Reasons to go to the Bloom n' Garden Show 2010 - Herbs in the Kitchen Garden

First good reason to go to the Bloom n' Garden Show at the Ag Expo just off I-65 this weekend, April 10 and 11th is to hear me speak...'Herbs in the Kitchen Garden' - 11:30 on Sunday

What can you expect to find at the 2010 Bloom n' Garden? Plants of course and many different types. Sedums already planted in these Hypertufa lightweight pots by Bobby Stacy at Stone Gardens. How cute would be one or three sitting on your porch? Full sun, low water and ready to go, doesn't get much easier than that!

Herbs and lots of them this year...folks are always asking where they can find these - well, here you go two days of herbal shopping bliss. Rustic Greenhouse has a plenty of herbs and other perennials. D and H Interiors as well a several other vendors have herbs including lemon verbena, Bay trees, lemon grass, various sages and other harder to find herbs...check it out.

Kris from Bagbey House of Franklin, TN has garden decor for house and porch, I can see why he is smiling...a mix of new and old to delight any gardener.

WCMGA President Anne Knauff and Jackie Wiggishaw (sorry if I misspelled your name Jackie) are ready to assist anyone who has any questions about the silent auction. So many wonderful items and plants to bid on this year. This money goes to help with local nonprofit projects of the Williamson County Master Gardeners like scholarships and grants.

More herbs for the discerning gardener at D and H Interiors. They also have antiques and new pots that look old. These sisters search high and low for old gardening stuff for people like you and me who like to mix it up in our home and garden spaces.

Who wouldn't love to entertain with a living centerpiece in their dining table? There are so many great gardening ideas this year...bring your camera and take pictures...I did :)

The Bloom n' Garden show would happen without Norm and Betty Bright, this year's volunteer event chairs. Say hello to Mike Smith who is the Master Gardener Advisor and the person who helps to keep Betty and Norm sane! Not in the picture but definitely a BIG part of the show component is Susan Bryd. Susan coordinates all the volunteers each year for the show and what a job that is. It takes lots of willing Master Gardener Volunteers to run this show and Susan knows them all and keep everyone on track. Thanks ya'll for all you do so gardeners like me can come and learn, get ideas and shop for plants and gardening products....you are the best!

Here is an 'Amazing Plant Stand' that will make a tiered planter out of most anything you have in the garden shed, garage or attic...if you can put a hole in it, it can become a unique and attractive planter. Old buckets, watering cans, tins, pots of all sizes....check it out for yourself.

Who would suspect this colorful bird (the one on the left) to be a Master Gardener? Come and meet Scarlet, the 2010 mascot. Watch as she plays peek-a-boo with you and I think she even talks. Terry Ely is the owner/trainer and has lots of tricks up her sleeve.

Gotta love a girl who has a dream and acts upon it. Meet Lauren Graves who designed a perpetual garden record book. Such a great idea to keep you and your garden organized. If that is not enough, Lauren uses her gardening grandmother's quotes throughout her Planner and on note cards that are sweet, endearing and inspirational. Did I mention this is good for years? Such a deal...come buy one for you and some extras for your garden nut friends! In case you miss the show - you can always some on her website http://www.cabintiger.com/

Of course no self-respecting garden show would be without gardens! Mike Hayes has put together an awesome garden that makes me want to grab my banjo and a rocker on the front porch and pick a while...maybe I should call and see what my banjo gals "The Belles" are up to....or not. No matter, come and check it out for yourself. Shop plants to your heart's content and go home and get them in the ground or pots. I love spring - see ya'll there!

Got Moles?

Moles are at the top of the list when it comes to “what critters bug gardeners most”. These homely little guys with very bad eyesight (they can distinguish night from day) create cities of tunnels under the yard.

These little “dirt tossers” or as I like to call them, underground aerators (gives them a more positive spin, don’t you think?) are actually after the earthworms, grubs and other insects under your yard - not plant roots as many folks think.

According to Wikipedia, which we all know is never wrong, moles paralyze their prey and store them in underground larders to be eaten in the form of live worm and grub sushi later…interesting, right?

Moles are insectivores not rodents. The boys are called boars and the girls sows (that would have never occurred to me either) and you will be happy to know they only produce 3 to 6 pups per year and may only have a 50% chance of survival. But no one really cares about proper names all gardeners want to know is how to get rid of the pesky varmints.

