The Home Garden: Gardening in the Home Landscape

Feed Scrapers and Me

2009-12-09T08:16:00.000-06:00

I am by no means and expert on the subject but over the last couple months I've learned a lot about feed scrapers and content theft. It's an insidious problem that just seems to get worse. Mr. Brownthumb recently invited me to do a guest post on his blog GardenBloggers (a great place for garden bloggers to get blogging tips) about my feed scraping experiences and you can find it here: Feed Scrapers.

And just to update you on the feed scraping of this blog I've tackled two and had my blog removed but have since learned of two more. Thanks to good blogging neighbors, like Gail!

Sharp-Shinned Hawk in My Garden

2009-12-08T16:17:00.003-06:00

Imagine my surprise when I looked out of the back door and saw an accipter yesterday! That's a member of the Acciptridae family which are birds of prey like hawks. Don't worry I didn't know that either until now. I looked into what kind of hawk-falcon this bird was and finally settled on a Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) after comparing it with Cooper's Hawks and Kestrels. I'm not an ornithologist and if this hawk is something else please let me know but it matches all descriptions I can find of a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk. It lighted on a maple tree just outside of our vegetable garden.

I took quite a few pictures but none of them are of any great quality as I was shooting through a window and it was a cloudy day with poor light conditions. It was pretty neat to see but it's kind of a mixed blessing. Sharp-shinned hawks favorite prey is small birds and we do like to feed the birds... Of course they also feed on small animals which would be great if they would devour the field mice and voles but that will only happen after the chickadees and tit-mice become scarce.

According to what I've read at Cornell's Lab of Ornithology Sharp-shinned hawks have decided that backyard bird feeders are the place to be. Apparently I'm not only feeding the chickadees, cardinals, and finches!

Not GMO

2009-12-07T14:39:00.002-06:00

I think the whole subject of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) in our food supply is definitely worth its own post as many people (including myself) have some great concerns. I will not knowingly advocate for GMO's and definitely caution against their consumption. I am not a scientist and don't know all the facts regarding the genetic manipulation of organisms but I can't say I'm a fan of the idea behind Franken-Cucumber.

I hope to explore the subject in greater depth later but I felt that I needed to provide some information I received from Hometown Seeds who are sponsoring this week's seed giveaway. Two separate bloggers from other sites notified me that Hometown Seeds uses GMO seeds. Since I was concerned I sent an email to the company to investigate and find out what products were GMO in their catalog. The answer was good news: NONE. Mr Peterson sent me the following email regarding an unfortunate mistake in communication with the previous bloggers. I have printed the unedited email for you to read (the first part is his response to me and the second part is what I believe he sent the other bloggers):

Dave,
I am the owner of Hometown Seeds. Chelsea forwarded your message with your concerns for GMO seeds. I appreciate you addressing us first as our mistake has led to some very negative blog posts. Please see the detailed explanation below. We are vigorously trying to remove these concerns. We have no GMO seeds. We have a single supplier that shares our belief that GMO seeds have too many unknowns and should be avoided. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Scott Peterson
Owner
Hometown Seeds

I am the owner of Hometown Seeds and I need to clarify a terrible misunderstanding. Chelsea showed me your email and I worked back from there. Let me explain.

First, our survival seeds are all non-hybrid and none are GMO. Secondly, the mistake is all my fault. Chelsea is working in our little company part time. She is a student at a local university helping us build traffic to our website by reaching out to sites like yours. She is not an expert in gardening and relies on me to answer any technical questions. When the gentlemen from Oklahoma Peppers Network asked if our seeds were Hybrid or GMO, I told her to respond that we sell some hybrid seeds but they are not in the survival seeds, and none of our seeds are GMO. This is obviously not how she responded and had no idea how badly the mistake would be received. I have seen what she emailed back, hence the misunderstanding and negative blog posts. It was there in black and white after all.

We completely agree with the evils of GMO seeds. We do not now nor ever will carry GMO seeds. As for the survival seeds, the whole point is to provide open pollinated seed that will generate seed for the next year as well as food for the family. All seeds in the survival seed packet are non-hybrid.

We have already sent the survival seed package out to you and I would hope you would examine the types of seeds and the instructions that clearly describe each type of seed.
I feel terrible that we have created such a problem. What I feel the worst about is that in your efforts to help us out, we created confusion with your loyal readers. I don’t know what else I can do but accept full responsibility for the what we have done and apologize profoundly.

I am very sorry. I ask forgiveness from you and your readers.

Scott

Scott Peterson, owner
HometownSeeds.com
"More garden for your dollar"

He unequivocally states that Hometown seeds does not use GMO stock. This definitely is good news. Mistakes happen and it sounds to me that the company is trying to rectify the error.

