Tis the Season (to plan your Veg garden) January 11, 2010

I was walking out of a large home improvement store yesterday and what to my wondering eyes did appear but no, not a tiny sleigh and 8 miniature reindeer but a seed starting kit going home with someone!  Yes, it’s that season again… If you are an experienced seed starter you received all your stash of seed catalogs before the Holidays, and started making your list and checking it twice.  The orders were placed and you are getting those prized rare heirloom tomato and radish seeds you coveted.  But do not despair those of you that are new to the scene, thanks to the new resurgence of veggie growing, there are more seeds available of more varieties than ever before.  So jump on the bandwagon kids and have some fun!

But how do I know what to do, or where do I start you ask?  The first step is deciding what type of veggie garden you want.  Are you building a raised bed, or growing in containers?  Turning over a corner of your yard or getting a plot in a community garden.  How big do you want it to be, which correlates directly with how much work you want to do throughout the growing season. Be realistic with answering these questions.  Shooting for the moon on your first try doesn’t give you the best odds for success.

Work those questions out first, and then the next step is to decide what type of vegetables you will use, and actually want to grow and eat.  If this is your first season growing veggies, start small.  I want you to be successful, and trying to grow 100 different types of vegetables that your family will never eat is not going to help any.  People have been growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zucchini for a long time, because they are easy to grow and most people like them.  There is nothing wrong with starting there.  Those 4 vegetables are all warm season crops, so if you want to maximize your growing space, choose some things that can grow in the cold season.  Examples are

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Radishes
• Onions
• Carrots
• Sugar Snap Peas

Those are a few examples of good, easy crops to start by seed that can tolerate and thrive in the colder weather of both spring and fall.  Some cold loving crops can be sown directly in place, but others benefit in being started indoors.  So now hopefully you have a framework of what you want to grow, and where you want to grow it.

Now back to those highly addictive seed starting catalogs.  There are so many sources for seeds currently that it can be hard to choose.  Traditional seed companies like Burpee and Renee’s Seeds are a fine place to start, and have some a wide range of basic vegetable varieties.  You can also look at heirloom seed companies and coops like Seed Savers Exchange ( www.seedsavers.org ) Heirloom Seeds ( www.heirloomseeds.com ) or Territorial Seed Company ( www.territorialseed.com ). Go to their websites and download or request their catalog.  When they come, have your list of veggies you want to grow handy and go through and mark up the varieties you want.  Different varieties are better for different climates.  The best way that seed companies denote that is by the time to fruit listed on the package.  Shorter time to fruit is better for a cooler climate, or cooler season.

Another option rather than buying out of a catalog is to go to your local garden center.  They will have a great selection of local varieties, and more importantly educated employees who can tell you which varieties do best in your area.   Buy all the seeds that you need and while you are there, don’t forget to pick up a few other seed starting supplies you need.  Here are the basics.

• Peat pots (preferably 6 packs, with small size pots)
• A plastic tray with a cover (or two, depending on how many seeds you are starting)
• Seed starting soil mix (a light high peat mix that is fluffy to hold air in the soil.  Do not use soil from your yard!)
• A seed starting (hopefully organic) fertilizer.  Low amounts of nutrition are needed, and organics are the best because of the micro-nutrients.

You can buy a seed starting kit that will have most of these things included.  They may have different styles of pots, but all of them work.  Small size pots are easier to grow in because the soil warms up faster, and promotes healthier and faster growth.

In order to figure out when to start sowing your seeds, you need to take a look at a calendar and work backwards.  Figure out what the last expected frost date is for your area and count back generally 6 weeks.  If you are starting cool season crops you can take 4 weeks off your last frost date and then count back another 3-6 weeks from there to figure out when to sow.  Starting seeds earlier than recommended does not help you at all.  Generally you do not want your starts to be too big when you put them out into the garden, because they cannot stand the transplant shock as they mature.  When they are younger, they are a bit more resilient.  Pay attention because some seeds recommend you just sow them directly in your garden.  If they recommend that, follow it because those vegetables usually do not transplant well at all, or grow so quickly that starting them early does not help.  I like to take an freebie calendar and mark it up so I can keep all my dates organized.  I mark when each variety needs to be started, because chances are you will have a few separate dates to work with.  I also will mark when I have fertilized, watered, or transplanted any seedlings.   That sort of information becomes golden to me the next year, so I can know what worked and did not.

In my next post I will move from planning to planting your vegetable garden.  You are halfway there!

A Gingerbread Masterpiece December 11, 2009

Side view of my homey gingerbread cottage

Ok so I love baking, which means this time of year I am both especially busy, and happy.  There was supposed to be a blizzard on one of my days free, so I decided what better way to spend a snow day than making a gingerbread house.  I had not made one in years.  The last one I made was actually a guillotine, as an extra credit project for a European History class about a decade ago.  It was complete with a blade that “sliced” the heads off of little french gingerbread men.  It was awesome.  But it was time for something more traditional.  From that desire came my gingerbread masterpiece.  I will detail all of the recipes I used for the various pieces, and hopefully you have as much fun and luck with it as I did.

