irises, etc?

does anyone have any irises or small perennials they want to share? today we drove by a random house and my husband david said "hey! what is that flower? i like that!" (they were irises) im also lacking some low/small/short perennials for my mostly shaded front area. any ideas or plants?

What do you use?

I have planted some tomatoes and was wondering what type of stakes you all use. I found these cool spiral stakes that are about 4 feet tall and I am considering trying them out. I am too lazy to go outside to see what type of plants I have, but they are not cherry/grape. I think Big Red. I would love to hear what works for all of you.

Herb Spiral

Cool idea! Be sure to see the started project, photos of five weeks late, and the plans to do it yourself; I want to try this! :-)

Mark Your Calendars!

Our next CV Garden Club meeting is going to be Sunday, June 8th at 6:30. Jared Boyd and family are hosting and here is a link to directions to their casa. Jared will be talking about Justice Gardens, our desire to feed the homeless with the fruits of our gardens.

Remember to bring any plants to give away or exchange that you have an excess of!

I have available

I have quite a bit of the following plants if anyone wants them. These are at my parents house so it would be a little more than just a days notice to dig them up. However I am going there today and will bring some home in case anyone wants some. If more people want x,y, or z plant and I run out, there are PLENTY there.

Hostas of all kinds
Black Eyed Susans
Ferns

I know Alisa has requested some Hostas and Ferns, anyone want any? Available to pick up ASAP

call, leave a message 725.0716 or email me softletters @ gmail . com

Friends Forever: Basil-Tomatoes, Three Sisters

Did you know that planting basil next to your tomatoes supposedly improves the flavor of your tomatoes?!!!

Did you know that corn, beans, and squash are known as the "Three Sisters" in veggie gardening? Planting beans near corn allow the beans to climb the corn stalks. Beans' root bacteria help with obtaining collecting/processing nitrogen that is needed by all plants, but especially by the corn. Squash leaves provide shade and help prevent moisture loss, weed growth, and animal pests.

Not only does companion planting naturally control pests; it also can improves flavor and growth!

Rain Barrel?

Does anyone know an inexpensive way to set up a rain barrel (hopefully less than $50)? we've discussed having one for a few years now, and actually want to implement it this year!

Thanks,
Monica
mehartman (at) gmail (dot) com

Mission Impossible

I feel like I'm in a chapter of the Three Bears.

... SOMEone has been eating our parsley.
... SomeONE has been eating our dill.
... Someone HAS been eating our African daisies.
... Someone has BEEN eating our zinnias.
... Someone has been EATING the leaves from our red plum tree.
... Someone has been eating OUR petunias.
... Someone has been eating our PLANTS!


(cue music: Mission Impossible theme)

Dear groundhogs
residing under our deck and side porch,

This is not your home; you do not belong here. I preferred the raccoons, possums, and rabbit to your presence. You really do not want to mess with my dear husband; the last time he was on pest control patrol, a raccoon spent three days in jail with only water (the racoon ran away never to be seen again). So, consider this an eviction notice: you are to vacate the premises immediately. You shall be vanquished!

Sincerely,
Your Hostess, Co-Landowner, & Resident Gardener


(sigh)

In the meantime, I have been researching groundhog pest control. This post by a fellow blogger is tops so far... if only for the last paragraph!

When I lived on a farm, dad trapped them and then shot them. I'm sorry PETA people; it was our dinner or theirs... and we won. But within city limits we can't shoot them, can't trap and release them elsewhere, can't drown them. Unfortunately, groundhogs don't eat powdered cement mixed with grain, then drink from the water bowl beside them like the rats in the winter on our farm (this combination really STOPS them up). They don't explode from drinking soda pop, like rats on the farm. They don't fall into a 55 gallon barrel, and drown like rats on the farm. And, we are NOT getting a dog; five cats are plenty in the pet department for us.

So, the only solution is expensive: Varment-Guard.

In the meantime, I'm ready to set up camp in the backyard and spray them (we have two) with a high pressure washer every time they poke their heads out and threaten the existence of my plants!

I apologize for complaining and commandeering the blog, but...
Does anyone have any helpful, useful, workable ideas?

Thanks, B--

P.s. Thanks to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's public photo gallery for their photography assistance.

HELP!

