Category: Garden

Pulling Weeds

I spent yesterday rehabilitating my overgrown garden and my enemy number one? Bindweed.

I left my garden for about three weeks, while I went on a work trip and then to visit family and friends in the big city. The weeds went wild! A thick carpet of vines smothered the other rogue plants that were trying to grow in the pathways.

Bindweed is a pretty, vining plant that produces dainty white and pink flowers, so you might be inclined to leave it in the garden. But don’t let it grow! Bindweed takes over everything.

Instead of growing peas on my trellis Bindweed took over. This weed seems to steal nutrients from the other plants, as well. The peas are weak, the carrots tiny, and my squash and zucchini are basically non-existent.

One favor the Bindweed did for me? It entangled all the other weeds and I was able to roll up the mess like a fancy rug. Then, I tossed the whole thing into a garden bed I am letting rest this year. The nutrients will seep back into the soil, feeding next year’s veggies.

A Battle Worth Fighting

Although rolling up the bindweed gave me a moment of satisfaction, the real work was just beginning. Bindweed’s roots run deep, and simply pulling it out wasn’t going to cut it. I had to dig down and get as much of those stubborn roots out as possible. Even then, I know it’s only a matter of time before I see those vines trying to make a comeback.

Reclaiming the Garden

Once I had cleared the worst of the bindweed, I turned my attention to the rest of the garden. I re-staked the peas, giving them something to climb other than those aggressive vines. I added some compost to the soil, hoping to give my struggling vegetables a fighting chance. Then I sprinkled some fall-hardy seeds around like glitter. Hopefully I can salvage something from this growing season!

Sad squash.

The Resilient Garden

This experience with bindweed highlighted how resilient nature can be. Even when life pulls you away and you have to leave your garden unattended, the garden is still there waiting for you to come back and set things right. It’s less about what went wrong and more about what you do next. And there’s something incredibly satisfying about rolling up your sleeves, taking back control, and making your space thrive again.

Turning Over a New Leaf

I know that bindweed is a tough opponent, but it’s not going to win this war. I’ll keep fighting, digging deep, and making sure my garden stays a place of growth and beauty, not a bindweed jungle. Whether I’m here every day or have to step away for a while, I’ll be ready to reclaim my garden whenever it needs me.

So, if you’re dealing with bindweed—or any other tenacious garden invaders—don’t worry about the time you’ve been away. With a little persistence and some hard work, you can take back your garden, too. Just remember: every setback is an opportunity to come back stronger.

In southwest Colorado, gardening can sometimes feel like you’re trying to solve a tricky puzzle. The soil here isn’t like your typical garden dirt; it’s a mix of sandy and shale components that challenges even experienced gardeners. But if you’ve got this type of soil, you’re in luck if you like strawberries and asparagus because, oddly enough, these plants thrive here when others struggle. So, let’s dive into how to make the most out of these hearty plants and turn your garden into a part of the local food forest, complete with your piñon trees.

Why Strawberries and Asparagus?

During the 2020 Covid pandemic lockdown, gardening became my new hobby of choice. I tried planting all sorts of vegetables and herbs. Everything I planted just wouldn’t take. Brassicas like kale and broccoli were destroyed by bugs. My tomatoes barely budded before the weather turned cold. But, when I tried strawberries and asparagus, it was like they were meant to thrive in our unique soil.

Planting the Perfect Pair

To start planning this perennial garden patch, choose a spot you don’t intend to disturb with tilling or plowing in the future. Your plants will live in this space for a very long time. Make sure to select a sunny location in your garden, since both strawberries and asparagus thrive in sunlight.

Prepare the area for asparagus first, since they require deeper planting. Dig trenches about 6-8 inches deep, incorporating organic matter, such as compost, to add nutrients to the soil. Many planting guides suggest to slowly fill in these trenches as your asparagus grows. I did not take this step, and just smoothed the garden bed. My asparagus is still thriving; so if your soil is extra sandy, you may also be able to simply plant your asparagus in one step.

After you’ve established a your asparagus placement, you can plant the strawberries. Because strawberries do well in sandy soil, which naturally aids in drainage, there’s no need to create raised beds or mounds for them. This setup has encouraged my strawberries to produce runners prolifically.

Since we’re dealing with sandy and shale-type soil, adding compost is important. It helps retain water and nutrients that sandy soil often lacks, and it makes the hard shale parts easier for roots to penetrate.

Plants Spacing for Strawberries and Asparagus

Plant your strawberries about 18 inches apart and your asparagus crowns about a foot and a half apart in rows. Water them well after planting and keep the soil moist, especially during the dry months.

Companion Planting Under Piñon Trees

Planting under or near your piñon trees can create a mini food forest. The trees provide partial shade and help protect the plants from too much sun while also helping the soil retain moisture. Strawberries, in particular, can benefit from this arrangement as they like a bit of shade during the hottest part of the day. The asparagus, with its ferny foliage, can also look quite decorative underneath the spreading branches of piñon trees.

