Sweet Little Peas: Snow Peas

fresh-picked snow peas

Gardening got off to a late start here in Minnesota due to late frost, and for us specifically, because we restructured our vegetable garden area. Even though our corn is knee high, our tomato plants are a little more stringy than usual, and our pepper plants are waiting to put on their first surge of growth, our sweet little peas have been very fruitful for weeks. Not Sweet Peas Now, when I write “sweet little peas”, I’m not writing about the sweet pea plant that boasts fragrant blooms that perfume the air with a mix of jasmine flower, orange blossoms, and honey. Sweet pea plants do not have pea pods you can eat. In fact, the sweet pea pods are mildly poisonous and contain a toxin containing lathyrogens. Lathyrogens, if consumed in large quantities, can cause a disorder of the nervous system which leads to limb paralysis, and a disorder of connective tissue, causing either bone deformity and/or aortic aneurisms. I think it’s safe to assume that eating sweet pea pods isn’t a great idea. The peas I am talking about are the sweet little peas that have edible pods, and the thinnest pods of all peas – snow peas. Snow Peas This season we’ve been growing three types of snow peas: Carouby De Maussane, Golden Sweet, and Green Beauty. All three varieties have produced a bumper crop of peas, and have the sweetest little flowers, but the Carouby De Maussane and Green Beauty are equally tasty fresh or cooked, where as Golden Sweet is best sautéed or cooked. All three varieties have climbed our trellis just beautifully, and have created one of my favorite places to harvest vegetables. The Trellis In the throes of summer, when the sun has dipped below the horizon, and the cool of the evening has set in, one of my favorite places to be is harvesting fruits and vegetables in the trellis area. At this point in the growing season, pea plants surround me as I pick the sweet, snappy pods, and both of my pups wait patiently just outside the trellis while I carefully snap the peas of the vine, and string them before placing them in the bowl. From Garden to Table After rinsing the snow peas inside the house, I diced some onions, took half of the peas from the bowl (reserving the rest for dinner tomorrow night), and placed the onions and peas in a pan. Drizzling a little bit of olive oil over the peas and onions, and dusting them with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt is all that is required for this simple dish. Sautéing the peas over medium heat for just a few minutes is all it takes to cook the snow peas to perfection. Tonight I sautéed all three pea varieties (Carouby De Maussane, Golden Sweet, and Green Beauty) together, and served them with jasmine rice and grilled shrimp. Everything was topped with just a little bit of Parmesan cheese. The sweet, delicate flavor of the snow peas was a delight alongside the rice and shrimp, and I am very much looking forward to eating the sweet little peas again tomorrow! Grow Your Own Snow Peas For those of you in the Upper Midwest, snow peas can be planted again in August, so if you’d like to try growing these easy-to-grow vegetables that are almost guaranteed to give you an abundance of sweet little peas – I ask you to give them a chance. The peas are planted 1″ deep and 2″ apart, and the vines need something to grow up on whether it’s a trellis or corn stalk. If you’re planting in rows, space rows 18-24″ apart. Snow peas can withstand light frosts, so you can harvest them late into the fall, and kids love to pick them too! Do you have a favorite way to prepare snow peas? Maybe you like to eat them straight off the vine. Either way, I’d love to read about it in the comments below. Thanks so much for stopping by Unbound Roots today! ~Erin .

The Fall Garden

Fall in Minnesota is known for warm days, cool nights, changing leaves that color the landscape with golds, oranges, reds, and greens, trips to local apple orchards, crackling bonfires, comfortable hoodies and jeans, and mugs of hot apple cider. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? It is, but this time period goes by so quickly. Within a few short weeks, the trees will be empty of their leaves, heavy frosts will put the fall garden to bed, and the sun will no longer be strong enough to heat the cold winds blowing from the north. Fall is bittersweet – it is fleeting. Before we know it, we will be thrown into our six months of winter (not the three months that our calendars indicate). As I sit by my computer, staring out the window, I see the gold-colored leaves that are delicately edged with pops of red, rustling in the cool October breeze. They continue to fall, blanketing the perennials beneath the temporary canopy that will be gone within a week. Birds are darting in and out of the tree looking for insects… …and hunting in the gardens for seeds. The fall-blooming perennials are alive with blooms of all shapes and colors as the painted lady suns herself on the New England aster. I enjoy all that fall has to offer, even if it is foreshadowing what is to come. Even if I do so with a little bit of sadness. The Fall Garden A Painted Lady among phlox. Yellow mums, vibrant under the weakening rays of a fall sun, The warm smells of crispy leaves and hydrangea flowers. Fleeting pleasures. The garden is tired, It is struggling through frosty nights, Weary after a season of blooms, perfumes, and exotic shows. Lethargic bumble bees creep slowly up faded flowers Determined to eat their last meal. Frost crystals on leaves sparkle like millions of diamonds Deceiving the observer. Death disguised as beauty. Petals fall. Leaves wilt. Stems break. Only the little faces of the New England aster are alert and knowing. Only the butterfly fluttering among phlox Realizes that she won’t migrate on time. Her time is also fleeting. Then you arrive, And you are lethargic like the bumblebee, And your beauty is fleeting like the flowers. Like the butterfly, You know you can’t make the migration. But your roots run deep. Even though the soft, white snow will cover everything Sending the fall garden into a long winters sleep, Buds on branches promise the return of life. The roses will bloom again, And the Stargazer lilies will drench the air with their perfume, And I will think of you.    

