Presents:EasiestGardenEver!

BonusGardeningGuideAPDFdesignedtoteachyouhowto:Setup,Plant,Maintain&HarvestSuper-healthygreensgrownintheeasiestgardenever!www.easiestgardenever.com

WholeHealthGardeningPDFGardeningGuideiscopyrighted©2016byWholeHealthGardening.Allrightsreserved.

Congratulations.Youhavetakenabigsteptowardsimprovingyourhealth.

AtWholeHealthGardeningwebelieveyouCANGrowBetterFoodThanYouCanBuy!InthisPDFwesharewithyouthebasicsofWholeHealthGardening(WHG)–thepracticeofgrowingfoodtheeasywaywiththeaddedbonusofheightenedvitamins&mineralspercalorie!YoucanwatchourFREEvideoserieswhichyoucanaccessatwww.easiestgardenever.com

We’vefoundthatbyfocusingongrowingonlygreens,youcanreapthemassivebene itsofWHGwithoutdelvingintoitsdeepercomplexities.Thisisthe80/20Ruleatitsbest!Afteryou’vegrowngreenswithus,you’llbereadytograduatetoanystyleofgardeningthatyouchoose–vegetable,herb,urban,suburban,raisedbeds,containers,evenyourvery irsthomestead.ORyoucanstayrighthereandfocusonoursimplesystemcreatedforsmallspaces,busyschedulesandbighealth.FAQs

WhatdoIneedtoparticipate?● 4squarefeetofoutdoorgrowingspacethatreceivesaminimumof4hoursofsunlight● seedsandasoilbag● awillingnesstotendyourgardenfor21-30days

WhyLeafyGreens?Weknewthatbecauseleafygreensareaneasy-to-growandwidelylovedsuper-food,itwouldmakethe

easy-to-growandwidelylovedsuper-food,itwouldmaketheperfect‘gatewaygreen’forsharingourhealthfulgardeningtechniques.WhichLeafyGreenseedshouldIstartwith irst?Youchoose!UsingtheWGHpracticesthatweteachinEasiestGardenEvergreenslikeChard(Silverbeet),spinach,andbuttercrunchlettuceetcallworkwell.ForsimplicityinthisgardeningguidewearestartingwithKale.WhatifIhavequestionsalongtheway?Don’tworry–we’rehereforyou!Theverybestplaceto indusisonFacebookandInstagramWhenisitsafetostartgrowinggreensinmyarea?Ideally,outdoortempsneedstoconsistentlyreach50f/10cwithoutgoingabove80f/26c.LateSpring,earlysummer,latesummerandearlyfallareallidealintemperateclimates.Thefullheatofsummeristoughformostgreens;chooseaspotwithsomeshadeandanicebreezeifyouaregrowingduringthistime.Checkthebackoftheseedspackandyouwillseewhatwerecommendforeachtypeofseed.HereisanexampleofwhatisbackontheKaleseedpack:

GardeningSchedule&Geography:

Mar1:UnitedStates,Canada,Europe,UK,Australia,NewZealandJune1:NorthernUS,Canada,Australia,NorthernEurope&UKSept1:UnitedStates,CanadaDec1:SouthernUS,Australia,NewZealand,SouthernEurope

Settingupyoursoilbaggarden(theeasiestgardenever!)

Therearejustfoureasystepstofollowandthevery irstoneistositeyourgardenintherightamountofsun.Togrowleafygreens,you’llneedatleast4hoursofsunlight,butmoreisde initelybetter!Forthoseofyougardeninginhotclimatesorwithstrongsummersunyou’llwanttochooseaspotwithsomeafternoonshadeifpossible.That’sbecausetoomuchheatcancausegreenslikekaletowilt,oreventodevelopabitter lavor!Justpickthebestsitethatyoucan.Thesecondstepistochooseanorganicpottingsoilwithlotsoftrace

Thesecondstepistochooseanorganicpottingsoilwithlotsoftracemineralsandbene icialsoilmicrobes.We’lllearnmoreaboutthesetermslater,buttheimportantpartisthatwe’reintentionallychoosingsoilthatincludessuperfoodsforourleafygreenplants.OurUSAmazonstoreshaveourfavoritesoilmixlistedandifyouliveelsewherewesuggestthatyouvisitthoselinksorjustgoogleHappyFrogPottingSoilandtryto indamixwithsimilaringredients.Someofyouwillbegardeninginsmall12or16quartsoilbags–andotherswillchoosetogrowinthelargerbagswith2cubicfeetofsoil.Eitherway, lipthebagoversothatthelabelisfacedownand indawaytosmoothoutthesoil.

