Get Free Trees

Lowes is giving away a million trees to celebrate Earth Day.  Visit your local Lowes on April 23rd to get your free tree.  While supplies last.

Free Online Square Foot Gardening Tool

Gardener's Supply Company has a free online garden planning tool on their website.  It allows you to create and customize garden plans.   You can set the dimensions of your garden bed, drag and drop herbs, vegetables and fruits into each square foot.  The program even recommends how many of each herb, vegetable or fruit to plant in a square foot.  Planting care instructions for each plant you select are displayed below your garden layout.  You can name your garden plan, save it, print it or even email it.  You can also create several garden layouts, and then load them to the site map tool to arrange the garden beds in your overall space.  For those of you who do not want to design your own garden layouts, their website also offers a section of free pre-planned garden layouts.  This is a neat tool and worth checking out!

The Dinner Garden Gives Away Free Seeds

http://www.dinnergarden.org/

About The Dinner Garden
This organization's mission is to stop hunger in the United States.  They provide people in the U.S. with a packet of free seeds to start a vegetable garden of their own.  Their website also has information on battling pests, how to make inexpensive green houses, techniques on saving seeds, planting guides, recipes and more.

Free Dinner Garden Seed Packet
The Dinner Garden will mail you free seeds by filling out and submitting a request on their website.

Donations
This is a great cause, and any amount you wish to donate goes really far here.  For example, "$1.72 provides 10 different types of vegetable seeds for one family to grow a full garden."  That is a lot of bang for a couple of bucks.  Click here to discover the several ways you can support this cause.

Grow Avocados The Easy Way

Anyone can germinate avocados from seed!  Forget the toothpick method.  You do not even need any soil.  Just wash away the flesh from the avocado pits, and wrap the pits in a damp paper towel.  Then place the wrapped pits in a plastic bag.  I used a snack bag (See Photo 1).  After you seal the bag, place the bag in a warm, dark place.  I placed my bag on top of my refrigerator.  Now just ignore it for a few weeks.  It will take about two to four weeks for your pits to sprout (See Photo 2).  

  

Photo 1: Avocado pits have been cleaned, wrapped in a damp paper towel, and sealed in a snack bag.

  

Photo 2: Both avocado pits have germinated

Going Native Garden Tour 2010

Registration for Going Native Garden Tour 2010 is open. This is a free tour of native gardens in Santa Clara Valley & Peninsula and San Francisco Bay Area. It will be held on Sunday, April 18, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Registration will close on Sun, April 18, 2010, 3:00pm or when the tour reaches capacity, whichever comes first. The tour materials will be available on Sun, April 4, 2010, 9:01pm. To register click here or visit their site at http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/.

Free Tomato Seeds

Wintersown.org is giving away your choice of 6 packs of heirloom tomato seeds for free. All packets are a minimum of 6 seeds each. All you have to do is to fill out their form, and mail in a #10 long envelope with two first class stamps.

Here is a list of tomato seeds available:

All tomatoes are OPs. (unless noted otherwise)

Ace 55 ~ Globe-shaped, red fruits up to a half pound, very reliable and tasty, described as low-acid, DET, 75 DTM

Amana Orange ~ Tasty orange beefsteak from Amana, Iowa, pretty, most about a half pound, IND, 90 DTM

Amish Paste ~ Productive cropper makes loads of plum-shaped fruits, most about 8 ounces, IND, 75 DTM

Arkansas Traveler ~ Delicious pink tomatoes about 8 oz., good cropper for hot and humid climates, IND, 85 DTM

Baby Beefsteak ~ Small red fruits shaped like beefsteaks, are much more juicy, about 1 - 2 oz., good cropper, IND, 75 DTM

Banjan Roomii ~ Red beefsteak from Afghanistan, most about a half pound, very nice flavor, IND, 85+ DTM

Beefsteak ~ Meaty red fruits usually over a pound, classic and traditional, it's what Mom grew, IND, 80 DTM

Big Dave's Red Blend ~ A wonderful assortment of red types, lots of different shapes and sizes, all so yum. includes DETs and INDs, 65 - 85+ DTM

