Rajeev Singh our expert of the day, writes:

Fruits and vegetables are usually more difficult to market than to produce. There are ready markets available daily or weekly for grain and livestock in almost all areas of the United States. There are few similar markets for fruits and vegetables. Most commodities are produced in abundance and long established market channels may be closed to small scale or new producers. A producer may need several years to establish a marketing program. The number of produce buyers has decreased rapidly in recent years. One major nationwide supermarket chain has plans to consolidate the number of buying stations for produce to eight in the United States. A grower has little chance of selling to a local store in a supermarket chain as purchases are made through a central warehouse. As the number of buyers has decreased, the number of producers has decreased, but their acreage has increased considerably. There is often a delay of four to six months after shipment in receiving payment in the wholesale market system when selling through a broker. This often presents a cash flow problem for many growers. Wholesale buyers have strict and specific product quality, grade, and packaging requirements. These purchasing practices and price squeezes have eliminated market availability to many producers.

Bare Bones Gardener our expert of the day, writes:

The things that people will try to get you to buy!!!

A book telling you how to grow square watermelons, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes or just about any other fruit…..

If you want to grow one it’s simple, and no it’s not from square seeds.

Buy ‘Grow yor own Square Watermelon’ for $19-95 (US), or simply…..

Get an understanding of how large the fruit of the species will grow, then construct a square open ended frame out of marine 3 ply, {or something weatherproof like that}. Just smaller than the finished ripe size of the fruit. Bevelling the edges of the sides does help hold the finished box together, but is not totally necessary. Strap, screw or nail it into a box shape. ( you could even make a triangle, hexagonal or even octagonal shape).

Then position the frame over the growing fruit, well before it reaches it’s optimum size, and let it grow into and be moulded by the shape of the box. And thats all there is to it.

Michael Straumietis our expert of the day, writes:

When choosing seed plant propagation, every gardener wants to create optimal conditions for their plants to get off to a good start. There is a lot that goes into germination, and if even one factor is missing, it can have profound effects on your entire crop. Here are the factors that most greatly influence how well your seeds will germinate.

Water - Soaking up water is the first step in germination and therefore successful seed plant propagation, so it should be at the forefront of the mind of any hydroponic gardener. The factors that influence water uptake are the amount of water available in the medium and the thickness and density of the seed covering. You can increase water uptake by making sure that you choose a medium that holds water well. Rockwool, for example, is a very popular choice for exactly this reason. You can also treat your seeds in a number of ways to weaken the shell. These techniques can be as simple as using sandpaper to make the shell thinner to as advanced and complex as soaking the seeds in acid until the shells are worn off.

James Brown our expert of the day, writes:

People have the opportunity to enjoy a large assortment of vegetables, which come in delightful colors and pleasing shapes. Some people like vegetables so much that they decorate their homes with their images on all sorts of home decorating modes. The foremost cooking advices for vegetables are that they should be eaten as often as possible because vegetables do a body good as far a nutritional value.

Some of the more popular vegetable choices are tomatoes, carrots, shallots, eggplant and cauliflower, and also include an abundant assortment of beans and squashes that people enjoy immensely because they are easy to prepare. Some vegetables come ready to cook straight from the garden where they are grown. Corn on the cob is a favorite vegetable that everyone in the family can enjoy.

People that live in the country, on farms, estates, and home far off the beaten travel path of the busy cities that surround them, routinely maintain gardens in their back yards and window sills to keep them in stock of precious vegetables they might not have otherwise. Some cooking advices for vegetables have said that distance plays a big factor on how much people want vegetables in their diet, and with this type of pre-planning and planting, they are assured of a wide variety of vegetables throughout the year.

Allan Wilson our expert of the day, writes:

Bell peppers need nutrient rich soil. They do best in well drained soil, and lots of sun. Raised beds are great for bell peppers, with good topsoil, compost, and rotted manure mixed in.

Your bell peppers grow into small bushes, and need lots of air circulation. Give them enough room by spacing them between 12 and 18 inches apart, and in rows at least 24 to 36 inches apart.

