Fill container ¼ full of barnyard manure, never use dog or cat feces. Fill same container ¼ with water. Over the next 24 to 48 hours stir several times during the day. After 48 hours, your starter solution is ready to use. Dilute the liquid to a light amber color with water. Pour 1 pint of diluted solution around each plant when setting out, or later as necessary to force growth.
Mix a hand full of wood ash with a handful of Hydrated Lime and 2 gallons of water. Mix well, then with a hand spray bottle, spray both sides of your cucumber leaves.
I recommend using Diatomaceous Earth or otherwise called D.E., in my garden for those pesky insects that crawl upon the surface of my garden to get to my plants. This type of repellant works as insects walk across or eat the foliage. As they walk across the garden, their shell becomes scratched and open to the dry heat of Arizona. The loss of moisture from the scratched shell causes the death of the insect.(Note: Do not use Pool Diatomaceous Earth as this earth has round edges and would be useless as an insecticide)
Soak seeds in a cup of cool tea, then place into the refrigerator for 3 days. Once soaked for 3 days, they will be ready to plant.
With a harvested cucumber, slice of one end. Rub the cut end against the cucumber in a circular motion gently squeezing the cucumber until white milk comes out of the skin around the cut edge. Cut another ¼ inch off the end of the cucumber and discard. Repeat this on the other end, then peal the cucumber and use as you would normally would. This will take the cucumbers bitterness out and leave the cucumber tasting succulent and fresh.
Cover tomatoes with boiling water for 10 seconds, and then immerse the tomatoes directly into ice water until cooled. Remove the tomatoes and drain the excess water. Using a serrated knife, the skin should simply peel off.
When buying a tomato plant from a nursery, the best ideal plants to get would be; 4 inch pots with stocky plants, about 6-8 weeks old, with no flowers or fruit showing. If plants are 10-12 weeks old and flowers or fruits are already being produced on the plant, the plants growth will be stunted and the yield of fruit will be small. Tomatoes will also require a minimum of 6 full hours of sunlight, so make certain you place them in the sunniest part of your garden as they thrive with lots of sunlight.
Harvest tomatoes free of blemishes and wash and dry them. Place in a box with 4 ripe apples. Keep in a cool place with a temperature of 50-60 degrees. The Ethylene gas produced will help ripen the fruit.
Rub Vanilla Extract on your skin
If you find this powdery mildew plaguing your cucumbers, eggplants, or strawberries you can use this simple recipe. Mix ¼ ounce Baking Soda (Calcium Bicarbonate), with one gallon of water. Using a spray bottle, spray on leaves weekly to rid the plants of the mildew.
Place seeds in your freezer overnight. The seeds will most likely crack, but this will allow the seeds to germinate in about 4-5 days from planting.
