The dog days of summer are indeed upon us. August is one of the hottest months of summer. It is also time when children return to school and you may find you have a bit more time to garden than you did this summer.
Here in Indiana, zone 5/6, there is still plenty of time to plant cool weather crops. Some of these crops have their flavor enhanced when frost hits them. Other crops can be grown almost all winter with the use of cold frames or hoop houses. Cold frames and hoop houses do not cost a lot to make, but can provide an unlimited amount of protection for fall and winter crops.
A simple cold frame can be made out of four bales of straw and a window. Simply set the bales of straw up in a way so they are end to end in a square and place an old window on top. A hoop house can be made using plastic conduit and a piece of 6 mil. plastic. Simply push one end of the conduit into the ground, gently bend it over so the other end touches the ground on the other side of the piece that is in the ground and push it down. Put the conduit pieces two feet apart, making the hoop house as long as you like, cover with 6 mil. plastic and put sand bags, rocks or bricks on the plastic that touches the ground to hold it down.
Some good crops to direct sow this month include arugula, beets, carrots, chard, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, peas, radish, sorrel, lettuce, spinach and turnip. Cover crops include alfalfa, buckwheat, cowpeas, mustard, oats, radish and sunflower.
If you still have plants in your greenhouse or have access to seedlings, August is a good time to transplant young plants of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce and scallions.
Want to learn more about gardening year round? Pre-order a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening written by Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson.
Filed under Year-Round Gardening by on Aug 16th, 2010. Comment. 
Growing mushrooms from a mushroom kit is not hard, in fact, mushrooms are one of the easiest crops I have grown. Anyone, even a child, can grow their own mushrooms. Eat them fresh or preserve them by canning them, dehydrating them or freezing them – whatever you do with your home grown mushrooms it is sure to be a hit!
When your mushroom patch arrives you will notice it is covered in plastic. This is the incubation bag. The patch will look like a bunch of white popcorn that has been melted together with some brown patches on it. The brown patches are future mushrooms.
The first step in the process is to find a saucer large enough for your mushroom patch to sit in. Once you have done that, remove the mushroom patch from the incubation bag.
Put thesaucer in the humidty tent which is the plastic bag with holes in it that came in your kit. Sit the empty saucer with the humidity bag in a dark, cool spot.
Put the mushroom patch in the saucer and fill it with cool rainwater. Do not use chlorinated, filtered or distilled water!
Put some skewers, chop-sticks or knitting needles into the top of the mushroom patch. Pull the plastic humidity bag up over the mushroom patch and fold it down. Fasten the top of the bag with clothespins or paperclips.
Several times a day you will need to open the bag to mist the top of the mushroom patch and the sides of the bag. Use rainwater.
Within about two weeks you will have mushrooms. This process can be repeated several times by allowing the patch to dry out, then repeating the entire process. Some mushroom patches can then be incorporated into logs and established in your yard.
Filed under Tropical and Exotic Plants, Year-Round Gardening by on Jan 7th, 2010. 1 Comment.
It’s official – Amazon is taking pre-orders on The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year Round Gardening. Order your copy today so they are not sold out by the time the book is released in February 2010.
This book is so cool because it tells you, no matter what hardiness zone you are in, how to garden year round. It doesn’t matter if you have a heated or unheated greenhouse, garden indoors, use frost covers or cold frames, you can defy nature and grow many varieties of fresh produce year round.
Here in Indiana we have been successful with a variety of produce – lettuce, peas, radish, turnip, carrots, to name a few. In 2008, using season extending ideas like you will find in this book, I planted tomato plants on April 1.
Don’t miss your chance to own this fantastic book. Even seasoned gardeners are sure to learn something – and don’t let the name fool you, The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year Round Gardening should be on every gardeners’ bookshelf!
Filed under Tropical and Exotic Plants, Year-Round Gardening by on Jan 1st, 2010. Comment.
It is a cold, snowy 16 degrees F here today. As you can see from the picture above, my little unheated cold frame is not in a protected area. Behind it is the towers of the city water company. Last fall I planted some Wakefield Cabbage in there as well as some lettuce, spinach and radish seed. The lettuce and spinach seed did not germinate for some reason, but the radish seed germinated and grew just fine. Today, January 1, 2010, I was able to harvest fresh radish from inside the cold frame.
I did not use frost cover inside of the cold frame like I should have, nor did we get the bottoms and ends secured. If we had done both of those things, I am sure the harvest would have been better. Some of the smaller radish were frozen and soft, so I put those in the compost pile. The cabbages have faired pretty well, although I suspect they will bolt come spring.
I closed the cold frame up too early last year which meant the inside was much warmer than what cool crops like it. I was in a hurry and not really thinking about venting it on warm days.
After harvesting the radishes and pulling any tiny weeds that were trying to sprout, I used my handy circle hoe to work the top of the ground. The soil was quite dry and easy to work.
