Midwest Gardening: Spring Starter Chores

We had a wonderful Spring weekend here in the Midwest.

It was typical -- a little sun, some gentle rain, and by the end of the weekend, 50 mph winds with tornadoes and power outages.

Ahh, the Midwest! Isn't it grand?

This was the weekend when my garden clean-up chores began. It was muddy and wonderful to get out with my spade to start moving perennials. This was the weekend when garden plans started to become garden reality. But, there is a lot to do! It was hard not to feel daunted by the sheer volume of work.

After a long Winter, the sun and warm temperatures made the work worth it. (Maybe I'm part plant.)

My spring clean-up chores were few, but significant. I have decided to devote our entire side garden to vegetables this year. I will be setting aside some space on the south slope of our yard for vegetables as well. To make the most of both planting zones, I will build raised beds this week.

But first, I had to get started moving perennials. I started digging up Brown-eyed Susans and peppermint from the herb garden. I moved them back to the sunny edge of our wildflower garden. All it will take is a few plugs of each to make a beautiful border back there.



When moving vigorous perennials, try to cut them from their bed with a large spade. Lift the entire plant with at least 5 inches of accompanying soil. Keeping the roots intact will reduce stress on the plant and increase the chances of survival in its new location. Dig a deeper hole than you need, and backfill it loosely with soil. I usually put water into the hole before inserting the plug of rooted perennials into the moist soil. Try to keep the level of soil even with the earth around it and press firmly to ensure good contact between the roots and the soil. Water again thoroughly.

Another chore I started to tackle this weekend was moving the compost pile. We use a 2-bay compost system, where we fill one bay each year. In the Spring, I move material that is not completely broken down from the full bay to the empty bay. It is a long process. But my philosophy of Spring chores is Slow and Steady Wins the Race. If the Earth can take it's time getting ready for growing, so can I.

I will work on the compost over the course of the next month. I combine moving it over with other clean-up jobs, so that I am layering older material with newer. We mulch our beds with leaves in the Fall. When the time comes to remove that mulch (not yet) each bed will provide a nicely broken-down layer for the new compost bay. If you're moving the compost at your house, be sure to make the outside edge of each layer a little thicker than the middle. A compost pile that is lower in the center than the outside funnels rain into the pile and breaks down faster. If you build your pile like a haystack, the rain will sheet off and the center of the pile will remain dry.

With steady work over the next few weeks, the compost will be completely moved and the lowest layer of soil, rich in nutrients, will be ready to work into my vegetable garden. There is no better fertilizer than fresh compost. It is my garden's "secret ingredient".

The final "chore" of the weekend was to complete my seed purchase with Johnny's Selected Seeds. I cannot say how clearly superior I find the seeds from Johnny's as compared to hardware store packeted seed. Their varieties are specifically designed for disease-resistance and many are tailored for Northern growers. They also have a wide variety of organic seed. They have a place on their website for gardeners to make a 'garden wish-list'. I love that I can shop for seed, choose a few varieties, and save them until I'm ready to buy. This weekend, I finalized my list. As soon as my seeds arrive, I'll post directions for home seed-starting.

As expected, our lovely Midwest Spring weekend is transforming into a chilly week. Rain today and tomorrow will help those perennials I moved to take root. But our trusty weather channel tells me that night-time lows will be well below freezing after Wednesday, so the layer of protective mulch I have on the flower beds must stay in place for now -- even if the daffodils and day-lilies are poking through the leaves to find the sunlight.

I'd love to hear about your gardens. Are you going to try to plant more vegetables this year? What chores are your biggest challenges of the Spring?


- Midwest Mom

Garden Wake-up Call

Today is the fourth day in a row with highs above freezing. The weather report claims we may get to 60 degrees before nightfall.

Hmmmm.... feels like Spring, doesn't it?

Well, my plants will sure think so.

The snow is all but gone, and there is mud everywhere. We took full advantage yesterday evening, wearing our boots for a puddle-splashing walk around town.

It is February Thaw, when the earth telegraphs a message to every plant in my garden that it's time to wake up! ... but the Winter is far from over.

The snowdrops and crocuses will foolishly start poking their heads out of the ground. If the thaw lasts more than a week, they may be joined by the tips of my tulip bulbs. Grape Hyacinth mounds from last year are already up and greening, even though we won't see blooms on them for another two or three months.

