Garden Tutorials

Worm Composting 101

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:54:08 -0500

If you haven’t started worm composting, aka vermicomposting, then you haven’t composted yet!
Check out this video and find out how easy and economical it is. You may never have to buy fertilizer again.
Your plants, and your planet thank you!

Starting from Seed

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 11:19:57 -0400

Seeds are amazing things. Take a look around and notice all of the plant life that surrounds us, from the blades of grass to the tallest of trees; all were once a tiny seed. Some seeds are very large, others so tiny that they are invisible to the naked eye, and float on wind currents, even across oceans.
As a gardener, there is nothing quite as exciting as germinating seeds! Somehow, when we have raised a plant from a seed, it becomes like one of our children. It’s just fun and rewarding to watch them mature.
Now is the right time in South Florida to plant seeds of flowers and vegetables. Here are some tips that can make your seed sowing more successful.
Most seeds are best started in pots, and then set out into the garden when they are larger. Germinating in pots allows us to control the amounts of water and sunlight, and we can protect them when they are most vulnerable.
I like to use old 6-inch nursery pots, which most of us have lying around. Use a good quality potting soil. Wet the medium first and then place the seeds on top; you can put the whole packet in at once.
A common mistake is to bury seed too deeply. As a rule of thumb, bury the seeds no deeper than the diameter of the seed itself. This is often miniscule, which is the point; many seeds actually require light to germinate. (This is why mulch inhibits the growth of weed seeds.)
After you have carefully covered the seeds, use a gentle mist or watering can with a soft spray to water them in, then label and date. Be sure to water daily. Seeds need constant moisture to break the seed coat and you can put a shallow saucer underneath to help with this.
Keep them in at least 4 hours of direct sunlight, preferably morning. Now, get ready to experience the miracle of germination. It can take from one day (this has really happened to me!) to months, depending on the type of plant.
A plant is born with baby leaves, which often look very different from the true leaves, which will sprout out next. When these leaves appear, you can transplant them into separate pots, or directly into the ground. Never let a seedling dry out. Fertilize with fish emulsion and keep vigilant for a couple more weeks. Soon, you will beam with pride, and have lots to share with special friends.
The Zinnia in the above photo was started from seed, and her sisters are now blooming all over my yard. Seeds are not only fun to grow, but are the most economical way to garden. On a budget? Buy a seed packet and multiply your gardening dollars exponentially.

