Category: Home & Garden

A greenhouse is one of the most versatile and useful gardening tools available, in my opinion.

These structures dramatically increase the length of the growing season and are indispensable for starting seeds.

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A greenhouse provides the perfect conditions for seed starting, including higher humidity, brighter light, and increased warmth than you would have otherwise.

Whether you are new to growing from seed or you’re an old hand who is starting out with a greenhouse, this guide has you covered with the following topics:

If you can’t wait to get started, let’s jump right in.

When to Start Seeds in a Greenhouse

Technically, you can start the propagation process in your greenhouse any time you want, provided you either live in a warm enough region or have supplemental heating.

What you need to keep in mind is how large the seedlings will become before you can put them in the ground.

More than once, I’ve gotten too excited and started seedlings way too early. They had outgrown their pots weeks before it was time to transplant out into the garden.

Find out the recommended start time for the species you wish to grow and go with that – this information is typically listed on your seed packet.

For example, hot peppers should be started about two months before you plan to put them out.

Of course, none of this applies if you are going to keep your plants in the greenhouse for the duration of the growing season.

If that’s the case, start them whenever you want, so long as it’s warm enough inside and there is enough light.

Choosing Containers and Soil

Most seeds are better off started in a soilless potting mix than regular potting soil.

These mixes offer a good balance of air, drainage, and water retention, which is what most seeds and seedlings need to thrive.

These products are typically sterile so they don’t contain any pathogens or critters that could make your seedlings sick.

Tank’s Pro-Lite Seeding and Potting Mix is perfect for seed starting, with a blend of compost, coconut coir, and perlite. It’s available at Arbico Organics in 16-quart bags.

Tank’s Pro-Lite Seeding and Potting Mix

You also need containers for starting your seeds.

If you want to start a large number of seeds, particularly of smaller species like lettuce, cilantro, or parsley, a seed tray works well.

It’s best to choose something robust because you don’t want it falling apart when you’re moving or working with it.

This large tray from Gardener’s Supply Company has reinforced sides and is made out of 1.8-millimeter-thick plastic.

Heavy Duty 1020 Tray

I like to use biodegradable pots because they’re better for the environment and they cause less root disturbance when you transplant, since you bury the entire pot in the ground.

For plants with long taproots or those that struggle with transplanting, like carrots, parsnips, or spinach, a biodegradable pot is a must-have.

CowPots make their pots out of cow poop, which is the ultimate renewable resource, and I highly recommend them.

CowPots 10 Row Tray

If you have a lot of seed starting to do, pick up 10-row trays in a case of 18 at Arbico Organics.

When you’re ready to transplant seedlings in biodegradable pots, just cut the individual section away and plant it. Or, for herbs or other small species, you can plant the entire tray.

For plants that you want to be able to separate that aren’t fussy about transplanting, a pot with separate cells may be easier to work with.

CowPots Six-Cell Tray

Grab a #3 six-cell, which has six separate cells, each three inches wide, from Arbico Organics.

Finally, you might want to go with a larger pot if you’re growing bigger plants, such as melons, brussels sprouts, artichokes, or lavender.

I find four-inch pots are a must-have for things like peppers and tomatoes.

CowPots Four-Inch Pots

Biodegradable square pots from CowPots can be found at Arbico Organics in quantities of 12, 180, and 450.

Preparation

Before you sow your seeds, be sure to understand the needs of the species that you’re growing.

Some seeds need stratification or scarification before you can sow them. Others benefit from being soaked for 24 hours or so ahead of time.

If an individual seed is particularly large or thick-walled, it’s a good bet that it’ll need some preparation before sowing.

Species that are susceptible to damping off, which is a devastating disease caused by water molds Pythium and Phytophthora, and fungi like Rhizoctonia and Alternaria, can be soaked in a fungicide prior to sowing.

Lettuce, nightshades, pansies, and many other herbaceous species are prone to damping off.

I’ve found that the incidence of damping off has been drastically reduced since I’ve started soaking my seeds in Mycostop before I sow them in clean soil.

