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Finally got some planting done

We are way late, but finally managed to get tomatoes, peppers, beans (bush type), and radishes in at the beginning of last week.  We've had steady off and on rain for the last several days and things a looking very good.

I've also gotten several planters started for our small patio.  I have golden sage, rosemary and thyme in one I did as part of a Master Gardener project.  They are looking good and smell heavenly!  I want to do 2 of my larger containers with coleus (I have a "thing" for coleus) and decorative sweet potato plants.  I just love the textures and the colors together.  I'll post some pictures when I get them together.  Also want to do some lettuce and spinach in containers this year.  I believe I can get a longer harvest if I can move them to more shaded areas when it begins to get hot.

Still working our new MG project, one of the sites had their plants in the ground and they are doing really well.  Want to take some sunflower plants down to plant along a fence row for the kids to enjoy as well.  The kids are so excited and ask such good questions, it's a pleasure to work with them.

The other site is awaiting a delivery of more soil.  What they had was almost impossible to dig up and move over to the raised beds.  So the program manager is arranging for more to be delivered.  Again these are going in late, but we'll be providing mainly plants to get them going.

Working with these square foot gardens has really been a challenge for me.  I'm familiar with the method and have adapted some of the techniques to my on plots.  I don't always agree with some of the philosophy involved, but this gardening method does certainly allow for a large production of veggies/flowers in a small space and lends itself readily to succession planting.  Here in VA that means you can grow almost all year.  I've convinced my gardeners to wait to plant multiples of cole/brassicas until the fall.  I've found it to me more effective and those vegetables do well with a nip of frost.  Plus the square foot gardens are easier to protect from heavy frost, so it's possible to get fresh broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc up until Feb depending on what varieties you grow and your location   Interesting stuff!  Plus you don't have the insect problems you do in the spring time.  It's much easier to control.

A Brand New Master Gardener Project

 I recently submitted a request to begin a brand new Master Gardener project in our area.  I'm so pleased our extension agent agreed and endorsed the paperwork.

I met with the local Fresh Food Program manager located at our local Food Bank.  She (and she is also a MG) got grant monies last year and started 6 local community gardens mainly in low income housing neighborhoods.  She also developed gardening beds on the local Food Bank site.  She has done an amazing job of pulling this together and after we talked, I thought this would be the perfect project for our group.  Volunteers recently help complete a small home made greenhouse as well, which will make seed starting much easier next year.

Most of the participants have either never gardened or are not quite sure how to make it all work.  This is right up our alley as MGs.

Given the state of the economy these days, growing some of your own food is smart in many ways.  So I feel we can really make an impact on many areas with this idea.  I'm really excited and hope to get great cooperation from my group!  I'll try and keep this updated on this blog.

Making some Progress with this year's garden

We've managed to get a few things in the ground today.  Everything is going to be so late, but sometimes that happens.

I spend part of the morning weeding out my small flower bed, the chickweed was trying to take over!   Grrrrrr

My roses are starting to bloom and my lavender plants are coming along well.  This is their 2nd year, so I expect to see more growth, but they should really jump next year.

Rule of thumb for all perennials:
1. The first year they sleep
2. The second year they creep
3. The third year they leap!!!

Roses can be the exception, depending on the type, but you do normally get much better bloom set the 3rd year.  I'm very impressed with the progress of my Knockout varieties.  I have a couple and wasn't real sure about them.  Ok, I admit it, I am a bit of a rose snob.....LOL   I love the antique and English roses.  I have a few teas left, but I'm not doing those again, it's just to much work.  And here in VA, black spot is our state rose problem!  I found treating the roses with plain old cornmeal does the trick.  You do have to make sure you get the area under your roses bushes as clean a possible.  I just applied the corn meal (right off the grocer's shelf) heavily to both the leaves and the ground.  I did it early in the morning while there was still a bit of "dew" on the bushes.  Worked like a charm!  I was dumbfound, that's the first time in almost 20 years I did not have a bit of black spot on any of my roses.  Plus the bonus I had enough corn meal left over to bake up some corn bread!  LOL

I'm going to do a Master Gardener Presentation later in the month on Growing Roses using Organic Methods.  Hope to have a good crowd with good questions.  That's always tons of fun! 

