Gardening in 2014

Looking back on my gardening endeavors of 2013, they were little more than a disaster!  We spent a lot of time ripping out with the only real progress being the new side and front garden beds with only the base completed and no actual plantings.  I must say, the rock looks gorgeous though!  We learned a lot though in 2013. 

We know we want to move to very low maintenance for the ornamental gardens.  We have the the plans set for how we want the backyard so are ready to move ahead as soon as weather permits.  This year's garden plans involve small space gardening, high intensity gardening, vertical gardening, container gardening and growing indoors.  I will be starting the indoor garden this week, something that really couldn't be done while we were at our vacation home for October, part of November and most of December.  At any rate, I already have a few herbs growing indoors so I'll start with more herbs and go from there.

Things look promising for a lovely gardening year ahead...

The End of 2012

I honestly can't believe 2012 is drawing to a close.  It has been a busy year getting adjusted to our new home and one again doing that rip out, start over thing.  While we did put in three new raised beds this year, next year promises to see a lot of changes.  I've already ordered from Richters and will place an order for live plants as soon as they start shipping in the spring.  I have my orders planned for Dominion Seed House and Stokes.  The end of the holidays and constant company is very close so I expect to be adding to my indoor garden this coming week.

On the topic of indoor gardens, all of my herbs are doing fine as is my avocado plant and lemon trees.  The geraniums I'm over wintering are nice and healthy while the hibiscus keeps rewarding me beautiful bloom even though we were away most of October and December.  This week I plan on starting several more herbs, a few tomatoes, peppers and lettuces for the indoor garden.  It's too soon to start anything for the outdoor garden.  One blog I read reported good results with growing sweet peas indoors and I know pole beans can be grown indoors as well.  I have seeds for both so will start a couple of pots to see how they fare.

So. we say goodbye to 2012 but from a gardening perspective I have a lot of plans in store for 2013.   I really want to expand my indoor gardening and will definitely be focusing on small space gardening outdoors.  I think it is going to be an exciting growing year to come!  I can't wait to share some of my ideas with you.

My Ornamental Garden Plans

When we first viewd our new home, the garden that accent the front and sides of the house as well as the perimeter of the back yard appeared lush.  When we moved in, we quickly realized thistles were quite problematic in most of the garden beds.  The plantings were ecclectic, and too much.  Once again we resigned ourselves to ripping out the gardens and starting fresh with the look we wanted.

There is a small garden bed between the sidewalk and the west side of the garage.  There was a large Rose of Sharon that was quite lovely but blocked being able to use the sidewalk without battling branches.  It was simply too large for that location.  We cut it down shortly after moving in.  In the spring, this little garden started coming to life but it certainly wasn't what we wanted.  It was too cluttered.  Adding to the cluttered feel, the previous owners had placed a one row brick retaining wall partially onto the sidewalk pavers around the entire little garden.  A matching but higher wall (not shown) on the other side of the garden runs the width of the house, wrapping around to contain another tree that is too large for its location and then abruptly ends with jagged rock taking over to define the side garden bed.  We are ripping it all out!

Once the garden bed was completely cleaned out, we installed a red cedar trellis.  I have two more of them to be installed either on the west wall of the house or the east wall of the garage.  I planted a clematis that will give a nice impact of colour without impeding sidewalk traffic or damaging the siding.  I finished off the bed with red cedar mulch.  I like the clean, uncluttered look.  I may add a decorative element but want to see how the garden looks once our steps are refinished and the front garden bed is redone. 

We are being hampered by weather between heat waves and storms so not much is getting done in the gardens.  Well, we are getting things done but it's slow going.  I keep puttering away at the ornamental garden beds.  The front garden bed is going to be a lot of work with the removal of a tree, two shrubs and moving all of that brick for the retainer wall.

