Mother Earth's Garden

I have a mid June Garden Update for you, or is it almost the end of June already? Why does the summer fly by so fast, and the winter seem to drag on forever?
My peas are almost ready. Their little pods are finally filling out, I think it’s about time since I planted them way back in April.

I’m starting to harvest some onions, they’re not huge but they’re just the right size to slice up for sandwiches and salads.
My tomatoes all have blooms, or little green tomatoes growing on them. Hopefully I’m on track to start getting some ripe …read more

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It’s that time of year when everyone is buying mom or grandma a beautiful Easter Lily, but what happens to these beautiful plants after the Easter celebrations are finished? You have this beautiful blooming plant, now what do you do with it?
It’s likely that your Easter Lily gift was forced to bloom early by a florist or greenhouse. This makes it a little trickier if you’d like to transplant your lily and have it come back next year. But it can be done.
Keep your Lily indoors in its original pot until all danger of Spring frost is done. …read more

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If you’re planning to start seeds indoors, a little preplanning and preparation can save you problems later, and maybe a few dollars too.
When I start seedlings indoors I usually use biodegradable pots, make my own pots, or reuse plastic pots that I’ve gotten when I purchased plants.
If I reuse plastic pots I wash them in hot soapy water, and lay them out to dry. If you can catch a warm day, lay them out in the sun.
I also make my own potting soil, or sometimes reuse potting soil I have on hand. You can make your own …read more

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I’m still working on putting together the information for beginning gardeners I promised the other day. In the mean time here’s a video series from Monkey See that is a great tutorial for beginning vegetable gardeners.
Here’s the first video in the series:

 
Check out the rest of the vegetable gardening series here. It’s a wonderful series by Ed Bruske is a Master Gardener and president of D.C. Urban Gardeners.

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Coleus has always been one of my favorite foliage plants. I really enjoy its cheery, bright leaves. It’s such a versatile plant, it can look beautiful in the shade or in full sun.
Coleus is a relatively easy to care for annual, that looks good all summer. To keep your coleus from getting leggy, simply pinch off the tops once in a while. Pinching off the top of the plant will help your coleus branch out, and keep it from getting tall and leggy.
Coleus prefers rich well drained soil, and like most plants it does not do well in …read more

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I’m a big hosta fan. We have several large mature trees around our house, so about half of the border garden around my house is shaded. Hostas grow great in the shade, and require very little work to look beautiful.
I’ve long forgotten most of their names. I know the one pictured above is a blue angel hosta, but I don’t know the names of any of the rest of them. The blue angel is more beautiful than this photo shows. It has an almost iridescent blue color. There’s one flower spike coming up, it has a white flower …read more

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Here’s a quick video with some great native plants for woodland, or shady garden areas. These plants will do well in most northern gardens.
This video’s from Monkeysee.com, they have several other great gardening, and how to videos. Every time I go there, I find several new videos to check out.

Technorati Tags: native plants,woodland garden,shade garden,local plants

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Companion planting is based on the idea that some plants grow better when they’re planted together. One plant has something the other one needs, or one plant helps camouflage the other plant from pests.
There have been entire books written on the subject of companion planting, and I just may write a review or two of some of my favorite resources in the upcoming days. In the mean time here are some of my favorite companion planting ideas.
One of my favorites comes from the Iroquois Indians and it’s called The Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are corn, beans, …read more

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It’s spring flower time! Actually I guess it’s April shower time, and some of you know that better than others with the recent flooding. The showers should bring us some blooming spring flowers in the upcoming weeks.
One of my favorite spring flowers is daffodils. They are so easy to grow, and a great spring blooming flower for naturalizing in meadows, and ditches.
Daffodils love the sun, but I have some in the front of my house where they’re shaded for part of the day. Even with the partial shade I have brilliant blooms every spring.
Daffodils like lots …read more

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Everyone thinks of Shamrocks as the three leaf symbol of St. Patrick’s Day. Many don’t know there is an actual shamrock plant. Shamrock plants are a tender potted plant that grows from a bulb like root system. The Shamrock plant is a popular gift this time of year but many recipients don’t know how to care for their new plant.
Shamrocks plants are easily grown as houseplants, they enjoy bright indirect sunlight.  Since Shamrocks grow from a bulb, they enjoy a period of dormancy every year. During the winter months trim back the plants brown leaves, give the plant very little …read more

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