Backyard Chicken Keeping

Curious? Considering? Confused?

Join MLCHgarden and feathered friends for

Backyard Chicken Keeping Workshop & Tour de Coops

  Saturday March 26th from 1pm to 4pm

Chicks with Chicks will guide you with first-hand information on 

•  is it legal?
• coop design
• purchasing the right chicks
• care of your feathered friends
• gathering eggs!
• more!

Learn from experienced backyard chicken keepers, then decide if it's right for you... See active chicken coops and learn from different sources!

Registration $15. email mlchgarden@comcast.net for more info & to register.

Blessings from the Garden. 

ML

Temporary Troubles

Not sure why, but some are having difficulty accessing my website.
I won't be able to reach a professional until Monday, so bear with me.

I am using Mozilla Firefox to get to my website, and have no difficulty...
No comments in the contest section, but some of you are telling me there
is a "freeze" problem with the website.

Thanks for you patience... Stick with me!
ML

Help Wanted

My goal is to help you become more confident both as a gardener and beginning floral designer. 

I need your help.  

Leave a comment here about what challenges you as a gardener/designer and your comment will be placed in the flower pot to win the Bucket Bouquet...a bucket with a handful of seed packets from Renee's Garden, an original MLCHgarden apron, and 2 passes to the Backyard Chicken Keeping & Tour de Coops...doesn't matter where you live...

This info will help me do a better job and you'll provide me with info for my handy gardening guidebook...

Nasturtiums

I've soaked 3 packets of nasturtium seeds and they are ready for planting.

Nasturtiums are my favorite flowering herb. Not sure if you can eat the roots, but for the most part, you can consume the entire plant. The large round wrinkly seeds are similar in taste to that of the herb Capers (also my maiden name!).

In Augusta and similar planting zones, you can plant nasturtiums in late summer and very early spring. Now is a great time for planting. I have one group peeking out of the ground after planting about a week ago. A bit of water and sun will drive the nasturtiums up quickly.

Order seeds online for a variety of color choices or pick up a couple of packets at your garden center. There are vine types too.

Before planting in containers or the ground, I prefer to soak the seeds in water over night. This speeds up the germination process. I plant nasturtiums in part sun. Last spring's planting lasted through the summer. Like most herbs, water when dry, provide adequate drainage, and give them some sun. Harvest the flowers and leaves in the morning or late evening when moisture content is at its peak.

The flowers have a delicate sweet scent, but definitely not over powering. I've not developed a "taste" for them. I suppose my appreciation for the lovely flower is too great.

Good Luck with your nasturtiums.
Blessings from the Garden.
ML

Augusta Home & Garden Show

The 6th Annual Augusta Home & Garden Show is this weekend, February 25th -27th at the James Brown Arena. There will be lots of area vendors related to gardening and outdoor living. I am excited.

The Speakers List is interesting too, on Celebrity Stage..I hope you'll come see me Friday at 3pm or Sunday at 3:30pm. The topic? Pots, Pools & Pedicures! A short presentation that will inspire you to get out and enjoy your space...

see you.
Blessings from the Garden.

Spring Herb Planting

We are getting so close to planting time here in Augusta!  Veggies, herbs and flower plants are starting to make their way out of greenhouses and into the garden stores. 

While planning your purposeful garden this season, consider including a variety of herbs. I always tell people, particularly those with "brown thumbs", to grow herbs.

This week starts with a few hints about choosing and growing these delightful 
culinary treats. 









First, think of what herbs you enjoy in your food...
here are a few of my favorites:
   

•  Rosemary

• Basil
• Chives
• Oregano
• Lovage
• Bay
• Dill

This will give you a great start when shopping for herbs you'll really use from the garden.

Next we'll look at the 3 D's for growing herbs!


Blessings from the Garden. 
ML

February ToDo's

 














Just because it was 80 degrees yesterday and you caught spring fever doesn't mean that next
week there won't be snow! I am happy to see some warm weather, too, but know that I shouldn't
get too enthusiastic!