Happy Gardening! 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Repotting Houseplants and Starting Seeds

It's that time of year!  Spring is just around the corner and with our ADLF quickly approaching it is time to start seeds.  I have been busy repotting all of my houseplants into self-watering pots.  I really do like the pots!  The larger self-watering pots for the floor plants are only $7.47 at Wal-Mart which is rather inexpensive compared to some of the regular pots that size (12 - inch).   I used the smaller 7 - inch self-watering pots from the dollar store ($1.25 each) to repot all of my indoor herbs.  My indoor herb collection is lower than I would like.  I currently have two pots of parsley, oregano, lemon thyme, sage, sweet basil, 2 pots of rosemary, and mauve garlic chives.

I am rather pleased that all the geraniums I brought with us when we moved survived!  One of the local schools sold geraniums last year for $3 each which is more expensive than the nursery or other stores but it was for a good cause.  I bought ten to pop into window boxes without actually planting the boxes for instant splashes of colour while the house was on the market.  I used the same size (12 - inch) self-watering pot to transplant three geraniums into each one for two matching planters for the front porch.  That leaves me a total of eleven more geraniums to transplant. 

I also used the same size self-watering pot to repot the Hibiscus that survived the move.  Wal-mart had them on sale for $5.  I bought two of them to pop as is into tub containers on each side of the front door when the house was on the market.  Once the house sold, one went to my husband's office then made it's way to our new house.  The other came directly to our new house where it sat on the deck.   I brought it in as soon as the temperature started dropping as the Hibiscus only tolerates temperatures above 50ºF.  The one that had been at the office was barely surviving so I wasn't surprised when it looked dead after a brief cold spell.  It is still on the deck as I was curious whether it would come back in the spring.

Our ADLF is April 15 so this is the time to start some herbs, tomatoes, peppers and ornamentals.  I did a bit of seed shopping.  My goal this year is to grow as much as possible from seed rather than buy plants but I know I will still buy plants because I can't resist.  I started purple basil, lemon basil, sweet basil, thai basil, cinnamon basil and lavender in individual greenhouse pots.  These are rather neat so I will talk more about them tomorrow.  I bought a 72 cell greenhouse starter kit that will be used for starting tomato, peppers and a few ornamentals.  'Tis a busy time but a rather pleasant way to spend a bit of time while visions of my new gardens dance through my head :)



Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

A Busy Garden Year Ahead

I have a very busy garden year planned for 2012.  Aside of doing a bit of clean-up work on the existing ornamental garden beds after moving here in September of 2011, we had done only basic yard maintenance and planning.  So far, we have determined the ornamental garden beds have to be completely revamped.  The two umbrella trees and arbor trumpet vine need to be replaced with something less likely to maim.  I am definitely leaning towards morning glory for the arbor and silver birch trees.  The hard, jagged rock bordering some of the ornamental beds is coming out.  I think it is ugly and a safety hazard as does my husband.  The ornamental beds will be mulched with red cedar as an accent colour that will go nice with the colour of our house while providing a bit of natural insect deterrent.  We will prune the fruit trees then it will be ready to get the vegetable and herb gardens going.

This is a smaller property so the vegetable and herb beds will be raised, planted in the square foot garden method.  I am considering making the beds a bit deeper and using something a bit more elegant than plain pine, perhaps with a nice finished ledge along the top for additional potted plants or sitting.  Deeper beds will allow some of the vining fruit and vegetable plants to tumble over as well, softening the look a bit. 

I need to establish the following long term beds: rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries and herbs.  These will be the first beds to go in and aside of the herbs, do not have to be raised or planted in the square foot garden method.  I would really like to work in some raspberry canes and a few blueberry bushes but that is going to be iffy since the pool takes up a good portion of our backyard.  I have picked out a spot for a grapes too.

I know these are a lot of plans and some won't get finished this year.  I will be happy getting the long term beds in along with the raised beds built and filled.  My husband is talking of replacing the fence so I need to keep that in mind as well.  All in all it should be an exciting but very busy year for gardening here!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Replenishing My Seed Supply

When I first started growing a vegetable garden years ago, I bought mainly plants and very few seeds.  As my gardens become larger and more complex, seeds entered into the picture.  Now I turn to seeds I have collected from the gardens as well as buying seeds and some plants.  As most gardeners experience from time to time is the only way to get plants outside of the normal limited range of quite often hybrid plants and seeds is to order seed from a seed company or participate in a seed exchange. 

