Gardening

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Category: Planting

Start thinking now about spring gardening

So if after reading all the gardening blogs, gardening fever has struck and you plan to make a garden next year, here are some tips to get you started. Some of these will come in handy for us "old" gardeners, too:

Make sure you compost: Not only does it help the environment, it's free fertilizer. I have a compost bin but you can start by just making a compost pile.

Don't start too early: It's so hard not to get out there and start gardening the first sign of spring. Of course you can plant early spring crops like peas, but to plant tomatoes or other plants that are not hardy, our date for vegetable gardening here is Memorial Day. Of course, that doesn't mean we haven't made this mistake a few times and lost a few plants.

Buy seeds on sale: If you're new to gardening of course you don't have any seeds saved. Now is a great time to find them in the clearance section and they will be good next year.

Used gardening tools: Look for garage sales or on craigslist this spring to buy your gardening tools: Hoes, shovels, rakes, pots and even rototillers can be found for cheap at the early spring sales. While you're at it, look for gardening books you can read and soak up some more knowledge.

Canning: If you're going to can next year, consider buying your canning equipment used, too. A lot of people are getting out of gardening about the same time you are deciding to get in to it. Good thing I bought extra canning jars this year - I ended up using many of them.

Pot gardening: If you don't have lots of room for a garden consider growing in pots on your deck or plant a few tomato plants in with the marigolds.

Seedlings: If you think you might start seedlings indoors start saving your egg cartons and plastic cups, such as yogurt cups and cottage cheese containers. They make great seed starter pots.

Share: Become friends with other gardeners who love to share plants and seeds from their garden and will give you some much needed advice. My neighbor, Wilma, really helped me when I first got started.

I hope these tips will help you garden next year - and inexpensively.

You can catch up with my garden at Gardening in Lower MI.

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Category: Planting

How to garden for next to nothing - next year

Here I go again already thinking about next spring's garden. I've recently found ways to garden next year more cost effectively. Some of these ideas you may want to start getting prepared for now so you can garden for next to nothing next year.

You can grow seeds outdoors in the winter and you don't need a greenhouse! Bat will just love this one because I've been wanting a greenhouse forever. How is it done?

Well, you can sow seeds into mini greenhouses made from recyclables. After they are sown, you place them outside until the end of winter. As the weather warms the seeds start to germinate. You can find out more by going to the Winter Sown Web site. I'm starting to save my recyclables to do this.

How about a seed exchange in which you try new plants without spending too much money? I thought about doing one here and I had the Web site up and ready until I found out there are many good ones already going. There's a seed exchange at the Backyard Gardener Seed Exchange , The Garden Web seed exchange and the Blossom Swap Seed Exchange , plus many more listed on the Internet.

Did you have too many hostas, lilies or Black-eyed Susans this summer? You can swap some of the extras at a local perennial exchange. My library has one every year and I've always thought about going, so this year I will do it. I already know which plants I want to exchange - the Black-eyed Susans have taken over my flower garden this year and I know someone will want some. If your community doesn't have a perennial exchange maybe you can exchange with friends or neighbors.

Craigslist is another source. Under the "free" section many people give away dirt and plants that they have divided.

The ultimate way to garden for next to nothing is to save your seeds. You'll be able to grow wonderful pumpkins, heirloom beans and tomatoes from the seeds you saved this year. You just can't get any cheaper than that!

You can catch up with my garden at Gardening in Lower MI.

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Category: Planting

Go native in the garden for success

As I walk through our local nature preserve I love the deep woodsy feel that is made by the ferns growing in the forest. Walking along the paths I have also have spotted some Jack in the Pulpit, which is my favorite flower. So, last year, wanting to re-create that woodsy look I planted a couple of ferns to go around my trees. It will be a long time, though, before I am able to achieve that deep forest look.

If you plant ferns in your garden, try and plant ones that are native to Michigan. No matter where you live, if you incorporate native plants in your garden, they are used to the weather extremes and soil in your area, therefore they are easier to care for than those from elsewhere. You will attract more wildlife, need to water less and decrease the amount of chemicals you use on your garden.

On his Web site, John Trapp has a complete list of native Michigan ferns. Also, try some of the native Michigan flowers that include Black-Eyed Susan, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Wild Geranium and some grasses, including Big Bluestem Grass and Bottlebrush Grass.

Category: Planting

Bum luck with mums

I love mums. They bring glorious fall color at a time when other plants are fading, they balance out the brilliant show from Michigan's trees, they extend the blooming season in a most pleasing way.

