Fall Gardening

Well gang, fall's knocking on the western PA door! Annuals are starting to die off, gardens are coming to an end (not that they ever really did much this year!), and it's time for seed saving & clean up now! To save money during next year's gardening season, I always take time in the fall to start to gather seeds from the plants I want to start in my greenhouse. I label paper bags with the name of the plant, their color and how they grew for me - then drop my seeds in and pack them away in a cool dry location for winter. I've saved seeds from cosmos, marigolds, four o'clocks, gerbera daisys, zinnias, black-eyed susans, coneflowers, snap dragons, and sunflowers. That's just what I've gathered up so far!! Hard core horticulturists would probably scold me because it makes a difference if you're using seeds from a hybrid or an heirloom plant, but I always look at it as an adventure. It doesn't really matter to me if my red and white zinnias turn mostly red or white the next year. So if you're not trying to breed the next prize winning plant, gather up your seeds and save some money on your gardening bill next year! For more tips on how to save money and still expand your plants, check out my website. It's the EZ Gardening link to the right!

Gardening Depression

With the end of the gardening season around the corner for those of us in western Pennsylvania, I must say that this was one of the worst growing seasons that I can remember. Cool evenings and rain do not promote vegetable growth. We were lucky enough to get lots of cucumbers, squash, zucchini, cabbage, onions, potatoes and sweet corn. Peppers (both hot and sweet) are doing pretty well too. But I'm still missing my tomatoes. We've had some, but without the warm evenings, they just aren't turning red. And those that are turning red, just don't seem to have the flavor I dream about all winter. I know, pity party for me...

So with that said, I've accepted the fact that sometime Mother Nature does not want to play nice. I'm trying to move on and regroup, so this weekend will be the beginning of pre-fall clean up in our gardens and flower beds. Time to gather seeds for next year with the hope that we'll have a little better weather next summer.

Time to look forward to changing leaves, Chrysanthemums and decorating with corn stalks and hay bales. Time to dig out the fall decorations and gear up for the smells and sights of fall that are quickly approaching.

So to all of you gardeners out there - - hope you have a "fruit-full" summer!!

Gardening rant

It's the time of year when garderners dream of picking their first vine ripened tomato, peppers, etc. It's wonderful to walk to your back yard and put togehter a meal from your garden. But I've about had it with our weather. I don't know if it's an old wives tale or not, but I've always been told that tomatoes need warm nights to ripen. If that's the case (and it seems to be), I might never get a beautiful red tomato. The tomatoes are there - teasing me on the plants - but still as green as ever. Fried green tomatoes are great, but normally reserved for mid-summer when you have tomatoes coming out of your ears. I refuse for my first tomato of the season to be fried and green. So if any of you have sunshine and warm nights, please pass them along to western PA. Thank you.

Why Garden?

What is gardening?

Simple question right? The answers might surprise you and I hope they surprise me. (Actually I hope I get some answers!) I want to pose the question to you - - What do you think of when you think of gardening? Love it - hate it - whatever. Let me know in 5 words or less, what pops into your head.

Here's mine: sunshine, sweet smell, history, results

Beaten by oregano...

I love growing herbs and I love to win. Two things that shouldn’t be in the same sentence, but here’s my story of warning for you regarding some plants. I use a lot of oregano in my cooking. I use it fresh; freeze it; and dry it – so I can use my herbs yearlong. I began an oregano plot that was about 4-feet by 5-feet because I knew the plant would spread on its own and I wanted to have lots of space for my plants to expand. The first year it was beautiful; second year absolutely stunning; by the third year it ruled my life.

Sometime in that 3rd year, my 3-4 oregano plants outgrew their bed and expanded into my flowers, my mutant strawberry patch (more on that later) and into my other herbs (see photo above). I decided to get serious, grabbed my shovel and dug out clumps of it to move to other locations on my property. (A problem with some gardeners – you never intentionally kill a perfectly good plant – you just find it a new home.) I dug and dug until I was happy with my results and had, once again, a manageable oregano patch. But to my dismay, by the end of the year, it had taken over again and I regretfully admitted defeat. The oregano had won and it could do whatever it wanted.