My seed supply is rather low because our house was on the market for the last two growing seasons which translated into growing less.  This ultimately meant I had less plants to save seed from so my own, known to be organically produced seed is almost used up.  When I buy vegetable seed or plants, I look for seed from organic growers who have been certified organic (eg.  The Centre for Systems Integration certification).  I want to be sure the seeds and plants used for my edible garden is not GMO (genetically modified organisms) or chemically treated as well.  Thankfully, heirloom seeds and certified organic seed is easily available through the seed and plant companies I deal with.  This year I expect the new raised beds and other garden beds to be fairly productive so I will be able to replenish my seed supply further. 

Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Planning Our New Garden Beds

When we moved into our then new house a little over four years ago it was apparent that the was a lot of major work to do.  Unfortunately we spent much of those years ripping out garden mistakes as well as vegetation overgrowth.  We put that house on the market eighteen months ago so while we did garden maintenance, added mulch and a couple of raised beds we really did not get to reap the benefits of our labour.  Our new house will take considerably less time to get the front and side gardens the way we want them.  We want these beds low maintenance so there is a bit of ripping out to do but quite easily achieved within a weekend.  There is a fair amount of pruning basically to reshape a couple of the ornamental trees and cut back two areas with over grown flowering vines.  One of the vines is a beautiful deep orange trumpet vine forming a gorgeous arch but it does need trimming back.  The other is climbing up the pool deck surround forming an effective but over grown natural privacy.  I'm not sure what it is but my main concern is that it doesn't attract mosquitoes.

The side gardens in the backyard need a good cleaning out mainly of weeds and then just a bit of trimming back.  The nice thing is the side yards are not huge, running between about two feet deep.  I'm aiming for lush, three season colour that should be possible to achieve with appropriate plantings our first spring there.  I want to do a crocus naturalization in the front lawn this fall and will plant garlic as well.

A crocus naturalization is started by scattering crocus bulbs about the yard.  Now, there cannot be any pattern to this so the best way to achieve the effect is to take a handful of crocus bulbs then toss them into the lawn.  Where the land is where they are planted.  The bulb will naturalize, multiplying each year.  The effect can be quite stunning in the early spring and the crocus foliage dies back before the first grass cutting.  I plan on starting with 50 mixed crocus bulbs.  

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Winter is Hanging On

It is officially spring here but no one told Mother Nature.  We still have snow on the ground, icicles hanging from the eves and despite the beautiful sunshine the temperatures remain quite cold.  Winter is refusing to release it's chilly grip in our little corner of the world.  I'm sitting here sipping a lovely cup of hot tea pondering whether to start a couple of trays of seeds today.  My husband already booked our spring vacation so that is weighing heavily on my decision to start seeds.  Last year I lost some of my seedlings during our vacation because they accidently dried out when the kids were housesitting.  During the spring vacation our house only needs checking on a couple of times a week but seedlings need watering daily.  What I may do is start the seeds then take the trays into the kids to look after at their house.  Since they will be home daily there is less chance of the seedlings drying out than if I leave them here.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Minor Glitch in My Spring Garden Plans

I started using the square foot gardening method two houses ago when we lived in an urban setting.  Out last house was on the edge of a small village where I had the largest square foot garden complete with greenhouse.  This house is technically rural but the street is more like semi-rural.  Since the house has not sold yet, I'm moving ahead with my plans to add at least one more large raised bed (4' x 8') and do a bit of landscaping at the front of the house.  Yesterday it dawned on me that my plans would be a little more challenging this year.

Up to this point and for my previous two large square foot gardens, I had a pick-up truck at my disposable.  The truck had a colourful history as well.  We used to have a gorgeous conversion van perfect for family outings.  All of our kids learned to drive  with that van.  When the motor went we popped a new motor in it.  About 2 months after we had just had the van repainted our youngest totaled it.  We stripped what we could including the motor that went into a truck my husband found that had no motor.  We got the truck dirt cheap!  It was nothing to look at, the radio didn't work and was a hog on gas but it was dependable.  Well it was dependable until one of our kids, the same one who totaled the van was taking a load of brush from our house to the burn pile on the farm.  The truck quit on the side of the road and refused to start.  We had it towed, got it fixed and a couple of weeks later it did the same thing.  We had it limped back to our buddy's garage where the poor sat looking rather rejected half of the winter until my husband put it out of it's misery.  Anything savagable was stripped which wasn't much then the remainder sold for scrap metal.  In the meantime another of our kids was selling their second vehicle so we bought it.  It's a nice, fuel efficient, manual transmission hatchback. 

