One of the best parts of looking forward to the upcoming spring and gardening season is pondering what vegetables we will plant and how we will enjoy them after the harvest. Perhaps the easiest plant to grow in a vegetable garden, and also the most hearty and plentiful, is the tomato. Tomato plants are tough and if given only minimal care, they will still produce a good harvest. If tended carefully, gardeners will find themselves with an over-abundance of tomatoes; they will end up with a surplus and will be able to share with all their friends and neighbors, or even open a fruit and vegetable stand to make a bit of profit.
Always begin your tomato plants a good six weeks before the last frost in your area. That way, the plants will have grown tall and strong enough to be re-planted outdoors in your garden. Place the plants approximately two feet apart so that they can have ample room to grow up and out, and so you will still have room to maneuver between them as you care for them all summer.
Tomatoes should be planted in good soil, in full sunshine, and they should receive plenty of water daily. Check your tomato plants every day for signs of aphids or other pests, and use a mixture of soap and water to rid the leaves of the pests. One of the best ways to encourage growth in a tomato plant is to prune it regularly. To prune a tomato plant, simply cut off the branches that are not bearing fruit; even if the branch is lush, full of leaves, and looks very promising, snip it off and encourage only the branches that are bearing the fruit. This way, the fruit that is already growing will have all the nutrients and moisture going only to those branches. The fruit will be larger and more plentiful.
There are many different types of tomatoes. Many people enjoy the smaller variety, such as cherry or grape tomatoes, but many people are stumped when they realize how many varieties there actually are. There are the traditional red tomatoes of the smaller variety, such as red currants, sweat peas, and rosalitas; but there are also yellow tomatoes that can be equally as tasty as the red. These include sugar snacks and yellow currants, to name only two. The smaller tomatoes are good because they usually grow in large clusters of seven, eight, or even more. The harvest comes more quickly than the larger tomatoes, and gardeners usually find that there are always at least a few tomatoes on the vine for consumption every day after the first harvest.
The extra large tomatoes like better boys and beef steaks can grow to be nearly the size of a cantaloupe. While the smaller tomatoes can be eating in one bite or tossed into a salad, the larger tomatoes are useful for slicing up for hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads, or they can be chopped up into small pieces to be used on tacos or other types of entrees. Many people even enjoy the large tomatoes sliced on a plate with a bit of salt and salad dressing.
The medium sized tomatoes offer a large variety as well. Roma tomatoes are some of the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes on the planet. The medium sized tomatoes are also available in various colors, including the traditional red, bright yellow, pale yellow and deep, cherry red. With such choices, tomatoes can hardly be thought of as simply a red fruit, anymore.
Once the small, six-inch tomato plants have been planted outside in the garden, they will grow quickly with plenty of sunshine and water. Often they will grow several inches each day and sometimes the harvest will begin within a month. Always try to harvest the tomatoes as soon as they are ripe and ready, so they will not fall off the vine and rot.
Whichever you choose to plant, consider planting a bit of variety in your garden this year. Experiment with more than one species of tomato and with more than one size. Even if you can only plant a few tomato plants, have fun and once the harvest comes in, enjoy!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Garden Prepping in New England, Part III
Today was a very productive day. Unbeknownst to me, my dear, beloved husband did not rake and dispose of the autumn leaves last year, when he was sent outside with rakes, leaf blower, and plenty of bags. I found that most of the leaves had been simply blown into the woods on the outskirts of our lawn. This is all fine and good until an energetic wind blows our way, and then the leaves manage to make their way back out of the woods and onto the lawn. This happened all winter, but as the leaves were mixed with snow, I did not really notice. Consequently, the lawn had quite a few leaves, and the surrounding woods have piles of them. That simply will not do. I also discovered today, in my day of discoveries, that my dear beloved husband disposed of our Christmas tree, back in January, in much the same way. I found the tree this morning, hovering on its side behind what was left of our woodpile. It was covered in leaves and first appeared to be yet another large pile of leaves; but when I sunk the rake into it, there was our cute little tree, still with a bit of tinsel clinging to the dried out branches.
After taking all our bags of leaves and debris to the local refuse and recycling center, my daughters and I knew we needed to dispose of the Christmas tree, now that it is nearly April, and we also needed to do something about all the down sticks, twigs and branches that had littered the yard, but were now waiting in neat piles. We do not own a pick-up truck or an open-air trailer, so we made due with what we have. We took the back seat out of our seven-seat minivan and lined the floor with a large, thick tarp. We then put the Christmas tree into the back of the van, on top of the tarp, and proceeded to follow up with all our piles of sticks, twigs and branches. This system worked beautifully, even better than a pick-up truck or an open-air trailer, if you ask me, because nothing blew out. When we arrived back at the refuse and recycling center, we simply opened the back of the van, pulled out the tarp, and shook off all the sticks, including the Christmas tree.
I will stress yet again that we have been having simply superb weather for this time of year in New England. On the way back home from our drop-off, we opened the windows in our van and enjoyed the summer-like breeze and sunshine. The thermometer on our van registered at a balmy 62 degrees and we were all smiles. With a spring in our step to match the season and the weather, we plunged back to work and removed many more sticks and leaves from our terribly neglected side yard. Rather than stopping at the garden this year, as we normally do, I decided to take our clean up all the way into the woods (thanks, again, to my husband) so that we might avoid having the leaves in there decide to pick up and move to a new residence back in our flower garden or lawn. I am sure our next door neighbor, the one with the perfectly sweep, weeded, and edged, pristine lawn and garden, will thank me profusely.
