Dirty Fingers Muddy Knees

Bulb Layering

by Susan | Nov 13, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Bulbs & Tubers

I recently went to a lecture by Helen Dillon, a great plantswoman from Ireland. She was amazing, great personality and good showcase of her garden through pictures. One of the things she showed was her method of layering bulbs. The pots that she used were medium sized metal garbage cans.

Today, using her methods, I did some containers of my own. I like to use clay pots because they go better with the rest of my garden. When they are blooming I tuck them into a garden bed that needs color or just used on their own to bring a breath of spring that lasts for several weeks.

Here are some of the bulbs we will use in our containers. You will also need some fresh potting soil, and bulb food. Choose a good color combination that you will enjoy. The important thing is to choose a late tulip, a mid season tulip or narcissus, and small crocus and iris that are both early season bloomers.

Place soil in about 1/3 of the container. Add the late season bulbs around the soil and sprinkle with bulb food.

Add a layer of soil and firm down. Add the mid season bulbs next. You can make patterns by putting them in groupings within the pot if you wish.

Add the small crocus and iris, follow with the bulb food and more soil. I usually put the shorter growing bulbs around the edge and the taller ones in the center. The yellow crocus will look great with the dark purple iris.

The container will have a succession of flowers starting with the crocus and iris, then the mid season tulips or narcissus will come up through the dying foliage and the late season tulips will follow.

Don’t worry about the bulbs being planted deep. The bulbs will come up anyway. They can be replanted after bloom in the garden for next year’s flowers.

When finished, set the pots outside where they will stay cool and get watered. Putting the containers on a plastic tray will keep them from freezing and cracking. It is best to use a freeze proof container but the air space under the pot will add an extra layer of protection.

I like to re-use and recycle things so the plant labels are pieces of wood from a broken shutter. Simply use a Sharpie to describe the planting and maybe draw a little flower to decorate. Best of all have fun doing it, and enjoy the flowers this next spring.

Harvesting Mason Bees

by Susan | Oct 30, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Garden Critters

Winter is just around the corner and it is time to harvest my Mason Bees. Not everybody does a harvest but for the best life expectancy constant winter temperature is important.

First some help with the bee removal from my Granddaughter Kayla. We took apart the block of bees and separated all the material in the tubes. There were bees, pollen, mud, and feces. We had a couple of different type of tubes. The bamboo tubes have to be separated by cutting into one end and the breaking the tube apart.

We carefully pulled out the cocoons and threw away the mud plugs and rest of the debris. There are two sizes of bees. The bigger ones are the females and the smaller ones are males. There are some empty cocoons, these can be from pests, or the bee wasn’t good at building the cocoon.

In the pictures you can see some pollen and also some big sections of orange looking pollen. I think this might be mites so I will clean the cocoons with sand to get rid of the mite debris around the cocoons. Usually the mites will not really affect the bees when they are not in the tube but better to be safe than sorry.

After they are clean I will put them in a plastic produce box with a little moist paper towel in the bottom. It will stay in the refrigerator until next spring when the weather warms and then back they will go out into the mason bee house to pollinate again.

The most interesting things are the many small cocoons that are also in the tubes. These are likely native solitary bees that made a home in the bee house too. There are over 130 different varieties of bees in the garden. These will be stored with the mason bees. There are some tubes that are permanent in the house and they will stay outside until the bees come out of hibernation and they will make their own way out.

I’m excited that I have so many more bees than I put out last spring. Quite a harvest!

Click for More Information

www.crownbees.com

Mason Bee Harvest: 2016

by Susan | Oct 21, 2016 | LB Tutorial: Garden Critters

This has been a good year for my mason bees and they were fabulous in my garden. The apple trees were loaded with fruit and the veg garden did well. Now It is time to harvest the bees again this year. One of things I did different this year was to use cardboard tubes...

Harvesting Mason Bees

by Susan | Oct 30, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Garden Critters

Winter is just around the corner and it is time to harvest my Mason Bees. Not everybody does a harvest but for the best life expectancy constant winter temperature is important. First some help with the bee removal from my Granddaughter Kayla. We took apart the block...

Garden Design Primer: Scale

by Susan | Oct 18, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Design Challenge

Designing a garden can be tricky and every project is different. There is simply no cookie cutter approach to garden design. Each client comes with different needs, tastes, and property. What to know a secret? One of the hardest things to design is a blank slate. No kidding, it really is difficult. Having pre-existing features to work around often steers the design. For example, if the house is already built you can’t really move it to optimize the sun. Or, if there is a big slope with a drain field in it you can’t really change it.