 Here are some things to do now:

• plant radish, English peas, lettuce, spinach, Asian greens all outside from seed 
• buy and plant snapdragons, sweet william, dusty miller transplants
• be sure to put in some broccoli and chard transplants, plant a few sets of onions to have on hand
• plant blueberry, raspberry, asparagus
• give your monkey grass a hair-cut before new growth starts next month
• prune your knock out roses, your hybrid teas, too, if you have them.
• prepare pots for planting tomatoes next month
• put out Llama beans in garden beds for a healthy boost!
• whack butterfly bushes to 1/2 

 February is the beginning of our Southern gardening season. The next 8 months are soooo delightful.

Blessings from the Garden.
ML

KickAss Gardening

 
I've been challenged with "reaching beyond the same old stuff" as far as my blog posts.

Last week's challenge by the Blogging Barista was "What powerful story can you share on your blog about a personal challenge you've overcome?"






The first thing that pops to mind occurred in high school. My junior year of high school was consumed with guys, parties, clothes and some studies. In addition, I was far from being an athlete, however, our PE teacher was engrossed in turning out winning girls teams. PE classes consisted of softball, volleyball and basketball----FAR from what I thought should be my physical education!


I failed PE that year.

Yes, I failed PE and was the only Senior the following year required to take PE because I rarely dressed out the previous year.

To my delight, I was blessed with a new PE teacher my senior year. Aerobics, light weights- "girly" stuff. Changed my life forever. I often wonder if I would be a lazy toad had she not entered my life.

What does all this have to do with gardening? Well, gardening is terrific exercise both for the mind and the body. Some report that you can burn up to 300 calories an hour depending on the type of activity.

Here is an easy "routine" for toning up your garden bod:

• squats =  reaching down to pull weeds or dead material in garden
• arms/back =   "working" the ground in spring with a shovel or hoe & pruning with long handled pruners
• legs  =    taking yard debris to street, careful with the back when dragging limbs/containers

Spring is right around the corner so go out and work it!

Blessings from the Garden
ML

 

 

busy week.

This week may be completely pictorial as far as my posts.

I am speaking to 2 Garden Clubs this week in addition to a District Garden Club meeting.







We don't have too much longer
before planting time here in the "Garden City", so I hope you've ordered seeds,
and set up a plan for what you want to grow this season.







Spring is right around the corner!
Blessings from the Garden.
ML

Thrill, Fill & Spill...

Dallas Arboretum, 2010

Banana as Thriller

This month's garden talks are about Pots, Pools & Pedicures. Several people have expressed curiosity on Facebook and email...What the heck?

Well, I am getting you ready for spring, and infusing your mind with inspiration...
First, pots.

When planting a pot or container for a large area or any area consider the following:

THRILLERS
These are bold plants that are a focal point in the pot. Examples: lorapetalum (above in tree form) and banana (below).

FILLERS
Mounding plants such as coleus, lantana, begonias, dusty miller. Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' is my favorite.

SPILLERS
The first pot in this post has a good example of a spiller- blackie sweet potato vine.
Other good choices are bacopas, creeping jenny, and persian shield  

 Blessings from the Garden. 
ML

Camellias

Yuletide Camellia

Camellias are the signal of spring. I have one Camellia that blooms
early in January, the others begin in February. There are so many
varieties of Camellias. I prefer a mixture of Camellia japonica and Camellia
sasanqua. Camellia sasanqua is a smaller bush with smaller growth habit.

I thought I would give you a few of my favorites.

'Debutante'

Camellia Sasanqua

A regular MLCHgarden reader gave me a link to the Little Green Notebook blog.
This girl is talented and knows how to work a budget. I was thrilled
to see the two Camellia paintings updated with rose-colored mats. My grandmother,
Louise, painted these two camellias, and they are off to the frame shop
for an update.

Camellia Pink Star- Louise Capers 11-4-1975

Blessings from the Garden.
ML

ML's Top 10 Seeds: Part Two, Veggies, etc.

Purple Noodle Bean

Top 10 Seeds: The Final Five.  

 
Monday was Flower seeds, today is Veggies.

These are in no particular order. Check out this UGA Planting Chart for more info.



