honey face mask will enable your skin tap into the potent healing properties of raw honey. In addition to the glow, healing and well-known health benefits on your face, it is easy to perform at home, only require 15-30 minutes of your time and can be used for all skin types.
Why all natural honey?
Honey cleanses pores and inhibits growth of microbes because of its strong antimicrobial properties that prevents infections. Its waxy part gives a soft, smooth and shiny appearance to your skin. Therefore, you can use it without mixing with any other ingredient. Do not be discouraged by the stickiness because it is extremely beneficial. It pulls away dust and dead skin.
Recipe for a good honey face mask
The recipe for a honey face mask depends on your skin type and purpose. For a dry skin, you need a combination of a teaspoon of natural honey, mashed avocado and plain whole milk yoghurt. Avocado and whole milk yoghurt are deeply moisturizing. When you are dealing with an oily skin you need a mix of 2 tablespoons natural honey, a puree of an apple and half teaspoon of sage. If you have a sensitive skin and react to most of other face creams or masks, combine 2 teaspoons of natural honey and a teaspoon of aloe Vera. Aloe Vera has anti-inflammatory properties to soothe you skin. Although this may seem misplaced, a mask made from natural honey and aspirin is very effective for oily skin.
A number of people need a honey mask to heal scars and clear dark spots. In this case, you need a mixture of honey and lemon. Mix two table spoons of honey with a half tablespoon of lemon juice. This mixture exfoliates the skin, lightens dark spots and fades scars. You can also add yoghurt to this combination. Alternatively, for an acne-prone skin, use a mask out of honey and cinnamon. Here, mix 3 teaspoons of natural honey and half teaspoon of cinnamon. You can go further and experiment with a combination of tea tree oil or kelp aloe vera.
Tips for getting the best out of the mask
Depending on why you are using the face mask and the nature of ingredients involved, apply the mask and rest for about 15 to 30 minutes. Use freshly prepared masks for best results. Where you are using a combination of other ingredients masks, ensure that the other ingredients are organic as well. Once in a while, you can steam your face with the mask on to help you open skin pores. Do not use any type of soap to wash the mask. The results will not come overnight so do not be too hard on yourself. Give yourself a week or two. Find out if you have any allergic reactions to any of the ingredients.
Becoming a Beekeeper with Bee Well Honey
As we near the end of 2014, we begin to think about what will be in store for the next year. Perhaps you are considering a new hobby ? Maybe you have always been interested in honeybees but don’t know where to start ? Here at Bee Well Honey we have been helping people become beekeepers for many years. The world of beekeeping is exciting and filled with many ideas. Each person who desires to succeed will have to chose their path as there are many thoughts on how to manage honeybees.
Each Spring Bee Well Honey provides hundreds of packages of bees to upstate beekeepers. These packages help replace winter loses for experienced beekeepers and fill new hives for people who are just becoming a beekeeper. Call now to place your order for Spring delivery.
We have a special package that contains the most needed items for the new beekeeper. We call this the Beginners Kit and it will be a big help to the new person becoming a beekeeper and unsure of which items to purchase. In addition, starting December 13, 2014 thru Christmas – we will be having our 20% off sale so this is a great time to get those special gifts.
Call Bee Well Today 864-898-5122
or visit us online at beewellhoneyfarm.com
Christmas is just around the corner.
Here at Bee Well Honey we have been getting in the Christmas spirit for quite a while. Our shelves are stocked to overflowing with all types of great gifts for you, your family and friends. We have a selection of ready to give baskets for those customers who need a gift in a hurry. Our staff selects special items from our large inventory that are known customer favorites. We have locally made fine pottery and handmade soaps and candles.
In our beekeeping center, you will find everything the beekeeper needs to make plans for the new year. Got a beekeeper in your family ? All beekeepers enjoy receiving new equipment, tools and books to help them with their hobby. Maybe its time to upgrade to a honey extractor ? We have several sizes to choose from.
We extend the best wishes for a joyous holiday season to all of our customers and friends.
Bee Well
Each year Bee Well Honey enjoys being part of the South Carolina Beekeepers Association meeting in Clemson SC during late July. This meeting of beekeepers from all across the state offers a time of learning, shopping and socializing for many of the states 3,000 small scale beekeepers. Bee Well Honey sets up a booth for the event each year.
Yes, we sell honey but we also offer much much more !
Gifts, beeswax candles, pottery and other special items were on display and are available in our store every day.
We really enjoyed the conference this year and meeting so many of our regular customers as well as making new friends. Bee Well Honey has been helping beekeepers for over 1o years and hopes to continue for many more.
Local pottery is once again available at Bee Well Honey & Natural Market. These unique handmade pieces make a great gift for someone special or even yourself ! Handmade by a local potter each piece is beautiful and one of a kind. Bee Well Honey has a great selection of gift items and our local pottery section is just one example. Stop by today to enjoy the best selection.
