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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Spring Gardening Plan
It has been a number of years since I've planted a vegetable garden. I have plans to have one again in the spring, however. Why plant a vegetable garden? I am sure that every gardener has his or her own reasons but I needed to decide what my own reasons are. It's not like I'm especially fond of digging in the dirt because I'm not. Is it the fact that I enjoy being outdoors? Nope, not that either because I have a real problem with heat and once May arrives the weather is usually uncomfortable for me.
Well it certainly couldn't be that I enjoy pulling weeds or getting bitten by bugs (see, I'm telling the truth when I say I'm not an outside kind of person!). So it must be something else; some other draw that makes me want to plant vegetables and watch them grow instead of buying them in the produce section of the supermarket like I've been doing for years now.
The reason is that it gives me a good feeling to grow some of the family's food. Pure and simple, that's all it is. There is a good feeling that comes along with planting some tiny seeds and in a few months being able to pick the bounty and help it to find its way to the dinner table.
I have wanted to get into home canning for a very long time now, so I may decide to plant some extra things (or a larger amount of my favorites) and try my hand at it. I'm not real sure about that, though, because it may be a bit too ambitious until I see how the garden is going to grow. I will feel so much like Mary, Mary and I'm sure I'll be quite contrary as she was.
In the days of our grandparents and great grandparents and back through time, having a garden or not wasn't a choice that they made each year like I am now doing. When the ground was ready, the garden was planted and there was no debate about it and no other way to do things. I am a big fan of historical things as well as genealogy so that is an additional plus for me, to feel that I am doing something my ancestors all did.
In the past when I've had a vegetable garden, I sometimes had a bit of a problem knowing how much to plant and ended up with excess. One year it was zucchini and I spent way too much time looking for recipes so that I could serve it in new and different ways. I still have to smile at the number of dishes that can be made with zucchini!
Another year it was tomatoes. Now that one wasn't so bad because I enjoy Italian foods. That just meant that many of the extra tomatoes ended up in homemade spaghetti sauce, lasagna sauce, and so on. Some of the excess tomatoes went into chili to freeze and many of them ended up sliced for the table or put into salads. Extra tomatoes are rarely a problem.
I need to be sure not to plant too many onions. I tried recently to freeze some that a neighbor gave to me. (I guess he didn't anticipate that planting too many onions would be a problem!) I just don't like the way they turn out once they are frozen. If you dice them up and then use them for something like chili, they're fine, but I tried slices and it just didn't turn out well. The odor in the freezer and fridge even when they are wrapped very well is a consideration, too.
I enjoy garden peas, but I think I'm recalling from the past that it takes an incredible amount of picked peas to get enough for even a small family. If I plant peas, it will be just enough for a few meals and I think that will be enough.
I might plant potatoes but not corn. For some reason, watermelon or cantaloupe never worked well for me as much as I love eating them. Then again, since this is a new house and different soil, maybe I will try them once again. I won't grow lettuce but will grow cucumbers.
See, I almost have it all planned out already! When it comes right down to it, nothing beats produce that you know is fresh and you will have the assurance that nothing nasty has been sprayed onto it or spread on the ground while it was growing.
Well it certainly couldn't be that I enjoy pulling weeds or getting bitten by bugs (see, I'm telling the truth when I say I'm not an outside kind of person!). So it must be something else; some other draw that makes me want to plant vegetables and watch them grow instead of buying them in the produce section of the supermarket like I've been doing for years now.
The reason is that it gives me a good feeling to grow some of the family's food. Pure and simple, that's all it is. There is a good feeling that comes along with planting some tiny seeds and in a few months being able to pick the bounty and help it to find its way to the dinner table.
I have wanted to get into home canning for a very long time now, so I may decide to plant some extra things (or a larger amount of my favorites) and try my hand at it. I'm not real sure about that, though, because it may be a bit too ambitious until I see how the garden is going to grow. I will feel so much like Mary, Mary and I'm sure I'll be quite contrary as she was.
In the days of our grandparents and great grandparents and back through time, having a garden or not wasn't a choice that they made each year like I am now doing. When the ground was ready, the garden was planted and there was no debate about it and no other way to do things. I am a big fan of historical things as well as genealogy so that is an additional plus for me, to feel that I am doing something my ancestors all did.
In the past when I've had a vegetable garden, I sometimes had a bit of a problem knowing how much to plant and ended up with excess. One year it was zucchini and I spent way too much time looking for recipes so that I could serve it in new and different ways. I still have to smile at the number of dishes that can be made with zucchini!
Another year it was tomatoes. Now that one wasn't so bad because I enjoy Italian foods. That just meant that many of the extra tomatoes ended up in homemade spaghetti sauce, lasagna sauce, and so on. Some of the excess tomatoes went into chili to freeze and many of them ended up sliced for the table or put into salads. Extra tomatoes are rarely a problem.
I need to be sure not to plant too many onions. I tried recently to freeze some that a neighbor gave to me. (I guess he didn't anticipate that planting too many onions would be a problem!) I just don't like the way they turn out once they are frozen. If you dice them up and then use them for something like chili, they're fine, but I tried slices and it just didn't turn out well. The odor in the freezer and fridge even when they are wrapped very well is a consideration, too.
I enjoy garden peas, but I think I'm recalling from the past that it takes an incredible amount of picked peas to get enough for even a small family. If I plant peas, it will be just enough for a few meals and I think that will be enough.
I might plant potatoes but not corn. For some reason, watermelon or cantaloupe never worked well for me as much as I love eating them. Then again, since this is a new house and different soil, maybe I will try them once again. I won't grow lettuce but will grow cucumbers.
See, I almost have it all planned out already! When it comes right down to it, nothing beats produce that you know is fresh and you will have the assurance that nothing nasty has been sprayed onto it or spread on the ground while it was growing.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Decorating with your Garden's Fall Bounty
By Christina VanGinkel
Decorating your home and yard with the bounty from your garden is one of the best things gained from all your hard work and effort. With fall underway, you may be thinking there is not a lot left in your garden from which to use around the home, but you would be wrong, especially if your garden included a pumpkin patch or gourds. Even if it does not, there are still ways to enjoy the end of your garden's season.
For those with no pumpkins or gourds, just a garden that has seen better days, take a few hours and cleanup the rows, then plant a scarecrow decorated for the season in it. This will not only make you smile and be a pleasure to view both for your family and the neighbors, but it might even keep the late season birds away from eating up any seeds that you would still like to get out and harvest a few of.
If you happen to be one of the many who did plant pumpkins, harvest a nicely sized one, and measure the top of it to a diameter that will easily hold a simple vase. Then carve out the pumpkin as you would ready it for traditional pumpkin carving, but stop when you have the interior cleaned out. Set the vase into the pumpkin and fill it with an assortment of late blooms such as marigolds, or with dried flora. You can also use what I call local gifts of bounty if you happen to live close to an area where you can harvest a few cattails. Snip a couple close to their tops so that they extend just a bit out of the vase and add some thin twigs. This seemingly simple mixture will appear quite elegant in the middle of a dining room table or displayed on a hearth. If you have a vase that has a top, which is made with separations to keep the flowers arranged more neatly, you can even forgo the vase and just set the top into the pumpkin.
