I do not have a green thumb. You could call me an involuntary plant-slaughterer. I’ve tried for years to keep some plants indoors, but they all drop their leaves and beg for new homes. My mom thought I had a knack with greenery and tried to water all the luscious ferns and flowers throughout my house. “Stop, Mom,” I cried as water spilled over cabinets and floors. “I’m a fraud! All those plants are fake!”
I do a little better with outside flowers and vegetables, but still consider myself a novice. My friend Peggy Davis, however, is completing the Master Gardener Program through The Ohio State University’s extension department in Delaware County. She agreed to take me under her wing this year by advising me on what to plant in my garden where and when, and how to keep critters away and the greenery alive.
Peggy suggests starting in January with winter seed-sowing. The idea is to plant seeds in recycled containers that act as mini greenhouses and leave them outside all winter to germinate. It’s an easy, green, cost-effective project that is also fun to do with kids. You need clear water or milk jugs, soil, seeds and packing tape. Punch drainage holes in the bottom of the jug with a screwdriver. Cut the jug horizontally about 3 inches up from the bottom and leave approximately 1 inch connecting the handle to the base like
a hinge. Plant seeds in slightly damp soil without fertilizers. Seal the cut seam around the jug with packing or duct tape and take off the lid.
The little greenhouses will freeze, thaw, get snowed and rained on – and still grow seedlings by Memorial Day. Check out www.wintersown.org and www.gardenweb.com for information on which seeds to plant in which month.
So you have your seedlings and are ready to plant, but you are worried about space. If you don’t have a spare plot of land, all you need are some containers with good drainage. The advantage of smaller planters is that the soil warms up faster. “Tender annuals and perennials flourish in the warm soil and don’t like to get cold, wet feet,” Peggy explains. “But water them more frequently because the containers dry out quicker.”
Consider a hanging basket of lettuce so you can have salad right outside your window. Fill a wire cage with sphagnum moss, weave seedlings through the bars, water and then snip off what you need as the lettuce grows. Or use an old ladder or trellis for climbing peas, pole beans and cherry tomatoes.
Peggy has several raised beds for her vegetables and smaller pots for herbs and spices. She suggests planting flowers such as marigolds, lavender and nasturtium along with the veggies to keep aphids and other insects away. Deer can also be a nuisance in the Dublin area, but Peggy found an organic recipe online that has worked well and kept Bambi and friends away fro
m her peas, green beans and cucumbers: Mix 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1 liter of water. Pour into a clean pump with sprayer and apply to plants. Deer don’t like the smell of the mixture, and it doesn’t harm the environment or alter the taste of veggies.
There is something special about picking your own food that’s been soaking up the sun all day. August is still a great time to plant cold weather vegetables and herbs. All autumn and even into the snow, you can harvest kale, beets, carrots, cabbage and radishes. “Kale gets even sweeter after a frost,” says Peggy, “and I was cutting parsley and other herbs out of my garden at Thanksgiving.”
One of my favorite ideas is a themed garden. Plant everything you might need for homemade soup, such as onions, carrots, garlic, cilantro and broccoli. Or try an herbal tea planter with peppermint, lemon verbena, chamomile and thyme. Mix and muddle the leaves before covering with hot water, and you can dry out whatever herbs are left in the fall.
My project is going to be the D’Angelo pizza garden. We are planting tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano and peppers so we can create a homemade fresh pizza. If only we could figure out where to find a pepperoni and mozzarella plant!