As a gardener, I have to force myself NOT to get out my rake and peek at my carefully tucked-in beds of bulbs. It is so tempting to get outside and get muddy cleaning up all the winter debris from the last few months.

But I know better. Regardless of the gentle blush of green the grass holds, the shrubs are still sleeping. The robins haven't arrived. I know it's best to wait and keep all the beds well-mulched.

It is so hard to be patient.

I have been taking daily tours of the garden. The only signs of life come from the indestructibles. The ground-covers -- creeping charlie and goldilocks. Some of my strawberries are peeking out, too. But my large perennials, my sage and azalea and lavender and clematis are all bare. They are survivors, waiting until the warmth feels real and lasting.

All that's left for an impatient gardener to do is to peek at seed catalogs instead of the garden. I use a few companies that cater to areas with cold-winter climates. My favorite is Johnny's Selected Seeds in Maine.

When I think about what I want to plant, it helps to make a diagram of my garden space and to think about what worked or didn't work last year. Since times are tougher these days, I think I will devote more garden space to vegetables and less to ornamental plants. So I'll make a list of what I want or need to move and diagram how much space I have in sunny, part-sunny, and shady locations.

As I look at seeds, I will think about what will mature early, mid-season, and late. I'll do my best to arrange my plantings one after the other, to make the most of my garden space and provide the most produce for my family. I'll look at the calendar and plan our when to move the compost pile and when to till the garden. This year, we may make a few raised beds. I'll set a date to build them well before planting time.

To me, planning the garden is the best way to spend these few warm days in February. As the children play in the muddy sunshine, I can dream.

In a week or two, it will be cold again, and our bodies may forget this warmth ever came. But I'll be watching the mailbox more than the weather-channel. And when my seeds arrive, we'll have our own miniature garden growing under the lights downstairs.

Call me crazy, but I can't wait.


- Midwest Mom

Going Green: Diary of a Lazy Gardener

I will admit it -- this time of year, I am an incredibly lazy gardener.

The gardening season begins so auspiciously for me. As soon as the sun is capable of warming the skin -- even for five minutes in February -- I get the itch to garden. It is as though my mind has a photosynthetic switch. I start going through seed catalogs and digging through last year's hastily stacked seedling trays. I start 8,000 different types of seeds, mostly flowers, but now also vegetables. I get them going under full-spectrum artificial light in the basement, misting them with water 2-3 times a day. My seedlings are like nested eggs waiting to hatch. When they do, I spend the month of April planning exactly how I can possible cram all 7,999 (one didn't germinate; I wonder why?) into my garden.

May is spent hardening seedlings, preparing them for the harsh reality known as the outside world. I introduce them to a lovely thing called sunshine. They usually love it. Around Mother's Day, I am ready to plant. The rest of the month is spent feeding and tending and watering to ease the transition from the crib to the nursery.

June is every gardener's golden month. The first fruits of the garden are harvested with enthusiasm and eaten at the very first opportunity. Flowers abound and the myriad shades of green that greet the eye wherever it may rest are in themselves fulfilling. The weeding is done religiously. There is not a plant out of place.

July is equally abundant, but the heat of the Illinois summer begins to nudge us indoors. The helping hands that had been so willing at planting time would rather be splashing in the pool or waving wildly as my children run through the sprinkler.

In August and September, I finally succumb to the wonder that is summer. My relentless pursuit of weeds, my insistence that watering follow a schedule, my careful measuring of the week's growth are forgotten in favor of the rigors of fun. To weed in August is pure asceticism.

And now September is drawing to a close, and after two months of walking from the house to the car with blinders on -- except to notice the pleasant surprises gardening has to offer, like our many 'volunteer' butterfly bushes or the delicious yellow cherry tomato plant that is flourishing, but that I most certainly did not plant -- I must force myself to open my eyes to the flood of fall garden chores that certainly face me.

This week promises to be a last breath of summer, and I am on the horns of a dilemma. Do I step backward and pretend September never happened? Or do I look at the jumbled chaos that is my late summer garden and dig in to the long work ahead?

I must admit, I am undecided. The idle person inside me could again claw her way to the surface.

Then again, she just might be too lazy to claw. Maybe she'll just mosey.

