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Teri's Garden Bite
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The above picture is a Four Lined Plant Bug! Look closely and you can see some damage on the leaf.
Kerry from Champlin wondered what was leaving shot holes in her Lemon Balm. She could see a little yellow bug.... with those clues (and going into my own garden!) I found the answer. The Four Lined Plant Bug. It's usually just cosmetic damage so if you have just a few, either leave them be or try to hand pick them off. I took small pleasure in squishing some! They are quick, though. If you have a large infestation you can use a chemical that specifically says it will kill the Four Lined Plant Bug. I caution you to read the complete directions as you may not be able to use this type of product on anything edible......
This guy is prevelant in the garden right now, so be on the lookout! Happy Hoeing! Teri
I love cleomes for being such EASY annuals. Since our barage of tough weather this year you've probably lost some flowers. Think about adding some simple easy to grow plants! Cleome, obviously, is a favorite of mine. If you have the room, grow some sunflowers. They take off rather quickly from seed and there are LOTS of varieties. Zinnias are another excellent choice to start from seed if you're on a budget. Of course, lots of the small "kiosks" of garden centers in parking lots are putting up sale signs. Grab 'em and get planting!
So you'd like some other shade plants instead of the same old impatiens..... okay, let's talk! I LOVE fushias. They're coming at us with a number of different colors and oh, my those Rex Begonias are simply irresistable. They're grown for their outstanding foliage. Speaking of foliage, Coleus can never be overlooked. There's the Kong Coleus that's superb in planters. Just pinch the flowers off before they bloom so your foliage gets thicker! New Guinea impatiens are really pretty too and very hardy but they really like to be watered. When you see them start to wilt, give 'em a good drink, they'll perk right up. I'm going to link you to Proven Winners. Browse this site for ideas! Proven Winners are sold at most of your local garden centers. http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/?doSearch=1&searchLightCodeType=Shade Happy hoeing!
In Garden Bite Gab today we discussed Clay soil! The question was, "how do I change it?". The answer is "you don't". Well, you could work to amend it by adding about 3 inches of organic matter, some perlite and a little course sand but, even then, I would look for plants that tolerate clay. The best advice is Right Plant, Right Place. Here are some perennials that tolerate clay: Daylilies - lots for selections here. Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), New England Aster, Purple Coneflower, Russian sage, Black eyed Susan , Liatris.... a couple of ornamental grasses would be Little Bluestem and "Karl Forrester". For shrubs try Redosier Dogwood, Black Chokeberry and dwarf Honeysuckle. Oh and Lilacs too!
The Blueberry is the antioxidant superhero and Minnesota’s state muffin. Growing blueberry bushes in Minnesota offers gardeners a unique challenge. That’s a glossy way of saying, they’re work but they’re worth it. Select what’s called a “half high” variety, a clever name for a cross between a high bush and a low bush blueberry. “Polaris” is a U of M introduction that has good flavor and ripens early. For a mid season blueberry, “Northblue” is a great option and one of the most popular varieties. “St. Cloud” is the tallest half-high at 4 ft. tall and delivering up to 7 pounds of blueberries in a season. You’ll need to plant more than one variety of blueberry bush for pollination. They need full sun and an acidic soil with a ph of 4 to 5. Most of us have a more alkaline soil between 6 and 7. It’s important to modify your soil before you plant using an acid peat, elemental sulfur(takes longer to see results) or iron sulfate(quicker but more expensive). Check out my website, www.gardenbite.com for a link to the best information on preparing your soil from the University of Minnesota. Or click here: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG3463.html
Once you’ve modified your soil, you should only need to make one application of an acid-producing fertilizer each year. An azalea fertilizer that’s formulated for acid-loving plants works well for the backyard gardener. One more piece of information you may not want to hear, you should pinch the flowers off the first couple of years and let the blueberries roots and vegetation grow. You’ll build a better blueberry for great harvests for years to come! Let me know and I’ll be over for pie!