Gingerbread dough

Source: Martha Stewart Holiday, 2009

• 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 1/2 cups flour

1. Combine the brown sugar, molasses, butter, spices, and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in milk.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl.  Add baking powder and flour.  Start on low-speed and increase to medium, beating until well combined.

3. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  The dough can be frozen up to 1 month.  Thaw in the fridge before use.

4. Bake pieces in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes, depending on thickness and size of the pieces.  I baked mine until my finger no longer left an imprint on the pieces.

(I needed the dough the same day, so I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours until it was firm.  I let it sit out on the counter for about 10-20 minutes until it was a perfect rolling texture.)

Caramel Syrup (for the “glue”)

Source: Martha Stewart Holiday, 2009

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and light brown.  Do not stir with a spoon.  Just swirl the pan around to dissolve the sugar.  Use immediately.

(Start using the syrup just as it turns the faintest brown color.  It firms quickly so keep a burner on as low as possible to put the pan back over, and re-liquify the caramel.)

Royal Icing

Source: Simplyrecipes.com

• 2 large egg whites
• 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, divided

Whisk together the egg whites and 1 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar until smooth.

If you are going to eat your frosting, either use pasteurized dried egg white powder, or microwave the egg white powdered sugar mix for 30-40 seconds until the temp reaches 160-175.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the remaining powdered sugar and whip until fluffy and it holds stiff peaks.  If it does not stiffen up, add more powdered sugar.

Transfer your icing to a covered bowl, or cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out until you are ready to use for mortar, or decoration.  Add colors at will.

How to put it all together

As I was waiting for my gingerbread to stiffen, I started drawing out my templates on several pieces of paper.  Once they were to my liking, I cut them out and labeled them.  My house was generally about 11 inches long and 6 inches deep.  I made sure that all of my pieces would fit on my cookie sheets before rolling out the dough.

Flour your countertop well, and start rolling out your dough.  Mine ended up being about 1/4 thick for the most part.  I cut out my templates and threw ones that did not need embellishments, like windows straight into the oven.  If I was cutting or texturing any of the pieces, I put them back in the fridge to harden yet again.  I held on to any of the extra dough in the fridge after I was done cutting, just in case of a disaster (I ended up using it, but in a good way, not because anything broke.  More on that in a bit.)

Cut out your windows, or add texture like panes on doors, or shingles on the roof.  Take a few minutes to think it all through before it goes in the oven.  Then bake away.  Let the pieces all fully cool on a wire rack before assembling.

I wanted to make window panes for my house.  They are best put on the pieces before

Using excess gingerbread dough to form molds for my window panes.

assembling your house.  Use the above recipe for caramel syrup, or grind up jolly ranchers for fun colors.  I used my left over gingerbread dough to create molds for all my windows.  I put it into the freezer until I was ready to pour in the caramel syrup.  It solidified instantly, but I still put aside to let it fully harden.  I used royal icing to attach the windows to the walls.

Now I was ready to assemble.  Do not make your caramel syrup until you are all ready to go, and everything is chilled.  The syrup takes about 20 minutes to make.  The minute you start seeing the color change, you can start using it.  I dipped the edge of one of my front pieces into the syrup and quickly attached it to one side piece.  I was amazed by how quickly the caramel held.  It was better than super glue!  You really don’t have a lot of time to work with it though, so have everything all laid out and ready to go.  It is also quite helpful to have another set of hands nearby to hold pieces.  I used a spatula to sort of drip caramel onto pieces that I could not dip into the pan.  If the caramel hardens on you, put it back on the stove to reheat.  The caramel will get darker the longer you reheat it, until it becomes candy, and you will not be able to work with it then.  I had to make 2 batches to fully attach all my pieces.  (I did window boxes, a porch, chimney, shutters, trees and other add ons, so I had a lot more attaching to do.)

Now the fun begins.  You are ready to decorate.  Have the candy ready and put your royal icing into a piping bag, with your choice of tips.  Freezer bags also work well, with a small bit of the corner cut off to pipe through.  I started with white, and planned on coloring icing later, but never needed to.  I piped a bead edge along all of my major pieces, and along the roof line to make it look cute.

Before the icing goes on

Snow and icicles are made by piping a large piles, and then pulling the tip away slowly to create the drape you want.  I sprinkled my snow with normal sugar as it was drying to make it sparkle.

The roof- I ended up using Fig Newtons that were cut in half, sliced on a bias to make it look like tiles.  Other options were nonpareil chocolate candies, snodrops, gingerbread cookies, and pieces of gum cut to look like shingles.

marshmallow snowman- I used a toothpick inserted into three marshmallows to give him some support.  I used a sliced up orange “Dot” candy to make the carrot nose.  Real twigs for his arms.

Xmas lights- I found Nerd Ropes, in red, white and green.  I hooked it to my roof with a bit of floral wire.

A tight shot of some of my gingerbread house decor

Door Wreath & Windowboxes- I cut up more green Dots to make the wreath and stuck a red Dot in the center.  They are so sticky they did not need any icing to stay together.  The window boxes were whole green Dots sliced with pieces of red stuck inside.  I added drips of icing to look like snow draping them.

The Porch- I used candy canes as the posts, and Twizzlers as the banister.