Gourds and pumpkins come in many different colors and shapes, so mix things up a bit and assemble a few different ones to decorate a large table. These can also be set outdoors for a late season garden party, or even to line a large walkway or to fix up a display by your entryway in place of cornstalks or some other more common fall display.
Painting on pumpkins is nothing new, but choose a design scheme that is more sophisticated than your typical pumpkin painting. Simple quilt patterns are both easy to do and can bring some great colors to the artwork. Depending on the way your home is decorated, choose a Victorian or western design and paint it on a white gourd or several, and create a centerpiece of twigs and cattails lying flat in the shape of a nest and place the painted gourds on top. A nest of large colored leaves will work nicely too. Fill a large wooden bowl with colored leaves, stick a few strategic twigs in, and place a large pumpkin in the center to hold the leaves down and help the twigs to stick up and outward.
For an impromptu dinner party, bring in a pot of late blooming mums to use as a centerpiece, and peel of a few fresh dried cornhusks to use as napkin rings. Cover thee exterior of the pot in anything that fits your theme or mood for the meal, from a piece of checked flannel, to gold lame. Peel off the very exterior husks of the corn and toss in the trash, as they are often dirty. One layer down, the husks will not only be cleaner, they will be a bit more malleable than the very outside ones and will wrap around your napkins without cracking and crumbling. Add a fresh ripe and crisp apple or small mini gourd by each place setting with the occupants name tied to the apple top or written across the face of the mini gourd with acrylic, non-toxic paint.
Decorating your home and yard with the late blooms and other fall bounties from your garden are just one more way to extend the pleasure from something you have worked so hard at almost the whole year. From the first time you turned the earth over early last spring, to these late fall bounties you are still harvesting, you are doing both your garden and yourself good by making full use of such a splendid part of your yard and home, and even your life. A garden enjoyed so fully, is sure to be a garden that will once again be ready for enjoyment come the first day of a new spring next year.
Decorating your home and yard with the bounty from your garden is one of the best things gained from all your hard work and effort. With fall underway, you may be thinking there is not a lot left in your garden from which to use around the home, but you would be wrong, especially if your garden included a pumpkin patch or gourds. Even if it does not, there are still ways to enjoy the end of your garden's season.
For those with no pumpkins or gourds, just a garden that has seen better days, take a few hours and cleanup the rows, then plant a scarecrow decorated for the season in it. This will not only make you smile and be a pleasure to view both for your family and the neighbors, but it might even keep the late season birds away from eating up any seeds that you would still like to get out and harvest a few of.
If you happen to be one of the many who did plant pumpkins, harvest a nicely sized one, and measure the top of it to a diameter that will easily hold a simple vase. Then carve out the pumpkin as you would ready it for traditional pumpkin carving, but stop when you have the interior cleaned out. Set the vase into the pumpkin and fill it with an assortment of late blooms such as marigolds, or with dried flora. You can also use what I call local gifts of bounty if you happen to live close to an area where you can harvest a few cattails. Snip a couple close to their tops so that they extend just a bit out of the vase and add some thin twigs. This seemingly simple mixture will appear quite elegant in the middle of a dining room table or displayed on a hearth. If you have a vase that has a top, which is made with separations to keep the flowers arranged more neatly, you can even forgo the vase and just set the top into the pumpkin.
Gourds and pumpkins come in many different colors and shapes, so mix things up a bit and assemble a few different ones to decorate a large table. These can also be set outdoors for a late season garden party, or even to line a large walkway or to fix up a display by your entryway in place of cornstalks or some other more common fall display.
Painting on pumpkins is nothing new, but choose a design scheme that is more sophisticated than your typical pumpkin painting. Simple quilt patterns are both easy to do and can bring some great colors to the artwork. Depending on the way your home is decorated, choose a Victorian or western design and paint it on a white gourd or several, and create a centerpiece of twigs and cattails lying flat in the shape of a nest and place the painted gourds on top. A nest of large colored leaves will work nicely too. Fill a large wooden bowl with colored leaves, stick a few strategic twigs in, and place a large pumpkin in the center to hold the leaves down and help the twigs to stick up and outward.
For an impromptu dinner party, bring in a pot of late blooming mums to use as a centerpiece, and peel of a few fresh dried cornhusks to use as napkin rings. Cover thee exterior of the pot in anything that fits your theme or mood for the meal, from a piece of checked flannel, to gold lame. Peel off the very exterior husks of the corn and toss in the trash, as they are often dirty. One layer down, the husks will not only be cleaner, they will be a bit more malleable than the very outside ones and will wrap around your napkins without cracking and crumbling. Add a fresh ripe and crisp apple or small mini gourd by each place setting with the occupants name tied to the apple top or written across the face of the mini gourd with acrylic, non-toxic paint.
Decorating your home and yard with the late blooms and other fall bounties from your garden are just one more way to extend the pleasure from something you have worked so hard at almost the whole year. From the first time you turned the earth over early last spring, to these late fall bounties you are still harvesting, you are doing both your garden and yourself good by making full use of such a splendid part of your yard and home, and even your life. A garden enjoyed so fully, is sure to be a garden that will once again be ready for enjoyment come the first day of a new spring next year.
Friday, October 13, 2006
The First Hard Freeze
The weather forecasters project that tonight will bring the first hard freeze of the season. Earlier this fall a freeze was forecasted and I quickly ran to find cover for my tender annuals, especially my herb garden. An old blanket was carefully placed over my plants in an attempt to prolong the gardening season. Since then the urge to garden has gone dormant, just like the perennials will soon do. I hate saying goodbye to my garden at its most lush, but I am ready to say goodbye for this year and allow my desire to beautify my yard to rest until spring. I am not searching for a blanket tonight; I will just let nature take it's course.
This fall has been rainy and warm. A perfect combination for my annuals to flourish in a way that the dry summer heat slows them from doing. This year my annuals are at their best in mid October and this is not totally unexpected. I plan my annual garden with growth in mind. After the flower show that is spring in my back yard, I have little room for annuals until mid June. The flowers I do plant, I do so with the optimistic hope that they will mature quickly and spread throughout the increasingly empty spaces created as my spring plantings fade. This has not happened during the last two gardening seasons but I seem to forget this when I am buying annuals each May.
I have a rather extensive bulb and perennial garden that pokes its head out in early spring and does not stop blooming until mid June. A handful of crocuses and daffodils in my back yard can been seen while there is still snow on the ground. I always mean to add more crocuses to my garden so I can get the early thrill that comes with flowers blooming in the snow, but they are hard to grow in my yard due to the presence of squirrels and a Black Walnut tree. Hopefully I will remember to plant some this fall but it is difficult when the ground is hard and the urge to garden dormant.
