If I could have every seed in the world, I would. But I know that when it comes to seeds, less is more. The key is knowing what you can actually grow, what you truly want to grow, and managing your expectations. Here are the nitty-gritty details about buying seeds for gardening.
Reading a seed packet can be like reading a whole other language when you first begin. Gardening has a TON of jargon and specialty terms that can make getting started a little daunting.
And I’ve been there! I didn’t grow up gardening, so it was a steep learning curve when I began my gardening journey.
We’re in the midst of seed starting season, and I wanted to go back to the basics. I’ve had people ask me things like how you pick what to plant (especially when you want to grow everything!) and what all the information on the back of a seed packet even means.
I’m going to explain it all, so sit back and let’s talk about what you need to know about buying seeds for gardening.
Rather than buying seeds for gardening, you can also save seeds from your existing garden to plant next year.
Today, I’m sharing some excerpts from my ebook Get Growing! Expert Seed Starting for the DIY Gardener. Be sure to check it out for the full guide and everything you need to know, from sowing to thinning to transplanting your seeds.
Choose Your Seeds
Combing through seed catalogues and seed websites can be a fun adventure if done properly, but if you don’t prepare, you may end up with more than your garden (and you) can handle.
It is important to first think about what kind of plants you want (Flowers? Herbs? Vegetables?). Is it warm enough to grow watermelons in your garden or cool enough to grow kale? Do you really have space for three varieties of squash, or will one do?
Make sure to label your seedlings so you know what is what!
Perennial vs Annual Seeds
Starting seeds early in the season is a great way to save money on annuals like flowers, herbs, and vegetables that will flower or fruit in the first year. For beginners, annuals are typically the best garden seeds to buy.
More advanced gardeners could also start perennials from seed in many cases, but it is a more difficult and time-consuming process as perennials may need many months or even years to reach the size of a nursery plant.
Some perennials are easier to grow from seed than others, so if you want to try your hand at starting perennials from seed, be sure to read up on which ones are your best bet in this post.
It’s important to keep in mind that some plants do better than others from seed. This does not mean that what you sow has to be severely limited. There are plenty of flowers, vegetables, annuals, and perennials that will grow easily from seed and thrive. With so many options, you might even have a hard time choosing what to plant.
Of course, your unique location will have its own limits in terms of climate, so be sure to check the seed packet before you buy to see if your area fulfills the seeds’ requirements to succeed.
Only Buy Your Favourites
When buying seeds for gardening, it can be easy to buy every colourful, enticing seed packet you see. But try to stop and think about how much you will use.
The best garden seeds will be different for each person, depending on what you like to grow and where you live.
Make a list of your absolute favourites, and only sow the amount of veggies you will eat or the flowers you need to fill the beds.
This will make the growing process simpler and more fun, and you won’t find yourself overwhelmed by crops you can’t keep up with later in the season.
Herbs are one of my favourites to grow, so that’s what I prioritize in the garden.
Heirloom vs Hybrid vs GMO Seeds
These are terms that can get confusing for new gardeners. And they can easily get mixed up with one another! Learning the difference between the terms heirloom, hybrid, and GMO is key. This will help you in your seed selection process and ensure you buy the best garden seeds for your preference.
I have a whole post on the difference between these types of seeds and all of their pros and cons. Check that post out here.
How to Read a Seed Packet
I can’t stress this enough. Following the instructions on the seed packet will give you the best possible start. Unless, of course, the growing directions read like the radicchio I once started, “Sow seeds a few days after a moonless night.” There is a long history of growing plants with the cycles of the moon, which you can read about in this post. But for this post, we’ll stick to using the last frost dates and the Gregorian calendar.
The majority of seed instructions will list everything you need to start seeds, like when and where to sow, planting depth and spacing, special watering requirements and the number of days to germination.
Some will list special information like germination temperatures, repeat sowing, transplanting, and thinning. Following the instructions gives you the best chance of success, so those map-hating, instruction-scoffing types out there best pack away their stubbornness for seed packets.
A good seed packet will give you all the information you need to begin growing the plant.
Key Seed Packet Terms
Here are some terms you might encounter on your seed packet and what they mean.
Germination rate: the likelihood of a seed germinating, represented as a percentage.
Plant type: answers whether the seed is a perennial, annual, or biennial.
Seed spacing: how far apart you should ideally place each seed from one another.
Plant spacing/spacing after thinning: how far apart the plant should be from other plants.
Height: the height the plant will be upon maturity.
Days to maturity: how many days from planting until the plant is ready for harvest/blooms.
Planting depth: how deep to plant the seed.
Days to germination/sprout: how many days you can expect to pass before the seed begins to grow.
Bloom period: when the plant will be flowering.
Read the packet and the growing instructions before buying the seeds.
Determining Your Growing Conditions
Before you can plant or even buy your seeds, you should have a fair grasp of your growing conditions. Each plant has specific needs to germinate and grow, so you need to make sure your garden can meet those needs if you want to grow a specific plant.
Timing
On the seed packet, it will usually tell you when to plant your seeds based on frost dates. Finding your average frost date for your area is crucial. To do this, you can use the calculator from the Farmer’s Almanac.
You can then use this date to count forwards or backwards or know when to begin certain seeds indoors.
I also encourage you to try and implement succession planting. By carefully timing when to start seeds, you can extend your harvest and space it out.
Avoid having all your vegetables ready for harvest at the same time.
Lighting
All plants will have specific lighting requirements, which are listed on the seed packet. These are usually described as full sun, partial sun, partial shade, or shade. Before buying seeds for gardening, ensure your garden has the right amount of sunlight (check out this post for how to measure the sunlight in your backyard).
Seeds will also need a specific amount of light when germinating. Seeds with a low planting depth that only have a thin layer of soil overtop will require lots of light to germinate. Likewise, those planted deeper in the soil will require less light.
Sunny windowsills or grow lights are a must for starting seeds indoors.
Temperature
Some seeds require certain soil temperatures to germinate. A heating mat can help achieve this supplemental heat indoors for certain plants like peppers or tomatoes. Others, like carrots or radishes, prefer the temperature of the outdoor soil.
Most plants prefer well-draining soil, but not all do! Your seed packet may provide some information on the type of soil or location the plants prefer. If not, do a little research beforehand for the plant’s soil needs.
For seed starting, you want potting soil with sterile ingredients that won’t promote fungal or bacterial growth. You can find my go-to seed-starting potting soil recipe here.
Moisture
Some plants are considered drought tolerant and do better in areas that won’t receive supplemental watering or hot climates. Others prefer lots of water, doing best in places close to the house where they will receive extra water or areas that receive enough rainfall.
When selecting your seeds, consider your garden’s moisture conditions and how much extra watering you want to do.
This olla watering system slowly waters plants in my raised bed.
Best Places to Buy Seeds
If you’re like me, you get giddy when the seed catalogues arrive in the mail. It feels like Christmas is coming, and you can’t help but circle all the best garden seeds you want.
But for most people getting started, the first step is finding a reputable sources for buying seeds online. My favourites for Canada include West Coast Seeds and Richters.
Avoid buying seeds online from across borders or anything that could be invasive to your area. When in doubt, don’t buy the seeds. The local garden centre will always carry good-quality and safe seeds.
Also, see if there is a little seed library in your neighbourhood! Some libraries even offer seeds as well. Because who could say no to free seeds?
FAQ About Buying Seeds for Gardening
Is it better to buy seeds online or in person?
Either is a fine option. When buying seeds online, you get a wider range of seeds available. You can find many varieties and rare plants that you couldn’t get at the garden centre. You do have to double-check and perhaps do some extra research to ensure the seeds will germinate and grow in your area.
How do I choose the right kind of seeds?
The most important factor when buying seeds for gardening is ensuring your garden has the right growing requirements for the plant. Look at the seed packet for its sunlight, water, soil, and space requirements. If your garden matches, then the seeds are good to go.
The other main aspect you want to look at is gardening zones. This will give you a quick indicator of whether or not the plant can handle the temperatures in your gardening zone.
What’s the best way to store seeds?
Seeds should be stored in airtight packaging and then labelled with the plant name and variety, where you grew it, and the date. This information will be very helpful when you decide where to plant it the following year.
Keep the seeds in an area where they won’t get damp and at a relatively stable temperature. They should be in a cool, dry place. Most seeds are good for two years. After, their germination rate decreases with every additional year in storage.
Coriander seeds.
More Seed-Starting Resources
This is just the beginning of all the seed-starting info I have to share. Check out these posts for more information about the next steps in growing plants from seed.
Get inspired and transform your green spaces with garden plans taken right from Fine Gardening’s most popular featured gardens. Each garden in this collection is a symphony of colors and textures carefully orchestrated to transform your outdoor space into a haven of natural beauty. Whether you’re drawn to the allure of meticulously prepared flower beds or the practicality of a flourishing kitchen garden, these designs cater to a spectrum of tastes and preferences.
Below you’ll find tried and tested planting plans for an array of regions and conditions including shade, sun, urban, rural, and everything in-between. These designs feature deftly selected plants which delineate spaces with grace and charm. And you don’t need to take our word for it. These plans are taken from real gardens so you can see the end results and not just an illustration.
You’ll also see planting ideas that will work for small gardens and which showcase how even the most modest spaces can be transformed into captivating retreats. These designs exemplify the belief that a well-thought-out garden, regardless of its size, can make a significant impact on your outdoor living experience. You can adapt the recipes to your own vision and create a space that is uniquely you!
Let these garden blueprints, born from the expertise of seasoned professionals, serve as your guide to cultivating a garden that flourishes.
Above: Naans in cross section: cooked in 3 minutes.
Above: A trayful of hot field garlic naan, ready to be devoured.
Field Garlic Naan
Makes 6 to 8
A platter of field garlic naan could stand alone as a meal, but the breads are an exceptional partner for eggs, soups, beans stews, dhals, curries and curry riffs, like butter chicken. A cast iron skillet or plancha (griddle) is indispensable here, allowing for very high, evenly distributed heat, which creates those wonderful charred spots that make genuine naan—cooked in a fiery tandoor—instantly recognizable. The cast iron should be well seasoned, because we’re not adding oil to the skillet, for this baking method. The naan should be eaten right away, while still warm. If you must, you can make the naan ahead; just reheat for 3 minutes in a 400-degree oven before serving, and do the butter-drench after re-heating.
Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons yogurt
1 Tablespoon milk
1 large egg
½ cup warm water
3 Tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Field Garlic Butter
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup snipped field garlic
For the naan: Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the yogurt, milk, egg, water, and melted butter.
Make a well in the flour, and pour the wet mixture into it. Mix everything together until nothing is dry. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly buttered bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Leave it in a warm place (I use the microwave–just don’t turn it on accidentally!), for about 1 ½ hours, until it has doubled in size. (A buttered finger-poke should leave a dent; if the dent fills in, leave it to rise some more.)
Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut the into 6 – 8 equal pieces. Form each into a ball.
Place the balls on a lightly-floured tray, dust with a little flour, and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Allow them to rise for about 20 to 25 minutes (it will take longer in a cold room) until risen by about 50 percent.
Before you shape, heat your cast iron skillet to smoking point. In a small pot melt your butter with half the field garlic over low heat. Keep in reserve.
To shape the naan: I like elongated naan. Put a ball of dough on your lightly-floured work surface, flatten with your palm, and dimple the surface outward with your fingers. Then stretch gently to elongate, to about 8 inches long. As soon as each naan is shaped, lay it in your smoking-hot griddle or pan. You should be able to cook two, maybe three, at one time. Cook on one side for no more than 1 to 1 ½ minutes. The top will develop bubbles, and the underside, when you flip it, should be charred in spots. Cook the other side for 1 minute or a few seconds more, if the sides seem undercooked. You may need to turn the heat down a touch if the charring is happening too fast. As each naan is cooked, transfer it to a plate, brush with the waiting field garlic butter and cover with a clean kitchen towel folded over them to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
When all the breads are ready, pour any residual butter over the top and add a flurry of the remaining field garlic. Dig in!