Snow draped trees- I cut 2 sets of somewhat matching Xmas tree shapes out of gingerbread, and then cut those two in half immediately after pulling them from the oven.  Then I made them 3 dimensional by glueing them back together with the caramel on right angles.  I then draped the edges with royal icing and put small bits of Dots to create the look of Xmas lights.

The Chimney- I was toying with lots of options for the chimney, but just went with traditional red hots for the bricks, held in place with excessive icing.

My homey Gingerbread Cottage

Daffodils in the snow December 2, 2009

Ok so yeah, I cannot feel my fingers right now.  Well, at least I could not about 20 minutes ago when I finally finished digging my way to China all for the name of beauty.  What was I doing out in the cold and the wind?  I was planting my bulbs of course.  I am a bit late this year, but it has been such a warm year so far that I did not want to chance putting them in the ground too early when the soil was too warm.  Now I am paying for that hesitance in losing the tips of at least 4 fingers…well maybe only 1.

Bulbs here in the Midwest can be tricky.  The winters are tough on them, and the deer and squirrels are even worse.  Then once you see the promise of that perfect red tulip bloom just cracking some color and you have a sneak snow storm, and the bloom just falls apart.  It’s enough to break your heart, or stop planting bulbs altogether.    Well not me.  Stupidity, or just plain stubbornness aside, I am still outside during the first winter storm of the season planting my hope for spring.  Over the years I have gotten smarter about what I plant, and where though.  That is my concession.  Honestly I keep the tulips to a minimum because they are just deer fodder here.  My other solution is to plant tulip bulbs that are just starting to leaf out in the spring.  I only plant them in spots where I know I have the best soil that can easily be dug through when everything else is frozen.

But back to fall.  So if I am not planting tulips, then what am I planting?   I plant hordes of daffodils, crocus, snowdrops, bluebells, alliums and of course my favorite hyacinths.  These are all bulbs that take very little effort from me to thrive and survive each year.  Tulips can get fussy around these parts.  I like natural patches of these spring beauties so I try and make sure to give them plenty of space to spread wherever I start a small patch of them.  And when I do start a patch, I do not just plant 1 bulb, I plant 11.  Odd numbers are planted, to create the impression or framework of a drift already.  I am trying to mimic nature in this instance.  I am also trying to work around what perennials will be blooming, or at least starting to grow when those bulbs are doing their thing.   I plant apricot colored tulips (some of the few I do plant) close to my purple leaved Heucheras for stellar color contrast.  I plant drifts of daffodils and alliums near my ornamental grasses because they will be chopped back and bare looking.  This way the bulbs will take their place until then grasses fill in again.  I plant a few tall drumstick alliums near my peonies and behind some of my roses so that lovely, tall awkward shape creates a dramatic backdrop for my budding perennials.  Think of your bulbs like they are being planted under high power lines.  Pay attention to what is above them at that time of year when they are blooming.  Don’t forget either that if you want bulbs to come back the next year, the leaves have to die naturally.  It can be a long drawn out process.  Early blooming perennials like Dianthus, primroses, violets and pasque flowers are all ones I steer clear of planting bulbs near.  I do not want to take away from their beauty.  Nor do I want dying foliage after the bulbs bloom to mar the vista.

So back to my frozen fingers… I confess that I have bought every single bulb planting tool known to man and gardener.  Japanese ones, English ones, motorized ones.  The list is endless.  Honestly I still go back to using my thin but deep hand trowel each year.  Usually it is called a transplanting trowel.  It is capable of digging deep enough to settle most bulbs into their new homes, and I can just open up a pocket of space, shove the bulb in without moving the trowel and then close it all down tight after adding some bone and blood meal to the hole for some extra pep.  My general rule of thumb is to plant the bulb 3 times as deep as it is long.  Tulips and daffodils are planted around 6-8 inches deep.  Snowdrops, crocus, and bluebells are tiny little things.  It is almost easier to just scrape back a patch of soil down about 3-4 inches, and scatter your smaller bulbs around, rather than trying to dig individual holes.  Set all your bulbs in place, sprinkle some bone meal and blood meal over your newest additions and then cover with soil.  In the spring you will have a riot of color there.  This strip mining planting technique works well if you want to plant a whole drift of larger bulbs as well.  You just have to remove the soil down to a deeper level.  I try to make sure that I pat the soil back into place very firmly or else those bulbs will just an awfully tasty snack for some innocent chipmunk.

There is no deterrent when planting bulbs that is 100% effective.  People swear by everything from cayenne pepper in the hole with their bulbs to planting under chicken wire.  If all my woodland visitors want my bulbs that badly, my theory is let them have them, because there are a lot more of them than me, and I will just focus on plants other than bulbs.  It’s not worth the fight.  Other options are to put them in containers, and move those containers into a prominent location once they are starting to push up their blooms.  I have found this to be a super easy way around it.  I plant the containers, and put them out near the shed, and cover the top with some heavy, but fine gauge chicken wire.  That gets weighted down with bricks, or other unused pots over the winter.  Early in spring, I head out and un-pile the containers, and watch for signs of life.  The containers don’t have to be deep, or fancy. I use old nursery pots.   Once they start blooming, no one cares what the container looks like (at least in this instance with bulbs being the shiny objects they are).  Once they are done blooming I toss them back behind the shed to slowly die back.  Or I throw out the bulbs if I want to not have the hassle for next year.  That way I can change my color scheme each year.

