Vacation's Over. Time to Get to Work.

The Garden: April 19th

Less than 12 hours back from our wonderful vacation to Italy, I was on my way to Merrifield to buy some plants and get with the planting program. My eyes are always bigger than the space in the backyard so I had to contain myself while I ran up and down the herb/veggie aisles like a kid running through Toys R Us.

My first task was picking out tomatoes. I knew I wanted to grow four varieties. After last year's huge success, I wanted another patio tomato plant. The plant grows bushy rather than tall and thus makes it nice for a small growing space. I picked out a big boy variety tomato and a supersweet 100 tomato breed. The supersweet is a small variety that resembles a cherry tomato. I think this would be great for salads and caprese. The fourth tomato I want is an heirloom tomato. Heirloom tomatoes are very oddly shaped but very delicious. I couldn't find any heirloom plants, so I'll keep looking throughout the week. The garden center gets shipments almost daily.

After the tomato draft, I grabbed my standard herb varieties. Sage, oregano, rosemary, and basil all made it into the shopping cart. Before I knew it, I was elbow deep in potting mix and planning the layout for the garden.

Get the plant deep into the pot...

A good tip for planting your tomato plants: bury them!!! When you set it in the pot or ground, you want to stick it deep in the ground so the roots will be further down. Deeper roots makes it easier for the plant to find water and nutrients in the ground. I bury almost half the plant under ground. Don't worry if you cover some of the young branches. They'll find their way back to the top.

...and then fill the potting mix halfway up the stem

I also planted a jalapeno plant. I include two stakes in the pot to help support the plant when it gets large and begins to bear fruit. Adding stakes/support when you FIRST plant is key. Once the plant gets too big and has no support, it is too late to try and add a stake. Trying to jam the stake into the soil through the roots is not easy and harmful to the plant. So have a little forethought and put the stakes in early. As the plant gets bigger, you can tie it to the stakes.Thank goodness we got all the backyard work done on Sunday because the skies have opened up today. Perfect timing for rain if you ask me.

A Garden Paradise...

The Island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast of Italy

Just off the coast of Napoli, Italy is a small island where the rich and famous of Europe go to vacation. Them, and the average American gardner with a ton of Marriott points to cash-in.

But the true riches of Capri aren't found in the pockets of Armani designer jeans or Luis Vuitton wallets. It doesn't take but five minutes to see that succulent produce is overly abundant on the island.
The colors are rich and plentiful. But no fruit is more prevalent than the lemon. Everywhere you turn, a lemon tree stares back at you. The lemon is without question the staple crop of Capri. Why? Well, the climate is certainly conducive to growing citrus. The average temperature in the winter doesn't dip below 50 F degrees. And, when you are the world's main producer of limoncello, it's probably a safe bet that you need to be growing a lot of lemons.Aside from the lemons, Capri locals are devoted to growing a lot of other amazing veggies and fruits. Just from what I saw in a couple days, artichokes, tomatoes, oranges, olives, and asparagus are just a few of the Capri cash crops. These home farmers are meticulous in maintaining their beautiful gardens. And they do it without the help of a garden center or Home Depot. Everything is planted in perfect rows and supported by fences and posts built from limbs and vines of the local trees.I could only dream of having the land, rich soil, climate, and knowledge these Italians have for growing bountiful and delicious vegetables.

Check Out The Legs On That One!!!

Cilantro Seedlings

A couple posts ago I mentioned a problem I was having with my new sprouts called "legging". Legging occurs when the newly sprouted plants do not get a proper amount of sunlight. The sprouts are so desperate for light, they grow very long stems trying to reach for sunlight. Everyday for the first week, the sprouts would actually lean towards the window.

Legging is bad because the plants use all their effort to grow up rather than begin a strong root foundation. Also, the long, thin frame leaves it succeptable to the outside wind and cool temperatures.

I had to go a couple routes to help alleviate this problem. Since we've had a lot of rainy days, I needed to find a way to provide artificial sunlight. I ran over to the local garden center and bought a 150-watt grow light. On cloudy, cool days I leave the plants inside and turn on the grow light for 8 hours. This process helped in stopping the plants from continuing to leg. At least now they can begin to strengthen their roots and stalks.

In The Second Week, Jeremy Created Light

My second route was to actually plant some of the sprouts in their permanent summer homes. The acorn squash seedlings had become quite leggy but had good leaf structure. Knowing that we had passed our last freeze, I planted the squash in a pot I planted cucumbers last year. But when I planted them, I buried the sprouts almost to the leaves. The plants were not strong enough to handle winds and hard rain. By burying the plants so deep, the soil provided support. But as you may see in the picture below, some of the stalks still could not handle the stress and broke off. This is not a bad thing in that surviving stalks now have more room to grow and spread. Kind of like the garden's version of natural selection. 