The next thing I did was water the raised beds. I did not drench the soil, I just gave it a gentle watering with a watering can. The top half inch or so of the soil is damp. That should be damp enough to allow the seeds to begin to germinate. In another couple of days, I will go back out and give the soil another sprinkling of water.
There are two beds inside of this particular cold frame. One is half filled with cabbage and the other half of that bed is where the radish were. I left that area unplanted for now. It will be the next area I plant, but for today, I chose to use the bed where nothing had been growing. I chose seeds from Renee’s Garden. Today I planted Romeo Round Baby Carrots and Asian Baby Leaf Gourmet Mesclun Salad. Both of these should do fine. I do not expect the seeds will germinate immediately, but we shall see.
We are in Indiana, zone 5/6. So as you can see, with a little protection is is possible to have a year-round garden, even in a cold climate. Want know more? Than check out The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening by Sheri Ann Richerson and Delilah Smittle.
Filed under Tropical and Exotic Plants, Vegetable Gardening, Year-Round Gardening by on Jan 1st, 2010. 2 Comments.
The plants in the greenhouse are doing so well that I decided it was time once again to dig into my seed stash to see what unusual seeds I could come up with. I have a nice stack sitting on the table beside me that I want to germinate over the next few weeks, however the two that I started with tonight are Colvillea racemosa and Eremophila maculata var. brevifolia.
I chose these two to start with for two reasons. The first reason is I love the flowers they will produce. The second reason is because the Colvillea is fragrant. I love fragrant plants as well as those with unusual flowers or foliage.
Colvillea racemosa
This plant has bright orange flowers that remind me, in pictures, of wisteria blooms. While I have not seen this plant in person, I have looked at photos online. I am in Indiana, so this zone 10 and 11 plant will remain in the greenhouse in a pot. This will help me control its natural growth which can be in excess of thrity feet tall. It prefers full sun to partial shade so the location I have planned for it in the greenhouse will be perfect.
Since all parts of this plant are poisonous, it will be grown close to my Brugmansia, which is also poisonous. By growing poisonous plants together in one area of the greenhouse, I can avoid any run off going into pots of edible plants, meaning there will not be a chance for the soil of the edible plants to be poisoned.
I am germinating the seed in a petri dishe with a bit of paper towel in the bottom. There is plenty of hot water in the bottom of the dish for the seed to absorb. It is my understanding that the seed can take up to fifteen days to germinate. A good soak in hot water seems to help speed up germination.
Bees, butterflies and birds love this plant, which to me is another plus in growing it. Although the bees here this year are just terrible, there is a need for them and it is necessary to provide enough nectar to keep them around and keep them happy.
Eremophila maculata var. brevifolia
Ah, the flora of Australia, I love it. There are so many cool plants from that area and this is another one. Hardy in zones 9 to 11, this plant will be greenhouse grown here in Indiana. Given that it is a rather small plant only reaching about four foot tall, keeping it happy in a pot should not be a problem.
Considering it is evergreen, has year-round blooms and is drought tolerant, it seems like a perfect plant for people in many locations.
I am germinating these in petri dishes as well, but do not have them in as much water as the Colvillea seeds.
Soaking in small containers with lids filled half way with hot water, I have Piper nigrum, Nicolaia elatior, double blue Clitoria, Schinus molle var. areira, golden chain tree and Desmos chinensis.
Filed under In The Greenhouse, Seed Starting, Year-Round Gardening by on Oct 1st, 2009. Comment.
The cool, crisp days of September are upon us. Most of the garden harvest is in and you may be thinking of putting your garden to bed for the winter. But wait! There is still time to plant more cool season crops in the Mid-West.
While it is true what you can plant this month is limited, there are still quite a few options for your fall and winter garden. Prepare your cold frames and frost covers just in case you need them. Remember you can make a cold frame from four bales of straw and an old window. This will protect young seedlings as well as older plants from frost or chilly nights.
This month you can direct sow argula, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive, lettuce, mache, mustard, parsley, peas, radish, sorrel, spinach and turnips. You can also transplant Chinese cabbage starts into the garden if you have any. Remember to keep your seeds and seedlings well watered. Getting your plants to grow well right now is the key to keeping them alive longer. Cool weather plants that are fully grown can be stored and harvested directly in the garden if they are given adequate protection from frost and fridgid weather.
If you are looking to plant cover crops over part of your garden, September is the time to plant alfalfa, buckwheat, hairy vetch, mustard, oats, radish, winter rye and winter wheat.
Want to learn more about gardening year round? Pre-order a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Year-Round Gardening written by Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson.
Filed under Year-Round Gardening by on Sep 4th, 2009. Comment.
Yes, folks, you read that right, today’s topic is planting vegetable seed in July. It is not too late here in the Midwest to get started gardening. If you already have a garden going, maybe there are some things that are just puckering out that could be replaced or maybe you have room to add some new crops. If you didn’t get around to planting this spring, well, you still have a chance to do just that. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and get your garden in gear!