We gabbed in Garden Bite Gab about pruning lilacs. Debra from Minneapolis has 7 ft. lilacs she wants to cut back. Very early spring is okay, better yet is late winter. Because Lilacs are Spring bloomers you don't want to prune them now or you will lose all your flowers. You can also cut them back AFTER they've flowered. I had a neighbor whose Lilacs were 10 feet tall, she wacked those puppies down to 2 feet and they came back great. I wouldn't recommend getting quite that dramatic but they can take a lot! The common purple Lilac is good to Zone 3. There's a white variety capable of living well in Zone 2! Wish the "snow" reportedly on it's way for the weekend, it almost feels like we're in Zone 2..... oh well, I guess that means we'll just relish our gardens even more when they finally do wake up! ;-) Teri
4/25 the above plant is a Gomphrena - it's an annual that dries nicely!
Let me start by saying "at least it's Friday!"...... as we head into a cold, crummy weekend! Oh well, just more moisture for those of us whose ground is thawed enough to handle it.... What a great weekend to scope out your local nurseries, maybe journal a bit or read last years and see what you were up to, what you might add or get rid of. I think a glass of wine and my garden journal sounds like a good plan!!
The "Let's Get Growing" Dakota Co. Master Gardener spring expo was a wonderful success. Thanks to everybody that showed up!!!! And to top it off we had a gorgeous Sunday. Wahoo. I hope you got outside. However, I hope you didn't rake like a crazy person. The ground is still too wet to get too aggressive. Those grass plants are very tender. Did you know there are about a million grass plants in a one-thousand square foot area?! Yup, never think about that much! Well, be gentle on your lawns just yet. And remember, April 22nd is Earth Day. About a billion people world wide will take part in some way. Maybe you'll bring a reusable bag with you to the grocery store? Hey, remember the old saying "Save water, shower with a friend"...... well, that's an idea for your Earth Day celebration! ;-)
Oh sure, he looks all cute and fluffy here but once this wily rabbit has chowed down on your Clethra, your Alpine Currant and every possible shrub you've spent good money on to beautify your surroundings.... he's not so cute!! Judeen from Farmington said she's tired of bunnies indulging on her Asiatic Lilies. Well, I have a plan, short of a bb gun and fencing.... there's a product called Plantskydd. It's a natural odor based repellent that many of my fellow Master Gardener friends say works well. It comes in a spray or granular form and can last 3 to 4 months on your plants. It's rain safe after 24 hours and is not harmful to you! Here's the website: www.plantskydd.com Go get 'em!!!! ;-) Teri
The photo above is the Osteospermum 'Asti White' and AAS winner for 2008
Before the snowfall, we spotted red winged blackbirds coming back in droves!! Wahoo to spring. I did my little happy dance and then it snowed. Hmmm, I won't take credit for that but I will say that the moisture is still a good thing!
Along with seed starting comes a nasty little disease called 'Damping Off'. This fungal disease can kill your seeds before they even get a chance to sprout! You'll see tan, mushy spots, pinched and rotting stems that will weaken to the point of collapse. The best way to fight 'damping off' is to prevent it. That's why you start with sterile containers, sterile soil medium and sterile equipment.......
March Madness is here and so's the itch to get growing!! After what seems like a brutally cold winter, it's time to start planting seeds indoors. Here are some cold crops to get you started. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce. Always start with sterile equipment. If you're reusing pots and trays, then clean them with a 10% bleach solution. Make sure you're planting medium is sterile as well. Just say no to using garden soil!! For my money, I like those peat pellets. Everything's ready, you just add the seed and water. Oh and a warm place and light too! I use a heating mat with my little pots in a sterile tray. A shop light (on a timer) that adjusts on a pulley works great. Once your little seeds have sprouted they'll need 12 to 16 hours of light. Keep the light about 4 to 6 inches above the seedlings. I also have a small fan gently rotating for an hour or so a day. This helps to strengthen the stems. Oh boy, spring is around the corner!!!