Today we’re visiting with Mark Klempner in Philadelphia.
I have a bit of a special situation: I live in a rental apartment with a substantial private garden. I’m in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. In 2016 I sold a large home with an even larger garden so as to have more time for other things. I lucked out, though, and found an apartment with a few hundred square feet of outdoor space.
I would have called this a barren wasteland, but having cared for a roughly 1/3-acre garden for years, I thought that improving this one seemed doable.
I started by removing what little growth there was—some English ivy and a small holly bush. Next, I brought in a truckload of topsoil and a lot of rocks for bed edges.
Some friends a mile away had a huge amount of Wissahickon schist, a local stone, lying all over their backyard from a partial renovation of their home. They wanted to get rid of it. I made about a dozen trips in my compact car, driving slowly with what I felt was a safe load each time.
This being a near-total shade garden, I had to concentrate on appropriate plants, and of course could not grow many varieties that I was used to. For strong color I relied on impatiens, begonias, coleus, caladium, and others.
Four potted banana plants really stand out too.
Since I’m shaded by white pines with shallow roots, in areas without beds I use containers. I’ve bought quite a few ceramic pots, but I get more enjoyment from finding unusual containers, often in curbside trash or cheaply at yard sales.
Curbside hunting has also yielded a great amount of found objects that I place throughout the garden and enjoy more than the containers. Getting so much for so little money allows me to spend more at salvage shops for sculptural items such as armillaries and an antique lightning rod.
We have an annual event here called the Mt. Airy Learning Tree Hidden Gardens Tour. My garden was on the tour in 2022 along with eight others. Over 400 visitors came through that day. I was told by a tour arranger that my garden generated more comments than all the others combined.
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Meyer lemon trees are a delightful addition to any home garden, offering both lush foliage and tangy fruits. But to ensure your tree thrives, fertilization is key. Let’s dive into the essentials of feeding your Meyer lemon tree for the best results.
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Fertilizer: The Citrus Tree’s Best Friend
When it comes to fertilizing Meyer lemon trees, balance is the name of the game. A fertilizer with a balanced NPK ratio, such as 10-10-10 or 14-7-14, is ideal. During the growing season, which spans from early spring to fall, your tree craves nutrients. A high-nitrogen fertilizer or a slow-release all-purpose fertilizer will do wonders.
For those who prefer organic options, products like Organic Premium Kelp Seaweed Concentrate are perfect. They not only feed the tree but also enrich the soil with beneficial microorganisms. More on Kelp Seaweed.
Fertilizing Schedule
Season
Fertilizer Type
Frequency
Early Spring
High-Nitrogen or Balanced
Once
Early Summer
High-Nitrogen or Balanced
Once
Late Summer
High-Nitrogen or Balanced
Once
Fall
High-Nitrogen or Balanced
Once
Remember, the key is to avoid over-fertilization. Too much nitrogen can lead to lush leaves at the expense of fruit production.
Real-Life Example: The Potted Meyer Lemon
Consider a potted Meyer lemon tree on a sunny patio. It’s fertilized monthly with an organic balanced liquid blend, ensuring a steady supply of nutrients without overwhelming the plant. The result? A healthy tree that’s both a visual treat and a source of home-grown lemons.
Expert Tips for Meyer Lemon Success
Sunlight: Meyer lemon trees need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.
Watering: Keep the soil moist but not soggy to prevent root rot.
Temperature: Protect your tree from extreme cold by bringing potted trees indoors.
Patience: Allow fruits to mature fully, which can take about six months.
By following these tips and using the right fertilizer, your Meyer lemon tree will be a source of pride and delicious fruit for years to come. Embrace the joy of gardening and watch as your Meyer lemon tree becomes a centerpiece in your garden or home.
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How Can I Tell If My Meyer Lemon Tree Is Healthy?
To determine if your Meyer lemon tree is healthy, you should look for several key indicators:
Leaves: Healthy Meyer lemon trees have vibrant, green leaves. Yellowing leaves or a general look of despair can be signs of overwatering, which can lead to root rot. Yellow leaves with green veins can indicate nutrient deficiencies.
Root Health: Overwatering is a common issue that can lead to root rot. If the soil is soggy, it’s a sign that the tree is getting too much water. Let the soil dry out before watering again.
Blossoms and Fruits: A healthy Meyer lemon tree will often be blooming or fruiting. If your tree is not producing flowers or fruit, it may be a sign that it’s not getting the nutrients it needs.
Branches: When pruning your Meyer lemon tree, look for branches that are growing straight upwards. These are generally not fruit-producing branches. Also, remove any damaged or crossing branches.
Disease and Pests: Watch for unusual leaf spots or bark that is too easy to peel. These can be signs of disease. If you notice pests, treat the tree with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Light and Temperature: Meyer lemon trees need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily and prefer warmer temperatures. If your tree is not getting enough light or is exposed to incorrect temperatures, it can affect its health.
Remember, consistency is key when caring for a Meyer lemon tree. Regular watering (without overwatering), proper fertilization, and adequate sunlight can help ensure your tree stays healthy.
Cue the classic Superman phrase, but make it about your next favorite winter squash – it’s a pumpkin, it’s a butternut squash… It’s butterkin!
‘Butterkin’ is a winter squash hybrid that combines the rounded, slightly scalloped shape of a pumpkin with the smooth, tan-colored exterior of a butternut squash.
The two- to four-pound fruit boasts a bright orange, fleshy interior that has the familiar sweet and nutty flavor of butternut squash.
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Under the right conditions, ‘Butterkin’ can be stored for up to six months and, like a butternut squash, can be used in soups or a roasted vegetable medley to keep you warm throughout the fall and winter.
Ready to grow this unique squash in your garden? Here’s what I’ll cover:
What Is ‘Butterkin’ Squash?
‘Butterkin’ is a relatively new winter squash cultivar, developed by Hybrid Seeds in New Zealand and released to the US market in 2014.
The goal was to combine the aesthetic shape of a pumpkin with the classic flavor of a butternut squash. As the name implies, it’s a cross between a pumpkin (C. pepo) and a butternut squash (C. moschata).
“Winter squash” is kind of a misnomer, as these plants are not cold- or frost-tolerant in the slightest! They are grown during the summer and harvested in the early autumn, for consumption during the winter months.
Unlike summer squash, which are harvested when their rinds are immature, winter types are harvested at full maturity, after the exterior rind has hardened and the vines have started to turn brown.
‘Butterkin’ grows on four- to six-foot vines that each produce two to three fruits. The fruits are usually six to eight inches in diameter, and weigh roughly two to four pounds.
Like other winter squash plants, the leaves have a rough texture, and five to seven lobes. The vines become woody when the plant reaches maturity.
Similar to a pumpkin, ‘Butterkin’ squash has a cavity in the center that is full of closely packed seeds. The seeds usually are 11 to 13 millimeters in size with a beige color and oblong shape.
These annuals can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10 and take approximately 105 days to reach maturity.
How to Sow ‘Butterkin’ Squash
You can start new plants by sowing seed directly into the garden or indoors for transplanting later.
Alternatively, you can pick up started transplants at some garden centers or plant nurseries.
Note that since this is a hybrid cultivar so seeds collected will not grow true to the parent plant.
From Seed
If you want to direct-sow in your garden, you’ll need to wait until after all danger of frost has passed and temperatures are starting to warm up. The timing will depend on your USDA Hardiness Zone.
The plant needs a full sun location and well-draining soil, and you need to wait to sow until the soil temperature is above 65°F.
I personally love this because it doesn’t just let me know the temperature of the soil, it also measures the pH and moisture content.
To sow your seeds, first make mounds in the soil that are 12 inches in diameter and six to eight inches tall. Space the mounds six to 12 inches apart.
Put one seed into each mound about an inch deep into the soil, then cover and water in well.
Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, and usually, seedlings will emerge in seven to 14 days. Water the mounds thoroughly when the soil surface is dry.
If you have a short growing season, you can start seeds indoors and transplant your starts out into the garden when the soil warms up.
Start by preparing a seed starting tray with enough cells for the amount of seeds you wish to grow, and fill with a loose potting medium – a half and half blend of peat moss and perlite will do just fine.
If you need a recommendation for a seed starting tray, I have personally used this one from Gardzen, available via Amazon.
It comes in a five-pack of 15-cell seed starting trays with humidity domes and I love it.
The plastic top keeps humidity high and ensures that the potting media won’t dry out too quickly.
You also want to keep the media at a temperature of about 70℉, which you can achieve by placing your tray in a suitable location or by using a heat mat.
It has an adjustable thermostat so you can ensure they have the optimum temperature that they need to germinate.
After putting soil into the tray, sow one seed per cell at a depth of one inch. Cover with soil, and water the cell pack thoroughly, until water starts draining out from the bottom.
Finally, cover the seed tray with the plastic top to keep the humidity high and the soil moist.
Place the seeds in a location with bright, direct light in a location that is consistently 65 to 70℉. Only water when the surface of the media is dry to the touch or when water droplets have disappeared from the plastic top.
Under these conditions, the seeds should germinate within seven to 12 days.
After germination, remove the plastic top, and keep the seedlings in a location with bright, indirect light, and maintain even moisture.
When they have grown two to four inches tall, and all risk of frost has passed, the seedlings are ready to start the acclimation process before being planted in the garden.
I like to acclimate my transplants over the course of three weeks because it gives me lots of flexibility with timing.
We’ve all accidentally forgotten to move our plants outside at least once – or maybe it’s just me? With this three week window, I am able to really make sure that my new plant babies will do well in the garden.
During the first week, set the transplants outside in an area that receives direct sunlight for just a few hours during the day and leave them for an hour on the first day, adding an hour each day.
The second week is a little more intense as I increase the amount of light and the amount of time that my transplants spend outside. My south-facing back porch receives lots of light in the early afternoon, so I put them there for four to five hours per day.
Finally, the third week is when I leave my plants out on that south-facing back porch for the entire day and overnight. On the last two days of that week, I plant them in my garden.
Throughout this acclimating process, I water my seedlings when the soil surface is dry.
I cannot stress this enough, but don’t let your transplants dry out or they will start to wilt! That stress will decrease their success when you plant them in your garden.
Transplanting
After your seedlings have been hardened off, or you have brought home transplants from your local garden center, prepare the mounds as discussed above.
Dig holes a bit deeper and wider than the size of the containers the plants are currently growing in.
Remove your transplants from their seed cells or containers by gently grasping the base of the stem with your thumb and index finger with one hand and pinching the sides of the plastic cell with your other.
Then gently place the root ball in the hole and backfill with soil. Water in well.
How to Grow ‘Butterkin’ Squash
As mentioned above, ‘Butterkin’ plants require full sun – about six to eight hours per day – and consistently warm temperatures.
The plants need soil that is well-draining, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.5 – they will not tolerate heavy clay.
I like to add organic amendments like compost and manure to my garden before I plant, so I typically don’t need to fertilize.
However, these plants are heavy feeders and you can fertilize with a balanced 10-10-10 (NPK) product every three to four weeks once they start flowering – stop fertilizing about a month before harvest.
‘Butterkin’ squash plants have shallow root systems, so they require regular watering – in the absence of rain, make sure you water thoroughly and deeply when the soil is dry to an inch down.
When you irrigate, try to avoid wetting the leaves, as this can promote fungal issues such as powdery mildew.
Apply a layer of organic mulch underneath the plants, just avoid letting it touch the main stem where it emerges from the ground. Leaf mold or straw will help to retain moisture in the soil and inhibit weeds.