After yet another trip to the refuse and recycling center with yet another load of branches, sticks and twigs on the tarp in the back of our van, we came back home for the last time, bagged up two more large bags of leaves from back in the woods, and made our plan for tomorrow. We are having such success at our clean up this year, not to mention the weather, that we are actually enjoying the process. Normally the planning, planting and harvesting has been the only enjoyable phases of gardening for me, but this year, watching such a transformation in our yard, garden, and surrounding woods, I am thrilling at the process. If only the powers-that-be would give us a few more days of this wonderful weather - before the humidity and the insects arrive on the scene. Perhaps this might turn out to be the year that we manage to get everything done. We shall see.
After taking all our bags of leaves and debris to the local refuse and recycling center, my daughters and I knew we needed to dispose of the Christmas tree, now that it is nearly April, and we also needed to do something about all the down sticks, twigs and branches that had littered the yard, but were now waiting in neat piles. We do not own a pick-up truck or an open-air trailer, so we made due with what we have. We took the back seat out of our seven-seat minivan and lined the floor with a large, thick tarp. We then put the Christmas tree into the back of the van, on top of the tarp, and proceeded to follow up with all our piles of sticks, twigs and branches. This system worked beautifully, even better than a pick-up truck or an open-air trailer, if you ask me, because nothing blew out. When we arrived back at the refuse and recycling center, we simply opened the back of the van, pulled out the tarp, and shook off all the sticks, including the Christmas tree.
I will stress yet again that we have been having simply superb weather for this time of year in New England. On the way back home from our drop-off, we opened the windows in our van and enjoyed the summer-like breeze and sunshine. The thermometer on our van registered at a balmy 62 degrees and we were all smiles. With a spring in our step to match the season and the weather, we plunged back to work and removed many more sticks and leaves from our terribly neglected side yard. Rather than stopping at the garden this year, as we normally do, I decided to take our clean up all the way into the woods (thanks, again, to my husband) so that we might avoid having the leaves in there decide to pick up and move to a new residence back in our flower garden or lawn. I am sure our next door neighbor, the one with the perfectly sweep, weeded, and edged, pristine lawn and garden, will thank me profusely.
After yet another trip to the refuse and recycling center with yet another load of branches, sticks and twigs on the tarp in the back of our van, we came back home for the last time, bagged up two more large bags of leaves from back in the woods, and made our plan for tomorrow. We are having such success at our clean up this year, not to mention the weather, that we are actually enjoying the process. Normally the planning, planting and harvesting has been the only enjoyable phases of gardening for me, but this year, watching such a transformation in our yard, garden, and surrounding woods, I am thrilling at the process. If only the powers-that-be would give us a few more days of this wonderful weather - before the humidity and the insects arrive on the scene. Perhaps this might turn out to be the year that we manage to get everything done. We shall see.
Garden Prepping in New England, Part II
Well, we spent another day out in the abundant, though surprising, New England sunshine and warmth; a rarity in the last days of March. There was not a cloud in the sky, but in retrospect, we realized we should have started a bit earlier. Early in the morning, there was no wind at all, but by the time we finished our morning errands and indoor chores, we did not make it out into the garden until just after noon. A slight breeze had picked up, and gained a bit of strength throughout the day. It felt nice; it simply made raking and bagging leaves, grass, and debris, a bit more difficult.
Our first task today was to attack the pile of firewood. We had only about 3/4 of a cord of wood left over from the winter. Since April snowstorms are not all that uncommon in New England, we piled half the wood in our basement next to the wood stove, and stored the rest in the garage. Last year a neighbor generously gave us several large, downed tree limbs to chop up and use for firewood. We stacked those neatly on the beams used for the woodpile, after sweeping off the bulk of the dead leaves. With the woodpile taken care of, we could now attack our side yard and garden.
The side yard is only half the size of the front yard, and only has about 10 square yards of grass. The rest is garden area where we have several flowering bushes and a few patches of crocuses, narcissus and daffodils. Or rather, that's where many of them used to be. Two years ago we had the coldest winter our state had seen in over fifty years; but we also had very little snow. Consequently, many, many plants died without the snow as insulation. We lost all our rose bushes, narcissus and daffodils. Miraculously, the hearty little crocuses survived, as did most of the larger bushes and trees, but many were never quite the same after that.
We were hesitant, at best, to plant a whole new slew of rose bushes and daffodils, so for the past couple of years, we have simply made due with what was left: a large forsythia bush up front near the mailbox, a skinny, but healthy aspen tree, and three flowering bushes of unknown origin. Our garden prepping for this day was to clean out from the garden area all the excess dead leaves that were missed last fall, as well as any other debris, including branches, sticks, and scraps of old, dried-out cedar mulch.
It only took us about three hours to clean out and bag the entire space. A friendly neighbor popped over and helped us bag some of it. We had the radio playing our favorite tunes, and the weather could not have been more beautiful. When we finished raking up the excess leaves which had gotten stuck under some of the bushes, we were delighted to find new green shoots of flowers, parts of the bushes, or even weeds. In a still-brown early spring, with little or no evidence of green on the trees or bushes, it was a thrill to find that nature is working behind the scenes. We even found a few tiny periwinkles which had already bloomed.
Now that our side garden in the front has been cleaned, the next step is to plan what we will do with it this year. There are many open spots with all of what was lost in the freeze. We will begin with covering much of it with fresh, new, red cedar mulch. After that, who knows? More daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and perhaps even a rose bush or two. We can enjoy what we plant this year, as well as look forward to next spring (harsh winter permitting) to see what pops up under the few dead leaves that are left each year. Gardening in New England is a constant cycle. We cannot simply plant, sit back, and watch it all grow like we did in California. It is a way of life here to ride the tide of the seasons. But now, after the cleaning has been done, the planning and planting is the best part!