Understanding Our Soil: Mancos Shale

Now, what’s this about our soil? In our region, we deal with something called Mancos Shale. It’s a type of sedimentary rock that you can find spreading across the southwestern United States, particularly in Colorado. This shale is part of what makes our soil so unique and challenging. It doesn’t hold nutrients well and can be tough for roots to break through. But with the right approach, such as adding compost and choosing the right plants, you can turn this challenging soil into a productive garden.

Mancos Shale is a geologic formation predominantly found in the Western United States, particularly across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. This formation consists of fine-grained sedimentary rock, primarily composed of shale, which is a type of clay-rich rock formed from the consolidation of mud and clay under pressure over millennia. Mancos Shale is known for its gray to black color and often contains marine fossils, like seashells, indicating that the area was once under a sea during the Cretaceous period.

In gardening and agriculture, Mancos Shale presents particular challenges due to its dense, compact nature and low fertility. It tends to be poor in nutrients essential for plant growth and can be hard for plant roots to penetrate. Its composition also means it has low water retention capabilities, making it difficult to maintain the moisture levels that many plants require. However, with proper management, such as the addition of organic matter to improve nutrient content and soil structure, gardeners can successfully cultivate certain hardy plants like strawberries and asparagus, which are adapted to less-than-ideal soil conditions.

Final Thoughts

With a bit of preparation and understanding of our unique soil, even a garden filled with sandy, shale conditions can become a lush, productive spot in your food forest alongside your piñon trees. So, don’t give up on your gardening dreams just because the soil is challenging—embrace what works, and you’ll be amazed at what can thrive!

Plant Growth Spurts and Repotting Shenanigans

Hope this update finds you in good spirits! Hold onto your knitting needles because it’s time for a report on the wild antics of my New Year’s Day seedlings, starring the one and only seedling repotting extravaganza. It has been two months now and my little baby plants have outgrown their first pots.

Apple Seedlings

Take the apple seedlings, for instance. These mischievous little sprouts are tossing leaves and shoots around like they’ve discovered the secret to a plant rave. Their repotting makeover has transformed them into the life of the botanical party. I’m envisioning a future of bountiful apple harvests, providing both sustenance and ample inspiration for my knitting escapades.

Artichoke Seedlings

And then there are the artichokes, living their best lives in upgraded accommodations. With newfound space, they’re flaunting extravagant leaf unfurling ceremonies. It’s like they’re rehearsing for a vegetable beauty pageant, and I’m eagerly awaiting the day they’re crowned the queens of my knitting garden.

Pepperoncini Seedlings

In the realm of pepperoncini, things are heating up – quite literally. These VIP-treated pepper plants are flexing their green leaves and budding peppers with an extra dose of sass. I anticipate them adding some serious heat to my meals, perhaps even delivering a spicy stand-up comedy routine on the side.

Indoor Tomato Plant

And as for my indoor tomato houseplant I started last fall? It has a green tomato to boast about! Picture this tomato strutting its stuff, declaring, “Look what I can do!” Who knew repotting could turn a tomato into a superstar?

As I navigate the unpredictable world of repotted seedlings, it’s clear that New Year’s Day was just the opening act for a dramatic comedy of plant proportions. Stay tuned for more laughs and updates as we continue this horticultural stand-up routine. Here’s to a year filled with knitting, gardening, and the joy of watching our repotted seedlings steal the show!

Repotting Seedlings 101: Time to Give the Plants a New Home

Now that we’ve had our share of laughs with the sprightly seedlings, let’s delve into the not-so-serious, but very important, matter of repotting these green comrades. Because, let’s face it, even plants need a change of scenery every once in a while!

Step 1: Choose the Right Pot

Think of it as matchmaking for your plants. Find a pot that’s just the right size – not too big, not too small. You don’t want your seedlings feeling like they’re in a mansion or stuck in a studio apartment. Goldilocks would be proud.

Step 2: Mind the Roots

When you are working on seedling repotting, make sure to be careful with the delicate roots. It’s like giving your plants a spa day. Gently loosen the roots from their cozy starter pot. Don’t be too harsh; remember, it’s a delicate operation, not a wrestling match. We’re aiming for happy, not traumatized.

Step 3: Fresh Soil, Fresh Start

Think of this as a plant vacation – new soil, new adventures. Choose a nutrient-rich mix to give your green buddies the best start in their upgraded homes. Maybe throw on a little “Welcome to the Jungle” soundtrack for added flair.

A little pro top for those soil bags….

When opening your soil bag, don’t cut horizontally at the top. Instead cut a vertical silt down from the top. You’ll be able to tie the top of the bag closed when your done. No more spilling dirt all over the place!

Step 4: Water with a Sprinkle, Not a Flood

Plants appreciate a good drink, but let’s not turn this into a water park comedy. Be mindful not to overflow their new digs; a gentle sprinkle will do. Imagine it’s a sophisticated tea party for your seedlings, not a wild pool party.

Step 5: Sunlight Serenade

Just like us, plants need their daily dose of Vitamin D. Place them in a spot where they can bask in the sunlight, not in a dark comedy corner. Let them soak up the rays, and watch them flourish like little botanical superstars.

And there you have it – the not-so-serious guide for seedling repotting. Remember, it’s all about creating a pleasant environment where your green friends (and you) can thrive. Happy repotting, and may your plants enjoy their new homes!