Growing Tips
Plant in a full sun location.
Water at the soil level to avoid splashing the foliage.
Fertilize regularly until a month before harvest time.
Maintenance
Aside from keeping up with the watering and weeding chores, for the most part you can just let your ‘Butterkin’ do its thing in your garden.
If you live in an extremely hot location, the leaves may wilt in the afternoon sun. If this happens, consider using some shade cloth to shield them from the harsh rays. Be very vigilant about watering during dry, hot weather.
You can prune the vines if you wish, which can encourage more fruits. Our guide to trimming pumpkin vines covers when and how to do this.
Where to Buy ‘Butterkin’ Squash
You can find ‘Butterkin’ seeds and transplants at many plant nurseries and garden centers.
If you like to do your shopping online, you can find packets of 20 seeds available at Burpee.
Managing Pests and Disease
If your ‘Butterkin’ starts to look a little worse for wear, squash bugs and aphids are the most likely culprits.
Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) are small, dark gray or brown insects that produce bronze colored eggs on the undersides of leaves.
With their piercing mouths, they suck the sap out of the foliage and leave behind yellow spots that eventually turn brown.
You can handle a squash bug infestation by using strong sprays of the hose to physically knock them off or pick them off by hand.
If you want to physically pick off adult bugs, larvae, and eggs, fill up a bucket with warm water and soap. When you find the bugs and their eggs, simply toss them into the water.
Personally, I would only recommend using a spray if the infestation is severe.
Chemical treatment that contains either acetamiprid and malathion is effective, depending on whether you wish to use pesticides in your garden.
Powdery mildew can be a big problem in dry, hot areas. If you see a substance that looks like baby powder on the leaves of your ‘Butterkin’ plants, you need to act quickly.
Harvesting
Well, you’ve sowed your seeds and waited patiently for harvest. What do you do when the time comes?
‘Butterkin’ squash fruits are usually fully mature by late September or early October, depending on your location.
Unripe fruits are light green, and when they are ready for harvest, they’ll turn to a light tan or orange color.
You can tell if a ‘Butterkin’ is fully mature by gently knocking on the surface of the fruit. If it sounds somewhat hollow, then it is ready to be harvested.
You can also examine the stem where it attaches to the fruit. The stem should be brown and have a tough, woody texture. If it’s still green, then it is too early to harvest.
When you’ve figured out which fruits are ready to be harvested, take a pair of gardening scissors and cut the stem about one inch away from the fruit.
Storage
As I mentioned earlier, ‘Butterkin’ can be stored for up to six months. However, before you start preserving you have to cure the fruit.
To do this, space out your squashes in a dry location with temperatures between 70 and 80℉ for seven to 10 days.
Storing ‘Butterkin’ is simple. I personally just put them in a basket or cardboard box in a dark, cool area that is anywhere between 50 to 60℉.
Monitor your squashes frequently for rot or decay, and discard these.
You can also freeze your harvest. Simply peel and cut the flesh into cubes, spread them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid, then transfer to containers or zip-top bags until you’re ready to use.
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
To me, squash is the perfect winter comfort food. You can roast it in the oven for a quick and tasty veggie, or blend it into a soup for a warm and filling meal.
‘Butterkin’ is just as versatile as a pumpkin or butternut, and can be substituted for these in any recipe.
This lovely hybrid is sure to be a favorite in your garden and in your kitchen! If you love winter squash and are looking for something a little bit different, why not try this one?
I know that I love having ‘Butterkin’ on those cold winter nights when I need some soup to warm me up.
Are you growing ‘Butterkin’ squash? Let us know in the comments section below – and share your favorite recipe!
If you’re a big fan of the puffy, globe-shaped blooms of ornamental alliums, then say hello to their crimson-blooming cousin: the blood lily.
The name “blood lily” might sound ironically hardcore for a flower, but since the fiery-hot hues of Scadoxus multiflorus blooms are blood-like, it’s actually a pretty accurate name.
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This crimson color pairs well with the light green hue of the leaves.
Combine these delightful colors with the striking floral shape, and you’ve got a really awesome plant on your hands. But how to grow it?
With knowledge, that’s how… and this guide has all the know-how you need to begin your plant parentage, from propagation to cultivation.
Here’s what we’ll be talking about:
What Are Blood Lilies?
Formerly classified as Haemanthus multiflorus, Scadoxus multiflorus is a bulbous perennial from the Amaryllidaceae, or amaryllis, family which includes snowdrops, daffodils, and amaryllis flowers.
Hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11, the blood lily traces its origins to tropical Africa, parts of South Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. Even though it has “lily” in the name, S. multiflorus isn’t a true lily plant of the Lilium genus.
Let’s start with the bloom clusters: Red, spherical, and four to six inches in diameter, the flower heads are actually composed of many individual blooms borne on one to two inches of succulent stem, each with six pinkish-red petals and six yellow-tipped red stamens.
Blooming in summer, these flowers persist for up to two weeks. If pollinators do their thing, then orange to red berries will follow in fall.
The flowers and fruits don’t grow on actual stems, but rather pseudostems consisting of overlapping leaf sheaths that connect to a rhizomatous bulb.
From each red-streaked bulb grows six to seven bright green, lance-shaped leaves, each 12 to 15 inches long.
As a whole, each plant grows one to two feet tall and nine to 18 inches wide.
The bulbs contain toxic alkaloids, and should not be handled without gloves or consumed. This “no eating” rule goes for your pets and livestock, too!
There are three subspecies of S. multiflorus: multiflorus, katharinae, and longitubus.
The multiflorus subspecies is standard – hence the redundant name – while the katharinae subspecies has slightly larger dimensions and flowers. The longitubus subspecies has slightly elongated floral tubes, but it’s not commonly seen in cultivation.
Cultivation and History
The blood lily is more than just a pretty face – it has many practical applications.
Gambian farmers plant it as a good-luck juju for protecting their crops from thieves, Nigerian farmers mark the boundaries of their plots with it, and it’s used for poison fishing in both Guinea and Nigeria.
In many parts of Africa, S. multiflorus has a variety of medicinal uses. The crushed bulb is used to treat serious wounds and friction burns, while the dried bulb promotes lactation when rubbed on breast scarifications.
Blood lily ointment is used for ulcers, a decoction made from the crushed bulb is taken internally to treat hookworm, and the sap treats earache when applied directly into the ear canal.
I’m certainly not saying this stuff doesn’t work, but I am saying that you probably shouldn’t try any of it at home, as the plant is technically toxic to both humans and animals.
Consider this a surgeon general warning to proceed with caution… even though I’m neither a surgeon nor a general.
Blood Lily Propagation
To propagate blood lilies, you have four options: you can grow from seed, divide offsets, plant bulbs, or transplant a potted specimen.
From Seed
For seed sowing, you’ll need access to a specimen that has yielded fruit. Alternatively, you can snag some seeds from friends or a reputable vendor.
If you go the DIY harvesting route, wait until the orange to red berries either drop from the plant or are crinkled and ripe enough to fall at the slightest touch.
While wearing gloves, take the berries, mash them up, and remove the seeds within. Then, rinse the seeds in a strainer to remove all the pulp.
Fill a seed tray with a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite, and scatter the seeds on the surface of the growing media.
Gently press them into the media without burying them, then moisten with a spray bottle. Make sure the tray is exposed to bright, indirect light.
Keep the media moist as the seeds germinate. When new growth is observed which can take a few months, you can transplant them out in the garden or into individual containers.
It can take up to five years for a plant started from seed to bloom, so patience is key.
From Offsets
Blood lilies expand naturally by producing offsets from the mother bulb. Removing and replanting these every three to five years both manages a specimen’s size and provides you with more plants!
But first, it’s important to let your offsets develop for a growing season or two before expecting any flowers, since they probably won’t be large and developed enough to flower their first year.
In early spring, carefully lift your target plant, remove soil from around the bulb, and remove the offsets from the central bulb, either by using a sterilized blade or your gloved hands.
Return the mother bulb to its home, then plant each offset into its own container or patch of garden soil. Plant each offset bulb so that its “neck” is at the soil line, and water in the media around it.
Keep them well-watered as they become established which should take a few weeks to a couple of months.
From Bulbs/Transplanting
Whether you purchase new bulbs or are setting out ones you’ve lifted and stored over the winter months, planting bulbs is simple.
If you’re planting out in your landscape, make sure your intended sites are in full sun or part shade and have fertile, well-draining soil, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
Potted bulbs should go in well-draining, yet moisture-retaining medium – an even mix of peat moss and perlite is perfect.
Ensure your chosen container has drainage holes in the bottom and is one or two inches larger than the bulb. You don’t want a container that’s too large as the extra potting medium can retain too much moisture and cause rot.
In spring, when all risk of frost has passed, plant each bulb an inch deep, apex up and basal plate down, spacing them nine to 18 inches apart.
Water in the soil around the bulbs, and keep it evenly moist as the bulbs grow and develop foliage.
If you’re transplanting a potted plant, dig a hole the same size as the container the plant is currently growing in, gently remove it from the pot, and set it in the hole. Backfill with soil and water in well.
Just be extra careful when you handle the root systems, as they don’t like being disturbed.
How to Grow Blood Lilies
Got some blood lilies planted? Let’s talk about how to keep them healthy and happy.
Climate and Exposure Needs
If you want to leave your bulbs in-ground year-round, then you’ll need to be in USDA Zones 9 to 11.
They can be grown in cooler climates, but they’ll need to be placed in containers that can be brought indoors before temperatures dip below 45°F. Any colder, and the foliage will turn brown and start to die back.
Choose a location in full sun to partial shade. The ideal spot would have full sun in the morning followed by some shade in the afternoon.
Bright, indirect light is best for plants that are grown indoors.
Soil Needs
The ideal soil for blood lilies is organically-rich, fertile, and well-draining, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
If your garden has particularly sandy soil, amend with compost or well-rotted manure to improve water retention. Clay soils can benefit from the addition of pea gravel as well as compost to improve drainage and add organic matter.
In spring, top dress with compost or well-rotted manure and carefully dig it into the soil around your blood lilies to add organic matter and nutrients.
Water and Fertilizer Needs
For optimal growth, maintain even moisture throughout the growing season. To do this, water whenever the surface of the soil dries out.
Stop any supplemental irrigation when the foliage dies back in fall.
Regular fertilization throughout the growing season, starting in early spring will help promote strong blooms.
A slow-release fertilizer only needs to be applied once or twice during the growing season, while a liquid fertilizer can be applied as frequently as every two weeks.
Try a phosphorus-heavy fertilizer like this 10-30-20 Blossom Booster from Jack’s Classic, available via Amazon.
Growing Tips
Provide full to partial shade exposure.
Water when the surface of the soil dries out.
Fertilize regularly during the growing season.
Pruning and Maintenance
Blood lily blooms last for up to two weeks, so if you’re looking for cut flowers, that’s your window.
Be sure to cut the flower stem diagonally so it can still take up water while touching the bottom of the vase.
If you don’t want to collect the seeds seeds, cut the flower stems down to the ground when the blooms have faded.
When the leaves die, feel free to cut those to the ground as well to tidy up the garden. Remove any diseased or damaged plant tissue you happen to notice.
In Zone 9, in-ground bulbs benefit from a layer of mulch to help them survive the winter cold.
In cooler climates, the bulbs will need to be lifted and stored if you don’t want to plant new ones next spring.
When the foliage dies back in fall, lift the bulbs sometime before the first frost, once temperatures start to regularly stay below 45°F.
Cut the shoot and root tissue from the bulbs, and lay them out on newspaper for one to two weeks in a brightly lit indoor space so they can dry.