Our first task today was to attack the pile of firewood. We had only about 3/4 of a cord of wood left over from the winter. Since April snowstorms are not all that uncommon in New England, we piled half the wood in our basement next to the wood stove, and stored the rest in the garage. Last year a neighbor generously gave us several large, downed tree limbs to chop up and use for firewood. We stacked those neatly on the beams used for the woodpile, after sweeping off the bulk of the dead leaves. With the woodpile taken care of, we could now attack our side yard and garden.
The side yard is only half the size of the front yard, and only has about 10 square yards of grass. The rest is garden area where we have several flowering bushes and a few patches of crocuses, narcissus and daffodils. Or rather, that's where many of them used to be. Two years ago we had the coldest winter our state had seen in over fifty years; but we also had very little snow. Consequently, many, many plants died without the snow as insulation. We lost all our rose bushes, narcissus and daffodils. Miraculously, the hearty little crocuses survived, as did most of the larger bushes and trees, but many were never quite the same after that.
We were hesitant, at best, to plant a whole new slew of rose bushes and daffodils, so for the past couple of years, we have simply made due with what was left: a large forsythia bush up front near the mailbox, a skinny, but healthy aspen tree, and three flowering bushes of unknown origin. Our garden prepping for this day was to clean out from the garden area all the excess dead leaves that were missed last fall, as well as any other debris, including branches, sticks, and scraps of old, dried-out cedar mulch.
It only took us about three hours to clean out and bag the entire space. A friendly neighbor popped over and helped us bag some of it. We had the radio playing our favorite tunes, and the weather could not have been more beautiful. When we finished raking up the excess leaves which had gotten stuck under some of the bushes, we were delighted to find new green shoots of flowers, parts of the bushes, or even weeds. In a still-brown early spring, with little or no evidence of green on the trees or bushes, it was a thrill to find that nature is working behind the scenes. We even found a few tiny periwinkles which had already bloomed.
Now that our side garden in the front has been cleaned, the next step is to plan what we will do with it this year. There are many open spots with all of what was lost in the freeze. We will begin with covering much of it with fresh, new, red cedar mulch. After that, who knows? More daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and perhaps even a rose bush or two. We can enjoy what we plant this year, as well as look forward to next spring (harsh winter permitting) to see what pops up under the few dead leaves that are left each year. Gardening in New England is a constant cycle. We cannot simply plant, sit back, and watch it all grow like we did in California. It is a way of life here to ride the tide of the seasons. But now, after the cleaning has been done, the planning and planting is the best part!
The Perfect Garden Swing
By Christina VanGinkel
We have had several garden swings through the years. We have enjoyed each one as much as anyone could enjoy a swing. We have sat on them early in the morning enjoying a cup or two of coffee or tea. We have piled pillows on them and snuggled in to read chapter after chapter of the newest best seller. We have watched the birds from their comfortable seating, enjoyed a snack, and even had some very deep conversations and some silly ones too. We have even pulled into the yard to find our son sound asleep on the one that we had up through last year, only to have him come wide awake when we walked into the yard and suddenly exclaim his rabbit was gone. He had been letting the rabbit eat the grass beneath the swing, fallen asleep, and the rabbit had of course wandered off. Several days later, he was back safe and sound, and an important lesson had been learned (you have to stay awake when watching those smaller then yourself!).
Each swing had been chosen with care, but the last swing, a canopied, cushioned affair, was perfect in every sense. It was long enough even for my husband and youngest son, each almost six feet tall, to take a nap on, and the cushion was comfortable enough that even after three years, it was still full. What it was not anymore though, was waterproof. At one time, after a rain, all one had to do was take a cloth and wipe the wet off, as it never seeped into the cushion. The cushion had become so worn towards the end of last year though, it was no longer even remotely waterproof, and after a rain, it would take hours for it to dry. In addition, the canopy had become sop worn, that at the end of last season, when a strong wind came up, it had actually torn right through.
My husband and I had taken the canopy off, and used the swing the remainder of the fall months, but hoped that once spring arrived, we would be able to find a replacement canopy and cushion. So far, we have been as unsuccessful as could be. We have patiently watched each local store put out their stock of garden furniture, patio sets, and swings, and hoped we would be able to find what we were looking for. Not only have we not, we have not even been able to find a complete swing that is even close to the quality of the one that we had for the precious three years. They are either much shorter, or they are designed with a table in the middle of the seat, making it more like two chairs instead of one long settee. Another swing we came across that was long enough, had such a thin cushion on it that it reminded me of the sort of seating you would offer a guest you hoped would not stay long. Give them a seat so uncomfortable, that hopefully they would make their excuses and leave as quickly as they come! Besides the cushion being paper thin, it also did not look waterproof at all and nowhere in the documentation did it say it was treated with any sort of waterproof coating. You might assume that it would be, as it was for outside, but I have learned through the years never to assume anything. To make matters worse, the canopy on it did not adjust. If the sun was at a bad angle, I guess you would have to either abandon sitting on it, or else move the whole swing.
We have still not found a replacement, but have been told by employees at two different stores that they hope to get more swings in soon, that we are not the only ones that have commented on the poor design of what they currently have available. This just goes to show you that we are not the only people who have learned to enjoy a comfortable swing! I have also begun searching the Internet, but have had no luck on that account either. I did find a lovely wooden swing, which would look charming in the back of our garden where we want to place a smaller seating arrangement to sit with our grandson after time spent exploring the garden, so our search has not been completely fruitless.