Black Cherry ~ Clusters of plum-brown fruits, 1" across, delicious, IND, 65+ DTM

Black Krim ~ Mahogany-brown fruits with green shoulders, have green gel around seeds, delicious, IND, 75+ DTM

Black Prince ~ Dark brick-toned fruits about 2 - 3 ounces each, very productive, quite yum, IND, 72+ DTM

Bonny Best ~ This great classic tomato makes delicious red fruits, about 8 ounces, IND, 72 DTM

Bradley ~ Makes loads of 10 ounce red fruits, fine for fresh eating and nice canning type too, Semi-DET, about 80 DTM

Brandywine Yellow ~ Golden-yellow tomatoes weighing up to a pound, very delicious and pretty too, IND, 80 - 90 DTM

Burbank Red Slicing ~ Hisorical tomato developed by Luther Burbank circa 1915, loads of yum red fruits, DET, 70, DTM

Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid ~ Pretty, bright red beefsteaks usually over a pound, IND, about 78 DTM (These seeds were dear to obtain. We ask your understanding in that we can only share this remarkable hybrid with SASEs that include a donation.)

Campari OP ~ Delicious small red fruits, large vines, excellent cropper, IND, about 80 DTM

Caspian Pink ~ Simply delicious beefsteak, usually 12 ounces or more, IND, 80+ DTM

Celebrity ~ Tasty red fruits weigh up to a half pound each, good cropper, disease resistant, DET, 72 DTM

Cherokee Purple ~ Deep, dark rose-tone beefsteak, known for great flavor, most fruits over a half pound, IND, about 80 DTM

Chico III ~ Plum-shaped paste, red fruits about three ounces, excellent cropper and disease resistant too, DET, 70 DTM

Chocolate Cherry ~ Clusters of maroon-brown fruits, about an inch across, IND 70 DTM

Chudo Rinka ~ Ukrainian tomato sets plenty of yum red clusters, versatile, good fresh or cooked, DET, 75+ DTM

Cold Set ~ Canadian saladette has red fruits up to four ounces, fast and early, DET, about 65 DTM

Coyote ~ Pretty yellow cherry tomato is prolific and delicious, IND, 75 DTM

Delicious ~ Holds world record for size but red fruits usually weigh about a pound, nice for salads and BLTs, IND, 78 DTM

Dr. Carolyn ~ Abundant cherry tomato, nice for snacking, paler form of Galinas, IND, about 75 DTM

Dr. Wyche's Yellow ~ Delicious golden-yellow beefsteaks, most weighing over a half-pound, large plants, IND, 80 DTM

Early Girl ~ Well known variety for short-season gardens, fine tasting red tomatos, most about 4 - 5 ounces, IND, 62+ DTM

Early Kus Ali ~ Clusters of mostly three-inch red fruits are delicious fresh or cooked, reliable cropper is great for sauce, IND, 70+ DTM

Flame ~ BiColor fruits are yellow to gold with pink to red streaks, yum and pretty, can weigh over a pound, IND 85 DTM

Fuzzy Peach ~ Golden-yellow fruits are blushed pink with soft fuzzy skin, about 2 oz, IND, 75+ DTM

Garden Peach ~ Pale-yellow tomato develops rosy tinge as it ripens, has fuzzy skin too, yum curiosity, 3 - 5 ounces, IND, 80 - 90 DTM

German Johnson ~ Virginia heirloom makes large deep pink beefsteaks, yum and pretty, IND, about 80 DTM

Gartenperle ~ Dwarf plants, loads of small red, tangy cherries, novelty for patio containers and baskers, DET, 75+ DTM

Giant Belgium ~ Deep pink fruits can weigh nearly two pounds, meaty tomatoes have excellent flavor, IND, 68+ DTM

Giant Oxheart ~ Large red oxheart, often over a pound, very tasty and sweet, IND, 90 DTM

Goji Faranji ~ Iranian ruffled red beefsteak, about 6 - 8 ounces, a bit tangy and so yum, 85+ DTM

Golden Delcious ~ The name says it all. Golden beefsteaks can weigh up to a pound or more, IND, 80+ DTM