I'm one of those people who should fill out plant and seed order forms with a pencil! My husband has taken on the task of telling me when it's too much. Bless his heart, I'll still keep him! I admit, I must be stopped sometimes. There's no way we would eat the amount of vegetables I would love to try, nor could I take care of them all. So let that be a lesson to you! Figure out what you can realistically care for, after all veggie gardens do require a bit more care. Weeding, monitoring for disease and insect problems, proper amounts of water, etc. It adds up although the rewards are TASTY! I never want my gardens to be a source of stress. The garden is there to enjoy!
I've got a great idea for you this weekend! Check out Girlfriend's Day Out this Saturday, the 16th at Sargent's Nursery in Red Wing. LOTS of fun stuff to do. www.sargentsnursery.com
It's Valentine's week, just in case you hadn't heard it enough!!!!! ;-) I thought I'd give you some tips on keeping those Roses lovely. As soon as you get your flowers, use a sharp knife or pruners to recut the ends. You don't have to cut at an angle, just be sure to get them in water immediately or cut them under water! The idea is to help the flowers take up water better. Change the water every day or two, avoid having any foliage under water. It tends to slime up and smell! It won't help the flowers look better either! Keep your bouquet out of direct sunlight and use the floral preservative the florist gives you. The flowers will stay looking lovely longer! OR, you can make your own preservative. Mix 1 qt. of water (tap water that's sat for 24 hours), 2 Tblsp. lemon juice, 1 Tblsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. of bleach.
TIP - the reason you let the tap water sit for 24 hours is to let the chlorine added by the city, evaporate. Plants don't like chlorine. This will help all those houseplants too.
NOW, if you're looking to send something a little different to your significant other, try Calla Lilies. In flower language they mean sophistication and beauty or a Phalaenopsis. Doesn't sound romantic until you learn that means Orchid! And the orchid represents exotic delicate beauty and was a sign of virility and luxury to the Ancient Greeks.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
I get emails from seed and plant companies and the "Broadway Lights" Shasta Daisy you see above was like a burst of sunlight!! I had to share it with you. NOW, if it looks like that in my garden, I'll be thrilled! I'm going to order this one!! It just makes me smile! I feel like I'm basking in warm sunshine on my deck, not sitting with 3 layers of clothing on!! ;-)
Greetings fellow gardeners. If you're like me, you've already been inundated with seed and plant catalogs. Please, wipe your chin, the drool is just too much! Oh, sorry, that's me!! I LOVE poring over those catalogs but I would urge you to do a little research outside those fabulous descriptions of perfect plants in that myriad of magazines!! Most are on the up and up but may be a little too enthusiastic about what works in our climate. Be sure to see if your local nursery has any such plant or seed you're interested in as well. It's always better to buy local when possible. For one thing, odds of the plant making it here are higher. If it doesn't, it's much easier to return it. And, of course, local economy! There are still lots of seeds that I buy online and a few plants as well. I've always had luck with Burpee and Bluestone Perennials. Still, do some googling on your chosen plants. In the meantime, get a bib. Or I'll share mine with you!
Is your Poinsettia pooped yet? If so, take it to Bachman's for recycling! Well, so to speak! Here's the scoop on the Poinsettia Trade-In Offer. Bring in your dead or dying poinsettia and they'll give you a coupon good for 20% off all green plants, blooming plants, European baskets and specialty planters purchased in the same transaction. The coupon is good through March 1, 2008 at all Bachman's Floral, Home & Garden Centers and our US Bank Plaza location.
The wrapper ripping season is over, the holiday headache is gone (hopefully). And the official season of working on those resolutions has begun! As you ponder the fate of your Christmas Tree, consider propping it up in your backyard for the birdies. Stand your tree up outside in front of a window, slather peanut butter on some pine cones, roll them in sunflower seeds and place them on your tree like decorations. You'll have some lovely visitors who you'll provide with food and shelter! Your tree will stay looking quite green for some time. Come Spring, you can take it to get chipped and use it for mulch! Remember to recycle your Christmas wreaths and wrapping paper. If the paper rips, it's recyclable. oh, and good luck on those resolutions!! ;-)
Be sure to check out my podcasts on this website for Christmas tree care and more or check out my website www.gardenbite.com for lots of tips!
