全年增长指南 - 二月

当我们离开一月份的寒意时，日子开始延长。朝春分移动，现在许多美国区域都有足够的每日阳光来开始农作物，而无需使用补充照明。2月标志着大约10个小时的日光回报，是开始全年增长计划的好时机。这个月，我们开始种植土豆和鼠尾草 - 不涉及种子！

土豆可以在户外开始封面or indoors incontainerssoon. Potatoes like full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. To prepare for outdoor potato planting, you’ll want to ready your garden plot by digging the site thoroughly and incorporating plenty of well-rotted organic matter and high-potash fertilizer. A slightly acidic soil is best but not essential; potatoes can thrive in a wide range of soils. If your soil is more alkaline, a light application of sulfur will help establish healthy plants.

对于室内种植，您需要选择和订购容器。每种植物将需要10升或仅2.5加仑才能生长。标准的家用垃圾桶大小的容器可以容纳四个植物，并且有各种尺寸的长大袋子也很方便。无论您使用哪种容器，请确保有足够的排水孔，以使多余的水自由排水。

As important as the container, choose what type potato to grow. First and second early varieties are best for container growing, and harvest before most diseases can take hold. Salad potatoes, ‘Charlotte’, ‘Lady Christl,’ ‘Rocket,’ and nutty-flavored ‘Anya’ are great selections that do well both in and out of the ground.

如何碎土豆

对于早期的马铃薯作物，我们建议用种子土豆挑剔。从种植土豆开始，然后发芽以播种，以鼓励启动。将它们放入浅容器中，例如鸡蛋纸箱或种子托盘，钝的窗户最终放在一个凉爽明亮的窗户中。一些不断增长的指南建议在室温下在黑暗的地方叮咬，但是我们发现，当有更多的光线且温度不高时，发芽较厚。

当芽接近半英寸的长度时，将您的土豆切成至少1个厚，坚固的芽（最好是两个）的块，然后将其放在架子上以治愈和干燥。一旦皮肤在切割零件上形成，通常在3到4天内，就可以种植土豆。

Growing Potatoes Outdoors

Once your chitting process is complete, you’ll be ready to plant outdoors or in containers. Potatoes prefer fertile, loose, well-drained soil at a soil pH of 5.2-6.0.

对于在户外种马的土豆，请挖一个4英寸的深度沟，然后将芽的斑点向上放置。填充沟渠，并按照上面的建议施肥。

为了保护年轻的土豆免受霜冻的侵蚀，后者会变黑芽，一旦茎出现在地面上方，就会用土壤恢复。当茎达到约5英寸的高度时，再次在它们上面堆满了更多的污垢，以阻止土壤表面附近的块茎变绿色。这称为山坡，有助于防止阳光到达块茎。早晨，当植物处于最高状态时，山丘将有助于支撑植物，并防止您种植的土豆被晒伤。块茎上的阳光使它们变成绿色，并产生一种称为茄氨酸的化学物质，这种化学物质是苦涩而有毒的。

在容器中种土豆

A deep container是全年种土豆的理想选择，尤其是早期的马铃薯品种。通过添加一些材料，例如锅，破碎的砖或陶瓷，甚至聚苯乙烯，然后在您的容器中添加一些材料，然后填充约4英寸的土壤或中等。标准多功能盆栽土壤效果很好，但可能很昂贵。从您的花园中的土壤混合，盆栽混合物和堆肥将节省金钱并扩展您的资源。

Space your seed potatoes, with sprouts upright, evenly in the container. Cover with 4 inches more if soil mix, and begin to tend as you would outdoor potato plants. As the shoots grow, continue to add layers of potting medium to shield tubers from the sun.

Watering Potato Plants

Unless there’s plenty of rain, outdoor potatoes will need to be watered well while tubers are developing. An even amount of moisture is important. Too much water right after planting and not enough as the potatoes begin to form, can result in misshapen tubers. From the time when sprouts appear until several weeks after they blossom, the plants will need approximately 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Irrigate thoroughly when needed, allow the soil to dry out somewhat before watering again.

在容器中种植土豆也需要浇水的时间表。虽然室外植物可以追逐有价值的土壤水分，但它们的容器植物取决于您的护理。看到植物生长时，尤其是叶子填满后，尤其是一旦浇水。积极生长的植物在生长期间也将受益于液体养分。我们喜欢有机肥料，例如海藻提取物。

土豆的健康益处

Potatoes are a healthy diet staple, in spite of current trends towards low-carb eating. They contain dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals which support immunity, lower inflammation, and help maintain bones.

Potatoes are rich in iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. These aid in building and maintaining bone structure and strength. Iron and zinc also play crucial roles in the production and maturation of collagen.

Potassium, calcium, and magnesium are also found in potatoes. These are key to decreasing blood pressure. Potassium encourages vasodilation, or widening of the blood vessels. The potatoes’ significant fiber content helps lower the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. Vitamin C and vitamin B6 content also help decrease the risk of heart disease.
Antioxidants, choline, and folate are also present in potatoes, and affect the body’s DNA repairing abilities, muscle movement, mood, learning, memory, and nerve impulse transmission.

How to Grow Sage

Both of our suggestions for this week’s year-round growing plan are best not grown from seed. Sage can take over a year to establish from seed, so we instead suggest propagation by layering or cutting from a mother plant.

要使圣人分层，您需要成熟的植物。将侧面弯曲到土壤上，然后用景观钉书钉固定，使空气循环。该分支将很快发展起来，并可以从母亲切断到移植。

要从切割中生长出鼠尾草，请使用一个积极生长的分支。切开一块距尖端3至4英寸的一块，然后从叶子上剥离。将您的切割插入生长培养基，，，，and keep the cuttings moist. You’ll have established roots when your cuttings start to develop new leaves.

扎根时，将鼠尾草植入户外阳光下，或者在最阳光的容器位置。在排水良好的土壤中种植。鼠尾草无法忍受坐在潮湿的土壤中，因此土壤类型非常重要。年轻的植物经常浇水，直到完全种植。他们需要一致的水分供应，直到开始迅速增长。土壤温度应在60º至70ºF之间。

鼠尾草伴侣与迷迭香，卷心菜和胡萝卜息息相关，但使鼠尾草远离黄瓜。

圣人的健康益处

鼠尾草是许多具有极高抗氧化能力和抗炎，抗真菌和抗菌作用的草药之一。最近的研究还表明，SAGE可以积极影响认知能力，改善记忆力并预防神经系统疾病。

Sage may reduce the amount of glucose in the blood. A3个月研究of diabetes patients with high cholesterol had the results of lower fasting glucose, lower average glucose levels, and lower total cholesterol, triglyceride, and levels of harmful cholesterol. However, the participants had increased levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol.

研究人员还对80名2型糖尿病控制不良的人进行了双盲临床试验。这项试验发现，鼠尾草对血糖水平产生了积极影响，并表明鼠尾草叶可能具有抗血糖和脂质 - 培养基改良作用。

最后，鼠尾草和其他美味的草药是调味健康饭菜的一种简单方法。通过用新鲜的草药代替盐，您可以轻松地选择降低钠摄入量的生活方式。全年种植新鲜食品将使您获得最新鲜的草药和成分。这使健康的生活选择比以往任何时候都更加容易。

促进您的生长季节

Spring is coming soon! Now’s the time to stock up on supplies for spring and summer. Gothic Arch Greenhouses is ready to help, with ground cover, containers, shade cloth, irrigation, benching, and of course, greenhouses for growers of every sort. Give us a call today if we can help you get ready for this growing season, 1-800-531-4769. Happy growing!