Comments for The Giving Garden

Comment on Jasminum nudiflorum by Prune Winter Jasmine « Gardora.net

Prune Winter Jasmine « Gardora.net — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:34:10 +0000

[...] jasmine after flowering: remove any dead or damaged shoots! More on winter jasmine: http://bit.ly/y4YcBE TwitterFacebook [...]

Comment on Whose Woods These Are I Think I Know by debbie

debbie — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:25:48 +0000

Wow, so beautiful. What a great way to start the day. Thanks for sharing

Comment on Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot by smart

smart — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:55:27 +0000

Thats some cultural blog post

Comment on Useful, Elegant Ferns For Moist Soils by Ferns for Moist and Shady Places « Gardora.net

Ferns for Moist and Shady Places « Gardora.net — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:06:40 +0000

[...] you have moist and shady places in your garden think about planting ferns! Two suggestions: http://bit.ly/o89B71TwitterFacebook [...]

Comment on Falling For Pink by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:39:00 +0000

Thanks Samantha. Sydney must be beautiful this time of year!

Comment on Falling For Pink by drawnoutdoors

drawnoutdoors — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:26:55 +0000

Lovely post – people always forget about the possibility of autumn and winter flowers and seem to concentrate on the colours of foliage. We’re in full spring bloom down here in Sydney, so colour is everywhere we look – Enjoy your autumn colour!

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by Shira Friedman

Shira Friedman — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:30:31 +0000

Found you through homegrown – I’m having a ridiculous cucumber year… so many. I’ve made pickles 3 times already. I absolutely love Sherri’s book, and use it all the time (full disclosure, she is a friend and neighbor).

Comment on Ode to Coastal Plants by Ode to Coastal Plants – The Giving Garden | Tiki Chicks

Ode to Coastal Plants – The Giving Garden | Tiki Chicks — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:15:14 +0000

[...] out your flip-flops, and camera and jump right in. http://thegivinggarden.com/2011/08/08/ode-to-coastal-plants/ This entry was posted in News and tagged Coastal, Garden, Giving, Plants. Bookmark the [...]

Comment on Ode to Coastal Plants by nikkie

nikkie — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:34:13 +0000

aww, very pretty pictures! I can almost smell the salt in the air :-)

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:45:45 +0000

Thanks Mary! I’m glad you are finding this site useful. I just tried a refrigerator pickle recipe and will be posting that as well if they turn out. The cucumbers just keep coming!

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by Mary Kendall

Mary Kendall — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:13:40 +0000

I found your website by accident because the blog for my school garden is very similar. What great information you’ve been sharing. I had to put a link to this on my facebook (hope that’s ok) because your article on pickling is one a lot of people would love right about now. Thanks so much–beautiful pictures and great writing.

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:19:26 +0000

Thank you! My favorite two recipes about were the dill spears and the pickle chips. The pickle chips are a great addition to sandwiches. We had them on top of crab cakes the other night with a fresh slice of tomato and a little mayo and they were fabulous.

Comment on Apples and Pumpkins, Perfect Together. by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:12:22 +0000

Thanks for the storage tips. For some reason I never thought of storing them under my bed, but that is definitely a cool, dry place!

Comment on Apples and Pumpkins, Perfect Together. by czechthatout

czechthatout — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:07:13 +0000

Pumpkins will store quite well if left in a cool dry place during the winter. I lay newspaper on the floor under my bed and store the pumpkins there until I need them. I bring them in from the garden, wipe off any dirt and slide them under the bed. I grow kabocha and Castilla pumpkins, they both store very well, have a sweet flesh and are great for cooking.

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by czechthatout

czechthatout — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:48:34 +0000

Lovely, very nice presentation and information about pickles. Your garden is beautiful too.

Comment on In A Pickle? What To Do With All Those Cucumbers. by margie

margie — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:15:06 +0000

wow! that’s a lot of pickles. and they all look delicious! maybe i should add cucumbers to my teeny garden next year!