After 6 years of living in our home, I discovered what continues to grow on the side of our house...FEVERFEW! I have converted the side of the house to a herb/veggie garden and this stuff has become very annoying and I am afraid it will affect my herbs and their flavor. I am constantly pulling it out from year to year thinking that I got rid of it. Does anybody know of a safe way to get rid of this? My veggies and herbs are already in the ground. I will not use weed killer or any other chemicals. Oh, by the way, if you want any...you can have as much as you like
(don't say I didn't warn you though).

onion sets up for grabs

**TAKEN**

does anyone want any yellow onions to plant? i also have basil and chive seeds. if you want any shoot me an email!


softletters @ gmail . com

Tomato Seedlings- free

I dug our volunteer tomatoes this evening. Though Jenny & Jaime have first dibs, I doubt they want the over ONE HUNDRED volunteer plants that I put in containers! Most of the plants are probably small yellow pear tomatoes; some might be red cherry (sweet millions).

Anyone else want some tomato seedlings?

Save on gasoline- we are coming to C-ville on Wed & Fri and could drop them off if you live in that area! Of course, you can arrange to stop by our house (Minerva Park- south of Westerville); whichever works best for you.

bethany (and) karl {at} hotmail [dot] com

All Clear for Planting

Marlin Languis who spoke at our first meeting mentioned that the safe-for-planting date in Central Ohio was May 10th so let's get planting folks! I put in our garden this past weekend over two days during breaks in the rain. It felt good to get back into the dirt!

We use a communal garden with some friends from big Vineyard and it's a whopping +1100 sq/ft plot. This is our first year doing one together and this is what we have planted:

8 kinds of Lettuce
Spinach
Collard Greens
Beets
Carrots
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Pole Beans
Sunflowers
Broccoli
a few kinds of Tomatoes
a few kinds of Peppers
Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Peas
Strawberries
Blueberries (but they are new this year so won't be fruitful for 3 more years)
Raspberries
and an herb garden with Chives, Basil, Cilantro, etc. nothing fancy


What are you planting?

Gardening & Kids

Westerville Public Library presents

Gardening & Kids series

stories, planting, children's garden, kids' garden club

Heads Up- Relatively Inexpensive Plants

Did you know Marc's sells plants in the late spring?

This year, according to my sister, the Henderson Road did not get a permit to sell plants on their "patio" outside the store. However, the Westerville store still is selling plants. The selection changes every time a new truck load arrives (every couple of days); so it's sort of a scavenger hunt of what you might find each time you go...

A few prices & idea of the variety:

Hanging baskets- $8.99 (ferns @11.99)
fushia, petunias, bacopa, geraniums, begonias, pansies, violas, lobelia, ferns, mixed, etc

Half flats- $4.98?
annual salvia, small zinnias, marigolds, petunias, violas, snap dragons, impatiens, pansies, etc

Small/medium pots- $3.33
petunias, annual salvia, african daisies, gerber daisies, etc

Herbs- $1.99?
basil, oregano, rosemary, chives, thyme, cilantro, parsley, mint, sage, etc

Veggies- $0.99?
tomaotes (sweet millions, early girl, big boy, sweet olive); peppers (jalapeno, banana, red bell, yellow bell, green bell- forgot the varieties)

Roses- $8.98
at least two varieties of pink; maybe more

Perennials in small/medium pots- $3.33; now $1.98!
dianthus, perennial salvia, shasta daisies, soapwort, lavendar, creeping thyme, etc

Bushes- $9.99+
azalea, forsythia, taxus, l, hydrangea, lilac, etc

Trees- $29.99 and up?
crimson red, flowering plum, red plum, peatr arborvitae, alberta spruce, etc

Mulch- $1.99/ 2 cubic ft bag
cyrus & red (dark & red)

Also, have seen ...
irises, daylilies, hostas, spikes, alyssum, vince, ageratum, verbana, oleus, catmint, columbine, sweet potato vine, impatiens-New Guinea, foxglve, lphlox, lobelia, vinca vine, ivy, various ground covers, mixed pots, and many more ; potting soil, other gardening items (indoors)

Marc's Westerville is located on the southern side of Westerville just north of 270 & Rt.3/Westerville Road, in the the same outdoor "mall" as Kohls and Office Max. (Note: prices are even more reduced at the end of their plant sale; but this is never announced, and it's just whenever they quit getting plants... maybe late-ish May?)