Golden Jubilee ~ Wonderful variety grown for decades, 3" yellow-orange globes, delicious, IND, 70 DTM

Granny Bradley ~ Pink heirloom has fruits about 3" - 4" acrossm fine flavor for slicing or salad, IND, 78+ DTM

Great White ~ Creamy-white beefsteak is both beautiful and delicious, IND, 85 DTM

Green Grape ~ Heavy croppers have yellow-green fruits about 3/4" long, great flavor, DET, about 70 DTM

Green Zebra ~ Pretty, 3 ounce fruits ripen to light green with dark green streaking, very tasty, IND, 78 DTM

Gregory's Altai ~ Delicious red fruits crop early and abundantly, IND, 67 DTM

Heinz 1439 ~ Makes tasty 6 oz. red fruits, excellent cropper, good for sauce and salad too, reliable canner, DET, 80 DTM

Hillbilly ~ Beautiful fruits are yellow-orange with pink to red streaking, can weigh a pound or more, IND, 85 DTM

Homestead ~ Floridian tomato developed for hot southern climates, good cropper, DET, 60 - 70+ DTM

Hong Yuen ~ Clusters of two inch red maters, consistant size for whole canning, yum for salad and sauce too, IND, 75+ DTM

Huang Se Chieh 'Gold' ~ 2 - 3 inch yellow fruits with golden skin, has rosey blush when fully ripe, tastes yum, good for salad or sauce, IND, 80+ DTM

Huang Se Chieh 'Moon Yellow' ~ Same fine taste as Huang Se Chieh 'Gold', has clear skin and very pale yellow fruits, IND, 80+ DTM

Isis Candy ~ Warm yellow cherries are uniquely marbled with a red blush to full streaks, lovely and delicious, IND, 80 DTM

Isis Candy Cross ~ Colorful, has large cherries up to 1.5" across, unusual dirty-orange hue, quite tasty, fruits could differ a bit but all are yum, IND, about 70 DTM

Italian Market Wonder ~ Disease resistant, beautiful red variety has great taste, nice fresh or cooked, IND, 75 DTM

Jeff's Mystery Pink Oxheart ~ Delicious pink hearts, medium to large fruits, IND, about 90 DTM

Juliet Grape ~ Large plants with loads of sweet, oval cherries, great for salad or snacking, IND, about 70 DTM

Large Red Cherry ~ Bigger cherries, about an inch across, sweet with a touch of tang, IND, 75+ DTM

Liz Birt ~ Brandywine-type tomato honors late autism pioneer, IND, 70 - 75 DTM

Luther Burbank's WonderBerries ~ Solanum x burbankii,Historic, garden huckleberry makes small deep blue berries on short plants, best used for pies or jam, DET about 85 DTM

Manitoba ~ Favorite for short seasons, produces loads of good tasting red fruits, 4 - 6 ounces each, DET, about 70 DTM

Marglobe ~ Great flavor from yesteryear, this fine cropper deserves a spot in every garden, red 6 - 7 ounce globes, DET, 75 DTM

Marion ~ Red and round Rutgers-type, good flavor and disease resitance too, weighs about 8 ounces, IND, 75 DTM

Mister Stripey ~ Loads of red fruits with gold stripes, early, lovely in salads, tangy and delicious, IND, about 60 DTM

MoneyMaker ~ Good cropper for hot and humid regions, has quite tasty red fruits, most about 4 ounces, IND, 75+ DTM

Murray Smith ~ Large red fruits developed by Dr. Howard Brown of Cal Poly, named for his friend Professor Murray Smith, IND, about 70 - 80 DTM

New Yorker ~ Great old favorite crops well in short seasons, classic round and red fruits about 4 ounces, DET, 66 DTM

Old German ~ Mennonite tomato has gold and yellow fruits with red and pink streaks, yum and pretty, IND, about 85 DTM

Oxheart ~ Heart-shaped pink tomatoes grow up to a pound, excellent flavor, IND, 80 DTM

Peiping Chieh ~ 2 to 3 inch red fruits, fine sliced or makes yum sauce, good cropper, 75+ DTM