Without the truck I have no convenient way to get lumber, soil, mulch, compost and other gardening necessities home.  The seats fold down in the hatchback so I might be able to get lumber home but not soil bought by the yard or compost from the municipal yard.  It looks like I am going to have to find a truck to borrow or pay delivery charges.  Ah well, it won't be as convenient but the garden is slated for expansion this spring if we don't move.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Growing Heirlooms

When it comes to gardening, the choice of what to grow is reduced to heirloom varieties or hybrids.  By far I prefer heirloom varieties because I can save the seeds that breed true.  Seed can be saved from hybrids and I do but quite often they do not breed true.  There are also asexual propagation restrictions on some hybrid varieties.

One commentator asked me back in the spring if I could list the heirloom varieties that I grow.   Here is my list and it does change from year to year as I try other heirloom varieties.  Those marked with an asterisk (*) are heirloom varieties I am planning on growing in 2011 in addition to the others listed.  I've likely missed a lot of heirlooms on our property especially the non-edible varieties.  In addition to this list I would consider the majority of the herbs I grow as heirloom varieties.

• Marketmore 76 cucumber
• lemon cucumber
• Brandywine tomatoes
• black Kim tomatoes*
• mortgage lifer tomatoes
• tiny Tim tomatoes
• California Wonder bell peppers
• sweet banana peppers 
• habanero peppers
• jalapeno peppers
• cayenne peppers
• Detroit dark red beets
• Mary Washington asparagus
• Bloomsdale long spinach
• King of Denmark spinach
• Laxton's progress peas
• homesteader peas
• little mavel peas
• nasturitums
• heavenly blue morning glory
• Kentucky wonder pole beans
• blue lake pole beans
• asparagus yard long beans*
• Hutterite beans*
• baby oakleaf lettuce
• Boston red lettuce
• cimmaron romain lettuce
• mesclun mix
• Canada red rhubarb
• heavenly blue morning glory

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Just A Reminder of What the Growing Season Holds

Tomatoes
July 2006

Just a little reminder of the upcoming growing season. Can you tell I'm gearing up for this summers's garden? Oh I am so ready! Even though we are moving I am still biting at the bit. The new garden promises to be a good one :)

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Gearing Up for Spring

My gosh!  Coming up with something garden related to write about in January is difficult.  There is little going on besides garden planning and browsing through the seed catalogues.  I usually let the indoor garden dwindle as we take a 7 to 10 day vacation each January so like to reduce the indoor temperature as low as possible while gone.  Any cold hardy indoor plants are fine as one of the kids stop by to check the house and water the plants.  By the time we leave for vacation I've already ordered seeds and have started getting everything ready to start plants shortly after arriving home.  Within a week or so of getting home the first of the seeds start arriving.  It won't be long now that I will be able to start reporting on seeds, seedlings and this year's garden plans.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Looking Back On 2009 and Forward to 2010

Oh my gosh looking back on my gardening adventures in 2009 is exciting. After moving here in 2007 we basically spent a lot of time and energy doing an incredible amount of ripping out. The grounds were so over grown and in many cases so poorly planned we had little choice. In 2009 we saw the first of the vegetables beds go in and even though they were late getting started we had a good yield. The important thing that we accomplished was partially re-establishing the herb bed. We did however have a few setbacks.

The entertainment zone suffered a huge setback in 2009 with a good portion of the newly sodded yard being dug up for emergency plumbing problems. That resulted in a good 100 ft trench that was roughly recovered and we were told to let it settle a good year before leveling off, top soiled and seeding so that was a bit depressing but it solved a serious flooding problem in the house so the lesser of two evils. The work zone is still in progress but we made a lot of headway. The front zone looks a lot better with some of the undergrowth removed. All in all despite the set-backs I'm happy with our progress.