Bulbs can be fun, and a low-cost, long-term investment that puts a smile on your face each year.  Who does not see the daffodil of the season open up and have a smile on their face?  They are impossible to resist, and easy with the right bit of planning.

Double Christmas November 30, 2009

Last year I skipped Christmas.  I was busy playing in the southern hemisphere, spending 6 months studying plants in New Zealand.  They celebrate Christmas, but not in any major way.  This all translates to me getting doubly excited about Christmas this year.  I am not one for all the material bits that go along with it.  What excites me are the traditions, the time with family, the decor, and of course the food.  That being said, here is the first of several posts about how I love to decorate for the season.

Once Thanksgiving has past, and the cold sets in, I immediately start thinking about my outdoor decorations.  This year our November has been incredibly mild, and I have wanted to be outside (not normally the case in Chicago in November).  I wanted to try something different this year, so I decided to create a winter hanging basket.  I have seen them in a few places, but I wanted to give it a try.

Step 1.

The container.  Essentially what I wanted to create is a poof of Christmas greens, with no visible container.  I choose a fiber hanging pot.  I prepped it by filling it with Oasis, or just normal bricks of non-water holding foam.  I then wired those in across the top just to give it a bit more support. Right before you start adding the greens pour water over the Oasis if using, to hydrate it.

Step 2.

Greens.  There are two options here.  The first is to go to your local garden center, or florist and purchase an assortment of Xmas greenery.  They will be prepared and ready to use right away.  If you are a bit more do-it-yourself then go shopping in your neighborhood.  If you are lucky to have nice neighbors like I do who don’t mind a discreet prune of their evergreens, then go for it.  Look for different textures and shades of green.  If you are especially lucky you will have some deciduous shrubs or trees that have bright berries on them.  Don’t forget the classic red twig dogwood branches that should be brightly colored by now.  Grab a few armfuls of an assortment of greens and get ready to prep them.  Those commercial greens have been treated with a spray to keep them from sweating out all their moisture over the season.  You need to do something like that.  My favorite is Wilt-pruf.  It is a food grade wax that just seals in the moisture.  Spray it all over your greens and let them dry before using.

Step 3.

Get your shiny bits ready people.  Decide on a color theme before starting to assemble your hanging basket.  Do you want bright green and red, like I chose this year, or go natural.  Blue and silver is always classic.  Whatever it is, get it ready.  Check around for large oversize ornaments or balls.  Pinecones work great as well, with or without some sparkle on them.  You can put them together in clusters to make a bigger impact as well.  Choose your ribbon and have it close.  You also need some floral wire handy as well to hold all of your bits together.

Step 4.

Assemble.  Like in a kitchen, designing goes faster when you have everything laid out close at hand so its easy to grab on the fly.  I put my hanging basket up on a turned over container so I could easily design it without squashing the bottom.  I used some fluffy juniper and arborvitae to cover the green foam first, before worrying about anything else.  There is nothing worse than being able to see the guts of your design when it is finished.

Then start at the bottom of your container and stick the greens in.  With my fiber pot, I used my pruning shears to create a hole to shove the greens through.  If you are using a wire pot, it will be a bit easier for you to just insert your greens straight in.  I worked around in rows, trying to group some of the greens together to make a large patch of Blue spruce, or berried juniper.  But I also did not want to have too many of the same texture together.  Alternate colors as well, and check that you have some fun with the widths and droop.  Remember it is three-dimensional.  Don’t make it like Aunt Marge’s helmet head hairdo that is all smooth and perfect round.  Shake it up a bit, and make some things stick out more than others.

Work your way up to the top, working around your container.  Once you get to the top, work the outer edge to hide the transition.  Use greens that have some droop or bushy-ness to them to cover that edge.  Then head to the center to define your highest points.  Work in odd numbers, using 3 or 5 high points.  Remember to give your hanger room.  Stay about 4-6 inches away from the hanger at the least.  Then fill in between your highest points and keep the drama and movement going.

At the end insert any colored twigs or berry sticks into your basket.  Once all the greenery is in place, I start placing my decor items.  This year I used clusters of shiny red shatterproof ornaments tied together in threes using floral wire.  I used the wire to shove into the foam and secure them.  My final bit that I add to it is a bow and some ribbon.  I hang trailers of ribbon from the drainage hole using a paper clip.  It adds a lot of movement and leads the eye down to the rest of my decorations elsewhere around the landscape.  More about those later.

Step 5.

To finish, just hang your container in place, and step back to check that it is visually balanced.  Give it a snip here and there if needed with some pruning shears.  To keep it looking it’s best, go out with a spray bottle every few days and lightly mist it, even if it is freezing out.  This will keep the moisture up on your greens, and keep them looking good from Turkey Day to New Years Day.