Sweet Clover, Summer Memories, and a Wildflower Bouquet

As the kids and I took a walk down our road to the lake, the intoxicating smell of sweet clover, vanilla mixed with fresh-cut hay, permeated the air. Late June in Minnesota is when the summer wildflowers awaken and adorn the sides of the roads, prairies, and edges of our 10,000+ lakes. On this particular day, my daughter started collecting wildflowers on the side of the road as we walked toward the lake. “Mom, I’m going to make you the most beautiful wildflower bouquet today.” As my daughter waded through the tall grass and wildflowers, she gathered: Black-eyed Susans, Prairie Fleabane, Tufted Vetch, Virginia Waterleaf, Yellow and White Sweet Clover, Ox-eye Daisies, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Red Clover. Once we arrived at the lake, my son picked an exquisite American White Water Lily, also known as the Fragrant Water Lily, to add to the bouquet. Before long we had a beautiful wildflower bouquet of all different colors, textures, and scents waiting to adorn our kitchen table. My family has been picking wildflowers along the roadside on our walks for year. One thing that always comes to mind, when reminiscing of these ventures, is the smell of sweet clover. In fact, my children have learned to identify sweet clover when it emerges from the soil in the early spring. First, there is excitement at finding the plant itself, but then a serious race ensues to see who can pick and smell the first sweet clover leaves of the year. There is nothing like the smell of sweet clover, especially on a warm summer day like today. Years ago, as a teenager, I remember helping my boyfriend (who is now my husband) with his summer lawn mowing jobs. There was this particular spot in a yard that smelled especially sweet every time we would mow. Determined to identify the plant,  I would stop and search high and low for the plant that smelled so sweet. Finally I found a plant that appeared to be a type of clover (three finely-toothed leaflets). After my job, I remember going home and telling my mother about this clover plant that had the most wonderful smell. She said “Oh, sweet clover! That was your great-grandpa’s favorite smell as well.” Little did my mother know, that my great-grandfather had actually written a journal entry about his memories of clover. What I remember was that mother laid me in the shade at the edge of the field and cocked the hay as my father raked it. The smell of the Red Clover drying and the humming of the bees comes back vividly now as I write of this happening. ~Roy Falk My mother’s aunt (who typed up my great-grandfather, Roy Falk’s, journals) noted how incredible my great-grandfather’s memory must have been to remember incidents that happened before he could even sit up on his own. I was also surprised, but I know it’s not unheard of. In fact, I remember one incident that happened when I was a baby in a walker. I was at a family friend’s house, and as I was wheeling around, the dog who lived at that house accidentally pushed me down the stairs in my walker. I was amazingly unharmed, but the memory of tumbling down those stairs and being terrified is still sharp in my mind. The sweet smell of the Red Clover and the buzzing of the bees must have had quite an impact on Great-Grandpa for him to recall this memory so well. After reading Great-Grandpa’s journal entry, I was interested to see if there was a purpose of the clover being in the hay field. According the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), clover was brought over to the United States from Europe in the 1600’s. It was used as a forage crop (to feed livestock) and as a cover crop (where it is used to keep weeds down and enrich the soil). Clover plants have very long tap roots that extend several feet below the top soil. This tap root brings nutrients such as nitrogen up to the top soil, nourishing nearby shallow-rooted plants. I wish I could have been sitting next to the field with Great-Grandpa, listening to the bees and smelling the hay and clover as it dried in the fields. As I’m writing this, my husband and children are imploring me to accompany them on our daily walk. I think I’m ready to go out and smell the sweet clover again after sharing this story. I urge you to make your way outside and embark on a journey to look for some summer wildflowers. You may just come home with a beautiful bouquet, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch the scent of vanilla and fresh-cut hay drifting the air.      