The moral to this story is to be careful of what you plant and where you plant it. Herbs like oregano, mints, feverfew, and chamomile will spread either through root runners or by self-seeding (the ability for a plant to drop seeds that will germinate). Flowers like allysum, cosmos, nasturtium (header photo), sunflowers and tobacco plants can self-seed and germinate too.

If you want volunteer plants (term for plants that have resulted without a human planting the seed) self-seeding is great! It helps increase your plants without having to buy seeds or plants a second time. But if you don't want to deal with spreading herbs plant them in pots and for self-seeding plants, deadhead (term for removing the spent flowers) the flowers before they go to seed. If you’re diligent and do maintenance on your plants, you can beat these beasts, but if you sit back and just admire your work, the plants will win every time!

Starting with herbs
Herbs have been used for centuries for many purposes ranging from medicinal to culinary uses. The herbs I’ve grown over the years are primarily for cooking, but some are also for aromatic/ornamental and medicinal purposes.

Herbs are available as annuals, biennials and perennials.

• Annuals only live for one season.
• Biennials live for two, but will only bloom during the second season.
• Perennials are able to survive for multiple years – some will appear to die off in winter, but they will recover and begin to bloom again in spring/summer.

When choosing your herbs, it can sometimes be a little daunting. Whether you opt to start your own plants from seed or buy a plant, there are many options available and knowing what you want before you go to the store will help you stay focused on your purpose. Do you want a basic kitchen herb garden? Are you more adventurous and want to try exotic varieties? Do you want to make potpourri and need aromatic varieties? My recommendation to the new gardener is to start with the basics.

Here are some good starters:

• Sweet basil – an annual in most parts of the US. Typically used in Italian cuisine such as pesto sauce. Grows to about 18” tall.
• Oregano – a perennial. Typically used in Italian and Greek cuisine for sauces and salads. Can grow to 2’ tall and has a tendency to spread.
• Chives – a perennial. As a member of the onion family, chives have a multitude of uses. Grows to about 10” tall.
• Parsley (curly or flat leaf) – a hardy biennial. Widely used as a garnish, but can also be used in a wide variety of dishes. Can grow to about 18” tall.

These herbs can easily be grown in containers or in a garden plot. If you have a sunny windowsill or patio area, you can grow herbs. Regardless of where you plant your herbs, there’s one primary thing to keep in mind – drainage. Most herbs will not grow in wet soil, so make sure your plot has good drainage. When using pots, be sure to use a traditional potting mix, rather than a potting soil, to ensure appropriate drainage. Herbs are great because they are basically weeds – they grow wild in various regions – therefore, the care and attention you need to provide to them is fairly minimal.

TIP: Don’t make the mistake of only buying one small plant of each variety - then you feel like you have to ration the picking of the plant. Choose two – three of the same plant so you can begin picking and using your herbs immediately.

For more information on basic herbs such as dill, rosemary, sage, thyme and mint, visit http://www.ehow.com/topic_1014_beginners-guide-growing-herbs.html for videos on container herbs, herbs in the garden and additional tips for growing herbs.

Introduction
Hi - I'm Tina and one of my passions is gardening. With more and more people becoming interested in gardening, I'd like to offer you some tips and suggestions to create a beautiful, functional and inexpensive garden. Even those of you that think you can kill an artificial plant can grow vegetables, herbs and flowers to enhance your outdoor spaces and your kitchen table.

Here's some topics you can expect to see:

• Vegetables and herbs for beginners
• Cost saving tips for plants and seeds
• Maintenance-less (there's not such thing as maintenance-free) gardening
• Definitions of gardening terms

Stay tuned!