Interesting Mole Facts according to Ohio State Extension:
- Moles can dig surface tunnels at approximately 18 feet/hour.
- Moles travel through existing tunnels at about 80 feet/minute.
- Moles contain twice as much blood and twice as much hemoglobin as other mammals of similar size. This allows moles to breathe more easily in underground environments with low oxygen.
- A 5 ounce mole will consume 45-50 lbs of worms and insects each year.

Natural Measures of Control which probably never really get rid of moles but might discourage them or aggravate them for a short time. In fact sometimes moles may only stay for a short period of time and move on to better hunting grounds lulling you into a sense of a short lived victory (they usually return) but, these are just a few suggestions which might be worth a try.
1. Don’t over-irrigate the lawn as this may cause moles to tunnel closer to the surface.
Plant barriers such as daffodils, marigolds, alliums, garlic, mole plant and Castor beans. Castor beans are poisonous if ingested by people.

2. Mix up a batch of Castor Oil concentrate of 6 oz Castor Oil and 2 oz T Murphy’s Oil Soap or dish soap to 1 gallon of water. Add 1 T per gallon of water and spray on the lawn. Reapply after rain.

3. Find a comfortable chair and a garden fork and position yourself next to a new tunnel and wait for movement then jab or stab unsuspecting mole. My neighbor does this…who has this kind of time or patience????

Sure-Fire Methods of Control are usually worth the effort and aftermath if you really want to rid your yard and garden of these pesky pests. Remember prime hunting season for moles is early spring and fall.
1. Traps, not for the squeamish gardener but they definitely work. Instructions are included on the box when you buy them.

2. Cats. I know this because my neighbor’s cats leave dead moles on my doorstep. I’m thinking they do this as penitence for the fish they devour from my pond…I can only hope they catch the moles in my yard!

3. A Jack Rustle Terrier. Annie, our resident JR digs moles on a regular basis…sometimes I have to re-plant what she digs up with the mole but a small sacrifice. I have had offers to rent this mole killing machine but I don’t want the moles to get wind of it. Annie went on vacation once for 3 weeks while we were out of the country and the moles had quite a party. I came home to new tunnels and three drowned moles in the pool. Poor eyesight and short limbs (even if they look like paddles) are not a good combination for water hazards. I snapped this picture of Annie yesterday with my IPhone just before she ran under the porch to bury her newly dug treasure.

4. Liquid Fence Mole Repellent Worms seem to really work. Plus they are economical. Cut the rubber-like worms in half before inserting them in fresh tunnels (sorta like fishing without the bobber). The complete instructions are on the package.

5. Dynamite – oh wait, that’s illegal and oh yeah dangerous and messy. No need to get desperate, you can always call a mole catcher (yellow pages) to get rid of your mole population for you.

Moles obviously taste terrible because the cats give them away and Annie does a victory run around the yard then buries the critters only to dig them up later and roll in them (lovely scent).

However, moles were once trapped, skinned and sold to be used as powder puffs (according to my friend Diane and she knows a lot about pioneer living). Nice to know those rascally moles are good for something!

Garden Gnomes Sited in Europe

With all the news lately on Garden Gnomes popping up all over this country, it got me thinking so I took a look at some of my pictures I took last August and sure enough there they were…gnomes.

I wasn’t surprised to find garden gnomes in Germany because my grandmother was German and she had them at her house when I was growing up. That was probably my first experience with these funny looking creatures with the beards and pointy hats. They use to lie around in the garden with big smiles on their faces. Looking back I realize I should have suspected something was amiss, those smirky grins were similar to the ones I remember on my younger brother whenever he was up to no good.
Some of these gnomes in Rothenburg ob der tauber, Germany were a little shy at first. I spotted them hiding behind some plants so I waited around the corner and snuck up on them to snap this photo. They weren’t crazy about posing but when they realized I had bested them they obliged me with a couple of smiles. Later on an adjacent alley I found some little gnomes on this mailbox, I’m not sure what they were up to but they were a tiny variety that I hadn’t seen before. I suspect there were others but the butterflies were hiding them.
It’s so cold in Werfenwng Austria the gnomes hide out inside old Mountain Chalets. Obviously this old gnome descended from a Pine Forest Clan. He wasn’t real excited about getting his picture taken. In fact he was a bit of a curmudgeon but hey wouldn’t you be if someone made you pose on a doily? No self respecting gnome would appreciate that I’m sure.
Now the Swiss Gnomes were having a convention in Appenzell. They had come from near and far and spoke Swiss German, Italian, French and Romansh. What a commotion they were making! They for the most part were pretty happy even though I couldn’t make out a word they were saying but I suspect it was something about beer and cheese…two good reasons to hang out in Appenzell.
Another group of these Swiss Gnomes were jamming – a combination of classical, marching band, jazz and Alpen horn. They were all groovin and movin and didn’t even notice me taking a picture. Although one smart gnome was holdin out his hat… even Swiss Gnomes need beer money I guess.
While in Switzerland we stayed at my Cousin Heinz’s home in Küsnacht. One evening he and Heidi cooked us a lovely dinner which we enjoyed on the patio in the clean mountain air. Imagine my surprise when I caught these two clay gnomes sleeping out in the open beside the garden. Heinz had spotted them earlier while planting some seeds. Clearly use to people because they just laid there and snored all through dinner.

These are just a few of the garden gnomes that we saw on our trip, I haven't even looked at the pictures I took in Poland, who gnomes what might be lurking in them?

Green under the snow

January seems an unlikely time of year to grow anything, much less veggies. But alas the kitchen garden is still growing. It has been a cold winter for Middle Tennessee and my plan of year round gardening has been a challenge to say the least.

In December we had temperature lows of 8 degrees. I buttoned down the hatches as best I could with an extra layer of plastic over the hoop house and various cold frames.

I lost a few things, some lettuces mostly and a few brussel sprouts. Everything else is either thriving (Swiss chard, kale and various spicy greens) or just hanging on waiting for warmer weather to jump start once again I hope (broccoli and cauliflower).

I’ve learned a lot along the way and have done little to aid just to see how the extreme weather conditions will affect my crops. I will make changes accordingly next year but this year has been one big experiment.

We recently had another winter storm with about 4-5 inches of snow with night time temperatures ranging from the teens to the twenties. I finally got out this morning to check on everything.

The kitchen garden was happy with its blanket of snow and as I lifted the cold frames, the salad greens, kale and Swiss chard were snug and un-frozen – lucky for me as I had not been able to give them extra cover since I had been under the weather myself.

The hoop house was sagging from the snow but it was okay after I removed the snow and tightened the plastic back down. It is suppose to be back in the forties tomorrow with below freezing temperatures for many nights to come. February should be a busy month in the kitchen garden and I’m looking forward to planting potatoes, peas and more greens….bon appetite!

Frozen Bliss

I awoke this morning to silence. I found my way into my warm clothes, boots, hat, coat and mittens quickly. With camera around my neck and garden dog at my side we headed outside to investigate.

It seems while I had spent two days hiding away with a mean stomach bug, my little world outside had been transformed into winter. A blanket of snow covered the garden and I smiled knowing that my garden friends were tucked in while the temperature hovered around 20 degrees.

Apparently it snowed a few inches followed by a light rain or mix because the snow was so crusty that Annie and I could glide along (yes, it was slippery too) without leaving a trace of where we had been. We traversed around the garden snapping photos of interesting sites.

The branches, berries, plumes and seed heads were lightly covered in ice which shimmered and twinkled as the sun came into the garden. A friend of mine (Sue) has always said that a coat of paint can hide a multitude of sins on any wall and I feel it is the same with a blanket of snow on the garden.

The best part of our snow was the silence; again I was struck by the quietness of the world. No cars hurrying by, no dogs barking (I guess everyone put them in since it was cold), no far away interstate noise…only an occasional cracking of the icy crust beneath my feet, a bird alerting her partner there was indeed a few seeds left in the feeder and the click of my camera lens.

When we decided to head back in we (okay, I) grabbed some wood for the stove and went in as quietly as possible. After feeding the stove it morning quota the dog and I made tea and toast (since it was a special occasion garden dog got a couple of cheez-its).

As I glanced out at the bird feeder I saw the tulips on the table that Jodie had brought me a couple of days earlier. While I was out of commission the tulips had gone from bud to beautiful yellow blooms. I looked out at the snow and back at the tulips…winter with the promise of spring, what a grand way to start the day!

Jarrahdale Pumpkin makes a Great Squash Pie

My brother and his family have a farm market in Charlevoix, Michigan. They grow strawberries, raspberries and blackberries that you can pick yourself as well as vegetables, herbs and cut flowers that they sell at their farm market.

This past fall my son was visiting the family ‘up north’ and brought back some pumpkins for decorating. This particular pumpkin was a lovely blue-green with a good looking stem that was a real attraction on the front porch nestled in with the pumpkins from my compost heap (long story).

