Study Hall
Save Time And Money: Reuse Your Drip Tape
If you plan on having a year-round garden like we do here at HOSS, drip irrigation is the obvious solution in your vegetable garden. But what happens to your drip tape after you've harvested your crops? Spending the money and time replacing your drip tape is not only costly but wastes hours that could be spent in the garden...
Top 7 Cover Crops To Plant In The Summer
As many gardeners know, crop rotation is important for having healthy soil in your vegetable garden. For example, if one season you plant tomatoes, you don’t want to follow it up the next season with tomatoes because the soil will be missing the specific nutrients those tomatoes need because the previous crop has already...
How Much Food To Grow & Preserve For A Family Of 4
Planning is a vital part of growing enough food to feed your family. Preparing for the unexpected like food shortages, rising prices, and supply chain issues will ensure that even in the worst of times, you have what you need to thrive. While a lot of gardeners prefer to eat their crops fresh, preserving either a portion...
Maximize Your Garden Space | Vertical & Container Gardening
There is a common misconception that you need to have acres of land to be able to be successful growing your own food for you and your family. But what happens if you live in an apartment, only have a back porch, or just a small window ledge? Or what if your dedicated garden is already full of rows and rows of vegetables and...
Top 5 Reasons To Plant Flowers In Your Vegetable Garden
The first and arguably most important reason to plant flowers in your vegetable garden is to attract pollinators. A pollinator is an insect or animal that carries pollen from male plants to female plants to aid in fertilization. These critters are attracted to the flowers in your garden and will subsequently help to pollinate your...
An Easy Choice: Bare Root vs. Strawberry Plant Plug
So you want to grow strawberries in your garden. That's great news but we know that deciding the best way to start can be overwhelming. Fear not, HOSS Study Hall is here to help. The two methods we explored were starting with a strawberry plant plug and bare root plant. Lucky for you, we've done our research...
Growing Potatoes in a Root Pouch Bag
In recent years, the popularity of container gardening has skyrocketed, and for good reason. Container gardening can provide flexibility, convenience, and the opportunity to grow plants in areas where traditional gardening is impractical. Root Pouch Grow Bags take this concept to the next level...
Removing Silks from Sweet Corn in the Garden
The best time to plant sweet corn is during the spring after the last frost date has happened. When it comes to planting sweet corn or any kind of corn variety it should be planted in blocks or squares for better pollination. Planting in blocks instead of long rows ensures that once the crop starts tasselling the wind...
Using the High Arch Wheel Hoe to Hill Corn
Some of the important reasons we like to hill corn is for weed control, to prop the corn up, and to create more brace roots at the bottom of the plant. Greg doesn't like to use any herbicides on his corn, therefore small weeds will begin to pop up around the corn plants which is not good. To gain weed control...
Tomato Trellising with the Florida Weave Technique
When it comes to trellising tomato plants there are many advantages that improve the overall health of these plants. The easiest Florida weave trellis technique is used for determinate tomatoes, while tomato cages are typically used for indeterminate tomatoes in the vegetable garden. We use the...
Everything You Need to Know for Planting Tomatoes
On this week's episode, Travis has the complete guide to planting tomatoes in the garden. The first step to preparing the garden for planting tomatoes is to set up the drip irrigation. Travis went ahead and laid the mainline tubing down the day before planting to allow the newly laid tape to stretch out and lay flat...
Planting Ambrosia Sweet Corn with our Garden Seeder
On this week's episode, Travis is planting ambrosia sweet corn in the vegetable garden. Previously planted was crimson clover and Travis decided to let his chickens graze on the spot in order to clean out the area. When planting sweet corn or field corn you always want to plant it in a square plot for better...
Transplanting with Hoss Dibble Wheel Attachment
On this week's episode, Greg decided to plant some beet, bok choy, and broccoli transplants using the new Hoss Dibble Wheel. Back in the day, Greg just cut a stick to his desired spacing and used it to determine the spacing between each plant in the garden. However, with the new dibble wheel, it lays off the...
Overcoming Too Much Rain in the Garden
The biggest problem with accumulating too much rain in the garden is disease pressure. Some of the diseases that could overtake the garden include powdery mildew, fire blight, and anthracnose. However, if you monitor the garden and have a prevention plan set in place to eliminate these disease issues you...
Best Way to Reuse Drip Tape in the Fall Garden
The easiest way to maximize garden production with effective irrigation and steady water-soluble fertilizers is through the use of drip tape. Most people believe that drip tape can be used either on top or buried in the soil. However, drip tape was really made to go underneath the soil in the garden...
Start to Finish: Preparing for Fall Garden Planting
On this week's episode, Travis is demonstrating how to prepare for fall garden planting. He recently has added on a new plot for gardening and it is a 20 foot wide by around 35 feet long area. Originally this plot was just grass and in order to prepare it for planting, Travis tilled the area during the summer and since...