Persey ~ Moldavian red tomato, flavorful, about 2 - 4 ounces each, good cropper, DET, 60 - 70 DTM

Pink Brandywine ~ Deep pink fruits, often over a pound, heirloom, well known for great flavor, IND, 80 - 90 DTM

Plum Lemon ~ Russian variety has yellow, lemon-shaped fruits, delicious and so pretty, nice for salads, IND, 75+ DTM

Ponderosa Pink ~ Old variety, large rosey-pink beefsteaks weigh up to a pound, yumyum, IND, 80 DTM

Ponderosa Red ~ Dark red beefsteaks weigh up to a pound, delicious classic grown and loved for decades, IND, 80 DTM

Powers Heirloom ~ Pale yellow fruits are sweet and fruity, this paste-type is nice for sauce or salad, IND, 75+ DTM

Pruden's Purple ~ Deep pink beefsteaks are quite yummy, sets fruit earlier than similar types, IND, 75+ DTM

Ramapo F1 Hybrid ~ Large plants have red fruits about 8 to 14 oz. each, great flavor, may be the original "Jersey Tomato", IND, 80+ DTM. (These seeds were dear to obtain. We ask your understanding in that we can only share this remarkable hybrid with SASEs that include a donation.)

Red Beef ~ Red beefsteak can weigh a pound or more, good for slicing and salads, very yum, IND, about 80 DTM

Red Brandywine ~ Red-fruited Brandywine strain, weighs 8 - 12 ounces, delicious for salad or slicing, IND, 85 DTM

Red Pear ~ Loads of small, pear-shaped cherries, yummy garden snacker, cute in salads, IND, 78 DTM

Red Thunder ~ Tasty red fruits about 2 - 4 ounces each, IND, reliable cropper, 70 - 80 DTM

Riesenstraube ~ German name means 'bunch of grapes', red cherry tomato with pointed ends, yum, IND, about 80 DTM

Rio Fuego ~ Blocky red paste is known for high sugar content, makes great sauce, excellent for salad too, DET, 75+ DTM

Rhoades Heirloom ~ Large bi-color orange and red fruits, weighing a pound or more, pretty and fine tasting, IND, 70 - 80 DTM

Roma Paste ~ Classic red paste tomato, good fresh or cooked, IND, 75 - 80 DTM

Russian Persimmon ~ Yellowy-Orange fruits about 3" - 4" across, great flavor, good cropper, DET, 70 - 80 DTM

Rutgers ~ Red fruits weigh about 6 ounces, well known reliable cropper, DET, 75 DTM

Saint Pierre ~ Old French variety makes large red fruits about 3" across, reliable and tasty, IND, 78+ DTM

San Marzano ~ Loads of long, meaty red pastes, excellent for canning or sauce, IND, 80 DTM

Sheyenne ~ Red round fruits crop early with abundance, quite tasty, rarely offered in catalogues, DET, 70 DTM

Siberian ~ Extra-early Russian variety produces 2" - 3" red fruits on small plants, nice for fast tomatoes, DET, 57+ DTM

Skorospelska ~ Red tomato from Eastern Europe is excellent for canning or slicing; crops in two waves. NICE! DET, about 70 DTM

Slavianskii Shedevr ~ Russian origin, red fruits about 8 - 12 ounces each, IND, 70 - 80 DTM

Small Red Cherry ~ Classic, red cherries are delicious and plentiful, IND, 75+ DTM

Speckled Siberian ~ Oblate Russian variety produces red fruits with gold-flecked skin, about 2 - 4 ounces each, IND,
70 - 80 DTM

Super Marmande ~ French heirloom has delicious red fruits weighing about 6 - 7 ounces, fine cropper, IND, 70 DTM

Sugar Lump ~ Delicious cherry tomato, exellent cropper, this variety is also known as 'Gardener's Delight', IND, 72+ DTM

SunMaster ~ Beautiful red fruits, excellent cropper for hot summer regions, disease resistance too, DET, 75+ DTM

SuperSteak ~ Grows huge red beefsteaks, most over a pound, good cropper with disease resistance too, IND, about 80 DTM