Happy Shopping! :-)

Help Beautify a local Middle School!

Hey guys! Let's not forget that tomorrow we have an opportunity to serve our community with our mad (ok quasi-mad?) gardening skillz



On Saturday, May 10th (beginning at 9 A. M.) we will be gathering at Indianola Math, Science and Technology Middle School to beautify our courtyard. Any level of commitment would be greatly appreciated. Some equipment will be provided but it wouldn't hurt to bring some basics (spade, pruning shears, hard rake, leaf rake, gloves, etc.). Snacks and beverages will be provided.

I have some very basic landscaping skills but need some direction as far as the design possibilities go. If you have any questions, please contact me @ teddy(underscore)dellesky(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Plants up for grabs

I couldn't make the gardening get together, but I have some plants to share/trade. Sweet Woodruff (an herby groundcover), lily of the valley and 1 clump of wild ginger are among the plants up for grabs. I also have some seedlings that will be ready in a couple of weeks (kiss me over the garden gate). Contact me if you are interested in any of these plants.
Judy Crawford
judyandaaron@yahoo.com

Update
The wild ginger has been spoken for.

in search of!

anyone have any tomato or pepper plants that they aren't going to be using?

A Few more events

College of Biological Sciences Greenhouse Spring Fundraiser

Thursday, May 8 3-5PM
Friday, May 9 10AM-5PM

At the Greenhouse ground floor entry, breezeway between Aronoff Lab and Garage K. (this is on 12th Avenue)

Here's a sneak peek at what we will be offering:
Annuals: Marigolds, Pansy, Zinnia, Celosia, Portulaca, Cardinal Climber, Spanish Flag
Perennials: Coreopsis, Caryopteris, Shasta Daisy, Ajuga, Mints, Hardy Hibiscus, Blue Butterfly Scabiosa
Herbs: Chives, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Thyme, Cilantro
Veggies: Tomatoes, Peppers --sweet and hot, eggplant, broccoli, pumpkin, melon, watermelon

Specialities: Salsa Paks: 2 Tomatoes, Basil, Jalapeno Pepper, Chives, and Cilantro
Basil Baskets: 6 basil varieties all in one basket
Mixed Herb Paks: A variety pak of 8 herbs for an instant herb garden



It’s that time already! Get a jump on the planting season and enjoy exclusive plant choices through Franklin Park Conservatory’s Spring Plant Sale.

Mother's Day Weekend - May 10 & 11, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Choose from a unique selection of annuals, herbs, perennials, specialty plants, Ohio natives, and tropicals chosen by Conservatory horticulturists. Conservatory staff and volunteers will be on site to answer any questions,advise on companion plants, and to personally load your order.

Gardening Events of Interest- updated

I believe that all events are free unless noted;

some require registration.

(if you have corrections, please contact me)

Worthington Farmers' Market
Plant Fest 2008, May 10, 9am-4pm

OSU's Agricultural Department
"Sustainability Now" Conference, May 16 & 17, Fee
keynote address by Jim Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth

Thornville's Herb N Ewe
Gardening Celebration

Westerville Garden Club
Plant Sale, May 10

Upper Arlington Parks & Recreation
Learning & Leisure- Fee
sessions on garden design, rain gardening, compsting, etc.

Gahanna Herb Education Center
Herb Days (see next post)

German Village Garden Club
Garten Markt, May 10, 9am-4pm

Columbus Metro Parks
Butterfly Gardening, May 10, 2pm, Highbanks Park
Heirloom Garden, May 17-18, 1-3pm, Slate Run Farm
Bringing Wildlife into the Garden, May 21, 7pm, Inniswoods Gardens

Home Depot's In-Store Clinics
Container Gardens & Hanging Basket Arrangements, Saturdays in May, 10-11am
Combining Annuals & Perennials in Your Garden, Sundays in May, 1-2pm
Landscaping & Outdoor Water Conservation, May 19, 7-8:30pm

Herb Celebration

Did you know tht Gahanna is the official
Herb Capital of Ohio?

Gahanna's Herb Education Center's
Herb Day 2008
will include demonstrations, forums, arts, crafts, & herb sales.

