Garden Safety

February 19, 2009 at 7:00 am (Children in the Garden, Gardening)
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ChildrenSafety is a concern even when gardening. If you use chemicals of any kind, fertilizers, and pesticides be sure to thoroughly read the label and follow the instructions. This is one are that is often neglected — much to the peril of the gardener or dire results in the garden, from not following  instructions properly.

Here are some websites with garden safety information:

List of Tocic Plants: http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu

Garden Safety with Children: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1114319/gardening_safety_with_children_home.

SafeKids: http://www.safekids.co.uk

Cooperative Extension Office: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

American Association of Poison Control Centers (24-hour hotline): 1-800-222-1222

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Planning Your Garden Container-wise

January 28, 2009 at 8:00 am (Garden Joys, Garden Project, Gardening)

Gar PathIn garden planning, you may determine space and ideal planting location are not as optimal as you wish, or perhaps your growing dreams far outweigh what you believe to be possible with the space you have. Fear not!

One thing that completely amazed me in our garden visits while in London, was the great use of small spaces for gardening. I must admit when I thought of ‘English Gardening,’ my mind’s eye had a rambling cottage garden pictured. Not always so. In densely-populated urban settings, available space is a premium, but so is the need for some ‘green relief’!

So if you have space or location challenges, take a lesson from the clever English, as I did.  Container gardening has grown increasingly popular over the last several years. That, coupled with many new vegetables now available as smaller or miniature varieties also offer great opportunity to combine them in containers with flowers to make a pleasing patio-type presentation.

Hayrack planters and trough gardens can add interest, more texture, height and variety to the garden or area adorned by the containers. Planters and containers can be moved around to snhance other areas as needed, in the case of outdoor entertaining, so you can more easily multi-task!

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Considerations for Planning Your Garden, Part 2

January 26, 2009 at 12:00 am (Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seeds)
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Garden guyOnce you have determined the vegetables and herbs you would like to grow, take a bit of time to research what and which variety grows best in your area. You will find particular varieties of many vegetables are preferred over others in specific regions for the fact that they grow best there. This is great info to tap into, to better ensure your successfully-producing garden!

Where to go to get this valuable information, before you dig trowel into the ground?

As a Master Gardener Volunteer Graduate (MGVG), I can speak from first-hand experience and highly recommend the resources available and freely offered through the many local Cooperative Extension Offices. To locate the office nearest you, click here on this link

Your local Cooperative Extension Office can provide you with a list of preferred varieties that have been proven to grow best in your area. This saves you time and money! It’s fun to experiment of course — a lot of times we do that in the garden, but if you want to put food on the table the “tried and true” is best.

As the MGVG that I am, also I recommend having a soil test done through the Cooperative Extension Office. All supplies and information are available through them. Januray-February are the optimal months to have your soil sample to them for teating. This allows ample time for the process, and so you can prepare your garden spot, amending the soil as indicated by the test, for best results.

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Considerations for Planning Your Garden, Part 1

January 23, 2009 at 8:00 am (Culinary, Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seeds, Wonder of Growing)

Garden guy“Planning” your garden is key, in having a successful growing season.

This includes:

* Know what you would like to grow

* What and what variety grows well in your area

* The growing conditions your garden will provide, once amended

Have you been studying the many seed and plant catalogs, now arriving nearly daily? The choices are astounding. In my 10 years of our Herbal Treasures Garden, I am observing increasing variety and greater numbers of seeds and plants available. This is a very exciting time to be a gardener!

At the same time, the possibilities and choices are staggering, and can actually serve as an obstacle to getting started, if a gardener is not careful.

Make preliminary preference-based choices on what you believe you and your family will most likely eat, and probably completely consume.

As previously discussed, some vegetables yield greater quantities. This reminds me of tomatoes and zucchini. If you are looking for greater yield (as in a larger family), this may be a consideration for you, as well.

Some vegetables are more difficult to grow. If you have limited time, space and inclination, perhaps growing your own corn would not be advisable. However, with the price of tomatoes and the relative ease of growing them, they might be a worthwhile addition to your garden

Of course this being the Herbal Treasures website, I would remiss if I did not include copious amounts of herbs on the list! They will add life and spark up any veggie dish you make.