Growing Sweet Potatoes in Cooler Climates

Boiled sweet potatoes mixed until smooth and baked with a delicious topping of brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats, –or– fresh sweet potatoes cubed and roasted with just a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Oh my goodness, fresh sweet potatoes are a treat! My whole family looks forward to harvesting and devouring the delicious root vegetable. My son says that harvesting sweet potatoes is like a treasure hunt. “You never know how many potatoes there will be, or what size they will be.” My daughter says that she just likes to “dig and dig and dig.” Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, they are considered one of the most healthy foods as they are an excellent source of vitamin A (214% of your daily value), and very good sources of vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, and pantothenic acid, among others. Anthocyanin (a color-related pigment) in sweet potatoes is equally valuable for it’s anti-inflammatory health benefits. Okay, you get the point. Sweet potatoes are delicious and healthy. But, can we grow them here in MN or in other cool climates? Well, I’m so glad you asked! Yes, of course you can, but it takes just a little more work. Sweet potatoes are tropical plants, so they like hot weather, hot soil, and are very sensitive to frost. Here in MN, we have cooler weather with shorter growing seasons, so we need to do a little extra work to ensure that our sweet potato plants are happy enough to grow those delicious and healthy tubers. So, here it goes: Starting Slips Starting a sweet potato plant is probably one of the most easy and inexpensive vegetables to start. You do not start sweet potato plants from seed like most vegetables, you start them from what is called a seed potato (a firm sweet potato that is 1-2″ in diameter). Poke two to four toothpicks into the center of the sweet potato (on opposite sides), place the sweet potato halfway into a glass jar, and fill the jar with water until 1-2″ of the bottom of the sweet potato is submerged in water. Place the sweet potato under a fluorescent light (for up to 14 hours per day) or in a bright window. You will soon see roots starting to form on the submerged portion of the sweet potato followed by what are called sweet potato slips or shoots sprouting from the upper part of the sweet potato. Once the slips are 4-5″ long, gently twist or pinch the slip off of the sweet potato right where it connects to the sweet potato and place the slip into a jar of water until roots form (do not submerge the leaves as they will rot). Preparing the Garden As far as soil quality goes, sweet potatoes are very forgiving. They don’t need nutrient-dense soil. In fact, too much nitrogen will cause too much foliage growth which will inhibit tuber or root develop. So, if you do fertilize, choose a fertilizer with lower amounts of nitrogen. Also, sweet potatoes can have trouble in soil that contains a lot of clay (which is one of our problems here) by growing skinny and misshapen roots. If you have a lot of clay in your soil, a raised bed can do wonders for those sweet tubers. Heat! Sweet potatoes love heat. The more 100F days, the better as far as sweet potatoes are concerned. The slips also love to be planted in warm soil (75F soil or warmer is best). To achieve that here in MN, we cover our raised bed with clear plastic sheeting and tuck the sides down between the bricks and the soil for a few weeks before we plant. Also, sweet potato plants do not like temperatures below 55F, so we typically plant 2-3 weeks after our average last frost date. June 1st is a good estimate of the time we typically plant sweet potatoes here in Minnesota.  Once the sweet potatoes are ready to plant, you can make slits in the plastic sheeting (we like to make a cross with slits about 3″ in length), poke a couple of finger down into the soil, and gently lower the slip down into the hole. Feel free to plant slips all the way to the top leaves as sweet potato slips will grow roots on the entire plant stem if plant in the ground. Fill the soil in around the plant and water (we find it easiest to lay a soaker hose under the plastic before planting). We started our slips pretty early this year, so we did plant some slips in 4″ pots indoors. Because of this, we planted these sweet potato plants before re-applying the plastic as large holes in the plastic would have been needed to plant, thus causing a lot of heat to escape throughout the season. Once planted, the slips should be watered every day for a week. Once the plants are established they will need about 1″ of water per week until 2-3 weeks before harvest time. Harvest Time Sweet potatoes usually mature in 90-100 days. Harvest them when leaves start to turn yellow, and/or before the threat of frost occurs. Two weeks before harvesting, discontinue watering, as harvesting is much easier in dryer soil. When you are ready to harvest, gently dig around the sweet potato plant with a pitch fork or shovel trying not to pierce the tubers. Digging works best when you start on the outside of your garden and work inward toward the center. Sweet potatoes need to cure if you want the best sweet, rich, sweet-potato taste. Perfect curing conditions are 90% humidity with a temperature of 85F. After two weeks of curing, sweet potatoes are best stored in cool, dark areas with temperatures between 55F and 60F and humidity at 85-90%. Unheated basements work well for storage, and sweet potatoes should store for six months or more! We still have perfectly edible sweet potatoes in our basement that have been stored for nine months now.