The problem? They're too unreliable.

I dig them nice holes, I water them, I pinch them, I fertilize them. And they do a nice job of filling out the fall garden ... for the first year. Then they die back and I never see them again, or they're a puny ghost of their former robust selves.

At this point in my gardening life, and after much research, I am officially categorizing them as annuals.

And yes, I've tried planting them in the spring and nursing them along all summer. It's a minor annoyance to keep trying to ward off their early blooms, but I'd put up with it if I got the payoff the following year. No such luck.

I've planted them in the early fall, hoping they'd settle in. Another strike there.

I have no problem with annuals; I use them all over the yard. But mums are on the pricy side for annuals.

I can't seem to resist them at the farmers market, though, and I like to freshen up my containers in the fall, so that may be their best use in my yard.

Category: Planting

Plant in fall to give trees, shrubs, plants a head start

Are you finding that you don't have enough color in your yard at this time of year? Have you decided you want to add a tree or a shrub somewhere in your landscape? Well, now is a good time to plant while the ground is still warm.

Most people believe a plant stops growing when it loses its leaves in the fall. Actually, the plant is still very active even though it is not putting forth new growth, producing flowers or seeds. After seed and leaf fall, the plant concentrates on its root system and will continue to do so until the ground freezes. In our area that's usually around Christmas time.

Why is this important? This is a great time to plant a tree or a shrub to give them a head start on growth for next spring. They will have not only the time between now and the freezing of the soil, but they will also have time in the spring after the soil defrosts and before the ground is workable.

As a bonus, most nurseries have plants at discounted prices this time of the year. They would rather sell them than overwinter them. You may not have the selection you would have in the spring, but you will have more change in your pocket! If you have a specific plant in mind, call around to the local nurseries to see if they still have that plant in stock. Otherwise, enjoy the fall weather and visit your nursery to see what's available. Also, be sure to check the size of the plant when it matures to avoid heavy pruning in the future.

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Category: Planting

Geraniums for remembrance

Geraniums will always have a home in my garden.

As a new gardener, I resisted their charms. I thought they were cliche and oh-so-ordinary, totally boring.

Still, I was always drawn to them -- especially red ones. At the garden center, I'd pause by the geraniums and then move on. Finally, one year at Eastern Market Flower Day, I found an irresistible bargain and snapped them up.

Once I got them home and potted up, something clicked and I remembered.

My mom always put potted red geraniums on our porch.

Now, my mom, and her mom, who lived with us, were not much for gardening. A few annuals and perennials here and there, one or two tomato plants tucked in the back. And because of this, I didn't naturally associate my mom with geraniums until I saw the pots on my own porch.

My mom died at a way-too-young 58 and I miss her still; but I like to do things that remind me of her and give me a chance to remember her. I also gained a new appreciation for geraniums and their variations in color, leaf shape and habit. They're a happy plant, and I like happy plants.

For me, gardening involves a lot of connections and memories, and it's part of why I enjoy it so much.

Now, back to those tomato plants tucked into the back yard: Mom loved Michigan tomatoes and her favorite way to eat them was in tomato-and-mayo sandwiches.

But honoring thy mother only goes so far -- I think I'll stick with the geraniums!

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Category: Planting

Don't fall over, but it's time to think spring

There's a lot of garden cleanup to do in the fall, and some gardeners find that depressing. But there's a remedy for that: Plant spring bulbs!

There's nothing like seeing the greening of the yard as the bulbs begin to peek out of the cold ground as the weather starts to warm. But to get to that glorious state, you've got to put in the work in the fall.

I plant bulbs every year, in part due to the wildlife factor (squirrels seem to think they know better places for bulbs than I do) and because bulbs are not that long-lived. I treat them as semiannuals, and also, there are always little spots to fill.

I love to pick out bulbs -- there are so many choices! -- but I'll be the one wandering through the garden store muttering to myself, "They won't plant themselves. They WON'T PLANT THEMSELVES." That's because I am notorious for coming home with a HUGE bag of bulbs (last year it was more than 150) and consequently icing my wrists after a massive planting session.

Some tips:

• Pay attention to timing. Make sure to get some early, mid- and late bloomers.
• Prepare your soil. I use bulb boost. When I don't, the plants seem puny. Coincidence? Maybe. Why take a chance?
• Plant in groups. It's a nicer display than single blooms, although those add charm to certain areas. I plant in groups of five, 10 or more.
• Document your results. You can identify bare spots or places that need to be filled in the next fall. Trust me, you will never remember the spot you looked at in May and thought, "Some red tulips would be perfect there!" You have a digital camera, use it.
• Plant deeply. Frost heave is a sad thing to see on a cold January day, and even if you can dig up the ground enough to plop them back in, they probably won't survive.