Brrrr, it's cold outside! I'm not complaining just stating a fact! It's also time to talk poinsettias..... that perennial holiday plant pronounced in a pair of ways.... You say poinsett ah, I say poinsett ee ah.... and so it goes. I googled it and got both pronounciations so we're covered. I also found a beautiful rare hybrid poinsettia at a friend's nursery in Red Wing. Sargent's Nursery had just 3 of these guys when I left with mine! It's called Jingle Bells and is a cross between a red and pink poinsettia. You get that gorgeous spackled look! You might call to see if they were going to get more in. If you do buy your poinsettia now, don't pick one that's been displayed in a sleeve. You want your plant to have deep green foliage near the soil line and full colored bracts. Those are the modified leaves that turn color. Poinsettias are native to Mexico and can grow like a weed to 10 feet tall. There's an art to getting them to color up here for the holidays! Once you've chosen your poinsettia, be sure to get it sleeved when you transport it home. They don't like this cold! Punch holes in the foil to let the water drain, check the moisture daily. When the top feels dry, water it thoroughly till the water drains out the bottom then empty the saucer. You don't want it sitting in water. Keep it away from cold or hot drafts. It may look great in the bay window but remember the window's probably quite cool! Also, they need about 6 hours of indirect light. We'll talk Christmas tree selection and care in podcasts coming up.
Can you believe Thanksgiving's nearly here?! Oh the wonderful aromas of baking and roasting, sauteing and simmering! I'm in a food frenzy thinking of my favorite squash, my mom's Pumpkin Dessert and all those herbs we'll be using from the garden! Take note of some of your favorite dishes this Thanksgiving and consider planting them in your veggie garden next year! Buttercup squash are always on my list! We'll be using Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Seriously! ;-) I planted Lemon Thyme and Lemon Sage this year also. Tarragon is a favorite perennial herb of mine. There's a green bean recipe using tarragon that I'm going to try this year.
Tarragon dressed Green Beans
1 Tbsp. Coarsely chopped Tarragon leaves
¼ c. coarsely chopped green onions, both white and green parts
1/3 c. seasoned rice wine vinegar (in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tblsp. Mild olive oil
1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
In a small mixing bowl, combine tarragon, green onions, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in olive oil. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. of salt and stir to dissolve. Have a bowl of ice water ready and paper towels.
Toss the beans in the boiling water, cook no more than 7 mins. (I cook for less as I like the beans a little crisper). Drain and transfer the beans to the ice water, pat dry on the paper towels. Dress the beans immediately and serve. This is a tasty alternative to a lettuce salad.
10-22 Oh what a GREAT Saturday we had!! I spent all day outside putting the veggie garden to bed and cutting back some of my perennials so I don't have to do it in Spring including my hostas. I have been composting so I had some great 'black gold' to throw into the veggie bed and will have some shredded leaves and grass clippings I'll throw in there too and then till it all in and let the magic happen over the winter months. It's Pumpkin season of course! I hope you've all had a chance to check out Lite FM's Pumpkin Pickups around the metro!! I baked a couple of smaller pumpkins (the pie was great!) and saved the seed. Just made a batch of pumpkin seeds. I winged it this time.... I soaked the seeds for about 20 hours in salt water and then towel dried them. I then mixed the cup of seeds I had with 1 Tblsp. of olive oil, a little more salt and added a mix of sugar, cinnamon and allspice.... threw them in the oven at 330 degrees for 40 mins. They turned out great. Nice and crisp without the "sawdust" texture you can sometimes get. (my husband hates the sawdust texture!)
So to continue Andrew Sankey's ideas on design, here are the last 5 tips he gave us at the Symposium.
6. Don't be afraid to change! Design or plants... Get rid of stuff that doesn't look good or is more work than it's worth.
7. Don't be dotty. (when he said this I thought he was being so British! turns out he really meant "don't be dotty". Plant in mass. Not a single plant here and a single plant there. You can have a specimen plant but it's needs to be an appropriate size for your area.