Planted Acorn Squash

I also read another option to alleviate legging is fanning the plants with paper or other objects. This simulates wind and tells the plant it needs to strengthen itself in order to survive the environment. To me, this sounds like you'd have to do a lot of fanning. So my advice is to get the plants as much natural sunlight and warm temps as possible. And if you can't, buy the light.

Let's also update the status on all our crops. I can say as of this past weekend, ALL of our seed varieties have germinated. Some better than others. 

The Outside Crops

All the root veggies have begun popping up. The rutabagas came up first followed by the onions and carrots. The salad mix lettuce has also made its appearance. Last year's peppermint is still rising from its winter death bed and the strawberry plants are all coming back to life. The chives plant is a huge weed (which is awesome for mashed potatoes).

The Sugar Peas Are Reaching For The Trellis

I'm very impressed with the way the dwarf sugar peas have sprouted. I fully expect within the next week or two the sprouts will have reached the base of the trellis and will quickly head to the top. They have been the fastest growers.

The Inside Crops

With the legging problem under control, I'm feeling good about the inside guys, too. The cilantro has begun making leaves with that signature rigid look. The chamomile and thyme haven't done much since first sprouting. The lavender has one stalk that looks healthy with large leaves. The rosemary is the runt of the family. But my focus is on the New Mexico chile varieties. They both germinated a little earlier than I expected, but they look really good at this point. I have my fingers crossed.

Because we are going on vacation for a week and a half, the inside crops will be under the kind care of a coworker in the bureau. They are in my boss's office in front of a large west-facing window. So let's hope for some long and sunny afternoons!!!

All-in-all, we're looking pretty good. Once we get back from our trip, it will be time to get the other veggie plants into the pots and on their way to producing great eats.

King James's Garden

"I Love Me Some Rutabagas!!! Who's With Me?!?!?"

You're probably wondering how LeBron James has anything to do with our garden. Normally...nothing. But hang with me and let me explain why it did last night.

After I left the gym, I stopped at my cultivating mecca...the Merrifield Garden Center. My mission was to seek advice on a fungicide application timeline for my lawn. When the heat and humidity hit in late June, I have big problems with brown patch. I've already put down lawn food and crabgrass control, but I need to attack the brown patch problem before it rears its ugly head. In full disclosure, I may or may not have been looking for some spinach plants as well.

As I stood in the fertilizer section looking at the wide variety of disease control products, an employee, Mike, came up to me. Normally, a staffer will ask if there's anything they can help with. Customers always have a serious dazed and confused look on their face, so typically the employee gets an earful. But last night, it was different.

Mike: "Are you a LeBron James fan?"
Me: (after looking at my attire to confirm I hadn't been kidnapped, stripped of my Mizzou workout clothes, and dressed in Cleveland Cavaliers threads) "Ummm, nope. Sorry."
Mike: "That's a shame because I have two tickets to the Wizrads/Cavs game tomorrow night. They're free and in a suite that the garden center owner has half of."
Me: "Really? Well, no thanks."
Employee Sweeping Floor Nearby: "I'll take them!!!"
Mike: "Nope. They're for customers only. Are you sure you don't want them?"
Me (seeing that I was the only customer around): "I'd hate for those tickets to go unused...especially if they're in a suite."
Mike: "Great."
Me: "Now when should I apply a fungus preventer to help solve my brown patch issue. I've already laid down the premium blend lawn food along with the corn gluten crabgrass preventer two weeks ago. I'm thinking late May just after a second application of the gluten? What do you think?"

The next 15 minutes we discussed the garden. But what's the lesson here? THAT IS SOME QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND APPRECIATION. Seriously? You're giving me suite tickets to see the best basketball player in the world? For free? No strings attached? Just because I happened to be standing there? This just doesn't happen in the real world.

My conspiracy theory is this: Merrifield Garden Center has some hidden, high-tech, biometric surveillance system identifying and recording all customer movement. I've been in that place enough that finally a sensor went off notifying the staff that: The big, goofy oaf has returned. He's spent enough coin in our establishment (enough probably to open another store) and maybe we should give him a little something in return.

I equate it to a casino in Vegas. I've been identified as a "whale" and thus comped a suite and free trip to the breakfast buffet. In return, I'll continue to shuttle all my money to them at the blackjack table.

Last night, they just guaranteed I will buy all my plants, potting mix, and first born at Merrifield Garden Center.

Pure. Genius.

In all seriousness, Merrifield has always been great and its employees extremely helpful. If you live in the DC metro area, the MGC is a must stop on your gardening/landscape adventures. Their website is also fantastic for gardening tips and ordering supplies. Merrifield Garden Center

Mike, thanks a ton. The tix were great. But the advice on the lawn care was even better. I always get the best from the Merrifield staff.