A Gardening Carnival - July 30, 2008

Welcome to the July 30, 2008 edition of a gardening carnival.

flowers

AdmirableIndia.com presents Trip to Ooty: Day 2: Part 1: Ooty Lake - Boat House and Thread garden, Ooty posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

gardening

Jason Isbell presents Needs for a Butterfly Garden posted at Tired Garden.

Amy L. presents Four Secrets to Growing Indoor Miniature Roses posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “Every year, thousands of people purchase miniature roses, only to have them die in a few months.”

Ty Cee presents Pinoy Horticulture posted at Pinoy Horticulture, saying, “Pinoy Horticulutre provides information about the activities of horticulture societies and plant enthusiasts in the Philippines”

Laura Williams presents Around the Homestead Today… posted at Laura Williams’ Musings, saying, “Gardening and Canning. We grow and herb garden in addition to a grapes, cherry trees, blueberry bushes, and a traditional garden. We stil have 6 cranberry bushes, 7 plum trees, and 2 fig trees to plant this season.”

Louise Manning presents Woodland birds under threat posted at The Human Imprint.

valereee presents No dirt under your nails? No tomatoes for you! posted at Cincinnati Locavore, saying, “Don’t like to garden? Hire a gardener!”

Jdebosdari presents Dead and Dying Yew Trees and Hedges posted at Ashridge Trees, saying, “Yew (taxus) hedging sometimes causes trouble in the summer after it is planted. Here are a few reasons why and suggestions as to how to help it establish”

Alison presents Help! Tomato 911! posted at Green Me, saying, “Hello experienced tomato gardeners! I need your help pronto or I may have complete crop failure!”

Deanna Caswell presents How to Compost posted at Little House in the Suburbs.

herbs

Gwen Mangelson presents Calendula HERB OF THE YEAR 2008~ posted at Paper Expressions.

lawn care

Sarah presents Caring for Your Lawn in the Winter | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “Even though your grass doesn’t need much attention during the winter, it’s still important to follow some basic seasonal lawn care guidelines ”

Sarah presents Diagnosing and Managing Brown Spots on Your Lawn | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “If there are brown spots on your lawn, repairing them and preventing them from returning can be an exercise in frustration.”

organic gardening

Jamie McIntosh presents Control Carpenter Bees posted at Suite101: Organic Gardens blog, saying, “No one likes carpenter bees drilling into their decks and homes. However, these insects have an important role in your organic garden.”

Candice Brokenshire presents Harry Hopkins - Motivational Landscaper posted at The Red Barn Cooperative.

Teri presents My Work as an Environmental Biologist posted at Teri’s Organic Garden, saying, “My work as an environmental biologist working with 2 amazing grants - the Public Seed Initiative and the Organic Seed Partnership - both grants involve organic vegetable farming issues and ways to solve them.”

Fiona Lohrenz presents Going Organic…Why We Should! posted at Child Care Only.

vegetables

Chris presents 3 Steps to the Perfect Vegetable Garden (Part Two) posted at Smith Family Garden.

:: Suzanne :: presents works for me? tomato posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Dave Trenholm presents Growing Potatoes In Straw posted at Alberta Home Gardening.

valereee presents Garlic Mustard Dill Pickle Relish posted at Cincinnati Locavore, saying, “Those first early cukes are perfect for pickle relish!”

Condo Blues presents How to Grow Upside Down Tomato Plants posted at Condo Blues, saying, “How to plant an upsidedown tomato planter.”

Katrina Cain presents Did You Know That Raw Runner Beans Are Toxic? posted at Were You Wondering….

Miscellaneous

Matt DiChiara presents Alleviating Sick Building Syndrome with Plants in Your Apartment | MyNewPlace Blog posted at MyNewPlace Blog.

Tip Diva presents Top Ten Tips - Treating And Preventing Mosquito Bites posted at Tip Diva, saying, “Ahh, summer. The sun is warm, the water is cool, the flowers are blooming, and unfortunately, the bugs are biting. The worst offender of them all is the mosquito, carrier of pain, itching and possible diseases like West Nile. Here’s how to treat and further prevent bites”

AdmirableIndia.com presents Bangalore to Mysore on Bike: Day 1: Part 2: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Brindavan gardens and Krishnarajasagara or KRS dam posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

GrannyJ presents Deadly symmetry posted at Walking Prescott, saying, “Because I live in the dry Southwest on the side of a hill, most of my in-the-ground plants tend to be wildflowers. sometimes they are not the easiest to get growing!”

Sean presents JAPANESE GARDENS - KILDARE - IRELAND posted at MY SECRET IRELAND, saying, “One of the most beautiful places in Ireland for the Gardening community.”