Become a Master Gardener - wikiHow

Become a Master Gardener - wikiHow

I'm a bit behind the power curve here trying to keep my blog updated.  I plan on trying to get seeds in this week, I had planned to do it earlier, but real life happened.  LOL

I want to start with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and some of the flower seed I ordered including some African marigolds and a very pretty mixed group of nasturtiums.  I want to add more this year to my veggie beds.  I use both as insect repellents and I just like to look at them periodically when I'm out in the garden.  Their so pretty with their bright colors, it's a pleasure to see.  I know there's been discussion (?) about using Marigolds as a repellent, some individuals have had no luck with that aspect.  I suspect they are using some of the newer hybrids  instead of the old fashioned type.  They have to SMELL!  It's a major "duh"!  And nasturtiums are another "smelly" type, I love the variety of colors they come in, their fairly easy to grow and they're good to eat.  I normally pick some early in the morning when the dew is still on the flowers, bring them in and wash them down. I strip the blossoms off the stems and add to summer salads.  Besides having some to put on my table just to brighten things up a bit.  Nasties had a rather "peppery" taste and give a nice spring salad a bit of a difference.  They are very good.

Just ordered and got planted a young Black Walnut tree and now I see I should have ordered 2.  We already have 2 fully mature bearing black walnuts, but they're getting tired and it shows.  Not everyone likes the nuts, but we do.  I normally only use a light horticultural oil on the trunks early in the spring to help prevent fungal infections, as Black Walnuts are susceptible to those problems.  Pay attention to the trunks early, early in the spring will make a big difference in your ability spot disease problems and deal with it quickly.  I knew one of the BWs would need to be replaced this year, but after checking the other one, it's not to make it much longer either, so I'll order another one.  They are self pollinators, but they bear much better when you have at least 2 trees.

We have a pecan tree that bears well, well that is if we can beat the squirrels to it.  We usually get enough for me to freeze for winter, so I can share.  We also have 3 pear trees, 1 Bosc, 2 Shekel varieties.  The pears are  major ugly to look at, but boy do they taste good.  These were suppose to be dwarfs, evidently that's very tall  ones!  We need a step ladder to harvest the upper branches.  Now the crows are getting to be a real problem, spoiling the fruit, so we're going to go with bird netting to help protect the fruit.  I'm also going add some pie plates and some strips of a old mylar balloon to some of the tree branches.  Birds don't like the sound, nor the noise made by those things.  I figure it's worth a try.

I'm going to a Master Gardener seminar at the end of the month and one of the topics is classes on how to do grafting.  The "whip" just happens to be another pear!!  Woohoo!  I've been toying with the idea of buying some Asian pear varieties and graft them to the Bosc.  I understand from friends they are great producers and the fruit is very tasty.  I can't grow the Bartlett variety (that's the one you normally see in the grocery store)  it happens to be highly susceptible to Cedar Apple Rust.  There is a piece of property across the road that is still heavily wooded and has more than a few Cedar trees.  So I'll stick to the resistant varieties.  I've found growing both fruit and nut trees to be both very rewarding and sometimes very frustrating.  Because I don't use pesticides or fungicides unless their organic, keeping a home orchard going and fairly disease free really takes some extra planning to make it work.  I'm thinking about trying one of the newer varieties of blueberries that can be grown in container.  I've picked fresh blueberries when I was going to college in Minnesota and they were delicious.  However, the bear we met there thought so too, but that's another story.  

Cathy's Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks: Preview ""

Cathy's Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks: Preview ""

It's Not to Late to Plant your Spring Flowering Bulbs

Yes, you can still plant any of the spring flowering bulbs, they will probably not bloom this year, but next year you'll be all set.  Here's a way to "cheat" a bit when you are planting your bulbs.     


Employ your power drill as a planter

A power drill used with a bulb auger will make planting your bulbs a snap.  Most augers come in 2 sizes, one for smaller bulbs and one for larger bulbs such as tulips and daffodils.  You can purchase the augers at most nursery stores.  You can also apply this time-saving technique for planting annuals, turning and aerating your compost pile, or mixing potting-soil recipes.  Of course there's always the shovel or trowel that can be used as well.
For really striking displays,  make your own flower basket with your bulbs.  You can plant in various areas, but try to stay consistent with your color palette.   You want an area about 12" across and 9-10 inches deep.  Make sure you add compost or another bulb fertilizer like Bulb tone to the soil and mix well.  Then plant your daffodils or Narcissus in the middle of your area (think of a basket), add several allium bulbs around the daffodils, space them about 4-5 inches apart from the daffodils, add some soil to the area, then 3 crocus about 8-9 inches apart and add more soil.  You can vary this technique depending on your choice of colors.  Just check the depth and spacing of the bulbs you want to plant.  You can go a little deeper than the package recommends to start your daffies. Their tough and can take it.  When you get bloom, take pictures and mark were your bulbs are planted.  I use thin bamboo poles to mark mine as well.  Having dug up a bunch......sigh   Just stuffed em back in the ground, sorry, sorry, sorry.   
To help protect your bulbs, take the time to mulch them in the winter.  Add about 3-4 inches of good quality mulch.  It helps protect the bulbs from sudden changes in temperature, smothers out a lot weed seeds (we can all do with out those)  and makes it easier to tend to other plants that may planted around the area.  Mulch only the bulbs.  

