Isn't this just the cutest thing? And doesn't it look like a fairy is about to come out of the little door! from BBB Seeds(www.bbbseeds.com)

Hoping to grow cucumbers this year. I had a few lemon cukes make it last year but the Japanese long, killed by bacterial wilt caused by cucumber beetle. I hate cucumber beetles. Never have been able to grow cucumbers successfully, this year I hope it works. Going to cover the little plants until they are large enough to fend off said beetle and bacteria. Hope it works. Also, the Swiss chard did well, unfortunately I don't like it that much so I probably won't grow it next year although it is pretty and healthy (it comes in various colors). I really loved the bok choi I grew this year, but I can't remember the name of it. Am I the person who always tells you to write everything down?

Sorry I haven't posted in soooo long.  Health issues have kept me preoccupied.  However I am still gardening and things are looking better.  The strawberries were awesome this year and it looks like I will have blueberries from the lone blueberry bush in pot!  Snow peas, "Norli" from Park seeds were a hit as seedlings and the peapods are now coming in and they are prolific and tasty.  Can't say enough great things about them.  As for lettuce I have tried Jericho, also from Park seeds, a miniature romaine.  Delish, and survived a large dog (and one small one) running through the patch.  As always, I am impressed with the lettuce seed "Marvel of the Four Season's " (my translation from the French, my French spelling is even worse then my English spelling).  resists bolting and seems to taste good at any size.

Seed Exchange

This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to take part in a seed exchange with some avid vegetable gardeners.  I learned so much and got a bunch of seeds that I was about to order from catalogs, thus saving a few bucks.  I was a bit embarrassed because these people have been gardening  a while and were very organized. I am still at the "keep all of the seeds in a large tin container" stage.  I am starting to think I need to get file boxes.  In my defense this is the second year with my new raised beds and I didn't need to file anything before because I didn't have anything to file yet!  But this is the time to get organized since once the growing season gets underway one is less likely to take time to organize seeds (or other things.)  I am so glad I wrote down the names of all of the seeds and which company they were from.  Now re-ordering or exchanging seeds is so much easier because I know what I want and also, what I do not want.

In addition to vegetable seeds and some flower seeds too, I learned a lot from the other gardeners.  This group has been a Meetup group called the Northern Virginia Garden Ninjas but we are about to merge with another Meetup group, I will keep you posted.

Gift ideas for gardeners.

Whether you are giving a gift to a seasoned gardener or a newbie, and for what ever budget you have, there is always something a gardener can use. 

Generally I don’t recommend the sets of spades, trowels and other things, because they are often of low quality materials and break pretty quickly.  It is better to spend more money on one good tool, such as the ken-ho garden weeder(ken-ho is a style of weeder not the brand name), a good sturdy garden knife or a good pair of pruners (I recommend the Felco No.2 classic manual pruner, or the no. 6 for smaller hands).  OXO Good Grips makes many gardening tools that have their signature easy grip handles.  

Despite my extensive collection of gloves, I mainly use a pair of leather work gloves from a big box store. On the other hand (so to speak) having an extra pair of inexpensive cotton gloves handy isn’t a bad idea either.  Sometimes I just want to quickly grab a pair of gloves to yank a weed from the flower bed and my other pair is still be wet from the last chore. Hats are very important because gardners are always out in the sun. Other helpful things are kneelers, for knee protection, or a stool or rolling seat to avoid kneeling or bending.  I love my rolling seat, but sometimes I use the kneeler to get at a part of the garden where the rolling seat does not fit.

For most gardeners there are some regular household tools that you might not associate with gardening, yet would be helpful to have an extra one for the gardening shed.  These include, scissors, pliers, screwdriver, markers and pens.  An extra bottle of sunscreen, some hand scrub or gardeners hand cream makes a great gift idea as well.  

Books on gardening and journals to write in are also great ideas for gardeners.  I have books I recommend listed on the slideshow to the left.  

If money is tight offering your services is a wonderful way to give a gift and a great way to spend time with loved ones.  Remember, not much in the way of gardening is happening now, so write out an IOU for the spring.  

