Not much news or updates to share this week. We've got a nice late season dump of snow and it's cold as the dickens! I can't wait for the spring thaw in a another 8 weeks or so. Sprouts are growing fast and the Sparks Earliana tomatoes are living up to their name. Their almost as big as the Amaranth already!
For those still hunting for that particular plant variety, Mother Earth News introduced this Seed Finder this week. Check it out!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Garden Rainbow!
Growth Report:
More and more plant babies are coming up every day! The snapdragon sprouts are growing fast, and they’ll need to be thinned out before they start over crowding.
The first of the Amaranth is growing quickly, which is pretty typical of this fast growing annual.
And right next to them, our soon to be blooming Marigolds are coming up to greet the world in full force!
Spotlight Plant: Amaranth!
More and more plant babies are coming up every day! The snapdragon sprouts are growing fast, and they’ll need to be thinned out before they start over crowding.
The first of the Amaranth is growing quickly, which is pretty typical of this fast growing annual.
And right next to them, our soon to be blooming Marigolds are coming up to greet the world in full force!
Spotlight Plant: Amaranth!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Winter Chill
Gardening 101:
Today we’ll discus something that may be a critical factor in your success or failure of getting those little seeds you’ve planted to germinate: Stratification! What the heck is stratification? Well, basically it’s making a faux winter for your seeds so that they will “wake up” and grow when planted in the spring. Now, I have to admit, I had never heard of this until a couple of years ago when I cracked open a book on starting one’s own medicinal herb garden. The reason would probably be that most commercially sold seeds are hybrids; they are designed to just pop up and start growing as soon as you give them some soil and water. If you buy your seeds from big box stores, chances are you will probably never have to worry or bother about this particular gardening technique. But, if you ever want to start planting native or woody plants, you may soon find a need to know. And even if you don’t, I personally feel this is a technique that should be learned and passed on to the next generations. Gardening secrets should never be lost!
If you’re worried about whether or not your seeds will need to be stratified, the easiest way to find out will be to check the back of the seed pack. Even if the seeds would normally need treatment, sometime the company you’ve ordered your seeds from will have done the work and stratified the seeds for you before shipping them, but if you decide to save the seeds from those plants for next year, you’ll need to remember which ones need to be winterized!
There are quite a few techniques you can use to stratify your seeds. One simple method is to sow your seeds where you want them to grow in the fall and let nature do the work. This has it’s disadvantages, though. Seeds can be eaten by birds, blown by the wind to land in places you don’t want them growing or be killed by weather rather than helped. Many gardeners will instead use the more controlled conditions of their own refrigerators or freezers. Put the seeds into moist (not wet) peat or vermiculite and into a container that will go into your fridge or freezer for for 4 to 6 weeks before you want to start your seeds indoors. And that’s it!
Today we’ll discus something that may be a critical factor in your success or failure of getting those little seeds you’ve planted to germinate: Stratification! What the heck is stratification? Well, basically it’s making a faux winter for your seeds so that they will “wake up” and grow when planted in the spring. Now, I have to admit, I had never heard of this until a couple of years ago when I cracked open a book on starting one’s own medicinal herb garden. The reason would probably be that most commercially sold seeds are hybrids; they are designed to just pop up and start growing as soon as you give them some soil and water. If you buy your seeds from big box stores, chances are you will probably never have to worry or bother about this particular gardening technique. But, if you ever want to start planting native or woody plants, you may soon find a need to know. And even if you don’t, I personally feel this is a technique that should be learned and passed on to the next generations. Gardening secrets should never be lost!
If you’re worried about whether or not your seeds will need to be stratified, the easiest way to find out will be to check the back of the seed pack. Even if the seeds would normally need treatment, sometime the company you’ve ordered your seeds from will have done the work and stratified the seeds for you before shipping them, but if you decide to save the seeds from those plants for next year, you’ll need to remember which ones need to be winterized!
There are quite a few techniques you can use to stratify your seeds. One simple method is to sow your seeds where you want them to grow in the fall and let nature do the work. This has it’s disadvantages, though. Seeds can be eaten by birds, blown by the wind to land in places you don’t want them growing or be killed by weather rather than helped. Many gardeners will instead use the more controlled conditions of their own refrigerators or freezers. Put the seeds into moist (not wet) peat or vermiculite and into a container that will go into your fridge or freezer for for 4 to 6 weeks before you want to start your seeds indoors. And that’s it!
Monday, February 20, 2012
A Touch of Green!
For those in our hardiness zone, now’s the time to start your 8 week plants! For our garden, that includes Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, two different kinds of Amaranth, Marigolds, Bee Balm and Canterbury bells. Wow, all that on just one week!
Growth Report:
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Garden Darling
Gardening 101:
So, before we get started making those big beautiful gardens full of yummy things to eat, we should start exploring some gardening terminology. Since it was mentioned in the previous post and will be again in later logs (and quite frequently at that) today we’ll cover soil pH!