We have had several garden swings through the years. We have enjoyed each one as much as anyone could enjoy a swing. We have sat on them early in the morning enjoying a cup or two of coffee or tea. We have piled pillows on them and snuggled in to read chapter after chapter of the newest best seller. We have watched the birds from their comfortable seating, enjoyed a snack, and even had some very deep conversations and some silly ones too. We have even pulled into the yard to find our son sound asleep on the one that we had up through last year, only to have him come wide awake when we walked into the yard and suddenly exclaim his rabbit was gone. He had been letting the rabbit eat the grass beneath the swing, fallen asleep, and the rabbit had of course wandered off. Several days later, he was back safe and sound, and an important lesson had been learned (you have to stay awake when watching those smaller then yourself!).
Each swing had been chosen with care, but the last swing, a canopied, cushioned affair, was perfect in every sense. It was long enough even for my husband and youngest son, each almost six feet tall, to take a nap on, and the cushion was comfortable enough that even after three years, it was still full. What it was not anymore though, was waterproof. At one time, after a rain, all one had to do was take a cloth and wipe the wet off, as it never seeped into the cushion. The cushion had become so worn towards the end of last year though, it was no longer even remotely waterproof, and after a rain, it would take hours for it to dry. In addition, the canopy had become sop worn, that at the end of last season, when a strong wind came up, it had actually torn right through.
My husband and I had taken the canopy off, and used the swing the remainder of the fall months, but hoped that once spring arrived, we would be able to find a replacement canopy and cushion. So far, we have been as unsuccessful as could be. We have patiently watched each local store put out their stock of garden furniture, patio sets, and swings, and hoped we would be able to find what we were looking for. Not only have we not, we have not even been able to find a complete swing that is even close to the quality of the one that we had for the precious three years. They are either much shorter, or they are designed with a table in the middle of the seat, making it more like two chairs instead of one long settee. Another swing we came across that was long enough, had such a thin cushion on it that it reminded me of the sort of seating you would offer a guest you hoped would not stay long. Give them a seat so uncomfortable, that hopefully they would make their excuses and leave as quickly as they come! Besides the cushion being paper thin, it also did not look waterproof at all and nowhere in the documentation did it say it was treated with any sort of waterproof coating. You might assume that it would be, as it was for outside, but I have learned through the years never to assume anything. To make matters worse, the canopy on it did not adjust. If the sun was at a bad angle, I guess you would have to either abandon sitting on it, or else move the whole swing.
We have still not found a replacement, but have been told by employees at two different stores that they hope to get more swings in soon, that we are not the only ones that have commented on the poor design of what they currently have available. This just goes to show you that we are not the only people who have learned to enjoy a comfortable swing! I have also begun searching the Internet, but have had no luck on that account either. I did find a lovely wooden swing, which would look charming in the back of our garden where we want to place a smaller seating arrangement to sit with our grandson after time spent exploring the garden, so our search has not been completely fruitless.
Getting Kids Revved up for this summer's Garden
By Christina VanGinkel
Getting kids revved up for this coming summer's garden time is easier than ever, if you just go about it in the right way. Ask you kids now if there are any plants that they would like to grow. The answers you will receive to this question might surprise you. This simple question might also be enough to open the doors to their inner gardener more than any other question.
Many kids are willing to put in more time gardening if the results are for plants they want to succeed in helping grow and harvest. Some good suggestions if they really do not know what they want to plant could include watermelon, pumpkins, and giant sunflowers. All three of these plants offer up quite impressive results for the kids. Other common vegetables such as carrots and corn are also favorites. Not so surprisingly, onions and spinach are about as favorite to grow in the garden for kids, as they are for them to have on their dinner plates. It only makes sense that they want to grow something they are willing to eat! If they really have no preference, or do not show any, maybe it is time to dig out an illustrated gardening catalog, and sit down with them. Page through the catalog together, pointing out different plants and vegetables that you think might interest them if they will at least take note of them.
If the child you want to get involved gardening is very young, it might not be so much the plants, as it the tools with which they get to garden. I recently did a review of The Backyard Bunch Tools for beginning gardeners, and they are a perfect example of how tools can be fun for kids to use. Any small sized tools, in bright colors, and with easy to grasp handles will be a draw for young children though, such as a small watering can that is easy for them to carry and use, and small cultivators that they can make use of to loosen up the topsoil. Small shovels to help you dig a hole for putting in new plants, and other kid friendly and kid sized tools will also have a great advantage over any similar tool in an adult size that they try to use.
Next, be sure to provide these same young garden enthusiasts with their very own plot of land to 'garden' in. If they are extremely little, their gardening time might consist of digging holes and making mud hills, but if the plot of land you provide them with, is close enough to your garden, you can see them and supervise them while you actually get in some quality gardening time. The side benefit of this is that they will be picking up more knowledge than you might imagine. It will also keep them from digging up anything important, which might make you intolerant of them being in the garden in the first place. The spot does not have to be huge, just cordon off a small area, maybe make a sign for the area proclaiming it theirs, and provide them with everything they require to garden. Before you know it, they will be gardening for real.
Be sure that kids have a spot to store any tools you provide them with too. The fastest way to get a child to lose interest in gardening is when they are reprimanded for not putting away any tools they used. If they do not have a clear idea of where to store the items in the first place though, this can be a problem. My husband's father made a small unit that looked just like a garden shed, but is about one foot wide by three feet high, and it sits right in our rock garden. We keep our grandson's small hand tools right in it, so they are always handy when he stops by, and he can already get them and put them away by his self, and he is not even there years old yet.
