If ever a growing season has had its ups and downs, the Summer of ’09 has got to take the prize. Cold, wet, rainy whether dominated May and June and we haven’t had a 90 degree day in July YET! This is definitely not the growing season that will go down in history as a great one by any means.  This past weekend we experienced a storm packing 80 mph winds, baseball sized hail and heavy gushes of rain falling sideways. Our roof will need to be replaced as well as one whole side of the house’s vinyl siding and 3 windows.

As bad as the damage was to the house, my poor tomato and pepper plants really took a beating. Now all I can do is look at these poor plants struggling to make it through what’s left of our season. The wonderful crop of apples on our two trees have been left on the grass below as food for the deer. Ears of corn in the local fields have been stripped from their host stalks and lay sideways indicating the path of the storm.

As bad as all this sounds, the resilience of our plants is still quite evident and I know that the hosta, which look more like Queen Anne’s Lace at the moment, will come back stronger than ever next spring.   Nature has an ingenious way of healing itself by adapting to the conditions and returning even stronger than its original sprouts. It’s what keeps me coming back morning after morning just to see what has happened while I slept. Hopefully, these little surprises of nature will continue to thrive despite our adverse whether conditions.

Here’s hoping that wherever your garden is growing – you have as much to learn as I have this season.

Happy Gardening !!

It has been a long time since I’ve been able to get into my garden.  Cold and wet weather has kept the growing season to a minimum. This is anything but a typical summer growing season here in Southwestern Wisconsin. The tomatoes are doing well despite the cooler nights and an inordinately large amount of moisture we have had. My peppers are still in the containers from the nursery and waiting to be put into the ground. Bags of mulch are piled up outside the garden fence waiting to be put around the tomatoes and onions. My poor strawberry plants are in shock and haven’t produced any fruit for 3 weeks.

Despite all the adverse conditions, my perennial garden is doing well. The lilies continue to blossom and the yucca blooms have stayed on for over 2 weeks until last night’s pouring rain stripped the stalk. The one thing that we have been able to count on is that the grass still needs mowing every week like clockwork. My guess is that about the time I get back to the school year, my tomatoes will be heavy on the vine and I’ll be up ’til the wee hours of the morning canning for the winter.

It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a summer growing season such as this, but I look at it as a challenge.

I’m guessing it’s a sign telling me it’s WAY past time to do some long overdue housecleaning.

Stay tuned !!

Well, here it is the first part of July and things have been VERY busy but not in the garden. Since it took me so long to get into the garden I threw out the idea of using raised beds and have set that idea on the shelf for the 2010 gardening season.  Our weather has been very rainy and cold and not conducive to growing tomatoes, peppers, beans, onions or many root crops. Now that July is here, I am hoping to have more warm and humid days – the kind that really make plants grow here in Southwestern Wisconsin.

I purchased Better Boy tomatoes and Green Globe peppers and then managed to find seeds for beans at a local store. The onion sets I found looked questionable, but I think they’re going to make it. I have had 3 pickings of everbearing strawberries and my one year old rhubarb plant gave up enough for one rhubarb pie. I know I should have waited, but it looked so good. Year three will certainly show promise on those and some others I plan to plant later this year.

The lilies I inherited from my parents are going strong – so strong as a matter of fact that it is time to thin them out.  I will leave that task until after the blooms are all spent. We will be having some work done to our home so I don’t want to risk having the contractors crush those plantings before they have a chance to establish themselves. Our 5 year old Yucca plant is in full bloom as I write this and is centered right in the middle of my perennial garden. It is surrounded by hostas, Italian chives, day lilies in several shades of yellow, orange and spotted orange. It is in desperate need of thinning and so that will be my next project to tackle.

It’s now two weeks out from the end of the school year. My mind drifts from the curriculum I’m supposed to be teaching to a visual plan of my vegetable garden that continues to swirl around in my head. I have planted vegetables in the same garden plot for almost ten years now and have always rotated the location of each crop.  This year I’ve decided to try raised beds for my bush green beans and row crops. It will take some doing to get things just right, but I plan to do it a little at a time. Unfortunately my garden plot is not level and the fencing I have around the garden was not installed level either. This means that on occasion I come through the gate of the garden and see small furry critters scampering from under the leaves of rhubarb and under a gap where the fence doesn’t quite meet the ground. Irregardless, I was always taught to plant more than I could use.

I’ve also been reading up on garden structures to put in strategic sectors of the garden. I’d like to do more with companion planting and so I’ll be adding more flowers into the garden as the season progresses.    In the center of this vegetable garden I have thyme, mint, sage and oregano. Behind it is an already established bed of strawberries which do very well. Those two sections will remain the same, but just be trimmed back a bit. Last Spring I planted rhubarb and am waiting to harvest the first young stalks for cobbler and later for strawberry/rhubarb jams and pies.

