Milk Jug Greenhouse

This milk jug is protecting a little rose start at the corner of one of my flower beds.

Milk Jug Greenhouse

It's easy to assume that when someone says "greenhouse," we all imagine a large, house-like structure with glass walls and maybe a tray of plants sitting in a corner.

One of my favorite tiny "greenhouses" are plastic, one gallon milk jugs. I also use clear plastic water bottles the rest of the year but for winter, the opaque gallon milk jugs work quite well.

After cutting the bottom out of the milk jug, I store them stacked on top of one another until I need them, usually close to the first fall frost. Most of the time, I get delicate plants and seedlings insider to winter over but not always. This past year, I had rose starts I was worried about so I deployed my carefully collected milk jug greenhouses.

After making a little trench around the rose starts, I placed a milk jug into the trench and covered it back up with soil so the milk jug would not fly off. 

When the soil around it was dry to the touch, I watered the rose start through the milk jug center.

As temperatures hit single digits, I peeked inside to make sure all was well. So far, so good. 

Will be interesting to see if once spring arrives, the little rose start has survived winter in its little individual greenhouse.

Have you tried to use milk jugs as plant covers?

Charlotte

Buds Too Soon!

Apricot buds late December 2016.

Buds Too Soon

There was a time in my life when a warm day in late December was a gift. Not that I don't appreciate being able to spend time outside in sunshine so late in the year. What I don't like to see is the ongoing record warm winter temperatures coaxing buds out of my compact fruit trees like my apples and apricots way too early.

Missouri's weather in 2016 continued to break records all year. It's been part of a trend I started to notice in my garden in the 1990s, slowly at first. In the last decade or so, record hot summer weather has been more frequent, impacting plants, trees and wildlife.

The top part of plants and trees have withered in the punishing heat. I have tried to keep roots soaked, hoping to pull them through the harsh conditions. Wildlife have also been impacted. Twice in that decade squirrels and birds have turned to my fruit trees for food and moisture.

Now this winter so far, weather has turned unusually mild. Bulbs are starting to pop out of the ground far too early; most need between 8-12 weeks  of cold before they can grown greenery and buds to bloom.

More importantly, my compact fruit trees are also showing significant buds forming. Once cold weather sets in again, those buds will freeze and another season will go by without flowers, and more importantly, pollen for my bees.

Four-year old compact apricot tree forming buds late December due to warm weather.

If these conditions are setting in on my fruit trees, I wonder what is happening to commercial fruit producers who have much more to loose than I do.

For once, I find myself wishing winter would stay cold for a solid few weeks so my fruit trees stay dormant.

Charlotte

Dried Orange Slice Christmas Tree Garland

Dried orange slices strung as a garland through a Christmas tree.

Dried Orange Slice Christmas Tree Garland

Did you ever string popcorn for Christmas tree garland? 

I did many years ago. I decorated a small outside cedar only to watch wild turkeys dragging the strung popcorn off as a treat the next morning.

I thought about those wild turkeys when I saw this lovely dried orange slice garland on a Christmas tree at the Henry Shaw country house at Missouri's Botanical Garden, St. Louis.

With Christmas trees staying up all year, or being transformed into Easter home decor, these dried oranges add nice color.

Oranges are a favorite treat of one of my favorite summer garden bird visitors. Luckily Baltimore Orioles have migrated by December or those dried orange slice Christmas tree garlands - or whenever they are used through the year - wouldn't have a chance!

Charlotte

Settle Down, Winter!

Ice coats tree branches in my back yard at the beginning of winter.

Settle Down, Winter!

Winter has been late in coming this year. Not usually an issue for me personally but worrisome for my bees because they have been enjoying record warm weather and consuming their honey stores, food they store to eat over winter.

Spring-flowering bulbs also depend on 12 weeks of cold weather to set their blooms, and frankly  I'm tired, I could use a break to catch my breath, do some reading and get ready for another growing season. I haven't had that stretch of cabin fever yet, unexpectedly warm days keep popping in enticing me outside to get yet another chore done before cold weather supposedly sets in.

Record cold temperatures dipping below zero started off this first week of December but will end the week at Christmas with the forecast with temperatures in the 60s, not a normal Missouri Christmas day by any means. Sunny days are good but the temperature swings are all off. 

So winter, now that you are officially here, please stop toying with us and settle in to stay cold enough to keep us inside reading for awhile. gardeners depend on that, too!

Charlotte

Tree Pruning Time

Prune trees above the growing node but make sure your pruners are sharp; i set these pruners aside so I don't tear more of the tropical hibiscus while pruning.