Bell peppers need lots of water during germination. You’ll need to keep them moist but not soggy. If they don’t get enough water, they’ll have a bitter taste. You can use mulches to help keep the soil moist.

You’ll know that your bell peppers are ready to harvest when they turn their final color. They can be red, orange, yellow, green, or purple depending on the variety. The more you harvest, the more will grow, so pick them regularly.

Watermelons

Plant your watermelon after the soil is warm and there’s no danger of frost. Watermelons grow best on a sandy soil, and it’s important to plant them on raised mounds.

Philip Yaffe our expert of the day, writes:

by Philip Yaffe

According to the adage, “Travel is broadening”. In other words, when you leave your home and go somewhere else, your mind will expand because of the differences you will see. For me, the most valuable, mind-expanding differences are not the big ones that you might be prepared for by reading and education. They the little things that you would never even consider, so that they take you completely by surprise.

When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I never traveled because my parents were small business owners and had no time to go away for vacation. I was in fact 16 years old the first time I set foot outside of Southern California. After 10 years of planning and disappointments, we finally drove across the country to visit relatives who lived in a small town in Maine.

A few days before our departure, I came down with a severe case of mononucleosis. This illness makes you incredibly weak and constantly tired, so all you want to do is sleep. We just about decided not to go, but since it was a trip we had been planning for decade, we decided to give it a try.

Terry: Hand our expert of the day, writes:

Starting a Bouncy Castle Business or Any Business… How Easy Is It?

Making the leap into the business world, whether it is online, or more conventional offline is a daunting, and scary situation for most. The voices in our head with the relentless cautions, and questions Am I doing the right thing? What if I fail? And believe me friends; family, and workmates are always willing to provide you with more reasons why you may want to reconsider your actions, or intentions.

Well I am here to tell you that there is nothing scary about it. Sure if you’re silly, and don’t have some kind of a plan or at least done a little research. Then success as they say will be more luck than judgment.

I have taken the leap many times in my life. First when I married. Then bringing a child into the world. Let’s face it getting married, bringing up children, having a mortgage are scary, and daring undertakings. Yet we survive. The next big leap for me was immigrating to Canada in my early twenties with a wife, and a son in toe. No job, no home, and no friends to come to, and only $3000.00 to call my own.

John Ugoshowa our expert of the day, writes:

As a rule, we choose to grow bush beans rather than pole beans. I cannot make up my mind whether or not this is from sheer laziness. In a city backyard the tall varieties might perhaps be a problem since it would be difficult to get poles. But these running beans can be trained along old fences and with little urging will run up the stalks of the tallest sunflowers. So that settles the pole question. There is an ornamental side to the bean question. Suppose you plant these tall beans at the extreme rear end of each vegetable row. Make arches with supple tree limbs, binding them over to form the arch. Train the beans over these. When one stands facing the garden, what a beautiful terminus these bean arches make.

Beans like rich, warm, sandy soil. In order to assist the soil be sure to dig deeply, and work it over thoroughly for bean culture. It never does to plant beans before the world has warmed up from its spring chills. There is another advantage in early digging of soil. It brings to the surface eggs and larvae of insects. The birds eager for food will even follow the plough to pick from the soil these choice morsels. A little lime worked in with the soil is helpful in the cultivation of beans.

James Wong our expert of the day, writes:

You don’t need to starve yourself on a crazy fad diet if you want to look leaner and sexier in your shorts or swimsuit this summer. The secret to weight loss is to choose healthy foods and to take in fewer calories than you burn.

It’s just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. The best foods for weight loss in summer are light, refreshing and, most important, keep you out of the hot kitchen. It’s just best to go fresh!

The single easiest way to trim calories from your summer diet, experts say, is to load up on nature’s perfect foods. Produce is at its peak in summer. Delicious fruits and vegetables abound at farmers’ markets and in your local grocery. Besides high in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, these foods choices are also much lower in calories than traditional comfort foods.

Any in-season produce is sure to taste delicious and add flavor to your favorite dishes in abundance. You will find that including these amazingly tasty fresh treats will begin to shrink your belly fat and give you more energy throughout your days.

Joseph Sabol our expert of the day, writes: