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It's Not Edible, But It is a Bit of the Garden

This amaryllis is a tiny piece of spring that we can enjoy in the cold of winter; and some days its indoor blooms like these make the long cold winter easier to take. The white in the background of the picture is actually a snow bank outside which really helps to see the contrast between indoors and out.

Actually it's been pretty nice here as we're enjoying a January thaw. Pretty nice is 34 degrees F. It really is all relative, especially when you consider it was -20 degrees a week ago! Soon it will be time to start some seeds indoors. In fact, I'll be planting some baby greens next week so we can begin enjoying some fresh salad grown in the south facing windows as we await the real thaw and can begin outdoor gardening again.

The First Step to Planning Next Year's Garden

The reward for getting through the holidays was to dig into the gardening catalogs that have been steadily arriving since mid December. Now that the tree is down and the decorations are put away, I finally earned the reward and dove into the catalogs today. I only had a short time available to start seeing all the new varieties available for 2010, but I've already got a wish list started.

While I can dream about new varieties and what I'd love to add, the first step to planning a garden whether it's a brand new plot or planning for additions to an existing bed is to evaluate how things went last year. Ideally, this should be started in the fall as you're cleaning up the beds so that things are fresh in your mind. Now is the time to take a look at your notes and evaluate exactly what worked and what didn't. Don't forget to take into account the weather conditions along as part of the performance of your garden and edible plantings.

For example, we had a cold summer, so cold in fact that it was September before we were finally able to enjoy our first tomato. I have to keep that in mind as I decide what tomato varieties to grow next year. The performance had more to do with the weather than the plants that I grew.

Another example, is the beautiful Bright Lights Swiss Chard that I've included a picture of. It made a terrific addition to the landscape and although chard is edible and enjoyed by many people, my family didn't like it. Therefore, it's highly likely that I won't grow it again, unless I have some space left over for an attractive plant that makes a striking addition to the border.

If you're itching to get back to gardening, take a look back now so that when it's time you can spend your time moving forward. In addition to the overall performance and any disease problems ask yourself if you liked the plants, the flavors, the textures and so forth. These are all important characteristics in deciding what to repeat as well as deciding what you want to replace and the features you should look for in a replacement.

Once you have all of this information in hand, you'll be able to create a wish list that will really meet your needs for the coming gardening season and your edible landscape.

Enjoying Fresh Garden Flavors in the Middle of Winter

Today we enjoyed fresh garden flavors despite the fact that the second day of the new year dawned with the mercury in our thermometer completely buried in the ball at the bottom. It was so cold that our window-mounted thermometer couldn't give an exact reading.

This is exactly the sort of day that can be made better by planning for this year's garden.

We also made it better by enjoying some of the fresh flavors of the herbs growing in the window sill. I made Lasagne using tomatoes from last summer's garden and picking some of the fresh basil brought in from outside last fall. It's a wonderful thing to be able to enjoy fresh flavors even in sub zero temperatures. I only wish the parsley had been ready to use as well.

Tomorrow I'll be planting more herbs for my indoor garden and counting the days until I can begin starting seeds for the coming summer's garden.

Happy New Year!
I don't know about you, but I've decided not to make any resolutions this year. But, I am making some promises to myself. For one, I've promised myself that I will make the time every day to work on my edible garden landscaping passion. For my readers and friends, that means more blog postings, more Examiner articles and a website that get's regular updates again.

I have a lot of ideas and information to share with you and a stack of garden catalogs to review so I can tell you about the newest offerings to think about adding to your garden or edible landscape.

For example, Burpee has a Tie Dye tomato hybrid, that is supposed to be really sweet and flavorful, not to mention very cool to look at! I've posted photo from their website so you can take a look. Just looking at it makes me long for summer, yet here I sit looking outside where it's a balmy -14 degrees. This is definitely the time of year for northern gardeners like me to dream, plan, research and dream some more.

I'll be posting ideas, plans and findings as we steadily move toward the growing season. And, along the way, I hope you'll feel free to share your ideas and comments as well.

Here's to a fabulous 2010! I hope your dreams for this year and beyond come true.

Fall is a great time to divide perennials

Now that it is officially fall, it's a great time to divide perennials that have gotten too big for their current location, are producing fewer flowers, or as in the case of plants like Iris, have a dead whole in the middle of healthy foliage.

I have several to tackle this year, and last night a bearded iris got my full attention. Not only was this plant huge, it had a huge whole in the center and there were weeds and even a small tree that were growing in between the rhizomes.

Dividing Iris is really quite simple. You just need to dig up the rhizomes and carefully pull them apart. I also found some rotting on some of mine which I cut off and added to the compost pile. Once divided, replant what you want and give away the rest.

It's really that easy and it's virtually impossible to damage the rhizomes. When replanting be sure the roots are well covered but that the top of the rhizome is only just beneath the surface. If it's planted any deeper, it will not bloom next year. You'll also want to cut back the foliage so the plant's energy can focus on re-establishing itself in the soil.

Photo from UMN Extension.

Doing our part for the bees

I've always loved fields of sunflowers. It's one of the wonderful sites of late summer and early fall that make me smile. And, knowing that they attract bees is an added bonus, especially with the current plight of this creature that is so vital to the survival of all living beings.

Earlier this week I witnessed how the sunflowers and bees were really symbiotic as I watched them feed on the sunflowers growing in our garden. Every flower had at least one bee and many had two or more. The bees were all hard at work, doing their part for the plants.

Actually, I've been watching the bees all summer and seen them at work pollinating zucchini, cucumbers, and a wide variety of other plants and flowers. For some reason, though, the site of the yellow and black bodies on the sunflowers really brings it all home - how every bit of God's creation works together.