Mycostop is also an effective treatment for fungal diseases in plants. It harnesses the power of the beneficial bacterium Streptomyces Strain K61 to kill pathogens.

Mycostop Biofungicide

Five- or 25-gram packets are available at Arbico Organics.

Products containing Bacillus subtilis or Trichoderma species can also be effective.

Be sure to check the expiration dates on your seed packets and dispose of any that are out of date.

Or, if you save your own seeds, think about how old they are and toss out any that are too old. You can research the seed viability of the particular species you’re working with.

Some species can be tested for viability by putting them in water to see which ones float and which sink. Floating seeds should be discarded.

Sowing Seeds

To sow, fill your pots or trays with your chosen potting mix and pre-moisten the soil – this reduces the risk of disturbing the seeds when you water.

When you fill the pots or trays in preparation for sowing, don’t pack or tamp the medium down.

Simply pour the medium into the pot and scrape the excess off the top. Don’t set the pots inside each other to carry them once you’ve added the soil, as this can compact the potting medium.

If you compact the soil, it will reduce germination and make it more difficult for the roots to stretch out.

When you water the soil initially, take a little potting medium out and ball it up in your hand.

If it falls apart, the mixture is too dry. If it leaks when you squeeze it, it’s too wet. It should stay together, but you shouldn’t be able to squeeze out any water – a bit like a well-wrung-out sponge.

Poke holes in the soil for larger seeds, or just scatter smaller seeds over the soil.

Some need to be buried and others should be on the surface of the soil so they can access the light they need to germinate, so be sure to understand the needs of the species you’re growing.

After sowing, you can add additional moisture and help surface-sown seeds “stick” by spraying them with a fine mist.

Try to sow at the center of the plug or pot. Those sown on the edges of the pot tend to dry out rapidly.

Seed and Seedling Care

Depending on the time of year, the species you’re growing, and how much light your greenhouse receives, you might need to provide supplemental lighting.

If you go with lighting in your greenhouse, you’ll need to keep them on anywhere from eight to 16 hours a day, depending on the light requirements of the plants you are growing.

Heating mats can also be useful, particularly in an unheated greenhouse.

Tender species like peppers, tomatoes, corn, or eggplants will often need additional heat to promote germination.

There are many ways to water, from overhead watering to lugging a watering can into your greenhouse.

We talk about setting up the right watering system for your needs in our beginner’s guide to greenhouses.

Generally speaking, drip irrigation or soaker hoses work best if you don’t want to manually water using a can, hose, or mister and the pots are large enough to accommodate them.

Although there are outlier species, you generally don’t need to feed seedlings until the first set of true leaves have opened.

When you do feed, use something mild and close to balanced, or choose something formulated for seedlings like Dr. Earth’s Root Zone Starter Fertilizer.

It contains organic ingredients that include fish bone and humus with an NPK of 2-4-2 to encourage healthy growth.

Dr. Earth Root Zone Starter Fertilizer

Find it in one or four pound bags at Arbico Organics.

Finally, monitor the humidity in your greenhouse. Sometimes, it’s as easy as opening up the door to let in some air circulation.

Other times, you might need to turn on some fans. Each species is different in how much humidity it prefers, but too much moisture in the air is a quick way to promote fungal diseases.

Transplanting

When it’s time to transplant your seeds, you’ll need to harden them off to accustom them to the outdoor growing conditions which are different from the environment in the greenhouse.

Hardening off can take about a week or two, so plan ahead. You can start the process as soon as the weather is warm enough for the species that you’re growing.

Take the plants outdoors and set them in the location where you intend to transplant. Leave them there for between 30 minutes to an hour.

Then, take the plants back into the greenhouse. The next day, add another 30 minutes to an hour. Keep doing this for a week or two until the plants can go in the ground.

I do this over a longer period of time for tender plants like tomatoes and chilis, or those that I don’t want to risk losing.

For tough plants like kale and Swiss chard, I might rush the process a little more. Take a cue from your plants.

If they don’t show any signs of stress, like wilting or yellowing leaves, you’re doing fine.

Put Your Greenhouse to Work

Although they might be one of the pricier tools in the gardening toolkit, I think greenhouses are one of the most useful.