Super Sioux ~ 4 - 6 oz red globes, said to be reliable for hot gardens, IND, 70 - 80 DTM

Tamina ~ Extra-early, small red fruits are very tasty, excellent choice for short-season gardens, good cropper, IND, 70 DTM

Tennessee Surprise ~ Large golden fruits have blushing bottoms ;-) IND, 78 DTM

The 'Blend' ~ WinterSown's own fun and fascinating mix of assorted sizes, shapes and colors--there is something for everyone! Plenty of seeds, DET to IND, no dwarf-types, most about 70 - 90 DTM

Tigerella ~ Sunset red fruits are streaked with golden yellow, great cropper has loads of lovely salad-size tomatoes, IND, about 80 DTM

Tomatillo, Purple ~ Husk tomato has yum fruits which ripen to purple, harvest when fruits begin to split their husks, can be cooked or eaten fresh, IND, 75+ DTM

Tomatillo, Verde ~ Husk tomato important for Mexican cuisine, harvest when fruits begin to split their husks, excellent for Salsa Verde, IND, 65+ DTM

Tommy Toes ~ Healthy plants make red cherries, about an inch across, excellent cropper too, IND, about 70 DTM

Tondina Maramenno ~ Beautiful red, Italian variety, excellent cropper, clusters of fruits weighing 4 - 6 ounces each, DET, about 60 DTM

Toni's Terrific Tomatoes ~ OP blend of classic slicers and cherries for early to mid-season gardens, includes: Alicante, Better Boy, Bonnie Original, Early Girl, Large Red Cherrie, Sweet Baby Girl, and Sweet 100, IND, about 58 - 75 DTM

Van Wert Ohio ~ Delicious and vigorous heirloom produces many red 4 - 8 ounce fruits, IND, 70 - 80 DTM

Vera Pepper Tomato ~ Novelty cariety of pepper-shaped tomatoes are great for stuffing, yummy filled with tuna or macaroni salad, IND, 75+ DTM

Volvograd ~ Volga region variety has red fruits about 4 - 8 ounce each, DET, 70 - 80 DTM

Wild Card ~ Will be a tomato variety not on this list. It could be a classic old-time favorite, or it could be something rare ;-)

Willamette ~ Medium-sized red, developed by Oregon State University is well suited for cooler climates, DET, 70 - 80 DTM

Yellow Jubilee ~ A yellow form of Golden Jubilee has lemon-yellow orbs, very attractive and tasy, IND, 80 DTM

Yellow Pear ~ Miniature pear-shaped tomatoes on large plants, mild tasting, abundant cropper, favorite of children, IND, 70 - 80 DTM

Free Herb Seed Packet

http://herbgardens.about.com/b/2008/11/18/free-herb-seed-packet-printable.htm

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Events

Public Plant Sale:
Saturday, April 26th, 2008 (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
UC Berkeley's Botanical Garden is having a Public Sale Saturday April 26th, 2008, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

Free Plant Clinic:
Saturday, May 3rd (9 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
Free plant clinic. Find out which diseases ail your plants. Entomologists are also available to identify the pests that are living in your plants too! Please bring cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden.

Native Plant Sale:
Saturday, May 3rd - Sunday, May 4th
On the weekend of May 3rd and 4th in cooperation with the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour (www.bringingbackthenatives.net) UC Botanical Gardens will also release a special selection of native plants for their native plant sale extravaganza. Their native plant propagators and California area horticulturist Ken Bates will be on hand to answer questions.

Bug Exhibit:
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - Thursday, May 15, 2008 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Walk through the Garden to see a variety of original sculptures by local artist Patrick E, including antlion larvae, a dragonfly, the golden orb weaver spider Argiope and a scattering of ladybugs along with a special new giant insectivorous insect member of the Garden.
The Bug Exhibit is free with Garden Admission.

Going Native Garden Tour 2008

Sign-up now to take a free tour of native California gardens in Santa Clara Valley, the Peninsula, and San Francisco Bay Area. Make sure you confirm your registration by clicking on the email they send you within 3 days of registering.

The tour will take place on Sunday, April 20, 2008 from 10am to 4pm.

