It’s easy to go overboard.

Trust me.  I’ve done it.  And while there are worse sins than ordering  too many seeds–space, sunshine and water are limited.  I want to make the most of my garden, and my garden budget. 

So when blog partner Melissa and I got together to plan our seed purchases,  we started with a list. 

Here it is–

Tomatoes are on the top.  We’ll order those first. 

Sweet Chelsea, Floralina, Bella Rosa, Goliath, and Red Jelly bean are favorites from previous years.  Green Zebra and Mortgage Lifter are new to us–recommended by trusted Southern gardening friends.   

Also on the list–Calypso Cucumber, developed by NC State; a milder Mexican pepper and some flashy new morning-glory vines from a place my sister found called Summer Hill. 

One more step before Melissa and I open the catalogs–we inventoried our seeds from last year.  No sense in ordering something we already have. 

All that said–I’m sure some flowers seeds will end up on my list.  I like to try a new flower or two every year.   So  send suggestions please.  What flowers do you always start from seed? What’s new and special on your order this year?

PS  Melissa and I aren’t the only gardeners putting vegetables first.  Pal Megan just shared an interesting article from the NY Times about the trend toward growing more food, fewer flowers.  Here’s the link, with some flower growing suggestions.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/garden/flower-seed-suggestions-from-expert-gardeners.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

I was fortunate to have awesome friends that offered a unique solution to my soil amendment problem – Composted Llama Do.  You read it right–poop from Llamas. You can’t buy that at your local big box home improvement store.

Pile 'O Llama Poop

First of all, let me thank and give a shout out to some friends Megan and Ivy for sharing their precious treasure with me.  They have both llamas and donkeys on their little Chatham County farm.  They tirelessly clean after their llamas and pile up the poo to compost.

Co-blog writer, Chris, and I went out to Chatham County to collect this black gold for my garden bed.  As you would imagine, we had to shovel and wheelbarrow about 12 loads of the compost in the truck.  Then we had a fabulous lunch of salad, homemade bread and homemade pimento cheese, while all our dogs frolicked in the woods.

The Truck Load

What goes in the truck must come out.  So we headed to my place, and got the wheel barrow and shovel and moved the composted llama poo to my vegetable garden.  It was a chilly day, but cold temps could not stop me from this unique experience or the compost to amend my soil.  We will see how it does come spring and summer.

Unloading the Black Gold

Load by load, I filled my garden bed

TIP: You know when manure is fully composted and ready to be added to your soil when you no longer smell it.

To my surprise, this wasn’t a stinky adventure, since this batch of llama stuff was fully composted.

Happy Veggie Garden

So there you have it…a story about driving miles for poo for the garden….but I would do just about anything for my garden, wouldn’t you?

Do you have any wild adventures you would like to share in pursuit of gardening? Comment below.

Happy Gardening.

melissa

Thanks again Megan and Ivy…your llamas rock!

#1) Inventory the seeds you’re already holding .  Seeds DO last a few years if they’re stored well.  Just remember that the germination rate will go down over time. 

#2) Plan what you’re going grow from seed.  Tomatoes are on the top of my list because they’re easy, rewarding and you have so many choices from seed.  I also love to try new flowers–but try not to get carried away.   Notice I said “try”.

#3) Start saving appropriate containers for seed starting.  The blue mushroom container is wide and shallow.  I’ll punch some holes in the bottom and it will be perfect for sowing seeds.  The cardboard oatmeal and coffee tins are long and skinny–wonderful for setting tomato seedling nice and low. 

#4)  Finally place your seed orders by the end of the month.  You’ll get the best selection, service and may even get an early bird discount.   Here’s a post from a few years ago that lists some of my favorite seed sources. http://youshouldgrowthat.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/time-to-order-seeds/

Pal Jon from Floral Dimensions  and I were splitting  the program, and like the old TV producers that we are, we were set up early and fine tuning our Powerpoint presentations with plenty of time to kill…. 

I was even helping one of the hostesses rearrange chairs….before we realized this was the wrong location, wrong meeting, wrong garden club. 

Good News–there are lots of gardeners and garden clubs out there.  They have good programs and do many worthy projects.

Bad News–many garden clubs meet on Tuesdays in locations very close to one another.  It’s easy to get confused. 

Fortunately, Jon and I were able to rush around the corner and make our talks at the right house. 

Thanks to the nice ladies of the  Town & Country Garden Club for waiting.   I really enjoyed meeting you and talking  about my garden and how  this blog helps me share it.  

In the two years Melissa and I have been posting on You Should Grow That, we’ve had 27 thousand views, swapped ideas,  solutions, seeds, and plants.  We’ve also made a ton of garden friends and gained great perspective.

So share your gardens–in a talk, a blog, a comment,  a conversation, an invitation, a Facebook page.  

No one gardens alone.   We all need ideas, inspiration, encouragement…and the free plants don’t hurt.

Weeds, Weeds, Weeds

I don’t know about you, but I hate weeding.  It is an endless chore when you have a garden.  But I must admit, this weekend the conditions were perfect for what I call a “weed-a-thon.”  An unexpected warm winter weekend offered the perfect environment to appreciate weeding.

