MY SEEDS ARE SPROUTING!
After worrying, worrying, worrying this week-first it is hot, then it is cold, then it was dry, now it is raining-I have seen my seeds that I planted last week start to sprout! I took pictures so I can show off my “babies” to my loyal readers. (Shout out to Susan and Natalie, my Mother-in-Law and best friend from College) Actually, more than two of you read. I am just trying to aggravate Chris! Yes, …
Pre-Treating Your Seeds before Planting
In the world of organic gardening, the question of pre-treating seeds is answered differently than in the world of conventional gardening. If you buy conventional seeds from a garden center or mail order catalogue, certain seeds that are susceptible to damping off or fungal diseases will be treated with a fungicide. Some seeds that are very tiny will come “pelleted,” or encapsulated in an outer coating that …
What is a Seed?
I’ve been beatin’ y’all over the head re: it’s time to plant your seeds. Do you even know what a seed is? You probably remember being in first grade when the teacher gave each student a bean seed, a cup and a paper towel. You put the towel in the inside of the cup, and then put the bean seed between the cup and the towel, and wet the towel. Then you watched the seed …
Companion Planting
Have you seen that book “Carrots Love Tomatoes?” Chris is reading it. I think it is about companion planting. Even if it isn’t, that is what we are talking about today! How growing plants from different plant families can help you, the organic gardener, have an easier time successfully …
Beefing up the Winter Garden
Last week, I thought about how I can make my garden a little more interesting in the winter. The picture in the last post is highly unusual. We do not normally have snow at all-not even a few flakes. That means we have a very long winter without much snow and lots of brown and dormant lawns. If I get organized in time for next winter, I will be planting more of these plants to …
Slight Detour from Compost: Seed Starting
I will be back at the compost inquiry shortly. (Probably tomorrow.) However, today, I am diverting my interest to starting seeds because, well, once I get all of this compost going I need to plant something out in it. I am also enjoying all of the posts and tweets from fellow gardeners about their new …
Organic Gardening New Year’s Resolutions
2009 is almost here, and I’m making my gardening New Year’s Resolutions. In theory, these resolutions should be fun to keep. In practice, I might need a nudge from time to time. Thinking about the previous year of gardening, blogging, copy writing and more, I’ve come up with some things I definitely want to try so that I can I can write about them (and enjoy …
Bye Bye Botrytis
Last week, in preparation for what appears to be a long, warm, winter, I planted four flats of pansies, two flats of snapdragons and some camellias. Now, I have to see if botrytis strikes. I certainly hope it doesn’t, as I prefer to not spray my plants with anything, if possible, even organic fungicides. However, if it does strike, I suppose I will treat it. After …
Orchids for Beginners
The last post was all about interesting attributes and intriguing stories about orchids. Now that your appetite is expanding for orchids, we’ll teach you how to grow them! There are lots of interesting species orchids, but the easiest to grow are some of the new hybrids. Once you get your feet wet with the orchids described below, you can branch out into more intersting varieties. You will have the confidence and the green thumb …
Winter Houseplants: Orchids Part I
The merest mention of the word “Orchid” is enough to send some people running for the exit at the garden center. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way! Tissue culture techniques and hybridizing have made lots of easy-care varieties available. But first, a little bit of the mystery and magic behind orchid fever. . .
The Orchid Thief
Susan Orlean, a writer for the New Yorker, wrote …
