Archive for ‘Organic Gardening’

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April 23, 2011

History, gardening and experiments

History was never my strong suit while in high school.  In fact, I remember many classes struggling to keep my eyelids propped open.  I never understood the point other than learning from it so we don’t make the same mistakes twice.  But really…why were we studying this?  How would it ever apply in life?

It wasn’t until I was in college and selected a major that I started to get intrigued by history.   I was a German major my first go around, so I was learning all about German history and was actually interested. Then I decided to study abroad, in Austria.  Naturally my next round of history classes were about Austria.  I found this equally interesting because I would be going there.  I could apply it to something.

Now, I don’t proclaim to have memorized all the details.  I’m more of a big picture person in pretty much every facet of my life.  I couldn’t repeat detail for detail what happened, but I can tell you the overall concept and the impact it made.

Fast forward about 15 years and I went back to school again focusing on Landscaping and Horticulture.  It seemed like a natural fit for me.  I’ve always enjoyed gardening.  I grew up helping in the veggie garden, planting flowers and even “propagating” Hens and Chicks when I was quite young.  I remember being 7 or 8 years old and realizing that if I gently removed the “chicks” from the “hens” and nestled them into open soil, they would begin to grow quite well there.  It wasn’t long before we had a nice crop of them just outside the back door!

I also vividly remember growing my green bean in a cup in elementary school and trying to grow avocados from the pit on numerous occasions.  The excitement I got from this was ridiculous.

Ever since I’ve had a place of my own, I’ve had far more “house plants” (plants I grow that happen to be in the house) than most normal people.  I’m constantly trying to grow something new, just to see if I can. In fact, when I moved out of my apartment (which I shared with a roommate) to our first home, there were 3 pick-up bed loads of plants to move.

So you see, I think I’ve been a plant geek pretty much all my life.

How does all of this tie into history?  Well, somewhere around the time that I was thinking about going back to school I went to visit my mom in Washington DC.  She took me to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, plantation and gardens. If you ever get the opportunity – go there! It’s by far one of my favorite places. I fell in love.  I think that’s when it hit me that my fascination with plants isn’t so odd, or, if it is, at least I’m in good company.  Learning about Jefferson’s gardens, micro-climates he created to grow olive trees and grapes that never should have survived in Virginia was so inspiring. Again, history had a place for me.

Thanks to Jefferson, I continue to try grow new things all the time.  I’ve now got my own grapes, pears, apples and hardy kiwi not to mention the veggie garden and perennials.  I’m never afraid to try growing something new, that’s how I learn.  Besides, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

My next experiments are going to be an olive tree and date palm (grown from seed) and I recently heard there’s a banana tree hardy to our area.  I just might have to try that too!

Happy experimenting!

Kate

Posted in Favorites, Organic Gardening, Seed Starting | 3 Comments »

April 20, 2011

Forcing spring – the silver lining

A couple of weeks ago when I went out to cut back my grasses and do a little clean-up in my yard, I was greatly disappointed to find one of the larger branches on my Rhododendron had gotten broken off over the winter.  I’m not sure whether it was just the snow pack or if it had gotten stepped on, but whatever the case, it was a disappointment.  Under closer inspection I found that the flower buds of this branch were not dried out and in fact looked ready to open. Not wanting to waste the beauty of the blossoms and to help ease the pain of the awkward shape of what’s left of my Rhododendron, I invited the branch inside.  It happily accepted.

This lovely little branch now resides in my sunroom in a vase of water and some of it’s dismembered little friends are in a glass of water on my kitchen windowsill.  Within the past few days the buds have popped and I now have ruffled lavender blossoms brightening up my house.   The rest of the Rhododendrons outside have yet to bloom, so I will get to enjoy their splendor once the weather finally warms up a little more.

While I definitely don’t recommend running out and clipping branches off of Rhododendrons, especially because their growth habit does not respond well to pruning, I do recommend forcing branches.  If you would like to invite a little spring into your house, forcing branches is very simple to do.  You can force nearly any kind of spring blooming fruit tree, including apple, flowering crab, apricot, etc. The benefit of the fruit tree blossoms is that they have a lovely sweet scent as well.  Spring blooming shrubs, such as Forsythia, also respond well to forcing (but don’t have the scent).

When cutting branches, please be mindful of the long-term health of the tree or shrub.  Select a branch that with help the overall shape of the plant, not just one that would look pretty in your house for a couple of weeks.  Use a sharp bypass pruner* (not an anvil pruner**) and cut just above a node (the spot on the branch where it will naturally bud).  Make sure not to hack at or tear the bark as that will leave an opening for insects or diseases.  Clean cuts will heal over quickly to protect the plant.  After cutting, bring the branches inside and put them into a container with fresh water.  Change the water every few days to keep it from getting “funky” and within a few days to a week you should have blossoms filling your home.

Enjoy!

Kate

*Bypass pruners have 2 blades that pass each other like a scissors. Best used for live branches.