- Midwest Mom

Going Green, Part 3 - The Lawn

Two years ago, my husband and I completely re-landscaped the front of our house. It was back-breaking work. And, yes, plenty of our neighbors slowed down as they drove by to say, "Hey! what are you doing?!?" When you're up to your elbows in dirt for the fourth afternoon in a row, you get tired of answering that question.

But, being the frugal family we are, we weren't about to spend ten times the money to have a group of 4 or 5 shirtless 19 year olds doing the work for us... (Darn! I think I missed out on something there!)

Well, the point is, we did it ourselves. Yet another way to save dough. And two years later, we have a beautiful garden and lawn. I said two years... T-W-O. We learned some lessons from the work we did. I thought it would be useful to share them. (Did I mention it took 2 years?)

Out with the Old, in with the New ... Lawn

When we got started on our landscape project, we decided it would be best to get rid of everything first. My husband grabbed his 1996 Ford Ranger (basically a wheelbarrow of a pickup truck) and a chain. After about 15 minutes, we realized we'd have to call in his dad's GMC. 15 minutes after that, six evergreen bushes were out and hauled away. A great start. I distinctly remember saying, "No problem! That was quick!" Ha.

Our (my husband's) next task was to break up the old sidewalk and remove it. Yeah. A little more difficult.

I got started removing the lawn. With a spade and a wheelbarrow. Not wanting to waste, I made sure everything was composted. Did I mention I was pregnant at the time? Yeah. No more "that was quick."

So, two and a half weeks later (or two containers of Icy Hot, however you mark time) the lawn was out. We had to re-grade so that water would drain away from the house. More dirt. More back-breaking labor. No, not LABORlabor.... just hard work.

Essentially, you can tell we did nothing the easy way. What I have found since then is that there are actual tools available that would help with this whole process! So, if YOU are planning a tear-out of your lawn and plant a new one, here's what you need to do:

1.) Go to your local tool-rental place and ask for a sod-cutter. It is a machine that will actually cut and roll up your weedy lawn. What took us a couple of weeks will take you a little cash and a couple of hours. Then roto-till. Get the ground nice and broken up.

2.)Add whatever you need to the dirt to make it light and the right pH. You can use peat moss, dry manure, compost, and even some sand if your soil is mostly clay. Till it again.

3.) Get a roller to press the soil nice and even, so you don't have too many dips and bumps. It works best either when the soil is tilled nicely OR after the grass has grown and you have had a really soaking rain. Later, when you're mowing, you will appreciate that you took the time for this step.

4.) Spread a seed-starter fertilizer and the best quality seed you can find. Call your local extension office -- they will know what grows best in your area. Keep it lightly watered (I think evening watering is best) until it sprouts. After that, a soaking watering twice a week will be enough. Try not to walk on it and do not mow it until it is 3 inches tall.

5.) You may be concerned about weeds. I can tell you that your new lawn will have weeds the first season. Once you cultivate the ground, you'll expose weed seed and it will sprout. You might be tempted to seed and then throw straw all over. If you do, annual ryegrass (otherwise known as crabgrass) will grow all over your yard. It is just as easy to use shredded newspaper (or nothing) so you don't have all the weeds instantly in there. Whatever you do, and however many weeds are in there, do not use weed killer until you've been able to grow and mow the new grass 4 times (about a month of mowing). Then it will be safe to use a weed & feed type of fertilizer.

Good luck. I think, start to finish, this job will probably take 4-6 weeks.

Did I mention ours took two years?

Midwest Mom

Going Green, Part 2

"Going Green" is a chronicle of my adventures in gardening...

So far, this Spring has been awfully wet. We live in corn country, and farmers are having to re-plant their crops because of all the rain.

Their loss is my gain. My lettuce and spinach continue to do great. The rain is holding the temperature down enough to prevent them from bolting. 'Bolting' is when leafy plants lose their compact shape and start to form a flower spike to set seed. When lettuce and spinach bolt, their leaves can get tougher. Mine are still tender and delicious.

I am worrying a bit about mildew issues and will have to investigate safe fungicides to keep the vines on the melons from withering. If you have suggestions, please write them in the comment section. I'll let you know what I find out in my next "Going Green" column.

