Urban Oasis

Enter a space that is inviting, filled with exotic influences --- bordered with bright, periwinkle-colored Clematis...

My friend Jennifer's gardening style is more intuitive and aesthetically-based than my own. I admire that. Although, my style is eclectic and open to change, as I learn more about the wide cornucopia of plants and gardening in general, I'm way more OCD. Jennifer just sees something she likes and organically senses how to integrate it into her space.



I'm going to try and emulate Jen's style in this post and limit the wordiness, and allow the viewer to simple enjoy the sights...







All photos in this post were taken by Jennifer Matthews, with my thanks.

No More Dirt Under Your Nail Beds - A Guide to Gardening Gloves

There are many important tools utilized in the garden. The ones I use most often however, are my hands.

No matter how many specialized tools I have, I still end up doing jobs not just by hand --- but with my hands. So, it goes without saying that they need protection --- from the dirty to the downright dangerous.

As a woman, I was annoyed to discover years ago, that most gloves were more suited to chunky-fisted males. While my hands are far from dainty, I still need an alternative. My first encounter with a great-fitting woman's glove was The Original Womanswork Work Glove from womanswork.com. My Mom actually turned me onto them. Made of durable US sueded pigskin, they provide awesome dexterity and protection. They are hand washable and have the super cool "Womanswork - strong women - building a gentle world" embossed on the back of each glove. Their website boasts an impressive collection of gardening gloves for men and women.


Foxglovesinc.com puts out several types of gardening gloves for women. They are form-fitting and have a classic dress glove design in a performance glove (for the more fashion conscious). Their gloves are available in a variety of styles and colors and vow "to keep your hands clean even after a day in the garden". Foxgloves also provide a UPF rating of 50+ for maximum sun protection. They are also machine-washable and quick drying.





Nitrile gloves are a lightweight, breathable and tough work glove. They are excellent for any number of tasks --- spreading compost, weeding, seeding, etc., while keeping hands clean and dry. A great alternative for those with latex or rubber allergies. Nitrile is thin and flexible, but stubborn enough to withstand punctures and even small thorns. They are also extremely affordable. I found them at gardeners.com

Now Blooming - Honeysuckle

Lonicera L.

I have two large honeysuckle bushes in my backyard in full bloom. They are lovely ---but what type of honeysuckle do I have? I went to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service online database, only to discover that there are over 50 different varieties of the suckers! Does anyone have any idea what's lurking in my backyard? If so, please comment!

Growing What I Eat - Container Gardening vs. Traditional

Behind the house.

The "main" garden space as of May 7th, 2009.

I live on the south end of a major urban area. I decided last summer to make the transition from indoor gardener to enhancing my hard scape and growing outdoors.

I actually have a decent-sized backyard, with plenty of space for all types of gardening. So, why did I choose to garden in containers? It made sense for a variety of reasons:

• Gardening tasks are easier because I'm working in a small space. Preparing my planting area was a matter of filling containers with pre-mixed soil. I can use hand tools (such as a trowel), as opposed to a spade or rototiller (which I didn't have the money to rent, or the muscle to use). Checking for signs of insect or other pest damage is easier, because the plants are right at hand. Also, preventative measures are easier to undertake because of the smaller number of plants.

• One exception to easier gardening tasks is watering. With a traditional garden, you can just set up a sprinkler system. On the other hand, going back and forth with a watering can may end up being a pain in the ass. Containers do dry out faster than gardening beds. My solution: I located my main set of containers right next to an outdoor tap. It advantageously happened to be the sunniest area on the property.

• Containers are mobile. They can be moved around, grouped and regrouped to suit your personal tastes, offer convenience and be moved with changing growing conditions as the seasons evolve.

• I will most likely not have to deal with soil-borne illnesses. Such things can persist in soil for years and be almost impossible to eradicate.

• Container gardens hardly ever have weeds.

Container gardening is a great option for the many city dwellers whose gardening space may consist of a porch, deck or patio. Even for those with an existing garden space, placing containers near the kitchen or around the outdoor grill may add versatility and convenience.

Dig This!

I confess to a love of gadgets --- especially helpful ones. I was browsing through the Lee Valley Tools website and few months ago and happened upon The WaterStik. It's an pen-sized moisture sensor that allows you to assess the watering needs of indoor plants with just the push of a button.

I'm not a lazy indoor gardener, but it is difficult to keep track of all of the specific watering needs of the full variety of plants I have. I grow Desert Plants (such as, the Madagascar Dragon Tree, Snake plants and Aloe Vera) to Tropical Plants (such as, Crotons), as well as common indoor plants (such as the Jade plant).