Starting seeds in a greenhouse puts you ahead of the game and gives you a strong start to the growing season.

Which seeds are you starting in your greenhouse this year? Let us know about your growing plans in the comments section below.

And for more information about using greenhouses, we have a few other guides to help you out. Check these out yet:

During the winter months many plants reveal subtle patterns, fine details, and a new range of colors that help us to see familiar beds and borders with fresh eyes. This is an excellent time to get outside, evaluate your garden’s bones, and make some plans for spring planting. In this episode Danielle, Carol, and their guest will explore some of the plants that fly a bit under the radar in winter months, but certainly deserve more attention. Do you have any of these underappreciated wonders in your landscape? If not, you may want to start digging holes as soon as the ground thaws to ensure that some of these unsung heroes get some well-deserved garden real estate. Will any of these winter beauties make it onto your wish list this year?

Jay Sifford is the owner and principal designer at Jay Sifford Garden Design in Charolette, North Carolina.

Danielle’s Plants

Spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata, Zones 4-8)

‘Peppermint Patty’ bergenia (Bergenia ‘Peppermint Patty’, Zones 4-8)

Moosewood (Acer pensylvanicum, Zones 3-7)

‘ReJoyce’ drooping laurel (Leucothoe axillaris ‘ReJoyce’, Zones 6-9)

Carol’s Plants

Golden Duke Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis ‘Monjers’, Zones 4–8)

American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana, Zones 3b–9)

‘Little Heath’ pieris (Pieris japonica ‘Little Heath’, Zones 5–9)

‘St. Mary’s Broom’ blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘St. Mary’s Broom’, Zones 2-7)

Expert’s Plants

American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana, Zones 3-8)

‘Shades of Pink’ laurustinus (Viburnum tinus ‘Shades of Pink’, Zones 7b-10)

Blue conifers with assorted ornamental grasses

‘Louie’ white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Louie’, Zones 4-9)

Discover even more great plants winter interest:

SB comments:

“David – have you ever grown yams near papayas? Papayas have shallow root systems and I wonder if digging yams would disturb the papaya “trees”? How close/far away should yams and papayas be spaced? Also -similar questions for sweet potatoes instead of yams.”

Back in 2020, I received an email from a man named David who shared his food forest project. In it, he had sweet potatoes, yams, papaya, bananas and more, all growing together.

Papayas will get overrun by yams if you plant the yams right at their bases; however, sweet potatoes run underneath them quite happily. I don’t know how much the root disturbance hurts them when you dig the sweet potatoes, but I did have them planted together in my first full Grocery Row Garden project in the Caribbean.

We pretty much overlapped everything in there!

If you’re worried about the root systems, just plant the bases of your sweet potatoes a little farther from the trunk. The vines will still grow around the trunks and provide ground cover, but the main mass of roots you’ll be digging will be further out.

At the same time, I would also plant some right next to them. Then you can compare and see if it made a difference. You’ll know within a year or so.

The yams I would keep a little farther back, just because the vines are such aggressive climbers.

Have fun and don’t sweat it too much. Papaya grow so fast from seeds that you can always plant more if it doesn’t work out. I bet they do fine, though. Even with the root disturbance possibly lowering yields somewhat, you should still have a lot more yield from the space than if you just planted papaya or just planted sweet potatoes.

I do miss growing papaya. We have a few in the greenhouse growing in pots – maybe we’ll plant some more, right in the ground this coming spring when the weather warms up.

My name is Alana and I garden in Columbus, Ohio. My current garden is about 7 years old and I’m constantly tweaking it. One of my favorite parts of gardening is being surprised by the unexpected. I love self seeders and biennials or not-quite-hardy plants that survive over several years. The current layout takes up most of my 1/4 acre property and there is not much grass left. Looking back at last year there were some nice moments.

In April, Miss Saigon hyacinth (Hyacinthus ‘Miss Saigon’, Zone 4 – 8) complements a moss phlox (Phlox subulata, Zone 3 – 9), I believe ‘Ronsdorfer Beauty’. Hyacinths provide fabulous color before much else is blooming. I’m starting to get into tulips now that the yard is fully fenced, but before that hyacinths were my deer-resistant early spring stars.