Ourthirdstepistomakeawaterplan.Todothis,you’llneedtopokeseveralholesinthebottomofyoursoilbag,sothatexcess

pokeseveralholesinthebottomofyoursoilbag,sothatexcesswatercandrainoutORsothatyoursoilbaggardenhasawaytodrinkupmuch-neededwateronlong,hotdayswhenyou’renotaround.Youcanuseascrewdriver,apenciloraballpointpentomakeyourholes.

Now,youneedtodecideifyourgardenismorelikelytorequiredrainageorawaytodrinkwater.Youcanbaseyourdecisiononyourseasonalclimateforthenext30days,orbycheckingalocalweatherforecast.Ifyou’reheadedforlong,hotdays,placeyourbaginanykindofshallowtraythatwillholdwatersothatyourgardencandrinkasoftenasitneedsto..Ifyou’reexpectingcool,wetweather,makesuretoplaceyourbag

Ifyou’reexpectingcool,wetweather,makesuretoplaceyourbagonacratesothatwatercaneasilyrunthroughyourgarden.Otherwise,you’llbecreatingagiantmudpieandyourplantscoulddrown!Okay–we’realreadyatthelaststep–it’stimetocutanopeninginyoursoilbag!Themostimportantthingaboutcuttinganopeningisthatyouwanttobesureyoursoildoesn’tspillout!Ifyou’recuttingintoasmallerbag,liketheonelistedinourAmazonstore,simplycutinsidethegoldlineonthethreesideswhereitappears.Whenyougettothetop,cutacrosstheHappyFrogletters,slicingtheminhalf.

Ifyou’recuttingintothelargerbag,you’llneedameasuringtape,oraverygoodideaofwhat4incheslookslike.Lineupyourtapewiththewhiteplasticseam.Measure4inchestowardsthemiddleofthebag,andcut–leavingthesame4inchborderallthewayaroundyourbag.Congratulations,youdidit!Youmayneedtosmoothyoursoiloutabitsothatit’sniceandeven,butotherwiseyou’rereadytoplant.NextupisPlanting!

Itistimetogetdirty(justalittle!).Beforeweplantthe irstthingthatweneedtodoistowateroursoilbag,sothatit’sthoroughlyandevenlymoist.

Youcanuseahose,awateringcan,orjustanyoldbottleorjarthatyouhave,aslongasyouwatergentlyenoughsothatthesoilstaysinthebag.You’llneedtoworkallofthatwaterintothesoilwithyourhandsmakingsurethattherearenodryspots.Ifyou indanareathatneedsmorewater,goaheadandaddmore,massagingitin.Mostnutrientsaredeliveredtoplantrootsby lowingthroughwaterandwewanttomakesurethatwe’resupportingthisdelivery

waterandwewanttomakesurethatwe’resupportingthisdeliverybecause,justlikeus,ourplantsneednutrientstobehealthy.So,therearetwomainreasonsthatstartingwiththoroughlymoistenedsoilisareallygoodthing:#1isthatplantrootsnaturallywanttoseekoutnutrients,andthemoretheygrowandspreadintheirsearchfornutrients,thestrongertheentireplantwillbe.Havingahealthyanddevelopedrootsystemmeansthatyourplantswillhavebetteroddsatfendingoffpestsanddiseaseanddealingwithotherstressfulsituationsthatmaycomeup,liketemperatureswingsandevenfuturedryspells.Thesecondreasonthatwewanttopre-wateroursoilisthatwe’llbeplantingteeny,tinyseedsandpouringwaterdirectlyondrysoilisagoodwaytojustwashthoseseedsaway.Pre-moistenedsoilabsorbswatermorereadilyandwillhelpourseedstostayput!

Weliketosprinklekaleseedsontopofthesoil,kindoflikeI’msprinklingshreddedcheeseontopofapizza.Trytospreadthemallover,asevenlyaspossibleandwhenyou’veinished,gentlyrubthemintothesoil.WhenLizwasplantingher irstsoilbaggarden,thebiggestquestionshehadwasabouthowtogettheseedsoutofthepacket!Shedidn’tlikethattheseedsspilledoutsoeasilyandwasafraidshemightlosethemall.So,Jennyhadhermakeastrongcreaseinherseedpacksothatshecouldthentapthemoutonebyone.Anothertrick,ifyouneedalotofcontrolwhenworkingwithsmallseeds,istodipapenciltipinwateranduseittopickuptheseedsonebyone.

