How to germinate seeds fast.
I’ve found that simply peeling the seed coating makes the seeds germinate faster. I’ve done this will several seeds including avocado, lemon, apple, and peaches. I use the paper towel method to start them and the ones that have been peeled start the process faster than those that have not. This saves me time when planting seeds as I’ll know which ones are ready several days sooner. See the video above.
Free Blackberry Plants with Tip Layering
Propagate your brambles with tip layering so you can share with family and friends. This works easier with trailing varieties, but I have successfully done this with others as well. Take a cane and bring the tip of the plant down into a plastic clear cup. I use the clear cups so you can easily see if roots have started after a few weeks by looking at the bottom. After the roots have been visible for 6 weeks or longer then I will separate from the rest of the cane and you’re all set. Reusing old plastic cups makes it simply to share and give away to those wanting to grow their own blackberries.
How to Serpentine Layer Blackberry Plants
Here is a simple way to propagate your brambles with serpentine layering. Trailing varieties are easier for this method – start with a cane that is easily moved to a pot and flexible. Fill the container with soil and bury the middle of the cane in the container. Cover with a rock to keep in place and leave part of the cane visible on the other side. This will allow it to continue growing forward and you will be able to layer it several more times if desired. The most I’ve done on a single cane is 7 layers!
Grow Mango Tree From Store Bought Fruit
How I grew a mango tree from the seed of a store bought mango.
First – enjoy the mango fruit then extract the seed from the endocarp.
Now peel the coating and cover with a damp paper towel for a 3-6 weeks until you see it has germinated.
Lightly cover with soil with the roots facing down and the stem facing up. Cover the seedling with a large plastic bag and keep moisture inside as the tree begins to grow. Watch the video above for seed to 4 month progress.
Raspberry Plant Propagation with Tip Rooting
An easy method to propagate your raspberry plants is the simple tip rooting. Check out the video above on how I do this.
Cattle Panel Frame Bird Netting Installation
This year my strawberry garden has started to produce strawberries and the birds have found them. Time to install bird netting. I looked at several options including PVC to make hoops and other options but I settled on using a cattle panels. I’ve used cattle panels to make an arch trellis for my watermelons and cantaloupes in the past and it has worked well. Video of the process I used to make an arch with the cattle panel and secure bird netting over it is below. It has worked well so far to keep the birds out!
Germinate Peach Seed Without Cold Stratification
How to germinate a peach seed without cold stratification and plant in a pot 14 days later!
Grow a Peach Tree from Seed
All the research I’d done for growing a peach tree from seed said you had to do a few months of cold stratification in order for the seed to germinate. I found a short cut of this process that goes from seed germination to a pot in 14 days. Here’s my journey for growing a peach tree from a store bought peach!
Oct 28th, 2020
1. Extract the peach seed from the peach pit. I used a channel lock wrench to break open peach pit while covering it with a paper towel. 
2. Place the seed in a cup of water over night. This makes the seed coating easier to peel. 
October 29th, 2020
3. Peel the peach seed coating the next morning. Scrape it with your fingernail and then peel it off in parts. Careful with the pointy end as that is where the root will begin to grow. 
4. Place the peach seed in a container with a paper towel on the bottom. 
5. Cover the Peach seed with damp paper towel. 
6. Place the lid back on but do not close it all the way so air can get in. 
7. Cover with a dark towel. 
November 5th, 2020
1 week update: The seed has split and the root tip is forming on right side.
November 8th, 2020
Day 10 update: I turned the container around and now the root is on the left. Root growth on the left and the seed split is forming leaves. 
November 12th, 2020
Day 14 update: Good root growth and moving to a pot. Peach seedling is currently all yellow. 
November 17th, 2020
Day 19 – Turning from yellow to green (after 5 days in a pot). 
November 24th, 2020
Day 26 – More green with new leaf/stalk growth. 
Blackberry Tip Layering Update 21 Days Later
Blackberry Tip Layering – Success!
Tip Rooting/Layering Blackberries – Update 21 days later.