Fortunately for me, my husband loves fresh vegetables and fruits, so whatever comes from the garden never goes to waste. My children also have the garden “genes” and this is a wonderful thing to see – especially when I know my grand daughters are also being taught early lessons in gardening. It will be another week or so before I can actually “play in the dirt”. I’ve planned to take pictures as I go and share them on the website.

This will be a 4-month process, but I think it will be good to document the process for future gardens. I’m looking forward to it.

Summer Gardens aren’t just for growing  vegetables, flowers, vines and shrubs. They also provide habitats for butterflies. These delightful creatures have a rather short lifespan and are attracted to vibrant colors and plants which provide nectar. Nectar is the primary food of butterflies and so it is best to do your research if your main objective is provide a butterfly garden in your yard.

Plants such as asclepias (also know as butterfly weed), salvia, butterfly bush, columbine, lobelia, monarda and many others will attract butterflies to your garden year after year. Scatter these flowers around the different gardens near your home’s windows and you and your family will enjoy hours and hours of entertainment when watching these delicate creatures. Be careful, however, not to use pesticides on this garden.  You want to attract butterflies to your garden – not poison them.

In addition to planting colorful plants containing nectar, you may also try putting out ripe fruit in areas of your garden. Butterflies are also attracted to the sun and will be much more apt to visit  those areas of your garden and yard that are warm and bright  than anything shady.

The last thing you should remember about butterflies is that they will need water somewhere close to the site where the butterfly garden will be placed. Many gardens now have water features in them.  Those which have a continuous flow are better in the long run as they do not attract mosquitos.

These flowers need not just be planted for the enjoyment of the butterflies, but also to adorn our tables. They bring a little of the outdoors into our homes with their fresh color and fragrance and are especially delightful when the weather outside is dreary and wet.

Planting a butterfly garden takes time and planning, but the rewards are by far the best by-product of the entire process.

Once you’ve decided to plant a garden, the next thing you need to do is plan. Where is the best place for the garden? How much sunlight will I need for the plants I intend to grow? What kind of ph level do I currently have in the soil? Is there enough drainage to make sure I don’t drown my plants? These and many more questions will need to be answered before you can figure the exact placement of your garden. You may find that you will want to consider having more than one garden area – perhaps one for sun-loving plants and another for those that prefer shade.
Try using a calendar as a guide for keeping track of the steps involved in the planting of your garden. Check the back of each seed packet to find out the germination time needed for each individual planting. Plot this out on your calendar so that you know exactly when you should plan to plant. It might also be useful to consult the Almanac to check for the latest frost dates in your area. Planting potatoes on Good Friday is the norm in our area of Southwestern Wisconsin. Check your zone to find out the recommended dates for the different plantings you wish to include. Vegetables such as snow peas, broccoli, and lettuce can all be started early and do well in the cooler days of spring. Tomatoes and corn, however, like the hot, humid days of summer around here and can seldom be planted in the ground until after our last expected frost date of May 15th. In some cases you may be able to get 2 crops in a growing season by planting early and then planting later in the summer. Make sure you use the calendar to track planting, harvesting and re-planting dates. These can be used for future reference when you start again the next spring.
If you are dealing with a limited amount of space, using a trellis or other support can help provide more room for additional planting. Using raised beds can also help conserve space because there is no need to provide rows in between. Crops that might require double digging could be planted in these raised beds instead. I’m speaking of root crops like carrots, turnips, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, beets and the like. The process would involve mixing the soil with any amendments necessary to grow these vegetables. Once the raised bed was placed in the planned spot the frame could be filled in with this amended soil and planted soon after.
Consider moisture needs for your garden.  Plant crops requiring less moisture near the top of a slope and those needing more at the bottom. As you water, or it rains, the top plantings will receive a good soaking and as it runs off it satisfies the needs of the plants requiring more moisture.
After planting make sure to fertilize your plants. Heavy feeders can leach the nutrients from the soil quite quickly leaving you with strong plants but small fruit. Check the labels on the fertilizer packages to ensure the right proportions of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potasium for each of your plants.
Every zone will carry with it specific pests with which you must deal. Consult your county extension office to find out the best way to handle these pests and be sure to do it early while they are still manageable. This office will be able to help you find the most natural pest controls and those which are the best suited for the environment.