Designing Mixed Flower Pots

Calibrachoa (million bells), angelonia, dahlia, zinnia, geranium, petunia, coleus, and salvia greeted me each morning as I stepped inside the greenhouses I worked in throughout college. The smell as I entered my summer work space was intoxicating. I remember thinking how lucky I was to spend my summer days amongst the flowers with happy people. Yes, I swear that people who garden are some of the happiest people around.  Anyway, it was during the summers at the greenhouse that I learned all about flowers, and the art of planting and designing mixed flower pots. Along with learning the names of annuals very quickly (the greenhouse I worked at specializes in annuals), I remember studying the mixed baskets that hung from the rafters, and the mixed pots that adorned each corner. You see, prior to working in the greenhouse, I was accustomed to seeing the traditional geranium pots with a spike plant coming out of the top. My parents had them at one time, my grandparents had them, and so did many other people around the neighborhood I lived in. Now, don’t get me wrong, geranium pots are beautiful! They add a pop of color to any sunny space they are put in, and those geranium flower heads are huge! But, as I studied the mixed pots in the greenhouses, I was captivated. Color combinations, textures, flower shape, and plant-height kept me studying, kept me interested, and ultimately inspired me. Today, one of my favorite jobs as a gardener is designing and planting mixed flower pots. I put together nine simple tips to utilize when designing a mixed flower pot. You can do it! Here they are: Light – Before picking out plants for your pot, make sure you know the amount of light your plants will be getting. This will tell you whether or not you need shade, part-shade/sun, or sun-tolerant plants. The mixed pot below was designed for shade as the flowers received only an hour or so of sunlight per day. Harmony and Contrast – Harmony is the likeness between plants; whereas contrast is the difference between plants. Characteristics include plant shape, height, texture, and color. In planting, harmony and contrast really do complement each other. For example, a harmony in flower color is more interesting if it links to contrasting texture. A deep red geranium flower will bring out the red color in coleus leaves, but the flower and leaf texture are completely different. Or, pairing the dainty Diamond Frost flower with a large, bold dahlia flower brings interest and sweetness to a pot. Balance – Bilateral symmetry in planting is where the arrangement of planting in one area is mirrored in another area creating balance. This does not necessarily mean that the exact plants must be planted on each side of a planter (although this will work), you can also achieve balance by using similar colors, similar textures, or similar heights on each side. Symmetry does not have to be side-to-side, it can also be achieved with height too. For instance, the tall, large dahlia flower will most-likely be the highest flower in the pot, and a balance of color can be achieved by placing red calibrachoa at the foot of the dahlia. This would be a high-low symmetry. Height – Choose plants that will give you interest at different heights. Using plants of all different heights (trailing, medium-sized, and tall) will provide interest at many different levels and give your planting depth. One of my favorite hacks when planting mixed pots is to use tropical plants. I have used jasmine plants in my mixed pots for many years now. I love the height of the jasmine plant, the dainty white flowers, and the beautiful, sweet aroma of the jasmine flower. Jasmine can also be over-wintered in the basement so I use it year after year. Saving money is always nice! Depth and Viewing Angles – Think about where your pot will be placed. If it will be on the porch up against the house, you may want to put the taller plants at the back of the pot. This will give you the entire front of the pot to fill in with medium and low plants providing a lot of depth and interest to the pot. However, if the pot is situated in the middle of a garden and can be seen from all angles, you probably want to put your taller plants in the middle and plant all the way around the taller plants for interest at every angle. Color – Choosing colors for a mixed pot can be the most enjoyable and daunting task all at the same time. Color combinations, house color, pot surroundings, and color preferences should all be considered when designing a pot. For instance, one of my favorite color combinations is coral and purple. However, no matter how nice the combination looked when I put the flowers together at the greenhouse, the coral would be lost against the orange bricks on my house. Also, when deciding on colors, keep the color wheel in mind. Complementary colors work very nice together in pots. Violet or blue flowers look beautiful with yellow flowers, and red flowers look great against green foliage. Arrange Before Planting – Fill the pot 2/3 of the way full with soil. Arrange the plants in their own pots before doing the final planting. This way you can see how the pot will look before planting to make sure the plant mixture looks right (you can also arrange plants on the cart in the greenhouse before buying to make sure you are buying the right flowers). Fill the pot! – One of the best things about container planting is that you can fill up the pot for instant fullness and beauty. Don’t plant a few small plants knowing that they will grow larger over the summer. Fill the pot with interest and color right away. If by chance a plant grows a little too large over the summer, trim it back! Sweet potato vine, for example,

