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EASY DIY HERB GARDENS CAN ADD FLAIR AND FUNCTIONALITY TO YOUR KITCHEN

Jackson Galka — Mon, 11 May 2015 17:16:13 +0000

EASY DIY HERB GARDENS CAN ADD FLAIR AND FUNCTIONALITY TO YOUR KITCHEN

Green up your interior space with a quick and easy herb garden that won’t break the bank

Sundays are for sleeping in, binging on netflix, and if you’re like me–cooking.

You can keep fresh herbs available within arm’s reach if you have a few bucks and a sunny window.

For the pictured herb garden above, we used a set of six square, distressed wooden vases. Each box is lined with plastic to prevent water seepage.

–> You can find the exact wooden vases here at this link <—

Place a small layer of gravel at the base of each box to catch excess water and prevent rot, then simply insert the potted herb into the vase. A top layer of spanish moss conceals the structure and helps retain moisture.

To maintain, water a little at a time, and often. You may have to occasionally service the vase by emptying any excess water out. For 4-inch pots, I found that about an ounce of water every other day was sufficient. Some plants will require more, some less. You will absolutely not have any issues growing mint indoors–it is a weed, basically. Other plants can be more fickle. Experiment as you like.

The indoors isn’t ideal for certain varieties–these will not have an extremely long lifespan in your kitchen unless they are maintained perfectly. No matter–herbs are cheap ($3-$5 per pot), so any mistakes you make won’t be too expensive.

For better drainage, use traditional pots and saucers. I opted for the wooden vases for aesthetic reasons, understanding their limitations.

As always, reach out with any questions.

Enjoy!

FROM THE ARCHIVES: SPARKLING THE FALL GARDEN

Susan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:45:39 +0000

SPARKLING THE FALL GARDEN

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

Summer flew by in record time. Yesterday we were planning and prepping our beds for summer gardening. Today we’re bemoaning the very first frost-blackened tips and thinking…ok, time to put energy to clean-up!

There is a special beauty to the autumn garden. Overblown Impatiens against colorful foliage…Dahlias doing what they do, on steroids, in neon overdrive…even the cover of fallen leaves on the garden floor…how the autumn sun casts a sparkle upon the earth…and the invigorating smell of it all. If you can wait til a complete frost to attend to end of season chores, then by all means do. That means removing or cutting back those annual and perennial plants that are gone by, allowing those that are still respectable to show off. A bit of thought to the interplay of forms and colors at this time of year, when grooming the garden, is a worthy effort.

Leave Hydrangeas intact until we’re assured of an overnight frost. Then cut the heads, with stems…before the frost!!… and bring a bundleful indoors. Remove foliage, put directly into a big bowl and enjoy the carmine, lime, cream, and violet hues all winter.

Someone on a side street in Chestnut Hill has smartly…or serendipitously…combined raspberry red Mums with what remains of a planting of summer’s bright orange “Fire” Profusion Zinnias. Wish I had a photo to share. Delicious.

Consider the Dahlia…take quiet time this winter to peruse some of the many fine catalogs available online (my favorite resource is Swan Island Dahlias ). Growers and hybridizers convey their passion with brilliant photos of out-of-this-world blooms and exuberant new introductions. You’ll be hard-pressed to turn away, even if you’re aware of the tedious staking and deadheading (and digging in fall if you want to re-use the tubers) required to keep this class of plants vital and producing. Once the weather cools, Dahlias put on a razzle dazzle show unlike anything else in the plant world. Bouquet combinations are unlimited.

In the next few posts, we’ll discuss efficient and garden-smart ways to put your bit of the earth to bed for the winter.

“The days may not be so bright and balmy – yet the quiet and melancholy that linger around them is fraught with glory. Over everything connected with autumn there lingers some golden spell – some unseen influence that penetrates the soul with its mysterious power.” Norther Advocate

FROM THE ARCHIVES: PAINT WITH MOSS

Susan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:30:59 +0000

Adding a quick touch of green to most surfaces is child’s play.

An article, with recipe, for creating moss patterns where you have moist shade. An old wall, a low-lying spot, anywhere near a drain will work well.

Here’s another recipe…

Several clumps of moss

1 container yoghurt or 12 oz buttermilk

1/2 tsp sugar

Put all in a blender, blend. Transfer to a jar and paint onto your surface with a brush. Make sure to mist the area frequently after applying the mixture until it’s established. You can also create your pattern indoors on a seed tray containing compost or on the form you’ll be using outdoors. Transfer to the outdoors when the moss has established, and continue to mist until it’s well-situated.

“Look at the bark of a redwood, and you see moss. If you peer beneath the bits and pieces of the moss you’ll see toads, small insects, a whole host of life that prospers in that miniature environment. A lumberman will look at a forest and see so many board feet of lumber. I see a living city.” Sylvia Earle

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ROSE PREP

Susan — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:19:59 +0000

from the archives: galkaoutdoor.blogspot.com

It’s time to prune your roses! The following is by no means an exhaustive how-to. But ample for ensuring a healthy start to the rose season. Refer to this article throughout the summer when maintenance pruning will encourage new growth and bloom, remove dead wood, improve air circulation and provide a pleasing plant shape. Maintenance pruning should not be tackled past August.

Caveats:

Do not prune non-recurrent old fashioned or once-blooming Roses ’til after bloom-time or you’ll lose the flowers.
Do not prune newly-planted Roses, other than dead wood, and be very conservative when pruning Roses that have been in the ground for only a year.
“Knockout” Roses are an exception on many fronts. I’ve noted successful fall pruning with little or no die-back. If you wish to maintain a thick, rounded shrub form, which is what these easy-care Roses do, then merely reducing to a manageable size and shaping as you please is required.

For all other classes of roses:

Keep pruners clean, sharp and well-oiled. It’s always good practice to dip pruners in alcohol before moving to a new plant.
Wear durable gloves and long sleeves! The thorns don’t get you, you get them, though it seems otherwise.
Remove debris (leaves, etc) from around the plant.
Look at the entire plant, but begin pruning by looking first at the base. You’ll make better decisions that way. Make cuts at a 45 degree angle, about 1/4 inch above a leaf bud that faces to the outside of the plant. See image below. Too much above leaves an unsightly stub. Too close to the bud means it won’t develop.
Cuts must be clean, not ragged. Hence sharp pruners!!
Remove all dead, diseased wood (branches that look black, shriveled, mottled). The pith (interior) of the branch at the cut should be white…if discolored, prune lower to find white pith.
Remove any branches that are thinner than a pencil.
Remove sucker growth below the graft.
Remove any foliage that remains on the newly-pruned bush. This is important to ensure that any latent infection is not carried forward.
Plan to prune 1/3 to 1/2 the volume of the bush. Remember that you’ll always wish you’d pruned more aggressively once the bush hits its stride.
Once you’re done, step back and look at the plant. If you think it’s still too congested at its center, remove more canes so that air will circulate well. If you’re pruning a shrub rose,create a desirable shape.
Scratch compost (manure, mushroom compost, household compost) into the soil around each rose. I mulch my rose beds with mushroom compost.

Done!!

Developing technique takes practice, but remember that you’re not likely to kill the plant if you make a mistake…and once the weather warms, your roses will grow like crazy anyway.

“You are responsible forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your Rose.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery