More Organics

Shade Containers

ellen — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:25:19 +0000

When people have shade in their yard, they either don’t realize that shade is less than 4 hours of sun, or they’re bummed. Consider it a blessing. When it’s mid summer and 90-something degrees, you’ll be lounging and happy. There are so many great ways to add color and unique foliage to a shade container.

Think tropicals and house plants. Many of our indoor plants are tropicals that need low light. Consider adding them to your container, especially Swedish ivy or wandering Jew that like to spill over the sides. Both of these can be clipped and set directly in soil to take root.
Ferns
Impatiens, both the New Guinea (larger flower) and common
Begonias
Caladium and Elephant Ears
Coleus
Fuschia

Most of these plants like to stay damp, not wet, but evenly moist. Misting and watering daily will mimic their tropical origins.

Plant Buds

ellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:53:29 +0000

painted daisy

Things are just about to burst open!

peonies in the next few days!

geum's red buds

purple clematis bud

climbing rose buds

love in mist

Hail

ellen — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:44:26 +0000

This past Thursday night, a hail storm passed over the Northside of Chicago. Luckily, it’s early in the season and the most damage was to lettuce leaves. But oh how it can make you worry when you hear it falling. I remember last year, we got a hail storm after most people had planted their tomatoes and eggplants. There was some damage, but nature survived. If hail strikes, just remove any badly damaged leaves and try to add support if anything had been blown to the side.

Early Blooms

ellen — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:14:25 +0000

Last year at this time, I was traveling on the East Coast. In North Carolina, the roses were in full bloom. Funny enough with this spring we’re having, my roses are just about ready to open!

Clematis is open and climbing, and the tulips are near done. This year has caught the stores by surprise. Yesterday I went out to look for annuals and found the pickings to be slim. Give them a week or two and plan your summer planting a weekend down the line, you’ll be happier with the selection. With that said, enjoy the perennials in bloom now and our warm weather!

Best Advice For Those New to Gardening

ellen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:15:19 +0000

Ask yourself if you will tend a garden plot. Will I have time to water and weed?
Start small. It’s best to start out with a few pots or maybe one bed.
Starting with these vegetables from seed can be very rewarding: carrots, lettuce, kale, cucumbers, beans, squash.
Take a long look at the light you have coming in.

Is the sun shining 6-8 hours of the day? That’s full sun.
Is it 4-6 hours? Part sun.
Less than 4 hours? Shade.

Don’t be afraid to mix edibles with non edible flowers. Many flowering plants brighten up a garden and invite beneficial bugs. Line your bed with sweet alysum. Put a row sunflowers or zinnia in the back of a bed as to not block any light. Intermix marigold or nasturiums between plants. Any space large or small, when well attended (meaning daily during germination) can be fruitful and beautiful.

Be the Best Gardener You Can

ellen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:24:41 +0000

Every gardener, hobbyist or professional, gets excited about plants. Be it talking about plants, planting plants, getting new plants, looking at plants, but the success of a garden all starts with the soil.

Be kind to your soil!

Use compost over fertilizers to build healthy organic humus rich soil.
Try to work the soil as little as possible to create less compaction.
Add plants whose roots help aerate the soil and bring up nutrients from below, like yarrow, crimson clover, sunflower, and legumes.
Practice crop rotation each year. By alternating plants, especially vegetables, in different parts of your garden you give the soil a break from a certain plant taking the same nutrients from the soil year after year. It also helps prevent the possibility of disease.
Don’t kill off the mushrooms! Mushrooms are a part of decomposition.
Watch for worms. Earthworms make paths for roots to expand in, as well as bringing up nutrients from below.
Mulch. Be aware that if you mulch in a damp spot in your yard, that this may bring slugs, an unwelcome guest.

Gardeners are patient and watchful people by nature. Just make sure you keep an eye on your soil too.

Tulips

ellen — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:35:03 +0000

Tulips have a somewhat famous history. Originally from the mountains of the Middle East, they grow wild in about 150 different types. Once they were brought to the Netherlands, Tulip mania ensued. Used as currency, a bed or even a single bulb, was enough to buy house. The bubble of this economic boom was very short lived, only about a year with it’s peak in Feb 1637. The most sought after were the variegated petaled variety.

Since then we garden enthusiasts still love our unique blooms. Majestic and full of such vibrant color, it’s hard to not look forward to the weeks of tulip blooms.

Jackson Park on Chicago’s Southside

ellen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:57:36 +0000

This past Easter Sunday, I hiked the trails of the Japanese Garden and bird sanctuary at Jackson Park. The Japanese Garden is a reconstruction on the original site of the Japanese Garden from the Chicago World’s Fair 1893. In the background you can see the Museum of Science and Industry, which is the only building to survive from the World’s Fair.

Then begins the wooded path, where I was hoping to see some Monk Parakeets. Supposedly a colony of these birds lives on the south side, escapees from a 1960s shipment of them to be sold as pets.

Past the woodland is a more open prairie with weeping willows blowing in the breeze and Canadian geese nesting along the canal.

The trail is very easy to hike and takes about an hour. Parking is cheap, $2 for 2 hours. Well worth it!

What Seeds to Sow in Early Spring

ellen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:49:26 +0000

Believe it or not, there are vegetables that like the soil temperature to be a little cool, around 50 degrees. So when you get in the gardening mood this early, these little guys are ready to join in.

Beets
Broccoli
Carrots
Collards
Kale
Lettuce
Peas
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

Follow the seed sowing depths and distances between seedlings as listed on your seed packets. Remember to water your seeds, they need evenly moist soil to germinate.

I’m a fan of inter-planting and not making perfect rows. Even if you do plant in perfect rows, labeling your seed plots is a good idea. Enjoy our early Spring this year!

Springtime Blooms and Tasks

ellen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:08:08 +0000

Spring, and there is always something to do in the garden. This past weekend, I added compost to my pots, in which some still had flowering pansies from last fall! With about 4 weeks til our supposed frost free date, I decided to plant some cold crop seeds:

carnival carrots ( in very loose and compost rich soil to encourage the tap root to grow straight)
dino kale
rainbow swiss chard
french breakfast radish

It’s a pleasure to be out in the brisk morning air when there’s a little bit of sunshine and beautiful spring blooms.