The Rusted Garden Blog

by Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden) This video shows you how to plant 1 gallon blueberry bushes. I go through soil preparation, acidity, planting and feeding. All the steps you need to get your blueberry bushes established and off to a great start. Two keys... 2 different plant varieties and acidity! Visit my YouTube Channel with over 800 gardening videos: The Rusted Garden You need to have two different blueberry varieties for effective pollination. Like varieties will pollinate each other but the berries are generally smaller and problematic. When two different varieties of blueberries cross-pollinate, you get nice large plump...

By Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden) This video will show you how to oven dry hot peppers. I dry Red Cayenne, Facing Heaven and Jalapeno peppers. The general setting for the oven is 180 degrees F or less. It will take 4 - 8 hours to dry your peppers depending on several factors. I found this method to be the best way to quickly process and dry your peppers. If you want more flavor and less oil evaporation... drop the temperature down. Visit my YouTube Channel with over 800 gardening videos: The Rusted Garden Cayenne and Facing Heaven peppers are...

by Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Gardener) Do not get fooled into thinking you need to buy expensive container/potting mixes for your container vegetable or flower gardens. There is nothing magical about the base ingredients they use that you can't buy separately, mix and make something as good if not better. Why make your own container mixes? It will save you a ton of money that you can use in your garden in other ways and you can tweak your recipe, based on the needs of your garden. For instance, high summer heat... add more peat moss, coco coir or water retaining organic...

By Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Gardener) Cool weather crops can often take a light freeze and frost and manage without problems. They are often crops you can plant in the spring and fall as they love the cool weather. Cool weather vegetable crops like nights that average in the 50’s, moving down into the 40’s or up into the 60’s at times. They like their days in the 60’s and 70’s. Once you get into the upper temperatures many of the plants stop producing, bolt to flowering for seed production or just die out. Visit my YouTube Channel with over...