Archive for ‘Veggie Garden’

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May 5, 2011

Community Garden and such

I know, I’m sure after my last post you thought that I had a terrible run-in with the raccoons and that was the end of Walnuts and Pears.  You can relax, the raccoons have not gotten the best of me, yet.

A while back a friend and neighbor asked me to help her get a Community Garden started at her church and pre-school.  How could I refuse?!?!  So I took a little hiatus from blogging (perhaps you noticed) and dedicated my energy to drawing up a plan.  The plan actually consists of more than the veggie beds for the Community Garden.  Since this is for a church and pre-school, there are elements for the children and the young at heart.  The church was built in the 1950s and an addition was added years later.  Since then, there really hasn’t been much in the way of landscaping on the site and what once was there, is now gone.  So, other than the new fence and some existing retaining walls it was pretty much a blank slate.  There were also requests for flowers, minimizing maintenance around the fence and even addressing some water issues.  The goal is to make a hands-on learning space that is both bountiful and beautiful. The plan includes 4 raised planting beds, including one seating-height bed, a number of pots and planters and tee-pees for the children to grow gourds and ornamental vines on as well as play in.  There will also be a butterfly garden and edible landscaping incorporated throughout the rest of the site.

Even though our growing season in Minnesota is off to a bit of a slow start, they have a pretty aggressive schedule.  The goal was to have everything installed by April 30th so cool crops could get planted.  Unfortunately the weather didn’t exactly cooperate so the digging didn’t start until May 1st, but things are progressing nicely now.  They should be able to start planting by the end of the week and since the weather is still pretty cool, the crops should do just fine.  Check out the Bethany Gardens blog to see their progress and keep tabs on the gardens throughout the season: http://bethanygardens.wordpress.com/.

In the mean time, I’ve yet to get my cool crops in yet either, so hopefully this weekend I’ll be digging in too.

As a side note, the metal containers from my front steps have given themselves back to Mother Earth (rusted out) so I’m looking to buy or make some new planters/pots for my front steps.  If anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

Kate

Posted in Children's Garden, Edible Landscaping, Flower Gardening, Landscaping, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening, Veggie Garden | Leave a 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 »

April 11, 2011

Veggies – get sowing!

Maybe it’s because we’ve had such a long winter this year, or so much snow, whatever it is, I’m so anxious to get out and start gardening.

For those of you who are with me on this and anxious to get your hands dirty there are some things we can do… even in Minnesota!

For my veggie gardening friends, April 15th is typically a good time to plant cool season plants such as: Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Endive, Horseradish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Peas, Potatoes, Radishes, Rhubarb, Spinach and Turnips.

Cool season plants actually prefer the cool weather and don’t care for hot weather at all and they’ll let you know it.  Peas won’t perform and Radishes and Spinach (among others) will bolt.  In other words, they sense they are going to die and try to complete their life cycle by producing seeds.

Ideally you want to get cool season crops in the ground between April 15th and May 1st (in Minnesota), much later and you might not get anything.  If you have a garden calendar, write “Plant cool season crops” next to these dates for future reference. If you live in a warmer climate, plant earlier, if you live in a colder climate you’ll plant later.  Check with your local Extension office for info specific to your area.

(Don’t fret if you miss this date though, many of these can be planted in late summer for a fall harvest as well.)

So, get out and sow!

Kate

Posted in Organic Gardening, Veggie Garden | Leave a Comment »

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