8. Don't be over ambitious (mea culpa!) Take your time. It takes 3 to 4 years for a good garden design. Your plants take that long to establish well and grow to maturity in most cases.
9. Paths should lead somewhere. Not just end. Add mystery to your garden with a curved path and a surprise at path's end. This could be an urn or a specimen plant. Whatever you choose, maybe a bench.
10. Plant just a FEW impact plants. These are hot colored plants like reds, oranges and yellows. Use them carefully as they bring things closer to you, which can make small yards even smaller.
11. MOST IMPORTANTLY - ENJOY
Got galoshes? Wow, we sure caught up on the rain deficit! I promised I'd tell you about garden design tips from the Englishman, Andrew Sankey... and so here are the first 5
1. Don't fight nature. Work with the soil type you have. If you remove trees and shrubs, you change the the character of an area....
2. Retain main features. Things like walls and other structures use them to your advantage.
3. Keep it simple. A few good sweeps. In other words more of the same plant, fewer variety of plants. Mass plantings are pretty dramatic. Simple designs. Especially when you're new at it.
4. Keep things in scale. For a small garden plant a small specimen tree not an oak! Check mature size!
5. Use the whole plot. Keep the entire area in mind when designing.
I'll add more in a few days...... maybe after we've dried out!
Hey Everybody! Whew, a little brisk today.... makes me really feel like Fall is here. Have you noticed the sumac and sugar maples? And more color to come! Fall also makes me think of fallen leaves. I gleefully run the lawn mower over the fallen leaves and use them for compost and mulch!! It's oodles better than RAKING. I didn't even like that job when I was a kid and we'd pile them up to jump in them. SO, the thought of mowing them over, chopping them up and using them for a higher purpose makes me happy....
On another note, I went to a Gardening Symposium last Sunday at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum... one of the speakers was a Brit who talked about garden design. I'll share more in the next few days! Stay tuned. ;-) Teri
What a gorgeous weekend!! There was scattered frost here and there. I lost a few leaves on my squash but did cover the tomatoes! My husband and I cruised to Red Wing yesterday to visit friends at Sargent's Nursery. We picked up a beautiful Foxy Marjorie garden mum. If you get the chance, stop by Sargent's Nursery in Red Wing and also check out Falconer Vineyards. A wonderful local winery with the best tasting grapes I've ever had! The 'Marquette' from the U of MN was delicious! There are several kinds of wine made with 70 percent Minnesota grapes! Next thing you know, we'll be the 'napa valley' for the rest of the nation. Check out this website for more Minnesota grape info: http://www.grapes.umn.edu/
Hi Everybody! Despite recent rains, I know most of us have some bare spots in our lawns from the DRY summer. We do!! I hate raking the dead thatch but, oh well.... it's gotta be done. Here's some info I just received from the University of MN:
By Bob Mugaas, University of Minnesota Extension — A bit of overseeding and some good fall lawn care will help restore your lawn so it’s healthy and dense. Late August to about mid-September is the best time to do some overseeding to repair bare spots. When overseeding, make sure there’s good soil-to-seed contact. Where all the grass has died in an area, use a garden rake to remove excess dead grass. With the soil loosened, sprinkle grass seed over the area and lightly rake it in. Be sure to use fresh seed. After seeding, keep the area damp, but not saturated with water. Germination should start in a week or two; keep the area moist until first mowing. Gradually increase the interval between waterings so the soil dries out slightly before watering again. This helps harden the grass up for winter. Do your first mowing when the new grass is about three inches high—cut it back to about two to two and one-half inches. Continue mowing until leaf growth has stopped for the year—roughly late October. If you’re overseeding into an existing thin lawn, keep existing grass mowed fairly short until the newly seeded areas germinate and catch up. If the existing grass gets too long, it will compete with new plants and sometimes kill them off. Your newly reseeded lawn will benefit from a late fall nitrogen application—Halloween time or just before. But don’t apply fertilizer to frozen ground. Bob Mugaas is a horticulturist with University of Minnesota Extension .