GrrlScientist presents Introduced Parasite Suspected of Killing Wild Bumblebees in Canada posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “A mysterious decline in North American bumblebee populations is apparently the result of “spillover” of pathogen-infected commercial bumblebees, Bombus species, from agricultural greenhouses where tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are commonly grown in huge quantities. Includes images and data.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a gardening carnival using our carnival submission form. The next edition will be posted on August 27, 2008.

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Welcome to the June 25, 2008 edition of a gardening carnival.

Tiffany Washko presents Freedom Gardens - Grow Your Own Food posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Dora Renee Wilkerson presents Y-2K Hippie: 06/19/08 posted at Knitting, horses, and my family., saying, “Just posted about some of the things I made with my parents when they came to visit me. We picked wild blackberries and made a berry berry jam, made cheese, and shampoo with soapwort.”

gardening

Matthew Sauer presents Garden Update: Bio-diversity? posted at Play the Dad? Be the Dad!, saying, “It is my first year with a vegetable garden of my own , working on keeping track of what I learn as I go through the process. Growing up on the inside and the outside.”

Sam presents The Secret Lives of Bees. Honey, Health and Harvests ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, “The Secret Lives of Bees. About one-third of the human food supply depends on bee pollination. We also use honey and bee pollen as natural food products to promote wellness. Bees are beneficial for everyone. Bees, we can’t do without them.”

Tip Diva presents Top Ten Tips - Cheap Gardening posted at Tip Diva, saying, “Gardening is a fun, relaxing hobby for many, and the end result yields plenty of food, flowers and foliage. But it does not have to be expensive. Here are ways to save while gardening”

Nancy Canyon presents The Beginnings of My Community Garden posted at The Community Gardener, saying, “I have a community garden in Fairhaven and I’m writing about gardening by myself, now that I’m a single woman again. And a grandmother. The blog is humerous, and also I’ve been gardening all my life, so it’s full of info too.”

Adam Berry presents How to Extend The Life of Garden Tools posted at The Compost Heap, saying, “some tips on how to extend the lifespan of your garden tools”

Sarah presents Ridding Your Lawn of Gophers, Moles and Other Rodents | Spring Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “If you’ve ever turned your ankle in a gopher hole, you know that these animal pests can be hazardous as well as make your lawn look unsightly.”

Amy L. presents Creating a Butterfly Garden posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “A great way to bring butterflies closer to your home is with the construction of a garden that includes plants known to attract butterflies.”

James presents Gardening For A Sustainable Planet posted at Ways To Simplify.

Jeff Tincher presents Get Out And Do Some Gardening, It’s Good For The Body and Soul | West Glenmoore, PA - Beautiful. Green. Home. posted at West Glenmoore, PA - Beautiful. Green. Home., saying, “The benefits of gardening and how it works to exercise your body.”

herbs

nimuae905@yahoo.com presents Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors posted at The Herb Gardener, saying, “Keeping herbs indoors is easier if you understand the two of the most important aspects of living in a pot - light and water.”

kids gardening

Mother Hen presents Squash Eatin’ Squid posted at Mother Hen.

landscape

Elizabeth Harrin presents SmartDraw 2008: planning the garden posted at A Girl’s Guide to Managing Projects, saying, “This is a review of a piece of software that will give you the opportunity to plan out your garden before you take the plunge: great for landscapers.”

lawn care

Raimondo Solari presents Inexpensive, Eco-Friendly Green Lawn Care posted at Garden Gab, saying, “With the availability of water becoming a scarce resource and lawns being one of the top culprits of sucking up valuable water, it’s time to try and keep an “eco-friendly” lawn that will still look good and yet not thirst so much.”

organic gardening

Melanie Rimmer presents Jungle Clearance - Before and After posted at Bean-Sprouts, saying, “How to clear a large weedy area without weedkiller and without backbreaking digging.”

patio furniture

Amy L. presents Which Mattress Is Best For You? posted at Housekeeping Tips, saying, “Every year, thousands of people purchase mattresses, only to find that their new mattresses are as uncomfortable as the old ones.”

vegetables

:: Suzanne :: presents garden update posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Tiffany Ludwig presents Not a Crock-Pot Recipe posted at Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle, saying, “A great recipe for lasagna using what’s in your garden.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a gardening carnival using our carnival submission form. The next edition will be posted on July 30, 2008

In this week’s podcast, we are focusing on Tips for a Successful Herb Garden.

Herbs are a garden world of excitement and intense sensory delights. They are among Mother Nature’s oldest garden gifts. These easy-to-grow plants have been cultivated for centuries by gardeners who have found in them medical necessities, culinary enjoyment, unique landscape subjects and fragrant houseplants.

Be sure to download the Herb Guide that I have provided for your use. This guide is filled with lots of information that you will find useful. I have included information on annual herbs, perennial herbs, culinary herbs, herbs that can be used for medicinal purposes, fragrant herbs, herbs for dried arrangements and many other things.