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Seeds Sales are Skyrocketing for the Growing Season

January 21, 2009 at 8:00 am (Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seeds)
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Garden guyIn a recent post, I shared with our Garden friends that I was surprised to see seeds already available. It seemed so early — and my thought was confirmed by the store that in fact, this was the case.

We’ve discussed that many folks are planning to grow their own vegetable and herbs this season, as a means of offsetting foods costs with the economic downturn we have been experiencing. Food safety issues have also been consumer concerns.

If you plan to join the many planting a great garden this year, begin planning it now and get your seeds. Some pre-prep is required before you actually get those seeds or seedlings in the ground, after the last frost.

According to industry experts, seeds sales are up 30-40% over 2007. Last year vegetable seeds outsold flower seeds for the first time in ages, and seed companies are projecting this to be the case again this year.

One might pause to wonder with all of the sweat equity involved, if gardening to feed the family is truly worth it. Some vegetables may yield more and be easier to grow — such as tomatoes, versus corn.

It is estimated that the average cost-benefit ratio of home-grown vegetables is 1 to 25, according to a study by the W. Atlee Burpee Co.,  each gardening dollar invested in the effort has the possibility of producing $25 worth of vegetables.

My first piece of advice is to decide what you want to grow and survey your garden site to make sure it is suitable. Soil testing is recommended, and can be done through your Cooperative Extension Office.

When you determine what it is you want to grow, order or buy your seeds now. Even as the seed companies are bracing themselves for increased sales, ordering early better ensures getting the varieties you want.

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Veggie and Herbs Seeds Sales are G-R-O-W-I-N-G

January 19, 2009 at 8:00 am (Garden Lessons, Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seeds)
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HT Kit With the not-so-lovely economy, many folks are turning to growing their own   vegetables and herbs. It is a cost-cutting measure, but it also provides many other benefits as well.

* Because the transport from your garden to your table is a much shorter distance and time span from harvest to serving time, the nutrient value is much higher.

* Working in the garden brings us closer to the earth, and is a great therapy. This sets our focus upon other things, if even for just a while.

* Gardening is an activity that offers great satisfaction personally, for the family or other participants.

* In gardening, we are reminded that we cannot control all things, but we can strive to maintain a productive garden.

SO many lessons learned in the garden!

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More Signs of Spring: Seed & Plant Catalogs

January 16, 2009 at 8:00 am (Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seasonal Chores)
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calendula

Yes, even when they begin arriving in October (earliest I’ve ever received them — beginning in 2008), I know seed and plant catalogs are true ‘signs of spring.’ They harken my attention to the fact that no matter if the weather outside is frightful, the ensuing springtime will be delightful. They beckon me to begin thinking about what my garden plans will be for the fast-approaching season, for as we all know it will be here before we know it!

Seed and plant catalogs can be an excellent educational tool that don’t really require a great deal of intense study — but do peruse to your heart’s content, of course. Teeming with descriptives as to what to expect from the particular plant, growing specifications and requirements. The beautiful color photos to show the reader what a mature plant will look like — in ideal growing conditions, of course.

A really great seed or plant catalog will inspire ideas for using or enjoying the grown plant and perhaps recipes, as applicable. For the most part, these catalogs are written to be enjoyed by gardeners of all levels of experience — from beginner to the most experienced.

In recent years, many exciting plant developments have been made in the horticulture world. ne very interesting such advance is the disease-resistant elm tree. By reviewing seed and plant catalogs, a gardener can not only make plans for the approaching growing season, they can remain updated on the most recent developments and choose new and improved varieties of old-time favorites.

Have you been receiving plant and seed catalogs?

What are some of your favorite catalogs?

Please leave a comment about your favorites… let’s share and discuss the most interesting catalogs we’ve been receiving — and enjoying!

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Getting Ready for Spring…

January 7, 2009 at 10:15 am (Garden Joys, Garden Lessons, Gardening, Seeds)
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Seed Packets

During my recent visit, I was amazed at the selection of seeds at the nearby garden center!

Here are seeds to add to our Herbal Treasures Garden in the 2009 growing season:
Celosia, Red Velvet

Centaurea, Imperial Bouquet Mix

Cornflower, Tall Mixed Flowers

Cosmos, Summer Dreams & Summer Sunshine Mix

Marigold, Calendula Apricot Daisy, Citrus Mix & Cottage Red

Moonflower, Giant White

Nasturtium, Empress of India, Jewel Mix, Lipstick & Papaya Cream

Passion Flower, Blue (Heirloom!)

