Growing Herbs Indoors
- On November 30, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Container Gardening, Herbs, Indoor Gardening
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One of the things I love most about summer is having an herb garden right outside my back door. Oregano, basil, dill, tarragon, sage, lavender, parsley and several kinds of thyme are right there ready to snip and toss into soup, salad or whatever we’re making, anytime. Sadly, having fresh herbs at the ready is just a six-month pleasure here in the Arctic, so in recent years I’ve been trying to grow herbs indoors once the weather starts to turn cold. I say “trying” because, honestly, it has been a bit trying, literally. But I’ve worked out some kinks and I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you now.
By far, the biggest challenge when growing herbs indoors is lighting. I’ve read, and people have told me, that it’s possible to grow some herbs fairly well in a sunny window. I say those people don’t live in Minnesota in the winter — or maybe they try to see the good in spindly plants where I’m more in the “off with their spider-mite-infested heads” camp. There is one exception: chives. Chives do last a long time when grown in a sunny spot, and you can snip off what you need for months as long as you leave at least 2 inches of growth on the plant.
Read More»Plant Trees Now—And Be Sure to Water Them
- On September 19, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Soil, Trees and Shrubs
- 0
Everyone talks about spring being the best time to plant trees and that is true, usually. But fall is also a great time for tree planting as long as you don’t choose birch, firs, oaks and most fruit trees. Those do best when they get a spring start for reasons that are not really understood, though some think it has something to do with tree’s root systems. Trees with a large taproot that grows deep into the soil — rather than a network of finer roots closer to the surface — should not be planted in the fall, they say.
I’ll just add that my own completely unscientific research confirms that birch do better when planted in the spring. I have three birch trees, well, two now. The survivors were planted in the spring and the dead one was planted in the fall. It kicked the bucket in less than two years, which is when I Googled to find out what was up and discovered that I probably sentenced the poor thing to an early death by snapping it up at a fall plant sale and putting it in the ground.
Read More»Some Things To Know About Japanese Beetles
- On August 22, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Bugs, Organic Gardening, Perennials
- 0
For five years now I’ve fussed over bare-root sprigs and cuttings of Virginia creeper, nursing them into the lush vines that now cover three arbors and a couple of fences at my house. This week, I started ripping all those vines out because, sadly, Japanese beetles just love Virginia creeper. For a while, my husband and I thought we could live with the damage the beetles do —all those green leaves reduced to lacy brown ghosts of their former selves. But when scads of beetles and showers of the dust-like poo they leave behind started raining down from the arbor into our hair every time we shut the back gate, well, goodbye vines.
For those who aren’t familiar with Japanese beetles, they are actually quite fetching little bugs. Dime-sized with shiny purple-green bodies, they almost look like something a wacked-out artificial intelligence researcher would create in a sci-fi film. First spotted in 1968 in Minnesota, as well as on the East Coast, Japanese beetles have since plagued eastern states, primarily, while slowly making their way westward. Larvae, or grubs as they’re usually called, feed on the roots of turf grass and adult beetles feed on a wide variety of ornamental plants.
Read More»Controlling pests in the garden
- On June 12, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Bugs, Organic Gardening
- 0
As I type this I can almost hear the four-lined plant bugs out in my garden chomping away on many of my perennials — even my wee basil plants that are just trying to get a start for the summer. My basil! I have no qualms about squishing these yellow bugs with the fat, black stripes on their backs or flicking them into a pail of water to drown. But I don’t spray them with chemicals anymore. Sevin, insecticidal soup, homemade soap sprays, I’ve tried all kinds of concoctions to try to get rid of four-lined plant bugs and other pests over the years. None of them worked very well.
I don’t use chemicals on bugs anymore. It’s not that I think all chemicals are bad; I don’t. Though I do think chemicals should be used judiciously. Don’t worry. I’m not going to be all preachy in this column about what you should do when trying to deal with pests in your own garden. I’d just like to share what I’ve learned about pesticides over the last few years so you can make your own, informed choices about pest control whether that be through chemical or natural means.
Read More»Basil Downy Mildew
- On June 09, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Herbs
- 0
If you haven’t yet heard of basil downy mildew, you will. New to U.S. gardens in 2007, the disease has already been confirmed in more than a dozen states. The first sign of trouble is grayish spores on the underside of leaves. But these usually go unnoticed until the disease progresses and yellow splotches appear on the tops of leaves.
Read More»Perennials That Bloom and Bloom
- On June 04, 2011
- By Meleah
- In Perennials
- 0
Are you busy ordering up this year’s plants for the garden? If so, consider some of these long-blooming perennials that look great long past summer’s dog days.
- Hollyhock mallow ‘Mystic Merlin’ (Malva sylvestris ‘Mystic Merlin) offers up 2-inch blooms in shades of purple, mauve, and blue from early July until frost. Unlike traditional hollyhocks that bloom on a stalk, ‘Mystic Merlin’ produces flowers atop bushy foliage that can grow 4 feet tall. Zones 4 to 8.
- Blanket flower ‘Fanfare’ (Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’) is no ordinary blanket flower. Each flower petal on this compact plant flares out like a miniature trumpet in hues of red, orange, and yellow. Blooms last from late spring through fall. Grows 18 to 24 inches tall. Zones 3 to 9.
- Yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea) really pulls its weight in shade gardens. Lacy foliage is topped by dainty golden flowers. Blooms from late spring through fall. Grows about 15 inches tall. Zones 5 to 7.
- Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Geranium ‘Rozanne’) was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2008. Violet-blue blooms top masses of finely textured foliage and last from early summer to frost. Grows 16 inches tall. Shear back in mid summer to increase bloom. Zones 4 to 8.
