Archive for organic gardener
My Organic Garden – Impatient with my Impatiens
Posted by: | CommentsHello and welcome (back) to our blog and to another entry in my virtual organic gardening journal on another beautiful Friday after a rather hot week in the Greater Toronto Area. You can read previous entries of my journal here. Today we are taking a break from my vegetable garden to discuss flowers. I know I don’t usually write about flowers but I’ve been meaning to bring this up but first a little background.
Impatiens image courtesy of flowersgallery.net
The only flowers I have are located in a shaded area that leads up to the stairs of my front porch. I have found that very little grows in this shaded area and I have tried a host of flowers over the last few years. In the end the only flowers that tend to grow are impatiens but I’ve grown impatient with my impatiens. I set out to try something different this year. While at a big box hardware store I was intrigued by those new plant rolls. For those that are not aware of this product it’s a bio-degradable mat that has pre-germinated seeds woven into it. The brand I bought was specifically for shaded areas and boasted over twelve hundred seeds. It was as simple as loosening the soil, rolling out the mat, and watering. I planted them on May 29th (after the frost) and the instruction said to water these plants twice daily and I did. I watered diligently until I saw some little seedlings start to sprout and then I watered regularly. I followed the instruction exactly and soon a few of my sprouts became larger but I have to say I was disappointed with the result. Out of the twelve hundred seeds a mere six plants have grown but none with buds.
Now I’m always advocating trying something new and being fearless in the garden and that is why I tried this new product. However, in this case, I made sure the flower roll I bought had a satisfaction guarantee so I contacted the company and they will be sending me a fresh roll next year to make up for the lack of growth. The representative on the phone instructed me to keep the roll in place and give it more time as shade rolls sometimes take a bit longer to grow but I’m not hopeful. I’ll wait this roll out and give these seeds a second shot next year with a backup plan.
Luckily my annuals came back again so the flowerbed that lines my walkway is not entirely barren. In my other flowerbed I have a dwarf lilac bush, that no longer lives up to its name as it is huge but that’s another blog. Feast or famine I tell ya – I’m either wondering why plants are not growing or in awe of their size.
Have you tried these flower rolls? If so, in what condition and how did it work out for you?
As always happy gardening and remember to support your local organic farmer.
Tags: Eco Friendly, eco friendly living, eco-friendly lifestyle, eco-friendly products, ecofriendly, Green Living, greener lifestyle, organic garden, organic gardener, organic gardening, planet forward, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable, sustainable choices, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable solutions, TorontoMy Organic Garden Part 8 – The Return of the Wise Sage and Other Herbs
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Sage - image courtesy of cherylsgardengoodies.wordpress.com
Hello and welcome (back) to Planet Forward‘s Sustainable Scribe and to another entry of my virtual organic gardening journal on this beautiful Friday in the amazing Greater Toronto area. Today, I am excited to write about the return of a few plants from last year and I’d like to start with my sage which actually came back as it was supposed to! I know that for some people this may not seem like a great achievement but I assure you, for me and my garden, it is a huge triumph. For some reason perennials and I just don’t mix as they never seem to come back for me. The sage I’m referring to is in these planters that I cover when the temperature starts to drop. As a result I usually have herbs growing into late November (depending on the arrival of the first snow) which is a feat here in Southern Ontario. I left the tarp over the planters and I was expecting to start the season having to clean up the dead herbs, weeds and turn the soil like I normally have to but this time I got quite the surprise. This time when I lifted the tarp it was like an art unveiling. I removed the tarp and was met with a thriving and fairly large sage plant. I think I gasped. This little plant managed to come up despite the bitter, harsh winter it had to endure. I was so thrilled that the plant came back as I love fresh sage and love using fresh herbs in my cooking. Given all my recent garden struggles, it was as if the sage was wisely reminding me everything was going to work out fine. Hmmmm…perhaps there is a reason why this wise plant is called sage.