I have a lot of garden plans for 2010! More raised beds will be going into the work zone and we will be adding a low fence to keep the rabbits out. There will be a lot of work going on in the work zone with removing the remaining stumps and rock then replanting with a low growing, rodent unfriendly vegetation to soften the hard edges of the brick. Rodent control is extremely important here! I'm thinking snow in summer would look nice but we'll see. There will be a lot of work going on in the one side yard as well and we may start into the entertainment zone as well at least as far as intalling a new dock. So stay tuned to see how my gardens progress in 2010!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Continuous Harvest

Commercial Greenhouses
August 29, 2009

The idea of growing edible plants indoors is not a new one. Archaeological excavations of Pompeii (79 AD) uncovered the remains of early greenhouses so they have been in use since at least that time if not earlier. The ancient Romans ensured the survival of vegetables and grapes by using greenhouses to protect produce from in-climate weather. They were the early versions of the modern greenhouse. Modern greenhouses originated in Italy in the thirteenth century as a way to study, keep and propagate exotic plants brought back to Europe in early plant hunting expeditions. Greenhouses and conservatories were first used to grow plants indoors throughout inclement weather have been used in Europe for thousands of years.

Commercial greenhouses have been used for decades to grow both edible and not edible plants year round. During the winter months one of our favourite pass-times is to visit Colasanti's Tropical Gardens in Kingsville, Ontario. Strolling through their large greenhouses filled with beautiful plants on a snowy winter's day is simply delightful. Other large commercial greenhouse operations along the Talbot Trail running from Windsor, Ontario through the Niagara region ending in Fort Erie, Ontario grow hot house tomatoes, various peppers and cucumbers for a continuous supply of Ontario produce for consumers. In recent years more and more farmland in southern Ontario is being turned into large commercial greenhouse operations.

On a smaller scale many Canadian universities and schools have greenhouses and/or solariums or atriums. Many home gardeners have hobby greenhouses and/or solariums to help extend the growing season. Solariums have become a popular addition for many home owners because they provide free heat on sunny days as well as create perfect a growing space for growing plants. Home gardeners whether or not they have a greenhouse or solarium still bring in plants when frost threatens. Plants are over-wintered to be replanted in the garden the following spring. Typically these plants include ornamentals like geraniums and annual herbs. A growing trend to compliment over-wintering is to specifically plant fruits and vegetables in containers to be grown indoors.

Basically a modified garden is sown and grown indoors during the winter months. I recently showed how to root tomatoes (more here) for growing indoors. Most herbs, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuces, chards, radishes, beans and even zucchini can be grown indoors. Aside of providing fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs during the winter months there are other benefits to growing edible plants indoors.

• Growing indoors eliminates many pest related problems. You don't have to worry about waking up to find deer stripped your garden or the rabbits got your beans. For the most part you should not have to worry about any insect problems if you are careful to quarantine any plants brought inside from the garden
• Many environmental factors that affect gardening are eliminated when growing indoors. These include not having to worry about: damaging winds, drought, excessive heat, unexpected frost, torrential rains.
• In most cases plant diseases should not be a problem when growing indoors.

Growing fruits and vegetables indoors presents a few extra considerations. Just like growing outdoors plants need suitable growing conditions. When growing indoors you need to mimic these conditions with respect to water and light. You may need to supplement natural light with grow lights and use self watering containers especially if you will be away for a few days. If you are going to be away for a few days you will not be able to turn the heat down to 10ºC (50ºF) for those heat loving plants like tomatoes. In addition to those conditions many homes that are heated during the winter months are drier so you may have to increase the humidity level in your home for healthy plant growth. Fruits and vegetables growing indoors are grown in containers so you will need to use an organic fertilizer for healthy growth. You will also have to manually pollinate your plants when growing indoors.