Bulbs are one of the ways gardeners show their faith: It's a belief that the cold and snow will give way to more gardening joy in the next season. Join the movement!

Category: Planting

You can never have too many tomatoes

The gardeners in my household marked Memorial Day weekend with the annual planting of the veggies. This year it's the San Marzano tomatoes I anticipate most.

I discovered the fruit a few years ago at the farmers market and have sought out seedlings ever since. Meaty, rich and heavy yielders, the plants produce what I consider THE best tomatoes for salsa, sauce and oven-drying.

Find a small corner to put in a few plants. Homegrown tomatoes are the best taste of summer, rivaled only by corn, but a lot easier to grow in the backyard.

In addition to the San Marzanos, our tomato patch includes red, orange and yellow cherry tomatoes (the combo is fantastic in salads and a yummy whole wheat pasta dish I make at every chance), some Brandywine and Jet Setters, an early tomato we adopted from a friend. There might be an Amish paste in there and there's room for some variety my mother-in-law raised. Did I mention you can't have too many tomatoes?

When faced with an overabundance, I freeze tomatoes for soups, chili and sauce. I roast the San Marzanos and freeze them whole for winter salsa, but trust me, frozen salsa gets too watery and will disappoint you in February. (More on keeping the harvest in the fall.)

The keys to growing tomatoes? Lots of water and the occasional shot of Miracle Gro. And hot pepper flakes, prayer and a dose of fear to keep snack-minded squirrels away.

Category: Planting

Root stimulator is key to good start

When advising my clients on planting practices, I strongly suggest using root stimulator. The question I often get is "Does that stuff really work? I thought it was just a gimmick to get you to buy more products." My response is always to share my experience - after all, isn't that what life's about?

One spring after having used root stimulator for a couple of planting seasons, I ran out with only two flats of annual flowers to be planted. I kept forgetting to pick up root stimulator at the store and after a few days, I planted the remaining flowers without it. (The flowers in the flats had been well taken care of in the meantime.)

A few weeks later I noticed the annuals I had planted with the root stimulator were thriving --flowering well and increasing in size by leaps and bounds. The flowers planted without it, however, were struggling and still very small. It took those flowers more than a month to catch up to the others.

If you are unaware of what root stimulator is, here's the long and short of it: Root stimulator is a mixture of vitamins and enzymes that chemically signal a plant's roots to get growing. It comes in either liquid or granular form. In either form, it's important that the product reaches all of the roots of your plant.

Have you had similar experiences with root stimulator? If so, I'd love to hear them. Join the blog and let's compare notes! It's always fun to hear from other gardeners. 8o)

Category: Planting

Hope, anticipation sprout with spring

Every morning and every night, I peek in at my little ones. I approach quietly and, by the illumination of the night light, check up on them anxiously. Do they need water? Can they breathe? Do they look happy and healthy?

So far, my tomatillo seedlings are doing just fine.

Tomatillo plants are the only ones I start from seeds. I got in the habit more than a decade ago, when tomatillo plants could not be found at farmers markets or nurseries. I received my first one as a gift and planted it on a whim. Once I made and tasted tomatillo salsa, I was hooked.

Some years it's been a miracle that they survived. We've planted puny little seedlings that by all rights ought to have been trampled by chipmunks, but they survived and thrived, rewarding us with loads of green fruit in paper husks. Most years, when we plunk them in the dirt, we say a little prayer.

The secret to healthy, hardy seedlings eluded me for years.

I hit on the magic combination after lots of trial and error: Atop the refrigerator didn't do it. A warm spot in the kitchen wasn't bright enough.

The secret? It's not exactly brain surgery: heat (a heated seedling mat) and light (a grow light placed very, very close to the seeds and moved up a half-inch at a time.

Add to those two things some patience -- slowly toughening up the plants by gradually introducing them to sun, wind and the great outdoors.

Last year, my patience was rewarded with 15 plants and a record crop. In fact, we had so many tomatillos that in October we cried uncle and pulled up the plants.

This weekend, I'll make my last bunch of salsa from the stash in the freezer. Next weekend, I'll plant the new guys.

And the cycle continues. How cool is that?