THURSDAY JULY 31, 2008


Drought and Potted Plants
It feels like all I do anymore is water my plants. Rain has been sparse in my neck of the woods lately and every day I go home and out on my deck and find that the tomato and petunia plants are dry to the bone. So I water them each day by hand and so far I'm keeping them happy. Its a full time job though because potted plants dry out so much faster than ground plants.

I haven't transplanted my large petunia baskets yet but when I was grooming them last, I have noticed lots of nice green growth coming from the stems that are close to the roots in the pots. It may be that they need an entire hair cut to rejuvinate themselves. I am worried about transplanting them becuase the pots they came in are the biodegradable pots that probably will only have 1 season to them. If my pots fall apart I'll have nothing to put them in.

My husbands pumpkin project is going great! The pumpkin plant now has blossoms all over it and hubby is leaving them all, not picking out one pumpkin to grow and seeing what happens and the vine is over 9 foot long. Can't wait to see a pumpkin forming!

WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 2008


Note to self...next years plans
As this planting season gets into overdrive, I take time to ponder other people's yards and make mental notes to myself on what I want to do next year. The first thing I've noticed is all the beautiful sunflower plants. Now I have a few sunflowers in my garden. They were grown from seed using little .99 sunflower kits I found over the winter. Seemed fun enough and didn't take much time or energy. Actually my husband's great pumpkin project came from the .99 cent mini garden kit. Now that I see homes with half a yard of shoulder high sunflowers, I have made the mental note that next year, I MUST buy seed packets and start alot of sunflowers outside. The little .99 cent kits are nice and fun but boy, I love the show those sunflowers are giving en masse right now. Later in the season, in late May, I did buy some seed packets of sunflowers and spread them out in the yard. I don't think however that this was done early enough. Next year, I will do this in early may or late april, and with MORE seeds.

My other note to self is that I want to grow cantelope next year. I need to spend some time to locate a spot for this treat.

As to successes I do have those. I am so happy with my tomatoes on my deck. The plants are huge and there are tomatoes developing all over the vines. I think I planted them in my large pots using Miracle Grow Soil. That was great. Since I've read that you can avoid diseases by not using the same soil year after year, I plan to dump the old soil out and buy new soil next year for the new group of tomatoes. If only I had more room on my deck, I'd plant more tomatoes!
FRIDAY JULY 25, 2008


Pondering Petunias and Towering Tomatoes
We're in the thick of summer and things are growing tall, from the corn fields that I think my car could disappear in, to the tomatos on my deck which are now as tall as my husband. I've had several cherry tomatoes already and our 'great' pumpkin, Humperdink is over 8 feet long and has blossoms all over the vine. Plants have loved this summer.

I've got a few thoughts on my petunias from my observences. I have several pots filled with petunias on my deck. I have hanging baskets full of petunias that I bought full and lush from my favorite local greenhouse in May, and I have petunias in pots that I planted from sixpacks purchased in May and I also have my hanging fountain that I packed with six pack size petunias.

From my observences, I am getting the worst show now from what were my showiest early in the spring, the baskets of blooming petunias are now growing leggier and blooming less and their blooms are much smaller now. I've fertilized them once this year and try to keep the soil moist... I am wondering if it isn't that they are getting root bound in their lovely pots. They were crammed in there so tight in the spring and the plants were so big, they could have been growing all winter to get to that fully grown full bloom by May. I haven't quite decided what I want to do about it. Should I try to divide them? I've certainly tried trimming them but my results are mixed. The plants that I planted this spring are really lovely and full and the blossoms are huge. Not a disappointment at all but I am sort of wondering if I possibly am paying now in a lack of a show for the full grown show that I had this spring.

Note to self: Next year plant your petunia baskets from six pack flowers in the spring.

Went to Garden Guides and found an interesting thread on this exact topic. While I had been giving hair cuts to my petunias on a regular basis and that certainly has worked on most of my plants, the pre-planted hanging baskets from the greenhouse are now root bound and I'll have to see what I can do about it tonight. Time to DIVIDE and conquer. I won't let my petunias stop their show in July. There is still plenty of summer left to bloom.