Sage is not the only plant that has come back this year either as my chives also returned shortly after. Not simply the chives in the planters either but also the chives that have taken up residence between the cracks of my patio stones. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the chives really seem to thrive in the tiny gaps in the patio stones and I cannot bear to rip them out. Instead I just cut them back and allow them to keep growing. Although I must say that the best place for chives in my yard continues to be under my barbecue. In fact, I now refer to them as “barbecue chives” because there is a marked difference in the quality and appearance. The “barbecue chives” are substantially thicker, taller, stand completely straight and are healthier than the rest. The chives are so big that I have already cut them and used them in my cooking. In fact, I am already nearing a point where I will have to cut all the chives back, wash them and then dry them in my dehydrator. My first crop! Last year I dried enough chives to last me throughout the winter and I’m just getting rid of the last of them now.
Though the start of my garden was rough I have renewed energy and am excited to see what sustainable deliciousness this gardening season will bring. I look forward to the next few months of weeding, watering and worrying about my crop.
If you have any tips, tricks, stories or advice please pass them along to me. Thanks to all the Linkedin members for sharing your experiences and words of advice.
Happy organic gardening and this time I really mean it.
Tags: Eco Friendly, eco friendly living, eco-friendly lifestyle, eco-friendly organic garden, ecofriendly, Greater Toronto Area, Green Living, greener lifestyle, ontario, organic garden, organic gardener, organic gardening, planet forward, southern ontario, sustainable, sustainable choices, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable solutions, TorontoMy Organic Garden Part 7 – Hope Restored
Posted by: | CommentsHello and welcome (back) to the blog for another entry in my online organic garden diary chronicling my first foray into starting my garden in the Greater Toronto Area from seed. If interested, you can read my previous post here.
After some gloomy entries, I am happy to write that things are starting to look good for some of my little seedlings. The garden Gods seem to have heard my pleas and just may be cracking a smile my way as my seedlings are showing real signs of life. As planned, I placed the planters that actually had wispy sprouts in them on the windowsills of the main floor of the house and they seem to be responding positively. The organic zucchini seeds that are part of my go-to-guru (GTG) Martha Stewart’s line are sprouting. These signs of life are very encouraging and are making me once again look forward to actually planting although I have a few things to attend to before I get to that.
As you know at the end of every garden season it is customary to “close” the garden. This usually entails pulling out all the dead or dying plants sometime in the fall (or whenever the harvest occurs in your area) and leaving it clean for the winter. Last year I started this process and did it in stages. As each crop died off I pulled that row out and continued letting the few other plants that were still thriving remain. I had every intention of finishing the project and leaving a clean garden for the winter but as the saying goes, life got in the way. So right now my garden looks like something out of a horror movie as there are dead tomato plants tied to their stakes, new weeds everywhere and it is just a mess. The icing on the cake is the relic that once was the arbor from my Sicilian zucchini fiasco last season.
So now my ever growing list of garden to-dos consists of:
Looking forward to preparing my garden - image courtesy of mendocinogreenhouse.com
- pulling out the remaining plants from last year
- turning my clay-like soil
- pulling out the weeds by the root to deter them from coming back
- tilling the soil
- removing the arbor
- adding organic topsoil and some sort of organic nutrients to the clay-like soil
As you can see I’m a bit behind and it all needs to be done quickly if I intend to have a garden this season. At this point it looks like I will have to buy the vast majority of my plants from a nursery. As my experience with my local nurseries last year left a lot to be desired I’m going to branch out and try new ones that are a little further from my home. It is my sincere hope that they properly label their plants and that these plants will be viable.
Like every year, I hope that my garden will be fruitful. Although we have gotten off to a rocky start, I dream that my seedlings will soon thrive and perfectly complement the plants that I purchase. As a 20-something urbanite, I took to gardening for the thrill of growing my own food and because it has the unique quality of being both relaxing and challenging. You have to be willing to take risks and make mistakes to truly appreciate gardening and let it become the beloved hobby that it has for me. This year I’ve learned that sometimes plants will die even when I have read every book and think I have everything covered. I’ve also learned that with every passing day/year in my garden, I gain a greater respect for where my food comes from and the work, love and time that goes into harvesting it. I have incredible respect for farmers.
“Attention shoppers! Buy with a conscience and save the family farm.” – Neil Young
My heartfelt thanks and appreciations to all for the insightful feedback, comments and advice you’ve given me about organic gardening. Please keep sharing your tips, tricks and stories. It takes a village.
Thanks and as always happy organic gardening.
Neil Young, Long May You Run – Farm Aid 2010