In the Kitchen: Mrs. Fields Cookies November 17, 2009

It’s a rainy, cold, dreary day here in the heart of the Midwest, and I have been busy trying to play catch up.  Well, it looks like I have caught up and found myself wanting to bake.  Normally on this type of day, my go to recipe is chocolate chip cookies.  But today, there was a memory rattling around in my brain.  It was these cookies that I used to make when I was in grade school that were rich and chewy and chocolatey.  A minimum amount of effort found me my cherished recipe, written in my round school girl script. Ahh, Mrs. Field’s cookies.  Or as my Aunt who introduced them to me Million Dollar Cookies, because that is how much all the ingredients would cost to make them.  Not really, but they are rich, and incredibly delicious.  Here is the recipe, straight from my grade school self.

• 1 cup Butter (2 sticks) softened
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 cups Flour
• 2.5 cups Oatmeal, pulsed in food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 bag Chocolate Chips
• 1 8 oz plain Chocolate Bar
• 1.5 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed.

Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.  Grate the chocolate bar over the bowl using a microplane grater.  Add the chocolate chips and nuts if you are using them and gently stir until just barely mixed.

Scoop out ping-pong sized balls of the dough and roughly shape into a ball.  Place on an unlined, ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 6-8 minutes.  Remove the cookies when they look slightly underdone.

Grab one while it is still warm with a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

A Fruitful Winter Vegetable Garden November 12, 2009

Here it is almost Thanksgiving, and I am still harvesting vegetables out of my garden in Chicago.  See, it is possible!  And you know what, it’s not difficult either.  It just takes some planning.  Really, honestly spring and winter gardening are pretty easy after all, because you don’t have to worry about watering nearly as much.  The only big trick about planning and planting a winter vegetable garden is timing. 

 But first before we get to planting, let’s start with planning.  Start in the heat of summer, planning what you want to be eating for Thanksgiving.  Seems odd, but it will cool you down with thoughts of November.  Now what to grow?  Tomatoes are not something for a winter garden, unless you live somewhere like Phoenix, or Miami.  The best way to plan your winter veg garden is to think of Thanksgiving dinner.  Think of all the vegetables that are traditional sides.  Chances are they made it onto that famous dinner table because they were recently harvested.  Ok so the corn and green beans might not fall into that category, but Brussel sprouts, kale, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are all good examples of what you can plant late.  Lettuce, spinach, radishes, chives are also some great easy ones to grow to extend your harvest season.  Seeds are a bit more difficult to find later in the season, so check your local garden center, or order online.  When I plan my winter garden I definitely cut back the space I use, and plant things tighter.  It makes it easier to care for your veg and cover them if it comes to that.  Map out the space you want to use, and try and maximize the space, both above and below that you use.  For example plant a root crop like carrots under something like broccoli, or Brussel sprouts.  You can plant the carrots just about right under the broccoli and both will be perfectly content with the relationship.  Then I sow lettuce or spinach seeds in any available space in between.  So once you have your general plan developed on spacing, it’s time to look at the calendar.  You need to figure out when the average first freeze date is for your area.  Google it, by zone, or call up your local County extension office and they will have specifics for you.  Now work backwards.  Depending on what you want to plant you need to figure out when to plant it.  Each seed packet will tell you the days to harvest for that crop.  Shorter harvest time crops can be planted later into August or even September.  When they have a larger amount of days listed they need to be planted earlier in August.  Here is a general rule of thumb list.

• 90 day crops: Brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots
• 60 day crops: Early harvest carrots, early harvest cabbages, swiss chard, collard greens, turnips
• 30 day crops: Lettuce, spinach, chives, broccoli,

Now for seed starting.  You can start seeds in the little trays before hand, and get a jump-start on things.  Or you can chance it and start seeds directly where you want to grow them.  I usually try and start them ahead of time for everything but the lettuces, carrots and radishes.  Those that I start ahead are bigger plants and I want to be able to control where I plant them.  The lettuces and such are just scattered all over and fill in the cracks.  Most of the seed starting I do outside, on my deck or patio, in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.  Newly hatched seeds are delicate, and cannot take too much heat, and too much sun.  They also dry out quickly if you don’t keep a watchful eye on them, and that will kill your poor delicate seeds quicker than anything.  At least doing this in the middle of summer makes the seeds germinate very quickly. 

So you have baby plants, but now what to do?  Take a look at your plan and at your summer vegetable garden and figure out where the early transplants are going to fit in.  Use the frost date and work backwards to figure out when you need to plant each crop.  You do not want to transplant those baby plants until they have at least 2 or 3 sets of leaves, if not bigger.  Put those early plants in the ground and get them settled.  Give them a drink of a compost tea, or some sort of organic fertilizer.  Make sure that they are getting some sun exposure and not being totally shaded by other, mature vegetables you might have in your garden already.  Over the next few weeks after planting your first round for winter, put in the next varieties based upon the harvest times.  Things like lettuce, and spinach can be seeded multiple times so that they harvest at different times.  Don’t tempt fate and start too early with the leaf crops though because they go to seed, and taste terrible if grown in too hot of weather.  As you pull out finished summer crops, fill the space with more of your desired winter varieties until you are full up again.  It always helps to mix some more compost into your garden as you plant to add some nutrients and help out your soil. 