We're just starting (even though it is already June!) to feel the heat here in Illinos. When it's not stormy, it's starting to feel steamy. My tomatoes, peppers and green beans will love the heat. This is the time when they will really start shooting up. I can't wait. Maybe that will help the mold issue to resolve? I don't know.

In the flower garden, I can report that I have begun to see HONEYBEES! This year is the second year for our wildflowers out back. (And for those of you who think we must have a huge amount of land, we don't!) Last year, the city brought in earth-movers and replaced sewer line along a defunct alley behind our property. Most of the neighbors re-seeded with grass. We are trying a wildflower garden instead, and loving it! We have lillies of the valley, a redbud, and tiger lillies from before. But we seeded with a Midwest Wildflower mix from American Meadows. [http://www.americanmeadows.com] Now, we have a beautiful border of wallflower, dianthus, bluebells, and dame's rocket. There is plenty of cosmos and sunflowers on the way, along with a few plants I haven't identified yet. It promises to be a colorful summer!

I recently read that the crisis in honeybee populations [called CCD, or Colony Collapse Disorder] is partially because high levels of pollution prevent the bees from "smelling" the fragrance of flowers to pollinate. One sniff of a garden full of wallflower and dame's rocket will let you know that will not be a problem out at our place! We also buck a trend by letting clover grow in our lawn. It is so soft on the feet, and the flowers really help the bees. Healthy bees mean better pollinated vegetables in the new veggie garden!

It's all connected. Here's to going green!

Midwest Mom

Going Green, part 1

If you live on the planet Earth these days, you are realizing that the prices of EVERYTHING are going up. I cannot believe how expensive even basic things like milk and bread are becoming -- not to mention gasoline!

So, I'm starting some new things at home to try to make our budget stretch a little farther. (And go a little "greener" in the process...)

The first thing I'm trying is a little old-fashioned -- a vegetable garden.

In the past (think WWII), having a garden at home was an important way to supplement what was available at the grocery store. Oh, and by the way, the food you get is fresher, healthier and about a twentieth of the cost.

Consider this: Tomato plants cost $1.29 for four plants. Yes, you have to actually wait and grow the tomatoes, but one plant has the potential to yield 25-100 tomatoes (depending on the variety). Multiply that by 4 and you get up to 400 juicy red beauties for a buck twenty-nine. Not bad.

So far, I've planted tomatoes, peppers. peas, green beans, watermelon, canteloupe, pumpkins, and two super-easy growers -- spinach and lettuce. We are already enjoying the freshest salads ever, with no sign of things slowing down. The spinach seeds perform best when you get them in the ground in early spring. So, if you want to grow it now, you'll have to start the seeds in a cool basement and then transplant outdoors. But this is prime time for lettuce. I've sown seeds a two-week intervals for a nice long harvest. As the seeds have grown and time comes to thin them out, we make the "baby lettuce" into salads so fresh, I don't have to talk my kids into eating them!

In terms of dollars and cents, think about how much you spend on lettuce in a bag. For the price of one bag of lettuce, you can grow an entire garden of the green stuff. And keep the other green stuff in your wallet.

If you're worried that you don't have time, or you'll kill the plants, I have a few hints for you.

1. For seeds: Loosen the soil before you plant, and pay close attention to the planting instructions on the package. Water lightly each day until your seeds sprout. After that, water only a few times a week, but for a longer time. You need the moisture to get all the way down to the roots of your plants. As the weather gets warmer, be careful of scorching. You can put a light shade on tender plants, like lettuce, by suspending a cloth cover (like a piece of bed sheet) 6-10 inches above the plants. Plants like peas, beans, melons, and tomatoes will love the heat and sun. Just make sure their roots have enough water.

2. If you're planting plants from your garden center, dig a hole twice the depth and width of the pot to give your plants roots space to spread out. Fill the hole with water (and I use a little potting mix with plant food to fill the hole in, too.) Fill in loosely with the plant and soil to fill the hole, keeping the plant at the same level it was in its pot -- not too deep or shallow. Water again. If the soil settles, add some more. For the first two weeks, water daily. After that, twice a week should be good.

I and my husband and kids are already getting a lot of enjoyment from our garden. Working in it gets us outdoors in the evenings and provides some nice quiet time, and of course the freshest food you can find. (Cheap!)

Good luck in the garden!

Midwest Mom