I have not planted many daffodils in my back yard because I dislike allowing the foliage to grow for as long as it seems to in my yard. The current garden wisdom is to allow daffodil leaves to grow until they turn brown, so as to feed the bulb for the next year's bloom. While a daffodil garden is attractive in early spring the leaves can grow until July and they do not allow for subsequent plantings. If your daffodil garden is in full sun, day lilies can be planted for subsequent blooms. Additionally, the day lily foliage hides the fading daffodil foliage, no matter how long it stays green. If your daffodil garden is in an area that becomes shady once the leaves bloom on the trees, you are out of luck.
I do have a designated bed for daffodils but its success is under study due to the effects of a Black Walnut tree's toxicity on certain types of daffodils. Hopefully this spring I will have a front yard full of daffodils but I have to wait several months to see if my garden plan will work out. If I planted the right type of daffodils, not the type that die near Black Walnut trees. In the back yard I have only planted a few of these cheery bulbs and I most likely will not plant anymore.
Tulips, Bleeding Heart, Lungwort, and emerging Hostas make up my spring garden. My Bleeding Heart plants last into July in my back yard. This is the first time I have ever had Bleeding Hearts perform so well for so long. I have read that they can last until fall and in some cases have a second bloom. This has not been my experience, and normally I cut the plants down by the end of June. This year they were healthy looking and blooming until mid July. I let them grow for as long as they looked decent, hoping this year they would thrive until fall and have a second bloom. It hasn't happened yet, but there is still hope since I've never had Bleeding Heart in July before.
My spring perennial garden does not leave much room for annuals found at May flower sales. I plant a flat of annuals, mostly impatients , among my still blooming tulips and emerging Hostas. I plant a few annuals around the bases of the numerous Bleeding Heart plants I have for when they fade. While a flat of annuals seems like a fair amount of flowers while you are planting them, in my back yard several flats are needed to give that finished look that I really desire. In May I really do not have the room to plant more than a flat of flowers, so I compensate by planting in containers. They add the bright punch to my garden, needed as the spring bulbs fade. I hang on to the futile hope that my annuals will self sow and prevent me from needing to purchase several additional flats of annuals, but somehow June is never wet enough and the dry heat of July seems to hit every year.
You will find me searching the bargain aisle for discount annuals come July. The plants do not look their best by July but I know with proper care they will flourish. I take them home; treat them well, and by October I have the lush annual garden I have been waiting for all season. I know I could quicken the process with daily watering and Miracle Grow, but most of my garden plan is drought tolerant and after one summer's water bill which exceeded one thousand dollars, I keep it that way. I keep the containers watered, but ground plants are only watered when absolutely necessary. I have considered installing barrels to collect rainwater so I can economically create a lush garden earlier in the season, but I have not committed to this method of irrigation yet. It is still under consideration.
A warm, rainy September ensures my summer garden looks it's best in October. It has a fullness, a lushness, a beauty, that it does not have the rest of the season. The smattering of fallen leaves amongst the flowers, only adds fall charm. This beauty can last until mid November in the Midwest, if we have a prolonged Indian summer. Mold allergies normally drive me inside when this happens, but the views from my window are spectacular.
Just as likely are snow flurries by Halloween. A freeze does not always kill the entire garden , a surprising amount of plants survive a light freeze without much damage. With protection, such as a blanket or newspaper, your garden will continue to thrive through several light freezes. A hard freeze, especially if the cold weather lasts several days, will end the gardening season. Even if a brief period of warmness follows Jack Frost's first significant appearance, most of your annuals will have faded and only really tough perennials, like chives, will still be around. I have had chives stay green all winter, much to my surprise. I am not sure of their continued freshness and if cut to the ground they normally wait for spring to resume growth.
Since the cold weather reduces fall mold, my urge to do yard work asserts itself. It is an urge to harvest and put the garden to bed for winter, not an urge to extend the growing season. I have already pulled my basil plants and prepared pesto to freeze. It will be an occasional dinner for the next few months and I will not need to go in search of fresh basil, which is not always available in my grocery store. The rest of the herbs will be harvested today though I am not sure if I will dry them in the microwave or attempt a more traditional method of drying. The annuals have begun to be pulled and the perennials cut down. I do this to control the slug population in preparation for spring. I am inspired to do this now and not wait until Jack Frost kills all of my plants. The slugs are easier to find and for me the growing season is over.
I have left the containers for last. I will let the freeze kill these annuals, so I have a good view out my window until the last minute. I know I still have a fair amount of yard work left since my Mulberry trees still have green leaves which are only now beginning to drop from their branches. Furthermore, I want to lay cypress mulch on my garden beds to cut down on my dog and cat tracking mud through my house all winter. I know this will impede my efforts at slug control but a mud free house all winter is worth the extra work of removing mulch from some of the beds come spring.
It is melancholy saying goodbye to the growing season, but I guess I am listening to the still primal part of my brain that says prepare the cave for winter. I want to harvest and store my herbs and put the garden to bed. I still have yard work to do. The leaves will need to be gathered and the lawn mowed for at least another month. The garden clean up work will not be accomplished in one day. I will still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the fall weather and complete my outdoor tasks. What is dormant is my need to create, the need to beautify my outdoor environment. The need to garden.
In many ways gardening is a creative process for me . I have a challenging landscape to design due to the presence of numerous trees including two Black Walnut trees. I am an extremely frugal gardener and prefer to let nature provide me with my plants rather than buy them at Lowes or a nursery. I am willing to wait until my perennials can be divided to expand my garden rather than constantly buy new plants. While I will need to purchase some new foundation plantings due to an expansion of garden beds and the removal of years of ivy, which previously decorated my landscape, these plantings can wait until spring. This is prudent gardening on my part since mature trees create an odd sun /shade situation in my front yard. I am giving myself another year to figure which areas are sun and which are shade, important considerations when you purchase mature shrubs. Waiting will also let my creative juices simmer and hopefully produce an exciting landscape design for the front of my home which so far I have been unable to do to my satisfaction.
In reacting to the part of my brain which is telling me to prepare for winter, I do not want to fight nature. I have no interest in artificially extending the growing season with cold frames or moving plants inside to over winter. With the exception of my Fica tree, I have very little luck in maintains indoor plants and I have found inexpensive grow lights do not create an environment that produces quality plants. Kale, the only winter plant for this area, does not interest me. A greenhouse would be nice someday but right now I am more interested in interior projects that have put on hold during the gardening season. I want to prepare for winter, just like our ancient ancestors.
This dormant period ends earlier with me than with most gardeners. With the first snow thaw, I become excited once again about gardening. I am the lady you will see in a parka with gardening gloves clearing her garden beds as early as February. It is this early work that allows me to enjoy my spring garden and for some reason I do not mind the cold. These urges will not return until at least February so I have a little time to focus on other things aside from my outdoor garden. I can channel my creative urges elsewhere or merely let them rest until spring, or the hint of spring, awakens them once more.
It is time to put the garden to bed. The first hard freeze is on the horizon and for me the gardening season is over. There is still a lot of yard work to do during the next few months, but as the animals prepare to hibernate in a sense so do I. I am ready to rest until spring, until the first crocus springs from the ground.
