Thinning and Transplanting Purple Bearded Iris

Two weeks ago the tops of my Purple Bearded Iris were cut back to about 4 inches above the ground. They were ready, I was ready...they were overcrowded and not producing flowers like they used to. Also, the rhizomes were snaking out of the ground. The root systems were so bunched up that the roots were pushing the rhizomes to the surface. So today was the day for thinning and transplanting them. One large bunch had been planted in river rocks, thus all the rocks needed to be moved first (and continuously, since many seemed to have burrowed their way into the ground). Using a garden fork, I loosened the soil around the rhizomes, then removed the clumps of rhizomes in as large a bunch as I could handle. I carefully brushed the excess dirt off of the roots so they could be inspected, and placed the rhizomes in my folding cart.

It's important that you check the iris rhizomes for root borers or for softness and throw away any that are diseased or bug damaged. Luckily all my rhizomes were healthy, and I have enough to share with neighbors and co-workers.

I kept rhizomes with leaf fans that were each in pieces about 3 - 5 inches long for replanting. Four spots in my garden were selected that had the right combination of room and light. Holes deep and wide enough for groupings of 3-5 rhizomes were dug, then the rhizomes were placed just below ground level and facing away from each other with the roots spreading out. Next came a covering of organic compost over around the roots and over all in a mound that covers the leaves. Finally the mound was watered well, and will be watered with my garden drip until first frost. They'll get some moisture throughout the winter with snow melt and some BiOWiSH™ Crop to promote good absorption of the nutrients in the compost. My Purple Bearded Iris are set for roots to re-establish themselves in preparation of a glorious springtime bloom across the expanse of my back fence. Happy Composting!

"Organic" Pesticides

The thing I noticed pretty quickly about gardening organically was the plant destroying pests: bugs, weeds and critters. I knew about beneficial insects, the ones that eat the plant destroyers, and how they could be purchased online, mail order, or sometimes from local nurseries. I also knew that hot peppers could be used in some fashion as well. And my organic farmer husband has long used a soap and water mixture to discourage infestations of insects. But an article in the weekend real estate guide from the Sunday, June 11th Denver Post went into glorious detail about organic pesticides, why they work and a recipe to make it. Also included were some tips for reducing the likelihood of infestations.
First, the recipe: 3 garlic bulbs, 12 hot chili peppers, 2 TBSP vegetable oil, 5 squirts liquid dish soap and 7 cups of water. Blend these together using an electric blender and then strain through muslin cloth, storing in a spray bottle. I made a batch, and have initially found it pretty effective. I also noticed that it smells bad, but dissipates quickly. I think the garlic also helps makes it fairly sticky on the plants and cuts off the air supply to most pests.
Next, to attract beneficial insects, we should keep our gardens dry and healthy. Wet plants are more susceptible to infestations and fungus. Keep your garden mulched (you can use organic compost...easy to do with a tumbling composter from BestComposters.com!)so as to prevent weed growth and retain moisture for the plant roots, then trim leaves so that they don't lay on the ground. Certain plants will attract beneficial insects, like carrots, celery, parsley, caraway, Queen Ann's Lace, tansy, yarrow, daisies, blackeyed susans, asters marigolds and goldenrod.
I haven't tried the last steps to protecting my garden yet in any quantity. I do have the first three vegies, but I'm interested in adding some of the flowers around them to see what impact they'll have. I surely wish I could get our Homeowner's Association to ok chickens. I'm told they are a powerful ally in the war against slugs (not to mention the delicious fresh eggs that they give), and I really need an ally for that war!
Happy Composting!

Compost for Roses

I've got a rose bush that I planted for the fragrance that it has. It's not blooming yet, but has numerous buds just about to spread their lovely scent throughout my garden. I read yesterday that this month is the time to feed roses with fertilizer OR mulch one inch thick with compost. Well, you know which I'll be doing! Our tumbling composter, along with BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost from www.BestComposters.com has made an abundant supply of rich organic compost, thank goodness. We've used it to revitalize older garden beds, plant new beds like the raised bed my husband built to my specs, and start the garbage can potatoes. Seems like there can never be too much compost ready for the gardens! So when it stops raining, out I go to feed that lovely rose bush with an inch of compost all the way around. Better plan to add more compost to that raised bed, as well. The straw/alfalfa mix has been decomposing and the vegetables in the bed are in need of more soil and compost to send those roots out into. Happy Composting!

Perennials and Annual Soil Amendment

I just read an article in the Grow insert of the Denver Post, May 23, 2010 about the “Generous, forgiving, beautiful” nature of Salvia. It reminded me of the reason why I had planted one in my backyard garden: Salvia is (like me) exceedingly thrifty. One reason it is considered thrifty is that many varieties will reseed themselves, so while you may pay $12 or more for a potted Salvia plant, you can very well expect that it will triple next year and be able to transplant these plants to other areas of your garden. Word to the wise: have some empty places in your garden to accommodate the new Salvia plants, or give them to friends and neighbors to beautify their gardens!

