Category Archives: Gardening

Planting, Growing, Care

by | May 23, 2011 · 8:33 pm

Planting Companions

In nature, where plants grow without the ground being worked, there is always a mixture of plant types growing in an area that are happy in there habitat.  The type of plants living in an area depends on the soil type and climatic conditions .  Most plants that grow together in the wild are mutually beneficial in that they allow for maximum light utilization, moisture and soil conditions.  This is what we call companion planting.  Plants have a beneficial effect on different garden plants because of some peculiar characteristic of their growth, scent, or root formation and soil demands.  Some plants that have strong orders, including those with aromatic oils, play a role in determining just which insects visit the garden.  While some plants repel, they can also hinder the growth rate of other plants or otherwise adversely affect them.  I have seen good results and not so good.  Yes, tomatoes like carrots, but you do sacrifice a little bit in the size of your carrots due to the shading that tomatoes cause.  I don’t mind because I like tomatoes more and I like baby carrots better!  I have listed some things that grow well together. 

  • Basil: Tomatoes (improves growth and flavor)
  • Bean: Potatoes, carrots, cucumber, summer savory
  • Beets: Onions, kohlrabi
  • Borage: Tomatoes (improves flavor & growth, deters tomato worm, attracts bees) squash, strawberries
  • Carrots: Peas, lettuce, chives, onions, leeks, rosemary, sage, tomatoes
  • Chive: Radishes
  • Chervil:  Radishes (improves growth & flavor)
  • Dill: Cabbage (improves growth & health), carrots
  • Flax: Carrots & potatoes
  • Fennel: Most plants seem to dislike it. 
  • Garlic: Roses & raspberries (deters Japanese beetle), plant liberally throughout garden to deter pests
  • Horseradish:  Potatoes (deters potato beetle)
  • Hyssop: Cabbage (deters cabbage moths) grapes
  • Lemon Balm: Here and there in the garden
  • Marigold:  Keeps soil free of nematodes, discourages many insects. Plant freely in the garden.
  • Pea: Squash
  • Petunia: Protects beans, beneficial throughout the garden
  • Nasturtium: Deters aphids
  • Rosemary: Carrots, beans, cabbage, sage
  • Summer Savory: Beans, onions, deters bean beetles
  • Tansy: Plant under fruit trees, deters ants squash bugs
  • Thyme: Plant throughout the garden
  • Wormwood: As a border, keeps animals out of the garden
  • Yarrow: Plant along borders, near paths, enhances essential oils in production of herbs.

Not only do these plants improve the growing, flavor and overall health, they also give your garden interest and character.  Don’t forget to add to your garden journal which plants thrived and which, not so much.

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by | May 22, 2011 · 5:54 pm

Creating a Succulent Garden Bench

Even here where the temperatures reach above 100 degrees for more than three months and winter months dropping in the teens, these succulents grow and spread across the bench cheering up a blank space in a corner of the yard.  Simply cover the seat of the bench and up the back a ways in burlap and then a layer of thick weed mat.  Burlap is more appealing to look at then the weed mat, so that is the only reason for using it.  Use a good potting soil to fill in the seat and up the back and start planting your favorite succulents.  They will fill in with time but for an instant look plant thickly.  Tuck the burlap in and around the plants to cover any potting soil and weed mat.  Water in!  I only water about 2 to 3 times a week here in the desert and no water during the winter unless we have had a complete drought.  Use Hen and Chicks,  Dragons Blood Sedums,  Stonecrop and anything available.  Once they start to crowd out, thin out and share with a friend for their new bench.

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by | May 22, 2011 · 3:14 pm

Putting My Backyard to Work

When we moved into our home 23 years ago this coming July I never imagined I would be integrating so many things on our little 1/4 acre.  I soon filled our plot with a garden, fruit trees, shade trees, grass and flower beds.  I quickly ran out of room!  We had an adjoining lot that was a 1/4 acre also and it had been vacant since we moved in.  After filling up our little plot I soon decided to plant a small garden, 4 ft wide by 50 ft on the edge of that  lot.  And yes, of course it did indeed go up for sale. Isn’t that the way!  We never planned on buying that lot and soon found out we were destined to own it.  And that’s where it all began.  My husband brought home 3 baby chicks from the local feed store and that opened the doors.  Soon to follow were more chicks, ducks, goats, rabbits,bees, 2 cats, a dog and now even a small cow.  An orchard of 35 fruits trees were to start us off on that 1/4 acre lot now 48 fruit trees dwell within. 16 grape vines, a greenhouse, berry patches, cold frames, compost bins, chicken coop, barn, garden and a small retail cottage organic garden business all within that small 1/4 acre lot.  My husband probably wonders “what if” he didn’t bring home those 3 innocent chicks that April day.  I’m sure he never planned on such a life.  Just three chicks for the kids and a few eggs. 

We have been organic for 15 years now and found this is the only way to grow in harmony with our land.  Our garden, orchard and animals are defiantly work, but I can’t think of anything more rewarding in my life.  Today the “Urban Farm” is being more than just a way to supply your family with fresh produce, but it’s a becoming a movement I think we should all try!

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by | May 10, 2011 · 2:24 pm

Growing Garden Peas

One of my favorite memories as a child in the garden was eating fresh home-grown peas.  No garden should be without! Peas are one of the oldest food crops that were commonly grown in home gardens in colonial times.  Thomas Jefferson reported to have cataloged at least fifty varieties and grown at least thirty.  Records indicate that he competed with fellow growers as to see who could serve the first bowl of peas each spring.   There are shelling peas (a kids and my own favorite), snow peas and snap peas.   In my area I can plant peas around January weather permitting.  I do watch the soil temperature, making sure that it is at least 40 degrees F.  If  the weather is so cold and the forecast for the next week looks like ugly (like this year) I will wait.  Peas do best in cooler weather.  Once summer sets in, peas stop producing.  I also plant a crop in autumn 60 to 90 days before your first hard frost date, and then we enjoy peas late fall and into early winter.  I like to plant the low growing varieties.  The wind here can really whips the babies around.  As with any new crop you should prep your soil with compost and a good fertilizer.  I till in about 4″ of compost and use a well balance organic fertilizer.  When peas begin to bloom I give them another feeding of fertilizer.  I also like to sprinkle them with compost tea I brew often for the hungry plants.  Most packages will tell you to plant 1″ deep.  During spring plantings I only poke the seeds in the ground about 1/2″ and fall time, I will plant the full 1″.  The soil is cooler the further down you go, so I bring the seeds closer to the surface where it’s warmer during the early spring.   Sow the seed thickly in a rectangular block , and the vines will grow together into a fairly stable mass and help support each other.  Harvesting involves reaching into the block and picking the pods, no big deal.  You can produce a lot of peas in a small space this way.   Make successive planting every two weeks for a steady supply of peas.  Peas need water most when germinating and when the are blooming.  Check the plants daily.  Pods form quickly, and you want to pick them just as the peas have filled out the shells but before they start getting too mature and starchy.  Keeping the pods picked also extends the peas’ productive season.  When left on the vine the plant puts all of its energy into producing seed for survival.  By choosing the right variety, planting when the soil is warm enough, and harvesting at the right moment, you can enjoy that sweet, fresh taste available only to those who grow their own peas.

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