This fall has been rainy and warm. A perfect combination for my annuals to flourish in a way that the dry summer heat slows them from doing. This year my annuals are at their best in mid October and this is not totally unexpected. I plan my annual garden with growth in mind. After the flower show that is spring in my back yard, I have little room for annuals until mid June. The flowers I do plant, I do so with the optimistic hope that they will mature quickly and spread throughout the increasingly empty spaces created as my spring plantings fade. This has not happened during the last two gardening seasons but I seem to forget this when I am buying annuals each May.
I have a rather extensive bulb and perennial garden that pokes its head out in early spring and does not stop blooming until mid June. A handful of crocuses and daffodils in my back yard can been seen while there is still snow on the ground. I always mean to add more crocuses to my garden so I can get the early thrill that comes with flowers blooming in the snow, but they are hard to grow in my yard due to the presence of squirrels and a Black Walnut tree. Hopefully I will remember to plant some this fall but it is difficult when the ground is hard and the urge to garden dormant.
I have not planted many daffodils in my back yard because I dislike allowing the foliage to grow for as long as it seems to in my yard. The current garden wisdom is to allow daffodil leaves to grow until they turn brown, so as to feed the bulb for the next year's bloom. While a daffodil garden is attractive in early spring the leaves can grow until July and they do not allow for subsequent plantings. If your daffodil garden is in full sun, day lilies can be planted for subsequent blooms. Additionally, the day lily foliage hides the fading daffodil foliage, no matter how long it stays green. If your daffodil garden is in an area that becomes shady once the leaves bloom on the trees, you are out of luck.
I do have a designated bed for daffodils but its success is under study due to the effects of a Black Walnut tree's toxicity on certain types of daffodils. Hopefully this spring I will have a front yard full of daffodils but I have to wait several months to see if my garden plan will work out. If I planted the right type of daffodils, not the type that die near Black Walnut trees. In the back yard I have only planted a few of these cheery bulbs and I most likely will not plant anymore.
Tulips, Bleeding Heart, Lungwort, and emerging Hostas make up my spring garden. My Bleeding Heart plants last into July in my back yard. This is the first time I have ever had Bleeding Hearts perform so well for so long. I have read that they can last until fall and in some cases have a second bloom. This has not been my experience, and normally I cut the plants down by the end of June. This year they were healthy looking and blooming until mid July. I let them grow for as long as they looked decent, hoping this year they would thrive until fall and have a second bloom. It hasn't happened yet, but there is still hope since I've never had Bleeding Heart in July before.
My spring perennial garden does not leave much room for annuals found at May flower sales. I plant a flat of annuals, mostly impatients , among my still blooming tulips and emerging Hostas. I plant a few annuals around the bases of the numerous Bleeding Heart plants I have for when they fade. While a flat of annuals seems like a fair amount of flowers while you are planting them, in my back yard several flats are needed to give that finished look that I really desire. In May I really do not have the room to plant more than a flat of flowers, so I compensate by planting in containers. They add the bright punch to my garden, needed as the spring bulbs fade. I hang on to the futile hope that my annuals will self sow and prevent me from needing to purchase several additional flats of annuals, but somehow June is never wet enough and the dry heat of July seems to hit every year.
You will find me searching the bargain aisle for discount annuals come July. The plants do not look their best by July but I know with proper care they will flourish. I take them home; treat them well, and by October I have the lush annual garden I have been waiting for all season. I know I could quicken the process with daily watering and Miracle Grow, but most of my garden plan is drought tolerant and after one summer's water bill which exceeded one thousand dollars, I keep it that way. I keep the containers watered, but ground plants are only watered when absolutely necessary. I have considered installing barrels to collect rainwater so I can economically create a lush garden earlier in the season, but I have not committed to this method of irrigation yet. It is still under consideration.
A warm, rainy September ensures my summer garden looks it's best in October. It has a fullness, a lushness, a beauty, that it does not have the rest of the season. The smattering of fallen leaves amongst the flowers, only adds fall charm. This beauty can last until mid November in the Midwest, if we have a prolonged Indian summer. Mold allergies normally drive me inside when this happens, but the views from my window are spectacular.
Just as likely are snow flurries by Halloween. A freeze does not always kill the entire garden , a surprising amount of plants survive a light freeze without much damage. With protection, such as a blanket or newspaper, your garden will continue to thrive through several light freezes. A hard freeze, especially if the cold weather lasts several days, will end the gardening season. Even if a brief period of warmness follows Jack Frost's first significant appearance, most of your annuals will have faded and only really tough perennials, like chives, will still be around. I have had chives stay green all winter, much to my surprise. I am not sure of their continued freshness and if cut to the ground they normally wait for spring to resume growth.
Since the cold weather reduces fall mold, my urge to do yard work asserts itself. It is an urge to harvest and put the garden to bed for winter, not an urge to extend the growing season. I have already pulled my basil plants and prepared pesto to freeze. It will be an occasional dinner for the next few months and I will not need to go in search of fresh basil, which is not always available in my grocery store. The rest of the herbs will be harvested today though I am not sure if I will dry them in the microwave or attempt a more traditional method of drying. The annuals have begun to be pulled and the perennials cut down. I do this to control the slug population in preparation for spring. I am inspired to do this now and not wait until Jack Frost kills all of my plants. The slugs are easier to find and for me the growing season is over.
I have left the containers for last. I will let the freeze kill these annuals, so I have a good view out my window until the last minute. I know I still have a fair amount of yard work left since my Mulberry trees still have green leaves which are only now beginning to drop from their branches. Furthermore, I want to lay cypress mulch on my garden beds to cut down on my dog and cat tracking mud through my house all winter. I know this will impede my efforts at slug control but a mud free house all winter is worth the extra work of removing mulch from some of the beds come spring.
It is melancholy saying goodbye to the growing season, but I guess I am listening to the still primal part of my brain that says prepare the cave for winter. I want to harvest and store my herbs and put the garden to bed. I still have yard work to do. The leaves will need to be gathered and the lawn mowed for at least another month. The garden clean up work will not be accomplished in one day. I will still have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the fall weather and complete my outdoor tasks. What is dormant is my need to create, the need to beautify my outdoor environment. The need to garden.
In many ways gardening is a creative process for me . I have a challenging landscape to design due to the presence of numerous trees including two Black Walnut trees. I am an extremely frugal gardener and prefer to let nature provide me with my plants rather than buy them at Lowes or a nursery. I am willing to wait until my perennials can be divided to expand my garden rather than constantly buy new plants. While I will need to purchase some new foundation plantings due to an expansion of garden beds and the removal of years of ivy, which previously decorated my landscape, these plantings can wait until spring. This is prudent gardening on my part since mature trees create an odd sun /shade situation in my front yard. I am giving myself another year to figure which areas are sun and which are shade, important considerations when you purchase mature shrubs. Waiting will also let my creative juices simmer and hopefully produce an exciting landscape design for the front of my home which so far I have been unable to do to my satisfaction.
