Archive for ‘Organic Gardening’

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October 22, 2011

Acknowledging the inevitable

Today it finally hit me. It’s over. Summer is over. Fall is here and winter is on its heals.

You’d think I would have figured this out when the colors peaked a few weeks ago, but it was 85 degrees then.  It made it easy to deny the change in seasons.  Honestly, that whole thing, as much as I loved the continued warmth, kind of freaked me out.  It was creepy for a couple of reasons.  Partly because warm winds, shorts and fall color do not go hand-in-hand in Minnesota.  The other reason is that although Doctors couldn’t figure out what exactly I had when I was sick.  The first thing that came to mind when they would ask me when it all started was a memory of a warm windy day back in August of 2009 when I had a reunion with a bunch of my college girl friends and their families.  The same winds blew through then and I remember being chilled.  Granted I didn’t realize I was running a fever until weeks after that, but that windy day in August was what stood out in my mind.  So the warm, windy days a few weeks ago made me incredibly uncomfortable to say the least.  Much as I love a beautiful breeze, I’ve come to really dislike wind. If people could put up hackles, mine were definitely up.  When out in the wind I even envisioned putting up my arms in a defensive position to try to fend off catching something again.

Anyway, as I took one of the dogs for a walk early this morning, I stepped out the door to my favorite weather and my favorite season.  The frost on the leaves, flowers and grasses was stunning as it sparkled in the early morning sunlight. The air was so crisp and so refreshing.  Although the color is past peak a few trees are still hanging onto their leaves and I completely understand why, they’re just too beautiful to let go of.

While I took every ounce of it in as much as I could I still had mixed emotions.  The growing season is over.  Oh, there are still a few raspberries clinging to their canes, shrub roses continuing to bloom and ornamental grasses dancing in the breeze like ladies in ball gowns.

But as a gardener, its with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to another season that flew by way too fast.

So while I love fall and look forward to more crisp morning walks, you won’t catch me rolling out the red carpet for winter.  In fact, you just may see my hackles standing up again. (Hey, I said I was finally acknowledging the inevitable – NOT welcoming the inevitable!)

Kate

Posted in Favorites, Organic Gardening, Ornamental Grasses | Leave a Comment »

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October 13, 2011

You’ve got an hour

When I originally started Walnuts and Pears the focus was going to be somewhat broad as far as the subject matter, but the common thread is that all things tie back into living today not just for ourselves, but for future generations, living mindfully .

During the spring and summer much of my focus has been on gardening and caring for our injured dog because that’s what was right in front of me. Reflecting back, it’s kind of funny how things work out.  Shortly before Darby got hurt, my full-time job changed to a part-time job.  My original plan was to use the 2nd half of the day to blog (daily) and combine my landscape, garden and marketing background into something new.  While I have picked-up a handful of design jobs, its honestly been tough.  Things haven’t been exactly going according to that plan and frankly, I’ve been struggling.

Recently someone reminded me that life is what happens when you’re busy planning.  The funny part about that is that I’m really not that great of a planner.  I’m more of a big picture kind of person.  I like to keep things loose so I can do something fun, take a class, or follow a whim.  What that also means though, is that when I do actually plan something, I get kind of H-E-double hockey sticks bent on sticking to that plan.  So the fact that things aren’t following my plan has been frustrating to say the least.

Instead of simply flipping a switch at the end of my 1st job and switching over to the 2nd as originally intended, I now switch into “Dog Mom” mode.  Caring for Darby has been much like caring for an infant.  She’s getting stronger every day, but she’s still dependent on us to walk.  And walk she does.  She gets 3 short walks a day as well as stretches and exercises 2 times a day.  Jake is still a puppy in a full size body, so he has a lot of energy that needs to be released each day through play and walks.  Since the two of them still need to be separated, all of this happens independently.  By the time this is done I usually have about half an hour to get anything else done that I have in my “plan”.

Yesterday, on my walk with Jake, it dawned on me (sometimes I need a 2×4 to hit me over the head to make this happen), but I realized, this is the plan.  It might not be my plan, but it is what I’m supposed to be doing.  Caring for the dogs has actually done a lot for me.  Having been sick for a couple of years, my body got weak.  Supporting Darby and staying active with Jake has strengthened me both physically and spiritually.  While I’m being leaned on, I need to lean on someone else for strength to get me through it all.

So while things aren’t going according to my plan, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’m trying my best to help Darby recover as fully as possible, watching the baby steps of success everyday while at the same time trying to make sure Jake gets what he needs as well. In the interim, I’m trying to stick to my commitment to myself to blog and do landscaping and other creative “stuff”.   Right now I don’t have the time to do it all, so I’m learning to allow myself to simply do what I can and ask for help when I need it.  (The asking for help thing doesn’t come easy for me. Call it pride, stubbornness, heritage or upbringing it is one of my “quirks”.)

So today, I had an hour before the kiddo gets home.  My choice was this… post for 1/2 and take Jake for a walk for the other 1/2.  That’s my plan… and with 29 minutes left, I’m kind of sticking to it.

This…..  is where I’m headed.

A walk in the park

Kate

Posted in Mindful Living, Organic Gardening, Pets | 1 Comment »

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October 10, 2011

Growing Garlic?