** Anvil pruners have 1 blade that chops against a metal or plastic plate.  Best used for dead branches.  Anvils will crush live stems.

Posted in Forcing branches, Organic Gardening | 1 Comment »

April 18, 2011

Sometimes it snows in April… but the seeds keep growing

It’s April 18th, and we have a Winter Storm Watch.  Really?  Seriously?!?  Unfortunately, yes.  They’re predicting 6 inches of snow or more.

“This is a problem” my 6-year old son said, “because it’s Spring…. and it’s a Winter Storm Watch…”  I concur.  This is a problem.  Mostly for my spirit, but some plants and flowers are getting nipped as well.  Hopefully the snow over this past weekend and the weather we’re going to have over the next few days won’t set us back too much. I really hope the forecast is wrong.

I started my spring clean-up when it was in the 60s a or so week ago.  This weekend I had hoped to do more, including getting my cool crops planted in my veggie garden.  Unfortunately, the cold dampened my spirits a little and I didn’t get out there.  Oh, well. That’s what spring in Minnesota is like.  Next week I’m forecasting 80.

Regardless of the weather outside, if you’ve already planted seeds inside, they should be clipping along pretty well.  If you’re growing under plant lights make sure to keep the lights low (not touching the plants,  but close to them) to prevent them from getting leggy.  I usually keep a fan running too. It keeps the air circulating which helps strengthen the seedlings (mimicking wind) and also prevents damping-off.  If you’re not familiar with this term, damping-off is when one of a variety of fungi infect the seed or seedling, sometimes preventing germination, or after the seed has sprouted, it weakens the plant at the point where the plant touches the soil which eventually causes the plant to rot and fall over.  If this happens to you, try not to get too discouraged.  It happens.

Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture: the life cycle of plants.  A plant’s goal in life is to reproduce.  It’s that simple.  The seed germinates, the plant grows, produces flowers to entice pollination in order to produce fruit/seeds.

Every type of seed needs certain conditions to germinate.  When we start seedlings inside we add heat mats, plant lights, fans, etc. to recreate the perfect environment for germination and growth.  However, we need to keep in mind that the reason plants produce so many seeds is because the plants “know” that not every seed is going to germinate, and of the seeds that germinate, not all of them will survive and of those that survive, not all of them will live long enough, or have the right conditions to produce more fruit and more seeds (reproduce).  Since seeds are the future generation of the plant, and there are many things that could go wrong along the way, plants will typically produce a lot of seeds.  It’s kind of like plant reproduction insurance.

What this means is not every seed you sow will germinate.  Some of your seedlings may die.  Some of your plants may die due to weather or animal damage.  The strong plants will survive and produce fruit.  So, if you happen to lose some along the way, hard as it may be, do not get discouraged. This is all a part of the larger plan.  Things happen, nurture what you can and let the rest be.

Now where did I put that snow shovel?

Kate

Posted in Flower Gardening, Organic Gardening, Seed Starting, Veggie Garden | 2 Comments »

April 12, 2011

Spring containers with culinary appeal

The snow is finally gone, the grass is just beginning to green up, but color is still lacking from our landscape in Minnesota.

All of our front entry spaces would love a little pop of color.  Many people put pots or planters on or near their entry in the summer, but I really enjoy changing them out seasonally.  Believe it or not, it’s not too early to plant some spring flowers.  Although there isn’t a huge selection yet, Pansies, contrary to their name, are cold tolerant and able to handle the last little blasts of cold we might get.   I know, Pansies are nothing out of the ordinary, it seems you either really like them, or really dislike them.  I like them.  They make me smile, partially because they look like little monkey faces and monkeys make me laugh.

Anyway, I’m typically not fond of using just one type of plant in a container so I’m always looking for ways to “jazz up” my containers by adding color, or texture, or something a little fun or out of the ordinary.  If you’re partial to flowers, you can use Pansies, Tulips, Daffodils (whose faces follow the sun which can either be fun or frustrating depending on your personality), moss, ferns (perennial, not indoor varieties) branches such as Pussy Willow, Curly Willow or Birch.  If you can find Ornamental Cabbage or Kale, it always adds nice texture too.  If you’re looking for an alternative, another nice option is to use lettuce. If you plant a variety of them, such as green leaf, red leaf, oak leaf, etc., it can really be quite pretty. Add Pansies to the pot for a cheerful salad on the steps!

IMPORTANT: Pansy flowers are edible and make for great color on salads, but make absolutely sure they have not been treated with herbicides or pesticides before you even consider eating them! The plants most nurseries and big box retailers carry will most likely have been treated.  Make sure to look for “edible pansies” from an organic grower or grow your own from (organic) seeds.  Just remember – don’t use conventional fertilizer on them after you plant them!

If you don’t have any luck finding edible pansies but want to surprise your Easter guests with them in a salad, most coops or natural food stores will carry edible pansies near the fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Kate

Posted in Edible Landscaping, Landscaping, Organic Gardening, Veggie Garden | 4 Comments »

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