Often I get to be in on the beginning of a project, before the house is even sited. While it is energizing and fun it is challenging as well. One of the hardest things to get right is scale because the scale garden should match the scale of the house. If the lot is covered with trees they affect the way the house is positioned, and often some must be removed to optimize sun. Here in the Pacific Northwest we always want more sun. Gray days tend to make homes dark so windows that face south are important. Tree planting, including height considerations, is very important. Shade on the west side is good and filtered sun on the east is also good.

Here are a couple of things to think about as you plan your garden.

Bones of a garden are structural features. These can include trees (both existing and planted), outbuildings like sheds, gazebos, and chicken coops, and gathering places like patios, fire pits, and sport/play areas. Planning these areas first helps with the planning of the rest of the garden.
The size of a garden is often determined by the owner more than the size of the property itself. How much garden do you want? Who will maintain it? These are important questions to answer. Many people like to leave areas ‘uncultivated’ or native. Sometimes lifestyle determines how much or how little space is cultivated or not.
Scale is one of the most important things to consider. One mistake many people make is not planning large enough beds to contain layers of plants. Fitting the house on the land and planting to blend it back into the land is about scale. A large house with small walkways and small beds feels tight and squeezed. Likewise, a small house with large beds and trees can feel overwhelmed and dwarfed by surroundings.

If a large house sits on a small lot (as is often the case now days) it is good to use taller thin trees and sweeps of the same types of plants to make it feel more grounded. The role of the landscape is to help the house blend in with the land around it.

Once scale is established planning what plants and hardscape to use is easier to determine. Think big, cozy, nestled, blended, integrated. These are all good descriptive words to get your brain thinking scale. Here are a few more ideas on how to incorporate appropriate scale…

Here is a bed along side a new outdoor seating area.

And again awhile later when the plants have grown in and matured.

Large trees with good scale on pathway between.

Large border in scale with large lawn and trees.

large house thin strip of pathway is in scale with house, airy taller plantings ground the house.

Taller trees in the background, smaller trees towards the house integrates trees and creates courtyard

Reap What You Sow & Sow What You Reap

by Susan | Oct 9, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Growing Food

I’m not a big seed saving person but I can’t really resist seeds when they are lying right in front of you. If you have never tried saving seeds before here is a little introductory tutorial for you. Veg seeds are easy to work with and usually very successful for home gardeners.

Before I start I realize that many people don’t see the need to save seeds. Lots of gardeners think that the $3.00 or so for a packet of seeds is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and are happy to support the seed companies. When I think about the history of gardening the seed companies were the last ones on the scene. Historically gardeners always set aside a section of their garden to save seeds for the next year. The way many plants were shared throughout the globe was by seeds. Seed trading was a valuable monetary contribution to small communities and villages in exotic places. Precious peony seeds were traded and sold for extravagant amounts. Even now the trade of snowdrops seedlings and seeds is a crazy horticultural frenzy in the UK.

The other thing to think about is the ability to have a variety of veg that does really well in your garden with all its exposure and water variables. A spinach plant comes to mind. It was so great in my garden, didn’t bolt, lasted a long time with out the leaves getting too big. Now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t save the seeds since I can no longer find them. It was not popular enough to continue to produce large amounts in a big seed company.

If you are a person that is worried about the climate change, end of the world, and GMO variables in our food supply then seed saving doesn’t need to be explained.

Most plants want to produce seed. It’s a survival thing. Herb seeds are particularly easy to grow. There are perennial herbs and annual herbs. The perennial ones can be counted on year after year but the annuals like basil and dill need to be planted each year.

Here is a picture of the dill florets with seed attached. They spill everywhere and are not hard to collect inside. Sometimes if they are very dry I cut them into a large paper bag so I don’t lose most of the seeds on the way in the house. I place them on a paper towel so they are easy to see.

The key with most seed saving is making sure that the seeds are totally dry before you put them into storage. I like to keep them on a towel in a west-facing windowsill for at least two weeks.

Basil harvest is a little different. The remaining plants are brought in and leaves are picked and dried separately from the seeds. See my great little wire bakery rack for drying herbs. It works well and is decorative for sitting around my kitchen for a week or so.

The Seeds are taken off and spread out. If they are already dry then they can be separated right away. If they are on the green side they need to be dried out until you can separate the husk from the seed.

Here is a picture of the seeds and husks.

Again to the paper towel these go, and another spot on the windowsill is secured.

I have friends that lay all the onions, and other dryable vegs in the garage and open the garage during the day and close it at night so the sun helps with the drying and the closed door keeps it from getting moist again at night. Herbs can be done this way if you are in a fairly wind free area during the drying process.