When they’re dry, put the bulbs in paper bags or in a cardboard box with ventilation holes, pack them with peat moss, and store them in a dark, dry place kept at 50 to 60°F until spring.
Where to Buy
To purchase blood lily bulbs, you could check with your local plant shops, bulb catalogs, or favorite online vendors.
You can barter for one at a plant swap, or perhaps snag one from a horticultural show.
If your fellow green thumbs have some bulbs or seeds to exchange for some of your own, then make with the trade!
You can find bulbs online available from Hirt’s Gardens via Walmart.
Managing Pests and Disease
Thankfully, S. multiflorus doesn’t really suffer from serious pests and diseases, and it’s even resistant to damaging herbivores such as deer, rabbits, and rodents.
But you’re not out of the woods yet. To keep your blood lilies entirely free of health issues, you’ll need to prepare for these potential problems.
Slugs and Snails
Whether they’re shell-less slugs or shell-wearing snails, these mollusks are real slimy, and real annoying.
With their uniquely-textured tongues, they eat leaf tissue like you or I file down our nails, which leaves uneven, yet smooth feeding holes in foliage. As a result, photosynthesis is hindered and the plant’s health is harmed.
Since these guys take shelter from the sun underneath the shade, it helps to remove any nonessential spots where they can hide: weeds, plant detritus, stones, etc.
If you notice slug and snail damage, you can go out at night with a flashlight to pick them off infested plants and crush or otherwise dispose of them.
Believe it or not, roots actually need to breathe a little – and when the soil around the root system is waterlogged, the roots don’t get the oxygen they need.
As a result, the root system and the bulb can turn necrotic and die, which hinders water and nutrient uptake for the rest of the plant, causing the foliage to turn brown and die back.
To prevent bulb rot in blood lilies, it’s essential to plant in well-draining soil and to avoid overwatering during the growing season. It’s also important to stop watering during dormancy.
If you’re growing your blood lily in a container, make sure it has adequate drainage holes.
And if bulb rot takes hold, you can try digging up the plant and moving it to a more suitable location or potting it up in well-draining potting mix. But if it doesn’t recover, you’ll have to pitch the rotted bulb.
Best Uses for Blood Lilies
A bright red ball of blooms can play many roles in a garden, it’s pretty enough to be the star of the show, while it can also support other specimens as an accent planting.
Put it in a container, and the blood lily is stunning on a patio or as an indoor houseplant. And don’t forget its power as a cut flower!
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Plant Type:
Bulbous flowering perennial
Flower/Foliage Color:
Red/green
Native to:
Tropical Africa, Arabian peninsula
Maintenance:
Moderate
Hardiness (USDA Zone):
9-11
Tolerance:
Being root-bound, deer, rabbits, rodents
Bloom Time/Season:
Summer
Soil Type:
Rich, moderately moist
Exposure:
Full sun to partial shade
Soil pH:
5.5-6.5
Time to Maturity:
Within a year (from bulbs), up to 5 years (from seed)
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WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE about zinnias? Organic seed farmer and breeder Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds and I both vote an emphatic “yes” in favor of making zinnias a part of every garden year.
But what goes into creating the diversity of zinnia colors and forms and sizes? And what are some new looking ones that you might want to try in 2024?
Don Tipping founded Siskiyou Seeds, a family run farm-based seed company, in 1997. His farm with a view is located at 2,000 feet of elevation in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon, and has close to 1,000 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in its collection. As if that were not enough, Don creates a YouTube channel of how-to videos and a long-running blog, and hosts multiple on-farm trainings for gardeners and farmers each year.
We talked about that beloved annual flower, the zinnia (that’s ‘Queeny Lime Orange,’ above), and more.
Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page to enter to win a $25 gift certificate for Siskiyou Seeds.
Read along as you listen to the Feb. 5, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
zinnias and more, with don tipping
Margaret Roach: Winter! But I guess it’s seed-selling season, so probably not winter, not quiet, for you.
Don Tipping: Yeah.
Margaret: You and I recently collaborated on a story in “The New York Times,” a garden column on growing onions and leeks, something you taught me how to do almost a decade ago, how to grow them from seed. And so I’ll give a link to our former conversation, for people who want to get started on those earlybird crops. But zinnias: We share this passion, as I said in the introduction, for zinnias, yes?
Don: Yeah, very much so. It seems like kind of an obvious thing to like, like having vanilla ice cream be your, or I mean chocolate be your favorite type of ice cream. But I think because they have so much potential in terms of diversity of flower forms and colors, I just keep coming back to my intrigue with them.
Margaret: Yeah. I mean, I’ve always known them since I first gardened, and yet I never knew ones like the shapes and sizes and whatever that I’m seeing these days. And so, I notice, I see on some catalog websites that there are some hybrid zinnias, but all of yours, all of the Siskiyou Seeds’ varieties of everything, are open-pollinated, yes?
Don: Correct, yeah. And I think it’s difficult; people want to reduce things down into binaries of open-pollinated or hybrid. But the truth of the matter is, is that populations are constantly hybridizing, and that’s where Dr. John Navazio taught me: to use the term proprietary F1 hybrids when referring to those commercial ones. Whereas zinnias, in particular, because they have what are called jumping genes [laughter], they are transposons, the molecular-biologist term for them. But basically, this is how epigenetics show up in flowers, of genes that can be turned on or off.
So, it’s really difficult to stabilize some of the unique variants of zinnias. You really have to grow thousands of plants to see that one-in-a-thousand individual. And just because you save seed from it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve stabilized it and those traits will continue to express in subsequent generations.
Margaret: Right. So, the parent plant, all its babies won’t be identical, any more than I don’t look like my parents [laughter].
Don: Yeah, exactly.
Margaret: To simplify things. So, how many years since you first tinkered with a zinnia, since you let a whole population grow out in a field somewhere at your place and said, “Ooh, I really like that one over there. I’m going to save seed from that one.” How long ago, do you suppose?
Don: Well, it was sort of an evolution. We used to grow zinnia seed every year for Seeds of Change [catalog] in large quantities, where we’d grow 5 or 10 pounds of seed. And when we are doing that, we are typically growing a single color. So anything that deviated from that, we would actually destroy those plants, pull them out by the roots. So then eventually, in about 2009, is when I began to realize that, oh, those unique ones, that might be something worth saving seed from and actually beginning to nudge it in that direction, because just like my analogy with ice cream, you can get vanilla and chocolate anywhere.
But unique types, I think that is really the bread and butter for these small regional seed companies like Siskiyou Seeds—not offering the usual kind, but having unique types. Yeah, and it keeps it interesting for me, because I’ve been doing this 30 years, so I’ve got to find new ways to keep it exciting.
Margaret: New adventures. First, there were, decades ago, I don’t even remember the names of the zinnias, and then the ‘Benary’s Giants’[above] became a thing. But lately, these Queeny Lime ones, the ones with the word queen in them-
Don: Exactly.
Margaret: … are just so gorgeous, and they kind of appeared and everybody, a lot of people started selling them. I can’t find any information on who bred them or where they began. I see “the breeder” referred to as just “the breeder” in various catalog descriptions in various places, but I don’t see who it was [laughter]. So, that’s been sort of one of the latest in ages.
But you’ve gone off in a direction; yours, as you described, some of them look like “undersea creatures,” and just some of them come off sort of cactus-shaped flowers and get even wilder and crazier. Yeah? [Below, a couple of flowers from his ‘Tidepool Mix.’]
Don: Well, I think you’re actually shining a light on, when you describe some of these new varieties that show up in the big mainstream catalogs, on a bit of the underbelly of the largely Dutch flower-seed trade. And I can’t verify this, but I want to start looking and poking around. I’ve heard that they use irradiation to induce polyploidy and novelty in a lot of flower variants, because florists are always looking for the new thing, and genetics tends to throw out the off types. The mutants tend not to express readily.
But through literally irradiating or doing novel breeding technologies like cell fusion and cisgenics, the mainstream industry has been tinkering with things. So, it’s different than the traditional GMO.
We’re not doing that here. I’m just literally combing the fields looking for novelty, and we take little ribbons of surveying tape where I actually use jewelry bags that are like breathable mesh.
So, if I have a large population, let’s say 1,000 plants or more, and I noticed an individual, zinnias are in the Asteraceae, so they’re related to calendula, sunflowers, lettuce, marigolds, chrysanthemum, asters, that type of thing. And that they widely open-pollinate, and they have two types of flowers in them. They have disc flowers and ray flowers. And if you’ve ever held calendula seed in your hand, you can really see this, or looked at a zinnia, for instance, up close and see how the disc florets have little yellow flowers that in and of themselves are flowers, that have both male and female flower parts and can pollinate themselves or be cross-pollinated. Whereas the ray florets, what we look at as petals.
Margaret: Petals, right.
Don: … are actually showy bracts, to use the botanical term. Those don’t have stamens, so they don’t make pollen, but they can receive pollen. So, when you look at the calendula seed, back to that example, you see what look like little gray fishhooks, and then larger buff-colored fishhooks. The little ones are from the disc florets, and the larger ones are from the ray florets. This differentiation is less pronounced in zinnias, but if you carefully sort out your zinnia seed, you can figure out which seeds came from the disc florets-
Margaret: Wow.
Don: … whereas those that came from the ray florets.
Margaret: Cool.
Don: So, every time a pollination thing happens, you have a whole myriad of, it could be self-pollinating. So, I’m explaining this to describe the jewelry bag. Why use that? Because then you know that whole plant is self-pollinated, or that flower, and that’s assuming you got to it before the florets on the disc opened up. So, you have to go out in the morning—when it’s still kind of cool out and there’s dew—and look for flowers that are a little on the immature side, and then put the bag over it and then let it mature. You’re greatly reducing the amount of viable seed when you do this, but it is a way to begin to narrow down in the direction you want to go.
Margaret: Oh, O.K. So, you’re not irradiating, you’re putting jewelry bags on it.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: So you’re making observations and putting ribbons on them and putting jewelry bags on them [laughter] and so forth, and kind of steering the population, if you can, in a direction that appeals to you. And the assortment of zinnias that you sell in the Siskiyou catalog, I mean, you have some really fun ones. You do have one of those Queeny types, I forget which one you have. And another mix that I’ve always liked, the ‘Jazzy Mix,’ which I think is so well-named because it’s got such fun sort of colors in it. But you have one that I’ve never actually grown, called ‘Red Spider?’ [below]. Tell us about that one. That’s quite different. It looks like a species plant to me, that one. Do you know what I mean? It looks-
Don: Oh, totally.
Margaret: …very old, back-to-the-roots kind of genetics. Yeah.
Don: Well, you mentioned the ‘Jazzy Mix,’ and that is actually a different species from the traditional zinnias that people grow. So, the traditional zinnia that most people are familiar with, the Latin name is Zinnia, the genus, and elegans is the species.
Whereas the genus for the ‘Jazzy Mix’ is Zinnia, once again, the species name is haageana, so it’s actually a different species. They all originated in central Mexico, where it was basically a wildflower. And so, the ‘Red Spider’ is, I think, really more of a progenitor of modern zinnias.
Margaret: Isn’t it like tenuifolia or something? It’s like a whole species into itself.
Don: Exactly, yeah. So, the plants are more diminutive. They only grow 18 to 24 inches tall. They’re all red. I’ve never seen another one that’s a different color. And they don’t tend to thrive as much here, and perhaps we live in the mountains, so maybe it’s our cool nights, whereas subtropical central Mexican highlands is a different climate than Oregon. But nonetheless, I like growing them just for their novelty. And the petals tend to be thinner, so I think that’s where the name spider comes from.
You can think of dahlias, which are also native to central Mexico. And if you look at the seed-grown varieties, you get to see sort of the parental forms that gave birth to all the different modern ones that were ultimately hybrids, and then people went to tuber reproduction.