If you have a question for us here at Her Gardening Blog, please leave a comment below the podcast. We will be happy to answer your questions and build an entire weekly podcast around them. Enjoy!

tips-for-a-successful-herb-garden.mp3

general-herb-guide.pdf

While chives are a good addition to a fabulous recipe, most people don’t care for them in their lawn. Getting rid of pesky chives or wild onions in your lawn can be difficult and frustrating, but there are a few things you can do. If you don’t mind having the purple flowers in your lawn that the chives or wild onions provide, or you like the onion smell they emit each time you mow your lawn, then you can just ignore them and do nothing. But if you want to get rid of them, here are a few options.

Of course the simplest method is to dig them up every time you see them in your lawn. This is effective and organic, but it is time consuming and they can still spread if you are not careful.

Another method is to use a product such as Hi-Yield Kill-Zall or Round Up. These products contain a chemical called glyphosate. This chemical is effective because it works on killing all plant tissue. It is a non-selective weed killer. This means that it will kill not only the weeds in your lawn, but the grass too. Depending on the severity of the chive problem you have, this can make your lawn not appear very pretty until enough time has passed and you can re-seed your lawn. This is usually within 14 days from when you sprayed the chemical to begin with. Sometimes it will be even longer, because you will need to do more than one application of the chemical for your chive problem to disappear. So if you don’t mind waiting awhile to re-seed your lawn and then waiting for it to re-grow, then this may be the option you will choose.

Another option that is new to the market is to use a product called Weed-Free Zone by Fertilome. This product is a selective weed killer for lawns. It will kill the unwanted weeds in your lawn without damaging or killing your grass. The label includes wild onions/garlic which belongs to the same family as the wild chive. By following the directions on the label, and targeting and applying to the patches of the wild chive you should have success in eradicating this nuisance plant from your lawn. I actually like to use this product for all of my weed problems in my lawn. It is very effective on mallow, clover and dandelions. I like how it kills the weeds and leaves the healthy grass intact.

Getting rid of wild chives or wild onions in your lawn can be a nightmare. However, with diligence and persistence, you can knock them out and have that healthy lawn you crave for the summer. Which method will you choose to eradicate the chives and wild onions from your lawn?

Photo by Matthew Bridges

With the price of everything going up this year, you may want to plan on cutting some costs in the kitchen and dry your fresh herbs from your herb garden. Although it may seem a little early to be discussing this, it is never too early to plan. You may want to increase the size of your herb garden to be sure that you will have enough to use throughout the year, both fresh and dried.

So, how do you dry the herbs you have grown in your herb garden? The good news is that it really isn’t too difficult. Here is a video to help you get the most out of your herb garden this year.

Planning ahead is always essential in gardening. With a solid plan, you will find you will have the greatest results and yields. Though it might seem you are planting an abundance to harvest, if you find you have more than you need for your needs both in fresh and dried, there are still things you can do with the excess.

• You can sell any extra herbs.

• You can share any extra herbs with your neighbors and friends.

• You can always donate any extra herbs to your local food bank or soup kitchen. They will thank you for your thoughtful gift.

Which herbs are you planning on growing this year? Will you use them fresh or dried? Or will you plan for both? Please leave a comment and let me know!

If you have planted an herb garden, you know that there is nothing better than cooking with your fresh herbs. But do you know which herbs go with which foods for the best results? Here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of your herb garden.

• Asparagus- lemon balm, oregano, savory, lemon verbena, parsley, tarragon, lovage.

• Beans- basil, marjoram, oregano, savory, spearmint, thyme, bay, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, mint, rosemary, tarragon, lovage.

• Beets- basil, savory, thyme, bay, caraway, dill, sage, tarragon.

• Broccoli- basil, rosemary, lovage.

• Cabbage- marjoram, mint, savory, caraway, dill, fennel, oregano, lovage, borage.

• Carrots- lovage, applemint, basil, marjoram, mint, orangemint, oregano, thyme, tarragon, anise, bay, caraway.

• Cauliflower- marjoram, savory, rosemary, lovage, dill.

• Eggplant- basil, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, sage, thyme, chervil, chives, fennel, garlic.

• Peas- applemint, basil, orangemint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, tarragon, thyme, parsley, lovage, fennel, dill.

• Potatoes- basil, marjoram, mint, rosemary, savory, spearmint, thyme, bay, caraway, fennel, garlic, parsley.

• Spinach- lovage, sorrel, basil, mint, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, sage, marjoram, chervil, borage.

• Tomatoes- basil, marjoram, oregano, sage, thyme, fennel, dill, chervil.

• Beef- basil, lemon thyme, marjoram, mint, rosemary, savory, thyme, anise, borage, dill, fennel, garlic, lovage, parsley, tarragon.

