Stroll Through a Winter Garden

The chilliest day we have had all week, and I decide to go out and take photos (and stock) of my gardens. I find I need to fill up my time with such tasks as I eagerly await my new seed starting flats so I can start getting my hands dirty. It also stems from my attendance last night at a lecture by a fellow Master Gardener on Garden Pests & Beneficial Organisms. Will this be the year that I really look for pests in the garden? And keep it up beyond May 1st?

I did not find any little creatures hiding in the garden, but to my surprise and delight, I noticed several early birds (besides the daffodils which I mentioned in my last blog):iris, yarrow, and lilac! I also stumbled across a lovely little moss making its home at the base of a small retaining log in my Hollow Shade Garden. So though I may have been moaning a bit about all the blah of a winter garden, it isn't that long of a time without some green.

Here are a few bits of green for you!


Daffodils & some wild strawberry


White Lilac buds


Moss in the Hollow Shade Garden


Iris peeking out

Happy Gardening!

Spring's sprung already? Where's my Garden Journal?

While standing in the snow flurries this morning, holding the pony, awaiting a visit from the farrier, I happened to notice the first signs of green pushing up! I couldn't believe it. I had to look twice. My one little patch of daffodils has decided to start growing.

Upon closer inspection, I concluded they began sprouting some time last weeek. Surely that is too soon, or so I thought. I decided to scan through my Garden Journal to see if I noticed this in the past year or so. And in mid-January 2008, there it was, a small note about the daffodils sprouting. A note later, confirmed that sprouting early didn't hurt the blooms. They were full and plentiful.

The Garden Journal, one of my favorite "tools." You may be asking yourself, do I really need one? The answer is YES! Well, you should at least consider it if you are serious about your gardening.

Your journal doesn't need to be anything fancy. I myself use a 3-ring binder. I set my journal up with calendar pages for each month and plenty of loose leaf in between. I keep separate sections for tips and ideas; projects lists; plant lists; garden diagrams; budget. Everything that has to do with my gardens goes in.

1. Seeds ordered
   
2. Seeds started and when
   
3. When things sprout
   
4. When seedlings go into the ground
   
5. Garden diagrams
   
6. Garden projects - new beds, transplanting
   
7. Photos - as things sprout, stages of the garden
   
8. Plant list
   

As you can see, I like to document. I take stock in my evergreens - do they look like they got damaged over the winter? How well do they come back, if at all? I cut the photos out of the catalogs of things I purchased and stick them on sheets behind my plant lists. But that is just me - it is the science geek in me coming out. At the end of the season, I can move the pages for the year to the back, and start again in January! I only have to start a new binder when one gets full. Good thing I bought the 3" wide binder!

Get started! Grab a composition book, 3-ring binder, spiral notebook, or a bound journal, pencil or pen and start documenting! You'll be glad you did.

I'm glad I take notes - now I know that I don't need to worry about my little daffodils being early, they typically sprout this time of year.

Composting 101

How can you help your garden and cut down on garbage at the same time? By COMPOSTING! But what is composting, why should you compost, and how do you do it?

Composting is a natural process where organic materials decompose and are recycled into a dark, crumbly, earthy smelling soil conditioner known as “compost.” To gardeners, this is known as "black gold." Composting organic kitchen wastes and yard waste cuts down on what goes into our landfills and we can all benefit from that! It can save you money. Adding compost to your garden improves soil structure, promotes soil fertility, reduces chemical additives (commercial fertilizers) and stimulates healthy roots! All it costs is a bit of time to get started with your compost pile.

Let's get started! The first thing you need to do is to select a site in your yard or garden to put your compost pile or bin. Placement of the bin should be convenient and on level, well-drained ground. You do not want to put your compost bin in a low spot, where it stays wet, nor in the sunniest spot, where it may dry out. Also take into consideration who can see it! Some neighbors may consider your compost bin an eyesore.

The minimum size for a compost pile is 3'x3'x3', but larger than 5’x5’x5’ will inhibit air getting into the middle of the pile. Some people like to have a bin to put their composting materials in. My own bin is made from a piece of old wire fencing and unused fence posts formed into a square, where the front "panel" can be opened for ease in turning the pile. You may chose this method, or you can build a bin out of pressure treated wood and wire mesh, cinder blocks, whatever you have to hand. Some people have multiple bins to move the compost as it breaks down, but for small yards and gardens, multiple bins aren't necessary. Ready-made bins and composting "barrels" are available from many gardening retailers. Whatever method you chose, make sure there is ample ventilation. Air circulation is an important component in the decomposition process. The microorganisms in the compost pile need water, nutrients (such as nitrogen & carbon) and oxygen in order to live.