Another reason Salvia supply their monies worth is that they do transplant readily. An easy dig up and relocation in many instances will provide you with sustained blooms from May through October. They come in a wide variety of colors, including purples, blues, pinks and reds. Salvia is also a hardy plant, so they typically thrive at elevations up to 8,500 feet above sea level, as well as being drought tolerant.

So, reading about Salvia’s many attributes reminded me that I have been remiss in amending the soil in my perennial beds. I know that it’s important to turn soil over and mix in compost. But the Newport Plum bushes along the back fence with perennials in between make it difficult to turn the soil over; I am reluctant to disturb the perennials’ roots for fear of disturbing the bloom. But this year is the year of organic compost! We have an abundance of 100% organic black gold, after composting all winter long with kitchen scraps, fall leaves, shredded newspaper and BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost. The latter’s organic enzymes kept the compost heap at a heated average of about 145º F degrees all winter, so all the composting materials were broken down just right. This Spring we have plenty of soil amendment to spread around, thank goodness, since we’ve added a raised vegetable bed and two garbage can potato planters to our otherwise sizable garden.

Therefore, before it gets too hot out in my South facing backyard, I’m heading out to (gently) turn the soil around my perennials, including that lovely Salvia, and add a generous amount of homegrown organic compost, worked in and as mulch, to feed those perennials and bushes that add so much enjoyment to my backyard experience. Happy Composting!

Twice As Nice Plants

The other day, I was reading the book "Grocery Gardening" (2009 Cool Springs Press) by food and garden writer Jean Ann Van Krevelen and her co-authors. It speaks to the frugal gardeners about planting, preparing and preserving garden produce. I believe I've said before that while I love my fresh from the garden vegies, I haven't done much in the way of preserving that produce. So far I've left that up to my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. They are pros at canning and freezing! No, I really don't leave it all up to them, but volunteer to help in other ways while they're preserving. But this year, I've vowed to at least do my own freezing, and this book has me motivated!
What really piqued my interest in “Grocery Gardening” was a discussion about vegetables and herbs that have double functionality, providing twice the benefit from growing them! My very favorite vegetable discussed in the book is beets and beet greens. Sometimes I think I love the greens more than I do the beet, but they're really good paired together with a little sautéed onion and just a touch of bacon grease. Yum! Chives are another favorite, are easy to grow and being perennial, will come back every year to bless your garden. Use the chives all through the growing season to flavor your recipes, but don't neglect the flowers in Spring! Clip those lovely purple flowers young and tender, rinse and pull apart into separate florets and toss with your favorite salad.
Some of the other plants listed as twice as nice are:
· Garlic and garlic scapes
· Cliantro and coriander
· Dill weed and dill seed
Fennel was listed as a TRIPLE duty plant since it has fronds, seeds and bulbs that can all be used and enjoyed in different ways. You might try looking up a recipe for Braised Fennel online - look for one that includes grated Gruyere cheese for a really yummy treat.
All these vegies, and more, will benefit from a hearty dose of home grown organic compost. Use it as a fertilizer, soil enhancer and mulch! Make composting easy with a tumbling composter from www.BestComposters.com. It's even easier when you add BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost: even if you don't have the exact mix of nitrogen and carbon materials, BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost will help those digestive organisms get heated up without any harmful chemicals - it's all 100% organic, from nature, for nature!

Not So Common Chive

I walked in my garden this week in our BestComposters.com Lawn Aerator Shoes so that all that wonderful moisture that we’ve gotten all week can make it’s way down to the roots of our lawn. It’s a really easy way to do something nice for your lawn! Beforehand, we’d spread a little of our compost as a dressing onto the lawn as well, and the nutrients will be absorbed more quickly with the aerating too. As I did my aerating and checked out what damage the storms might’ve done in our yard, I was overjoyed to see my alum schoenoprasum, or Common Chive, poking up through the Spring snow. This hardy and easy to grow perennial is one of two planted in my garden years ago when I discovered that my family enjoys snipped chive on baked potatoes. I personally love the sweet pink blossoms and look forward to adding them to my salads for a blast of color and splash of mild onion flavor. The chive plant is a member of the same family as onions, garlic and leeks and is lovely whipped into softened butter and added to mashed potatoes or on grilled meat. It can be added, as well, to sauces, soups and salads, and is especially yummy in chicken or tuna salad. The vibrant green pleases the eye as much as the flavor enhances the salad!