A Flowering Lawn: Bees and Dandelions

A flowering lawn is not something that most people see as being beautiful or positive. When my husband and I had our first child we decided to forgo the fertilizer that treated the pesky dandelions, crab grass and creeping charlie because we didn’t want our little one crawling on chemicals. This was hard for me as I grew up in a family that was proud of our lush lawn that was dark green, weed-free, and manicured. In fact, I remember my father paying me one cent per dandelion to dig up the buttery-yellow flowering plants. Those dandelion tap roots were definitely a chore to dig out. Little did I know that the weeds we were treating, digging out, and eradicating were some of the most important flowers of the spring! If you watch the news, read the newspaper, or follow any type of social media, you have probably been informed of one or more of the problems facing the bee population, not only in the United States, but across the world. You may have read about the declination of bees, Colony Collapse Disorder (a phenomenon where the worker bees abandon a colony and leave all of the honey, the queen bee, and a few nurse bees to care for the young), or pesticide poisoning of bees. The University of Minnesota pinpoints three reasons for the decline in the number of bees and why this matters: Why the decline in bees? Flowerless yards that lack plant diversity. Pesticide use such as the neonicotinoids. Diseases (Israeli Acute Paralysis virus and Nosema) and parasites (varroa mite). Why does this matter? Over 70% of our flowering plants depend on bees and other pollinators to reproduce. Pollinated plants grow more than 30% of our food and beverages.  About $29 billion in U.S. farm income is generated by bees and other pollinators. Back to those pesky (or beautiful) dandelions. Dandelions are often the very first meal bees consume after they sleepily awake from their winter hibernation because dandelions are one of the first flowers to bloom profusely in the spring, especially in cool northern climates. Bees need quick nourishment after they emerge, and dandelions provide just that! Dandelions provide both protein (pollen) and carbohydrate (nectar). Did you know that bees can smell dandelions from a mile away? What should you do about all of those dandelions in your yard? I can see you cringing right now. Yes, let those dandelions grow! If you do this, you will be saving yourself money each year and saving plants and critters alike. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops, and they spend more per acre, on average, to maintain their lawns than farmers spend per agricultural acre. Surprising, isn’t it? All of these pesticides are leached into the ground, get washed into creeks, lakes, and/or drains, and can even travel long distances by rain or fog, which is called non-point source pollution. Nearly eight years is the time it took me, after we chose to stop fertilizing our lawn, to accept dandelions (and creeping charlie, and violets, and thistle) growing happily in our lawn. I have to say that my family and I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to those first flowers opening up and greeting us in the spring. Just a few days ago, my son, daughter, and I went out to see which insects were enjoying the feast of dandelions in our front yard. We spent nearly an hour observing many different types of bees, ants, and hoverflies ingesting the nectar (carbohydrate) and pollen (protein) of the dandelions. The cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, and apple blossoms on our fruit trees were also covered with bees, thanks to the dandelions for luring the bees here in the first place. A perfect example of sustainable agriculture. What can we do as homeowners to help boost the bee population? Well, there are multiple things: Do not use insecticides or pesticides and choose to buy plants from nurseries that use bee-friendly ways to eliminate pests. Plant bee-friendly plants. Accept or even enjoy a flowering lawn. Do your part in supporting our bees by embracing a flowering lawn. See the lists below for other dandelion facts and other flowers you can plant in your yard to support the bees all season long. I leave you with a picture of my dog, Brook. She also loves the sea of dandelions in our front yard! Dandelion Facts Dandelions are good for top soil. Dandelions have long tap roots that take nutrients from underneath the top soil, such as calcium, and brings that nutrients to the top soil. Other plants that have shallow roots benefit from the nutrients dandelions bring up. Dandelion tap roots help to aerate the soil and help reduce erosion. The entire dandelion plant is edible. Dandelion leaves taste like arugula, the leaves are best when they are picked before the plant blooms. Use the blossoms to make dandelion wine. Dandelions are very healthy to eat (as long as they haven’t been sprayed or fertilized). The greens contain vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. Plants That Bees Love                                                                             Bloom Time Aruncus dioecus or goatsbeard                                                     Mid Agastache or licorice plant                                                             Mid-to-late Asclepias or butterfly weed                                                