To take a sneak peek at some of the gardens included in this year's tour visit http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/gardens/gardenindex08.php.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/

Gardening in Winter

Free Seeds from wintersown.org

Who says you have to wait until spring to start gardening? You can successfully germinate seeds throughout the winter both indoors and outdoors.

• Indoors - You can easily start seedlings indoors if you have a sunny windowsill in your apartment. See Blog Post Dixie Cup Seedling Starter for more information on inexpensive seedling starters.

• Outdoors - You can sow seeds directly outdoors and encourage germination by using a green house method. See Blog Post Homemade Greenhouse: Germinate Seeds Easily Outdoors to learn how to make a green house with materials you already have at home.
  

Visit wintersown.org for more information about sowing in the winter. Trudi Davidoff has an informative essay on selecting seeds for winter sowing and recycling materials into seed flats.

Free Garden Diary

What is a Garden Diary or Garden Journal?
A garden diary is a book where you can write down your thoughts and observations of your garden. In my garden journal, I track the progress of my plants, and I keep a detailed account of my gardening experiments. I make note of signs of distress (e.g., disease, pests, etc.), treatment and solutions to plant problems, response to certain water/light conditions, plant pairings, first blooms, fruit sizes, etc.

Download Your Free Garden Diary.
You can transform a 3-ring binder into a personalized Garden Diary by slipping one of the Cover Pages I provided you (or you can use one of your own) into the plastic sleeve on the front of the binder. I designed the diary pages so that you can easily update your garden journal. Just simply print pages as you need them and slip them in the appropriate place in the binder.

If you're thinking about making this as a gift or would just like to liven up your own book, you can:
(1) Print the journal pages on colored paper or 8.5" x 11" stationary sheets that are sold at craft stores, or
(2) Create a "book" by (a) printing the cover on thick craft paper or print the cover on thick photo paper, and (b) use a 3-ring hole puncher to punch holes in all papers and cover page, bind pages together with brads, and then cover brads with a pretty ribbon.

To get your Free Garden Diary, download the files by clicking on the links below.

• Cover (Option 1).pdf
• Cover (Option 2).pdf
• Plant ID (With Photo Insert Option).pdf
• Plant ID (No Photo Insert Option).pdf
• Journal Log (Date Format: dd/mm/yyyy).pdf
• Journal Log (Date Format: __________).pdf
• Summary of Problems & Remedies.pdf

If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download a Free Acrobat Viewer here.

Get Free Seeds

~Free Milkweed Seeds to Save the Monarch Butterflies
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for Butterfly Seeds to:

Live Monarch Foundation – Seeds 3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015 Boca Raton, Florida 33434

For more information visit: http://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm


~6 Packets of Seeds to Winter Sow for Free
Send a self-addressed #10 business-sized envelope with two first-class stamps for postage to:

WinterSown.Org Six Pack 1989 School Street East Meadow, NY 11554

For more information visit: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Free_Seeds.html


~Free Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes
Send a self-addressed #10 business-sized envelope with two first-class stamps for postage to:

WinterSown.Org Tomato SASE 1989 School Street East Meadow, NY 11554

For more information visit: http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_SASE.html


~Free Poppy and Shasta Seeds
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with two first-class stamps along with your 1st and 2nd choice to:

Free Seed Offer P.O. Box 31342 Walnut Creek, CA 94598

For more information visit: http://biblicalgardens.org/


~Free Wild Flower Seeds to Save the Bees
Visit Burt’s Bees and fill out the online request form to receive your free seeds.


~Free Four-o’clock Seeds to Show Support for Cancer Survivors
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Four-o'clocks Around the World P.O. Box 8931 Metairie, Louisiana 70011-8931

For more information visit: http://www.symbolofhope.com/


~Free Flower Seeds (e.g., cosmos, bachelors buttons, marigold, etc.)
Supplies are limited, and are given on a first come, first served basis. There is a limit of 1 order of 10 seeds per mailing address per year. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Free Flower Seed c/o DataWorkZ.com P.O. Box 394 Robbinsville, NC 28771

For more information visit: http://www.freeflowerseed.com/