2010 Retrospective: Bee Balms

The bee balms above are a bit of a mystery. I planted the red ones from seed (monarda didyma) then realized they were a bit too far back, so I thought they might not do well in the shade. I purchased another plant that I thought was the same exact variety, and planted it in front. Well, it turned out to be pink! So now I have both plants intermingled there. Maybe one day I can separate and replant, but really it isn't so bad.

Here is my other bee balm. Also known as wild bergamot, its scientific name is monarda fitulosa. This isn't the greatest picture, since they look a bit more lilac colored in person. But I like how it sort of gives the feel of how cute it is to round that corner on the path, with the other flowers around it. I'm not sure what the yellow ones in the foreground are (an impulse buy!) but in the back are someblack eyed susans and echinacea.

The bee balm certainly lives up to its name! The bees and butterflies love them.

Happy HollyHocks

I am simply in love with these hollyhocks! I grew the maroon ones on the left from seed last year, and purchased the black ones from Well Sweep herb farm. Neither of them bloomed last year, so I was very happy to see them this summer!

Unfortunately only 3 plants survived out of 8 - I have no idea what happened to the other 5. The didn't grow back at all this spring. But what can you do - at least I got three!

Mystic Merlin Mallow is Blooming!

I'm really thrilled about this plant, especially since I grew it from seed last spring. It only bloomed once last year, just two small flowers. Well, what a difference a year makes! It is gorgeous now.
Some sites say this Malva sylvestris 'Mystic Merlin' is edible, which is why I originally bought it for my potager. But other sites say it is poisonous, so I'm not sure what to do! I think for now, at least until baby arrives, I won't be trying it. But I'm still glad I grew it since it is such a pretty plant.

Edible Flowers and Herbs

The herbs are growing like crazy! The chive, sage, lavender, chamomile and thyme have all bloomed, and it looks like the oregano and marjoram will too any day now. I need to trim them and dehydrate a bunch, but I just haven't had a chance yet.

I did harvest some of the flowers though. To the left is a bouquet of sage flowers. I'm not sure what to do with them, but they sure look pretty and smell good!

I also picked some lavender, chive and dianthus flowers. I dried the lavender to save for tea later. The chives made their way onto baked potatoes and salads. Below is a picture of the chives and dianthus sprinkled on a regular garden salad. Unfortunately it was at night, and the lighting isn't the best. But you can see how pretty the petals are - it really made an average salad look beautiful! And I love the mild oniony taste of the chive flowers. The dianthus was delicious too - a slight spicy, yet floral taste. (there's also some of the home grown radishes in this salad too)

 

Spring has Sprung

Well, it isn't exactly spring yet, at least until the equinox on March 20th. But this weekend was gorgeous - in the upper 50's and bright sun all day Sat and Sun. Unfortunately, I was stuck inside working. I managed to get out for a quick walk through the garden today though. Considering there is still about 2 inches of snow on the ground in shady places, I was surprised to see quite a few new green baby plants coming up! Here's a photo roundup of each happy harbinger.

First, I'm thrilled with the rosemary you see to the left. It is too cold in my climate for anything but the hardiest rosemary to survive the winter. Two years ago I bought an unspecified variety from a local nursery and it completely died over the winter. So last spring I got a new variety that was supposed to be extra cold tolerant - Logee Blue. Considering this was the coldest and snowiest winter we've had in about 20 years, I never thought it would survive. But as you can see from the left, it looks pretty good! I'm sure we'll be seeing new growth on it soon.

Here's a couple more that don't need much explanation.

Chamomile that reseeded itself for the second spring in a row (I only planted one plant in 2008!):
Biennial Chard growing back for it's second season:
Black Hollyhock (This will be it's second season. I hope it flowers this year, unlike last summer.):
Chives (I am so looking forward to sprinkling those yummy flowers all over my salads!):
Mystic Merlin Mallow (It produced one pretty purple flower last year. I can't wait to see more.)
These were the first pictures I've taken with my new camera. Its a Canon PowerShot SD780 IS. I still have to finish reading the instructions to learn more about taking manual shots, so these were just taken on auto macro setting. I'm pretty impressed with the quality for quick auto shots though. They definitely look better than my old camera, and its great I only had to take one photo of each - no blurring from shaky hands.

Today's Garden Tasks: Updated

1. Pick up garden-quality straw (no or dead seeds) from local horse farm, then spread over paths and around plants (but not touching stems). This straw mulch will prevents weeds, reduce watering needs, and break down into the soil within a season or so, acting as a rich compost/fertilizer. I got this tip for a great new list I found: the veganic agriculture network. http://www.goveganic.net/ STATUS: HALF DONE. The horse farm was literally on the same street as my Aunt & Uncle's house, that I've been going to my whole life. I had no idea there was a horse farm, dog park & nature preserve all right there! It was so cute! The hay looks and smells really sweet. I will definitely go back & bring JJ to the dog park, and maybe even go horseack riding on the trails. Did not yet get a chance to spread it out though, it is sitting in the basement.

2. Mix baking soda, a little biodegradable dish soap, and water then spray on plants to prevent powdery mildew. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/bakingsoda.html STATUS: DONE.

3. Add more Maxicrop (seaweed) fertilizer. 1 tsp per gallon of water, spray on leaves & soil. STATUS: ON HOLD. Veganic network & gardenweb say I should wait for a soil test and/or just use hay b/c of the carbon footprint from importing this stuff from Norway. I agree & will use sparingly. I think I will put on another teaspoon in a week or so though. Also need to continue researching local sources of NJ seaweed and salt hay.

4. Might also add this fertilizer I picked up yesterday at Lowe's made of soybeans! I was so happy to find this in just regular old Lowe's from the list of ingredients it appears to be vegan! I just wrote them an email to confirm it is. I hope so!! STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)5. Reset fence & plant a few new plants I bought yesterday to attract more pollinators: 2 shasta daisy, 1 echinacea, 1 black-eyed susan, another yellow black-eyed susan type, I'm not sure the name, & a purple plant I'll have to update later with the exact name too. STATUS: MOSTLY DONE. Just need to trim off excess fence posts, staple down hose, dig a bit more dirt and plant 1 daisy & the royal candle purple plant. Got all the others planted and the whole fence pounded in.

6. Maybe I may even make a bit of compost tea by putting some in a sock and soaking it in water. I have to turn the pile and add some straw to it, too. Definitely the low-fi way of making compost, that I read on the gardenweb forums. Whereas this article makes it a lot more complicated: http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx But I just may try soaking it just for a day or two and see. STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)

I need to find out if I could mix the seaweed, fertilizer and compost all in one batch. That would be easiest if I could, but I'm not sure if they'd react with one another or something. Anybody happen to know? STATUS: CANCELLED. Veganic network/gardenweb says no, or at least - be cautious when doing something like this. Might have too much nitrogen, which would promote too much leaf growth instead of fruits and veggies.

PHEW! I better get to work!!