How to Plant Onions

  It's March!  Guess what that means for vegetable gardeners?  That's right.  It means it's time to go out and plant your onions.  Onions are started in one of three ways:  from seeds, seedlings, or sets.  Here's how you do it:

1.  If you live in an area that has long summers, you can use seedlings.  Plant them in rows about 3/4 of an inch deep.  When they come up, thin them so that they are about four inches apart.

2. If you're going to use seedlings, plant them four inches apart.  Bury just the bottom root section - not the green stuff.

3.  Planting from sets is probably the most popular way to grow onions.  Plant them in rows 4-6 inches apart.  Dig a small hole to fit the bottom part of the bulb.  If you just press them in, they might pop out when they begin to grow.  Leave the neck part of the bulb above the soil line.

4.  Plant in full sun and good soil.  Make sure they get regular water.  When you plant them, the ground should be moist, but not super-saturated.  (Here in Cincinnati, it's been raining a lot, so I'm going to have to wait for the ground to dry out a little before I plant mine.)

5. As far as varieties go, some work better for northern climates, and some work better for southern.  Pick which is best for your area.  Note:  Yellow onions can be stored the longest.

Daffodils

 Here in Cincinnati, the Daffodils are in full bloom.  I just love these sunny flowers!  In case you didn't know, the Daffodil flower symbolizes friendship.  There are at least 50 different species.  Daffodils grow naturally in the Mediterranean region as well as in North Africa and the Middle East.  In fact, one of the earliest known references of the Daffodil can be found in the prophet, Mohammed's writings in 6th century AD.
 

Generally, Daffodils are yellow, but some have orange, pink, and lime green in them.  They come in all sizes, from 5 inch blooms on 2 foot stems, to half inch blooms on 2 inch stems.  They can be recognized by their distinct trumpet-shaped centers, surrounded by petals that fan out like a star.  Did you know there is no difference between Daffodils and Narcissus?  Narcissus is just the Latin name.  Daffodil is the common name for all member of the genus Narcissus.

  Daffodils grow from bulbs.  When planting Daffodils, plant the bulbs at least two times as deep as the bulb is high.  So if you have a 2 inch bulb, plant it 4 inches deep.  Daffodils need lots of water when they are growing.  If you live in a place where you get lots of rain in the spring, you really don't have to worry about watering.  If not, then make sure you're watering at least once a week.  Putting mulch down really helps hold in the moisture.  That's what I do for my Daffodils.  Don't use a high nitrogen fertilizer on them.  You won't get nice blooms.  When the foilage turns yellow, then you can trim them.  Don't cut them until this happens, or you won't get nice blooms the following year.  Every five to ten years, you may want to divide the clumps of bulbs.  This can be done in early summer, after they are done blooming and their foilage has turned yellow.   Or you can just wait until the fall.  It might be a little more difficult to find them, though.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

 The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens are located in Richmond, Virginia.  These gardens are simply amazing.  In fact, they are the winner of the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library service.

  The history of the gardens is interesting.  They are on property that was once the hunting grounds for the Powhatan Indians.  The land was also owned by Patrick Henry.  In 1884, Lewis Ginter purchased the land.  In 1913, Ginter's niece, Grace Arents, developed gardens on the property.  It was her desire that when she and her partner died, the land be given to the city of Richmond to be developed as botanical gardens, honoring Lewis Ginter.  In 1968, the city took over the property, but the gardens didn't come to fruition until 1981.

 

The children's garden is one of the best I've seen.  There are about eight different areas where children can learn about the natural world.  One neat feature is the International Village.  There are playhouses and plants that represent cultures from all over the world.  There's a "tukal" African shelter, a Latin American "casista," and a Native American longhouse.  There's also an Asian teahouse and an "everyone's house," where kids can design their own place.

The Farm Garden, pictured below, consists of six 20 x 20 plots where kids can plant and harvest their own vegetables and fruit.

Other features include the water play area, pictured above, a bird and butterfly meadow, a super-fun tree house, a children's greenhouse, and a section of weird and contrasting plants.  The gardens are open daily from 9 am-5 pm.  Admission is $11.00 for adults, and $7.00 for children.