Seeds that can be direct sown outdoors this month include beans, both snap and dry, just be sure to pick short season varieties. Carrots, chard, chinese cabbage, collards, cucumber, edamama, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, okra, parsnip, radish, rudabaga, sorrel, squash – both summer and winter varieties and turnip seeds can all be direct sown in July. As with the beans, look for short season varieties. This information can be found on the back of seed packets.
If you didn’t get enough herbs planted earlier in the season, now is the time to direct sow basil, cilantro and parsley.
Keep the weeds down to encourage better growth in your garden. Use newspaper – shredded or whole, straw – even if it has got wet, cardboard or any other type of material that will help block weeds. Plastic should be avoided if possible as it will sour the soil. You can also mulch your garden with finished compost to add extra nutrients to the soil and help block weed growth.
Filed under Herb Gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Year-Round Gardening by on Jul 23rd, 2009. Comment.
In the mail last night I received seeds from Renee’s Garden – http://www.reneesgarden.com. I cannot wait to see these bloom.
I received the following seeds:
Alyssum ‘Gulf Winds’ – this is supposed to be honey scented
Cobea scadens – Cathedral Bells – purple
Sweet Peas ‘Electric Blue’
Cupid’s Dart ‘Blue Amor’
Larkspur ‘Parisian Pink’
Sweet Peas ‘Pastel Sunset’
Sweet Peas ‘Watermelon’
Mounding Nasturtium ‘Cherries Jubilee’
Shirley poppies ‘Angels’ Choir’
Mexican Tulip Poppy
Miniature Roses ‘Angel Wings’
Sunflower ‘Chocolate Cherry’
Sunflower ‘Sunzilla’
Sweet Peas ‘Regal Robe’
Runway Arugula
Gourds ‘Wings and Warts’
Lettuce ‘Merveille de Quatre Saisons’
Gala Mache
Potatoes ‘Lucky Charms’
Japanese Spinach ‘Oriental Giant’
Beefsteak Tomato ‘Big Beef’
From recent trades I have received:
Clivia miniata
Amorphophallus knojac
Crinium amabile
Yellow Angel’s Trumpet
LA Fan Palm
Chamaedorea tepejilote – Pacaya Palm
Manzanita
Orchid pod
California native Sage
Toyon – California Holly Tree
Salvia apiana
Australian tea tree
Dudleya
unidentified palm or cycad
Cinnamomum cassia
Zahidi Date Palm
Echeveria
two sets of different semi-tropical fern spores
Salvia munzii
Salvia mellifera
Wow! Today’s mail just came in! It usually doesn’t come until 5 p.m. so it is really early today. I got some more seeds in. From Trade Winds Fruit – http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ – I got the following:
Cinnamomum zeylancium
Citrus hystrix – Kaffir Lime
Poncirus trifoliate ‘Flying Dragon’
From Johann in Deutschland I received lots of Peony seeds of the following varieties:
P. tenuifolia
P. triternuta ‘McLewin’
P. lithophila
P. ostii ‘Fen Dan Boci’
P. triternala ‘Krim’
P. rodeii ‘IR’
P. banatica
P. mascula ‘Sicily’
P. delavayii
I had a bit of trouble reading the writing on the packages but hope I have everything right on the Peonies.
Last Tuesday I picked another batch of fresh lettuce from the garden. Today I was able to harvest some Black Spanish Radish. While the Radish were smaller than last year they were still firm and since they were planted much later in the season than the ones last year were that accounts for the small size.
The Sugar Snap Peas continue to mature. There were some large peas, some small peas and some flowers still on the vines today.
I do think I will need to put a second layer of protection over them. I will use a second frost cover. The plants on the side the wind comes from had the most damage. I think giving another layer of protection will solve this problem.
Filed under Vegetable Gardening, Year-Round Gardening by on Dec 21st, 2004. Comment.
This has been another busy day. It was 50 degrees F here today. This is so unusual for this late in the season! Not that I am complaining mind you. I am just wondering what happened to winter. According to the weather man we will have a heat wave on Wednesday at 59 degrees F.
The peas, lettuce and radish in the cold frame are doing great! The roses are still blooming as are the mums. Many plants such as peony, perennial poppies and others are coming out of dormancy!
Inside I was busy planting today. So many seeds have begun to sprout. The Grevillea banksii var. Fosteri I planted on October 27, 2004 came up on December 4, 2004.
The Mucuna albutersi ‘Oxen Red Eye’ that I planted on November 15, 2004 came up today. I soaked these seeds for two days before planting them.
Today I potted up seeds that I began soaking yesterday. There were seeds of Synespalum dulcificum (Miracle Fruit), Telosma cordata, Aristolochia grandiflora, Brunfelsia americana, Cassia bahamaensis, Coffee ‘Arabica,’ Hedychium kinkaku, Key Lime and Malpighia glabra (Barbados Cherry).
I planted the following seeds yesterday, Helleborus green, Helleborus purple and Helleborus mixed from Bulgaria.
Filed under Seed Starting, Vegetable Gardening, Year-Round Gardening by on Dec 5th, 2004. Comment.
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