Zinnia, Candy Cane Red on White & Envy (Heirloom!)

Veggies go great with herbs and fresh-cut flowers from the garden, so I also chose:

Mesclun, Salad Mix, Spicy Mix &  Sweet Salad Mix

Tomato, Yellow Pear

Now, a sage word of advice to all those other rampant-to-get-started gardeners out there, also bitten by the ‘spring bug’:


  • When purchasing your seed packets, be sure to read the information about the plant on the back of the package. Find out when you need to start the seeds.
  • For some, you may need to begin them indoors, several weeks in advance.  Be sure to not begin immediately planting them outdoors, unless you live in a climate that is already in the growing season.
  • Avoid the great temptation to begin your garden ‘early,’ under the often false impression that spring has come early, only to lose the fruits of your labor, with the frost nipping them all in the bud.

Next: I will share with you a lucious-sounding collection of bulbs that we are eagerly anticipating their appearance this spring!

What are your garden plans for the 2009 growing season?

Please leave a comment and share a bit of your garden and your plans with us here…

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Ready for Spring?!

January 5, 2009 at 10:12 am (Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Seeds, Wonder of Growing)
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Seed Packets Some folks have had more than their share of wintry weather, and while cold temperatures came into our area earlier than usual, along with unanticipated great intensity, the last few days have been nearly spring-like here.

In the meantime, we are receiving seed and plant catalogs daily, as you may be. In my observation, the mailings seem to get earlier each season. I received the first catalog in early November, for the next growing season. Perhaps regularly seeing these catalogs along with the unseasonably ‘warm’ weather (50-60F), inspires my thinking “spring.”

So I admit to being bitten by the ‘spring’ bug — early, without merit at this point. While seeming to suffer the early blast of cold, I know that winter is still with us. Due to this stark reality, my early spring fever is completely unwarranted. I have not truly earned this status, having not yet fully completed this cycle. I know January well, and expect that cold smack upside the head anytime soon… it reminds me that we are in a New Year, to make the most of it, and that I am alive!

Yesterday, I went to a nearby home improvement center and discovered a tremendous selection of seeds. Upon checking out, the cashier confirmed my thoughts: they were offering the seeds earlier than usual!

What seeds did I buy? The list was long, so I will include it in my next post…

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How Does Your Garden Grow: Veggies are “In” This Year!

May 24, 2008 at 8:29 pm (Gardening, Herbal: Spring, Wonder of Growing)
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A recent survey on early spring trends conducted by the Garden Writers Association Foundation (GWAF), indicates that vegetable gardening is projected to gain popularity this growing season. The primary factors encouraging this new gardening trend are rising gas prices, increasing food costs, and a fluctuating economy.

In the survey, consumers were asked to rate the types of garden-related spending they expected for the spring season. Lawn and grass expenditures take the lead (54%), followed by vegetable or fruit plants (39%), annual flowers (38%), trees and shrubs (35%), and perennial flowers (31%).

When asked the same question in 2007, vegetable and fruit plants were fourth on the list of priorities for consumer spending plans. Perennial flowers that held the number two position in consumer spending expectations for 2007, now in fifth place for 2008.
            
While growing a garden sounds like a lovely idea, you may be concerned about the time and knowledge needed to establish and maintain one. With the cost of everything is going up, shortcuts and understanding effective ways to garden would help ensure your success for the time and money invested.

Herbal Treasures’ Weekly Garden Tips delivers information based on real life experience and research, put together by Becky Cortino, Master Gardener Volunteer Graduate (’98). Ms. Cortino is a contributor to the recently-published Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs, a special project benefiting the National Herb Garden.

 

What can you expect?

Sage advice seasoned with experience and encouragement to help you in your gardening.

 

  • Are you planning to grow the Garden of Your Dreams in 2008?
  • Do you plan to fine-tune an existing garden or designing a new one?
  • Are you unsure, and want or need some sage advice to inspire and get you growing?

 

Sign-up to receive Herbal Treasures’ Weekly Garden Tips seasoned with experience by clicking here

 

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