Mulch or Rock in Landscaping: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Application Tips

Ten yards of mulch, done! I should have bought 15 yards to finish off my gardens nicely, so I will make note of that so I order the right amount next time. One of the first questions many people have when completing a new garden or landscape project is “Should I use mulch or rock?” Well, here are my two cents: Homeowners use mulch or rock to keep weeds down, keep moisture in the ground, and/or provide a certain look to landscaping. Some people love the look of rock, some may prefer the more natural look of mulch, and some go without either. If you have a garden in which you like to move things around, plant annuals, frequently add new plants, or like a more natural look, use mulch. On the contrary, if you have an area that will not be disturbed for years (ex. a walking path, or an area with shrubs), if you want something that lasts a little longer, or you like the look of stone, you may be safe using rock. Here are the pros and cons of using mulch and rock along with application tips for both: Mulch Pros: Keeps soil moist. Insulates well! Helps to keep plant roots and soil cool during warm periods, and helps keep the soil warm during cool periods. Breaks down over time and enriches the soil by adding nutrients from the decaying wood. Prevents weeds from growing. Mulch is easily moved and replaced when a plant needs to be planted. No barrier is needed before laying down mulch Relatively lightweight, so most homeowners can apply mulch on their own. Inexpensive – Costs two to three times less than rock. Has a natural appearance. Mulch Cons: Due to the lightweight-nature of mulch, heavy rains or strong winds can misplace mulch. Due to the natural decomposition of wood, mulch needs to be replaced or refreshed every other year. Mulch Tips: Remove weeds before applying mulch. Use 3-5″ of mulch to keep the weeds down and to keep the water in the soil. Lay down 3-4″ of smaller-sized mulch, and 5″of larger-sized mulch to prevent weed growth and retain water. Plant and transplant before new mulch is added. Remove mulch before planting, and reapply mulch after planting. Apply mulch in the early spring. Mulching while plants are small makes spreading the mulch much easier with very little chance of ruining emerging plants. Rock Pros: Rock comes in many different colors, textures, and shapes. Rock is durable and rarely has to be replaced. Helps to keep moisture in the soil. Rock Cons: Very heavy and can be very difficult and expensive to install. Costs two to three times more than mulch. Needs a barrier, such as landscape fabric, between the soil and rock. Can heat up the ground causing plant or root damage. Debris can build up in-between rocks causing weeds to grow. Rocks with dirt in them need to be lifted and cleaned to prevent weeds to grow. The barrier under the rock does not allow natural decomposition of materials in to the soil. Very hard to remove once installed. Rock Tips: Remove weed from soil before barrier and rock are applied. Add 2-4″ of rock (smaller rock being on the 2″ range and larger rock being up at the 4″ range) on top of barrier. Blow debris off of rock whenever needed so it doesn’t have time to decompose. Have shrubs or trees planted before laying barrier and rock down. Do not plant after rock is down. Use around shrubs and trees only. Rock can heat smaller or fragile plants too much, causing damage to plant and/or roots.