For older kids, give them a stack of your gardening catalogs. Show them how to find out what zone your home is in, and how to differentiate which plants might be a suitable choice for your yard and or garden. Tell them that you would like them to plan a section of the garden with the plants they would like to try growing. By allowing them, some real say in what is being planted, such as where it is being planted, and total control over how it will be cared for, they will get a front row seat of what it is like to grow and tend a garden. (Do not try to take over this section, leave it to them, whether it is a success or a failure. They will learn more about gardening from this than you could ever imagine.)
Getting kids revved up for this coming summer's garden time is easier than ever, if you just go about it in the right way. Ask you kids now if there are any plants that they would like to grow. The answers you will receive to this question might surprise you. This simple question might also be enough to open the doors to their inner gardener more than any other question.
Many kids are willing to put in more time gardening if the results are for plants they want to succeed in helping grow and harvest. Some good suggestions if they really do not know what they want to plant could include watermelon, pumpkins, and giant sunflowers. All three of these plants offer up quite impressive results for the kids. Other common vegetables such as carrots and corn are also favorites. Not so surprisingly, onions and spinach are about as favorite to grow in the garden for kids, as they are for them to have on their dinner plates. It only makes sense that they want to grow something they are willing to eat! If they really have no preference, or do not show any, maybe it is time to dig out an illustrated gardening catalog, and sit down with them. Page through the catalog together, pointing out different plants and vegetables that you think might interest them if they will at least take note of them.
If the child you want to get involved gardening is very young, it might not be so much the plants, as it the tools with which they get to garden. I recently did a review of The Backyard Bunch Tools for beginning gardeners, and they are a perfect example of how tools can be fun for kids to use. Any small sized tools, in bright colors, and with easy to grasp handles will be a draw for young children though, such as a small watering can that is easy for them to carry and use, and small cultivators that they can make use of to loosen up the topsoil. Small shovels to help you dig a hole for putting in new plants, and other kid friendly and kid sized tools will also have a great advantage over any similar tool in an adult size that they try to use.
Next, be sure to provide these same young garden enthusiasts with their very own plot of land to 'garden' in. If they are extremely little, their gardening time might consist of digging holes and making mud hills, but if the plot of land you provide them with, is close enough to your garden, you can see them and supervise them while you actually get in some quality gardening time. The side benefit of this is that they will be picking up more knowledge than you might imagine. It will also keep them from digging up anything important, which might make you intolerant of them being in the garden in the first place. The spot does not have to be huge, just cordon off a small area, maybe make a sign for the area proclaiming it theirs, and provide them with everything they require to garden. Before you know it, they will be gardening for real.
Be sure that kids have a spot to store any tools you provide them with too. The fastest way to get a child to lose interest in gardening is when they are reprimanded for not putting away any tools they used. If they do not have a clear idea of where to store the items in the first place though, this can be a problem. My husband's father made a small unit that looked just like a garden shed, but is about one foot wide by three feet high, and it sits right in our rock garden. We keep our grandson's small hand tools right in it, so they are always handy when he stops by, and he can already get them and put them away by his self, and he is not even there years old yet.
For older kids, give them a stack of your gardening catalogs. Show them how to find out what zone your home is in, and how to differentiate which plants might be a suitable choice for your yard and or garden. Tell them that you would like them to plan a section of the garden with the plants they would like to try growing. By allowing them, some real say in what is being planted, such as where it is being planted, and total control over how it will be cared for, they will get a front row seat of what it is like to grow and tend a garden. (Do not try to take over this section, leave it to them, whether it is a success or a failure. They will learn more about gardening from this than you could ever imagine.)
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Our Neighbor - The Gardening Guru
When we first moved to New England from Southern California, we were shocked at the amount of work necessary for gardening, not to mention the much shorter season. In Southern Cal, we could plant impatiens in our back garden, and if we simply kept them pruned, they stayed there forever, constantly blooming, even in the middle of winter. New England soon taught us that nothing stays the same and annuals must truly be planted again and again, year after year. We also learned that the leaves will fall. We knew this would happen, but in California, it was a non-issue. Sure, some of the leaves fell off some of the trees, but it was more like brushing a dog and having it lose a bit of hair. Shedding: that's what the trees in Southern California did. The trees in New England dump every single leaf and they are miraculously attracted to any smooth, grassy lawn. They cannot be ignored nor can they be left alone, or they will rot, and that's a whole 'nuther story.
Being a busy family, we did the best we could do when we got here. We chased after the leaves, watched as the snowfall covered up many of them until spring, and then we chased them some more. We planted our garden a bit early, it turns out, but we were fortunate it wasn't affected by frost. But nothing we did compared to that of our next door neighbor. Our neighbor, Keith (not his real name), is in his mid-30s and lives alone, or sometimes with a girl friend. He is an extremely hard worker with a type A personality. He works 40+ hours per week at a local retail store, and the rest of the time, weather permitting, he works outdoors on his garden, his lawn, and even the woods surrounding his property. Keith loves to garden. His front lawn is the envy of all the neighborhood. Granted, he pays for a professional crew to come in once each month during the summer to treat the lawn for pests, parasites, and weeds, but he also waters it lovingly every day, which, in New England, is not really necessary, and he mows it every five days, like clockwork. We have actually seen Keith mowing his lawn at 10:00 at night, when it is completely dark and dangerous, if you ask me. But he is rabid about staying on schedule; and it shows. The lawn is pristine.