Happy gardening and happy holidays. 

Still time to plant Spring bulbs.

Gardening is all about hoping for the best.  This sense of hope is well represented by the spring bulb. Spring bulbs are nature’s little bundles of delayed gratification.  In each bulb is a harbinger of spring; a snow drop or crocus, a daffodil or tulip.  All this will be yours in exchange for some hard labor now in the fall. 

It is very easy to get carried away with purchasing spring bulbs. I should urge you not to go crazy purchasing bulbs, but it is hard to resist their allure. But remember, you will have to plant every single one of those bulk discount bulbs.  In our climate we can plant bulbs up until early December in some years if the ground doesn’t freeze, which happens at about 20-24 F.  However, it is best to plant them when there will still be some time for them to develop a root system before they go completely dormant for the winter.  Plant them too early and the heat will cause them to bloom and then be damaged in the coming cold periods.  If you have purchased so many that you cannot plant them all at once, as I have been known to do, they can be placed in a paper bag and put in the refrigerator until they can be planted.  Be sure to label the bags so you don’t plant alliums where you wanted the fritillaria.  Plant all bulbs, including tulips, to a depth of three times the height of the bulb. This depth will help them weather temperature fluctuations and supposedly foil squirrels. However, I never underestimate a squirrel’s ability to dig up something it wants and squirrels love tulips.  I try to preserve the tulips by rolling each bulb in chili powder as a repellent (remember even though chili powder is not toxic to humans, you do not want to inhale it or get some in your eyes!) Bulbs in pots are practically like cookie jars for squirrels, so cover tulips in containers with a bit of chicken wire. The wire keeps the squirrels from digging the bulbs out but lets the plant emerge. 

Bulbs are really some of the easiest flowers to grow and perhaps the most rewarding.  They only need sun, well draining soil and water if it becomes very dry. Remember that many bulbs emerge before trees have their leaves so a shady spot in summer will be sunny in the early spring.  For fertilizer I prefer to dig in some compost when planting, or organic bulb fertilizer. Don’t fuss too much. The truth is bulbs are little powerhouses of life.  Inside each bulb are the nutrients that the flower needs to bloom in spring.  So, be patient. If the flowers can make it through the winter only dreaming of blooming, so can you. 

TIPS: If you see little tips of bulbs coming out of the ground during a freak warm spell just cover them up with some shredded leaf mulch. 

Don’t forget the culinary bulbs, like garlic and shallots.  Divide a head of garlic or shallots into cloves and plant each one tip up. After the green shoots emerge, mulch with shredded leaves.  Next summer you will have plenty of garlic and shallots to eat and share. 

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, VA is a local source for bulbs. <brentandbeckysbulbs.com>

Fall: It's All About the Leaves

Where to pile the leaves, how to gather them up and what to do with them. Don't just bag them and throw them in the trash.

I  like to  (Or I should say my neighbor with the lawn mower does it for me)pile them up and go over them with a lawn mower to shred them for storage as compost.  They can be placed directly on top of beds to act as winter mulch but they will clump, so shredding gets rid of most of the clumping problems.  You can gather them with a gas blower, and that is how my neighbor helps me gather mine.  But I wish I had a manual leaf collector, it is quieter and doesn’t use up energy, except your own.  In many neighborhoods the local government will collect leaves for composting.  This is a great way to get rid of leaves that you don’t use yourself for compost or mulch.  But there are caveats.  First make sure there are not too many twigs and branches or larger objects.  Second, if you have any diseased plant debris, do not add this to the collection pile or add to your own compost.  The diseases which injured or killed the plant may survive the compost process and invade your garden again.  Also, if you use chemicals on your lawn or garden, do not add grass or plant clippings from things with chemicals on them.  These chemicals can be harmful to the beneficial bacteria and fungus in the compost.  Dispose of diseased and chemically treated yard waste through the trash. 

If you have a place to pile the leaves please keep them for a lovely compost material.  They can be used as the carbon component in your composter, or just let them rot where they are.  Or, add them to your layering when making a new “no dig” bed.