Comment on I Say Tomato; You say Tomatillo by margie

margie — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:12:44 +0000

i can’t wait to come over and try some! I’ll bring the chips! :)

Comment on No Fuss Container Plantings by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:43:10 +0000

Thanks Karen! Beautiful and Easy.

Comment on No Fuss Container Plantings by Karen

Karen — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:41:32 +0000

Those look beautiful. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

Comment on Jasminum nudiflorum by Double Your Flower Power With Vines | The Giving Garden

Double Your Flower Power With Vines | The Giving Garden — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:15:40 +0000

[...] extend the flowering period, by growing vines together that bloom at different times. For example, Jasminum nudiflorum, a late winter to early spring bloomer, interplanted with a later blooming Clematis (pictured [...]

Comment on Jasminum nudiflorum by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:36:18 +0000

Thanks John. I’m not familiar with either of these plants. I’m guessing they do not survive our cold winters. How would they fair in a Zone 6b garden?

Comment on Jasminum nudiflorum by John

John — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:32:50 +0000

I wanted to share two other Jasmine plants that have yellow flowers:

Jasminum Humile Revolutum have a light pleasant smell: http://gardenoftomorrow.com/jasmine-2/jasminum-humile-revolutum-italian-jasmine-yellow-jasmine-133/

Jasminum Mesnyi doesn’t really have any scent (just like Jasminum Nudiflorum):
http://gardenoftomorrow.com/jasmine-2/jasminum-mesnyi-japanese-jasmine-primrose-jasmine-yellow-jasmine-132/

Comment on Biscuits Très Chocolat by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:12:54 +0000

Thanks Margie. They are delish. Just remember to let them cool a bit so that they don’t crumble to the touch. And remember the consistency is grainy so don’t be alarmed when you are making the dough. It doesn’t feel the same as typical cookie dough.

Comment on Biscuits Très Chocolat by Margie

Margie — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:05:37 +0000

I really did love these when you made them for me. I’m having a bunch of MDL parents over on Monday night– i can’t wait to serve these!! :)

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by Kristy Moon

Kristy Moon — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:48:09 +0000

PVC can definitely hold plenty of weight, especially if you chose a slightly bigger gauge of pipe. The smallest, cheapest kind is kind of flimsy and bendy. It won’t break, but it also isn’t particularly straight in long lengths. We used the cheapest, smallest diameter pvc pipe for a soccer team banner-holder and it wasn’t strong enough to stand up to the wind. It’s a fun building “medium” to play with — kind of like giant tinker toys.

We did make one alteration to that plan early on. We added a pegboard platform to hold the trays. The pipes can technically hold flats, but it was too easy for them to get bumped a few inches to the side and then fall through the space. I just took some photos and I’ll put them up on my blog.

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:44:39 +0000

Kristy, That was the first PVC stand I’ve ever seen. If the dimensions were changed to accommodate more lights, and possibly more flats would it be sturdy enough to carry the weight? It would be nice if it could be redesigned. I completely appreciate your feedback on this system, as I’d like to make grow plants from seed accessible to more people. And yes, my plants are very happy. I already had to transplant some of those thinned out seedlings into 3″ containers and will be posting more on that today with pics! -Shane

Comment on Thinning seedlings: Tedious, But Neccessary by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:34:07 +0000

Hopefully they were fond memories! My kids are always amazed at how fast they grow from seed to plant, and enjoy checking on them. My son even likes to conduct his own taste tests.

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by Kristy

Kristy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:22:58 +0000

The plants in your flickr feed look great, by the way! They seem very happy with their light set-up.

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by Kristy

Kristy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:20:11 +0000

I absolutely agree that fluorescent bulbs are sufficient to grow great seedlings, especially if you get the right bulbs and also start with fresh bulbs each growing season (the light they produce is less intense as the bulbs get older.) The problem with my lighting stand (which is apparently EXACTLY the one in that link. It was from a Gardenway pamphlet) that the outside two rows of my flats are entirely outside of the light zone. In effect, in a flat with 72 cells, only 36 cells are underneath the bulbs. So anyway, I love your plan and I’m not as enthusiastic about the classroom version in your link (I’d advise anyone who uses it to consider planting only the middle of the flats if possible.)