Planting Mixed Greens Bed in the Garden
On this week's episode, Travis is demonstrating how to easily plant mixed greens in the vegetable garden. We recommended using the wheel hoe and garden seeder to create these productive elevated green beds in the garden. You can use either the Single Wheel Hoe or the Double Wheel Hoe and attach one...
Making Your Own Corn Meal and Grits
The best time to plant field corn is during the spring and can be grown throughout the warmer months up until fall. We recommend planting field corn using our Hoss Garden Seeder to provide accurate spacing in the vegetable garden. We also suggest using drip tape irrigation because corn is a heavy...
Building Up Your Garden Soils with Cover Crops
On this week's episode, Greg is discussing how to build up the soil by using cover crops. The many benefits of growing cover crops are the increase of organic matter, nematode suppression, and weed control. When building up your garden soils you have to supply the best cover crop that fulfills the...
Harvesting Fruits and Vegetables in the Garden
The Over The Shoulder Harvesting Bucket is by the far the best tool to use when harvesting fruits and vegetables around the homestead. It allows you to easily cut crops with one hand then harvest with the other hand. The harvesting bucket contains adjustable straps that won't cut into your skin and a padded...
Ultimate Guide to Growing Okra in the Vegetable Garden
On this week's episode, Travis is growing the easiest crops in the vegetable garden. Being apart of the Mallow family, okra is related to cotton or hibiscus and they all share similar flowers as well. It is pretty much a maintenance-free crop meaning it hardly needs any water or fertilizer to grow in the garden...
Top Vegetables to Grow in the Summertime Heat
On this week's episode, Travis describes the top vegetables to grow during the warmer summertime growing season. During the summertime, the weather conditions are not ideal to grow many vegetable varieties in the garden. Along with the harsh weather conditions, pest and disease pressures are unbearable...
Using a Garden Hoe for Maintaining Heavy Weeds
It is important to maintain weeds in the vegetable garden because they can ultimately overrun the entire garden area if they are not controlled. The major issue with weeds in the garden is they compete for nutrients, water, soil, and space against plants that strongly need it for growth. If the plants do...
How to Grow the Best Sweet Corn in the Vegetable Garden
On this week's episode, Greg is discussing all the essentials needed to grow the best sweet corn in the garden. The three most important factors when growing the best sweet corn are pollination, irrigation, and fertilization. When it comes to planting corn it should be planted in blocks or squares because corn is pollinated...
Best Tool to Use for Harvesting Okra
The best tool for harvesting okra in the garden is our Handy Twine Knife. This tool is a vinyl-coated ring that slides onto your finger that makes it easier to harvest vegetables and cut twine when using the trellising technique. When harvesting okra this twine knife can be worn either above or below the knuckle...
Organic Disease Controls in the Garden
When growing your own food in the garden the overall goal is to produce the healthiest vegetables. In order to achieve this goal using organic disease controls and pest controls help eliminate applying harmful products on our vegetable garden area. To produce the healthiest vegetables, we need a garden that...
Harvesting Asparagus in the Vegetable Garden
There are a couple of different health benefits to growing asparagus in the vegetable garden. Like other vegetables, asparagus provides nutrients such as protein, fiber, potassium, phosphorus, folate, and a few other vitamins. As well as, a good source of antioxidants which helps protect cells from oxidative...
Planting Double Rows of Blue Lake Beans
On this week's episode, Travis is planting two different varieties of beans on double rows in the vegetable garden. The first variety of bush bean is Blue Lake which is great for canning and eating fresh from the garden. The second variety is known as Green Crop Bush Bean which contains a flattened appearance...
Organic Pest Control in the Vegetable Garden
When using organic pest control the most important step in eliminating the pest problems is to be proactive in the garden. Greg recommends having a spray program early on to ensure that you reduce the pest issues before they over populate the vegetable garden. The benefits of using organic pest controls...
Planting Field Corn in the Vegetable Garden
On this week's episode, Travis is planting a popular variety of field corn in the vegetable garden. The best time to plant corn is during the warmer months up until the fall. When growing field corn it is nearly impossible without drip tape irrigation. Since field corn stalks grow tall in the garden the overhead irrigation...
Growing Cauliflower in the Vegetable Garden
Cauliflower is one of Travis's favorite fall crops to grow due to three major benefits. The first benefit is the ability to succession plant it throughout the growing season. This means when growing cauliflower you can plant it at several different times throughout the fall and get multiple harvestings. The second...
Keeping Your Garden Clean & Healthy This Fall
If you are not a big fan of planting in the garden year-round, we recommend keeping the garden area clean and healthy instead of letting it grow up with grass and weeds every year. If you allow the area to grow up with grass and weeds every year you will have a continuous battle of fighting them off once you
Growing Elephant Garlic in the Vegetable Garden
Closely related to leeks, elephant garlic has a couple of similarities and differences when compared to regular garlic. Similar to leeks in appearance it contains a tall flowering stalk with flat leaves but has a bulb that forms large garlic-like cloves. Much like onions, the immature elephant garlic plants...