Keith is also very proud of his gardening abilities. He grows a few vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, and a couple of corn stalks; but most of Keith's gardens are full of flowers that look like they stepped right out of a nursery that day. Or as my children would say, they all look fake. Keith's gardens are weeded, fed, pruned and tended each and every day. He loves his flowers and it shows. We even see Keith weekly raking and sweeping (yes, sweeping) the woods around his property every couple of weeks. The forest floor is smooth and looks like a well-kept picnic area.
In contrast, our lawn is half-green at best. We water it only if we have more than a week without any precipitation, and we mow it when it gets tall and scraggly looking. The only flowers we have managed to grow successfully are impatiens or geraniums in our window boxes, and a few rose bushes scattered around the yard. Our vegetable garden is our only real success, as it gives us plentiful tomatoes each year; but only tomatoes. Nothing else will grow successfully. Our hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and even lilacs have ceased to bloom. The only pleasure is our faithful forsythia bush out front.
One day I made the mistake of talking to Keith about his lawn. Keith loves to talk about his gardens, his veggies, his flowers, and especially his lawn. I made a passing joke about our lawn compared to his; about how our lawn was not too terrible, but next to his, it looked like dirt. Keith immediately ran home and was back in a flash with a huge stack of hardback gardening books. There was one for beautiful laws, one for vegetables, one for annuals, one for perennials, and one all about pests and parasites. What Keith did not understand is that our family's take on gardening is pretty much riding the tide; winging it. Yes, we have learned the ebb and flow of New England's seasons, and how a certain amount of work is required during each season, whether it be planning, planting, tending, harvesting, or cleaning; but we were not looking for a showcase garden, I had merely complimented Keith's success.
I kept Keith's books for a time and honestly looked at them once or twice, knowing he would ask me about them. Finally, one day a few weeks later, I had my son run them over to him while he was mowing his lawn. I knew he would not break his stride and the books would not have to be discussed. I was right. The next time I ran into Keith, he casually asked me how I liked the books. I thanked him, told him they were wonderful, and then changed the subject. Now that spring is here, I look forward to taking care of our lawn and gardens this year. I already have everything planned. It will not look anything like Keith's masterpiece, but I really don't care. It will be homey and pretty and enjoyable, and that's what really matters, right?
Being a busy family, we did the best we could do when we got here. We chased after the leaves, watched as the snowfall covered up many of them until spring, and then we chased them some more. We planted our garden a bit early, it turns out, but we were fortunate it wasn't affected by frost. But nothing we did compared to that of our next door neighbor. Our neighbor, Keith (not his real name), is in his mid-30s and lives alone, or sometimes with a girl friend. He is an extremely hard worker with a type A personality. He works 40+ hours per week at a local retail store, and the rest of the time, weather permitting, he works outdoors on his garden, his lawn, and even the woods surrounding his property. Keith loves to garden. His front lawn is the envy of all the neighborhood. Granted, he pays for a professional crew to come in once each month during the summer to treat the lawn for pests, parasites, and weeds, but he also waters it lovingly every day, which, in New England, is not really necessary, and he mows it every five days, like clockwork. We have actually seen Keith mowing his lawn at 10:00 at night, when it is completely dark and dangerous, if you ask me. But he is rabid about staying on schedule; and it shows. The lawn is pristine.
Keith is also very proud of his gardening abilities. He grows a few vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, and a couple of corn stalks; but most of Keith's gardens are full of flowers that look like they stepped right out of a nursery that day. Or as my children would say, they all look fake. Keith's gardens are weeded, fed, pruned and tended each and every day. He loves his flowers and it shows. We even see Keith weekly raking and sweeping (yes, sweeping) the woods around his property every couple of weeks. The forest floor is smooth and looks like a well-kept picnic area.
In contrast, our lawn is half-green at best. We water it only if we have more than a week without any precipitation, and we mow it when it gets tall and scraggly looking. The only flowers we have managed to grow successfully are impatiens or geraniums in our window boxes, and a few rose bushes scattered around the yard. Our vegetable garden is our only real success, as it gives us plentiful tomatoes each year; but only tomatoes. Nothing else will grow successfully. Our hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and even lilacs have ceased to bloom. The only pleasure is our faithful forsythia bush out front.
One day I made the mistake of talking to Keith about his lawn. Keith loves to talk about his gardens, his veggies, his flowers, and especially his lawn. I made a passing joke about our lawn compared to his; about how our lawn was not too terrible, but next to his, it looked like dirt. Keith immediately ran home and was back in a flash with a huge stack of hardback gardening books. There was one for beautiful laws, one for vegetables, one for annuals, one for perennials, and one all about pests and parasites. What Keith did not understand is that our family's take on gardening is pretty much riding the tide; winging it. Yes, we have learned the ebb and flow of New England's seasons, and how a certain amount of work is required during each season, whether it be planning, planting, tending, harvesting, or cleaning; but we were not looking for a showcase garden, I had merely complimented Keith's success.
I kept Keith's books for a time and honestly looked at them once or twice, knowing he would ask me about them. Finally, one day a few weeks later, I had my son run them over to him while he was mowing his lawn. I knew he would not break his stride and the books would not have to be discussed. I was right. The next time I ran into Keith, he casually asked me how I liked the books. I thanked him, told him they were wonderful, and then changed the subject. Now that spring is here, I look forward to taking care of our lawn and gardens this year. I already have everything planned. It will not look anything like Keith's masterpiece, but I really don't care. It will be homey and pretty and enjoyable, and that's what really matters, right?