Companion Planting

Photo of plants that make great compantions

Companion planting: The act of placing plants together that can benefit each other in different ways. In the spring I like to think that little plant communities are being built when we plant our vegetable gardens. Just as human beings need shelter, food, water, and friends, plants need the same in their communities. They compete for resources, just like we compete for resources. When gardens are planted using the companion planting concept, plants that benefit each other are purposely planted close together, and plants that compete for resources or harm each other are kept separate. A perfect example of companion planting is what the Native Americans call the Three Sisters, which is planting a mixture of corn, beans and squash together. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac: By the time European settlers arrived in America in the early 1600s, the Iroquois had been growing the “three sisters” for over three centuries. The vegetable trio sustained the Native Americans both physically and spiritually. In legend, the plants were a gift from the gods, always to be grown together, eaten together, and celebrated together. Each of the sisters contributes something to the planting. Together, the sisters provide a balanced diet from a single planting. As older sisters often do, the corn offers the beans needed support. The beans, the giving sister, pull nitrogen from the air and bring it to the soil for the benefit of all three. As the beans grow through the tangle of squash vines and wind their way up the cornstalks into the sunlight, they hold the sisters close together. The large leaves of the sprawling squash protect the threesome by creating living mulch that shades the soil, keeping it cool and moist and preventing weeds. The prickly squash leaves also keep away raccoons, which don’t like to step on them. Together, the three sisters provide both sustainable soil fertility as well as a healthy diet. Perfection! As you can see, companion planting can benefit plants by: keeping pests away, providing support to neighboring plants, sharing or providing resources, promoting polyculture, and attracting beneficial insects.  Just as the Three Sisters uses the corn stalks to allow the beans to climb to the sun and the large squash leaves to keep the soil moist, the gardener needs to keep the sun and water requirements in mind when planting different crops close together. For instance, corn should not be planted to the south of a row of potatoes do to the amount of shade the corn would give the potato plants. Or, bush beans may need more water than the squash plants because the large squash leave shade the soil so nicely with their large leaves. Below is a helpful companion planting guide. Click on the picture to download a free copy! Last, but not least, here are some flowers that are great companions for your vegetable gardens: Catnip – Keeps aphids, asparagus beetles, and squash bugs away, but attracts pollinators and parasitic wasps. Clover – Many people have this wild flower growing naturally in the yard, which is great for gardens! Clover attracts many beneficial insects, aids in fighting cabbage worms, and increases the number of predatory ground beetles. A favorite food of honey bees! Cosmos – An annual that provides provides food and habitat to many different predatory insects. Dahlias – Aids in repelling nematodes. Dahlias have a large, beautiful flower head that will attract pollinators and lend beauty to your vegetable garden. Echinacea or Cone Flower – Attract hoverflies and parasitoid wasps, so plant close to the vegetable garden to control pests. Gaillardia – Blooms for a very long period over the summer. Plant this perennial along with other long-bloomers to provide a constant meal for your favorite pollinators! Lavender – A perennial in some zones, and an annual in others, lavender is an excellent general pest repellent flower that repels fleas, moths, and white flies. A wonderful smelling flower for your garden. Licorice Plant – Plant on the outside of the garden to lure cabbage moths away from broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and turnips. Bees are attracted to licorice plant, but keep this plant away from radishes. Marigold – Marigolds produce chemicals that repel many different insects, along with rabbits and deer, but they attract hoverflies and helpful wasps. Do not plant them near beans. Monarda or Bee Balm – This perennial is a favorite among bees, wasps, and hummingbirds. Yarrow – Attracts hoverflies, lady beetles, and wasps that prey on grubs, but repels aphids.