Growing Herbs

Wed, 2 Feb 2011 09:19:31 -0500

From growing seeds on her windowsill as a child in Buffalo, N.Y., to selling plants for a living, Donna Torrey takes great satisfaction from bringing things to life. Especially herbs.  "I love their smells. They make me happy," says Torrey, owner of Garden Gate in Pompano Citi Centre.  Herbs also appeal to her practical side. "I can't cook without them, because food without herbs is boring."  Torrey comes by her cooking skills rightly. "My fondest memories are waking up on Saturday morning to my mother frying onions to use in her sauce," she says. "That was the beginning of my love of cooking."
Her Italian mother grew her own basil to use in that sauce, and Torrey still makes Mimi's Secret Tomato Sauce with home-grown herbs. "This is the best sauce ever," she says. The secret is combining fresh basil, onions and anchovies in a food processor with wine and then stirring that mixture into simmering tomatoes.  When Torrey's plants are producing a lot of basil, she preserves it in oil. She picks the leaves and then washes and dries them carefully. (Moisture can turn oil rancid, she says.) She packs the fresh basil into a clean, dry glass jar and covers the leaves with good-quality olive oil, leaving a small amount of head room in the jar. She caps it and refrigerates the oil to be used in sauces, dressings, pesto, bean dishes, soups and sautes for "amazing fresh flavor."  "I use the flavored oil in just about every darn thing I make," Torrey says. You can also flavor oil with parsley, sage and cilantro.  Another trick is to make herbal vinegars. She packs the herbs in a jar filled with apple cider vinegar and lets the mixture steep at room temperature for a couple of weeks.  Then she drains the vinegar, packs it in decorative jars (empty wine bottles work well) and adds a sprig of the herb before corking or sealing. If you use purple basil to make the vinegar, it turns a pretty pink, says Torrey, who sometimes presents jars of herb vinegar as gifts.  It seems no matter what she cooks, Torrey adds a bit of fresh herbs. "Whenever I want a little snap I pick a little fresh and throw it in the pan."  She wouldn't think of cooking a chicken without flavoring it with thyme and rosemary as she does in her recipe for Roast Whole Chicken with Potatoes, Onions and Fresh Herbs.  Better yet, she plucks a few sprigs of delicate, citrusy lemon thyme off a plant in her back yard for this recipe. "My whole yard is a garden; there's no grass," she says.  Even winter vegetables such as calabaza, pumpkin or butternut squash get great flavor when sauteed with a little honey and some rosemary, sage or parsley. Torrey serves Herbed Winter Squash as a side dish but suggests adding turkey sausage or chicken to make it a meal in a pan, or serve it over pasta for a tasty vegetarian entree.  She also adds rosemary to roasted vegetables that she coats with oil and cooks at 375 degrees until tender and nicely browned. "You don't want to use too much rosemary because you can definitely overdo it. It has a strong flavor," she says.  Another favorite recipe of Torrey's is Beet Salad With Dill. This easy, jewel-toned salad has wonderful fresh flavors and is loaded with vitamins. "I'm just starting to get to know this herb," she says of her experiments with it.  Although supermarkets now carry a wide array of fresh herbs, there's no excuse for not growing your own. Especially in South Florida, Torrey says.  Herbs look decorative whether planted in the yard between other plants or placed in pots. Torrey prefers pots because she doesn't want them to get trampled by her dogs — Big Al, a white German shepherd; Katie, a black cocker spaniel; and the appropriately named border collie mix, Herbie.  October through June are the best months for growing herbs outdoors. You can grow them through the summer, but you have to be sure the plants don't get too much sun and don't dry out, Torrey says.  When choosing plants for year-round growing, avoid dill, cilantro and thyme, which do particularly poorly in summer.  To grow your own herbs, pick a spot that gets 4 to 8 hours of direct sun. Select deep pots that are 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Clay pots may look more decorative but they are porous and dry out faster than plastic ones. Fill the pots with good quality potting soil because herbs need good drainage.  "The main thing with herbs is you can't let them dry out," Torrey says. That means putting them near a sprinkler head or watering them regularly by hand to keep them evenly moist.  Torrey recommends placing the pots near your door for convenient snipping.  Just as you feed your family, you need to feed your herbs. Torrey recommends an organic product such as Black Hen or fish emulsions. But there's no need to go out of your way to buy special products. If you have any kind of plant feed on hand, just give it to your herbs. "They know what to do with it," she quips.  If it's a granular product, you need to feed the herbs every couple of months; if it's liquid, feed them every couple of weeks.  Most herbs, other than parsley, can be grown from seeds, but it's easier and faster to buy small plants. Basil and dill are particularly easy to grow from seeds.  When you harvest your herbs, cut the leaves from the bottom first on any plant that grows in sprigs from a center stem (parsley, cilantro). Herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano) that grow upward on central stems should be cut from the tips. Chives, however, should be cut from the bottom as you do grass, Torrey says.

Gardening in Straw Bales

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:18:29 -0500

For those of you who may have physical limitations you may want to try straw bale gardening. Even wheel chair-bound folks can take advantage of this method.

Think of the Straw Bale as a large raised planter. The straw holds water and nutrients, but allows for good drainage. The bales can be placed directly on the ground, or even left on concrete. Before planting, soak the bale with a hose daily, for at least a week, to fully wet the bale, and begin decomposition.

To plant, dig out a hole a little bigger than your plants, fill with compost or potting soil, and plant it, along with some organic fertilizer, such as Black Hen, and water in with Fish Emulsion. Continue to fertilize every two weeks, and don’t allow the bale to dry out completely.