Once the location is chosen, it is time to get started adding organic matter. Here are a few "Do's and Dont's" of composting.

DO Compost:

• Kitchen scraps - vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds
  
• Garden debris & yard waste - weeds, flowers, leaves, grass clippings
  
• Sawdust (from untreated lumber)
  
• Wood ash

DON'T Compost:

• Meat scraps
  
• Grease
  
• Pet feces
  
• Food with grease or soap residue
  
• Weeds with seeds
  
• Diseased or infested plants

How to care for your compost pile: Caring for your compost pile is where the cost of time comes in. If you aren't in a hurry to get your compost, just start adding materials and turn the pile with a pitchfork once a month. With minimal effort, you should have usable compost in 12-18 months. Can't wait that long? More effort will be needed. Start off with green material (grass clippings, veggie scraps) and mix with some brown material (leaves). Wet the pile until it is damp - like a rung out sponge. Turn the pile twice a week, making sure the moisture level stays consistent, in order to aerate the pile. The microorganisms that are working to break down the matter need oxygen. A byproduct of decomposition is heat! A well maintained compost pile will reach temperatures between 110° and 160°F. If this temperature range is reached, it will help kill any weed seeds that may have gotten into the pile. Special compost thermometers can be purchased, but aren't necessary.

You will know your compost is ready to use when it is dark, brown, crumbly and it should have an earthy odor. It shouldn't smell rotten or be moldy. Any of the original materials that went into the compost pile should no longer be recognizable in finished compost, except for some woody pieces. The compost can be used as soil amendments, mulch, or in potting mixes!

For more in depth information on composting, try some of these links:
How To Compost
From Rutgers University:
Home Composting
For vermicomposting (composting with worms)

Happy Composting!

Cabin Fever

I love the cold of winter. I like seeing the trees dormant. Sure I miss going out and spending time in my garden, getting soil under my nails, and mud all over my boots. I do have my hoop house, but that pretty much takes care of itself.

January is that time of year that every gardener looks forward to, when they are experiencing cabin fever and are frantically thumbing through the nursery and seed catalogs and searching websites for new and exciting specimens; placing orders and planning out their gardens. This year I almost dread it. The catalogs are flooding my mailbox and feeding my cabin fever! How long until the last frost date? When do I need to place my order by? Where will I put all these plants?? What type of weather will we get in the spring? Will my efforts be in vain? Ugh!

I have found myself mentally circling all the things I'd like to purchase this year, though I know I don't really need anything nor can I afford anything new this year. I did go a bit seed-happy last year, buying a packet of this or that each time I went past a display! But this year, I need to stick to my budget, which is next to zero. How will I fill my desire to grow things?

Luckily, I did not plant every seed I purchased last year. I saved half of each packet of vegetable seeds and stored them in a cool dry place. I also saved seeds from my own garden for favorite self-seeding annuals and perennials, along with a strange collection of interesting blooms and cuttings from a few clients - who were more than happy to share with me.

My preparation for the coming spring is planning on what seeds to start, when, and where to transplant the seedlings. I will be adding a third light to my grow stand. When the ground thaws out, I am going to start cutting a new bed for a mix of herbs and veggies.

How to stick to a garden budget? Here are a few tips to get started.

1. Check with fellow gardeners or local garden clubs, see if anyone you know saves seeds and is willing to swap! Check out gardening websites to see if they have seed exchanges.
   
   
2. Need to thin out some of your plants? See if a neighbor is willing to take some in exchange for something of theirs - maybe you have a green thumb for flowers and your neighbor excels with vegetables.
   
   
3. If you live in a rural area, see if the pony owner down the street is willing to let you haul away an older section of their manure pile - many will be glad to be rid of it! And you can get a great deal of free compost! And don't forget to thank them with some of the produce!
   
   
4. If you don't do so already, save seeds or take cuttings from your favorite plants this year. Make sure you do your research first! Many specimens are cultivars and the seed you save may not produce the traits of the parent plant that you so admire. See if cuttings are a good way to replicate the parent plant!

Until I get my seeds started, I will still thumb through my catalogs while sipping hot tea, looking out upon my dormant beds dreaming of what my garden will become and await the first bright green leaves to push their way out of the soil...