Comment on Thinning seedlings: Tedious, But Neccessary by gweneverenewell

gweneverenewell — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:17:06 +0000

Love the pics! I remember many times as a child helping my mom “cut the little heads off” of the seedlings in her basement as well! Hers wasn’t nearly as organized as yours though:)

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:57:07 +0000

Kristy, Thanks for your feedback. I agree my that my grow stand is much sturdier and can fit more flats than the pvc model. I found that link after I posted and thought that people who don’t have space for a permanent stand (like teachers with limited space in classrooms) would find the pvc model more useful. As for the fluorescent lights, I do keep them directly above the plants. As they grow taller, I simply adjust the light height by shortening the chains that they hang on. I’m going to post an entry on transplanting seedlings this week and there will be a picture of this included. The lights are actually hanging on a tilt right now so that they can accommodate the needs of the growing plants. So, I haven’t had any problems with the fluorescent bulbs being too weak. Another thing is that all fluorescent bulbs aren’t the same. You need to use bulbs that are around 5000-6500 Kelvin (which refers to the color of the light) and around 3000+ lumens (which is the amount of light given off per square foot). A master gardener, who taught me much of what I know about growing vegetables, actually tested all the different types of lights on the market and came up with the conclusion that the best lights are ‘cool white’ T-12 or GE “daylight”. I hope this helps!

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by Kristy Moon

Kristy Moon — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:34:42 +0000

I have a light stand made of pvc. It looks like it may be exactly the model in the link — I think we purchased the plans somewhere about 15 years ago. It works, but yours is superior. The biggest problem is that it uses only one light fixture, which isn’t as wide as the flats it is designed to hold. As weak as fluorescent lights are, you really need lights directly above all of your plants or the seedlings on either side lean and get leggy (I rotate the individual pots & six-packs to help alleviate this, but having two lights per tier would be way better).

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:24:22 +0000

I have to admit I have never heard of using a comfrey poultice to heal tree bark. I’m assuming a goat’s damage would be similar to what the deer do here when they rub their antlers on the bark, but I can’t imagine anything undoing that damage. As for the pine straw, that is indeed a myth. I was always told that as well, until I took a class on soil properties and soil amendments and it was dispelled. The needles are slightly acidic, but not enough to significantly change your soil’s pH.

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by gweneverenewell

gweneverenewell — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:27:53 +0000

Oh and I have a question, will mulching with pine straw eventually cause your soil to become more acidic? I’ve heard that’s why mulching blueberries and strawberries with it is a good idea, but it may be a myth. Just wondering if you had any experience in that area.

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by gweneverenewell

gweneverenewell — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:25:29 +0000

I actually may have a solution to the problem of the weak bark, it maybe worth an experiment or two. In the book ” The medicinal Herb Grower”, Richo Cech talks about an incident when his goat got loose and stripped the bark away from one of his prized trees. His children actually suggested making a comfrey poultice for the tree. He placed the poultice where the bark was stripped and wrapped it in an old cotton sheet. He left it there for a season or so and when he removed the “tourniquet”, the tree had grown new bark with no sign of infection or disease. Perhaps the mulch bound tree could be salvaged by pulling it back and if possible treated with a comfrey poultice. It may be a good idea to let the area dry if recently watered before the poultice application. If you do try this and it works let me know!

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:07:55 +0000

It’s really more about damage done to the bark by having it buried under mulch. The bark becomes weak and more susceptible to diseases and insect attack. Essentially, when you re-expose it, it is soft and more vulnerable. The damage caused by encircling roots results from improper planting. This is prevented by loosening up the root ball before planting it. In this case of the plant being extremely root-bound, I take my shovel or a sharp knife and make some cuts up and down the root ball to free them up.

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by learningandyearning

learningandyearning — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:47:00 +0000

Is the damage caused because roots have begun to form and you are now breaking them? If so, would it help to carefully cut those roots, perhaps a few at a time over an extended period, and then remove the mulch? I don’t have any trees mulched that way, but I am zealous about informing people of this problem.