First Fall Crop to Plant in the Vegetable Garden
On this week's episode, Travis explains the first fall crop he prefers to plant for the upcoming growing season. When preparing for the Fall garden, Travis recommends going ahead and planting a few crops right before the weather conditions start to break so we can get an early start on preparation for...
Determining When Watermelons Are Ripe in the Garden?
The best time to grow watermelons is during the warmer growing seasons. Watermelons can either be transplanted or direct seeded in the vegetable garden. When direct seeding we recommend planting seeds every 12 inches along the row and thin plants once they emerge to one every 2 foot. In the spring...
Downy Mildew Resistant Pumpkins in the Vegetable Garden
On this week's episode, Travis is explaining how to plant downy mildew resistant pumpkins in the vegetable garden. In order to clean up the garden area from a previous harvest, Travis likes to use the Double Wheel Hoe with the Sweeps attachment. This makes uprooting larger weeds and cleaning everything out...
When To Remove Summer Squash in the Garden
A popular crop to grow in the vegetable garden for many years is varieties of summer squash. Some of our most popular summer squash crops include our patty-pan squash varieties known as Sunburst and Bennings Green Tint. The Sunburst variety is a hybrid that produces a great yield of fruits that are...
The Most Productive Cucumbers in the Vegetable Garden
There are many differences when it comes to monoecious and gynoecious cucumber varieties. Monoecious means there is more production of male flowers than female flowers. Open-pollinated or heirloom varieties like Marketmore or National Pickling cucumbers are monoecious in the vegetable garden...
Most Dangerous Weed in the Vegetable Garden
Not only are weeds unattractive, but they steal nutrients and irrigation from the plants you are growing in the vegetable garden. This will cause issues with plants because they need all the available nutrients and irrigation they can get in order to grow in the garden area. Another issue with weeds in the garden is they can...
Best Red Pepper Flakes Recipe to Make at Home
The best time to grow cayenne peppers is during the warmer months. The cayenne peppers are an heirloom variety that produces long slim deep red peppers with a hotter flavor profile. They are mostly used for hot sauce but can be prepared as red pepper flakes for pizza toppings or pasta dishes...
Most Productive Crops to Grow 10 Months a Year
On this week's episode, Travis goes over the go-to crops that are the most productive in the vegetable garden. His go-to most productive crops that can be grown for 10 months out of the year is Lacinato Kale and Tiger Collards. The Lacinato kale is an heirloom variety that produces long and slender leaves...
When to Harvest Winter Squash in the Garden
On this week's episode, Travis explains the best time to harvest winter squash in the garden. It's been around 90 days since he planted some Small Wonder Spaghetti Squash. This type of variety is known as a personal-sized spaghetti squash because they are about half the size of a normal-sized squash...
Reducing Weeds for Trellised Peppers
In the garden, Travis has Merlot Purple Bell Pepper, Beaver Dam Hot Peppers, and Nubia Eggplant growing on a Florida Weave trellis. The Merlot Purple pepper is a highly productive hybrid variety that contains a deep purple exterior with plants growing around 2 to 3 inches tall. Next, the Beaver Dam Hot Pepper is an...
A Quick and Easy Squash Recipe
In the garden, Travis has a second succession planting of the patty-pan variety of summer squash. The Sunburst squash is a productive hybrid variety that contains a bright yellow color with scalloped edges. The other patty-pan squash is an heirloom variety known as Bennings Green Tint. Instead of a yellow, this...
TubTrugs are Essential for Garden Harvesting
On this week's episode, Travis talks all about our TubTrug harvesting containers. The TubTrugs are made to be lightweight and flexible for many different uses in the garden and around the homestead. Unlike other plastic harvesting buckets, the TubTrugs are UV resistance so they will not crack if left out in the sun and...
Pruning Okra for an Easy Harvest
When planting okra the best time to plant is during the spring, summer, or fall months. Due to these plants loving the warmer weather temperatures they need to be planted in an area with plenty of sunlight. We recommend transplanting okra in the early spring to get a jumpstart on production and early germination...
What You Need for Your Vegetable Garden Plants
When breaking down all the various essential nutrients that vegetable plants need in the garden can be hard to understand at first. However, the three major nutrients that plants need are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. Nitrogen is important for the improvement of great stalk growth and productivity of plant...
Improving Soil Nutrients for Healthier Plants
There are a couple of important benefits to having good soil structure in the vegetable garden. The first benefit is the improvement of crop quality. The crop quality in the soil is important because the plant roots need the ability to move throughout the soil structure to find the essential nutrients that they are...
Increasing Production by Pruning Zinnias
There are several different color variations of the Benary Giant Zinnia varieties that we offer such as Lime, Coral, Orange, Scarlet, Wine, and White. We also offer a Benary Giant Zinnia Mix that contains deep red, orange, coral, lime, wine, bright pink, white, purple, salmon rose, golden yellow, scarlet, and carmine rose...