In reacting to the part of my brain which is telling me to prepare for winter, I do not want to fight nature. I have no interest in artificially extending the growing season with cold frames or moving plants inside to over winter. With the exception of my Fica tree, I have very little luck in maintains indoor plants and I have found inexpensive grow lights do not create an environment that produces quality plants. Kale, the only winter plant for this area, does not interest me. A greenhouse would be nice someday but right now I am more interested in interior projects that have put on hold during the gardening season. I want to prepare for winter, just like our ancient ancestors.
This dormant period ends earlier with me than with most gardeners. With the first snow thaw, I become excited once again about gardening. I am the lady you will see in a parka with gardening gloves clearing her garden beds as early as February. It is this early work that allows me to enjoy my spring garden and for some reason I do not mind the cold. These urges will not return until at least February so I have a little time to focus on other things aside from my outdoor garden. I can channel my creative urges elsewhere or merely let them rest until spring, or the hint of spring, awakens them once more.
It is time to put the garden to bed. The first hard freeze is on the horizon and for me the gardening season is over. There is still a lot of yard work to do during the next few months, but as the animals prepare to hibernate in a sense so do I. I am ready to rest until spring, until the first crocus springs from the ground.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Raking vs. Leaf Blowers
Fall is upon us. Soon all of those beautiful, colorful leaves will fall from their branches right on our yards. The annual task of leaf removal soon will begin. The big question on everyone's mind; Do I rake or do I finally purchase that leaf blower I saw at Lowes? It's an issue, I know because once you use a leaf blower, you never go back.
We stuck with raking leaves for years. We felt it was a tradition. A way to enjoy the fall sunshine in the same manner as our forbearers. Our children frolicked in the leaf piles as we stood leaning on our rakes with indulgent smiles on our faces. We raked together, my husband and me, getting exercise as we bagged leaves for hours on end. Are you thinking Norman Rockwell? You should be.
Than I saw an electric Toro leaf blower for around thirty dollars. I was excited it was electric, as I have an unreasonable fear of gas powered yard tools. I was thrilled it was only thirty dollars. It was cheap enough to give the product a try without a major investment. I bought it, over my husband's objection and his claims he would never abandon his rake. I rushed home, found an extension cord and found I needed to read the instructions before I could get the thing to work. You see, this was not just a leaf blower, this was a leaf eater also.
Yes my new toy not only blew the leaves to the curb, it vacuumed the leaves from my garden beds and window sills. I could not perform both functions at once since a bag needs to be attached for the tool to perform it's vacuuming function, but both functions could be done. I spent all day cleaning my yard, more than pleased with my new yard toy.
I kept the yard clear of leaves for most of that fall. The need for an extension cord was a nuisance but the Toro's ease of use more than compensated for this minor inconvenience. The children could still frolic in the leaves and I no longer needed to spend time on my knees cleaning leaves out of window sills. I even began to chant "Toro, Toro, Toro" after a hour of removing leaves, and my leaves were gone after an hour, instead of several hours as it had been before.
My husband tried standing forlornly in the yard with his rake in an effort to stop progress. This lasted only until the manly need to play with motorized yard tools overcame his sense of tradition. One day he asked to use the Toro. An hour later he came inside with a big grin, chanting, "Toro, Toro,Toro". The rakes went into the garage for the rest of fall.
Even if raking leaves is a tradition in your family, as it was in ours, nothing eases the task of lawn care as motorized yard tools. Stick to raking if you want, we are chanting, " Toro, Toro,Toro".
We stuck with raking leaves for years. We felt it was a tradition. A way to enjoy the fall sunshine in the same manner as our forbearers. Our children frolicked in the leaf piles as we stood leaning on our rakes with indulgent smiles on our faces. We raked together, my husband and me, getting exercise as we bagged leaves for hours on end. Are you thinking Norman Rockwell? You should be.
Than I saw an electric Toro leaf blower for around thirty dollars. I was excited it was electric, as I have an unreasonable fear of gas powered yard tools. I was thrilled it was only thirty dollars. It was cheap enough to give the product a try without a major investment. I bought it, over my husband's objection and his claims he would never abandon his rake. I rushed home, found an extension cord and found I needed to read the instructions before I could get the thing to work. You see, this was not just a leaf blower, this was a leaf eater also.
Yes my new toy not only blew the leaves to the curb, it vacuumed the leaves from my garden beds and window sills. I could not perform both functions at once since a bag needs to be attached for the tool to perform it's vacuuming function, but both functions could be done. I spent all day cleaning my yard, more than pleased with my new yard toy.
I kept the yard clear of leaves for most of that fall. The need for an extension cord was a nuisance but the Toro's ease of use more than compensated for this minor inconvenience. The children could still frolic in the leaves and I no longer needed to spend time on my knees cleaning leaves out of window sills. I even began to chant "Toro, Toro, Toro" after a hour of removing leaves, and my leaves were gone after an hour, instead of several hours as it had been before.
My husband tried standing forlornly in the yard with his rake in an effort to stop progress. This lasted only until the manly need to play with motorized yard tools overcame his sense of tradition. One day he asked to use the Toro. An hour later he came inside with a big grin, chanting, "Toro, Toro,Toro". The rakes went into the garage for the rest of fall.
Even if raking leaves is a tradition in your family, as it was in ours, nothing eases the task of lawn care as motorized yard tools. Stick to raking if you want, we are chanting, " Toro, Toro,Toro".
Tips for Planting and Growing a Garden
Written by Michael Toney
Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the size can produce an abundant amount of vegetables and herbs. A garden does not need to be large in order to produce a large amount of vegetables. A garden continues to produce good things to eat over the growing season rather than a one time occurrence. The goal is to have a on going harvest of healthy, fresh foods for you and your family to enjoy. If you plan your garden right you can squeeze a big variety of vegetables in a smaller area. Choose smaller varieties so they don't overwhelm neighboring plants. It may be necessary to completely remove older plants in favor of younger ones. You can harvest and replant continually, if you want. This can be a year-round practice if you live in a mild climate
Generally, gardens are meant to be productive rather than pretty, but there's no reason you can't make them as attractive as you would like. Paths that crisscross the garden allows access to your vegetables and can also give the garden a geometric layout, the result are unquestionably pleasing to the eye, and make maintaining the appearance of your garden easier.
Planting borders of flowers around your garden to attract different bird species and butterfly or not only great for the birds, but a bonus for you . Sunflowers attract different types of birds such as, Cardinals, Chickadees, Finches, Sparrows, Blue jays, and Tufted titmice. Hummingbirds are drawn to the pink, purple, and red tubular blooms, of the Penstemon. The Purple Majesty attract Mourning doves, Finches and Sparrows, these plant can grow up to 5 foot tall, it loves the sun.
If you've never had a garden before, it's sensible to start small. The right spot is very important. A full 6 hours a day of sun is required for good growth and ripening vegetables and herbs. Morning sun light is favorable to afternoon sun, because it'll dry dew, reducing the risk of disease and be less stressful than the hot sun later in the day.