Saturday, May 17, 9am-4pm
Please note the new location information

More details available here.

OSU Plant Sale

OSU's Chadwick Arboretum's

Annual Plant Sale

which includes a tree & shrub auction and gardening fair

Friday, May 9, 7am-7pm

through Saturday, May 10, 8am-3pm

New Location!

Just east of 315 on the OSU campus

-- Lane Avenue and Fyffe Road

More details available here.

Composting

Based on the meeting on Sunday it seems like a lot of folks are interested in composting so I thought I'd make a general blog post about it in case anyone wasn't there or wanted a quick reference to come back to later.

First off, I feel composting is entirely underrated and undervalued. Food scraps and lawn clippings make up about 1/4 of all waste in landfills. When this organic matter is withheld oxygen while decomposing they emit methane, which is 20 times more toxic than carbon dioxide. Each ton of organic matter you divert from a landfill saves 1/3 of a ton of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the environment. And let's not forget the awesome effect compost gives to your soil when you use it for gardening! win-win!

Ok so what you want to do is have a structure to contain the compost as it decomposes. This can be anything from an uber cool tumbler to a chicken wire cage or like Jeff has, a simple wooden enclosure. For more on compost enclosures check out this link. We have even used a simple large trash can with holes drilled all around it (to circulate air) and it has happily provided the black gold we all crave. I've heard that it's best to use larger items like branches on the bottom to really get the air circulating to the bottom of the pile, but personally I've never been that strict about it and have had no problems.

So once you have the structure you can start adding compostable materials to it in about a 50/50 ratio of carbon rich and nitrogen rich items. Examples of carbon rich materials would be: leaves, wood chips, newspaper, cardboard, etc. Examples of nitrogen rich materials would be: fresh grass clippings, manure from herbaceous animals (cows, horses, even llamas!), basically any non-cooked kitchen scrap that contains no meat or dairy. The best results come from layering of all items vs just heaping on a ton of leaves at one time for example. Some things you don't want to include though - like anything diseased or thick things that might take a very long time to break down.

Try to stir it at least once a week during the main decomp stage to make sure air is circulating well. From personal experience my bin takes about 6 months to go from heap to black gold.

Pruning Bush Stuff

I overheard NBC4's Tom McNutt talk about pruning the other day.
He reminded viewers to:

• prune early springtime flowering "stuff" (like lilacs, azalea, forsythia) immediately after they are done blooming, so usually late spring to early summer
• prune evergreen shrubs in late spring- early summer (can start to prune around Christmas holidays to use for decorations, and then finesse the pruning in late spring after the new growth has appeared).
• prune things that flower in the summer (like some hydrangeas, rose of sharon, butterfly bush, redbud) in early spring, like February or March- right before the upcoming growing season.

General Pruning Info
When to Prune

Union Hoe

   

The Union Hoe factory where Marlin told us we could get cheap shovel stakes is no longer in existence.  The factory closed down in April.  But we can still get some of the same reject shovel handles at a greenhouse in Delaware.  The owner will be charging around 1.20 for each stake and he will have some on Friday.

The greenhouse is on Moore St, just north of E. Central Ave in Delaware.  You will see it on the right.  (cash and check only)

Union Hoe

  

Offer: Free Garden Stuff

Available to a good home:

- plastic pots of various sizes
... most are "starter pots" that are good for starting seeds

- TAKEN PPU (SB): philodendron starts
... indoor plant starts; already rooted
... can also be put in pots in the shade for summer and brought indoors in the fall

- TAKEN: tiger lilies (orange)
... plants with bulbs; we'll dig when you come to get them;
... though it's not the best time to move them, we've never had trouble doing it now

- TAKEN PPU (SB): chives
... we'd love to divide & share some of our clumps of chive plants

- TAKEN: tomato seedlings (cherry & roma)
... we've already bought our plants; but these showed up as volunteers
... these might be yellow pear, red cherry (sweet millions), or roma tomatoes

- TAKEN: tomato seedlings (yellow pear- small ones!)
... we've already bought our plants; but these showed up as volunteers
... think these are yellow pear, but could be red cherry (sweet millions), or romas ???