The pinks/purples in this bed in May are common mallow (Malva sylvestris, Zone 4 – 8), Felix Crousse peony (Paeonia ‘Felix Crousse’, Zone 3 – 7), Cloudburst phlox (Phlox ‘Cloudburst’, Zone 4 – 8), and Dianthus ‘Kate’ (Zone 4 – 9). The mallows self seed well in my yard and some of them grow taller than I am.

Here is a different bed in May. Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (Zone 4 – 9) is one of my favorite plants but doesn’t always come back after our wet winters in clay-ish soil. Many of the bearded irises I‘ve tried also struggle but the ones that make it tend to reproduce amazingly quickly. The orange iris here I believe is Iris ‘Maid of Orange’ (Zone 4 – 8). The dianthus is Dianthus ‘Vivid Cherry Charm’ (Zone 5 – 8) and there is a Clematis ‘Dr. Ruppel’ (Zone 4 – 11). On the left behind the iris is common chives (Allium schoenoprasum, Zone 4 – 8). I like them as ornamental plants until the flowers fade, at which point they flop and I cut them back. I don’t know the cultivars of the blue iris or the geranium.

Pink! This bed in June is a little eye-popping. Most of the plants that are flowering in this picture came from seed I direct sowed and hoped for the best. The pink flowers are sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, Zone 3 – 8), Dianthus ‘Delilah’ (Zone 4 – 9), Phlox ‘Fashionably Early Flamingo’ (Zone 4 – 8) phlox, rose campion (Lychnis coronaria, Zone 4 – 8), and Penstemon ‘Red Rocks’ (Zone 4 – 8). The campion and sweet Williams have self seeded like a champ and the original clumps have been there for 3 or 4 years despite the heavy soil.

In July, the yellow-orange Crocosmia ‘George Davison’ (Zone 6 – 9) plays off the pinks from the phlox, Rainbow Marcella purple coneflower (Echinacea ‘Rainbow Marcella’, Zone 5 – 9), a species purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, Zone 4 – 9) from seed, and Allium ‘Millenium’ (Zone 4 – 8). There is also a salmony canna (Canna hybrid, Zone 8 – 10 or as tender bulb) crammed in here I got after volunteering at a botanical park.

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.

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Since air plants are epiphytes and lithophytes, they hydrate through their leaves. You can choose whether to mist them frequently or soak them less frequently. I’ll explain more below.

“How often should I water my air plants?” This is our most asked question, and our answer is: it depends upon the type of plant you have and the amount of light it receives… just like watering your other houseplants!

Here is the easiest way to decide what’s best for your air plant: follow the mesic/xeric rule: mesic plants need more moisture more often while xeric plants are more drought tolerant, needing water less often.

So, with a mesic plant, misting every other day is a good practice (if that is too much work, a 20-minute soak twice per week should suffice). For a xeric plant, soak once a week for 20 minutes.

Of course, how much water a plant needs will still depend on temperature and light. If light and temperatures are higher, water more frequently.

A general rule for both types: after hydrating, hold your plant upside down and shake it gently, then place it upside down on an absorbent surface to dry. If water is allowed to collect in the base, your air plants may eventually rot.

This is also why we recommend not arranging the two different types together and then watering the group in the same way. The Xeric plants will always get over-watered and the Mesic plants under-watered.

I won’t go into the complex structure of each leaf’s outer cells – the cells that regulate oxygen, carbon, and carbohydrates – but it is the reason the plant grows so slowly. It’s also the reason you shouldn’t water them late in the day because it will prevent the leaves from making a crucial nightly chemical exchange.

If you really want to geek out and take a deep dive into the geologic history and botany of air plants, visit this site.

Does the Type of the Water Matter?

Fortunately, here in Seattle, we have very high-quality drinking water from our two river sources: the Tolt and the Cedar. So, you can use tap water. However, the county does chlorinate, which can be harsh to the Tillandsia leaves, so if you don’t have a filtration system, fill your water container the night before and leave it open on the counter. The chlorine will naturally off-gas overnight.