Butnotallseedsaresmalllikekale,andyoumightstartofyourLeafyGreensgardenwithanotheroneoftheseedsinourpack.Themostgeneralruleisthatallseedsshouldbeplantedtoabout2or3timestheirthickness.Justpokeaholeandburytheseed–don’tworrytoomuchifyouthinkyouwenttoodeepornotdeepenough–theseedswillusually igureitout.

So,backtooursoilbag.Nextweneedtowaterourseeds.Iknowthatwealreadymadethesoilreallywet,butnowwewanttheareawheretheseedsaretobeevenwetter.Allofthiswaterwillhelptobreakapartthehardcasearoundtheseedsothatnutrientscanreachinsideandwakeupthelifeforce

seedsothatnutrientscanreachinsideandwakeupthelifeforcethatwilleventuallybecomeourplant.

Lastly,don’t’forgettolabelyoursoilbagwithwhatyouplantedandthedate.Thisinformationmightcomeinhandylaterandit’sjustagreathabit.Ok!Yourkaleplantsshouldsproutin4to7days,andthismostlydependsonthetemperatureofyoursoilandhowdeeplytheseedswereplanted.Whenevertheysproutistrulyjustperfect.You’llneedtokeepthemmoistduringthistime,sotrytocheckyoursoiltwiceaday,everymorningandeveryevening,especiallyduringhotweatherwhensoilcandryoutquickly.Oneeasywaytocheckformoistureistodothe ingertest.Just

Oneeasywaytocheckformoistureistodothe ingertest.Juststickyourindex ingerallthewaydownintothesoilandifit’snotwetthewholeway,addwater!Nextup,we’llgetintothedetailsabouthowtocareforyouplantssothattheycangrowintotrulyhealthyfoodforyourbody…

Itistimetodiscusscaringforyourgardenbymakingthingsasstress-freeaspossible.

Ofcourse,wealreadyknowhoweliminatingstressfromourownlivescanbringahighpay-offtoourownhealth.Thesameistrueforourplants.Bymakingsurethattheyhaveaccesstohighqualityfood,therightamountofwater,andarefreefromdangerouspests,wecanbecertainthatagoodnumberofvitaminsandmineralswill lowthroughthekaleplantandendupinitsleaves,becominganincrediblyvaluablefoodforus.Inhumanterms,I’mtalkingaboutsecuringsomeveryfamiliarbasicneeds–food,water&shelter.

First,let’stalkaboutfood.Whenwesetupoursoilbaggarden,weintentionallychoseahighqualitymixthatincludedtonsofnutrients.Nowweneedtomakesurethatourkaleplantsareabletoaccessthosenutrients.Hopefully,yourseedshavesprouted,andquitepossibly,they’vecomeinabittoothick.Ournexttaskisto‘thin’thesproutsout,sothatwecreateroomforeachrootsystemtodevelopandaccessitsfairshareofnutrients.Otherwise,we’lljustbegrowingatangledmassofroots,madeupofmoreplantsthanoursoilbagnutrientscansupport,whichmeanslowerqualitykaleatharvesttime.Theexciting lipsideofthis,isthatour irstthinningisalsoour irstharvestandbabykaleisdelicious!Tothinyourplants,identifythebest-lookingsproutwithinaone-inchareaastheonethatyou’dliketogrowtomaturity.Whileyoucouldjustpulltherootsstraightout,asIoftendowhenI’minahurry,ifyouwanttoaddthemtoyoursaladbowl,they’llstaymuchcleanerifyoucutthemjustabovethesoillinewithscissors.Byusingscissors,youalsowon’triskdisturbingtherootsoftheplantthatyouplantokeep.Wateristhesecondbasicneedwemustaddressandperhapsthemostcommonlyoverlooked.Withoutwater,orwithwaytoomuchwater,ourplantswillalwaysbeinastateofstressandwon’tbeabletothrive!

Let’squicklyreviewthewaterstrategythatwe’vealreadyputinplace.Soilbagssetupinhot,dryclimateswilldobestifthey’replacedinashallowtray illedwithextrawater,sothattheycandrinkthroughouttheday.Soilbaggardenslocatedincoolrainyspotsmightneedtobeelevatedontopofacratesothattheexcesswatercaneasilydrainout.Andlastly,don’tforgettousethe ingertesttwiceaday!Juststickyourwholeindex ingerintothebagandaddmorewaterifthesoildoesn’tfeelmoistallthewaydown.Nowwe’reatthethirdstep–shelter,whichwecanalsothinkofasprotection.