Good soil is necessary and will guarantee healthy productive plants. Organic matter helps keep soil loose, so water can drain at a good rate for growing plants. It also enriches fertility and improves the overall soil's ability to hold moisture. Homemade compost or commercial compost, dehydrated cow manure and dampened peat moss are great sources of organic matter and can be found at local garden center or farm supply store.
To make your own compost bin a 50 gallon drum makes a good compost container. First, remove both ends to make and open cylinder. Set it upright in the corner of the garden or out of the way area. Gradually fill it with compost material such as, kitchen leftovers, alternating 6-in layers of kitchen waste (no meat scraps, grease or bones), garden debris (no weed seeds) and soil. Add a sprinkling of high-nitrogen fertilizer, 10-6-4 composition is ideal, to each layer. A little lime will also be beneficial. Let the mixture age for about 3 to 6 months, adding water regularly. Shredded cardboard and newspaper, weathered saw dust from the lumber yard can also be added to the compost bin. Don't use ashes from the barbecue, dog or cat droppings, or shredded magazines, they may contain sulfur oxides, disease organisms or inks that are bad for the plants. Any animal produces like meat or grease will attract other animals that could destroy the bin. After 3 to 6 months, lift up the drum to release a pile of garden ready humus.
Planting time is when the ground warms in the Spring. Seeds of all kinds can be found at your local garden center, farm supply store, and from friends and neighbors who save seeds. Always read or understand the planting directions before planting. Some seeds have different times and instructions for planting, so always follow these direction for the best results from the plants you chose for your garden. Sow seeds directly into the prepared garden at the recommended distance apart. Some plants will need to be thinned soon after sprouting. This allows preferred plants to grow to the ultimate size to produce the greatest amount to their ability. Overcrowding of seedlings as a rule never produce well because they are all struggling for the nutrients in one small area.
A trick to ensure proper spacing and eliminate the need for thinning is with a homemade seed tape. An added bonus, the seeds will sprout faster. Lay a strip of damp paper towel on top of a strip of plastic wrap, then set out the seeds at the intervals recommended on the seed packet. Cover with another strip of damp paper towel, roll the paper and plastic up together, place in a plastic bag, and store in a warm place. As soon as roots begin to emerge take the tape to the garden and unroll it onto a well-tilled bed, peeling the plastic away. Cover with a fine layer of soil or sand and water thoroughly but gently. Don't worry about the paper, it will act as mulch and will help stop dehydration. The result will be perfectly spaced rows of young plants.
To give seeds a jump start, sow seeds indoors in late winter or early Spring.
The most common seeds to start this way are tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and most herbs. Herbs can also be grown inside in a pot, placed on a window sill and use all through the year and they don't have to be transplanted unless you want to.
To get the plants ready for the outside, place them in the shade of a tree or on a cool sun porch for a few days before planting. Bring them indoors only if frost is predicted. You will need to adjust watering and stop fertilizing until they're planted in the garden.
Try to plant on a warm , windless day and water them thoroughly. Put an inch or more of mulch at their base. Some plants may need a protective covering for a few days, such as milk jugs or 2 or 3 liter soda containers, and there is also protective coverings that can be purchased from the garden center. The coverings can be removed once they have took root.
Some vegetables need some extra attention just for convenience sake. Pole beans and sugar snap peas can be accommodated on a trellis or tepee, and large tomato plants can be bound or supported with wire cages made for this purpose.
No garden is complete with out some insects. Garden beetles can be controlled by cleaning up debris to remove winter hiding places. Dust plants with diatomaceous earth or spray with kelp extract, soap and water, or various concoctions of onions, red peppers, and pungent herbs, steeped in water and strained. Try planting beetle repellent plants, such as mint and catnip, among your vegetables. To protect developing melons and squash, cover with paper bags, stapled or pinned shut. To control onion maggots and bean beetles, scatter wood ashes around plants or on the foliage. Kill mites with a spray of butter milk. Kill slugs with a 1/2 inch of beer or dry yeast. Mealybugs, aphids and other soft-bodied insects will die instantly when sprayed with full strength rubbing alcohol. Avoid spray alcohol on young plants it could damage them. Queen Anne's lace, buckwheat, fennel and sage attract insects such as stinkbugs, flies, hover flies, lace wings, these bugs are helpful at doing their own pest control. So don't cut down those Queen Anne's lace.
Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the size can produce an abundant amount of vegetables and herbs. A garden does not need to be large in order to produce a large amount of vegetables. A garden continues to produce good things to eat over the growing season rather than a one time occurrence. The goal is to have a on going harvest of healthy, fresh foods for you and your family to enjoy. If you plan your garden right you can squeeze a big variety of vegetables in a smaller area. Choose smaller varieties so they don't overwhelm neighboring plants. It may be necessary to completely remove older plants in favor of younger ones. You can harvest and replant continually, if you want. This can be a year-round practice if you live in a mild climate
Generally, gardens are meant to be productive rather than pretty, but there's no reason you can't make them as attractive as you would like. Paths that crisscross the garden allows access to your vegetables and can also give the garden a geometric layout, the result are unquestionably pleasing to the eye, and make maintaining the appearance of your garden easier.
Planting borders of flowers around your garden to attract different bird species and butterfly or not only great for the birds, but a bonus for you . Sunflowers attract different types of birds such as, Cardinals, Chickadees, Finches, Sparrows, Blue jays, and Tufted titmice. Hummingbirds are drawn to the pink, purple, and red tubular blooms, of the Penstemon. The Purple Majesty attract Mourning doves, Finches and Sparrows, these plant can grow up to 5 foot tall, it loves the sun.
If you've never had a garden before, it's sensible to start small. The right spot is very important. A full 6 hours a day of sun is required for good growth and ripening vegetables and herbs. Morning sun light is favorable to afternoon sun, because it'll dry dew, reducing the risk of disease and be less stressful than the hot sun later in the day.
Good soil is necessary and will guarantee healthy productive plants. Organic matter helps keep soil loose, so water can drain at a good rate for growing plants. It also enriches fertility and improves the overall soil's ability to hold moisture. Homemade compost or commercial compost, dehydrated cow manure and dampened peat moss are great sources of organic matter and can be found at local garden center or farm supply store.
To make your own compost bin a 50 gallon drum makes a good compost container. First, remove both ends to make and open cylinder. Set it upright in the corner of the garden or out of the way area. Gradually fill it with compost material such as, kitchen leftovers, alternating 6-in layers of kitchen waste (no meat scraps, grease or bones), garden debris (no weed seeds) and soil. Add a sprinkling of high-nitrogen fertilizer, 10-6-4 composition is ideal, to each layer. A little lime will also be beneficial. Let the mixture age for about 3 to 6 months, adding water regularly. Shredded cardboard and newspaper, weathered saw dust from the lumber yard can also be added to the compost bin. Don't use ashes from the barbecue, dog or cat droppings, or shredded magazines, they may contain sulfur oxides, disease organisms or inks that are bad for the plants. Any animal produces like meat or grease will attract other animals that could destroy the bin. After 3 to 6 months, lift up the drum to release a pile of garden ready humus.