Fertilizing Air Plants

All plants respond to fertilizer. For air plants, it is not as critical to fertilize, but it will support flowering and pup formation, which helps your plant have a longer life.

If your plant displays any of these traits, fertilizer could be the answer:

• The plant’s foliage looks pale and weak

• Leaves look yellow, and veins look darker

• No new growth during the growing seasons

• Small spots on leaves that grow with time

• Mature leaves turn purple at the base

Use a fertilizer that is specifically formulated for Bromeliads and follow the directions on the label, or you can use a balanced liquid fertilizer (10-10-10) at ½ strength. Fertilize from April through September (the same period when you would fertilize most houseplants).

Air Plant Flowers

As a new gardener, you’re bound to make mistakes; we all do. After helping people learn how to garden for several years, I’ve noticed some common mistakes. I compiled this list of 10 common new gardener mistakes in hopes you can avoid them as you begin your gardening journey.

Jump to 10 New Gardener Mistakes free download

1. Thinking you need everything before you begin

There isn’t only one right way to garden. Premade beds and watering grids are nice but not a necessity to get started. Use the resources you have available. You don’t have to have everything to get started. A container or two is a great beginning. Learn more about how to start a container garden in this blog post.

If resources are limited, consider growing in-ground rather than in beds. Although more labor-intensive, in-ground beds are a less expensive way to start a garden. Start by getting a soil test to see if that is a good choice for your garden. Learn more about how to start an in-ground garden here.

2. New Gardener Mistake: Being overwhelmed by all there is to learn

As gardeners, we are always learning. It’s impossible to know it all before you begin. Don’t worry yet about more complicated skills like starting seeds indoors. Focus on learning about a few plants and build from there. Experience will be one of your best teachers.

3. Following advice for other climates

Local resources are crucial, especially for new gardeners. What and when to plant vary depending on where you live. What works in other areas may not work in your climate. Each climate has benefits and challenges. The key is maximizing your area’s advantages and understanding and adapting to the challenges.

Ask local gardeners for help and find local resources. (Extension Office, local nurseries, even Instagram). If you live in the low desert of Arizona, I have planting resources available. If you live in other areas, this blog post can help you find resources for your climate. 

Vegetable, Herb, and Fruit Planting Guide for the Low Desert of Arizona

The ultimate resource for gardeners in arid regions with hot summers and mild winters—designed specifically for the low desert of Arizona.
It features information on how and when to start seeds indoors and when to transplant them outside for nearly 100 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

4. Not taking the time to understand the light patterns on your property

The decision of where to put your garden is an important one. Sunlight is one of the most critical factors in determining the location of your garden. Because the sun’s angle changes throughout the year, take time to observe the sun’s patterns all year long. 

Using an app like Sun Seeker will help you understand the light patterns on your property. Use containers or grow bags for the first year to get an idea of which locations in your yard receive morning sunlight throughout the year and how much each area gets. 

5. Not learning about the crops before you grow them

Begin with a vegetable, herb, and flower. Learn the key facts about each one – how they grow, whether to plant from seed or transplant, how much space they need, and when to harvest them. You’ll feel much more prepared, and chances are, you will have more success. 

My website has over 100 “how to grow” articles for different crops. If you’re looking for easier crops, this blog post about ten easy-to-grow vegetables and herbs may be helpful. 

New Gardener Mistakes (cont.)

6. Watering mistakes

Many new gardeners overwater their gardens. It’s easy to do. However, overwatering wastes a valuable (and expensive) resource and harms plants. Learning how much to water can be tricky, but the best way to learn is by observation. Water deeply, then monitor your plants and soil, and don’t water again until the top inch or so of soil is dry. Read this post to learn more about watering principles. 

7. Not supporting crops that need it 

Many crops grow best with a trellis. Growing plants vertically helps many plants be healthier and produce more. Trellis can be free or inexpensive, but adding them when you plant is essential. 