Oh boy! We just had our first Big Rainbow heirloom tomato! YUM. I planted 4 different heirloom varieties this year. Brandywine (tasty), Black Krim, Supersteak and Big Rainbow, which has a yellow and red flesh with a very tomatoey taste. I'll admit that the heirloom varieties don't look quite as pretty on the outside and have some little odd shapes here and there but WOW are they tasty!! Also our weather (dry and then deluge) is tough on tomatoes. We've seen more cracking this year. There was an article in the Home and Garden section of the Star Tribune about seed saving. I think I'll try that with my heirlooms. It sounds easy. Let the tomato fully ripen on the vine, then extract the seeds. You need to remove the gel around the seeds by soaking them in a jar of water for several days. Then strain, clean the seeds and spread them on a paper towel to dry. Store the dry seeds in glass jars in a cool, dry place like your refridgerator.
I've already harvested a lot of Brandywine and Supersteak tomatoes. After blanching them to get the skin off and coring them, they are now safely tucked into the freezer to enjoy in soups and chili this winter!!
Somebody forgot to turn the faucet off! Wow. What a crazy summer between drought and flood. Oh, I meant to tell you, the Red/Gold potatoes from Burpee..... outstanding!! Nice little potatoes with a creamy flavor, yellow colored flesh. I think I'll venture out and grab a Delicata squash for tonight!
What a gorgeous day! We had rain (sorry if you had storms!) and now sun and great temps. It doesn't get much better than this. Except if there's a garden tour! I want to share this info with you:
The 2nd Annual Parade of Community Gardens! Celebrate the wealth and diversity of community gardens in the Twin Cities during the 2nd annual Parade of Community Gardens! On Saturday, August 18th from 10AM – 2PM. Free event, all welcome! Visit one garden in your neighborhood or many around the Twin Cities. Gardens will feature a variety of attractions including tasty veggies, massage, ice-cream, music, art in the garden and more! This event is coordinated by GardenWorks, a program of The Green Institute. More information, maps and garden descriptions available at www.gardenworksMN.org or (612) 278-7123
Hello! Today I'm going to copy some information over to you that I just received from the University of Minnesota. It's obviously timely and always great info:
Water management is the key to keeping landscape trees, shrubs healthy
By Gary Johnson, University of Minnesota Extension
ST. PAUL, Minn. (8/13/2007) — Good water management-- not fertilizers, growth regulators or biological soil inoculants-- is the most important “secret” to keeping landscape trees and shrubs healthy
For water management tools, invest in several good soaker hoses or drip watering tapes. Most hardware stores, home improvement centers or garden centers have soaker hoses. Watering tape is usually something that is special ordered, and costs about the same as a soaker hose, often a bit less. Both soaker hoses or and watering tapes are more efficient than lawn sprinklers.
Another basic tool is a soil probe. With a probe, a 6- to 18-inch core of soil can be pulled from the rhizosphere (the root environment) of the landscape’s trees and shrubs. Checking this soil core will eliminate the need for guessing. Again, these can be found in many good garden centers, or online. Just type in “soil probe” in any search engine and a variety of resources will pop up, with prices ranging from $30 to $200. Expect to invest about $75 for a good one for home use.
For newly planted trees and shrubs, water should be supplied by either you or the clouds twice a week for the first growing season (which ends when the soil is frozen). As a rule of thumb, supply 1.5 to 2.5 gallons of water per inch of stem diameter (the higher rate for fast-draining, sandy soils) per irrigation.
Established young trees and shrubs need a thorough soaking in the critical root zone once per week as a normal course of action. With the soil probe, check the soil moisture. As a minimum, the top 8 to 12 inches of soil should be moist – but not saturated.
For the lifetime of established trees and shrubs, make certain that the rhizosphere is moist to a depth of at least 12 inches throughout the growing season, which includes the autumn until the soil freezes. Place the watering devices within the canopy or critical root zone of the landscape trees and shrubs. Generally, there’s no need to irrigate closer than three feet or so to the trunks of trees since there are few fine roots in that area.
Don’t guess if you’ve watered enough or long enough. Use the soil probe, don’t believe weather reports. They’re only semi-accurate, and most rains don’t provide enough moisture for the rhizosphere. It usually takes an extended rainy period to thoroughly moisten the soil.