Most of the hard work is done and you get to sort of sit back and watch your vegetables grow.  Water regularly as needed, when Mother Nature does not do it for you.  You do not want to fertilize too heavily because early and late season crops tend not to draw as many nutrients as tomatoes or peppers do.  A dose of a liquid organic fertilizer every two weeks or so will be good.  As it gets cooler out, you can decrease the amount of fertilizer.  

Speaking of cold, if you get a freak cold night, throw sheets or plastic tarps over your plants.  If you get a freak cool or cold day, use those tarps and leave them in place.  They will trap the heat and let some sunlight in to keep your plants from stretching.  Brussel sprouts and radishes benefit from colder temps, but spinach and lettuce will turn to mush if you are not careful.  If it is a clear night that is predicted to be around 33-35 degrees, cover!  Cloud cover will keep the temperature above that magic 32 degrees, but on a clear night all the heat disappears very quickly and it will normally get cooler than predicted.  Always err on the side caution about covering your plants, because there is no coming back once your plants get hit by frost.  Pay attention to your local weather person because they will let you know when the end is near, and its going to get seriously cold.  At that point get out and harvest everything that you can.  The alternative is to put up a semi-permenant structure like a row cover, or cold frame.  Those will extend your season by a few weeks, depending on the weather.  They are generally easy to make, buy and use.  If you plan on doing a spring garden then it is definitely worth making or buying something to use. 

So that is it.  Winter veggie gardening is an easy, and rewarding way to extend your season, and eat well longer.  Enjoy!

Visiting: A Last Gasp in Chicago November 10, 2009

There is this interesting thing that happens in a garden at the end of the season.  I call it the last gasp.  All the flowers and plants seem to throw everything they have to try and ensure their survival ’til the next year.  One of my favorite “last gasp” gardens is the Chicago Botanic Garden, and specifically their English Oak Meadow.  It takes me by surprise every time I visit for the sheer overwhelming amount of flowers they plant.  I usually end up at the CBG sometime in early to late September and am just blown away each time.  The English Oak Meadow is an area that is planted with seasonal annual and perennials flowers on a cascading slope to carpet the entire area.  This year the slope was planted with hot colors of plants like coreopsis, agastache, daisies of all sorts, and blanket flower.  There were splashes of blues thrown in to calm the whole thing down and make the bright colors sparkle.  Stands of salvias, buddleias, and tall ageratum were covered with hummingbirds and butterflies.  And all of this was happening well into September.  There were very few yellowing leaves anywhere to be seen, but bees were gorging on what will likely be their last meal.  I could easily fool myself into thinking that we still had an endless amount of summer stretching off before us. 

The English Meadow in full late summer bloom

I love visiting gardens in the fall because they look more real then.  I can look at them and see touches of my own imperfect garden at home.  Spring in a professionally managed garden is over the top, and sometimes does not feel real because it is so perfect.  By the time fall rolls around the plants are looking a bit more scraggly, and similar to what mine look like at home.  It makes me feel like this level is more attainable for me and the people I know.  I can look around and see what bones of the garden look like, without all of the distraction of the over the top flowers (the English Meadow is an exception).  I usually walk around with a note pad so I can jot down the things that I see that strike my fancy.  Then I rush home and start madly trying to take my garden up a notch.  This works out well because fall is the best time to transplant just about anything.  I can see that idea, and go home and make it a reality. 

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a wonderland of both realistic and over the top garden design that is great to spark the imagination.  The Enabling Garden is one of my favorites as well, with beautiful hardscaping and great, innovative uses of plants.  The fruit and vegetable garden is a wonderland of ways to grow fun things for your household.  All of these different gardens all have something interesting going on far into the fall.  The walking trails are extensive and wander through extensive reconstructed prairies that are beautiful with all the grasses waving in the wind.  The lake system makes a lovely backdrop to all of the gardens.  It makes it very easy to forget that you are surrounded by a very large city.  The Chicago Botanic Garden makes a great day trip if you live in the Chicago area, but also worth visiting if you are a tourist and want to get out of the city for a bit.  Bring a picnic, or eat at the decent cafe in the visitor’s center.  No matter how you do it, the Chicago Botanic Garden is worth a visit, or several. 

Bulls eye on this Blanket Flower

Easy zinnias for color

My personal stance November 9, 2009

So here I am talking about gardening and all these cool little concepts, but you probably don’t  who or what I am.  I feel in love with plants and gardening at a young age and decided to make it my profession soon after high school.  I studied horticulture at a Junior College that gave me a practical education in horticulture.  After school I came to the realization that plants are grown around the world, and that I could indulge in my love of travel while working.  That sent me off for the next decade working all over the world.  Germany, Walt Disney World, Britain, California, Oregon, New Zealand and finally back to where I started- Chicago.  It’s been a wild ride, and there has been quite a lot of learning along the way.  It gives me a pretty broad perspective of different plants, design, and ways to garden.  That perspective does not only extend to gardening though.  It has drastically altered how I want to fit into the world around me.  I am not an environmental nazi by any means, but I have my things that I am picky on.  Food is one of the big ones.  I buy some organic produce and such, but not all.  Knowing plants means that I know what the crops are that suck up the pesticides and such.  I avoid them or eat them organic. 