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:30:59 +0000

You and me both! Unfortunately, if the mulch volcano has been there for a long time it can actually do more harm to the tree if you try to push it away. The best way to avoid prolonged damage to the tree is to do it right the first time or catch it early enough to correct. It’s best to plant the root ball of tree a little bit above ground level (as it will eventually settle) and a good rule of thumb is to mulch only to the level where the soil hit when it was in it’s b&b or container.

Comment on This Mulch I Know Is True by learningandyearning

learningandyearning — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:20:23 +0000

Oh, the ubiquitous mulch volcano! And it seems that “professional” landscapers are the biggest culprit. I sometimes imagine myself going around in the middle of the night pulling mulch away from tree trunks. :)

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by Itching for Spring and SEEDS! « GFSA News

Itching for Spring and SEEDS! « GFSA News — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:42:20 +0000

[...] First I wondered about how to do a better job growing the seeds indoors. I found this great on-line resource about how to build a indoor growing station. Looks ambitious, but might just be what I need. Giving Garden Blog – How to build your own http://thegivinggarden.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/growing-pains-building-a-grow-stand-from-scratch/ [...]

Comment on Growing Pains: Building a Grow Stand From Scratch by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:04:18 +0000

Just found this reference for building a portable light stand which would be great for classrooms http://www.gardenabcs.com/uploads/classroomgrowlights.pdf

Comment on Easter In December. by morgesslers

morgesslers — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:29:22 +0000

hi.

Comment on Toss The Takeout by margie

margie — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 22:06:30 +0000

oh goody, i’m glad you posted this. i wanted to make it and know i now how!

Comment on Toss The Takeout by Babygirl

Babygirl — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:19:33 +0000

Very nice post

Comment on I Scream, You Scream, We All Live Downstream by Rob

Rob — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:00:14 +0000

Wow. That’s great!

Comment on Chicken Fever On The Rise. by The Giving Garden

The Giving Garden — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:53:21 +0000

Louise, First let me say that I think it is great that you work a full time job away from your home and still decided to keep chickens. I only have 6 girls (for now) and all are free range so they probably don’t eat as much feed as yours or consume as much water. As for the cold. I’ve heard that they can withstand it fairly well being that they are cold blooded, but what they don’t like is drafts. My girls even tend to stay in the coop on extremely windy days. Nonetheless, as extra insurance we insulated our coop with left over insulation from other home improvement projects (covering the areas where they may peck with hardware cloth) to make it less drafty for them. Hopefully, when you arrive home from work during the cold days ahead you’ll find your girls huddled up and cozy in their straw filled nesting boxes. Good luck!

Comment on Chicken Fever On The Rise. by louise

louise — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:37:03 +0000

my ladies, 27 in number are indeed entertaining. But not at 6:30 in the morning when I am scrambling to ensure they are watered and fed for the day before dashing off for my 10 hour office job. They eat…and they eat. I can’t keep them full. And a few are slackers…too lazy to lay the egg that is the reason for their existence. My biggest concern is the coming winter. How do I keep them warm in snow and -40 degree C temperatures, short of knitting little caps and booties for all of them? I am really worried about the very soon upon us cold and how they will handle it. My mother raised chickens but I didn’t pay enough attention to them way back then. They went out in the snow each day and seemed to survive okay. But she was there all day rather than an hour away in the city at a job. She brought them warm water 3 or 4 times a day and warm mash. I don’t have that option. I hope my ladies have enough sense to go bury themselves in the straw stuffed nests when it is too cold outside.

Comment on Chicken Fever On The Rise. by margie

margie — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:19:01 +0000

This is a funny compelling little post– i love it! Maybe i should get me some chickens….

Comment on Leave Your Food Prejudices At The Door And Dig In. by Vicki

Vicki — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:18:08 +0000

Can’t believe the Strawberry Salad made the website. I will have to tell Danielle! I can attest that salad is a huge hit!

Comment on Leave Your Food Prejudices At The Door And Dig In. by barbmccoy

barbmccoy — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:28:01 +0000

what a cute kid!!! Great Recipe. We will miss you guys on Sunday.