"That is the problem; they are rootbound. The roots are taking up far too much room in the pot and there's no room for the soil to hold the moisture you're trying to give it.

Take the plant w/rootmass out of the pot. Divide the plant, by cutting through the rootmass, into three or four pieces. With each section make a crosscut in the shape of an + about 3/4ths of the way through the root mass. This will give you four sections of roots for each piece. With your hands, spread the four sections of roots apart.

Transplant the four pieces into four separate containers with plenty of room for the roots to flourish. Look for containers at yard/garage sales where they're cheap. Be imaginative in what you use for growing "pots", but be sure they have drainage holes in their bottoms. "

SUNDAY JULY 20, 2008


Drying Herbs
This afternoon I gave all of the herbs I have growing in pots on my deck a hair cut. They were growing huge and leggy and beginning to blossom. I've heard like most plants that once the blossoms come and go the plant begins to shut down for the season and I don't want that to happen to my herbs. Maybe i can even make 2 harvests out of them.

I dried them two ways, the method mentioned below where the herbs are groomed and then bundled in groups of four branches, tied up and placed in brown paper bags which I have punched numerous holes in and hung up for at least two weeks. I tried this method on all types of herbs: dill, sage, lemon thyme, marjoram and oregano.

The basil, however i tried a different method on. I took the leaves and laid them all out flat on a cookie sheet, heated my oven to 180 degrees and put them in the oven. I watched them and turned the leaves over until they were quite dried out. It was about one or two hours max. I have read on the internet that you are to leave them in for 4 hours but that seemed excessive when I saw how dry the leaves were. They are in my spice jar now ready for use! The others being hung and dried using the paper bag method will be checked in two weeks.
SUNDAY JULY 13, 2008


Transplanting Tomatos & Stunning can sometimes grow wild
Years come and years go, and each year is different. I think this year is a year for tomatos. On my back deck, I've a virtual forest of plants. At least that is what they have become. Two tomatoes per pot, I have 6 pots of tomatos. Two of the pots were very small pots, only about 5 inches diameter, and today I finally decided to give its two foot inhabitants new homes in large 16" diameter pots.

Regular maintenance is the same as always, trim the petunias, the geraniums and the lobelia. Basically I just take my snips on the lobelias and give it a hair cut. It rewards me by growing back full and continuing to bloom. The geraniums and petunias are trimmed a bit more selectively. I cut off any faded flowers and if my petunias start getting too long, I cut about 1/3 off the stem.

Took some snaps today... In my cottage style border, I've let some weeds grow. The queen anne's lace posed for some shots that make this accident in the garden, basically a weed in many yards, a sight to behold. Its tapestry of intricate blooms with a macro close-up make one of the most lovely nature shots I've seen in quite some time. It just missed the fireworks display of the 4th of July by a few days but it is just as outstanding.

queen annes lace
THURSDAY JULY 10, 2008


Green Bucks
July 10th is a date I look forward to from the beginning of each growing season. I look forward to it with anticipation, but the time is also one that racks the brain. Each planting season my local nursery gives out coupons at the rate of 1 per $10 spent called Green Bucks. The next few days are the day to redeem them. I can get up to 50% off. I must spend at least double what amount of green bucks I have. Oh and I have quite a few greenbucks!

But my predicament is what to buy. I've already bought all my annuals and done all my planting for the year. My tomatoes are almost three feet tall and have little tomatos on them maturing so plants are not needed. In the past I've bought plants, in gorgeous clay pots - the blue ones that you see loaded with petunias, geraniums and lobelias this year. Through the planting season those gorgeous pots are my inspiration when I go visit the greenhouse, but they are pricey. I've also bought a lovely rose arbor which didn't quite work out at the top of the hill and now sits in a very nice wooded are a of our house called the fortress of solitude by my husband. That gazebo and a picnic table are a fun place to visit before the mosquitos take hold for the season.

Last year we bought several butterfly bushes which didn't live over the winter. The spot where they were planted had bad drainage and needs to be built up with dirt and a retaining wall before I grow much more there. This year my husband has his pumpkin plants in there: two of them which are growing by leaps and bounds in the sunny location.