My big rant comes from how we eat.  Everything is processed.  Everything has secret ingredients in it that I cannot pronounce and definitely don’t want to eat.  So therefore I enjoy making as much as possible from scratch.  Cooking is also my main way of relaxing, so I love spending time with it.  I am fine eating dairy (the more fat the better) and meat (I am from Chicago after all).  I use an obscene amount of heavy cream in my life, and nothing tastes better than a seared flat-iron steak on the grill.  I bake quite a lot and have found that making it from scratch generally does not take much more time than from a mix. The bonus is that there is no palm kernel oil or whatever else is hidden in those mixes.  Eggs, sugar, butter, flour, and maybe some chocolate.  The basics.  I guess when it comes down to it, I like simple.  I like things as close to nature as I can get them. 

I grow some of my own produce, and love it.  As time allows I will grow more of my own.  I miss the farmers markets of the west coast.  Chicago is definitely behind in developing them, and getting  people to shop at them.  Our limitations in climate are not that extreme.  California we ain’t but still… Teaching people how to manage a three season vegetable garden in the midwest is a challenge that I am looking forward to.  Then I can follow-up with recipes to use that bounty.  There is nothing else in this world that makes me happier than cooking for people, not even time spent in my garden.  Knowing that I have made something delicious and nutritious that feeds the soul as well as the body makes my life better. 

My life in the garden is not that different either.  I do not believe in going out of my way to be hyper-organic but I have a dog, and have lots of kids that tramp through my garden.  I do not want to use anything that will harm them.  I also do not want to spend my life fighting off powdery mildew or grubs.  If I choose to take action against things it must be a practical and effective rememdy- organic or not.  Not everything organic is safe for people or pets.  That is a common misconception.  Anything can be harmful if you use it improperly.  But on the flip side, suburban homes account for more runoff in the ecosystem than giant farms do.  When you see instructions on the back of a bag of fertilizer follow them.  Most homeowners operate under the thought that more is better.  NO.  I use my own personal perspective when I dole out advice through this blog.  I think it is becoming a more common way of looking at the world these days.  Hopefully it will resonate with people, and make someone’s life easier out there.

The perpetual wet spot November 2, 2009

Everyone has one, whether they admit it or not.  It is that perpetual wet spot that exists somewhere on your property.  It is always a pain in the butt.  The lawn mower gets stuck in it.  The kids run through it and track endless amounts of mud into the house.  Sometimes you think an alligator is going to take up residence.  It’s enternal dampness could spring from many sources like runoff from your home, being the lowest point in 4 yards, or just a natural bit of damp ground.  Well stop looking at it like the bane of your existence and turn it into something useful and pretty! 

The first thing to do is establish if your wet spot is always wet, or if it is just a seasonal thing.  Both can be dealt with, but in slightly different ways.  The next thing to look at is what style of plant/s you could put there.   Would it be a good place for a garden, or do you just want a shrub or a tree there?   The plants that thrive in wet soils are very unique, and have evolved over the years to grow best in high moisture, low oxygen soils.  These plants will use the excess moisture there, and dry out of the area some, but also help disguise it.  It would be extremely difficult to fight nature, and turn that spot of earth into something different.  Make use of what you have and participate in what’s called “Plant driven design.”  There is a wide, and varied list of plants will thrive in these conditions- some that will surprise you! 

If you have decided to plant just a tree, or a few shrubs to transform your wet spot then it is time to head off to your favorite garden center and choose your new additions.  The top 4 trees that are commonly used for wet areas are 1.Willows 2. Bald Cypress 3. River Birch and 4. Eastern Red Cedars.  My favorite from that list is the Baldcypress, or Taxodium distichum.  They are graceful, unique trees that are hardy across most climate zones in the US.  They have needles, and resemble a conifer but they drop those needles in a bright yellow show in the fall.  Eastern Red Cedars, or Juniperus virginaina is the only evergreen on the list.  It grows into a small pyramid-shaped tree, that has a brownish winter color.  If you absolutely need something evergreen then choose the Eastern Red Cedar, but otherwise, some of the other choices offer a bit more beauty and interest.  My second favorite on the list would be a River Birch.  Their peeling back makes them stand out in the winter, and their long, graceful shape adds beauty to any yard.  Shrubs that would go well with any of these choices are some like the Cranberry Viburnum, Dogwoods, Clethra (or Summersweet), Serviceberries or Inkberry Holly.  Most of these shrubs also can tolerate or prefer shady areas, so they make great underplanting choices to nestle up under your tree.  Or you can use the shrubs just by themselves.  Just pay attention to the heights your plants will get to, and plant accordingly.

If you want to get a bit more involved in making your own private mini-wetland garden in your backyard, then first put a shovel into that mucky soil.  Figure out just how bog-like it is.  Are you hearing a sucking sound when you try to lift the shovel out?  That means you have a lot of water there.  Plants that survive in that much water are not easy to purchase from normal garden centers.  You are better off going to a place that specializes in water gardening.  They will carry plants that are able to be sunk in water, rather than being planted into damp soils.   They will also be able to offer specific advice for your area and situation and make sure that you do not let loose some sort of invasive species on your wetland.  Some of the plants that work best for those areas are certain types of iris, rushes and sedges.   Another good source for specific information is your local Cooperative Extension Service.  They can offer detailed information about what might be native in your area, and best suited for your conditions. 