The WaterStik was pretty inexpensive, so I figured, "Why not?" Somewhat to my surprise, the thing really works! And remarkably well, at that. The trick to this gadget is placing the sensor at a specific depth, depending on what type of plant you're dealing with. It comes with a brief Depth Sensor-Plant Guide to move you in the right direction. Then it flashes one of four colors to give you a reading on your plant. Simple. Effective.

A Turd in My Punchbowl (or Cats in My Garden), Part II

I worked like I was on a chain gang for a few hard hours to dig my Hosta bed. Removing grass, pulling weeds very carefully around the tender young Hosta, and creating space for additional plants. I even put down a layer of Jobe's Recycled Weed Blocker over the newly added Hostas. Then another layer of soil. I thought that I was finished, aside from adding decorative elements and finishing touches. So, I left it at that, overnight.

I woke to find a cruel metaphorical commentary on my gardening efforts right in the middle and along one of the edges of the bed --- cat poop! They had dug and disrupted quite a bit of soil in order to accommodate the release of their feline bowels. I was pissed! All I could do was remove the offending waste, and salvage the bed. I then decided perhaps adding a mulch made of recycled tires to bed might deter the cats, and give my project a more polished look.

The mulch hadn't been down but a few hours when the cats struck again! Just about all of you know what a soiled litter box looks like. So, I'll spare you the incriminating photos. Once again, I cleaned up the mess, this time rearranging the mulch and adding Cayenne Pepper powder.

You guessed it --- the pepper had no effect! At this point I was pretty angry and at my wits end trying to come up with possible deterrents.

I remembered seeing a product on gardeners.com that might be a possible solution. Cat Scat Mats. Prickly plastic mats that can be anchored into the soil of a garden bed or potted plant. These mats don't harm the cats --- just irritate them and keep them from using garden beds or large potted plants as litter boxes. I ordered them straight away only to find them on back order! *Sigh*

I went to local nursery/gardening center to pick up a bottle of dried Coyote urine or Liquid Fence. Anything!

I freshened up the Hosta bed --- again, sprinkling and spraying my deterrants. My fingers crossed. My mouth locked in a snarl with every piece of poop I picked out of the mulch, and every cat I spied.

The very next morning... Failure! Nothing I did had worked. The feral little beasts had bested me once again!

Well, at this point I'm going to have to redo the entire bed, short of uprooting the Hostas. With the Cat Scat Mats on their way, I can only hope that they work.

To be continued...

Growing Powerful Peppers

I must say, I've gone a little crazy with the amount of peppers I'm growing this year. To be exact, two varieties of Bell pepper, four Thai Hot pepper plants and two jalapeno pepper plants.

I took path of least resistance by purchasing transplants, instead of growing from seed. I gleaned from McGee and Stuckey's "The Bountiful Container", not to be seduced into buying tall plants that were already flowering and producing tiny fruits. Instead, opting for the dense, compact plants. If you transplant a plant that is already ahead of the growth curve (producing blossoms and fruit), it may end up permanently stunted. These never turn into vigorous and productive plants. Simply nip off small fruits and blooms to keep this from occurring.

Three micronutrients have a particulary profound effect on peppers, and all of them are contained in common household items:

1. Sulfur ---in matches. Before tranplanting pepper plants into their containers, take a book of matches and remove the cardboard cover leaving the matches intact. Dig a hole for the plant, lay in one match bunch per hole and cover with an inch or so of soil. Then put in the plant. By the time the plant's roots reach the matches, the sulfur from the matches will have dissolved into the surrounding soil. Sulfur promotes plant protein and increases the nutritional content of the pepper.
2. Calcium ---in eggshells. Save a few eggshells and leave them out on the counter for a few days until thoroughly dry. Then crush them. (Place them into a plastic bag and run over them with a rolling pin). Sprinkle a spoonful in the bottom of each pepper's planting hole. Calcium prevents blossom end rot, which creates round, black tips at the end of fruits.
3. Magnesium ---in Epsom Salts, which is also magnesium sulfate, and is therefore a source of sulfur. Mix a bit of salts into plain water and spray the solution on the plants when blossoms begin to appear. Magnesium helps the pepper's fruits develop from flowers, and so promotes higher production.

Peppers respond well to fertilizer rich in phosphorus (the middle number in the fertilizer trinity). If you have some superphosphate, bone meal or bulb food available, mix a bit into the soil around planting time. All are proportionaly high in phosphorus. This micronutrient helps to promote the production of flowers.

One micronutrient you don't want to add to your peppers in nitrogen, or you'll have lots of beautiful foliage and very few fruits.