Why were these the perfect conditions for weeding? I will tell you 4 reasons why…

1. An unexpected warm day in the middle of winter--normally this time of year, it is too cold to get out and work in the garden.  These near 70 degree temps inspired me.
2. The ground was moist–it is terrible to pull weeds when the ground is frozen or dry.  Right after a good rain or a series of showers when the ground is moist really helps loosen those roots.
3. Since it is the winter, most weeds aren’t even close to seeding, so this really helps you keep the weeds from spreading if you pull them now
4. Young weeds are easier to pull.  With all the unusual warm temperatures, I had more weeds than normal this time of year, but since they are young, they are a whole lots easier to pull up than when they get established

I am not sure if we will get any more of these types of days for the rest of the winter.  But I suggest you take note of the weeding tips,  you will need them come spring regardless.

What about you? Do you have weeding tips you would like to share?

Happy Gardening

Melissa

Chard–Kale–Turnip Greens

Here’s a mess (as my grandmother would say) just cut and ready for Monday night’s dinner.    

While grandmother loved to cook her greens a long, LONG time, I approach mine like an Italian–that means with a light hand:

Rinse in a colander and shake off excess water.  (Some water will cling to leaves and that’s ok.  It helps them cook)

Dump greens  into a large, wide  skillet and toss with some good olive oil and salt. 

Now I add my secret ingredient:  Polli Garlic and Spicy Peppers from Capri Flavors, optional–but a great product to have in your frig. 

Top with a lid and cook over medium high until greens are just wilted and barely tender. 

Dress with a little vinegar if desired (I use white balsamic, another Capri Flavors favorite). 

And that’s what’s cooking at my house–How about yours?  Is anything from the garden on your table this January?

But on a much more serious note…I suck at house plants.

Desperate House Plants--Check out my carnage in 2011

I was reminded of this shortcoming over the holidays as I see people’s gloriously decorated homes and their fabulous, green, LIVING house plants.

But I really don’t feel so bad after my Uncle Will said his father was terrible at keeping house plants alive–keep in mind his father, Herb Rea, was a master horticulturist and lead grounds designer and keeper at Historic Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC. So even the best of us, have issues with keeping house plants alive.

So you want to know the Top 2 Errors that Lead to Murdered Houseplants?

1)Light–most people don’t have a convenient place to put plants that has enough light for them to thrive

2)Water–People either over-water or under water (I am guilty of under watering…poor plants…I often forget they are there, until they are brown and droopy.)

So for the new year, I am going to set a goal.  I have 3 thriving house plants and I want to keep them alive and thriving for a whole year.

Here are the three lucky, surviving house plants that will be the focus of my new year’s goal.

My Giant Sago Palm--My grandmother kept this one alive...it was a hand me down.

Jade Plant--I have tried this one before...with a little luck and water perhaps this one will survive.

Christmas Cactus--I sure hope it lives to bring good cheer

Fingers crossed, I can turn my plant murdering ways around.

What about you? Do you have any new year’s plant goals? Share below…

Happy Gardening.

melissa

Cherry Trees blooming.

Osmanthus and Forsythia are showing off some tiny blooms.

Spring bulbs peaking–my hyacinth have started to peak through…way too early for these guys!

The mild weather has tricked these plants into coming out sooner than they should.  The freezing frost sent the first signal of winter and with the recent upswing in temperatures, these spring plants think its time to show off.

What does this mean? Well, the good news is that it won’t cause permanent damage to your plants.  Bad news..those will probably frost over and die and you will have less blooms come spring time.  So make a mental note when spring comes and your flowers are not blooming as prolifically as the past, there is a reason–the wild winter weather that tricked them into blooming early.

Enjoy the show while you can…this year it will be a 2-part miniseries of blossoms.

Happy Gardening.

melissa

This is an especially good year for this small-to-medium sized tree.  Thanks to the mild weather, it has been blooming for about 3 weeks outside our bedroom window.  But even in cold years, there are December blooms in my Wake County (NC) garden. 

Prunus autumnalis also blooms in the spring–but so do many other trees, shrubs, etc. 

The pale pink flowers really shine now–against the December-grey of our woods.   

One more note about our Prunus Autumnalis.   Twenty years ago when my father passed away, my best pal gave me this tree to remember him by.  

What a lovely monument to his spirit and her friendship. 

Prunus Autumnalis–there’s still time to add it to your list for Santa or buy it for yourself.   December and January are great times to plant in NC. 

Happy Holidays to you all.  Thanks for reading the blog and sharing your thoughts and comments.    And may the new year  bring you one inch of gentle rain every week.

For more than a decade, his tree has spent summers outside, winters in the window.  It rewards us with home-grown lemons–about a dozen this year. 

This morning’s harvest is going to become a pan of wonderful sweet-tart lemon bars. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easy-lemon-squares-10000000222664/ Home-grown lemons put the store-bought stuff to shame.

Dwarf fruit trees like Meyer Lemon make wonderful holiday gifts.  Bill’s tree shares the window with a fantastic Kumquat that my very generous big brother ordered  from CA for my gift last year.   Both trees will perfume the house with their blooms next month. Then we can look forward to next years fruit.