When your soil is more damp than boggy, there are more options that are easily accessible.  For a brash generalization, plants that have larger leaves will tend to deal with water better.  Those big leaves hold more water, and therefore can tolerate more water in their environment.  Wet areas in nature are not full of defined, well-maintained edges.  Plants just sort of creep together, and stretch and retreat as the seasons change.  They are not highly manicured areas like your foundation plantings.  Put a few interesting plants that bloom at different times in and see what happens. For spring bloomers Iris are always wonderful options, along with Primroses (Primula), Globe Flowers (Troilus), Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla), and Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis).  Late Spring to Summer bloomers are Goatsbeard (Aruncus), Meadowseet (Thalictrum), Liguria,  Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) and beautiful Foamflowers (Tiarella).  Late summer and fall can shine in your wetland garden by planting one of my favorite flowers-Cardinal Flower (Lobelia  cardinalis) which have tall spikes of red or fuchsia flowers that hummingbirds find irresistible. Other plants that will brighten the late summer garden are Swamp Sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolia), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias), New England Asters (Aster novae-angliae) and the cute Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii ) which always enchants children. 

Experimentation over time will help you find exactly the right mix of plants for your area.  Talk to your neighbors, because chances are they have a wet area as well, and maybe you can it a project you work on together.  Kids and adults in the area can enjoy watching the wildlife come to take refuge in your new wetland habitat, and you have something better to look at than a muddy puddle of grass that never quite seemed to grow well.

Hellebores: Why you should plant them October 28, 2009

I have had the pleasure of living all over the world, and gardening in each of those many places that I have lived.  I have been recently spoiled by living in Oregon, by the extreme wealth of plants, especially evergreen plants that can be used to make a garden look great in the dead of winter.  Now that I am spending some time in the Midwest again, I am finding myself frustrated at the minute amount of interesting plant choices for winter interest.  I am making it my personal quest to open people’s minds to newer plants, or plants that would not have been hardy here before.  One of those plants that is not necessarily new to the market, but they are making a big impact right now are Helleborus, or Lenten Roses.  They are a tough plant that thrives in cold weather, and forms a nice clump of leathery leaves that are evergreen.  In warmer parts of the US they start to bloom around Christmas, hence the Lenten Rose name.  Here in the Midwest they will not start to bloom until around March, but they are still one of the first things to brighten up the bleak landscape.  I love the flowers, but honestly for me the biggest impact is to see their shiny green foliage peeking up at me out of the snow throughout the winter. 

In the past few years many people have started to realize what an interesting and worthy plant the Hellebore is.  That means that they became the darlings of plant breeders on many continents.  We humble gardeners can benefit from their interest with the ever-expanding array of new varieties.  Some of the new varieties have different colored blooms that range from almost true black, pinks, chartreuse, and creamy ivory.  The new varieties are also being bred so that their single, or double flowers are more prominent.  Old fashioned varieties had extremely nodding flowers that were hidden by that lovely thick foliage.  Now the flowers tend to stand up to be seen. 

Other improvements are that the plants are becoming more compact.  Older varieties tended towards leggy-ness and showed a bit too much stem.  Now the norm is a much tighter and neater looking clump.  You can find taller varieties still though, just check the tags of the varieties you see for their heights.  Another improvement is that they have more interesting foliage.  Crosses have been made between several of the different species of Hellebores to mingle their genes and traits.  Because I think the foliage is so cool,  this is of the most interest to me.  Helleborus foetidus and Helleborus x sternii are two examples of my favorites for the best foliage.  Their leaves are particularly thick, and have a web of veination in silver that shines against the dark green leaves.  Some have silvery undersides that are shown off by the leave’s slight curl.  That touch of silver makes them a welcome addition to the partially shady garden that they are most happy in.  The silver picks up what little light there is and reflects it back, making the whole area seem lighter.  When they are happy where they are planted, they will form a large, healthy sized clump.  To make them happy, plant them in a rich soil with lots of organic material.  They prefer not to be fertilized at all, but will tell you when they need it by yellowing leaves.  The leaves can get tattered after a long winter.  Most people cut those leaves off when they start to bloom, which also helps make the delicate flowers more visible. 

Did I mention that Hellebores are almost completely deer-proof?  Slugs don’t even like them that much.  Evergreen.  They grow in shade.  How much more perfect can you get?

Hellebores make great additions to just about any garden from my point of view, but one place that they work wonderfully well and are infrequently used is in containers.  Especially winter containers.  The foliage has such a unique texture and color to it.  It pairs well with many other choices like blue fescue grass, and ajuga.   Because the foliage is evergreen it makes a great presence over the cold months when everything else in the world seems dead.  Hellebores are not fast growers which means they will not take over any container you plant them in.  They can remain an anchor plant in containers throughout the seasons, only looking better with time. 

Here are some of my favorite and best performing varieties for zone 5 areas.

Hellebore ‘Ivory Prince’   Hellebore ‘Janet Starnes’    Helleborus x  pre=”x “>hybridus ‘Mardi Gras’   Helleborus x hybridus ‘Party Dress’  Helleborus x sternii ‘Hot Flash’