Greetings Gardeners! If you've got a crunchy lawn then you're like everyone else. So what IS doing well? For flowers, it's Echinacea, Gaillardia, zinnias, and an annual I planted that I found really cheap when Cub was selling out their stock. It's a hibiscus but it's grown for it's GORGEOUS maroon foliage and it's huge!! I've got it on the south side of a garage, tucked between cement and rock..... and it LOVES it. This hibiscus is 3 1/2 feet tall and about that wide too. I would highly recommend this guy. It's a Proven Winners brand called 'Maple Sugar'.
Just dug up my first potatoes!! I'll let ya know how they taste, I hear my husband calling me for dinner..............
I'm sooooooo tired of rainless days! I know, I know, so is everyone else who's watering their hanging baskets twice a day and trying to keep your garden veggies alive to harvest! Speaking of harvest, the green beans I planted have been outstanding producers. They're Burpee brand "Heavy Weight II" and they're a bush style rather than the vining type. I've had LOTS of beans, enough to give some (notice I said SOME ;)). I will plant this type again. My cukes are crazy... they're called Sugar Crunch, and again, it's Burpee brand seed. My beets are almost done. I should've planted a few successive plantings.... next year! Happy weeding! Teri
Crunch, crunch, crunch goes the sound of feet on grass! But what about those echinaceas?! Some of our flowers are flourishing in this heat.... the Coneflower is a great example. There are so many new varieties to choose from too. Coneflowers, or Echinacea, offer lots of continuous bloom, some fragrance, and a tolerance for heat and poor soil.. Some new cultivars are also hardy to zone 3 including 'Green Envy', 'Harvest moon' and 'Coconut Lime' to name a few! Check out my podcasts on 1029litefm.com or my website www.gardenbite.com
Greetings gardeners on yet another hot, dry day! EEK, my containers are crying for at least twice a day waterings and some of my annuals planted in the ground are also drying out faster than the established perennials. I just found out this weekend that some annuals that may have been planted later in the season might not establish themselves in your soil and will need to be treated as though they are in containers. In other words, MORE WATER, please! We were trying to keep up on the lawn but, at this point, I just feel guilty about excessive watering. To keep your grass alive (there are no guarantees!) your lawn should get about an inch of water every 2 weeks, or about a 1/4 inch a week.... again, that's just to keep it alive, not looking great. For a green lawn during July and August, your lawn needs from 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water a week. Weeds get a chance to take over weakened lawns but your best not to apply a herbicide right now because they may be rough on your lawn also.... so the cure could be worse than the disease! Choose your most important plants to water and then keep it up! Mulch, mulch, mulch to retain moisture. Good luck and stay cool! Teri
Garden Tours are such a great way to see what others are up to in their "backyards"!! I've been to some that I'm AMAZED. Well be prepared to be amazed and entertained! The Red Wing Arts Association is putting on a garden tour complete with 6 gardens to gaze at, artists to show their work and musicians to entertain you while you enjoy the view! It's this Sunday, July 15th. For more information, check out this website: http://www.redwingarts.org/
A couple of girlfriends and I went strawberry picking this weekend and made strawberry jam! Oh my, tasty stuff!! We got up early and headed out to Lowrances. We each wound up with about 12 pounds of berries and lots of slugs. (the plants were loaded with them, but they're small and full of protein.) I'm just kidding.... they were easy to remove! What a fun way to spend the day... we put up 6 batches of jam and have more berries in the freezer ready for me to either make more jam or take out in the dead of winter and eat with sugar and whipped cream. So much for the diet!
It's a great time to get picking! Call ahead to your favorite farm to find out the best times to pick. Raspberry season's coming soon................