Margaret: Yeah. You have some fun with them. I mean, you have, speaking of ones that are in the Zinnia elegans, the more expected species or more common species, you selected from one that people may know, the ‘Peppermint Stick,’ to make one that you call, I think ‘Firestarter?’ Is that right?
Don: Yeah. Well, this started, Frank Morton and I, we had a conversation of, I just asked him like, “Hey, the ‘Peppermint Stick’ is two different colors.” And really three, there’s sort of yellow and red, and then white and red, but there’s also sort of a cream and red in there, which I think is an intermediary one.
Margaret: Yeah, and we should say Frank is a seed farmer, Wild Garden Seed. Yes, yeah.
Don: Yeah, thanks for mentioning that. And he’s definitely a dear friend and mentor of me.
Margaret: And so many.
Don: And an early pioneer.
Margaret: He’s amazing. Yeah.
Don: And yeah, check them out before, I think they’re inching towards retirement, so kind of get it while the getting’s good. But we were joking around. I was like, “Hey, have you ever thought of stabilizing one of the colors?” And he was doing the white and red. So I was like, “Well, I’ll do the yellow and red.”
So, we use greenhouses sometimes if we want to stabilize something that is really attractive to pollinators, with the thinking that we can control pollination a little bit more. So, the ‘Firestarter’ is really just saving seed from the most yellow and red ones.
And I want to mention a really fun thing, and maybe you’ve noticed this in zinnias or other flowers, is that variety in particular tends to produce what are called chimeras. And you can also see jumping genes in action. So, in my selection of that variety, I wait for the first flower to happen, and I only want to save the plants that produce yellow-and-red-striped ones, that literally look like either yellow petals that somebody took a paintbrush and painted a stripe of red on them, or in some way.
So then, I rip out all the ones that are white and red, and then I cut off all the flowers of the yellow-red ones, that first flower, because it could have cross pollinated with the white and red ones. Then, I let them all flower, and what I’ve seen happen is ones that produce all red flowers. And before I learned this, I would cut those off or rip those plants out. But then, I began to notice, like wow, on the same plant, they can produce all red and yellow-and-red-striped. And what that is, is the plant doesn’t distribute growth hormones and its genetic potential equally.
Margaret: Oh.
Don: Just like we don’t look like our siblings, even though we technically have the same genetics. And the other thing it’ll do is chimeras, which is, I don’t know if that’s a botanical term or just in the flower trade, one where the flower is basically half red and half another color, like in this instance, red- and yellow-striped. I’ve tried saving seeds from this, but I don’t think chimeras is something that you can pin down genetically. It just has to do with growth hormones and transposons, and how genetic potential is distributed in a given plant depending on environmental stresses.
Margaret: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. So, that’s a fun one, ‘Firestarter.’
Some of yours are these mixes, or you sometimes call them remixes. You have one that you call the ‘Dreamin’ Remix,’ for instance. And that was already a cross of elegans, and haageana.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: That was already a cross of elegans and haageana, that someone else did, at Peace Seedlings, Dylana Kapuler. So you then look at the population and you keep going, yeah? You might keep going?
Don: Yeah. And this can’t… Maybe you could describe it as a backcross, so it’s a hybrid between those two zinnia species, then backcross to the ‘Cactus Mix,’ and trying to get my goal with that. And I think gardeners like novelty, and I try and be transparent in our catalog to not expect every plant to exhibit the same traits. But you’re bound to, it’s kind of like, I don’t know, Cracker Jacks, you’re going to get a different surprise in every box or something.
That my goal is to produce one that looks like the ‘Dreamin’ Mix,’ that Dylana took over from her father, Dr. Alan Kapuler, of that cross. And they’ve never disclosed it’s a cross, but I’ve grown enough zinnias where that’s my hunch, because of that trait that you see in the ‘Jazzy Mix’ or the ‘Persian Carpet’ type zinnias.
I want to get one that has that interesting kind of bullseye pattern of different colors on every petal, but with the quilled petal shape of the cactus types. So, we’ll see. There’s no guarantee. I think sometimes when you have a breeding objective, it’s actually counter to the reproductive success of the plant [laughter], and the only way you learn that is through trial and error.
Margaret: Yeah. I love the name of one that you have your offering that you bred, you call it ‘Crazy Legs’[above]. Tell us about ‘Crazy Legs,’ speaking of this sort of cactusy…
Don: Well, so that started by growing large amounts of the ‘Cactus Mix,’ which has a quilled petal shape, which the botanical term would either be revolute, like rolled outwards on itself, or rolled inwards on itself (which is involute).
And I began to notice ones that had these other traits. One actually has a botanical name called fimbriated, where the petals don’t end at a tidy point, but are more splayed out.
And then I noticed one where the petals themselves, instead of growing straight, were sort of squiggled. And my initial breeder’s name for that was Frippertronics, after Robert Fripp, who was the guitarist for the kind of ’60s, ’70s progressive rock band King Crimson. But my seed staff, who are all under 40 was like, “No, that doesn’t work.”
Margaret: “No, Grandpa.” They said, “No. Grandpa.” Right? [Laughter.]
Don: Yeah, totally. Well, and I take these surveying ribbons and I write with a Sharpie on there just so I can keep track of all this stuff. So, I was like, “O.K., you’re going to be Frippertronic,” because he invented the first electronic tape-loop music, just something novel. So, ‘Crazy Legs’ was a more descriptive name. ‘Crazy Legs’ is a fuchsia one. I have cream-colored version in development and an orange one in development and a yellow one. But those aren’t stabilized yet.
Margaret: Well, they’re fun and wild as is your one I mentioned before, the one that sort of looks like undersea anemones, the ‘Tidepool Mix.’
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: So, before we take up all the time with zinnias, I want to just ask you about what else are you excited about at the moment? Because it sounds like you’re still playing with zinnias. Are there other things that you’re…
Don: Well, every year we pick three or four things to do variety trials on, and that allows us here on the farm to really use the farm not just for seed production, but also as a research and development facility. So, the ones we’re doing for that this year are radicchios, because there’s a whole trend starting there and we just want to learn as much as we can to grow as much diversity. And then we will offer that mix as a seed crop for 2025, which feels weird to say that.
And then, we’re also doing carrots, but similar to zinnias, not many people grow China asters, but they’re just as easy to grow and I think just as spectacular. And I think it could be one of the next big things for home gardeners and small-scale farmer-florists.
Margaret: I think those are, what Callistephus, is that the genus? Callistephus, I think.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: Yeah. And they’re beautiful flowers. And speaking of things that can come in different flower forms, they can look like a big double chrysanthemum [below, ‘Tower Chamois’ China aster] or they can look airy and, I don’t even know how to say with just, I don’t know, just so effusive, some of them.
Don: Exactly.
Margaret: So they really, they can be quite different.
Don: Yeah. And I’m just now thinking they would make an excellent companion, like some cool variant mix with the ‘Tidepool Mix’ zinnia. And maybe for some future Octopus’ Garden collection or something.
Margaret: Oh, I love that. The Octopus’s Garden collection. Yeah, lots of tentacles [laughter].
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: ‘Crazy Legs.’ Lots of ‘Crazy Legs.’ Yeah. Good. O.K. So, those are three things: radicchio, carrots, China asters.
Don: Yeah. And then, another thing kind of, similar to the zinnias that I’ve been working on, is a striped kernel sweet corn that I call ‘Starburst Select.’ And you see this trait in flour corn, some Native communities call it chin-mark corn, named after the cultural tradition of tattooing women in some of the Northwest tribes. But basically, at the stage of eating, I have this variety in development that is a sweet corn, and when you eat it, each kernel looks like somebody took a small paintbrush and drew a little starburst of red on it.
And I’m 85 percent of the way there of having a variety that, as far as I know, has never existed before, and I don’t know why, because it wasn’t that hard to create. So, that’s exciting. And we offer seed of that. We always sell out. It’s very limited quantity right now.
Margaret: Huh. Interesting. You’ve done a lot over the years with flour corns, the ones as in you would make meal or flour out of them, not flower corns.
Don: Yeah.
Margaret: Very colorful, some of them have been very colorful, which are just beautiful as well. And I think it seems like you’ve been adding some medicinal herbs to the catalog as well, yeah?
Don: Yeah. And as a seed company, we have what we’re excited about, but we also have to respond to where the culture is going. And that’s something I’ve noticed a big resurgence in interest in people growing their own medicinal herbs. So I have an employee who has some experience with that, Taryn Hunter, who I’ve really just tasked with figuring out what’s the hot herbs to grow, what should we be either growing. Or we also work with a great company out of Washington called Friends of the Trees Botanicals, and that’s Michael Pilarski who goes by the name Skeeter, who’s one of our permaculture elders here in the Northwest. And they grow and harvest medicinal herb seed that we offer.
Margaret: Well, a lot of fun choices. As I said, there’s like 1,000 things in your collection and maybe 700 in any given year being offered. I’m so glad to speak to you; I always learn from you, Don, and I hope that we’ll keep the lessons going for more years to come. So, thank you, thank you, and have a good seed-selling season, huh
I’LL BUY A $25 gift card to Siskiyou Seeds for one lucky reader. All you have to do to enter is answer this question in the comments box below:
Are zinnias a regular in your garden? Any favorite varieties?
No answer, or feeling shy? Just say something like “count me in” and I will, but a reply is even better. I’ll select a random winner after entries close Tuesday Feb. 13, 2024 at midnight. Good luck to all.
prefer the podcast version of the show?
MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 garden podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper in the UK, began its 14th year in March 2023. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station in the nation. Listen locally in the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Eastern, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the Feb. 5, 2024 show using the player near the top of this transcript. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Are you wondering how far apart to space your plants? This post shares helpful tools and guidelines for plant spacing in square foot gardens.
The first gardening class I attended was about square foot gardening. I soaked it all in and then bought Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” book. One of the concepts I loved was the simplicity of plant spacing in square foot gardens.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
How do you space plants in square foot gardening?
A key factor in being successful with plant spacing in square foot gardening is adding a grid to your garden. Mel Bartholomew said, “If your garden box doesn’t have a grid, it’s not a Square Foot Garden.” His book also emphasized that the grids be “prominent and permanent”. I have come to see the wisdom in this tip.
Why use grids for plant spacing in square foot gardens?
In the past, I had some garden beds with grids and some without grids. After using both, I can say the ones with grids have several advantages:
Garden beds with planting gridsutilize space more efficiently by eliminating the need for rows.
Using a garden grid helps you see exactly where there is space to plant. When I see an empty square, I’m quick to fill it with seeds or plants. In the past, empty spots in beds without grids were often left empty.
Garden grids help an unorganized gardener (like me) be more organized – I don’t have to worry about straight rows.
Following plant-spacing guidelines with garden grids allows for proper spacing between plants. This prevents overcrowding, which causes plants to compete for limited resources of sun, water, and nutrients.
Using garden grids in your garden beds allows for a system of polyculture (several compatible plants growing together) as opposed to monoculture (row after row of the same crop) which is better for pest and disease prevention.
Which type of garden grids should I use for square foot gardening?
Once I realized the benefits of using grids with square foot gardening, I added grids to all of my raised beds. My favorite way to add grids for square foot gardening is with the Garden Grid™ from Garden In Minutes.
Assembly is simple; the garden grids come in preassembled sections that press together by hand in seconds.
At the end of each season, it’s easy to lift the grid off of the bed to add compost to fill the beds. With my previous grids made of wood, it was difficult to add compost because the grids were screwed into the beds.
Each square is watered evenly with 16 water streams, which helps seed germination.
How do I know how many seeds or plants to put in each square?
Now for the fun part – adding plants to your square foot garden. To calculate how many plants or seeds to plant per square, look at the back of your seed packet. Ignore the space between rows, but pay attention to how much space is needed between plants.