Random Indoor Plant Pictures

2009-12-05T20:17:00.000-06:00

I have always been lax on the indoor gardening scene. It's not that I don't have plants inside but more that I prefer the outdoor landscapes and gardens. You can do a lot with plants in pots both indoors and out. the first picture is one that I'm sure many people are seeing bloom right now, the Christmas Cactus. Our plant is small since the plants indoors tend to be more neglected my me than the ones outside and I haven't gotten around to repotting it.

The other indoor plant picture in this post is an avocado tree. We love avocados around our house and I have tried multiple times to grow them from seed and failed. They usually rotted too fast due to over watering or completely dried out due to my indoor house plant neglect syndrome. The last time I covered with a plastic bag and kept the watering to a minimum and it worked like a charm. Three avocado seeds germinated easily by covering with the bag. I put them outside while the weather was warm and they did great until a worm (caterpillar) found them. It munched all the leaves down to nothing while I was completely unaware. Once I got rid of the worms two of the trees came right back.

I doubt we'll see any avocados any time soon if ever but it was fun to see them grow. Anyone know of an avocado that will grow outdoors in Tennessee? As far as I know it doesn't exist, but if it did I'd buy one!

Low-Cost Gifts For Gardeners - Make Something!

2009-12-04T19:00:00.002-06:00

The holiday season is in full swing and while they say the recession is slowing we all should still be watching our pennies. Why not put together some low cost holiday gifts? If you're interested check out my post on Low Cost Gifts For Gardeners at Complete Organizing Solutions!

Free Stuff Friday from Hometown Seeds

2009-12-04T06:00:00.004-06:00

Who doesn't like free seeds? Today I have an opportunity for you to win a variety pack of garden seeds from a new seed retailer: Hometown Seeds! Hometown Seeds is offering to give these seeds to three lucky readers who visit their website and report to me about the most interesting seeds you see. That's all you have to do! After you have reported to me in the comments of this post your name will be entered into a random drawing and the winners will be announced next Friday (December 11, 2009). Please note that the winners will take home the variety pack worth almost $20!. So before you go ordering all your spring seeds give yourself a chance to win a few!

After investigating some reports on GMO Seeds from Hometown it has been found to be a mistake. Hometown seeds does not have GMO seeds. See the post here for a letter from the company.

Included in the variety pack you could win are the following seeds:

Cilantro (Slow Bolt), Shasta Daisy (Alaska), Snapdragon (Giant Tetra), Wildflowers (Elite Mix), Four O'Clock (Marvel of Peru), Tomato (Yellow Pear), Carrot (Purple Haze), Broccoli (Walthum), Casaba Melon, Lettuce (Gourmet Mix)

Here's a little bit about Hometown Seeds to pass on to you:

Hometown seeds is a fairly new company started by Jared West and Scott Peterson. The reason for starting the company has now become our mission. “Provide the most garden for your dollar without sacrificing quality.” This has been our sole focus thus far. Our great customers garden for all reasons. Some fill the shelves and freezer and feed the family all winter. Some do it to unwind after stress filled days at the office. Some are learning gardening to provide peace of mind in an uncertain world.
We have been amazed at the diverse range of customers we serve. We love to hear feedback about new products, gardening successes, and fun garden facts. The best part of our day is hearing from our customers.
We encourage everyone to try something new in the garden and always- Have Fun!

~Hometown Seeds

Go check their site and let me know what what you see!

A New Branch

2009-12-03T21:00:00.001-06:00

Since changing my URL to www.growingthehomegarden.com from thehomegarden.blogspot.com over the summer I've realized that I have been under-utilizing my fancy new domain name. There's this whole concept of subdomains that can fit right in with your main domain that can really enable blogs to branch out in different directions, which is what I'm in the process of working on right now. It's just a new way for me to organize subjects that might be similar but may not always fit together. So what am I really talking about? My Greenhouse project. I decided that I would try to host my future posts about the greenhouse on it's own blog cleverly titled The Home Garden ~ In The Greenhouse. Very creative don't you think? ;)

It's all part of the same fun garden stuff I like to talk about here but housing it on it's own site will help to keep things focused. The neat thing about a subdomain is that it is associated with the main domain and the resulting URL becomes: www.greenhouse.growingthehomegarden.com. All you need to do to find the Greenhouse section of The Home Garden is add a greenhouse to the beginning of the URL (or follow one of the links). Hopefully I've set up the feed correctly so that it will post a partial feed here when I post a new article on the Greenhouse blog. We'll see how it works out, there may be some tweaking necessary as time goes by. If you would like to add my greenhouse blog to your blogroll or other lists I would definitely appreciate it!

The Home Garden ~ In The Greenhouse is still being pieced together but I thought I would let you know about it and my new post on the greenhouse project called: Greenhouse Security. I hope you enjoy it!