6.  Lettuce
      So many varieties. UGA recommends Butterhead, Romaine & Buttercrunch for
      Zone 7/8 (Augusta GA), but don't hold back from experimenting with some gourmet types
      such as Arugula, Red Choi, Butterhead, and the colorful mixes.




7. Radish-My favorites are Cherry Belle and Easter Egg... We love them in salads.

Okra & Baby G-Mo in the Monkey Grass

8.  Spinach
     Malabar Spinach is an ornamental yet edible climbing spinach that I will plant on the 3 tee pees in the home garden this spring. Otherwise, get your "green" on with Melody, Giant Noble, Winter Bloomsdale, and Avon.



9.  Beans/Peas
      The Purple Noodle Bean or Yard Long beans are very interesting because of their color and length. Edible. 

English Peas can be started now & are fun to pop open while in the garden...also throw them in stir fry. Many varieties for Zone 7/8- Lincoln, Maestro, & Little Marvel.For traditional snap beans, I  am growing bush type beans instead of pole beans this year.






10.  Okra--tip: "Eagle Pass"is not a variety I've had success with but it is sure 
pretty in the catalog. 
Southerners should be successful with okra! Burgandy and Clemson Spineless
are your best bets! Burgundy looks great in fall arrangements!

SunGold(small) & Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes

I can't stop here! I have more, so check back!
Blessings from the Garden. 
ML

PS. Have you subscribed(FREE) to  MLCHgarden Tools newsletter mailing list?
Will email it on Saturday 2/5/11...

Organic Fertilizer

 Llama Beans!

Living with two outdoorsmen, Marianna & I are subject to unsolicited conversations
about various forms of waste. This post is about a good one, Llama Beans. Sounds like our southern "lima beans" but it's not.

High school buddy Louise Meadows raises Llamas in Lincoln County.
These are champion llamas bred and raised for show. What do llamas
have to do with gardening? Well, their manure is one of the best forms of
nutrients for the garden--pure green and organic~. No worries about burning your plants as with synthetic and
some animal manures. You can throw the Llama Beans around your plants with no worries and
no smell!



Using the "beans" whole can be compared to using a slow release fertilizer whereas putting
a cup of beans or so in a bucket and filling with water to make a tea is even better- and
more direct.

Visit Louise and Sean's website and see the beauties, and buy a bag of beans- 15 bucks for beans!

Blessings from the Bean Garden.
ML

MLCHgarden...: ML's Top 10 Seeds: Part One, Flowers.

MLCHgarden...: ML's Top 10 Seeds: Part One, Flowers.

ML's Top 10 Seeds: Part One, Flowers.

For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with growing anything from seed. 

The excitement of gently placing a seed in the newly worked earth, and the anticipation

of germination renews my enthusiasm for the upcoming harvest. This eagerness for life is what drives this experienced gardener and newbies to the "fields". 

Try some of these easy to grow seeds this spring. Remember, Augusta has a last frost range between March 15 & April 15, so be prepared to cover those seedlings if you plant early!

1.   Zinnias- try a new variety, perhaps "romantic" colors this year!

2.   Nasturtiums- a long time favorite of Robert's grandmother, Ma Maw...soak these seeds in warm water for a few hours before planting to speed germination. 

3. Rose Campion (left)

Long time gardener, Joe Agostas, 

shared a film canister(if you remember 

what that is!) filled with seeds. I sprinkled them around the garden, and poof! a spectacular show of this fuschia perenial.

If you know someone with this plant who can share, get some.

4.  Sunflowers

      If you have children or grandchildren, the sunflower is a must. Lots of memories      generated with this happy annual! There are so many varieties, here are just a few of my favorites: 

                   **  Teddy Bear--great for a container

                   ** Moulin Rouge--reminds me of burgundy wine!

                   ** Tithonia--actually a Mexican Sunflower, but so easy! 

                   ** Mammoth-perfect for kids, grow some beans on this one.

5.  Celosia

     

Sounds odd, but this knotty, brain like variety is

oh, so  popular in bridal bouquets. 

There are "flame" varieties, too, which are

just as beautiful but not as unique. 

Please share this post with your Facebook friends...

there's a button below!

Part II...later. 

Blessings from the Garden. 

ML