For example:
3″ plant spacing = plant 16 in each square.
4″ plant spacing = plant 9 in each square.
6″ plant spacing = plant 4 in each square.
12″ plant spacing = plant 1 in each square.
Some plants (such as melons, large squash, and tomatoes) require more than one square.
Use this tool to space seeds perfectly in your square foot garden.
Plant-spacing guidelines for garden grids
You can also use this plant-spacing guide from Garden In Minutes to easily see how many plants to plant per square.
Plant spacing guide for square foot gardens
Why is plant spacing important in square foot gardens?
Follow the plant-spacing guidelines. Planting the recommended amounts allows you to utilize all the space in the beds without overcrowding. Proper spacing ensures adequate airflow for plants.
If this post about plant spacing in square foot gardens was helpful, please share it:
We will be celebrating Candlemas for the first time this evening.
The celebration of the Purification of Mary is known to have been celebrated from the times of persecution, for we see its celebration in the Church at Jerusalem in the time of Constantine’s conversion. At first celebrated 40 days after Epiphany, when Epiphany celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord, the Feast settled on February 2 after the Feast of the Nativity was established on December 25. In the Eastern Church it was called Hypapante tou Kyriou, the meeting of the Lord and His mother with Simeon and Anna.
During the Feast today, the priest offers five prescribed orations before he blesses beeswax candles by sprinkling and incensing. The candles are then distributed while the Canticle of Simeon is sung with the antiphon “Lumen ad revelationem gentium et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel,” “A Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel,” repeated after every verse. Then follows the procession, and at which all the partakers carry lighted candles in their hands, the choir sings the antiphon “Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion”, composed by St. John of Damascus.
The solemn procession represents the entry of Christ, the Light of the World, into the Temple.
It has been a blessing rediscovering the ancient traditions of the Church. I am grateful every day that the Lord led us home.
They are clump-forming and top out at one to two feet tall, spilling over the side of their containers.
Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum spp.) are slow growers and rarely need repotting, though they do prefer a humid environment, and be sure to water enough to keep them moist but never soggy.
They have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but if you’re spending a lot of time working in your office, you’ll be well-placed to tend to their needs!
Parlor Palms (Chamaedorea elegans) are popular houseplants for good reason – they are hardy, undemanding, and thrive in indirect or low lighting.
Elegant and easy to care for, these tropical palms feature dark green fronds that emerge from a single trunk, and can grow up to three or four feet tall indoors.
During the summer months, keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, and when winter rolls around, wait until the top two inches of soil has dried out.
These easy to grow tropical evergreens can certainly add some cheer to any indoor space.
If set in a location with bright sunlight, peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) will produce white flowers in early summer through fall.
They will also grow in low light conditions, just don’t expect blooms. The upright waxy green foliage is attractive enough on its own, so they still make wonderful houseplants regardless of whether or not they flower.
Peace lilies can grow up to six feet tall in optimal conditions, but indoors you can expect them to stay around a foot tall, if that. You can allow the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings.
This genus of tropical plants contains more than 1500 species, with many being popular as houseplants. The Peperomia genus features many different varieties with thick, fleshy foliage, often with beautiful colors and variegations.
All are low maintenance, need minimal water, and do well in medium to bright, indirect light.
There is a huge variety of different types, from the radiator plant with its textured leaves, to the succulent P. graveolens ‘Ruby Glow’ which features a mounding growth habit topping out at about 10 inches tall.
There are hundreds of species of Philodendron, many of which are easygoing houseplants. They typically have large glossy green leaves, and come in both vining and upright varieties.
Vining types can grow from hanging baskets or up a small trellis, and non-climbing varieties make excellent container specimens. Depending on the type, they generally require watering when the top inch or two of soil has dried out.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) are tropical vines that can be grown in hanging pots or as tabletop specimens.
One of the most popular houseplants, they do well in low or indirect light, and can be grown in well-draining houseplant soil or directly in a jug of water.
Featuring dark green, glossy foliage, there are variegated cultivars that have leaves streaked in bright green or yellow.
The vines can grow up to 10 feet long, and can be trained up a moss pole or allowed to cascade over the side of a pot. Water when the soil dries out completely – these pothos hate being overwatered!
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are some of the most common houseplants around.
With long, striped grasslike leaves that hang down, they are the perfect choice for a hanging basket.
They also produce small plantlets that dangle from trailing stems from the parent plants, resembling spiders on a web.
These super hardy perennials are popular with novice gardeners because they are tolerant of neglect, adapt well to low or indirect light, and don’t mind being pot bound.
Tillandsia is a genus of about 650 species of perennial evergreens in the Bromeliad, or Bromeliaceae, family.
Air plants, as they are commonly known, are unique in that they receive water and nutrients through the air, and do not need to be grown in soil.
They do need bright, indirect light to thrive indoors, so these are perfect for an office space with some natural light.
Since they are not rooted in soil air plants can’t be watered in the traditional way, instead they should be submerged in water for a few hours about once a week, or whenever the leaves start to curl inward.
Most air plants are pretty small, just a few inches tall, ideal for the more compact space.
Weeping figs (Ficus benjamina) are small trees that feature large arching branches and glossy dark green or variegated foliage.
Popular indoor trees, they are slow-growing and can be easily pruned to your desired height and shape.
Weeping figs can grow up to ten feet tall if you allow them, but some cultivars stay much smaller, topping out at just a few feet in height.
This one does require bright light so it does best in an office that gets some natural sunlight. If you have the space, this is a good selection for a sunny corner.
They can be a bit fussy about water, so you’ll need to check the soil frequently and water when the top two inches dries out.
Zebra plant (Haworthiopsis fasciata) is a fun little succulent with thick white-striped leaves that bears some resemblance to aloe. It rarely needs water and doesn’t require much in the way of sunlight – It can do well in artificial fluorescent lighting.
Only a few inches in size, this petite specimen is perfect for a desk with little space.
ZZ plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) are slow-growing evergreens with waxy, dark green foliage that can reflect sunlight and really add some shine to your workspace.
Maturing very slowly to a couple of feet tall and wide, they can sit happily on an office desk for years.
Drought-tolerant and content in low-light conditions, you won’t have much to worry about with these easygoing specimens.
Water when the soil is dry several inches down, as they are prone to root rot if they are overwatered.
Whether you have a large well-lit office space, or spend your working hours in a small dark room, it’s not hard to find a low maintenance houseplant companion to beautify your space.
What are your favorite plants to decorate a home office? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!
We’ve experimented with planting potatoes as early as January 29th here.
Potatoes appreciate cool weather, but also don’t like hard frosts. This is an issue in Lower Alabama and North Florida, as the weather in later winter swings between 20 and 70+ degrees, often proceeding for weeks without a frost and then suddenly diving well below freezing.
It’s rather ridiculous.
However, potatoes aren’t usually killed by a frost – just set back.
And if you’re ready with some sheets or a layer of straw or leaves, you can protect them through the freezing nights while allowing them to grow through the pleasantly cool weather.
That was our potato patch last winter/early spring, right before an overnight frost event.
We ultimately harvested 232lbs of potatoes.
We’re not great at getting high yields from potatoes for some reason. We probably planted near 100lbs of seed to get that many potatoes. I’m not sure why, but we’ll add more compost this year and see if we can raise those numbers. You should harvest roughly 10 times the amount planted! We’re always doing poorly. Potatoes are not an ideal crop here.
Our homes are something that we can take immense pride in. Lots of us do whatever we can in order to make the place look beautiful, and work hard to keep it functioning properly. Whether it’s a case of working on the kerb appeal or weatherproofing sufficiently, there’s always something that can be done, and you will most likely want to add a hint of elegance to every project.
The good news is there are ways to turn your home into an elegant dwelling. It may not happen overnight, but it can be easier than you think. Here are a few pointers and ideas to help you add elegance to your home.
Sophisticated colour palettes
When you first move into a home, you might find that the colour scheme isn’t quite for you. It may be a case of looking at more sophisticated color palettes in order to get something that fits the look you’re trying to achieve.
Ensure that your chosen colour palette complements the style you are going for. You can use contrasting colours for bold impact, or similar shades for a harmonious effect. There are thousands of different colours and paints, so ideas won’t be in short supply; try browsing Pinterest for inspiration.
Wonderful fabrics and textures
A wonderful way to elevate comfort levels and style in your home is to incorporate luxurious fabrics and rich textures.
Consider plush velvet upholstery for the likes of sofas and chairs. Satin and faux fur are great for throws, while plush carpets add luxury at floor level. All of these fabrics will add a tactile layer of opulence.
Arranging furniture for elegance
The way in which you arrange your furniture can play a huge part in how the entire home looks. If you have things arranged in a very messy formation, it can create a negative vibe.
Instead, aim for a sense of order. Make your furniture have a purpose, and even tell a story within the room. It doesn’t need to look clinical, but make sure you don’t leave things scattered around.
Fabulous bedrooms
Obviously, bedrooms are an extremely important part of any home. They need to provide a sense of relaxation and they should welcome you every single time.
If you want a truly elegant bedroom, you can invest in a piece that makes you feel like royalty. Something like Four Poster Beds or a fabulous dressing table could make you feel extremely positive every time you use the room. Be sure to keep everything neat and tidy to maintain that all-important sense of calm.
Chic lighting fixtures
Lighting plays a significant part in any home’s look and feel. If you want to illuminate elegance, then it’s a very good idea to upgrade certain lighting fixtures. Think about adding pendant lights or even chandeliers if you can afford them.
The soft glow of ambient lighting can create a really warm and inviting atmosphere. Thoughtful lighting choices serve both a functional purpose while contributing to visual allure.
The timeless beauty of antiques and statement pieces
It almost goes without saying that antiques and statement pieces are fantastic if you want to turn your home into an elegant abode. A timeless classic can transform a room from something lacking in style to an ever so stylish space.
Art, accessories and finishing touches
Art and accessories can add a personal touch of elegance to your home. Pieces that resonate with your style can evoke a real sense of refinement. Framed artwork, sculptures, and other decorative items will boost the aesthetics while helping you to express your personality.
Opt for items that help create a sense of style and grace; this will only contribute to the elegant feel that you are trying to achieve.
One of our favorite things to do here on the pod is dig through emails and social media shout outs from our listeners. It is always nice to hear about what problems you may be having in your gardens and to be able to offer advice from our decades of horticultural experience. And we’re lucky to have scores of experts at our fingers tips if we don’t have an answer for a plant suggestion or design fix. These Q&A episodes are some of our favorites, so we decided to revisit an array of your best questions from the past few years in this new Best Of LAAP. The inquiries included advice on planting under trees, attracting hummingbirds, and info about what garden tasks we hate tackling. Tune in to see if one of our favorite questions was yours, or to hear about some solutions to problems that tend to plague us all.
Forest planting in India using the Miyawaki method (credit: BemanHerish via Wikimedia Commons)1st hummingbird favorite: Cardinal climber (credit: Seed Savers Exchange)2nd hummingbird favorite: Earlybird™ Red White columbine (credit: Walters Gardens, Inc.)Alternative butterfly host plant: Northern red oak, a valuable host plant for many moth and butterfly speciesPlants for your front yard: Gatsby Gal® oakleaf hydrangeaPlants for your front yard: ‘Perry’s Gold’ Norway spruceDeadheaded flowers in Kielian DeWitt’s Montana gardenPlant under a mature maple tree: ‘Stoplights’ epimedium (credit: Plant Delights Nursery)Plant under a mature maple tree: ‘Spanish Flare’ hellebore
A featured article on cottage garden design:A Cottage Garden That’s Not ChaoticSloped garden design: A sloped front yard garden, designed by Jay SiffordSloped garden design: Jay Sifford’s sloped front yard from another angle
For ages, people have been trying to find new and better ways of getting the nutrients needed to live a healthy and energized life. This pursuit has led to the development of many pills, supplements, powders and more! One of the best ways to pursue a healthy life is by starting with clean and nutrient-dense foods. Eating healthy isn’t all about counting calories, but rather the value individual foods provide the body for energy and healing. Living and nutrient-dense foods like microgreens and sprouting seeds are the perfect addition to anyone’s diet as a rich source of antioxidants, dietary fiber, and a host of other benefits to the digestive and immune systems. When sprouts and microgreens are regularly consumed, they help cleanse, rejuvenate and energize the body without unnecessary processing.