Propagating Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)

2009-12-02T20:00:00.003-06:00

Nandina domestica is not one of those plants that I like to propagate. It's a nice enough plant but I've always been of the opinion that it's overplanted in way too many landscapes. Every commercial business around has at least one and when a plant is that common I tend to cringe when I see it. Most of those are the dwarf varieties with the light green colored leaves that tinge a little on the red side. If I had to choose a nandina (and I wouldn't) I would go with the full sized Nandina domestica with dark green foliage and red berries that grows 6-8 feet tall. Ironically that's just what we have! Our 'Heavenly Bamboo', as it's called (don't be mistaken it isn't really bamboo), is in our front garden and is completely loaded with bright red berries during the winter. I don't really need anymore nandinas so I don't try to propagate these plants but there are two ways how they are propagated here.

How to Propagate Nandina:

One way to propagate them is through the seeds. Inside the berries are seeds that easily germinate in the late spring or summer if allowed to grow where they drop assuming that the birds don't get them first. There are multiple plants as I type beginning to plan their invasion of my front garden. They are small now but will quickly grow to overtake that small garden. Once germinated they can be moved before they get too large.

The second way I get more than I need of nandinas is through their runners. The mother plant frequently sends out roots that begin to sprout their own stems just a few feet away from the parent plant. If you dig into the soil and find the roots that attach the "baby" nandina from "mama" nandina and sever them with pruners you can easily gain an extra plant. There are several nandinas that I need to prune out of that garden as well.

If you want a third method to propagate nandinas you could try root cuttings or stem cuttings during the warmer months.

It's also very important to note that nandina is invasive in many states including here in TN. There may be some cultivars that are less dangerous than others but I highly recommend not propagating nandina or even planting it in your garden. I've only written this post in response to a Google search which also gives me an opportunity to discuss it's invasive properties. Our nandina came with the house and while we enjoy it's beauty (and it's ability to save my lawnmower) I'm avoiding intentionally propagating more. The problem is it just does! Which is why it's listed as an invasive plant. Native plant alternatives from the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council list: Leucothoe axillaris, L. fontanesiana, Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Agarista populifolia, Hypericum frondosum, H. prolificum.

I've read accounts where nandina is perfectly well behaved so you make your own choice, but invasive or not it's way too overplanted for me to add more to my landscape!

Under the Cover of a December Frost

2009-12-01T20:37:00.001-06:00

One cold December morning a frost covered the land. It was still as everything and everyone was awaiting the sun to add warmth for the day.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebra Grass'

Rain Garden

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)

Birdbath Garden

'Powis Castle' Artemisia, 'Black and Blue' Salvia guaranitica, Viburnum, and the remains of many others.

Birdbath Garden

Frozen Birdbath

Birdbath Garden

Clover

The Lawn Garden

Butterfly Bush - Buddleia

Birdbath Garden

Butterfly Bush - Buddleia

Birdbath Garden

The Cold of Winter is Coming

2009-11-30T21:05:00.002-06:00

Today more than many others I felt the cold of winter beginning to enter our Tennessee garden. The weather has been mild all throughout November and as December approaches noticeable changes are entering my consciousness. Overcast skies seem more prevalent than the sunny days we've been fortunate to enjoy, colder air seems to last here longer than the pleasant air. Even the wind seems different, more biting and much less inviting. I should count myself lucky that the weather has been so pleasant for so long but as is human nature I just can't seem to get enough of a good thing. The nice days have really been a boon to my recent project and have propelled it much faster than I really anticipated.

From the Birdbath Garden

Later this week the weather report is calling for highs of 40 degrees. Much too cold for this gardener to enjoy significant time outdoors, especially one spoiled by 55-60 degree temperatures. A few minutes here and there are fine but long term projects and activities will be slowing down a bit while waiting for the occasional unseasonal and extremely welcome pleasant day that is known to pop up from time to time here in TN. To rephrase a cliche I am definitely a fan of fair weather. Since the doors and windows are mostly on the greenhouse I should be able to tinker with its construction during the cold days and get it ready for spring seed starting. There's a whole list of things I need to do to get the inside plant ready but I'll save that for another post. For now though I'll be spending one more pleasant day outdoors working on my project before the cold sets in for the week. December 21st is the first day of winter and it is approaching fast. It's time to accept the fact that the inevitable cold weather is coming, winter is coming!

What outdoor activities do you like to tackle in the winter?

Greenhouse Project: Feeling Closed In

2009-11-29T18:51:00.001-06:00

It's time for another backyard greenhouse shed update and I'm excited about this one! You might ask why am I so excited...the doors have been set! This is when I can see that everything is starting to look like I originally intended. The front doors are on after a little bit of repair work. We shaved off an inch of the bottom of each door because of rotted wood. The rot didn't extend far up the door (less than the inch we cut) but needed removed otherwise it would continue to spread. The doors have been sitting outside for a long time resting on the ground and just couldn't weather the weather! Additionally cutting an inch off the doors helped the doors fit a little better.