Planting time is when the ground warms in the Spring. Seeds of all kinds can be found at your local garden center, farm supply store, and from friends and neighbors who save seeds. Always read or understand the planting directions before planting. Some seeds have different times and instructions for planting, so always follow these direction for the best results from the plants you chose for your garden. Sow seeds directly into the prepared garden at the recommended distance apart. Some plants will need to be thinned soon after sprouting. This allows preferred plants to grow to the ultimate size to produce the greatest amount to their ability. Overcrowding of seedlings as a rule never produce well because they are all struggling for the nutrients in one small area.
A trick to ensure proper spacing and eliminate the need for thinning is with a homemade seed tape. An added bonus, the seeds will sprout faster. Lay a strip of damp paper towel on top of a strip of plastic wrap, then set out the seeds at the intervals recommended on the seed packet. Cover with another strip of damp paper towel, roll the paper and plastic up together, place in a plastic bag, and store in a warm place. As soon as roots begin to emerge take the tape to the garden and unroll it onto a well-tilled bed, peeling the plastic away. Cover with a fine layer of soil or sand and water thoroughly but gently. Don't worry about the paper, it will act as mulch and will help stop dehydration. The result will be perfectly spaced rows of young plants.
To give seeds a jump start, sow seeds indoors in late winter or early Spring.
The most common seeds to start this way are tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and most herbs. Herbs can also be grown inside in a pot, placed on a window sill and use all through the year and they don't have to be transplanted unless you want to.
To get the plants ready for the outside, place them in the shade of a tree or on a cool sun porch for a few days before planting. Bring them indoors only if frost is predicted. You will need to adjust watering and stop fertilizing until they're planted in the garden.
Try to plant on a warm , windless day and water them thoroughly. Put an inch or more of mulch at their base. Some plants may need a protective covering for a few days, such as milk jugs or 2 or 3 liter soda containers, and there is also protective coverings that can be purchased from the garden center. The coverings can be removed once they have took root.
Some vegetables need some extra attention just for convenience sake. Pole beans and sugar snap peas can be accommodated on a trellis or tepee, and large tomato plants can be bound or supported with wire cages made for this purpose.
No garden is complete with out some insects. Garden beetles can be controlled by cleaning up debris to remove winter hiding places. Dust plants with diatomaceous earth or spray with kelp extract, soap and water, or various concoctions of onions, red peppers, and pungent herbs, steeped in water and strained. Try planting beetle repellent plants, such as mint and catnip, among your vegetables. To protect developing melons and squash, cover with paper bags, stapled or pinned shut. To control onion maggots and bean beetles, scatter wood ashes around plants or on the foliage. Kill mites with a spray of butter milk. Kill slugs with a 1/2 inch of beer or dry yeast. Mealybugs, aphids and other soft-bodied insects will die instantly when sprayed with full strength rubbing alcohol. Avoid spray alcohol on young plants it could damage them. Queen Anne's lace, buckwheat, fennel and sage attract insects such as stinkbugs, flies, hover flies, lace wings, these bugs are helpful at doing their own pest control. So don't cut down those Queen Anne's lace.
New England Gardening in Autumn
Autumn is the time of year when, in New England anyway, we begin cleaning up what is left of our gardens and stowing things away for winter. After a relatively short growing season, compared with the rest of the United States, New Englanders have enjoyed harvesting the plants that were not safe outside until just about Memorial Day. Many New Englanders began their seedlings indoors in late March, while the bitter winter winds were still blowing outside; by the time the last frost had passed, the seedlings were well underway on their growth-life, and had a head start to those who waited longer.
With so much summer daylight in New England, the locals know that although the growing season is short, the days are long, so comparatively, our gardens receive ample amounts of sunlight. Yet, as if nature planned its changes around the calendar, on or about the first full day of autumn, the weather in New England begins to turn colder and within a week or two, the news media begins issuing frost warnings at night. Also in line with the calendar is the changed position of the sun. Where our gardens had received abundant sunshine only weeks before, by the end of September, the sun seems to drop suddenly behind the notoriously tall trees, and the gardens get only a few hours of decent sunlight each day, at best. The shadows become long and the fruit and vegetables seem desperate to be harvested before they wither or freeze on the vine.
Thankfully, nature also seems to send New England a very dry, sunny climate during the autumn months. While spring time and summer time are about a fifty percent mix of dry days and wet days (not to mention, generally cloudy and damp days) the fall gives us all a reprieve, plus, the drying out time allows us to do all the things we need to do to prepare our gardens (and our homes and ourselves) for the coming winter.
So this autumn season has found us New Englanders harvesting the last of our gardens: the tomatoes, green and red peppers, pumpkins, squash, and other goodies. The autumn season has also found us enjoying the last of our annual flowers that we planted back in May. The impatiens, geraniums, marigolds, begonias, and other colorful flowers seem to be brighter than ever, just daring us to uproot them before the first frost. This is also the time when the autumn leaves not only turn their amazing hues, but they fall to the ground on our gardens, yards, driveways and roof tops. Since most of us do not want to find piles of wet, brown leaves on our lawns when the snow melts next April or May, we try to rake them all up now, though sometimes the first snow stops our progress; either way, we do what we can. In autumn, we begin chasing the leaves. It is nearly an impossibility to wait until all the leaves fall from the trees before the raking begins. While the job seems endless, the most efficient way to handle the leaves is to rake a bit each week. That way, when the rains (and premature snows) do come, the leaves will not be left soggy and heavy to move.
This is a good time for New England gardeners to condition the soil in their garden and begin planning their crop for the next growing season. Mark on the calendar when the seeds should be bought, when they should be planted indoors, and when the seedlings can be transferred to the outside garden. Also put on the calendar when the garden should be tilled and prepared for the seedlings.
Lastly, autumn is the time for us to plant all the bulbs we forgot to plant last fall. Most gardening shops have many types of bulbs now, which will bring pretty spring flowers: daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and the like. If you are planting in New England, remember to plant the bulbs at the depth recommended on the packaging, and be sure to cover the topsoil with a layer of mulch to protect the bulb from harsh freezes. That way, come April and May, the colorful flowers in your yard and garden will erase all memories of the harsh, New England winter.
With so much summer daylight in New England, the locals know that although the growing season is short, the days are long, so comparatively, our gardens receive ample amounts of sunlight. Yet, as if nature planned its changes around the calendar, on or about the first full day of autumn, the weather in New England begins to turn colder and within a week or two, the news media begins issuing frost warnings at night. Also in line with the calendar is the changed position of the sun. Where our gardens had received abundant sunshine only weeks before, by the end of September, the sun seems to drop suddenly behind the notoriously tall trees, and the gardens get only a few hours of decent sunlight each day, at best. The shadows become long and the fruit and vegetables seem desperate to be harvested before they wither or freeze on the vine.
Thankfully, nature also seems to send New England a very dry, sunny climate during the autumn months. While spring time and summer time are about a fifty percent mix of dry days and wet days (not to mention, generally cloudy and damp days) the fall gives us all a reprieve, plus, the drying out time allows us to do all the things we need to do to prepare our gardens (and our homes and ourselves) for the coming winter.