You can plant the seeds of the chive plant now in your garden, or anytime in a pot to set on a sunny window sill. Once it has bloomed (don’t forget to add those gorgeous clover-like blossoms to your salads!), the tops should be snipped all the way to the soil. You’ll be pleased to see them shoot right back up and provide you with more chives all through the summer and early fall.

Being from the garlic family, the flavor of chives is comparable to garlic, but can be savored by those of us who are sensitive to garlic without concern. And like garlic, chive has therapeutic qualities. It won’t keep the kids from Twilight away in a ring around your neck, but will aid digestion of rich foods, protect your respiratory system, and has antiseptic value.

Hints:
1. Freeze fresh chives by mincing the shoots, spreading in a flat casserole dish and flash freezing. They can then be stored in plastic freezer bags.
2. When cooking with chives, add them at the end of cooking.
3. Make chive butter by creaming 4 TBSP chopped chives with ½ cup softened butter. Add ½ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Roll into a cylinder in a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate for approximately one week.

Getting Started

Gardening is a lesson in self-sufficiency that can begin in early childhood.  I had always helped my dad with the Spring planting in our backyard garden.  Even though it wasn't extensive, the care of plants helped me understand about nurturing.  Dad taught me that if you are careful when the new life begins, and provide the necessary elements of water, sun and nutrient soil your efforts will pay off in beautiful blossoms all summer long.  We also grew rhubarb, which I was in charge of harvesting by the time I had lost my first baby tooth.  Mother would remove the leaves, wash it, and cut it into one inch pieces.  I helped.  Then she'd boil it for what seemed like hours until it had the consistency of a watery applesauce.  Then the frozen chunk of strawberries would enter the pot, to be boiled down to reduce the liquid.  When the sauce had thickened, it would come off the stovetop and I would be in charge of adding the sugar and mixing it in.  Of course this also meant that I was the taste tester!  Seems like we always had a container of rhubarb sauce in our refrigerator in the summer.

When my folks moved from their single family home to a townhome, my dad sorely missed his garden.  He found out that there were plots available at a community garden in our area.  He got himself a plot and began his experiment with growing vegetables seriously.  I was at college by then and didn't help with the soil preparation or planting.  I don't remember if he had seeds that he started inside, or store bought plants.  But I do remember that he loved to spend time in his garden, watching over and nurturing the plants, visiting with fellow gardeners, and then harvesting the bounty.  Neighbors all around benefited from his garden, since he'd planted way more than he and mom could consume.  Mom was never that domestic, so there wasn't a thought given to preserving the crops.  Just like his folks had, he and mom enjoyed gathering their fresh picked vegies and cooking them up the same day!

Community gardens are a great opportunity to meet fellow enthusiasts, learn new techniques and get your gardening fix.  The produce you grow can feed your family, and if you're not into preserving the excess, it often can be donated to local food banks to provide for those in need.  Get some kids involved in your gardening.  Help them learn about the soil, the elements required for growing plants, nurturing, how eating right can make you feel better, and different waysto care for others.
Happy Composting!

Soil Testing Part Deux

This is a follow up on my Jan. 8th post about wanting to check the chemical makeup of the soil in my garden. So I went online and searched for "soil testing kits" and found that there are a good number of companies out there offering kits, for prices varying from $4.95 to almost $20, to professional soil testing kits in the hundreds of dollars. Your local nursery and most likely your neighborhood hardware store will carry something that is usable and reasonably priced. Then I looked up how to do a soil test. Here's what a local store's website had to offer:
You need some supplies, such as:
- a clean bucket
- a garden trowel
- a clean container
- enough newspaper to spread out and let the soil samples dry out a little

Once the supplies are ready I'll:

1. Thoroughly clean the tools that I am using to collect the soil samples.
2. In the area that I'll be planting in, I'll dig five holes 6"-8" deep.
3. I'll take a 1/2" slice of soil along the side of a hole and place it in the bucket.
4. I'll repeat this process for all holes.
5. I'll collect samples from different areas that will be growing similar plants.
6. And I'll mix the soil in the bucket, then spread it on a newspaper to dry out. I'll need to collect a pint of soil for my sample

Helpful Hints:

• The best time to test soil is in the late fall or early spring. This gives you the time to make adjustments to the soil before you plant your garden, since soil corrections may take a few months to become effective.
• Wet soil can give a false test reading. Be sure to take the sample when the soil is fairly dry. You may want to check your soil more than once to verify your results.

Once I know what condition my soil is in, I can monitor the nutrients - Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potash (K) - which are all needed for plant growth, color and bloom. Nitrogen is essential for leaf growth and green coloration. Phosphorus helps with plant growth, fruit and seed development, and disease resistance. Potash strengthens the plant from the roots up! And pH levels measure the alkalinity or acidity of the soil. Some of these kits come with a listing of plants and what soil requirements they need. Look for that info!

I can hardly wait for those fresh veggies and blooms!