Here in these pictures I have the door and one window propped closed. I needed to attach a latch to the more stationary left side of the front doors so that the right side would lock against it. That's done now but it wasn't when the picture was taken. The window is being held closed since latches haven't been installed for it yet. I have some things to add on the inside before I attach them. The right window needs latches too but holds itself closed pretty well.

What Needs Done on the Front of the Greenhouse: Door trim, trim the gables, window latches, siding, install small windows, paint and stain siding and window frames.

On the back side of the greenhouse shed we added the plywood in the gables, a window in the gable area, the back door and a door/wall. The gable window is hinged and will serve as a vent for the greenhouse. I opened it from the inside today and felt a rush of air, I think it's going to work fine!

The door/wall will be covered in siding and will blend in with the surrounding siding to essentially be a hidden door. The left hand door can open and shut while the door on the right remains closed allowing it to function as either a single door or a double door.

Today I installed doorknobs and deadbolts in the back door from our old patio doors. they are keyed the same as our house which will be very convenient. I need to replace the doorknob and deadbolt on the French doors in the front of the greenhouse with some others I have after I have them matched to our keys.

What Needs Done on the Back of the Greenhouse: Door trim, window latches, secure the right door with latches, add siding, trim gables, paint and stain siding, windows frames and doors.

Here's a little look through the backdoor at the inside of the greenhouse shed, or to paraphrase myself "here's a look at my mess!" All the materials I want to keep dry are stored inside until I don't need them anymore. I doubt I'll have many leftovers. All the plywood will be used to cover the stud openings after insulating to help retain any heat gains the windows make. So much yet to do, but so much has been accomplished!

Leatherman Pruners?

2009-11-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

I was looking on Amazon at some of the bestselling garden tools recently and I noticed this little tool that I found interesting: A Leatherman Pruning tool. It's a neat idea but as I pondered it I began to wonder exactly how useful it might be. Would it be able to replace my Swiss Army pocket knife I carry everywhere?

The Leatherman tool has pruners (which are a necessity in the garden), wire cutters, weed remover, grafting knife, bark lifter, Phillips screwdriver, saw, flat screwdriver, sprinkler tool, bottle opener, and a ruler. That's quite a few tools in one device but when I'm in the garden I usually don't need all of those tools very often. The one tool I would use the most would be the pruners which I'm pretty pleased with a pair of Fiskar pruners (Fiskars UltraBlade Traditional Bypass Pruner) I bought a couple months ago. I've needed wirecutters so rarely that I don't see need for them on the garden multitool tool, I'll just use the ones in my workbench. My Swiss army knife has the saw, screwdrivers, bottle opener and of course a more than adequate knife for whatever I need. The ruler would be handy but from seeing other Leatherman multitools I really think a good measuring tape is a much more functional choice. I'm trying to figure out what value the weed remover might be. In many cases killing weeds through boiling water, shovel, or simple weed pulling works fine. I doubt the weed remover is long enough to reach deep enough get to a dandelion or thistle taproot.

The multitool is missing one major garden tool which would make it much better, a simple pair of scissors. The scissors on my knife are one of the most useful tools I have. I use them for cuttings, for snipping twine, and for anything that needs a cut. I suppose the Leatherman tool is an attempt to help gardeners to reduce the amount of tools they carry in the garden. I'd rather just go with my pruners and my knife. Those two tools are much more functional paired together than one multitool and really aren't that inconvenient to carry, but that's just my opinion. What do you think? Is it a worthwhile tool for the garden or just a gimmick? What tools would you put in your Ultimate Garden Multitool?

Can You Identify This Rose?

2009-11-27T20:36:00.004-06:00

I'm definitely no expert in roses. Recently I saw this rose blooming at my mother-in-law's home and was curious as to it's identity. The insides of the bloom are a creamy yellow color while the outside of the petals are a kind of red-peach color. The rose has a cluster of four flowers which make it most likely a type of floribunda or grandiflora (For more information on roses: All American Rose Selections). With such an amazing variety of roses in existence it may be impossible to identify with 100% accuracy what this one is but I'm hoping someone out there might have a clue!

I ended up taking four cuttings from this rose bush as well as about 8-10 other rose cuttings of two other varieties. So far in rose propagation I've scored and grand total of one rooted rose (out of 8-10 from the plant swap). I haven't had many opportunities to try propagating roses but I can tell you that maintaining the proper level of moisture on the roses is imperative. I've heard from several people who have recommended different methods of rose propagation from misting, to the soda bottle method, and even the jar covering method. The one I've rooted was without any covering in plain old sand for rooting medium. Since it was the only one of its group to succeed I would advise some sort of moisture containing covering to root them.

I'm definitely learning as I go with the roses!

Here's some good information I found about rooting roses from Texas A&M.

Can you identify my mystery rose?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T18:00:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday this Thanksgiving! Visit well, eat well, and most of all give thanks for all the wonders of life that we take for granted each and every day.