Spring is Coming!!

Boy am I ready for spring.  I'm trying some winter sowing this year, haven't done it in a long time, but I have some extra perennial seeds I want to try.
I will probably start my tomato, pepper and melon seeds under lights toward the end of the month.  I'm in Zone 7b, but my current location is closer to 8.  So I can push the envelope a bit on that sort of thing.

If you live in Zone 7 and further south, now is the time to prune your rose bushes.  It's also a good time to think about forcing some flowers.  Forsythia's are a lovely, especially on these gray days.  That bright yellow is so pretty, just makes you feel better.  You can also force pears and quince are also very lovely.
Here are some directions on how to force spring flowering trees and shrubs:

Nothing lifts the spirits as much as the sight of a few branches of golden forsythia, coral-colored quince or creamy pear blossoms. Branches of spring-flowering trees are easy to force for indoor display. You can force almost any spring-blooming tree or shrub from mid-January or early February on.

Follow these simple steps to bring the outdoors in long before spring:

1. Select the appropriate branches. Experiment with a variety of things from your garden, cutting heavily budded branches on a mild day. Choose stems of medium thickness or better, since these contain large quantities of stored sugar needed to nourish flower buds.

2. Use a sharp knife or pruning shears to cut the branches; slice diagonally just above the bud. Cut branches at least 2'-3' long; shorter branches are less effective in arrangements.

3. Bring the branches indoors and strip flower buds and small twigs from the bottom few inches of the stems. Slit up the stem ends a few inches or crush slightly with pliers to encourage water absorption. Some may bloom faster if you submerge them completely in a tepid water bath for a few hours before making your arrangement.

4. Add the following to the water:

            1/4 teaspoon citric acid mixed with one gallon of water
            or 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon bleach
            or 2 parts water to 1 part tonic water (or non-diet lemon lime soda)

5.Re cut stems and change the water every few days add.

Good candidates for forcing include: forsythias, pussy willows, fruit trees such as apples, cherries, plums, and almonds; flowering quinces, lilacs, witch hazels, hawthorns, mock oranges, spireas, wisterias, spice bush and horse chestnut.

You also do not want to forget the option of forcing bulbs.  October is the time of the year to begin potting your favorite spring bulbs to prepare them for winter flowering.  Tulips, narcissus (daffodils), hyacinths, crocus, scillas, grape hyacinths, and lily of the valley can be forced into flower in late winter and early spring.  A pot of tulips on the window sill in February can make a winter-worn gardener renew the desire to survive the winter.

Bulbs must be given a cold temperature treatment of 35-48 degrees F for a minimum of 1213 weeks. This cold treatment can be provided by a cold frame, an unheated attic or cellar, or even your refrigerator's vegetable section. In the refrigerator, the pots should be covered with plastic bags that have had a few breathing holes punched in them.

With cold frames in very cold climates deep mulch must be used. Cover the pots with 10 inches of soil, then cover with 10 inches of mulch (hay, sawdust, or leaves). The bulbs must not be allowed to freeze.

Mark your calendar to remind yourself when the first pots can be removed from storage for forcing to begin. If planted October 1, bring the first pots into the home right after Christmas. For a continuous supply of flowers, bring in a few pots at weekly intervals. On the average the bulbs will flower in three to four weeks. Closer to spring, they flower more rapidly.

In the home, place the pots in a cool, sunny location. A temperature of 50-60 degrees F is preferred for the first week or until the shoots and leaves begin to expand. Then, they can be moved to warmer locations such as the living room.  Avoid direct sunlight.  Hyacinths may have a tendency not to have an elongated flower stem and "stick" in the clasp of leaves.  This problem may be overcome by placing the plants in the dark for a few days or placing a paper cone over the plants in order to "draw" the flower out of the bulbs.  Warmer temperatures will result in rapid growth.  Once the bulbs are blooming, move the pots to a cool location each night.  The cooler temperatures will prolong the life of the flowers.  Small pots of crocus can even be placed in your refrigerator overnight.

Discard tulips, narcissus, crocus, and hyacinths after flowering as they normally are "spent" and are not likely to ever flower satisfactorily again.