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Garden Prepping in New England, Part I
One of the things we have learned living in New England is that we have to take advantage of the sunshine when we can. Spring can be a dreary, rainy time, which is depressing coming right out of a snowy, cold winter; but on those sporadic sunshiny days, we have to get out there and do what we can. This week, though it is not yet April, a time when we could still experience a heavy, spring snowstorm, we are being blessed with temperatures in the mid 50s and clear, blue skies. Although the nights are still far too chilly for planting anything outdoors (and will be for at least another two months), we are using this time to clean up the yard, the garden, and the surrounding area, in preparation for the coming gardening season. Here is a list of what we accomplished today.
This morning at eleven a.m., my daughters and I headed out into the front yard to clean up the first of the debris from winter. We homeschool, and have decided to take this week off school, since the weather is so favorable for garden-prepping. The winter was not nearly as cold as many years, but we had a lot of wind. With several oak trees dotting our front yard, as well as woods surrounding the entire property, we had our share of leaves, sticks, branches, and other debris that simply needed to go. We began raking the lawn from the street up toward the house, thatching the grass as we went, scooping up acorns, gathering sticks and limbs, and putting all the debris into plastic bags. The sun was high in the sky and there was only a slight breeze. Soon, we took off our fleece sweaters and worked in jeans and t-shirts. It was hard work. After a wet winter with little outdoor activity, we were out of shape, but sorely in need of fresh air.
After about an hour and a half, we took a break and sat on our sunny front steps enjoying soda and popcorn. At that point, my daughter brought out her CD player and we enjoyed getting back to work to the tunes of Kenny Chesney and Kelly Clarkson. We raked, scooped, bagged, and actually finished cleaning and clearing the entire main section of our front yard. As we worked, we talked. We talked about which bushes need to go - the ones that are not as seemly as they ought to be (or once were) and we talked about where we would put our flowers once the weather allowed. We planned the window boxes and imagined where we might like to plant a few lilac bushes. One of my daughters even suggested we plant an apple tree. It was a brainstorming session and all ideas were great ones. The yard clean up was therapeutic to us all; fresh air, sunshine, good company, planning, and of course, the satisfaction of looking out at the clean yard, just waiting for spring to arrive.
After we finished for the day, my daughters talked me into setting up our trampoline, a bit earlier than we normally do. After all their hard work, I agreed, and now they are out there jumping to their hearts content, which they will probably do until it gets dark. This will help them to sleep well, so we can get back to work again in the morning.
It is currently the end of March, and in New England, we cannot be assured of frost free nights until the end of May. Yet, in a few weeks, we will plant our seedlings indoors and let them flourish in our sunny living room. We will continue to prepare the rest of the yard all this week, as we take advantage of these unusually warm, dry, sunny days of early spring. If we continue to be blessed with this wonderful weather, our gardening will be well underway when the season finally arrives.
Until then, we will plod on and make use of any sunny days that are sent our way. As New Englanders, we understand the need to make hay while the sun shines. Stay tuned and we will continue to share our adventures in gardening. Today we have finished for the day, but tomorrow, more sunshine is in the forecast, with even warmer temperatures. See you then!
This morning at eleven a.m., my daughters and I headed out into the front yard to clean up the first of the debris from winter. We homeschool, and have decided to take this week off school, since the weather is so favorable for garden-prepping. The winter was not nearly as cold as many years, but we had a lot of wind. With several oak trees dotting our front yard, as well as woods surrounding the entire property, we had our share of leaves, sticks, branches, and other debris that simply needed to go. We began raking the lawn from the street up toward the house, thatching the grass as we went, scooping up acorns, gathering sticks and limbs, and putting all the debris into plastic bags. The sun was high in the sky and there was only a slight breeze. Soon, we took off our fleece sweaters and worked in jeans and t-shirts. It was hard work. After a wet winter with little outdoor activity, we were out of shape, but sorely in need of fresh air.
After about an hour and a half, we took a break and sat on our sunny front steps enjoying soda and popcorn. At that point, my daughter brought out her CD player and we enjoyed getting back to work to the tunes of Kenny Chesney and Kelly Clarkson. We raked, scooped, bagged, and actually finished cleaning and clearing the entire main section of our front yard. As we worked, we talked. We talked about which bushes need to go - the ones that are not as seemly as they ought to be (or once were) and we talked about where we would put our flowers once the weather allowed. We planned the window boxes and imagined where we might like to plant a few lilac bushes. One of my daughters even suggested we plant an apple tree. It was a brainstorming session and all ideas were great ones. The yard clean up was therapeutic to us all; fresh air, sunshine, good company, planning, and of course, the satisfaction of looking out at the clean yard, just waiting for spring to arrive.
After we finished for the day, my daughters talked me into setting up our trampoline, a bit earlier than we normally do. After all their hard work, I agreed, and now they are out there jumping to their hearts content, which they will probably do until it gets dark. This will help them to sleep well, so we can get back to work again in the morning.
It is currently the end of March, and in New England, we cannot be assured of frost free nights until the end of May. Yet, in a few weeks, we will plant our seedlings indoors and let them flourish in our sunny living room. We will continue to prepare the rest of the yard all this week, as we take advantage of these unusually warm, dry, sunny days of early spring. If we continue to be blessed with this wonderful weather, our gardening will be well underway when the season finally arrives.
Until then, we will plod on and make use of any sunny days that are sent our way. As New Englanders, we understand the need to make hay while the sun shines. Stay tuned and we will continue to share our adventures in gardening. Today we have finished for the day, but tomorrow, more sunshine is in the forecast, with even warmer temperatures. See you then!
Walkways, Spring, and Mud!