My desire this year is for a new outdoor table for the deck. But they are pricey and I know I won't have enough green bucks to lessen the sting of that. When I looked at the furniture they had they were giving a rebate of $200.00 worth of gas if you bought a set. If that was still going and I could still use the green bucks, then maybe I'd think about it. I'm guessing that sale will be over during the green buck days.

I suppose there are the normal things any gardener would like: pruners, a new hand shovel and other assorted tools. I don't think you can ever have too many of those. I saw a lovely rain barell on another blog this year. A rain barrel may be a nice addition to the garden.

Ah to dream!!
WEDNESDAY JULY 9, 2008


One Leggy Petunia, staking tomatoes and Peppermint is growing up
Overall, I've been pleased with my petunia pinching results, however, I have one hangling basket that is starting to look leggy.
I am thinking that pinching my plant in this instance is not enough. I have also fertilized the plant recently (July 3rd) and I'm hoping things will perk up. My other petunias are looking lovely as always.

The other night we had a storm and this morning when i went out to check on the tomatoes I found that one of them had fallen over. I hadn't staked them yet so I went and staked three of the plants. I'm very pleased with my tomato showing this year. The tomato that I had to prune a large portion from back on June 24th is growing and is still healthy. I staked it as well today.

Pepper(mint), the little gray squirrel is growing by leaps and bounds. This little baby is starting to eat peanuts & grapes, and his little tail is flipped up now so when he is sitting there, he looks like a big squirrel.
SUNDAY JULY 6, 2008


Happy Independence Day, tomato pruning, victory over mosquitoes and learning to dry my herbs
It's been a lovely holiday weekend. Wednesday, I fertilized all the tomato plants, and I have little tomatoes showing up on three of the ten plants. I'm excited that this year I'm going to have some good luck. On the cherry tomato plant, Sweet 100, I've left all the little tomatoes to ripen, however on my beefmaster plants, I've only left two on a cluster. I want them to get to be large fruit, and not alot of small fruits.

This holiday weekend, I have finally had a victory over the mosquitoes. Unfortuneately, its not the full fledged success I want as a gardener, but it does allow me to sit on my deck and enjoy the garden over a dinner or drinks with friends. A birthday present from my husband, my victory has come in the shape of a screened in sitting tent. Wonderful!!
tent

The herbs I'm growing in pots on my deck, dill, marjoram, thyme, oregano, cilantro and parsley are looking so full and I keep thinking that I need to cook something and use them up. Since I don't think I will cook enough dinners to make a dent in the herbs, I've decided to learn how to dry my herbs. Air drying herbs is not only the easiest and least expensive way to dry fresh herbs, but this slow drying process also doesn't deplete the herbs of their oils. This process works best with herbs that don't have a high moisture content, like Bay, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Summer Savory and Thyme. Moisture dense herbs, like Basil, Chives, Mint, Tarragon preserve better in a dehydrator, or try freezing them. Harvesting Harvest before flowering. If you've been harvesting all season, your plants probably haven't had a chance to flower. But non-hardy herbs will start to decline as the weather cools, so late summer is a good time to begin drying your herbs.
Cut in mid-morning. Let the morning dew dry from the leaves, but pick before the plants are wilting in the afternoon sun.
How To Dry Herbs
Cut healthy branches from your herb plants.
Remove any dry or diseased leaves
Shake gently to remove and insects.
If necessary, rinse with cool water and pat well dry with paper towels. Wet herbs will mold and rot.
Remove the lower leaves along thebottom inch or so of the branch.
Bundle 4 - 6 branches together and tie as a bunch. You can use string or a rubber band. The bundles will shrink as they dry and the rubber band will loosen, so check periodically they the bundle is not slipping. Make small bundles if you are trying to dry herbs with high water content.
Punch or cut several holes in a paper bag. Label the bag with the name of the herb you are drying.
Place the herb bundle upside down into the bag.
Gather the ends of the bag around the bundle and tie closed. Make sure the herbs are not crowded inside the bag.
Hand the bag upside down in a warm, airy room.
Check in about two weeks to see how things are progressing. Keep checking weekly until your herbs are dry and ready to store.