I would like to thank everyone who reads this gardening blog for adding something extra to the enjoyment of my favorite pastime! Without the readers and commentors blogging would be a whole lot like talking to myself (which I have been known to do sometimes!)

Also I would really like to thank my parents for all the help they have been with my Greenhouse project so far. I couldn't have gotten this far without you!

My Simple Compost Solution

2009-11-24T21:05:00.000-06:00

You can go out and spend all kinds of money for a fancy compost bin but sometimes a simple solution can work just as well. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a lazy composter. There I said it. I don't get out there to the bin to turn it regularly. I don't check it with a fancy compost thermometer to make sure the temperature is ideal. I don't add special compost ingredients designed to speed along the process. I probably should but I don't. I suspect if I did I would have a lot more finished compost available for my gardens. But as I said, I'm a lazy composter. I'm also a cheap composter. My big bin is a group of 4 pallets screwed together. Three pallets are actually attached and the fourth I use as a loose barrier that I move out of the way on the rare occasion I turn the pile! Most of the pallets came from transporting the paving stones for my patio project last year. Total cost - $0.

My point in revealing my composting secret is to say that you don't have to do much to get compost. If you wait long enough compost happens. Six weeks ago the compost bin was filled high up to the top board in the back with a variety of grass clippings, weeds, and spent garden plants. Today its as you see it with nearly half of the vegetable matter gone. I never turned it. Our kitchen scraps, leaves, and grass clippings go into the compost bin. Grass clippings are a little secret of mine. Adding 1-2 bags of grass clippings each time I mow greatly increases the speed of the compost - without turning.

You don't even have to have a compost bin to compost, a pile in the backyard works great although it isn't the prettiest thing in the world. Or you could trench compost. Dig a trench where you want to plant a garden and gradually fill it in with compost then cover with soil. Plant your plants in the spring over the compost trench and they will have easy access to the yummy nutrients you added. Just be sure to keep the animal products out of the bin as they can attract animals!

What Do I Compost? Vegetable scraps, coffee and tea grounds, egg shells, grass clippings, leaves, weeds, dead plants, shredded newspapers, and I even once threw in an old pair of holey jeans. After all jeans ARE made from cotton! Have you composted anything more unusual than jeans?

I hope to add a second bin soon with parts from another pallet I have handy as well as my old compost bin. Maybe by adding that second bin I can start a more regular turning process. Or maybe I'll just be twice as lazy!

Persian Shield Propagation (Strobinlanthus dyerianus)

2009-11-23T20:38:00.002-06:00

Before the first frost of the fall I took a few cuttings of my Persian Shield (Strobinlanthus dyerianus) to hopefully overwinter it as a houseplant. This was the first year for Persian Shield in my garden and I've only seen it at one nursery around so I wanted to be sure I had some for next year in the garden. Saving a little cash while getting more plants is a pretty nice side effect!

It's a very cool plant with it's almost metallic sheen that reflects a mixture of purple and silvery hues in the light. It likes the shade but did very well in a part sun area in my garden. I took as many stem tip cuttings as I could to increase my odds of getting a rooted cutting but really this was so easy I probably didn't need to take any more than 5-6. I ended up with 8-10 rooted cuttings.

How Did I Root My Persian Shield?

The water method! The simple, plain old method for rooting cuttings of coleus, basil, or sedum works very well for Persian Shield too. I gathered a variety of internodal and nodal cuttings and placed them in baby jars filled with water. I didn't use any rooting hormones since I don't normally when using the water method for propagation. If you have willows available you may want to prune a stem off and put it in the water with your water cuttings to make them root faster but it isn't necessary. (You might end up rooting an extra willow that way too!)

Change the water regularly (at least every other day) while the roots are forming. Once roots have formed, which for my cuttings took about 3 weeks, you will need to add water as it depletes or plant the Persian Shield cuttings into a pot. I'll be planting these together with some coleus to make a colorful house plant combination.

Something I Noticed

The internodal cuttings didn't root along the stems which means that nodal cuttings are the way to go when taking cuttings of Persian Shield. Roots grew from each node that was submerged under water and the remains of the stems that were on the cut ends died back to the rooted node. It's not a big deal if internodal cuttings are taken since the cuttings still rooted but it might work better if the extra stem was removed before trying to root them.

Now if I could just get my greenhouse ready to house them for the winter!

Greenhouse Project: My Back

2009-11-22T19:58:00.001-06:00

While I can assure you that my back is perfectly fine (at the moment!) I do need to have some work done on the back of the greenhouse shed. A few more things have been accomplished since my last greenhouse update but there are always more tasks to tackle (it seems like I've said that before). Since last time I've fitted a door and two windows on hinges. I also put together a moving wall that will match up with the back door to create a double door for the mowers to come through after use. When I don't need to bring out the mowers I will be able to come in through the back door by just going through the one single door on the left. Once it's all put together I'll show you in detail how it will work.