By Christina VanGinkel
Spring is synonymous with cleaning, and with all the dirt and mud around my house, I am starting to feel as if I will never catch up. Ever since we installed our wood laminate flooring, I have been aware of just how much dirt was actually being tracked into the house when we had carpeting, but I have never been quite as aware of it as I have the last few days. Then, yesterday I ran out of my Swiffer mop refills, and there was no way the floor in the entry and down the hall could wait until I got to the store to pick up a package of them. I went ahead and swept as I normally do before using the Swiffer mop, but then I filled a bucket with hot water and tossed in a few rags and got down on my hands and knees and cleaned the area the old-fashioned way. 'Oh my' was about all I said the whole time I was scrubbing the floor. Even after sweeping, I still ended up with a bucket of mud instead of water with a bit of dirt in it!
This whole episode has me rethinking the walkway leading from the fence where we park our vehicles, up to the porch and our entry door. Just this last fall, I tore up much of the walkway, removing the sides that I had so patiently installed myself just a few years before. They looked nice, but when I realized what a hazard they were to my young grandson, we decided to go ahead and remove them and worry about what exactly we would do with the walkway come spring until later. Later has arrived, and while it will still be a few weeks before we can actually do anything with the stepping stones, the time has come to make some decisions.
The stepping stones leading from the fence to the porch are still there, but when we removed the edging, mud from the yard just pored into the spaces between the stepping stones, covering in some spots, and eroding away in other, the pea gravel that was between the stepping stones. I had originally thought that we should move the walkway itself over about five feet, so that anyone entering the yard from the fence entered on the end of the current fence, and not from the middle the way we do now. This would involve changing the design of the fence itself, but in reality, that would not be that difficult. The fence is a simple structure, and replacing it would not be difficult at all. The problem would arise in the winter months, when this new walkway would wind its way to the porch on the side that we always seem to have a lot of ice build-up on the ground, even when we are diligent about salting the area and keeping it clean. We can go to bed in the evening with the ground clear and wake up in the morning, even when there has been no precipitation overnight, and we will still miraculously have ice on the steps of the porch facing the way the walkway would come in from, were we to change it. For this reason alone, we had decided that we would leave the walkway where it was, just change how it was set up.
Our immediate problem is the mud washing across the stones from where we had flowerbeds built up along the edging we removed. As soon as the frost is completely gone from the ground, my husband has said that we have our work cut out for us, but that he plans to haul in stone to build up a more natural border along the length of the stepping stones, one that a small child cannot trip over, and then refill the pea gravel between the stones. It sounds simple actually, and I like this idea more than anything I have conjured up.
My lesson learned in all of this, which I realized while down on my knees scrubbing was that with any project, thinking the consequences through can be the most important step you take. If I would have thought what would happen once I removed the edging, I might still have done it, but I would have replaced it with something else right away, saving myself from this struggle with the never-ending supply of mud!
Spring is synonymous with cleaning, and with all the dirt and mud around my house, I am starting to feel as if I will never catch up. Ever since we installed our wood laminate flooring, I have been aware of just how much dirt was actually being tracked into the house when we had carpeting, but I have never been quite as aware of it as I have the last few days. Then, yesterday I ran out of my Swiffer mop refills, and there was no way the floor in the entry and down the hall could wait until I got to the store to pick up a package of them. I went ahead and swept as I normally do before using the Swiffer mop, but then I filled a bucket with hot water and tossed in a few rags and got down on my hands and knees and cleaned the area the old-fashioned way. 'Oh my' was about all I said the whole time I was scrubbing the floor. Even after sweeping, I still ended up with a bucket of mud instead of water with a bit of dirt in it!
This whole episode has me rethinking the walkway leading from the fence where we park our vehicles, up to the porch and our entry door. Just this last fall, I tore up much of the walkway, removing the sides that I had so patiently installed myself just a few years before. They looked nice, but when I realized what a hazard they were to my young grandson, we decided to go ahead and remove them and worry about what exactly we would do with the walkway come spring until later. Later has arrived, and while it will still be a few weeks before we can actually do anything with the stepping stones, the time has come to make some decisions.
The stepping stones leading from the fence to the porch are still there, but when we removed the edging, mud from the yard just pored into the spaces between the stepping stones, covering in some spots, and eroding away in other, the pea gravel that was between the stepping stones. I had originally thought that we should move the walkway itself over about five feet, so that anyone entering the yard from the fence entered on the end of the current fence, and not from the middle the way we do now. This would involve changing the design of the fence itself, but in reality, that would not be that difficult. The fence is a simple structure, and replacing it would not be difficult at all. The problem would arise in the winter months, when this new walkway would wind its way to the porch on the side that we always seem to have a lot of ice build-up on the ground, even when we are diligent about salting the area and keeping it clean. We can go to bed in the evening with the ground clear and wake up in the morning, even when there has been no precipitation overnight, and we will still miraculously have ice on the steps of the porch facing the way the walkway would come in from, were we to change it. For this reason alone, we had decided that we would leave the walkway where it was, just change how it was set up.
Our immediate problem is the mud washing across the stones from where we had flowerbeds built up along the edging we removed. As soon as the frost is completely gone from the ground, my husband has said that we have our work cut out for us, but that he plans to haul in stone to build up a more natural border along the length of the stepping stones, one that a small child cannot trip over, and then refill the pea gravel between the stones. It sounds simple actually, and I like this idea more than anything I have conjured up.
My lesson learned in all of this, which I realized while down on my knees scrubbing was that with any project, thinking the consequences through can be the most important step you take. If I would have thought what would happen once I removed the edging, I might still have done it, but I would have replaced it with something else right away, saving myself from this struggle with the never-ending supply of mud!
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