If you’re a garlic lover like me, what can be more fun than growing your own?  Actually, I could say that about a lot of things that I grow because, well, I just find it fun to be able to grow things, especially if they’re a little different.  For example the ginger (root) I’ve been growing in a pot in my sun room for the past few years.  Why?  Simply because I can!

Back to garlic.  Garlic is a bulb and much like flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, etc., garlic needs to be planted in the fall to be harvested the following summer.  Why fall?  Certain bulbs need a cold treatment the best development of the roots and the bulb. Garlic is one of those bulbs.

The ideal planting time for garlic is about two weeks after the first hard frost (32 degrees or less) or sometime between September 15 and October 15th or when the soil temperature is around 60 degrees F.  Clear as mud, right?  (That’s now just in case you didn’t follow all of that.)

So how do you grow it?  Garlic can be grown in beds with rows 30 inches apart on center and 6 inch spacing between plants.  The day of or a day or two before planting, separate the individual cloves from the bulb (a.k.a. head) of garlic. When separating the cloves make sure a small piece of the basal plate (the little flat part at the base of the bulb where the roots grow) is attached to each clove or it won’t root.  When planting day arrives, plant each clove 2 – 3 inches below the surface of the soil with the pointed part facing up.  (If you accidentally plant them upside down they will still grow, but will have an odd shape when you harvest them.)

A few weeks after planting, cover the rows with 3 – 4 inches of straw mulch (seed-free!) to prevent drastic soil temperature changes.  Since Garlic needs a cold treatment, the roots and shoots can tolerate freezing conditions as long as they are mulched to minimize excessive fluctuation in soil temperatures in the winter and early spring.  (Mulch can be removed in the spring after the threat of hard freezes is over, around April 15th.)

When buying bulbs, keep in mind you don’t want to plant the bulbs you buy in your local grocery store because they are typically grown in much warmer climates and won’t be hardy in our climate.  Instead, it’s best to buy local or cold hardy Garlic bulbs.  I bought mine at EGG|PLANT Urban Farm Supply in St. Paul this year, but you should be able to pick them up at other garden supply stores or order them online. The Growing Garlic in Minnesota piece (below) has a nice list of Garlic sources as well.

Garlic

Garlic

As far as what kind to buy, there are many types and varieties of Garlic, but they all fall into one of two basic varieties: hard neck and soft neck.  The main difference is that hard neck produce flowers (a.k.a. scapes) and bulbils (baby bulbs) while soft neck do not produce flowers.  If you like garlic scapes and plan on cooking with them or using them in arrangements, you will need to buy hard neck varieties (soft neck will not produce minimal scapes if any).  Beyond that, there are more types and varieties varying in flavor, temperature (mild to hot), etc.  As for me, I’ll be planting three hard neck varieties: Chesnok Red, Georgia Crystal and German Extra Hardy.

If you decide to grow Garlic and want more detailed information, download the pdf of Growing Garlic in Minnesota from the University of Minnesota.  This is filled with detailed info on soils, water, weather, insects, diseases, pretty much anything that might impact garlic growth.

Growing Garlic?  Feel free to share your story!

Kate

Posted in Organic Gardening, Veggie Garden | 1 Comment »

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October 4, 2011

What now? Water ’til winter!

As the temperatures drop and the gardening season fades….. wait, WHAT?!?!?

Remind me, what is the date?  What season is this?  It’s October… in Minnesota…  and it was 80 degrees yesterday, its supposed to be 85 degrees today, 80 degrees tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and the day after that.  It’s pretty odd to have gorgeous fall color and 80 degree temps in Minnesota right now, but I’ll tell ya what, I’ll take it!

Honestly, when the cool weather hit a couple of weeks ago I was totally ready for fall.  I absolutely love fall, but I also know what follows it, so if Mother Nature offers a few extra days of summer you won’t hear me complaining!  I’ll be honest though, it’s kind of confusing.  Ummm… what now? Should I be planting or doing fall clean-up?  The answer would be BOTH!

Now is an ideal time to plant spring blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, scilla, crocus…. you get the picture.  It’s also the perfect time to plant garlic!

Okay, so what if you’re really not into either of those and nice weather or not, you’re done gardening for the season?  Then what?  It’s really easy to call it quits this time of the year.  A lot of people are just worn out and their gardens are “done”.  As much as it is tempting to let things go, it’s incredibly important to continue watering trees, shrubs and perennials to help them prepare for winter.

Remember the Water, water, water! post back in June?  Well, here we are again!

Trees, shrubs and perennials are the backbone of our yards.  They provide structure, shade, protection from winter winds and “winter interest” and yet they also tend to blend into the background and get forgotten.  I, for one, am guilty of taking them for granted and almost forget that they need attention, especially in the fall.

The past few weeks have been really dry and dry plants get stressed.  Stressed plants have less of a chance of surviving the winter and a better chance of experiencing winter die-back.  Water gives them strength, helps them better survive frost and winter temps.

So how late in the season should you water?  Water until the ground is frozen (typically some time in November).

Seriously.  Water until you can’t water any more, then put away the hoses and shut off the faucets.  You’re plants will thank you.

Kate

Posted in Landscaping, Organic Gardening, Perennials | Leave a Comment »

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