8. New Gardener Mistake: Over-fertilizing 

Like overwatering, adding fertilizer to the soil helps us feel we are doing something good for our plants. But that may not be true. Too much fertilizer can produce excess green leaves instead of fruit and cause an unhealthy buildup of nutrients in the soil. Instead, focus on feeding the soil by adding regular compost and vermicomposting bins to your beds. The soil will then feed your plants. 

9. Not harvesting and eating what you grow

Grow things you like to eat! Learn the best time to harvest and enjoy the farm-to-table, locally sourced, homegrown food!

10. Not spending time in your garden every day

If you spend a little time each day, garden tasks won’t overwhelm you. You will catch problems when they are small and easily managed. Learn more about what to do each day in your garden in this blog post.

As you begin this gardening journey, take heart. We have all killed plants or had them killed for us by bugs and diseases. You will too, and it’s okay! That’s part of the process and how we learn. Enjoy your successes and learn from your mistakes. Don’t be afraid to start a garden today! 

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GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

There is a beautiful, rather elegiac song by the American composer, Samuel Barber called “Sure On This Shining Night”. The piece has a particularly luscious phrase–“high summer holds the earth”. Right now in my garden, that phrase comes to life.  The middle of the daylily bloom cycle has coincided with the beginning of the flowering of the Asiatic lilies.  The honey-scented butterfly bushes sport new flower panicles every day and many of the roses are enjoying a second flush.  Nasturtiums and cosmos and annual poppies and marigolds have begun popping their blossoms.  Things have not gone near-dormant as they do in August.  The fullness and abundance and the rich combination of scents makes this time of year almost better than spring.

My garden is full of roses in pale colors—yellows, shades of peach, pinks, white and cream.  I have only one really red rose, and that is ‘Othello’, an Austin English rose that I got as part of a package deal several years ago.  Even in bud it stands out among its pastel-colored bedmates, and the blossoms turn almost black as they age.  Like the other roses it is blooming for the second time this growing season, and yesterday I was struck by its beauty. ‘Othello’ brought back memories of my father, a great lover of red roses, who died five years ago on Father’s Day.     My father and I had different gardening orientations.  He was from a generation of gardeners who truly believed in the slogan “better living through chemistry.”  He treated the lawn, trees, shrubs and plants with a wide variety of highly refined fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.  The lawn stayed green, the roses were perfection itself and blackspot never dared besmirch a single leaf.  Everyone he knew did the same thing, even if all they grew were a few petunias in a pot.

I know that if my father came back today he would tell me that my garden is a mess.  I find weeding peaceful and therapeutic, but I don’t get to it as often as I would like.  Edging is not a high priority. Crabgrass and other noxious garden weeds rear their ugly heads from time to time, usually in places where everyone will notice them.  My rose bushes, while robust, are not immune to blackspot.  At this time of year it is impossible to pick off all the Japanese beetles, although I try to be vigilant.  If you look hard enough in my garden you can find every pest from earwigs to groundhogs. I use my own compost to fertilize the plants, blast the insect predators with water from the garden hose and mulch everything to insulate roots and conserve moisture.  I used to annihilate aphids by spraying  the roses with insecticidal soap after every rainstorm.  Now I rarely have the time to do that.

In short, gardening for me has more to do with Darwin than with Ortho.  This was true even when my father was alive, though to avoid arguments we never discussed such things.  Instead we had great conversations about rose varieties, the beauty of great big blowsy peonies and the vagaries of the weather.  Gardening was a bond between us, and the source of many long Sunday night telephone conversations.  For him gardening transcended the burdens of aging, loneliness and ill health.  For me it transcended the burdens of childrearing, overscheduling and financial worries.  When he died I felt as if the conversation had been cut off in mid sentence.

So I became a garden writer as a way of continuing that conversation.  Some of the things that I write about, like some of my garden practices, would undoubtedly make my father roll his eyes.  With the exception of sweet alyssum he did not care for plants with insignificant flowers, so my journalistic exertions on behalf of hardy geraniums and California poppies would leave him cold.  He did not like “weedy” plants, so my hymn to the glories of swamp milkweed would exasperate him.