Although growing fruits and vegetables indoors presents few problems when the growing conditions are met, there can be a few secondary problems. All soils contain mould spores. Some individuals are sensitive or allergic to moulds so to lessen the impact use sterilized potting mixtures or soil-free potting mixtures. Hydroponics is an ideal solution to growing indoors without using soil. Any damaged or decaying plant material should be removed immediately. As with growing outdoors always do a clean pick removing all ripe fruit or vegetables daily.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Garden Report

Baby Sparrow

July 19, 2009

We continue to see below average temperatures with above average rainfall. On rainy days garden planning continues indoors where I'm working on the final design for the vegetable garden. I've been doing a bit of research on fruit trees, grapes and chickens all of which we hope to have incorporated into the garden by next spring. Over the next few months there will be a lot of changes in that zone.

Outside we continue to enjoy a wide variety of garden visitors including this baby sparrow that still can't fly too well. If we ever get a couple of days of warm, sunny weather I should have a lot of tomatoes. Still given the rain, I don't mind waiting as long as the tomatoes don't split. The salad greens are doing remarkably well. The peas are up as well. The herbs are also growing nicely. All in all despite a late start I am quite pleased with the progress in the two raised garden beds.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

New Raised Beds Layout

Over the past weekend we worked on two new raised garden beds (more here). The beds are being created while we are continuing to rip out existing vegetation so the new beds were not planned using Garden Manager software mainly because the beds were going in late spring. I would have to reboot in Windows as well since this software is not Mac compatible. I've been using the combined with square foot gardening method combined with companion plantings in raised beds for 8 years now. Over the years I have learned a lot with respect as to what I can and can't do with this type of gardening. The grid is critical for square foot gardening. This year the beds are being laid out very similar to my former large square food garden as they are created because this layout has been tried and tested. However, the layouts are being designed for maximized planning for the 2010 growing season that will begin as soon as the first seed catalogues of the 2010 season arrive.

Bed 1

I used MS Word for windows to create a template for the garden beds. If you have followed this blog you will know I number my beds usually in order of creation. This is simply for reference. At the top of the template I put the label 'bed _____' which is important not only for the working sheets but also the final layouts. Each bed is 4' x 10' so I created a table consisting of 4 columns and 10 rows. That gave me 40 cells representing the 40 squares I have to work with in each bed. I use a separate layout sheet for each bed. The beauty of planning using a computer is you can easily change the cells as desired until you get what you want then plant according to your plan when it is finished. I printed off a copy then set about working with the plant I had.

A square foot garden bed should not be planted willy nilly. It should be planted according to the grid. The location and sun exposure needs to be considered. I like to lay the beds in a north to south orientation with taller plants at the north end of the bed and shortest plants at the south end. This maximizes sun exposure for all the plants. I plant parsley and other plants that rabbits like to munch on, towards the centre of the bed and behind a barrier of marigolds. This technique worked well for my former garden but I will be adding a low fence around the entire perimeter of this garden. Each plant is then set in place and recorded on the working copy. For bed 1 where all of the plants are annuals there is no need to include the scientific names on either the working sheet or the computerized copy but they are indicated in my gardening journal along with notations as to their performance and any problems.

Pictured is the layout for Bed 1 consisting mainly of tomatoes, peppers and greens. Thirty-two of the 40 squares are currently planted. Over the following week I will be checking the local nurseries for any compatible plants I can pop in these squares. The nice thing about buying plants late in the season is their prices are greatly reduced. With a little TLC they will perform quite nicely as well.

Herb Bed

Bed 2 is the herb garden consisting of perennials, biennials and annuals. The herb bed takes a bit more planning. Unlike an annual bed, only portions of this bed layout will change over the next several years. Over time the grid becomes non-existent unless it is constructed from a material that doesn't break down. Plant identification tags have a tendency to go missing as well. I like to use the computerized copy of the layout as later identification of the various herbs. I include the botanical names as well to avoid confusion as there are often more than one cultivar of the herb growing in the bed. Above the name of each herb I indicate in brackets whether the herb is perennial, biennial or annual. It really helps with the overall herb bed planning because at some point there won't be room for the annual herbs as the perennial and biennial herbs spread.