Before our unusual cold snap in December I put it in the garage for safe keeping while I thought about cooking it. In January I saw this lonely pumpkin sitting in the garage and decided to cook it up. So, I proceeded to just toss the thing whole into the oven rather than taking a chance of cutting off my arm trying to hack through it. I’m guessing it was about 8 lbs or so. I had to take out one rack so it would fit and at the last minute I decided to poke some holes in the top just in case it blew. Have you ever had a baked potato blow up in your oven? Me too and it isn’t pretty and this cucurbit was so big…it could take out the entire oven door!

It took about an hour and a half at 350 degrees before it was tender when tested with a knife. I hauled it out and let it cool. I should have put a tray under it as it bubbled some onto the oven floor (next time). It was so easy to cut in half – like butter. Next I scooped out the seeds and put them into a colander for later. The flesh was deep orange and sweet. This can’t be a pumpkin; it has too much color and flavor I thought to myself. I made a couple of pumpkin pies and divided the rest into quart size bags and sent it on to the freezer. The pies were a hit, everyone raved about them. Later I called my sister-n-law Sue and asked what kind of pumpkin she sent to me.

She confirmed my suspicions, although it is called a Jarrahdale Pumpkin, it is really a winter squash, Cucurbita maxima; an Australian heirloom variety grown for its unique blue-green skin and its deep orange colored flesh, perfect for pies.

I am planting this old fashioned squash who tries to pass for a pumpkin this year in my garden.

Seeds are available at Johnny Select seeds http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6153-jarrahdale.aspx

Cici’s easy pie crust
In a pie plate combine:
1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons Flax seed (whole or ground slightly)
A pinch of sea salt
½ cup oil
Mix with a fork until well blended then add:
¼ cup milk
Mix well then with hands pat out crust to fit pan

To cook a Jarrahdale Pumpkin: Place whole squash in oven, poke some hole in the shoulders. Place cookie sheet under to avoid oven cleanup. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or so – until it is tender. Cool then cut in half, scoop out seeds then scoop out orange flesh. Freeze any leftovers.

Home-grown squash pie
In food processor add:
2 eggs
½ -3/4 cup sugar
Blend then add:
1 ½ - 2 cup jarrahdale pumpkin, cooked
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cup milk

Blend together and pour into un-baked pie crust
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turn down oven to 350 and bake
Additional 45min to 1 hour until knife comes out clean. Enjoy!

Kitchen Garden Success Story

Our friends, Tom and Lucy visited my raised bed kitchen garden this past fall and decided to go home and build one of their own. They located the garden near their driveway in a sunny location that they pass by everyday. Smart logic! This garden will be well tended or at least looked at on a daily basis so weeds, pests, harvest and water needs will never sneak up on them.

Landscape fabric was placed under the raised beds and between the beds to control weeds; a great use for this type of fabric and it will keep these new veggie gardeners from getting discouraged. Weeds also compete for water and nutrients so keeping them at bay makes sense.

They decided to build a hoop house over one of the 4'x8' beds to grow a cool season garden. Another plus to choosing a location that you pass by daily since the hoop house is hand ventilated each sunny day by opening the ends of the plastic. They have been picking greens here and there but yesterday they decided it was time to pick a bunch. That is a beautiful mess of collards, kale and Swiss chard. Tom plans on trying to grow greens and such all winter using the hoop house. Its so crazy it just might work...awesome job Tom and Lucy!!!



A beautiful bouquet of greens in December

Bury me in a Garden

Cousin Heintz and me checking up on the relatives

in Huntwangen, Switzerland

On my second visit to Switzerland my cousin Heinz picked my friend Diane and I up at the airport in Zurich and took us to the little village Hüntwangen, in the canton of Zurich where my Great Great Great Grandparents came from.

I had been there two years earlier with my husband and was anxious to show my friend. Heinz and his brother Peter still own some of the original property where my ancestors lived and farmed.

We stopped in the village and to look at the spot where my relative’s home had once stood before a fire destroyed it. My relatives lived in the customs house. (This village borders Germany). Then we walked to the chalet of my Great Aunt who had recently passed on. The house was for sale – (about $250, 000. U.S. currency). Heintz showed us around outside. The house was a traditional Swiss home with the barn attached and the remains of a small fenced garden on two sides. Heintz found an old pair of wooden skis that he used as a child in the barn. He spent many happy days in this old place with his mother’s family during school breaks and weekends.

We then walked into what appeared to be someone’s home which it was but also a small restaurant where we had some breakfast. Since I speak no Swiss German and my cousin is fluid in English, Heinz proceeded to ask the owner about some of our relatives. Since both of my Grandparents were from here, seems I am more connected to this village than Heinz. We had a good laugh over that and then he said we should go and check on some of my relatives.