There are quite a few fine books on the subject of Companion Planting that are available. This form of planting relies on the specific characteristics of plants to nurture those around them. For example, planting marigold near tomatoes and onions helps to regulate the soil, cutting down on the number of soilborne diseases.
Using the months just prior to planting, your local extension offices, the Internet and fellow gardeners are all tremendous resources for helping in your project for summer garden planting.

Creating a summer garden is something we can all learn to love. Unfortunately, what we don’t really take the time to check out are the items we should avoid when we create a summer garden. Our end result will be much better if we learn the pitfalls of summer gardening first. Sometimes these painful gardening and landscaping lessons can be learned from observing the mistakes of others rather than our own personal experiences.

How many of us have landscaped for our neighbor’s enjoyment or engaged in a little “one upmanship” on our street? If you are the kind of person who spends a great deal of time outdoors this is a wonderful and healthy thing. However, if you are a typical family that spends a lot of your time inside your home looking out, you will want to plan carefully to make sure that your time spent outside results in a good return for your effort. Plan to plant your garden in an area which is readily visible from within the living areas of your home. After all, it is YOUR yard, not the neighbors. Shouldn’t you be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor at any time of the day? Be careful that your lawn does not appear cluttered. Use the dimension of your lawn to gauge the size of your summer garden. If your home dimensions are large, create gardens that blend with the size of the landscape. Another possibility is to plant several gardens which lead into one another creating a relaxed area which fits the home’s landscape. On the other hand, too much of a garden planted on a small lot will look cluttered and in need of attention. Perspective is the key here and plantings that are appropriate to the amount of land available should be carefully chosen. Pay close attention to the climate zone as well. Your gardening and landscaping efforts may look like something from a gardening magazine for the first month, but will they last the whole season?

Make sure you have a plan for your summer gardening and landscaping designs.  This is the most important phase of your summer garden. Without it, the design of your summer garden may be doomed to failure. The end result of your energies will be very evident if you invest the largest portion of your time in the planning stage.  When plotting out your summer garden be sure to keep in mind the long-term consequences of your planting plan. If spending a lot of time with high maintenance plantings is not in your future, it makes no sense to purchase flowers which require a great deal of attention. People who produce brochures go to a lot of trouble to entice you into buying their products. Be sure to select plants according to your summer garden needs – not because you think they look great in the catalogs.

Keeping all these factors in mind as you sit down to plan your garden will result in a garden which matches both your personal tastes and the amount of time you plan to put into keeping your garden in great shape. Remember that even though there are summer gardens that require a little less maintenance than your neighbors, there is still no such thing as a “no maintenance” garden. Plan to spend some time and effort in your garden to keep it looking well maintained.

When you plan a summer garden be especially aware of the time and energy that will be spent maintaining it.  If you wish to keep your summer garden looking good through the end of summer and perhaps until the first frost, there are several items which must be addressed.

Purchase a calendar and list items relating to routine maintenance that must be done throughout the summer. During the growing season you’ll need to follow it is as closely as time and the weather will permit. You’ll need to realize that there may be obstacles such as a downpour of rain or perhaps a week where there is no rain. Both of these conditions will make working in the garden an impossibility. Periods of intense heat will make it uncomfortable to work in the garden as well. Pick a prominent spot in your home to place this calendar where it can be seen. Perhaps mounting it near the back door to the gardens will keep it fresh on your list of things to do. 

Some of the most important maintenance items are weeding, watering, mulching, and fertilizing according to the needs of specific plants within your garden. Leaves that begin to turn yellow and pruning should be taken care of on a weekly basis. Keeping the area clear of weeds and dead or dying leaves will help keep the overall look of the garden green and healthy. Use more mulch towards the end of the season to contain the spread of weeds.

Once you’ve finished mowing your lawn be sure to trim those areas between the lawn and the gardens to keep a neat and clean appearance. The time you spend on your lawn will help keep that part of your yard looking green and healthy.  Try to match that look with the gardens around the lawn as well.

Keep careful notes of the plants you have within your gardens. What kind of soil to they require? What amount of light do they require? Is there pruning involved? Do they like their roots moist or do they prefer to dry out between waterings. Once you are aware of the special needs of each plant you can better care for them. Once you understand their needs you lower the risk of losing the investment of time and money you have already made in procuring and growing these plants.

When it does come time to clean up the gardens for the winter, you should now have enough notes and knowledge to  learn each year what works and what doesn’t.  Each year you will become more successful and may wish to take on more challenging kinds of plants or plant groupings. Take the time to learn from those successes and most importantly – share your knowledge with others.

For many of us, especially in the upper Midwest, the gardening season can never be quite long enough. We may choose a garden for its colorful blooms; something we can cut and bring in to put on the table that freshens up the stale air. Or maybe something that brings us a fresh taste of a vine ripened tomato instead of those from the supermarket with their unnatural faded peachy-red color. After a long hard winter, we all long for the joys brought by a summer garden. So why not find out how to extend that growing season a little.