It is important if considering any invasive herb especially those in the mint family to contain them in pots dug into the space, plant them in their own small raised beds or confine them to areas where spreading is restricted. If this is not done they will quickly take over your herb bed choking out the other herbs. So choose your herbs wisely!

Twenty-six of the 40 available squares are planted. From experience sage and chives get quite large so over time will likely take up the end 8 square feet but for now they will only take up one square each. The squares around these two herbs will be planted with annuals for the time being with the exception of lavender started from seed. I have not had good luck starting lavender from seed but if successful I will move the plant to a more appropriate location. In the meantime I have a few herbs started indoors to be transplanted to the garden when they are ready and I will again be checking the nurseries.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Dealing with the Unexpected in Gardening

Gardening is one of those activities that come with a lot of risk. You plant your seeds and seedlings then with a bit of tending you hope for the best. Many a gardener has woke to find their carefully planted garden destroyed by hungry rabbits or deer. Gardens are often raided by marauding four legged and two legged thieves. As if that is bad enough the gardener is faced with adverse weather conditions that can easily wipe out an entire productive garden in the matter of seconds through hail, pelting rain or high winds. Sadly for many a vegetable garden really does make the difference as to whether they can afford to eat or not. They depend on their gardens not only for fresh vegetables but also to put up food for the winter. Barring a catastrophic event (eg. tornado, flooding and etc.) there are a few things you can do to buffer these types of problems.

1. shelter your garden - Tuck your vegetable garden up into an area where it is sheltered from the wind by buildings, fences or vegetation windbreaks. If the only spot you can plant a traditional row garden is in the open create a windbreak with taller plants or temporary windbreak fencing. Raised beds and container gardening need a bit more protection.
2. barriers - A barrier is a great deterrent for garden raiders. The type you choose will be very dependent on the pests you want to keep out. A low close knit fence protected also along the bottom with chicken wiring is effective for keeping rabbits, mice and rats out of your garden. If raccoons are raiding your garden run a line of low voltage electric fence around the perimeter of your garden about 9" from your low fence. Deer and humans present a special case. Most recommend at least a 6' high fence although a determined human or hungry deer can likely still get in.
3. motion deterrents - One of the most effective pest deterrent I've used is a motion activated sprayer that makes a lot of noise while spraying a jet of water in the direction of the motion. For the best protection move the sprayer to different locations in your garden so pests do not become acclimatized.
4. plant disease and/or drought resistant varieties - This will minimize any losses due to certain diseases and dry conditions.
   
5. plant extra - This sounds like a given but always plant extras to guard against loss from disease or insect infestation. One easy way to get extras through the season is to take clipping and root them. Pinch tomato suckers and root them in water. Many herbs will root in water as well. Start extra plants from seeds. Keep a good variety of your extras indoors, in a screened in sun porch or balcony as a bit of insurance. If disaster strikes harden off your indoor plants then replant your garden. You will lose a little as far as yield but not a lot. Essentially what you are doing is creating a small container garden as a back-up.
6. replace the plants - If your garden has been stripped an alternative is to replant using slight older plants from the nurseries. This approach will work well for many plants and is one trick to establish a garden if you get a late start planting. In late spring and early summer practically every store that sells plants greatly reduces the prices. This is a good time to pick up replace plants at bargain prices.
   

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Seed Catalogues

The weather has turned cold, grey and rainy with bouts of wet snow flurries, definitely not gardening weather. Walking to the mailbox isn't as enjoyable. The walk back to house was enjoyable Friday despite the nasty weather. I had the new Stokes catalogue safely tucked under my arm.

Seed catalogues always bring a bit of sunshine on the dreary, cold days. I'll read through them, dog ear pages and make lists of what I want several times before it's time to order for seed starting. Garden planning helps the winter days pass a bit quicker. They hold the promise of next year's garden. The pictures are bright and enticing. However, seed catalogues are much more than that. They are a valuable resource that not only show what the fruits, vegetables and flowers will look like but give a lot of information on the varieties.

So if you haven't ordered your seed catalogues yet, it's time to do so. That way you will have them to drool over after the holidays while there is still a blanket of snow on the ground.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Goldfinches

Goldfinches
May 3, 2007

Gardening is more than just growing things. For years I have tried to attract beneficial wildlife especially birds and butterflies. This is always a pleasant time of the year when the goldfinches return. They like niger seed as does the house finches. Their bright yellow colour is sure to bring a smile as they flit around the garden!