Becauseourplantscan’trunfromdanger,weneedtomakesurethatwe’recheckinginonthemtoseeiftheyneedourhelpdefendingthemselvesagainstpredators.Ofcourse,wedon’twanttoshareourkalewiththebugs,becauseweplantedthemforourownhealth!But,there’sanotherimportantreasonthatwedon’twantpestsonourkale!Becauseplantscan’tmove,oneoftheonlymethodstheyhavetoightoffpestsisbyreleasingchemicalcompoundsthatmakethemlessattractiveasfood.Thisusuallytranslatestobitternessonthehumantongue.That’swhythesweetestkaleisalwaysgrownbygardenerswhotrulycarefortheirplantsbytakingthetimetocarefullysearchforearlywarningsignsofpests.You’llbelookingforanythingweirdontheleaves-eggs,frass–alsoknownasbugpoop,andevencaterpillars.Wheneveryouseepests,gentlyremovethemwithyour ingers,asoftcloth,thebackofacreditcard–whateveryouhaveonhand,andthen,dothemin.Squashthem,puttheminajarofwater–justmakesurethatthey’reunabletoreturntoyourkaleplantstocontinuetheirfeedingfrenzy.Thereareotherpeststothinkofalso!Ifyoufeellikeyourgardenneedsextraprotectionfromneighborhoodcritters,yourbestbetistoelevatethesoilbagsothatnobodybutyoucangettoit!Okay,yourassignmentfromhereonoutistocontinueyourworkasastress-freegardener.Keepthinningyourplantseachweekastheygrowbiggerandclosertogether,continue inger-testingthesoilforwater,andcontinuecheckingforandremovinganypests.Nexttime,we’lltalkmoreaboutthebesttimesandwaystoharvestyourkaleforbothgreattasteandmaximumnutrition.

Areyoureadytoharvest?

Firstthough,let’stalkabouthowmuchyourkalemighthavegrownsincelasttime.ItreallyalldependsonhowfarawaythesunisfromyourpositiononplanetEarthrightnow,aswellasyouraveragesoiltemperatures.Oneofthebestthingsaboutoursweetlittlegardenhereisthatwecaneasilygrowadelicacy;tender,babykale,whichcanbehardtoindandpricey.Babykaleisgreatinsalads,lightlysteamedorquicklysauteed.Justharvestthesmallgreenswithscissors,rightabovethesoilline.

Butlet’smoveontoolderkale,incaseyoudecidetoletyourskeepgrowingforanothermonthormore.Toharvest,youcantry irmlysnappingaleafoffatthestalk.Amorereliablemethodistosnipwithscissors,ortomakeasafecutwithasharpknife.

Maturekalecanbetough,sothereacoupleofthingstoknowifyou’dliketouseitinarecipe.Firstoff,you’llalmostalwayswanttoremovetherib.Justtrimtheleavesrightclosetothestalk.Forsalads,ribbonscanbemadebystackingandslicingthede-ribbedleaves.

Massagethekale,justasitiswithyour ingers.Foraboutoneminute–longerfortightly,curledvarieties.Ifyou’replanningtomakeavinaigretteforyoursalad,youcanaddtheoilandsalttohelpspeedupthemassaging.Braisingreliesonbothheatandlotsofmoisturetobreakdowntough& ibrousfoods.Alwayspicktheshallowestliddedpanthatyourkalewill itinto,sothatallthecondensationthatformsonthelid,willdriprightontopofthegreens.Here’showabasicbraisewouldgodown,overmediumheat.Heatsomeoliveoil,aromaticsandseasoningsinyourpan.Addyourkale,eitherwholeleavesortorn,andabout¼theirvolumeinliquid.Cook&tossforseveralminutes,thencover&cookforseveralmore.Righttowardstheend,addasplashofvinegar.Enjoy!

Sharewithusyourhomegarden!WeareonFacebookandInstagramWhetherabigorsmallgardenwewouldLOVEtoseeit.BelowisapictureofLiz’s irstsoilbaggardenwhenshewasinNewZealandinJanuary2015.SheplantedSpinach,LettuceandKale!

Wanttolearnmore?AccessourFREE4-partVideoSerieswherewetalkyouthrougheachstep.

NeedMoreSeedsandSupplies?VisitourStoreatwww.wholehealthgardening.com/usaConnectwithus:InstagramoronFacebookWholeHealthGardeningPDFGardeningGuideiscopyrighted©2016byWholeHealthGardening.Allrightsreserved.