Over time, the bale will begin to break down, and at this point, you can just add another one, or break it up completely and use for mulch. Don’t waste this biomass; it will become fantastic soil conditioner, and eventually, soil itself.

This is one of the best ways to start a vegetable garden, especially in South Florida, where the soil is so sandy and nutrient poor. Got Soil? If not, then Make It!

Summer Vegetable Gardening

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 13:34:55 -0400

Gardening during the South Florida summer is quite different than anywhere else in the continental US. Our summer climate is much more like the Caribbean in nature: hot humid days AND nights, which is the tipping point for some plants, making them unable to sustain themselves. To survive a South Florida summer, a plant must be able to withstand both the humid days and the hot humid nights, without much temperature variation.
By drawing our plant palette from the Caribbean and other hot, humid lowland habitats, we can grow an interesting array of material that is both edible and beautiful. The following are lists of some of those plants which I consider to be especially noteworthy.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, “try everything, keep what works” is a good gardening philosophy in general, but is especially key during the summer months.
PAPAYA- Really a vegetable/herb, and shouldn’t be overlooked in the home garden. It’s easy to grow and produces literally pounds of delicious and nutritious fruit, which can either be eaten green or ripe. Buy one in the grocery store and plant the seeds.
CALABAZA- You can find this squash in the grocery aisle as well; it’s the bright orange one cut into pieces with the seeds intact; a gift to you, the astute gardener! Plant them now for an amazing, delicious and nutritious harvest this fall. Give them plenty of room to grow and a good organic fertilizer such as Black Hen. Other hard shelled squashes can be planted as well, such as pumpkin, Luffa, and others.
BANANAS/PLANTAINS-Again, mostly thought of as a fruit, but is actually an herb. These plants relish the heat and humidity, so don’t neglect to have some of these. They can multiply quickly, so you will always have plenty to give to friends. Nothing can compare to the taste of home grown bananas; they are so superior!
PINEAPPLES- Another freebie from the grocery store. Buy one, eat the fruit and plant the top. If you keep doing this, year after year, you will have your very own pineapple grove! The tops take more than a year to fruit the first time, but less time after that.
BEANS/PEAS- One of the easiest vegetables to grow and loves the summer heat. Pigeon Peas are a Caribbean staple and that is because they make a sturdy 5 foot bush that produces year round and can last up to 5 years of production. Plant them during the heat of summer. Need a quick hedge? They’re your edible solution. Pole beans are another good grower; they are delicious and being a vertical crop, save space. Got a chain link fence? They’re another edible solution. Jicama is another lesser known legume grown for its starchy tuber, which tastes similar to a water chestnut.
AMARANTHUS- This is a South American crop that produces either greens or seeds. It is one of the few vegetable greens that grow during the summer season. It’s hearty and delicious, also known as Calalloo. Other lesser known tropical greens to check out: Katuk, Moringa, Okinawa Spinach and Malabar Spinach.
PURSLANE- Known for its beautiful flowers, it is also a delicious green eaten either raw or cooked. One of the few vegetable sources of Omega 3 fatty acids.
OKRA- There are several seed varieties to choose from; all do well during the summer in full sun and an enriched nematode free soil.
SWEET POTATOES- These can be sprouted whole and the growths, called “slips” planted. They make a great ground cover.
CHAYOTE SQUASH- This squash can be purchased for less than a dollar at the grocery and planted whole. It will become a beautiful edible vine perfect for a pergola or other large trellised area.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE (Helianthus tuberosus) - Actually native to North America and used by the American Indians, this Sunflower relative is grown for its tubers which look like knobby potatoes. It is dug up and planted each year, similar to potatoes. Its tubers are rich in inulin which doesn’t raise blood sugar.
For more great information about growing some of the lesser known veggies that do especially well in South Florida, check out the website below from The University Of Florida
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_hs_minor_vegetables