Simply put, the pH of your soil is a measure of how acidic or alkaline it is. It should go with out saying that too much of one or the other is a bad thing! But even small variables can have a big effect on your plants. The acidity or basicity of the soil a plant is grown in will affect the chemical forms of the nutrients present in the ground and in turn affect how the plants can absorb them. So, how do you tell how acidic your soil is? Well, first you’ll probably need to get a soil test done. You can get testing kits from your local university extension office or home improvements store. Make sure to read and follow the instructions exactly: failure to do so can result in false or inaccurate results! The pH of your soil is usually expressed as a number. The higher the number the more alkaline the soil, and the lower, the more acid respectively.
Once you know how acidic (or not) your dirt is, you can plan on how to plant your garden space or make amendments to the soil. Many different plants have different preferences for how they like their soil but they also have a wide range of tolerances. For a vegetable garden, a good place to aim for is a pH of 6.5- that’s slightly acidic. Don’t worry too much about being exact right away. It takes time for amendments added to the soil to actually fully integrate. Instead, focus on placing your seedling transplants in which ever areas are better suited for them and work towards establishing healthy, balanced soil as you go. another option is to create raised planting beds and add good organic soil from a garden center. It will take a lot less time and effort starting with soil has been prepared for you, but be careful of your sources and make sure that it’s all coming from an organic source!
Spotlight Plant: Tomato!
So, before we get started making those big beautiful gardens full of yummy things to eat, we should start exploring some gardening terminology. Since it was mentioned in the previous post and will be again in later logs (and quite frequently at that) today we’ll cover soil pH!
Simply put, the pH of your soil is a measure of how acidic or alkaline it is. It should go with out saying that too much of one or the other is a bad thing! But even small variables can have a big effect on your plants. The acidity or basicity of the soil a plant is grown in will affect the chemical forms of the nutrients present in the ground and in turn affect how the plants can absorb them. So, how do you tell how acidic your soil is? Well, first you’ll probably need to get a soil test done. You can get testing kits from your local university extension office or home improvements store. Make sure to read and follow the instructions exactly: failure to do so can result in false or inaccurate results! The pH of your soil is usually expressed as a number. The higher the number the more alkaline the soil, and the lower, the more acid respectively.
Once you know how acidic (or not) your dirt is, you can plan on how to plant your garden space or make amendments to the soil. Many different plants have different preferences for how they like their soil but they also have a wide range of tolerances. For a vegetable garden, a good place to aim for is a pH of 6.5- that’s slightly acidic. Don’t worry too much about being exact right away. It takes time for amendments added to the soil to actually fully integrate. Instead, focus on placing your seedling transplants in which ever areas are better suited for them and work towards establishing healthy, balanced soil as you go. another option is to create raised planting beds and add good organic soil from a garden center. It will take a lot less time and effort starting with soil has been prepared for you, but be careful of your sources and make sure that it’s all coming from an organic source!
Spotlight Plant: Tomato!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Don't Make Me Cry...
Planting reminders!
There's still time to start some of your early plants indoors but you need to get on it if you want them to get the best head start before your transplant date, which is usually the last frost date for your hardiness zone. For our area, which is zone 6b, that's around April 15th. Onions and chives are the plants that need to get the earliest start for the season, so if you didn't sow them into your desired garden spot last fall, start them indoors now! Another plant that needs an early start in this cold climate is Lavender. Sow it at the same time as your onions and make sure hey get plenty of light as they need it to germinate.
Spotlight Plant: Onion!
There's still time to start some of your early plants indoors but you need to get on it if you want them to get the best head start before your transplant date, which is usually the last frost date for your hardiness zone. For our area, which is zone 6b, that's around April 15th. Onions and chives are the plants that need to get the earliest start for the season, so if you didn't sow them into your desired garden spot last fall, start them indoors now! Another plant that needs an early start in this cold climate is Lavender. Sow it at the same time as your onions and make sure hey get plenty of light as they need it to germinate.
Spotlight Plant: Onion!
Digging Our Fist Day!
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| Founding Father and Avid Gardener. |
Thomas Jefferson once said, "Though an old man I am but a young gardener."
Actually, he had a lot to say about the subject of gardening, but we'll get to that later.
It is on this subject that I too want to gain, and hopefully contribute, my own wisdom. Ever since becoming a mother, I've been hyper-aware of my surroundings. What is it that I'm giving my child? How am I nurturing her, both physically and mentally for the future? This was the train of thought that led me to desire- crave really- to cultivate my own little garden; I wanted a place where I could grow food for my family and know exactly what has gone into it and a place where I can pass down traditions and secrets both old and new to the generation I've brought into this world.
I'm only a beginner, and though an adult, I'm a very young gardener, and pruning and feeding a few already well established rose bushes is a far cry from the toil and sweat that goes into growing a flower and vegetable garden from scratch. So, I've decided to record my trials, tribulations and triumphs here for amusement as well as education (both yours and mine)! I will give compiled growing information for all on the fruits, veggies and flowers I attempt this year, spot light some of my favorite varieties and give general tips for organic gardening as I pick them up.
Even if it's a complete failure, as long as we're all having a good time I'll consider it a roaring success!
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