Living foods are those that are not only beneficial for their nutritional content, but the activities they support within the body through antioxidants and enzyme activity. These foods directly aid the digestive system by enabling nutrient absorption and reducing inflammation throughout the body. Both sprouts and microgreens are considered living foods. The antioxidant activity of popular sprouting and microgreens seeds has been linked to eliminating waste molecules called “free radicals.” Free radicals can lead to cell damage and diseases such as cancer. There are a number of antioxidants linked to different plant types. To access the greatest array of nutrients and antioxidants, it is important to consume a balanced and diverse diet. When it comes to sprouts and microgreens, the most popular plants grown are brassicas, legumes, root vegetables and leafy greens. While plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are not typically grown as microgreens or sprouts due to their undesirable flavor, other plants can surprisingly provide fruit-like flavors at the microgreen stage. One such example is the similarity borage microgreens have to the refreshing juice of cucumbers.
Microgreens are plants grown just to the point they develop cotyledon leaves. These leaves are developed from nutrients stored within the seed rather than the soil. When consumed at this stage, vegetables can offer up to 40 times the amount of nutrients as their mature counterparts can. Because microgreens have started developing leaves, they also have a greater concentration of chlorophyll and carotenoids than sprouts do. These compounds are beneficial in preventing and reversing diseases like diabetes because of the many components the body can break them down into.
Carotenoids are a specific type of antioxidant found in bright yellow, red and orange-pigmented foods. These also make colorful microgreens like amaranth, purple radish, beets and rainbow chard popular for both their attractive appearance and nutritional contents. Specific varieties, such as Red Garnet Amaranth, are especially desirable for the unique vibrance they display. To achieve this type of bright hue, it is important to utilize grow lights to elicit the pigment response triggered by the presence of light.
Sprouts are very similar to microgreens, as their nutrients are also sourced from within the seed. They are seeds that have germinated and have an emerging root. Sprouts are known to have a greater concentration of antioxidants than microgreens while also containing vital amino acids, pectins and sugars. While these two products are often confused with each other, sprouts are ready to eat much faster and require fewer supplies to get started. The only things required to sprout are seeds, a container, and water. Mason jar sprouting kits are often favored over larger trays because they take up minimal kitchen space and are easily transportable for those who prefer to live life on the go. They also allow for a variety of seeds to be grown at the same time for a diverse set of options when preparing daily meals. In comparison, microgreens require either a soil-based or hydroponic growing medium, containers or trays, water and light.
With most people not consuming the recommended amount of vegetables each day, it is prudent to pay attention to the nutritional value of the foods being consumed. Microgreens and sprouts contain the vitamins, antioxidants and fibers needed for healthy brain and body function. Start elevating everyday foods by mixing in sprouts or microgreens in both savory and sweet, hot and cold, or homemade and prepared meals. With both microgreens and sprouts ready to eat in a matter of days, there is no better time than now to start a living food experience. Learn more: trueleafmarket.com.
Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University – Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: trueleafmarket.com.
Start the gardening year off to a solid start by planting a tree, and not just any tree, but a superior multitasking one. Introducing the silver dollar tree. Perhaps you’re already familiar with its aromatic and eye-catching leaves routinely found in flora arrangements. Why not grow your own this year and save a few dollars?
Please keep reading to learn more about this savvy, silvery tree.
Above: A full-sized silver dollar tree can be as tall as 40 feet. Photograph by Jon Sullivan via Flickr.
Native to Australia, Eucalyptus cinerea—aka silver dollar tree—is well-known in the floral trade for its elegant branches. As a home garden tree, however, it is a bit underused. This seems an oversight, because this tree is drought-tolerant, moderately fast-growing, and low-maintenance—plus, it keeps its silvery blue coin-shaped leaves all year.
Its blueish tones not only go well with bouquets, but they also integrate into most gardens. I suppose the only huge consideration is whether your garden can accommodate its eventual grand size. Growing to a stately 25-40 feet tall and 20 feet wide, this is definitely not a tiny tree—but if properly pruned or kept in a large container, you can restrain its size. The other factor is whether your garden gets frosty in the winter. If your temperatures dip into the lower teens, then consider growing this tree in a large pot indoors near a sunny south-facing window, free from cold drafts. Your tree will probably bush out, but the good news is that you can prune the leaves and creatively use them in arrangements.
Above: A bouquet of eucalyptus branches hanging from a showerhead. Photograph by Matthew Williams, from Remodelista: The Low-Impact Home.
Another creative use for the freshly cut branches: an at-home spa experience. Here’s what you do: gather up some fresh stems, secure them with natural twine, and hang the bundle in the shower where the hot water interacts with the fragrant menthol-like oils and emits a refreshing and invigorating aroma.
If you want to extend your craftiness, try taking a cutting and growing more. Simply use a clean blade to cut a sprig from the mother plant, making sure you have a few nodes on the cut stem. Remove the lower leaves and and place it in soil up to the top set of leaves. Place this starter in a sunny spot and keep the soil moist until roots start appearing.
Do know that some people experience contact dermatitis from handling the leaves and especially any oils or sap, so wear gloves while pruning if you have sensitive skin. Cool fact: Even though koala bears eat mostly eucalyptus leaves, their stomachs can handle it because of specialized microbes in their digestive system breaking down the toxic oils. Baby koalas acquire this helpful bacteria from their mothers.
My name is Maria Clemente, and I live in northern New Jersey. Working in the garden design industry for over 20 years has inspired me to create several garden areas around my own property. While I try to design gardens that display beauty in every season, I am always surprised at how the autumn garden seems to be my favorite.
Since I heard Danielle and Carol talking about the pink Sheffield mum (Chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’, Zones 4–9) on a recent episode of Let’s Argue About Plants (love the new podcast format by the way!), I felt a need to share the photos of my autumn garden, as that particular mum is one of my favorite plants!
‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’ mum takes center stage in the fall garden. Behind it is the tall Astertataricus ‘Jindai’ (Zones 3–9) with purple flowers and a oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangeaquercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’, Zones 5–9) with beautiful fall color.
Here’s another view of the same planting, seen through a spray of Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (Zones 5–9). The soft pink of the mums is such a great contrast to the brown and tan colors that dominate in the fall.
Brown seed heads from Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zones 4–8) in the foreground and a Japanese maple (Acerpalmatum, Zones 5–9) in the background set off the mum flowers perfectly.
A closer look at the oakleaf hydrangea reveals leaves that are just beginning to shift into their warm autumn colors.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Most of the time when we picture orchids, we think of the epiphytic types that grow clinging to the bark and branches of trees and shrubs.
Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, and Dendrobium species are usually epiphytes.
There’s a whole other category of orchids that many of us forget about and those are the ones that grow in soil: terrestrial orchids. These types are special, having specific care needs.
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There are over 200 terrestrial orchid species, providing lots of variety and opportunities to enjoy them in our homes and gardens.
Many of them are every bit as beautiful as those that fill the shelves of stores and stylish hotel lobbies. Plus, many can be grown in the ground as ornamentals, even in locations where the temperatures drop below freezing.
If you’d like to understand more about this group of plants, this guide can help.
Here’s what we will discuss:
Before we jump in, a note of caution. Orchids are so diverse that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to their cultivation and care – and that’s especially true in the case of terrestrial types.
We will give you general growing advice in this guide, but you will need to research the care requirements of the specific species, or, better yet, the cultivar or hybrid that you’re working with.
With that said, most of those that you’ll find on the market can be cared for in a similar way. We’ll discuss all that coming up:
What Are Terrestrial Orchids?
There are three broad groupings of orchids, based on their growth habits: they can be epiphytes or lithophytes, climbers, or terrestrial.
Epiphytes and lithophytes spend their lives attached to trees or rocks, as do climbers, but climbers have rhizomes in the soil below and extremely long stems that spread further than the more compact epiphytes do.
Terrestrial orchids are those that grow in the soil with their roots anchored in the earth.
Epiphytes make up the largest group of orchids that we grow in our homes, while terrestrial types are far less common.
Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, and Cattleya species are all mostly epiphytes. Actually, most orchid species are epiphytes, with about 70 percent fitting that category.
Terrestrial, or ground orchids as they’re also known, are far less popular with home growers. They are, however, the most common types found growing natively in Europe and North America.
In the wild, these plants can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as the southern tip of Patagonia. They grow on every continent except Antarctica, though there are sub-Antarctic species.
They grow in environments as varied as deserts, frozen tundras, and wooded forests.
Some terrestrial species have the ability to adapt to their local environment and become lithophytes, climbing on rocks.
The one thing they all have in common is that they typically grow in the earth and not anchored on other plants or natural structures. They can grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 12, depending on the species.
Most terrestrial types have what are known as pseudobulbs, which are storage structures that can form below or above ground. Some species have horizontal rhizomes, tubers, or corms, and others have fibrous roots. None of them have aerial roots.
The flowers may be teeny-tiny or massive, and can be pretty much any color except true blue. The same applies to the plant sizes. Some are miniature, just a few inches high, and others can grow several feet tall.
The only thing that unites them is that they grow in the ground.
Cultivation and History
Orchids have been a part of human culture for a very long time.
Cypripedium is a genus of terrestrial orchids found across the Northern Hemisphere that have been used medicinally by native North American people and in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
These days, species in this genus are cultivated both as houseplants and garden options, and you can find a variety of different hybrids and cultivars.
Many other species have become important commercially, initially catching on as ornamentals in the early 1800s during the exploration craze of the 1700s and 1800s Age of Enlightenment.
For example, Calanthe orchids were first described by George Rumph (Rumphius) in 1750 using a specimen brought from Indonesia. It was formally named in 1821 by Robert Brown.
Phaius tankervilliae was brought to England in 1778 by plant collector and botanist James Fothergill.
It became known as the first tropical orchid to flower in England when Fothergill’s botanist friends Sarah Hird and Peter Collinson successfully encouraged their specimen to bloom in 1778.
The Ludisia genus was first described in 1818 by English botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler, though he first called it Goodyera. It was changed in 1825 by French botanist Achille Richard.
The flood kept coming, with Dutch-German botanist Carl Ludwig Blume describing Spathoglottis in 1825, and Bletilla was identified by German botanist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1853.
Of course, botanists, researchers, and enthusiasts are still discovering new species like Eulophia graminea, which was identified in 2018 in Puerto Rico by Adolfo Rodríguez Velázquez, a graduate student at the University of Puerto Rico.
In their native ranges across the globe, many species are endangered as a result of poaching both for medicinal use and to sell as ornamentals and houseplants. Ludisia, for instance, is hard to find in its native Malaysia because of poaching.
On the other end of the spectrum some, like Arundina graminifolia, have become a little too widespread. This species is considered invasive in Hawaii and is smothering out native plants.
Some species, like Spiranthes sinesis, are described as “weedy,” taking over disturbed areas, fields, and grassy areas in colonies made up of thousands of plants.
Dividing existing plants is an easier propagation method or you can purchase a potted plant for transplanting.
From Division
The easiest and most consistent way to produce more plants is to divide an existing specimen. Other methods are less successful for the home grower, so this is the one I recommend.