The first thing to consider is using the raised bed method. This form of gardening utilizes the sun’s rays to heat up the ground which is set higher than the other areas of the garden by a form – usually rectangular in shape. Since the air heats up quicker it also cools down slower – allowing more time for growth. You may find that growth continues past the first expected frost in comparison to gardens that are planted below ground.

Another possibility is to start your plants indoors. Many garden catalogs will give you approximate times to plant inside so that your seedlings are ready to be hardened off and put into the outside gardens. This gives you a “jump start” at the beginning of the season, but does prolong the life of your plants.

Using garden row covers will also help. If you are like me, the first warm day of the season you are out there measuring, digging, amending the soil and putting in the planting furrows. If you find that you have gotten a bit of an early start and may be in for cooler temperatures in the evening, putting the row covers over the areas you have planted will help insulate these young plantings from the cold. The warmth from the earth can be contained by the row covers and insulate the area. These row covers can also be used to extend the season. Leave the cover off during the heat of the day and cover the plants in the evening to hold in the warm air of the day. Be very careful that you remove the covers during the day. Heat and humidity build up under the cover and can burn the plants or cause diseases to occur if fresh air does not circulate.

Most gardeners have learned the approximate length of their growing season and are very happy to spend whatever time they can in it. Some may just enjoy the fresh air and the exercise they get from spending time there. Others will do it because they have a special fondness for fresh fruits and vegetables. Others may enjoy the challenge of a need breed of seed or an heirloom variety that they have received.

 If you are a gardener who has a garden to raise fruits and vegetables which sustain you and your family or have joined the many who feel the need to help feed the others, that day, week or even month extension can mean a great deal. I hope that the information contained in this article will be helpful in meeting your needs.

Your Summer Garden Landscape

When you plan your summer garden there are many things you must consider. The natural landscape or terrain of your yard and garden areas would be the first consideration. Some gardeners choose to go to great lengths to change the actual natural landscape. It is always best to deal with the natural beauty of your current landscape than to spend a lot of money and time to change it.
To begin you should make a sketch of your current yard and gardens. I use a piece of graph paper and identify the house, any outbuildings, existing garden areas and hazards such as sink holes or drop offs. Take a tape measurer with you and as you walk the property, take down measurements of the different areas. Draw in the various slopes and inclines. Take notes about the kind of soil that you have. Is it loam, sandy, rock and dirt that is mixed, etc.?

You might consider using a water feature as the answer to a barren piece of the property. Next determine the light conditions of your yard. Which gardens will utilize plantings that are shade or partial shade. How many hours of sunlight to you have in a particular area for tomatoes, peppers and other sunloving plants? Do you need to create artificial shade in order to satisfy the needs of some of your other vegetable plantings? Do you need to plant a tree or a trailing vine or flower on a trellis to provide more shade? 
Vegetable gardens are the easiest to plan and plant. Checking the soil content will help you know where to plant tomatoes and corn – some of the heavy feeders of your soil’s nutrients. Since aesthetics are not a high priority with vegetable gardens, your biggest decision may be to either plant in rows or to used raised beds. Keep in mind, however, that you can get at least 2 crops a year if you plan correctly and keep an eye out on each section of your garden. Make sure to check out companion planting literature which will help to make the best use of the space you have available.
When planning for a flower garden decide if you would like a color scheme that provides several shades of the cooler colors – blues, purples and greens. Many full sun flower gardens use the other side of the color wheel with plantings of yellows, oranges, reds. Or you may choose to plant the entire color spectrum in a flowing garden which circles the perimeter of your property and floats over the slopes and inclines you previously measured while doing a survey of your yard’s terrain.

Another consideration is how much time you would like to spend in the garden. If you like the look of colorful gardens, but don’t have the time to put into them, utilize plantings that have minimal maintenance. On the other hand, if you enjoy being outside much of the summer time a specialty garden might be just the ticket. Perhaps a bed of roses is more to your liking.

If after having taken your measurements, you are still uncertain of how to begin, it might be a wise idea to consult a landscape designer to get ideas. The designer you choose may be able to give you recommendations on a landscape service that can maintain the look you have chosen. If you are not interested in having someone else maintain your yard, ask the designer for a low maintenance type of landscape that you will be able to maintain yourself.
Your yard is a reflection of the person living there. Visit gardens in the area to see what plantings work well in your area. There are plenty of television garden programs, public arboretums and many gardening clubs that can also serve as a treasure trove of information in regard to your landscaping project.