Stay tuned, because now that there are some open starter pots, I’ll be trying to grow Celery for the first time this year… It should be an interesting project!

My New Year’s Day tradition? Starting seedlings. Yes, I know it seems early, but the timing is just right if you live in a cold climate with a short growing season. Some of those stubborn, slow growing garden plants like tomatoes and peppers just don’t have time to make their yummy fruit. I can’t tell you how many sad, frozen green tomatoes I have pouted over. So, now I have a new tradition: starting seedlings on New Year’s Day. Sewing my slow-growing seeds inside on January 1st to gives them the best head-start possible.

Winter Seedlings

I live and garden in Southwest Colorado, Zone 6A. (Find your Plant Hardiness Zone at the USDA website.) That means our typical planting season, like many of the colder Zones, is pretty short. Plants can safely be outside from June 1st through mid-September. Those three and a half months fly by, and, in my experience, sneaky September frosts often kill off your favorite flowers and veggies before they fully ripen. Tragic.

Instead of planting little seedlings outside when June comes along, I need to plant fairly large tomatoes, peppers, and perennials inside quite early. To give them time to develop, I start now! And it sure makes for a happy New Year’s Day to get your hands dirty and start watching something grow.

Gardening Inside

Since my home is fairly well lit, I do have the advantage of bright sun in my bedroom most of the day. This means that come January 1st, my bedroom doubles as a seed-starting room and plant nursery. I adore waking up to my little garden of plants every morning.

When planting my seeds, I don’t do anything too fancy. I use square white starter pots and regular potting soil (affiliate links). Make sure the soil is thoroughly saturated with water before planting your seed. When watering, be gentle and careful not to disturb the seed. Or, try watering from the bottom. Place a tray under the seed pot and keep that tray filled with water; the plant will soak the water up through the holes in the pot without disturbing delicate seedlings.

I do supplement their lighting with an LED grow light like this one found on Amazon. This helps prevent the plants from getting leggy (too tall) while they wait to go outside. If your home doesn’t have great lighting, you will probably want to use grow lights for all your indoor garden plants.

Replenish their water to keep your plants hydrated, and a bit of diluted fertilizer once a month after they’ve established themselves is all you’ll need to keep your indoor plants happy. Then, once summer arrives (and those nasty freezes go away), you can harden the plants off and plant them out in the garden.

Hardening Off

Acclimating your plants to the outdoor weather is even more important when they’ve spent so much time inside. Make sure you bring them outside on nice, calm days. Too much wind, cold, or heat will shrivel your sheltered plant babies. Give them just a few hours in the outdoor shade to start with. Then, slowly add time to their outdoor recess until they can handle a full day and night outside. I’ll even take the extra step of letting them sit in their garden spot while still in their pots. If they get wilt-y or start getting crispy leaf tips, they may need a different place in the garden or a bit more time in the shade before they are planted out.

A New Gardening Tradition for a New Year

If you’re like me and live in a very chilly part of the world, starting seedlings on New Year’s Day could be an exciting new tradition. And it might just be the ticket to a full harvest this summer.

Happy New Year and happy gardening!

Welcoming Gardening into my Knitting Haven

Dear fellow knitting enthusiasts, welcome to an exciting new chapter in my creative journey! Today, I’m thrilled to share a budding passion that’s been quietly flourishing alongside my knitting adventures – the vibrant world of gardening. I hope you will join me in my knitting garden, so we can grow together.

A Shared Thread: Knitting and Gardening

For those who’ve followed my knitting escapades, you’ll understand the joy of crafting something magical out of a simple skein of yarn. Now, imagine that same sense of creation but with soil, seeds, and a garden spade. Gardening, much like knitting, is a canvas for creativity, a testament to patience, and a journey filled with growth.

A Personal Connection

You might wonder, “Gardening on a knitting blog?” Well, let me share a little secret – gardening has become more than just planting flowers and growing veggies. Growing food and flowers has intertwined itself with my knitting journey in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The vibrant colors of my garden have found their way into yarn choices. The rhythm of knitting often echoes the peacefulness of a garden in bloom.

Where Knitting Meets Greenery

Picture this: knitting needles click in harmony with the rustling leaves. A newly sprouted garden bed inspires the next knitting pattern. Curious wildlife wanders by. These moments, where knitting meets nature, have become cherished encounters that I can’t wait to share with all of you.

Spinning a Yarn in the Garden

Gardening and knitting – two seemingly distinct worlds – have found common ground in my creative space. Just as knitting stitches come together to form a beautiful piece, so do the seeds planted in my garden. They both sprout into a colorful tapestry that resonates with the essence of my knitting projects.

What’s Next?

As we embark on this gardening-knitting journey together, expect to see the garden growing onto my knitting blog pages more often. From planting tips that complement yarn choices, to stories where garden motifs find their way into our knitting patterns, a whole new chapter is waiting to be unraveled. I may also tell you a little about my chickens, too.

So, my dear knitting companions, prepare to see a hint of green among my yarn stash. Gardening has strolled into my knitting haven, and I couldn’t be more excited to knit this new story with all of you.