Yesterday I did a little garden shopping. I picked up some panseys, ornamental millet, coleus, French thyme, parsley, Supersonic tomatoes and grass seed. A lot of my gardening plans are on hold or altered with the pending sale of our house but I'm still getting the beds ready and have started planting. I'll be doing more container gardening as well as leaving newer purchases in containers. The ornamental millet is now framing the front door so I'll leave that in containers. Today I spotted the first Baltimore Oriole! The greenhouse is now up and running. Tomorrow I will start diving some of the herbs. They need it anyway and this way I will have some of the perennial herbs potted ready for moving if all goes well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Let the Fun Begin!

It's that time of year folks! Time to get all the seed packets in order, start seedlings indoors and get your hands dirty. It's also a good time to rejuvenate and start houseplants. Let the fun begin!

Seeds Everywhere!

I admit it, I'm just a little behind on starting my seeds indoors but only by a few days. Yesterday was sunny and a balmy 63ºF so that spurred me into action. Unfortunately the prediction is for colder temperatures for the rest of the week with chance of snow flurries. It is March so anything can be expected.

This was the condition of my dining room table yesterday. There were seeds everywhere as I sorted them into various piles. I plant according to the average day of last frost (ADLF) so some seeds are started indoors six to eight weeks before the ADLF while others are planted directly in the ground. Towards the upper corner is my gardening journal for the past year. I cull out the seed packets based on the performance noted in my journal. There are also several zipper sandwich bags holding various seeds I collected. Just barely visible on the chair to the right is a large plastic bin holding various collected seeds as well.

Just Beginning

My biggest problem for starting seeds indoors is space. We don't have a basement or spare room and the house is spatially challenged as it is. So despite my decluttering goals in preparing for spring cleaning, the seed trays will add to visual clutter until I can open the greenhouse.

Near the dining room table were the most of the things to get me going. They were only there for the photo shoot as we would end up tripping over them. This is just a small number of flats I will be starting this year. All the pots and cells had to be washed along with the seed trays. I've vowed to washed them as they are used this time so they are clean and ready to go for next year. I know I have clean ones in the shed but the entry is flooded at the moment.

So Monday I brought in a few of the cells and seed trays to wash, battling drizzling rain but thankful they were in the greenhouse not the shed. The greenhouse needs a complete clean-out but I will talk about that in a later entry. While the first batch was drying, I went to get the Stim-Root® for geranium cutting. I thought I knew right where it was but my husband did a little reorganize so it took me almost 2 hours to find it! By then the rest seemed overwhelming but by yesterday I was ready to get going. Seed sorting took longer than expected and even though I did not get any seeds planted, the soil was mixed and trays filled ready for seeding. I didn't get the aloe divided or geranium cuttings finished but I managed to get the much neglected African violet divided.

African Violet

My mom had a knack with African violets and hers always looked gorgeous likely because she was always tending to them. This was my poor, neglected African violet. It was overcrowded and in need of attention. I decided to divide the plant as from first looks there were two crowns. I also decided to propagate using the water method I saw my mom do countless times.

In preparation for this, I watered the plant well from the bottom. African violets are prone to brown water marks on their leaves so I always water from the bottom. Then I removed the dead flowers. Once it was well watered, I removed it from the pot. As suspected the plant was root bound. Dividing the smaller crown from the main plant was fairly easy to do with my fingers. Before re-potting, I cut away any yellowed leaves as well as a few for starting in water.

The Aftermath

I potted the larger piece of the plant in a 6" pot and the smaller piece in a 4" pot. Then four leaves were placed through holes in plastic wrap so their cut ends rested in the water. Once these form roots, they will be transplanted into pots. The new plant will grow from the cut end up through the soil and at the same time the old leave will begin withering. Once dead, the leaf can be removed.

This morning the new African violets appear to have survived their ordeal with no signs of shock. I'll post entries of their progress along the way.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007