It’s time to prune trees if you haven’t already. Although I appreciate well-shaped trees and bushes, I have to work myself into a certain state to prune. There is something counter-intuitive about cutting off branches to make something grow a better, fuller shape.

I start pruning in January when my tropical hibiscus have dropped most of their leaves in my living room. The leafless tree shape is easier to see and I can do the trimming in phases so I don’t traumatize it. Basically you don’t want to trim more than a quarter of the total tree branches at once so mark them before cutting so you don’t cut too much.

Start with some simple branches to cut off:

1.     Mark and remove dead branches.

2.     Mark and remove branches that are unsafe. This can be branches that are unsafe for people who may be around them as well as branches that are unsafe for the tree itself. Branches that cross are not good for fruit trees, for example. Branches with a low clearance are not safe for people who may mow lawns nearby.

3.     When choosing branches to remove, mark branches so new buds are facing outwards. It took me awhile to get this concept under my belt but basically don’t cut above growing nodes that will force a new branch inward. The nodes should be pointing in the direction you want the new branch to grow.

4.     Don’t cut right at the growth node, trim at a 45 degree angle about 1/8th of an inch above the growth node.

Coming up next, tips for pruning fruit trees.

Charlotte

Growing Herbs Indoors

Basil is one of the harder herbs to grown indoors because they like a lot of sun and temperatures in the 70s.

A friend called me earlier this week excited to find a selection of potted herbs at a local store. “I want them all,” she said, “can I get them to grow?”

Growing herbs indoors is possible but a little tricky so here are my 11 tips on what to do if you want to grow herbs indoors:

 1.     Find a spot with at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. South-facing windows are best although I have mine facing more west.

2.     Place your herbs away from other plants. A stand that is taller than surrounding plants will work, or place them in an area apart from other plants. You don’t want hitchhiking bugs to find your herbs and most indoor plants have something keeping them company this time of year.

3.     Make sure the pots you place the herbs in have a saucer so the herbs don’t sit in water. Don’t use clay unless you have something under it because water moves through clay. Choose plastic, rubber or metal saucers. There are pretty ceramic ones but they will tend to loose moisture as well so wait until summer to use those.

4.     Same consideration about what pots to use. I have grown herbs in both clay and plastic pots. In cold climates like ours, furnace heat tends to dry out homes so use a plastic pot instead of clay so the soil stays moist longer.

5.     Make sure your pot has drainage holes so the herbs are not sitting in water.

6.     Don’t dig up soil from outside. Use a good potting mix. Place the mix in the pot, mist with water and let it drain through before adding an herb plant.

7.     If you have your herbs in a window, make sure the foliage is not touching glass so it doesn’t get nipped by cold.

8.     Give herbs a weekly mist. Better yet, give them a sink bath, let drain, and return to their window spot to keep their soil moist and hydrated from winter dry heat.

9.     Pinch herbs with fingers when ready to use. Cutting with a knife or kitchen scissors may add a metallic flavor.

10. My catnip plants tend to make it half way through winter until they are discovered by my cats. One minute I have a lovely pot of catnip, the next thing I know the pot looks like scissors moved through it. I have pulled one plant through after it was chewed on but I had to put it in a hanging basket to keep it from being a snack.

11. The following are herbs I have successfully grown inside and pulled through winter:

Chives

Rosemary

Spearmint

Italian Parsley

Oregano

Catnip

I am now growing a small pot of basil along with rosemary, cilantro and parsley. The basil hasn’t grown much since I transplanted it. During summer, basil prefers temperatures in the 70s so I am trying now to give it similar conditions.

Herbs grown inside will look leggier than growing them outside but they will still give you fresh herbs to add flavor to your winter cooking.

Charlotte

Happy Poinsettia Day!

December 12 is officially Poinsettia Day, so designated by the US House of Representatives. July 2002, the House of Representatives approved a resolution honoring Paul Ecke Junior, who is considered the father of the commercial North American Poinsettia industry.

I remember growing up in Mexico City, Mexico and having Poinsettia trees in our backyard. Paul Ecke developed a technique that causes Poinsettia seedlings to branch, making what are trees in their original habitat more manageable potted bushes. The Ecke's technique remained a secret until the 1990s when a researcher published the formula.

Poinsettias are part of the Christmas holiday tradition. Poinsettias are the favorite Christmas flower in both the US and Canada. Their red bracts are actually leaves that have been turned red by being deprived of light.

Aren't they beautiful? Now imagine them the size of dogwood trees!

Charlotte