He walked us over to a cemetery where the gardeners, yes gardeners were busy weeding and planting out the gravesites with summer annuals. I looked at him funny because he had told me on the last visit we couldn’t visit our ancestors gravesites because after 25 years they dispose of them (compost I guess) and give their spaces to the newly departed. It is because space is such a premium in a small country he explained. When we got there I realized that was the case and these sites were within the last two decades. But as he pointed out as the village was still very small and not many new folks ever moved in that many of them were indeed related to me.

It is interesting to be able to go back and see where your relatives once lived and worked. It gives you of sense of grounding that I can’t really explain; a piece of belonging really.

Heintz explained to me that when a loved one passes on in Switzerland you can put them in a cemetery for 25 years. You must provide finances to pay for the gardener during that 25 year internment or commit to doing it yourself but if you don’t keep it up you will be billed. At the end of 25 years you can have the headstone if you wish or if you are still here to get it.

This past August I was blessed to travel to Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Austria. This time we saw some other cemeteries in Switzerland and in Austria that were gardens and I’ve decided that I want to be buried in a well tended garden covered with herbs! I know I’m going to being living in an eternal garden with the Master Gardener Himself after I take my last breath but it makes me happy to think that my gravesite full of beautiful plants and flowers could bring peace and joy, a reminder of what is to come in heaven to those still on this earth.

These cemeteries are such a contrast to the ones I have visited in the states. No artificial flowers allowed here. They even provide vases and water if you want to pick fresh flowers to place on the gravesite.

Werfenweng, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Thankful for Kitchen Garden

On Thanksgiving day I picked a huge salad of various greens fresh from my garden. It is so wonderful to skip out the front door to the kitchen garden and be able to have fresh veggies at the end of November.

This kitchen garden is new this year. We started building it in the early spring using various materials. I like to experiment to see what works well so I can share that information with others. I have beds of concrete blocks which might not be the most fashionable but are easy to find and construct into a raised bed, inexpensive, won't rot and I like the fact that I can plant companion perennial herbs and flowers in the blocks themselves without having to take up room in the main planting area.

Pine 2" x 12" boards were used to make 9 beds in the garden. Again easy to find and make into a raised bed using metal L brackets on the inside corners plus an added crosspiece in the center. Inexpensive too, materials for all 9 beds ran right around one hundred bucks. Of course they will decay in three or four years possibly but easy to replace at that time I figured.

This fall we have added more beds, my husbands insists I'm crazy and I must be forgetting we are only two people but that has never stopped me before...besides, I love to share with neighbors and friends. These beds are built out of rough sawn red cedar from a local mill and should last many years without rotting. The lumber costs more than pine but not will not have to be replaced as quickly.

Soil depths are experimental as well. How deep does a raised bed have to be any how? Well, that depends on who you ask I've found out. Everyone has a different opinion from 5 inches to 18 is what I hear is optimal so again I'm going to try differing depths and check it out for myself.

After taking a month off to see other gardens, relatives and friends in Europe at the end of summer I thought perhaps I had missed the widow of opportunity for planting a cool season fall garden. Even though I got a late start it hasn't effected my amount of green veggies I harvest daily.

By constructing two hoop houses, one portable greenhouse, and three cold frames I am amazed how well everything is doing. I hope to have produce all winter here in Middle Tennessee. Since I have no heat options in these temporary structures it will be interesting to see what will survive, what will croak and what will flourish in the coldest stretch of winter.

Currently I am growing brussel sprouts (in and out of protection), broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, broccoli raab, spicy greens, arugula, kohlrabi, swiss chard, corn salad and shallots (no cover), six or so varieties of lettuce, cilantro, spinach, kale and some others that I will remember later.

It is great to know I can stir fry or steam fresh greens make salads for every meal (or whenever I get a hankerin). Best of all it is knowing it is organic...in a time when you see organic vegetables shipped in from China, it is good to know I don't have to wonder where my food is coming from or what has been put on it.

Local is the way to go and growing your own is the best way to ensure that but the next best thing is buying from the local farmers wherever you live.

Because I got a late start this year I bought transplants and then started seeds to keep a continual harvest going. I found my best transplants at Riverbend Nursery of Franklin, TN and great majority of the seeds I planted are from Renee's Garden at http://www.reneesgarden.com/ Renee has wonderful seeds and such a variety of new and fun veggies to grow. Some of the seeds I planted are in packets printed in Swiss German and since I can't read the packages I can't you where they are from...thank goodness for latin plant names!

I am so thankful for my family, friends, and the bountiful harvest from my kitchen garden.