If the plant is in a pot, remove it. If it’s in the ground, dig it up, digging about a foot down and around the circumference of the plant at least six inches out from the base of the outermost leaves.
Gently brush away as much of the soil or potting medium as you can from around the roots.
Find a natural separation in the plant with both roots and pseudobulbs or stems attached. Tease the plant apart at this point, and use a clean pair of pruners, if needed, to sever the root.
Many terrestrial orchids have a large horizontal root that will need to be cut into sections. Take as many sections as you want so long as each has a stem or pseudobulb attached.
Replant the main plant back in the hole or pot you took it from, filling in around it with soil. Place the division in a new pot or prepared area in the garden.
Transplanting
If you have a potted plant that you want to repot or transplant outdoors, the first step is to prepare the new location.
If you’re using a new container, choose one that is just one size up from the existing container. Fill the bottom quarter or so with an extremely loose, well-draining potting mix.
A product containing a mix of compost, pumice, coconut coir, fine bark, sphagnum moss, and worm castings would be ideal.
That can be hard to find, so look for a potting mix with a majority of those ingredients and add the rest yourself.
De la Tank’s houseplant mix with some fine bark mixed in would be perfect. The final mix should be about a quarter bark.
Pick up some De La Tank’s mix at Arbico Organics in a quart, eight-quart, or 16-quart bag.
If you’re planting in the ground, work in lots of well-rotted compost mixed with bark in a ratio of three parts compost to one part bark.
Dig a hole about the same size as the container the plant is currently growing in.
Plant the orchid in the pot or ground and fill in around it with more soil or potting medium. It should be sitting at the same height it was initially. Water well and add a bit more soil, if necessary.
How to Grow Terrestrial Orchids
What I’ve noticed is that most people start their orchid-growing journey with epiphytic types and become familiar with the needs of these plants, and assume that terrestrial types are the same.
Terrestrial orchids are different. Usually, they need much less frequent watering than the epiphytes, and the top inch or two of soil should be allowed to dry out. Soil retains moisture longer than orchid bark does.
Most have similar light requirements to epiphytes, but not all. Most species need loamy, water-retentive, well-draining soil, but again, not all.
Is all this sounding vague? This is a huge range of plants with vastly variable soil, sun, and moisture preferences.
Understanding the natural environment of the species you’re working with is critical. Ground orchids are found growing natively in sand dunes, mossy bogs, moist forest beds, and everywhere in between, depending on the species.
In my neck of the woods, California lady’s slipper (Cypripedium californium) grows in shady, mineral-heavy seepages and river banks.
In southern Africa, the desert orchid (Eulophia petersii) lives in rocky, sandy soil in full sun.
Species in the Orchis genus grow throughout Europe and south through northwest Africa in tropical rainforests and semi-arid regions.
They grow in environments as wide-ranging as tundras and sandy ocean beaches, which illustrates how important it is to know the needs of the species you want to grow.
The vast majority of terrestrial orchids need consistently moist but not wet soil – of course, with the exception of the desert-dwelling species.
Most terrestrial orchids have deep roots that can stretch a foot or more down, so in general, you need to water deeply but infrequently. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out in the garden or the top fifth of the medium to dry out for potted plants.
They generally need rich, loamy potting soil with lots of pumice or other material mixed in to improve drainage and water retention.
Or mix one part bark, two parts sphagnum moss, and one part perlite with a dash of worm castings. Garden soil should be amended with bark and compost, as mentioned above. But there are exceptions.
Most Eulophia species are succulents and need somewhat sandy, rocky, or pumice-heavy soil that should be allowed to almost completely dry out before watering.
Most species want dappled shade, morning light, or bright, indirect light indoors with morning light, but again, check to be sure.
They can usually handle a bit more light than you might expect. But if you want to increase the light, do it gradually over several weeks.
They also like moderate to high humidity. A minimum of about 50 percent is about right for most species.
Don’t fertilize plants in the ground. For those in containers, feed them a 1-1-1 or 2-2-2 (NPK) fertilizer once a month from spring through fall.
Growing Tips
Know the needs of the specific species you wish to grow.
Most species require consistently moist soil and dappled or bright, indirect light with direct morning light.
Well-draining soil is a must.
Maintenance
To tidy up the plant and encourage new blossoms, trim back the flowering stalk once all of the flowers have dropped from the plant. Leave about an inch of stalk behind.
Any branches or stems that are brown, broken, or yellow should be trimmed off. You can also remove any foliage that looks crowded or any stems that are crossing.
When you prune your plant, be sure to use a clean pair of clippers and clean them between plants.
You will also need to repot your orchid every few years. As plants age, they need more room to accommodate their new size.
Even if you aren’t going up in pot size, you should replace the potting medium every few years because it will break down, reducing the amount of air reaching the roots.
For deciduous types grown outdoors, remove any dead foliage at the end of the growing season. You can also heap some straw or leaf matter over the roots to provide some insulation.
Terrestrial Orchid Species to Select
The best species for you to grow is going to be the one that fits in your environment, so it never hurts to ask local sellers if they have a particular type they’d recommend.
When it comes to good houseplant options, any one of these will work well:
Bamboo
Bamboo orchids (Arundina spp.) have strap-like leaves that resemble grass. The showy, fragrant flowers appear on long stems that are perfect for cutting.
The flowers vary from pink to purple and deep violet. Most contain some amount of white and some even have pure white petals.
Even better, the blossoms appear all year long, though they’re particularly prolific during the spring and fall.
These plants are native to Asia and have become a popular garden option in the Pacific Islands. As heat lovers, they grow best in Zones 10b and up.
While most remain smaller, some species can grow up to six feet tall.
Corduroy
Eulophia species, commonly known as corduroy orchids, inhabit Africa and Asia, where they grow in shady forests.
The leaves are held at the end of fleshy stems and the thin flower spike produces colorful flowers with large sepals and small petals.
They come in the full range of orchid colors, like pure white, yellow, pink, red, purple, and orange.
This genus is popular as a landscaping plant in warm areas like California, Florida, and Hawaii in Zones 9b to 11b.
Most species are succulents that can tolerate some drought, but they prefer sandy soil with regular moisture. While it can vary, most species grow about a foot tall.
Slipper
Even non-orchidists have usually heard of slipper or lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium spp.).
These can be found growing natively across the Northern Hemisphere in temperate and subtropical regions.
There are even a few tough species that grow in Alaskan and Siberian tundras. You can find species that will grow in Zones 2 to 10.
The flower stems typically extend well beyond the oblong leaves, and the inflorescence may consist of one single flower or up to a dozen. Colors include pink, purple, yellow, and white.
The often hairy leaves grow from a central stem that emerges from the underground rhizomes.
One of the reasons slipper orchids are so popular is because they’re pretty easy to grow and they can usually tolerate a good amount of shade.
Jewel
Jewel orchids (Ludisia spp.) do have petite, white flowers, but they are mostly appreciated for their pretty foliage.
The rhomboid leaves are typically dark green with some burgundy and have pale vertical stripes.
Did I say pretty? Let me be more clear. The foliage is stunning. The veins of the leaves sparkle in the light like jewels. You honestly won’t even notice the flowers.
These are native to Asia but have found a home in gardens across the globe in the equivalent of Zones 10 and 11.
Ludisia species should be allowed to dry out a little between watering, but the roots should never be allowed to become completely dry.
Most species are low-growing ground covers but some grow up to a foot or so tall.
Nun’s
Nun’s orchids (Phaius tankervilliae) have narrow, pleated leaves and the plants can reach about three feet tall.
Each pseudobulb grows a single stalk of large, colorful, and fragrant blossoms in the winter and early spring. Flowers typically have bronze or brown coloration, along with white, pink, or purple.
This species can tolerate cool temperatures down to just above freezing, but it isn’t a fan of wet roots.
It’s native to islands across the Pacific from Asia to North America, which should tip you off to their temperature tolerance. Grow them outdoors in Zones 9 to 11.
Spathoglottis
Often known as purple orchids (Spathoglottis spp.), these usually have, you guessed it, purple flowers.
The hues can range from pale lavender to deep reddish purple. There are even some with white, yellow, and pink hues and these are – confusingly – referred to as “purple” orchids as well.
S. plicata is the most common species found in cultivation and it always has some purple in the flowers.
They bloom on nearly two-foot-tall stalks with fragrant flowers all year long.
While they can survive freezing temperatures, they really need to be cultivated somewhere that stays above 50°F. Below that, they will go dormant and drop their leaves.
They hail from eastern and southeastern Asia, Australia, and some Pacific Islands and are hardy in Zones 10 and 11.
Urn
Bletilla species are commonly grown as houseplants and outdoors in Zones 5 to 9.
Hailing from across Asia, the long, narrow, pleated leaves emerge from corm-like pseudobulbs that sit at the soil level.
The long flower stalks can reach up to two feet tall and produce cattleya-like flowers in a variety of colors from white to deep purple.
The most common species found in nurseries is B. striata, which is often called “hardy orchid” because it can tolerate temperatures down to 25°F, though the plant will go dormant and lose its leaves once temperatures drop below freezing.
Urn orchids are pretty easygoing, they’ll tolerate drought, overwatering, shade, and sun, to a certain degree.
Managing Pests and Disease
Pests don’t seem to be the biggest problem when growing terrestrial types, but diseases, particularly fungal ones, can be an issue.
Insects
Aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites are all common houseplant pests, and that applies to orchids, too. You might see them on outdoor plants, but much less often.
As a first line of defense, whenever you bring a new plant into your home, isolate and monitor it for a week.
If, despite your efforts, the pests find your plants, a stream of water from the hose once a week can wash the spider mites or aphids off.
Scale and mealybugs can be gently scraped off the plant. Neem oil or insecticidal soap is an effective solution, whether you use it instead of or in addition to the previous methods.
I keep Bonide Insecticidal Soap on hand for just such an event. Find it at Arbico Organics in 16- and 32-ounce spray bottles.
Disease
Viruses can cause unusual patterns and colors on leaves, but there is no cure, so you must either dispose of the plant or learn to live with the funkiness.
Odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) and Cymbidium mosaic virus (CyMV) are the most common.
Spots on the leaves may be caused by bacteria or fungi. Bacteria in the Erwinia and Acidovorax genera cause spotting, as does fungi in the Cercospora genus.
All are spread by splashing water, crowded conditions, and high humidity.
Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.) can also cause spotting, often with a tan center.
There’s not much you can do about bacterial leaf spot except remove the symptomatic leaves or take out the plants entirely.
Rot can be caused by fungi, as well, including those in the Pythium and Phytophthora genera.
This can cause black, soft spots on the leaves or roots. Root rotcan also be caused by overwatering, which drowns the roots.
Terrestrial orchids are versatile and diverse. They can grow as potted houseplants or in the garden in borders, as mass plantings, in rock gardens, containers, or to fill shaded areas under trees.
Depending on the species, they can thrive in frigid regions – or they might require tropical conditions, making them better suited for houseplant life.
Anyone who has the orchid bug needs to dabble in terrestrial orchids.
The epiphytic types will always hold a special place in our hearts, but until you’ve filled a garden bed or a big, decorative pot with a terrestrial species or two, you haven’t experienced everything these plants have to offer.
Which species is most appealing to you? How will you be growing yours? In a rock garden next to a pond? Or maybe a pot on your kitchen table? Share your plans with us in the comments section below!
Here’s another view of the same planting, seen through a spray of Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ (Zones 5–9). The soft pink of the mums is such a great contrast to the brown and tan colors that dominate in the fall.
Brown seed heads from Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zones 4–8) in the foreground and a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) in the background set off the mum flowers perfectly.
A closer look at the oakleaf hydrangea reveals leaves that are just beginning to shift into their warm autumn colors.