Bean seeds are also easy to keep. This pile of beans is from the ground and dried on the plants. If you forget to pick them they will dry up and are ready to be saved when you take out the plants for fall.

Beautiful seeds again collected and labeled. The Romano beans are all in rows together so it is easy to pick out the seeds. The other groups of seeds are three different varieties. Haricot vert, Nickel Fillet, and Baby fillet beans. It is fun to see all the varieties together and be able to pick out which ones were which. You can leave all of them in the packet together or separate them. They all grow about the same size and have the same maturity date. They may cross-pollinate and you could have a variety in your garden that is new.

Bean seeds need to be dried out as well so when you put them into packets they will not mold. Some of the beans are more dried than other when you are pulling them out of the shells. After they are dried they should be close to the same size. The moisture will come out of the bigger seeds and they will shrink.

Simple packets are available by checking out our ‘Leaving a Legacy’ post from last year. Blank seed packets are available on Amazon. They can make great gifts too.

What seeds are you saving this year?

Greenhouse Prep

by Susan | Sep 26, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Skills

BRR it’s getting cold out there… How can it be 37 degrees last night? I’m beginning to realize my neighbor was right when she said we lived in a frost pocket. It was 37 when I got in my car and by the time I turned off my road onto the main road it was 45. That is a pretty big difference in temperatures. My plants are ready to move inside and the greenhouse is almost ready.

Many times greenhouse keepers clean out their greenhouses in the spring after all the plants are moved out into pots or the ground. My greenhouse becomes home to my collection of hardy orchids during the summer so I don’t do a big spring clean out. I usually wait until after summer before the temperatures really drop to make tackle the task. It’s nice to have a little warning before the temps drop but three years ago we did not. It was warm and sunny with lows in the 50’s until November then one day in it was 30. Many plants were still in full leaf and blooming! That quick-freeze killed many established plants.

This year I’m ready and will get my non-hardy plants into the greenhouse before its too late. Before I do that though, I needed to get it finished.

Many of you saw the beginning of the greenhouse last year (click HERE to read about it). The bottom is made of cinderblock and the top of recycled windows. I only had enough windows last year to make the bottom row of windows and the rest was plastic. This year it was time to finish the top rows and take off the plastic. The windows I like to use are usually $4.00 each pane, if you get a craftsman style window it can be $20 or more. I usually opt for 1 or 2 pane windows. A total bill of $35.00 is pretty easy to swallow after looking at new window options or the polycarbonate at the hardware store. I used the polycarbonate for the roof last year and this year bought one more piece to fill in where the glass didn’t fit just right. Flexibility is the key to using recycled materials. Being precise and rigid will not help in making this greenhouse. Once the gaps are filled the eclectic look is rather fun.

After placing the rest of the windows I pressure washed the interior, cleaning out debris and old pots, throwing away dead plants and dumping it all on the compost heap.

Windows were washed and panes checked for cracks and or broken molding. I repaired what was important and left the rest. It is rustic after all.

The feed store has a safe disinfectant that I uses to spray the interior. It is the same type used at a Vet’s office or horse barn and is non-toxic to animals and people. Some bugs, viruses and fungus can hang out in the cracks and crevices of the greenhouse even after pressure washing. A good dose of disinfectant can solve MANY problems before they start.

After the interior was dry I filled the cracks and large spaces with foam weather-stripping. This is a type of material that you stuff in crevices and then caulk over the top and fills the space so the caulking can seal it. If the space was big I added a piece of wood, cut to fit. After the foam filler was in place the cracks can be caulked. I like to use a clear silicone exterior adhesive caulk. The windows have different paint colors so using a clear caulk looks better than white. (Next year I may paint the exterior).

Next, I checked the heater, filled up the propane tank and replaced lights. I have grow lights on a timer so the lights are on when I’m usually in the house in the evenings and it also extends the growing period.

BRINGING PLANTS INTO THE GREENHOUSE

Check each and every one for slugs and snails. One slug or snail can cause serious damage and lay eggs to hatch out all winter long.

Sometimes an organic ‘safe’ fungicide and pesticide is a good preventative idea. Usually mealy bugs and spider mites are killed in the summer sun but not always. Citrus is especially hard to keep pests off.

Water all transplants well. I usually put my tropicals in the garden so they have a chance to really grow. Putting them back in a container can be traumatic so give them some love.