This is the southernmost side of the greenhouse which is where most of the winter light will fall. A good portion of it will come through on the western side which is where the big windows were. Our reason for positioning it this way is party aesthetic and partly function. For aesthetics we wanted to lessen the impact by having the short side of the structure the most visible. For function it had to fit the location and 16 feet back fit better than 16 feet side to side. There is also a small drainage gully that I needed to avoid and the greenhouse had to fit in the boundaries.

I'll be adding a ventilation window in the gable area before we completely close up the gables. I'll rig the window so that it will move on hinges and eventually (as funds become available) I hope to add an automatic opener for it. There area couple kinds of openers that look pretty good one kind uses solar and the other uses a fluid system (see picture on the left from Gardener's Supply Company). The fluid system is pretty interesting. When the temperature reaches between 65-80 degrees F it expands to let out hot air from the greenhouse.

Most of my plant related activities will take place on the southern western and western sides of the greenhouse while the southeastern portion will be the storage area. I haven't designated the northeastern area yet but it may become a shade corner for those plants that enjoy a little less light!

I can't wait to start using this thing!

Still to do on the greenhouse:

Add doors on front.
Finish wall/door on back.
Enclose gables with appropriate locations for windows.
Siding, Siding, Siding.
Fix locks and latches on windows and doors.
Insulate, caulk, paint/stain outside.

Reflecting on the End of The Line

2009-11-21T21:48:00.001-06:00

The end of the line has come at last for the leaves on our trees. Today I went out and took a few pictures around the greenhouse project and happened upon this image of the trees bereft of leaves in one of the large picture windows I installed on the greenhouse and thought of the Gardening Gone Wild Picture Contest for this month "The End of the Line."

The pale sunlight was filtered through the gray clouds that moved for a short time earlier in the afternoon. In fitting with the theme of the contest the picture highlights the end of the foliage but also shows the crooked, snaking, and branching lines that create the structure of the tree.

November in the Vegetable Garden

2009-11-20T17:06:00.002-06:00

As strange as it may sound there are things still growing in the vegetable garden in November and it's not because of our unusually warm weather. Unfortunately there is only one vegetable growing but there are several kinds of herbs that are doing great. All the vegetable garden pictures were taken this morning while a light frost was still covering everything.

The one vegetable that continues to grow through the cold weather is the lettuce. It's a Romain mix that I put out several weeks ago that while it's growth is slow is still growing. Lettuce can handle light frosts and has already been through 4-5. Just add a little coldframe over it and who knows how long it will keep growing! Of course Tennessee has a mild winter so if you live north of me your lettuce might not last as long.

I planted some oregano seeds while my squash was growing in the hopes that it would ward off my number number one most despised garden pest: squash vine borers. Oregano is listed in many charts as a generic works against nearly everything companion planting herb. It didn't work. I may have to try a second organic strategy and place row covers over the squash when the borers are actively reproducing. The thing about organic pest control practices is that they are not fool proof; what works for one gardener may not work for the gardener next door. The result of my companion planting of oregano with the squash ended up with quite a bit of oregano. Two raised beds are completely covered with it and will need thinned in the spring.

Another raised bed is completely covered with cilantro. I read once on a blog (sadly I can't remember where otherwise I would link to it) where cilantro was by volume the most expensive grocery vegetable. If that's the case then I'm doing very well! This cilantro was sprinkled over the garden after my first plants of the year bolted.

Another herb that has a small place in our garden is parsley. I bought this one from a garden club member who sells to farmers markets and festivals. I stuck it in a little corner of the cilantro bed. I didn't plan on the vegetable garden become an herb garden but the two gardens do go hand in hand!

Of course we do have the strawberry plants that are growing way outside the boundary of their original raised bed. When I get the greenhouse enclosed I'll transplant them to a new spot where hopeful they can be very fruitful! I may have to bring many of them to a plant swap in the spring.

That's about all there is to my vegetable garden update for November. I was disappointed that the spinach never germinated. It was probably old seed and I'll have to buy some more this year. Soon I'll evaluate my raised bed layout/design and figure out where to plant things next year. I try to rotate my crops as much as possible each year to prevent the same diseases from bothering the same plants in subsequent years. Go check out Tina's blog to see what other folks have in their vegetable garden!

Greenhouse Project: In The Front

2009-11-19T20:42:00.004-06:00

Here's a quick look at the front of the greenhouse. My idea is to have the front side or the view from the house appear to be a small cottage in the backyard. The windows on the front were originally from one sliding window that I separated into 2 approximately 20 inch wide windows. I say approximately because one is slightly larger than the other but most likely no one except those I tell (like you!) will know.