- TAKEN: marigold seeds
... harvested last year
... mostly yellow, but some orange; no way of knowing which are which color

- TAKEN PPU (TK): lily of the valley
... we'd love to share the plants that have popped up outside their bed

- lilac starts (white)
... we'd love to share some of the starts that have popped up around our lilac "tree"

- TAKEN PPU (JB & DMB): daffodil bulbs (yellow)
... available after the leaves die, we'll need to thin our bulbs & will have some to share

If you are interested,
please email us at bethany and karl [at] hotmail {dot} com
-- please omit spaces and brackets

.

Wanted: Garden Plants

We would love to get some of these if anyone has some to offer...

1. Lilac starts (deep purple)
... we're specifially looking for some almost black ones

2. Siberian irises (any color other than purple)
... we're specifially looking for some white or yellow ones

Thanks, for any assistance...
K&B

bethany and karl (at) hotmail [dot] com
-- omit spaces and brackets

Sprout Market!

Heads up! Tomorrow is the Clintonville Farmer's Market "Spring Sprout Sale"!

Farmers bring vegetable and flower starts, native plants, early season vegetables, and other good things.

It goes from 9-11 at the corner of High and Oakland Park

CV Gardening First Meeting!

Hey guys, the CV Gardening group is going to be having it's first meeting with special guest Marlin Languis, who is a master organic gardener, Sunday May 4th at 5:30 pm. Join us for a Q&A session with Marlin about composting, soil amendment, a presentation on square foot gardening, and exchanges of seedlings that he will be bringing! Afterward everyone is invited to Northstar for some grub

so be there or be square!
2632 Summit Street
5:30 pm

No Room? No Excuse!

Here are a few ideas for limited space...


1. Container Gardening
Consider using containers to grow food- veggies, fruits, and herbs rather than the usual flowers. Some flowers (like petunias & marigolds) can be interspersed with the contained plants to ward off bugs; this makes allows the container garden to serve a duel purpose of growing food and dressing up a spot of the deck, porch, or yard.

- Herb Container Gardens
- Summer Container Gardening , 2 , 3 , 4
- Potato Bag & Plant Varieties Good for Containers
- Laundry Basket Gardens
- No Yard; No Problem

- We've done mixed container gardens for our deck for a couple of years now. This year, we plan to replace the spikes with lemon grass, the geraniums with scented geraniums (citronella), the other flowers with flowering herbs and/or tomatoes.


2. Window Boxes
Install window boxes for spring. summer, fall use. They work well for herbs, lettuces, and and flowers- especially edible ones!

- Year-round Window Box
- Plans to Build Them

- Our window boxes are planters purchased at a home improvements store. We put brackets on the house, under the north-facing windows, and attached the draining trays. The planters snap into the trays and can be detached and stowed in he garage when frost or cold threaten.


3. Hanging Pots and Buckets
Of course, we've all seen hanging pots of flowers available in garden and grocery stores. But, why not grow herbs, etc in them? Also, a newer, radical idea is to grow tomatoes upside-down in a hanging bucket!

- Upside-down Tomatoes , 2 , 3
- Grow Poles
- Products for Growing Hanging Tomatoes, etc

- We found pot hangers at a local discount store. Each year we plant herbs, flowers, and lettuce in clay pots and place them in the "pot hangers"; then, we hang them on our fences for added growing space. This also keeps bunnies OUT of our lettuce!


4. Vertical Space
Use vertical wall space is better for more things than just roses, grapes, ivy, and clematis! It can create growing space for tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, small squash, and even small pumpkins. Mother Earth News has addressed this subject several times in their magazine.

- Strawberry Barrel
- Build a "Tower"
- Trellis, Bins, and Tepees
- Freestanding Tower
- Not for the at-Home Gardener, but Isn't This Cool?


- Our tomato trellises hide the walls of our aging garage. One set faces east and the other set faces west. They are constructed from home improvement store, plastic lattices that have been hung on two spike nails; yes, THAT simple. As the tomatoes grow, we tie them up the trellis with zip ties (my sister uses pieces of fabric that she has ripped from worn out t-shirts and jeans). The plants usually grow up and over the gutters!


Many other links and ideas are available online & in printed materials. But hopefully, something here will spark ideas. Small spaces are no excuse! ;-)

.