Leave air space around all the plants. Do not try to cram too many in at one time (that is my biggest problem). If it is a coleus that you love just take cuttings and root those instead of trying to bring the whole thing in. Begonias can be overwintered as bulbs as can cannas and colocasias. Let them go dormant before bringing them in and save space for shrubs that can’t (check out this Little Bytes post for how to overwinter bulbs). Even bananas can be overwintered in a garage without soil.

This type of greenhouse is fun, economical and functional. It has plenty of space for tall plants as well as shelving for small succulents. There is usually a dry area of the greenhouse and a wet area. The dry area has the humidity but not constant water. Occasional water is best for those so not watering one whole section is easier to remember. If it gets really cold you can wrap the whole house with another layer of plastic to aid in insulation. I live in Zone 7 so seldom does it get in the below freezing for any length of time. The recycled windows are usually not double paned or insulated so they will lose heat if there is no sun and it gets extremely cold.

A greenhouse is a wonderful thing.

Fall Veg Planting

by Susan | Aug 28, 2015 | garden food, LB Tutorial: Growing Food

Even while the veg garden is still in full glory it is time to think about fall Vegetable planting. Looking at my garden I see I have some room in the garden where the lettuce has finished, the onions have been harvested and some beans have been pulled out. I left some of the beans in because although they have slowed in production there are still some blooms and beans still growing.

Flush from my success with the cantaloupe I decided to try cauliflower. While never having grown it before it was one of the small packages of vegetable starts available at Valley Nursery. Getting a head start shouldn’t hurt so the packet came home with me along with Onions and Broccoli. If you check out your local Nursery you will likely find winter vegetables also. Usually Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale are also available, but I still have these growing in my garden.

I spent a little time breaking up the soil. Roots of onions and lettuce make the soil a little compacted so a good aeration and dig through was in order then it’s time to plant. Two rows of a leaf lettuce blend and one row of head lettuce blend. Blends give you a good chance to get the best germination depending on the site conditions in the fall. Two rows of roquette (arugula) were next because you must have arugula to have Asian pear salad with goat cheese and arugula. The Asian pears are beautiful right now so I will use the rest of the existing row of arugula to eat now and store pears for later to use this row.

I had onion starts (evergreen bunching onions) and onion seeds (globe style mixture) to replant some of the onion bed next to the leeks.

To plant starts I make a depression that looks like a row with my finger. Then space the starts evenly down the row. Firm the soil around both sides of the start to get the seedling to stand upright. After watering them in I will check again to see if they are still standing upright. If not then they didn’t get property firmed in and you have a chance to do that again. They will need some good water as the days are still warm and sunny. Planting starts in this way means the roots are all laying in the ‘ditch’ and you don’t have to worry about some of the roots being broken off or left out of the hole.

The cauliflower starts are in a couple of places. Caution: do not plant the starts where cabbage has grown before. This is to keep them from contact with soil borne pathogens or pests that wait in the soil.

I planted new broccoli near the other broccoli. Although I’m still harvesting broccoli from the current patch I know there will be more needed later on. While over there I took out a couple of mature kale. I had planted kale seeds and they are awaiting their chance to mature under the big kale. They now have a chance next to the broccoli starts from the nursery.

After taking out the zucchini plants I put in some Pac Choy (type of Boy choy). It also likes a warm start and a cool season to mature.

Comment to tell me if and what you are growing for the fall veg season.

Happy Gardening!

Contain Your Plants

by Susan | Aug 21, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Container Gardening, Plantswoman Design

I don’t know about you but I have random collections of plants. I love succulents and I overwinter them in the greenhouse in small pots. When summer comes I’m ready to move them outside. BUT the very thought of having to water lots of small pots in odd places is daunting to say the least. So… a little pondering came up with a solution. I would use my collection as a vignette.

I purchased a couple of galvanized containers at a local store (TJMAXX).

Because I live near the beach I went and collected some driftwood and bits of beach debris. Because it is close and free I used it. You can use anything that is around you. If you live near a wooded area you can use old logs, branches, rocks, pretty much anything natural to create the interest around the pots.

I placed driftwood and debris under and around the containers. Using a couple of upside down plastic pots I elevated the shorter pots so they all are at approximately the same level. This creates easy watering and same type of sun exposure. The galvanized containers would hold water so I punched a small hole in them to allow excess water to drain out. If I ever wanted to reuse them and have them hold water I would just plug the hole with caulking.

Finished container.

Galvanized watering cans out of the greenhouse add to the display to finish it off.

Bringing the containers out and elevating them gives you a chance to see the interesting things in each plant.

Finished Display. Notice the old wheeled cart that the containers are sitting on? This allows me to move the plants around. When they first come out of the greenhouse they will get sun burnt if placed into direct sunlight. So, I move them from shade to part shade to more sun over a couple of weeks.