• Chicken- lemon balm, basil, lemon thyme, rosemary, spearmint, thyme, tarragon, savory, sage, oregano, lovage, marjoram, garlic, fennel, coriander, chives, chervil.

• Eggs- lemon balm, basil, marjoram, sage, savory, thyme, tarragon, fennel, dill, bay, parsley, chervil, chives.

• Fish-lemon balm, lemon verbena, basil, clary, hyssop, lemon thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, bay, caraway, chervil, chives, dill, fennel, garlic, tarragon.

• Goose- clary, marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, parsley, chervil, garlic.

• Lamb- lemon balm, basil, lavender, marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, chervil, dill, fennel, garlic.

• Pork- lemon balm, basil, clary, marjoram, pennyroyal, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, chives, fennel, anise.

• Rabbit- basil, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, thyme.

• Turkey- basil, lavender, lemon thyme, sage, thyme, tarragon, savory, oregano, lovage, garlic, fennel, bay, chervil, chives.

Be sure to use your herbs sparingly, and do not use all of the herbs listed at once. Be creative and enjoy your culinary creations. You are sure to make some divine dishes in the kitchen that are pleasing to even the most discerning palette. What are some of your favorite herb combinations that you have used in your favorite dishes?

Photo by D. McAbee

During this week’s podcast, we are focusing on last minute gift ideas for mom this Mother’s Day. There are several things that you can do to make this the best Mother’s Day ever and show mom how much you love and appreciate her.

Some of our ideas will take a little work on your part and some of them are quick and easy. Whichever route you choose to take, you can be sure that mom will smile fondly and appreciate your thoughtfulness for her and her garden.

If you have kids, don’t forget to download the free watering can picture below and have them create a simple project for mom. With a little creative coloring and a seed packet of mom’s favorite flowers, they will have an inexpensive gift for mom that will keep giving all season long.

If you have a question for us here at Her Gardening Blog, please leave a comment below the podcast. We will be happy to answer your questions and build an entire weekly podcast around them. Enjoy!

last-minute-gift-ideas-for-mom.mp3

wateringcan-template.pdf

There are many different herbs which can be grown indoor quite successfully. All you will need to do is provide them with a bright and sunny spot, a great container, some soil and a little love.

An indoor herb garden will require the same kind of care as a house plant. However, they will also provide you with indoor plants that offer pleasant aromas and can be used to flavor many of your favorite recipes in the kitchen.

You should start your indoor herb garden with these five herbs: oregano, rosemary, mint, thyme and chives. These are the herbs that most cooks use most regularly and these herbs will do well in an indoor garden. However, herbs such as basil do not do well in an indoor garden.

Be sure to place your herb garden in a windowsill that receives lots of sunlight. This will help your herb garden to survive. The ideal windowsill would be one that faces the south or southeast and gets at least five hours of sunlight per day. Your garden should also be placed away from any drafts.

1. Purchase some small herb plants from your local garden center and greenhouse.

2. Obtain a container or pot that is 6 to 12 inches deep. You can use a 6” pot for each individual plant or use a long or wide container and plant several herbs in it.

3. Choose a light potting mix that will offer good drainage. You can find a good quality potting mix at your local garden center.

4. Place a 2 to 3 inch layer of potting mix in the bottom of your container or pot.

5. Position your herb plants in the pot or container.

6. Fill the rest of your container or pot with the potting mix, while gently pushing it around the herb plants. You will want to leave around an inch of space at the top of the container or pot to allow for watering.

7. Be sure that you water your herb garden sparingly. Herb plants do not like to sit in soil that is wet.

8. Feed your herb garden once per month with a fertilizer that is labeled to be safe for edible plants.

9. Give your herb plants some time to acclimate to their new home. You will be able to start using your herbs once you are able to see new growth.

Be sure that you use pots and containers that have drainage holes. This will ensure that the roots of your herbs do not rot. You can protect your windowsill from water by placing the container or pot in plastic saucers that are a little wider than the container or pots.

It is important to give your herb garden the proper amount of water. When your garden receives the right amount, it will thrive and flourish. However, when you overwater, it can be very harmful to your herb garden. By keeping an eye on the moisture level of the soil, you will have a good idea of when your herb garden needs water. You will want to water the garden just enough to keep the soil moist. If you give it too much water, you will be depriving the herb plants of oxygen. If the leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow, it is a sure sign that they are getting too much water.

You should also be careful to not trim too much of each herb in your indoor herb garden. You will want to be sure to never trim more than 1/3 of the foliage of the herb plants.

Choosing to grow an indoor herb garden can be very rewarding. You will have your very own supply of fresh herbs to use in your favorite recipes. How will you use your herb garden while in the kitchen?

Photo provided by: Malinda Welte