Between the windows the French doors that are currently resting on the corners of the greenhouse will be installed. The gable areas were left open while I deliberated about what I wanted there. I ran through a few ideas and managed to put together some of what will be installed there. It involves 4 small 12" x 9" windows that were panes I removed from another window. The window was falling into pieces but the glass was in great shape. Since the window actually had 8 panes of glass I'm planning on making the small glass windows into double pane windows. There's no way I can come close to a factory built vacuum sealed double paned window but any air space between the outside and the inside will improve the insulation ability of the window.

What still needs done on the front of the greenhouse:

Install the French doors.
Attach some sort of lock for the windows.
Trim the door area.
Finish the windows for the gable and panel it with plywood.
Cover the greenhouse front with trim.
And something special I just came up with! Stay tuned to see, it may be several posts away!

Greenhouse Project: A Peek Inside

2009-11-18T20:30:00.004-06:00

Today's peek into my greenhouse project is just one little picture, but it's a view from the inside out. The biggest windows have been installed but, as you will see in the picture, need a thorough cleaning and painting. The misty haze on the panes is due to too much time spent outdoors under the effects of the weather. Dirt and grime have accumulated but I'm confident that they will clean up nicely like the smaller windows did. These two are 6' tall by 7' wide and still need a little leveling. Initially I measured the windows and allowed a little over 1/2 inch of extra space to play with on the windows. When we started to fit them we discovered a little mistake, OK big really. The bottom of each window was beveled and I made my first measurements from the short end. This meant that we had to trim a piece off the wood frame in order for it to fit. It was a pain to fit the panes but we had plenty of wood to trim with room to spare. The old dirty windows remind me of an old conservatory.

Taken at 6:49 AM on a cloudy November morning. It's very bright when the sun chooses to shine!

In the back are two open spaces for windows that will swing outward. I've also hooked up one side of the back door but need to do some custom fitting work to get the other side pieced together. A peek up toward the back roof area will reveal the "skylight" made from two storm door windows. I have some serious caulking to do to make them air and water tight. It's not the windows that are leaking as much as it is around the window framing. I'll come back and fit some flashing around them when I can.

It's very exciting to start to see the sides piecing together. Yesterday I worked inside the greenhouse for a little while and was able to do all my wood cutting in there. With the walls on the long sides completely covered I didn't have to deal with the wind that came through the yard. It was very cool to be working inside the greenhouse for the first time. I can't wait to get the doors all put together!

Gardening on the Radio

2009-11-17T20:14:00.002-06:00

I was on the radio yesterday to talk about gardening on Spotlight on Spring Hill (WAKM 950 AM) and had several fall gardening topics prepared to share. Then the first guest to talk, our City Codes Inspector, began mentioning some upcoming projects and I nearly got completely sidetracked. You see I meant to talk about leaves, not to burn them, not to waste them, but to use them in your compost or as mulch. I had seen a Craigslist ad that completely annoyed me last week and thought the radio would be a great opportunity to get out the message. The ad actually said "Free leaves, if you don't come get them I will burn them!" Now that is shortened and paraphrased but the ad offered leaves and threatened to burn them! I hope it was merely a motivational tool used to encourage people to take his leaves, but I doubt it. Let me apologize in advance if this offends you but burning leaves is completely irresponsible! It pollutes, it wastes, and it's just plain dumb. Now I'll forgive you if you have burned leaves in the past not realizing why you shouldn't but why would you waste a free and valuable soil conditioner? A mulch that comes down from the heavens to keep the moisture in the ground and feeds the bacteria and earthworms that turn regular soil into fantastic garden gold! Sorry but the issue of burning leaves has always burned me up.

I also meant to discuss lawnmower maintenance. Sharpening the blades, running out the gas, checking the spark plugs and changing the oil are all good things to do now so that your mower will be fresh and ready to go come spring. A little maintenance now is a good thing. (Of course this is yet another thing to add to my Things I've Neglected List!) Running the gas out keeps it from gumming up your engine over the winter.

I mentioned the leaves on the radio but completely ran out of time for the lawnmower talk. Why you ask? Maybe you didn't ask but as I often do I'll tell you anyway. The City Codes inspector mentioned the installation of a rain garden here in Spring Hill at Harvey Park! This coming Saturday from 9AM-1PM volunteers will be helping to create and plant a garden that will help filter water and preventing it from washing contaminants into our stream system. As soon as he mentioned rain garden I grinned. I've installed two kinds on my property and both have been very effective problem solvers. I wasn't necessarily worried about contaminants but was concerned over excess water pooling on our driveway and in another location flooding into our yard through the neighborhood drainage system.

Rain gardens use the root systems of plants to retain soil and to soak up the water to keep it from washing sediment into the streams. The plants serve as filters and clean the water before it enters the streams which is much better for the fish and wildlife that use those areas. One kind of rain garden uses a drainage area underneath a garden as a water holding area. That was actually the first type of rain garden I installed. It collects water from our driveway and brings it into a gravel area below a planting bed I established. Inside the bed are a combination of flowers and grasses that so far have enjoyed the extra water in that location. I've even planted a Yoshino Cherry tree that is definitely thriving in that location. This type of rain garden is more labor intensive to install as it involves digging deep into the soil and putting gravel where the soil was then back filling. It's very effective in absorbing water and solving drainage issues.