There are other things that he would enjoy. Since he lived with varying degrees of nasal congestion about eighty percent of the time, he liked flowers with strong scents.  He and I agreed on the virtues of lily-of-the-valley and lilacs of any variety.  He loved forsythia despite its weedy tendencies and was perpetually annoyed by the invasive qualities of mint.  He like to have flowers around in the wintertime (which lasted about ten months in Western New York), and loved big red Amaryllis and mass quantities of African violets.

Now, for some reason, I feel a new yearning for the rich colors that my father preferred.  After seeing my ‘Othello’ rose with new eyes I went down to the local public rose garden and took in ‘Mr. Lincoln’ and ‘Chrysler Imperial’, two vivid red roses that started in my father’s rose beds.  Thumbing through the fall planting catalogs, my eye is drawn to the dark red peonies and the tall scarlet tulips.

After five years the continuing conversation with my father goes on in my head and in my writing.  Now though, the images that accompany that conversation are brighter, as if someone had adjusted the fine tuning.  As high summer holds the earth, my father’s garden remains in full bloom.

Elisabeth Ginsburg

Press Here!
Yellow Rose
SWORD LILIES
CHANGE IN THE GARDEN
UNFORGETTABLE
FRESH VEGGIES

At first glance, a derelict garden seems a most depressing problem and one which would appear to be insurmountable. Certainly, its renovation and reclamation will require a great deal of hard work, but it is a task which can be made much easier and pleasanter if a plan of campaign is worked out beforehand.

There are, of course, degrees of neglect. Some gardens may have been
unoccupied for a few months only, a few will have been neglected for years. Whatever the condition, the reclamation work should be tackled in easy, logical stages. A garden is as good as its initial soil preparation, and any hurried or glossed-over soil cultivation will result in poor growth and even more vigorous weeds later on.

Examining the site

The first thing to do is examine the site carefully to see where the original beds and borders are and identify them with long stakes. In extreme instances, it may even be difficult to trace paths, but these must be given priority as, if they are in reasonable condition, they will be most useful when the wheelbarrow is required.

The extent of the site examination must depend on the time of the year the garden is taken over. The work will be difficult at the height of the season when most of the garden’s occupants are in full growth, but it will prove to be a most helpful time as it will be possible to assess the quality of these plants. Those which are obviously weak and of very poor quality should be suitably marked or noted so that they can be removed. It might be possible to salvage some if they are cut back hard at the end of the season to encourage sturdier growth the following year.

If the garden is occupied in the autumn or winter, most of the plants will have died down and may be rather difficult to find and examine. It will, however, be an easier time to tackle the clearance problem, as much of the growth, including that of the weeds will have died down.

Clearance

Once main features and plants have been located, clearance or renovation can start. The first part will consist of weed removal. This can be done manually, by chemical means or a combination of both. In a seriously neglected garden where few established plants are worth keeping, the site can be cleared by the application of a powerful weedkiller such as sodium chlorate. This must be used with extreme caution since it is so powerful that ground treatment cannot be used for at least six to seven months afterward. It must be applied away from neighbors’ boundaries, too; otherwise, many of their plants growing close by will be seriously affected and even destroyed.

A safer method is to use weedkillers based on organic formulas. The former is especially useful for the control of grasses, especially that particularly troublesome weed, couch grass.

Weeds can be dealt with by the more laborious method of hand weeding. Annual weeds such as chickweed can be killed if they are buried well beneath the soil surface during the cultivation of the soil. Perennial weeds such as dandelions, docks, thistles, plantains, couch grass, ground elder and bindweed must never be buried otherwise they will quickly take root again and grow even more vigorously. As many of these perennial weeds are deep rooted, care must be taken to see that they are dug or forked out as carefully as possible. Throw them into a heap as they are collected and allow them to dry out as much as possible. As there will be a lot of general rubbish being burnt during cleaning up operations, the best place for these dried weeds is on the bonfire; they will quickly burn if a good fierce fire is maintained.

