Featured Article: 5 Reasons You're Killing Your Indoor Plants

With all the rainy weather we've been getting lately, we thought that a shift to indoor plant life might be better. Indoor plants often times seem much harder to keep going. Today's article goes over the most common mistakes people make with their indoor plants, and how to remedy them.

What do you think are the most common reasons for house plants dying? What are your remedies? Share in the comments!

Read the article here.

Featured Article: Advice for Getting Summer Bulbs in the Ground

With above freezing temperatures during the day for about a week, we're really getting ready for Spring. Stores are agreeing with us and starting to stock their garden centers for all of the eager gardeners. If you've ever wondered how people get their summer bulbs in the ground, today's featured article is sure to help.

HGTV Gardens goes into great details about how to get your summer bulbs going. Now is the time, so don't delay! Read the article today and then run out to get yourself some bulbs to plant!

Read the article here

Tips for Growing Tomatoes

In the spirit of the U.S. Composting Council's Million Tomato Compost Campaign, we thought we'd give you some tips on growing your own tomatoes this year. We've collected a few of our favorite tips and tricks to growing big and beautiful tomatoes! Be sure to share any additional tips you might have in the comments.

Location, Location, Location!

Tomatoes love sunshine, so make sure you place them where they can get about 8-10 hours of sunshine a day! However, wind can be detrimental to them if it is too strong, so make sure that it's also an area where they won't get blow away.

Timing

You want to make sure you plant after the risk of frost has abated. Freezing can cause a whole slew of problems for your tomatoes, so it's better to be safe and wait until the risk has gone.

Chose your Type of Tomato Carefully

Certain types of tomatoes flourish, while other wither in specific climates. Find out what kind of tomatoes do best where you are! One way to test it out is to try a couple different kinds of tomatoes your first year planting. There are also many other resources for finding out which ones do best where you live, such as searching online or inquiring at local greenhouses.

Start your soil off right

One great way to ensure your tomatoes flourish as much as possible is to mix in compost with your natural soil prior to planing. This will help fight off diseases, pests, and encourage your tomatoes to grow better (and larger).

Featured Article: DIY: Hanging Plastic Bottle Planter

It's no secret that we love upcycling DIYs here. This one feeds two of our loves, upcycling and gardening. We're itching for the spring to get here so we can start planting, and this planter is a great way to recycle and get your green thumb working!

We like this DIY because it's easy, cheap, and easy to personalize. The design is done by decorative duct tape, and there are a lot of different looks for that. It can match any decor and it's so easy it's hard to pass this one up!

Check out the DIY here.

Featured Article: Tips For Growing & Automating Your Own Vertical Indoor Garden

The new year is always a great time to make a change. This article is a great change idea for your home- a vertical garden! It's a great way to get your green fix year round!

Vertical gardens are growing in popularity, and in the cold Iowa winters, this hint of greenery can brighten up the cold, white days. If you've been thinking about starting an indoor garden you should check out this article. It's got some great tips and multiple ideas about how to go about your garden!

Read the full article here.

Plant Gifting Guide

Finding  a great gift for a coworker, family member, or friend can be tough, and this time of year you have to purchase gifts for a lot of people. Plants make great gifts, and they can still be very personal. Check out our favorite plants for gifting.

Golden Pothos

These plants are great for a new plant owner, or a distracted one. They require very little care and flourish well on their own. Give them a Pothos with water retaining soil and they can water the plant very little, keep it in low to medium lighting and it will thrive. These plants are also known to purify the air as an added benefit! 

Amaryllis

This plant is quickly becoming the new poinsetta. Around the holidays you can find them everywhere from gardening centers to superstores in brightly colored pots. It is important for this plant to go in a sunny, warm spot (somewhere between 68-70 degrees on average). This plant requires light watering until it's stem appears. After that, increase the watering. A flowering Amaryllis needs daily watering. 

Paperwhites

Paperwhites are another low maintenance plant that is easy for beginners. Given lots of sunlight and adequet watering, this plant will brighten any room. When planted for use indoors they grow best in loose materials, like soil, pebbles, tumbled beach glass, things like that. Make sure you keep whatever you plant it in watered. The base of the bulb should be moist but not the entire bulb.  

Mixed Herbs

Herbs can be an extremely useful plant for a foodie who also has a bit of a green thumb. Pick the herbs you choose based on the skill level of the gift receiver. If they're an extremely skilled gardener they could handle a little more challenging herb, but if not there are plenty of herbs that are pretty hard to kill. Visit a local garden center for advice on what to gift for each skill level. The good news- you can plant a variety in one container, so it's a bit more varied of a gift. 

Kalanchoe

This hard to pronounce plant makes a great gift. It comes in a variety of colors, and since it is a succulent it is fairly hardy. Give them light and some water and they'll be good to grow. Plus you can grow a couple varieties, so you have one of all your favorite colors.

These are just a couple of plant you can gift, but they're definitely some of our favorites. What plants will you be gifting this year?

Featured Article: Sprout Pencil Grows Plants When You Plant the Stub

This monday we're doing a featured article on a new sustainable product- pencils that you can plant! 

These pencils have seed caps at the end filled with a plant of your choosing, including herbs, vegetables and flowers. These pencils are currently in the fundraising stage, and have a kickstarter project that allows you to fund the project with the promise of receiving a package of the finished project. 

This concept is definitely interesting. As many of our readers know, wood is compostable, however often times the lead may not be. The idea is definitely innovative, and it can help kids to realize the environmental implication of a pencil. 

What do you think? Do you like the idea of planting your pencil? Are you a pencil chewer who may have trouble not chewing on the seed capsule at the end? Let us know in the comments!

Read the original article here.