Glossary of Gardening Terms

Acidic Soil – Soil with a pH of less than 7 is considered acidic. Alkaline Soil – Soil with a pH of that is greater than 7 is considered alkaline. Annual – Any plant that lives for only one growing season. Aphids – tiny soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of plants. Bare-Root – A plant that is prepared for transplanting by removing the soil from around the roots. Biennial – A plant that flowers or fruits every-other year. Bolting – A plant that flowers or seeds prematurely instead of producing a crop. Botanical Name –  Not the common name, but the binomial genus-species given to a plant. Bud – A small protuberance on a plant stem (flower bud, leaf bud or mixed bud). Companion Planting – Cultivating different types of plants in close proximity so  that they may benefit each other, Compost – Mixture of organic decomposed vegetation, manure, etc., that can be used as a fertilizer.  Cultivate – To prepare a piece of land in preparation for planting a garden or crops. Deadheading – The act of removing spent blossoms to promote the growth of new blossoms. Direct Sow – Planting seeds directly into the soil. Dividing – The act of separating a single plant by cutting through the roots to produce multiple plants. Dormant – When a plant is temporarily inactive. Everblooming – Plants that continuously bloom throughout a growing season. Evergreen – Plants that retain green leaves throughout the entire year. Fertilizer – A substance (manure or nitrates) that is added to the soil in order to increase the productivity of a plant. Full Sun – Plants that needs six or more hours of sun light per day. Frost Dates – There are two frost dates, an early frost date and a late frost date. The early frost date gives gardeners an idea of when their area could experience the first frost in the fall. The late frost date gives gardeners an idea of when their area generally experiences no more frosts in the spring. farmersalmanac.com/average-frost-dates Germinate – When a seed, spore, or bulb develops into a plant. Ground Cover – Any variety of low-growing or trailing plant that covers large areas of soil. Hardiness – The capability of a plant to survive under unfavorable conditions.  Hardiness Zone – A geographical area determined by temperature which helps gardeners determine which plants are most likely to thrive at that given location. planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/…/InteractiveMap.aspx Heirloom – A fruit, flower, or vegetable that has been untouched by hybridization and produced before the 1940’s or WWII. Herbicide – A substance used to destroy plants. Mulch – A material such as decaying leaves, bark, or compost spread around plants to enrich the soil, reduce evaporation, insulate the soil, and prohibit weed growth. Native Plants – A plant species that is indigenous to a particular area, ecosystem, or habitat without human interaction. Naturalized – Plants that have have been introduced to a particular area, ecosystem or habitat by humans and have flourished as if they were native. Organic – Plants that are grown with fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin. Ornamental – Plants that are generally used for decoration, not for consumption. Part-Shade/Part-Sun – Plants that need four-to-six hours of sun light per day. Perennial – Plants that come back year-after-year. Peat Moss – An organic material found in marshy or damp areas and is composed of partially decayed vegetable matter, but is not sustainable. Pesticide – A chemical used to kill or destroy harmful animals or plants. Pinching Back – The act of removing part of a living plant in order to keep the plant looking full and healthy. Pollination – an important step in the life-cycle of seed plants is the transfer of pollen grains from the male reproductive organ of the plant to the female reproductive organ, which ultimately allows the plant to make seeds. Polyculture – using multiple crops in the same area, and avoiding large stands of the same crop, which provides crop diversity to mimic the diversity of natural ecosystems. Pruning – To cut off or remove undesirable parts of a plant to remove dead, diseased, or injured parts of a plant, or to shape a plant in a particular way. pH – A numerical measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil on a scale of 0 to 14. Water is neutral and has a pH of 7. Root Ball – The main mass of roots at the base of a plant. Root Bound – When the roots of a plant become densely matted or entangled due to being in a space that is too small for the growing plant. Shade – Plants that require less than four hours of light per day. Staking – The act of driving a stick or post into the ground next to a plant for the purpose of supporting the plant. Sustainable Agriculture – The production of food, fiber, plants, or animal products using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animals. Systemic – Something that is absorbed into and circulated inside of a plant. Transplant – The act of digging up a plant in order to move it to a new space. Waterlogged – When the soil is excessively saturated with water.    

Perennials: Spring Snow

Here in Minnesota, we never know what Mother Nature will bring us throughout the year. We almost hit 70F in February, and now at the end of April, we woke up to a dusting of snow that lightly covered our awakening perennials. I guess the weather is one thing that keeps Minnesotans on their toes. But, drastic change in temperatures can also cause a gardener angst. There is hardly a year that goes by that Minnesotans don’t see a spring snowfall. Just a few years ago we had snow after what was supposed to be our last frost date (early May for central MN). When spring snowfalls happen, I’m always sure to receive a phone call from a client or two asking what they should do to protect their emerging perennials, or if I think their plants will be okay. Good news! Perennials are tough little buggers. They want to survive. And, if perennials are considered hardy in the zone they are planted in, spring bloomers should be a-okay. Should you cover plants if a freeze or a snow is expected in the spring? It depends! The perennials that bloom in the spring, such as daffodils, tulips, magnolias, hyacinths, and the like are cold-tolerant and can handle a light freeze and even snow without being covered. If you have plants that have already leafed out and tend to be a little more touchy to freezing temperatures, such as hosta, you may want to cover them with a light sheet. Now, if you’ve gone to a garden center (where many of the plants they sell are blooming ahead of time due to being grown in a greenhouse) and have just planted a perennial that is blooming ahead of time of it’s usual time, those blooms can be a little more fragile in freezing temperatures, and you will probably want to cover them. This is especially important if your perennial is a fruit or vegetable plant. Blooms on fruit and vegetable plants tend to be touchy to freezing temps, and if the blooms die off, this could ultimately prohibit any kind of fruiting later in the growing season. For the most part, early blooming perennials will be just fine in cold temperatures and snow, as long as they are planted in the correct zone. If you wake up to a late spring snowfall, don’t fret, but head outside and take a moment to discover how beautiful your spring flowers look with a little snow dusting their delicate petals. A definite treat to the eyes!