Smaller plants in an old plant pot carrier. This can be carried inside or placed on a table during a dinner then back out again. Versatility is the key here.

Join me on Facebook and share your succulent creations!

Designer’s Challenge: Pond Planting

by Susan | Jul 24, 2015 | LB Tutorial: Design Challenge

Gardening is not a static thing but always evolving and changing. Sometimes aspects of the garden present themselves as challenges when least expected. Often planning and planting go hand in hand but situations change and the plan needs to be improved upon.

My Koi Pond is one of those.

The urgency to build the pond and get the Koi moved dictated a position out of the way of possible remodel (planning for the future). It also needed to be close to the house because the Koi are actually pets that need to be related to, fed and even touched. They would not like to be tucked into an out of way place (relational site location). They must also be protected from predators so close monitoring is also essential (practical site location).

One thing that has become important is the need for controlling the algae in the pond. The sun is intense in this open location so the water temperature is warm and the algae love the light and the warm water. There are several ways to handle the algae problem in any pond such as bacterial filters (called bead filters), UV light treatments, and chemical treatments. However, one of the easiest and most effective is shade. By shading the water the light is blocked and water is cooler thus helping to control the growth of algae. The bead filter, UV Filter and chemical treatments are in use but right now the pond is still the color of pea soup and suspended algae is obscuring the fish!

My recent visit to the new garden of Little and Lewis on Bainbridge Island confirmed that shade was probably best solution. They have a small pond with fragrant water lily and pitcher plants (get Botanical name) located in the courtyard with overhanging bamboo, Tasmanian Tree Fern and Abutilon. Crazy non – natives that required protection and a heater in the pond but that also create shade that keeps algae at bay.

The challenge now is how to create lush shade near the Koi Pond without blocking the view to the water. Granted there is a certain aesthetic that can be used in creating the necessary shade and also shaping a more focused view instead of wide-open view. The same principal is seen in tree pruning called ‘limbing up’ in which the gardener trims off lower branches so the focal point is cast between the tree trunks. This gives you a more interesting view by framing it and focusing the eye towards it.

Plantings at the end of the pond will help eventually but will take a while to grow into the actual shade needed to be effective. Here is a first photo of a Japanese maple in position towards the southeast.

This is located in front of the view so it will block some view, and provide shade from the morning sun.

I would love to hear the thoughts of other Gardeners out there. Share your ideas and insights on the Challenge. Here is a layout of the space. Let me know what you think!!

Fresh From The Garden

by Susan | Jun 19, 2015 | garden food, LB Tutorial: Recipes

This time of year Rhubarb is at it’s peak. I love many things rhubarb and Rhubarb Ginger Jam is high on the list. This wonderful jam preserves this flavor into the fall and winter when you are craving rhubarb. It is wonderful on Ginger Scones with butter and clotted cream.

This recipe calls for forced rhubarb, which is pink not green and red. But I have used fresh picked rhubarb from my garden and it is great although not as pretty as the forced type would be.

Establishing Rhubarb can be a little tricky. Once it is established it is very tough. This year I put in two plants, one ‘cherry ripe’ and another that is just the regular variety. The regular cultivar is doing ok and the Cherry ripe looks dead. When I was at the nursery today their potted plants looked just as bad.

Make sure that the plant has a slightly solid soil with good nutrients. Add some compost and keep well watered. Beware of fast draining soil rhubarb is not a fan.

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam (adapted from Good Food magazine)

1 kg/2 lb 4 oz pink rhubarb trimmed weight

1kg/2lb 4 oz Sugar

1 box fruit pectin

Juice of 1 lemon and zest

2 oz crystallized ginger, finely chopped

4 cm piece of ginger, peeled

Wash rhubarb and slice into small pieces. Place into a large plastic bowl and add sugar, pectin, lemon, and chopped crystallized ginger. Finely grate peeled ginger directly over rhubarb.

Stir it thoroughly and cover with cling film and leave for about 2 hrs to allow the sugar to dissolve in the rhubarb juices. Stir it occasionally to encourage this process.

Pop a few small plates in the freezer. Put the mixture into a large pan, and set over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook at a fairly swift pace until the rhubarb is really tender and conserve has reached the setting point, about 10 -15 mins.

To test for a set drop ½ tsp of the jam onto a cold saucer, leave it for 30 secs. Then gently push it with the tip of your finger. If the jam wrinkles the setting point is reached. If not, continue to cook a couple of minutes more and test again.

Remove the pan from heat and pack into sterilized jars. Seal immediately and label with the date when cool.

Enjoy!