The clearance of a neglected garden must never be hurried. It is a good idea to tackle small areas at a time. This will ensure that the work does not become too tiring, and it will also mean that it is carried out more thoroughly. Once most of the weeds and unwanted growth have been cleared, the soil itself will require attention. One of the first things to do is to gather any rubble which may be on the surface. This need not be discarded as it may come in useful for the foundations of new paths.

Cultivation

The depth of cultivation must depend on the type of soil. If it is heavy, deep digging will be required in order to improve drainage. Light soils, on the other hand, will not need such thorough treatment. The heavy types should be double-dug. That means that the top spit or 25cm (loin) of soil is turned over and the bottom of each trench is broken up to the full depth of the fork. This will provide about 50cm (20in) of well-worked soil.

The sticky types of soil can be opened up still further if sharp sand or well-weathered gritty ashes are incorporated as the work proceeds. Small rubble can also be worked into the bottom spit to ensure adequate drainage. Organic matter is essential for neglected soils. It can be supplied in several ways. A neglected garden can always supply quite a lot of its own in the form of grass clippings, annual weeds and other waste vegetation. These can be incorporated fresh or stacked to rot down in a compost heap.

Horticultural peat is an ideal form of humus which can be dug in large quantities. It can be purchased reasonably cheaply in bulk. Moss peat is particularly suitable as it is extremely fibrous and has such a low degree of decomposition that it will last in the soil for several seasons.

Spent hops can sometimes be purchased from local breweries and are very useful for digging into the soil at about 1 barrowload to 6 square meters (yards). Where the gardener is lucky enough to be able to purchase some farmyard manure, this can be applied at the rate of a barrow-load to 8 to 10 square meters (yards).

There are many other products available from sundries that take the form of composted or concentrated preparations for digging into the soil. Most are very useful, but some are rather expensive to use on a large scale and it is important to read the application rate carefully before buying, so that the economics can be assessed. The lighter types of soil require much more organic matter than others. Humus or organic matter is essential, as it acts as a sponge and retains valuable moisture, as well as providing food for the plants.

The heavy soils can be lightened by the application of hydrated lime or gypsum. The former is used at the rate of approximately 230g (8oz) per square meter (yard). The latter is particularly good for neglected, heavy soils. It, too, is applied at the rate of 230g (8oz) per square meter (yard) and is worked into the surface immediately.

Ideally, all soil cultivation should be carried out during the winter except for the light soils. During the preparation of the soil, a dressing of bonemeal should be applied and worked in at the rate of 115g (4oz) per square meter (yard). This is a slow-acting fertilizer that supplies nitrogen and phosphate.

Establishing plants

The busiest time in the newly reclaimed garden is the spring, when new seeds and plants are established. It will be a problem, too, as many seedling weeds will appear. This is because many weed seeds will have fallen to the soil the previous year. Regular use of the hoe is one way of killing most of these, especially if the work can be carried out during dry weather.

The chemical paraquat will be useful at this time of the year for keeping seed beds or rows free from weeds. If it is applied prior to germination, weeds will be killed and the soil will be clear so that the young seedlings can grow without competition from the weeds.

Before the main sowings or plantings are carried out, the soil must be supplied with sufficient foods to ensure sturdy, healthy growth. Neglected soils will be short of basic fertilizers such as potash, nitrogen and phosphates. These can be supplied individually or in a compound form. Sulfate of ammonia at 30g (1 oz) per square meter (yard), sulfate of potash at 60g (2oz) per square meter (yard), and superphosphate of lime at 60g (2oz) per square meter (yard) will supply these essentials. A balanced or general fertilizer such as National Growmore at 450g (11b) per 10 square meters (yards) will supply all three essentials at one application.

There are several proprietary ‘all in’ feeds or dressings which can be used instead. All have been specially blended, many with extras such as trace elements. Maker’s directions should always be carefully followed.

It will be necessary to provide extra feeds at frequent intervals during the growing seasons. Again, individual fertilizers can be applied, or proprietary ones specially formulated for particular plants. If the weather is dry during the summer, it will be necessary to provide plenty of water by means of sprinklers so that the various plants can become established as quickly as possible to transform what was once a neglected garden into a place of beauty and charm.