Do you have a bunch of those ugly plastic containers from garden centers? Wish you could recycle them? Good news, you can this weekend. Drop off clean plastic pots between 9am and 3pm this Saturday and Sunday at metro-area garden centers and nurseries. Check out www.GardenMinnesota.com for a list. Last year this program collected more than 52.5 TONS of plastic pots. (and that was only the black pots) This year you can recycle the colored pots as well. They're ground up and used for landscape lumber and other reusable products. Way cool! Happy recycling! Teri
I HAD TO SHARE THIS PIC OF MY DOG "HELPING" MY HUSBAND BUILD OUR RAISED BED GARDEN!
Happy Monday! Argh! We had our first meal of homegrown broccoli this weekend. Yum! I've never grown it before, it gets HUGE. This is also our first year of having a raised bed for the veggies. I really like it and so do the onions and beets by the looks of things. My carrots got in a little late so they're still pretty small. My husband designed a "yin and yang" shape using retaining wall brick about 12 inches tall and a little taller in some areas. The above photo is from last Fall when we (he!) was building it. I've got 4 heirloom variety tomatoes, buttercup and delicata squash, and potatoes! I've never grown those either so I'm real curious to see how it goes. Right now, they look lovely.
*On another note, we are still in a major deficit for water. Keep watering your annuals, your containers need water twice a day in the heat and give your shrubs and trees a good drink too. If you're watering your lawn, this will help your trees too. Happy Gardening! Teri
Thanks to all the folks who came out to Cedar Acres Bachman's last Saturday!! That was so fun! And, yes, we created some gorgeous looking containers!
It's Rose Week on my daily Garden Bite that airs at 5:55am weekdays. I always thought roses were fussy so never paid much attention to them. If a plant's not willing to put forth a little effort, I'm not going to baby it for long! Well, I've discovered a HUGE assortment of some fantastic landscape roses......... for your foundation, for slopes, for incredible hardiness and non-stop summer flowering. Check out www.gardenbite.com for more information!!
Hiya fellow gardeners! I would LOVE to see you all at Bachman’s Cedar Acres store in Lakeville this Saturday, June 9th from 10a to noon. I’ll be out there doing container demonstrations. I’ll put together a kitchen garden, a sun and a shade garden. We’ll dig in with some scented geraniums and thymes that will have you wanting more! You’ll learn some easy tips to keep those containers in tip top shape! We’ll talk about some unique containers that you may even have in your attic…. Stop by those garage sales and you may find your next “statement” container for the garden, maybe a bit of whimsy! The rose picture is a Rainbow Knockout from Bachman's!
Last weekend was off and on wet but we planted out at UMORE park. That’s the University of Minnesota Outreach, Research and Education park off County Road 46 in Rosemount. The Dakota County Master Gardeners plant and maintain the park. If you’ve not had a chance, I urge you to take a peak! http://www.umorepark.umn.edu/
Have you ever wondered where the daisy came from? Or what's the real meaning of the word Nasturtium, the peppery flavored flower? Bring your kids to Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis this Sunday, June 3rd. At 3p and 4p, I'll be there with gardening projects for the kids. We'll plant seeds and learn what country the seeds come from originally, we'll paint our own flower pots to take home. And just have some fun!
Greetings! The above picture is the Rhododendruns at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. One of my favorite places on Earth! If you're looking for great ideas, look to the Arboretum. Wildflower Garden, Rock Garden, Perennial Garden, Woodland Wildflowers, Tulips, Rhododendrons, Iris, Azaleas, Lilacs, Peonies, Yellow Ladyslipper. Yup, that's just a taste of what's out at the Arboretum!! Here's a link to get you there: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/
It's Emerald Ash Borer Awareness week as declared by the University of MN. This insect LOVES ash trees and has already destroyed 20 million trees, mostly in Michigan. It was brought here inadvertently on firewood sold at Menards. After it was discovered, most of the wood was destroyed and customers were told to burn the wood immediately. Unfortunately, no one knows if it's on the loose now. One way or another it will make it's way here. One thing you can do to help is not to transport firewood anywhere... not even within Minnesota. So if you go camping this weekend, just buy the wood at the site you're at. If you think you've seen the Emerald Ash Borer, contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on their Arrest the Pests Hotline at (651) 201-MOTH (6684) or 1-888-545-MOTH | | |