My second rain garden was done completely with plantings. Ornamental grasses are prominent along with a birch, beautyberry, and several perennials. The area used to flood back into our yard but the plantings help to defer the water back into the established drainage area and retain some of the moisture in the soil underneath. In the picture the area that is flooded is on my neighbor's property. It was taken back in September just after an extremely heavy rain. If these types of gardens lined our community drainage systems we would all have healthier water systems with fewer erosion problems.

I was pretty excited to hear that our town is on the forefront of such environmentally sensible ideas. I would like to be there helping them install it but I have a birthday party to attend for a certain almost 2 year old girl! Maybe I can get out there early to help, we'll see, maybe you can too!

The Things I've Neglected List

2009-11-16T20:26:00.002-06:00

Similar to the "Things to do List" in form my "Things I've Neglected List" contains the stuff I should have already accomplished but didn't for some reason (Greenhouse shed construction). The garden chores that have be displaced by the aforementioned project still need to be accomplished and I really hope to when I get the time!

Things I've Neglected (in no particular order):

Pot up two Chocolate Eupatorium cuttings that have rooted (weeks ago!).
Pot several coleus cuttings into an indoor winter pot.
Plant crocuses. It's time, it's definitely time to plant bulbs!
Update the Fall Color Project for a grand finale post.
Pot up several Persian Shield cuttings. The plant is toast but the cuttings live on!
Write about How to Propagate Persian Shield cuttings.
Finish cleaning out the vegetable garden. I still have lettuce happily enjoying the weather.
Weed the corner shade garden, the front garden, the...er...everything!
Figure out how I want to make my next raised beds. Two big ones? Four small ones? Wood? Stone? There are so many options for good beds. I'd better take a look back at my 11 Things To Think About Raised Beds Post!
Plant neglected plant swap plants!
Transplant two small maples and a sycamore.

There's a whole lot more for this list that pertains to the greenhouse but I'm leaving that off as technically it hasn't been neglected. In fact it's coming along nicely, so be on the alert for a greenhouse update!

EcoSMart Giveaway Winner!

2009-11-16T08:15:00.000-06:00

I would like to thank all those who posted an entry for the EcoSmart bug killer giveaway! All the names were dropped in a hat (actually a Halloween candy bag), mixed, and one name was drawn by my oldest daughter. The name that was chosen was Stacyjo! Congratulations to Stacy. All you need to do is go to the EcoSmart website and select a household product. Then let me know via Email or Direct Message on Twitter what you chose and where the company can send it (address). The product will be on your door as fast as they can ship it! Thanks again for participating!

On a side note you can follow The Home Garden on Facebook now!

November Blooming (The Unusuals)

2009-11-15T14:37:00.001-06:00

Our unusually spring like fall weather has encouraged quite a few plants to either continue blooming longer than usual or bloom at a very unusual time! I went out this morning and took a few pictures of what's blooming in our Tennessee garden as a result of those 70 degree days we've had.

Three different varieties of Achillea millifolium are in our garden with two of them currently blooming. All three may in fact be blooming, I just forgot to check the third!

'Paprika' Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

'Appleblossom' Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

I found several salvias still producing flowers. This first one is 'Caradonna' Salvia nemorosa. I'm a big fan of the dark purple colors of the Salvia nemorosas and also have 'East Friesland' and 'May Night' in the garden. I love to propagate salvia in the spring!

The 'Mystic Spires' salvia is beginning to fade but the color of the flowers is still hanging on. I bought one of these last year but it didn't survive the winter. Maybe things will be different this year.

This Texas sage (Salvia coccinea) that I added to the garden this year is still doing well after several frosts. Hopefully it had enough time to reseed just in case it doesn't come back next year.

One of my favorite Gaillardias, 'Oranges and Lemons' is still prolifically blooming. I have two of these planted and both still have quite a few flowers growing. Last year the one I had passed away over the winter (bad location - not enough sun, too wet) but seeded a different gaillardia to replace it. It's probably a reversion back to the parent plant.

It's a strange and straggly version of the Susan (Rudbeckia) that was blooming but it's a bloom nonetheless.

The 'Purple Homestead' Verbena is still growing strong! I love this plant!

While this isn't a bloom I thought it was worth sharing. It's one of the most unusual looking leaves on a red maple (Acer rubrum) I've seen. It didn't appear like this last year, but then it was suffering from repeated deer munchings.

I hope you enjoyed what's blooming here in my garden. Hop over to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for more Bloomsday Blooms! I wonder what, if anything, will be blooming in December?