So this autumn season has found us New Englanders harvesting the last of our gardens: the tomatoes, green and red peppers, pumpkins, squash, and other goodies. The autumn season has also found us enjoying the last of our annual flowers that we planted back in May. The impatiens, geraniums, marigolds, begonias, and other colorful flowers seem to be brighter than ever, just daring us to uproot them before the first frost. This is also the time when the autumn leaves not only turn their amazing hues, but they fall to the ground on our gardens, yards, driveways and roof tops. Since most of us do not want to find piles of wet, brown leaves on our lawns when the snow melts next April or May, we try to rake them all up now, though sometimes the first snow stops our progress; either way, we do what we can. In autumn, we begin chasing the leaves. It is nearly an impossibility to wait until all the leaves fall from the trees before the raking begins. While the job seems endless, the most efficient way to handle the leaves is to rake a bit each week. That way, when the rains (and premature snows) do come, the leaves will not be left soggy and heavy to move.
This is a good time for New England gardeners to condition the soil in their garden and begin planning their crop for the next growing season. Mark on the calendar when the seeds should be bought, when they should be planted indoors, and when the seedlings can be transferred to the outside garden. Also put on the calendar when the garden should be tilled and prepared for the seedlings.
Lastly, autumn is the time for us to plant all the bulbs we forgot to plant last fall. Most gardening shops have many types of bulbs now, which will bring pretty spring flowers: daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and the like. If you are planting in New England, remember to plant the bulbs at the depth recommended on the packaging, and be sure to cover the topsoil with a layer of mulch to protect the bulb from harsh freezes. That way, come April and May, the colorful flowers in your yard and garden will erase all memories of the harsh, New England winter.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Judging Gardening Blogs
Blogs are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to get their thoughts and ideas out there for others to read. Gardening is no exception. Because gardening is what is known as a high-dollar keyword, meaning that companies pay big bucks to advertise their gardening products, many people are interested in sharing their experiences with their own gardening in hopes of gaining some readers and making a little money.
While it seems wonderful to earn money from your hobby, you as the reader of these blogs need to be careful that you are not being taken in by someone simply trying to make money. There is nothing wrong with making money from a blog, but it is important to question whether the blog offers anything substantial.
The first test for a gardening blog is whether the author describes in any detail the look of the flowers, trees, or shrubs he or she has planted. An excellent blog will have pictures because that is the best way to share the garden with others, but at the very least, a quality gardening blog will give you a clear idea of how the plants look. Watch for these kinds of personal messages because they will help you to discern the real gardeners from the ones who are just trying to make a buck. Real gardeners will share their stories of gardening with you.
Second, a true gardener will have problems. Some plant will get infested. A neighborhood dog will trample the flowers. There will be something that will go awry in a garden because it is an outdoor hobby. Be leery of any garden blogs that always are upbeat or that never discuss any issues with any plants. Part of the benefit you will get from the gardening blog is that you will be able to find out how other gardeners deal with their problems so that you can learn more for your own gardening efforts.
Third, you should look at the ways in which a garden blog talks about the hobby. Does the gardener use jargon that you understand? Does he or she refer to flowers by their common names, i.e., the ones everyone knows? Are you listening to what sounds like encyclopedic knowledge of a garden, or is someone sharing wisdom that cannot be found in books? Use the language and context of the posts to determine whether or not you think someone is sharing a genuine passion with you.
A good blog of any variety also should include links to other gardening sites and preferably to other blogs. Now, just because a blog has no external links does not mean it is bad. It just means that the gardener probably does not spend a lot of extra time reading other blogs. Otherwise, he or she inevitably would find something worth linking to the blog in question. Bloggers who are experienced and are writing about a topic that they truly enjoy will want to share as much information with you as possible, and you will find scores of links to gardening pages and blogs of note.
The final measure of a good blog, and again this advice applies to a blog on any subject, is that it needs to be interesting to you. Sometimes you will read a blog that you think offers valuable information or that shares interesting anecdotes, and you will find that you cannot wait to get back to reading the next installment. Other times, you will read a blog and then move on without giving the blog a second thought. You will know as you are reading which blogs offer information that is beneficial to you and which ones just are not appealing for your situation. Perhaps you are a novice, and the writer is an advanced gardener. Or maybe you live in a tropical climate while the blogger lives in a harshly cold one. With hundreds of gardening blogs available to you, it should not be a problem to find one or two that will pique your interest and provide you with cyber-companionship and information to help you have the best garden you can.
And who knows? Maybe you will be inspired to write your own blog.
By Julia Mercer
While it seems wonderful to earn money from your hobby, you as the reader of these blogs need to be careful that you are not being taken in by someone simply trying to make money. There is nothing wrong with making money from a blog, but it is important to question whether the blog offers anything substantial.
The first test for a gardening blog is whether the author describes in any detail the look of the flowers, trees, or shrubs he or she has planted. An excellent blog will have pictures because that is the best way to share the garden with others, but at the very least, a quality gardening blog will give you a clear idea of how the plants look. Watch for these kinds of personal messages because they will help you to discern the real gardeners from the ones who are just trying to make a buck. Real gardeners will share their stories of gardening with you.
Second, a true gardener will have problems. Some plant will get infested. A neighborhood dog will trample the flowers. There will be something that will go awry in a garden because it is an outdoor hobby. Be leery of any garden blogs that always are upbeat or that never discuss any issues with any plants. Part of the benefit you will get from the gardening blog is that you will be able to find out how other gardeners deal with their problems so that you can learn more for your own gardening efforts.
Third, you should look at the ways in which a garden blog talks about the hobby. Does the gardener use jargon that you understand? Does he or she refer to flowers by their common names, i.e., the ones everyone knows? Are you listening to what sounds like encyclopedic knowledge of a garden, or is someone sharing wisdom that cannot be found in books? Use the language and context of the posts to determine whether or not you think someone is sharing a genuine passion with you.
A good blog of any variety also should include links to other gardening sites and preferably to other blogs. Now, just because a blog has no external links does not mean it is bad. It just means that the gardener probably does not spend a lot of extra time reading other blogs. Otherwise, he or she inevitably would find something worth linking to the blog in question. Bloggers who are experienced and are writing about a topic that they truly enjoy will want to share as much information with you as possible, and you will find scores of links to gardening pages and blogs of note.
The final measure of a good blog, and again this advice applies to a blog on any subject, is that it needs to be interesting to you. Sometimes you will read a blog that you think offers valuable information or that shares interesting anecdotes, and you will find that you cannot wait to get back to reading the next installment. Other times, you will read a blog and then move on without giving the blog a second thought. You will know as you are reading which blogs offer information that is beneficial to you and which ones just are not appealing for your situation. Perhaps you are a novice, and the writer is an advanced gardener. Or maybe you live in a tropical climate while the blogger lives in a harshly cold one. With hundreds of gardening blogs available to you, it should not be a problem to find one or two that will pique your interest and provide you with cyber-companionship and information to help you have the best garden you can.
And who knows? Maybe you will be inspired to write your own blog.
By Julia Mercer
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