Fellows Riverside Gardens

 Fellows Riverside Gardens is a free public garden located in Youngstown, Ohio's Mill Creek Park.  It covers 12 acres, and includes an assortment of gardens.  It is probably best known for its variety of roses. Three of its gardens are dedicated to roses:  The Formal Rose Garden, Climbing Rose Allee, and the Rose Garden Terrace.  If you wish to see these gardens in full bloom, the best time to go is in June.

  

Other gardens include the Blue Garden, the shade garden, and the perenial border walk.

If you visit the gardens in the spring, you'll absolutely love all of the spring flowers.  The grounds are planted with 40,000 spring bulbs.  You'll see crocus, tulips, narcissus, and other colorful blooms.

The gardens are open year-round from dawn to dusk.

Leipzig Botanical Gardens

How do you like this old picture?  I found this from the University of Leipzig archives.  It was taken by Raphael Verehel in March of 1978.  As you can probably guess, it is a photo of the Leipzig Botanical Gardens, located in Leipzig, Germany.


The Leipzig Botanical Gardens are the oldest botanical gardens in Germany. They are also one of the oldest  the world.  They date back to 1542.  At that time, they were a collection of medicinal plants. Throughout history, the gardens have been destroyed by wars, and rebuilt. Today, the gardens are part of the University of Leipzig, and  are known for their variety of rare and tropical plants.  There are about 7000 species housed within the university's greenhouses.


The gardens are open daily.  Admission is free.      

How to Make Compost

 Compost is like a mulch and fertilizer all mixed together.  If you're a gardener, you know how great it can be for your soil.  It adds valuable nutrients,  helps clay soil drain better, and sandy soil retain water.  So how do you make a compost pile?

1. Choose an area that is out of sight, yet convenient to your garden.  You don't want to have to look at your compost pile every day, but you also don't want to walk a million miles to get to it.

2.  Gardening stores sell all kinds of composting bins.  Some can get kind of expensive.  If you're short on cash, you can use a stiff wire mesh to contain your compost.  The ideal size is 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft.  Compost breaks down quickly with that size.

3.  Compost is made up of two basic things:  green garden debris and brown garden debris.  Green debris includes stuff like raw vegetable peelings from your kitchen, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and animal manure from herbivores (don't use dog feces or cat litter!)  Brown debris includes things like dry leaves, newspapers, and sawdust.  Things NOT to include are meat, oil, dairy, or plants treated with herbicides.  Green ingredients are high in nitrogen.  Brown ingredients are high in carbon.

4.  You'll want a mix with the ratio one part green debris to two parts brown debris.  Too much green debris makes your pile stink.  So, if your pile is smelling bad, up the brown debris - add newspapers.

5.  To jump start the microbial action, toss in a shovelful of finished compost or garden soil.

6.  Your pile should be moist, but not too moist.  Add some water if it starts to dry out.

7.  Turn the pile once a week to keep the airflow continuous.

8. Your compost should be finished in about two months.  You'll know it's done when you can't tell what any of the original materials were.

Crocus

 Have the crocuses started coming up in your yard?  Mine have.  I just love these little flowers.  They're usually the first sign that winter is almost over.  There are about 80 different species of crocuses.  They are native to Europe, North Africa, Greece, the Middle East, and Central Asia.  The word, "crocus" comes from an Arabic word meaning "saffron yellow."

Crocuses have cup shaped flowers that taper into a narrow tube.  They come in an assortment of colors, but the most popular are lilac, mauve, yellow, and white.  They also have thin, grass-like leaves.  Usually when you see crocuses in garden catalogues, they're listed in two categories:  Giant Dutch Crocuses, and Snow Crocuses .  (These include everything that is not a Giant Dutch Crocus.)
So what's the difference?  Giant Dutch Crocuses are, well, bigger.  They're about 4-6 inches tall.  The Snow Crocus, on the other hand, has a smaller bulb, and therefore has smaller flowers.  The plus side for the Snow Crocus, is that it has more flowers per bulb, and that it blooms two weeks earlier than the Giant Dutch Crocus.

 Both catagories prefer sun and well-drained soil.  The Giant Dutch Crocuses are good in zones 4-8.  Plant them at least 4 inches deep.  The Snow Crocuses are good in zones 3-9.  Plant them at least 3 inches deep.  Crocuses are great for naturalizing, and for use in rock gardens.  Since they multiply yearly, you will probably have to separate the bulbs every couple of years.