Plant Snapdragon Seeds--STAT!

  It was crazy.

I woke up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning with the feeling that I needed to plant my Snapdragon seeds right now. So I got up and did it. It was such a strange thing, though. I was yawning and laughing at myself the whole time.

I haven't started any seeds yet this year so most of my gardening stuff is still out in the shed, but it was still dark out and way to cold to go outside in my jammies. I dug around a bit in the cabinets and found most of what I would need, and the potting mix was close by on the patio, thank goodness.

By 6 AM I had prepared a milk jug for planting (Winter Sowing style). Luckily, I found one last packet of Snapdragon seeds. I was so relieved to set that planted jug outside where it'll get lots of sunshine... once the sun rises, that is.

Grafting: A Gardener's Insight on Romans 11:17-24 

Rom 11:17  But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,

Rom 11:18  do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

Rom 11:19  You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."

Rom 11:20  Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;

Rom 11:21  for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

Rom 11:22  Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Rom 11:24  For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

In this section of Romans 11, Paul references two methods for grafting trees that would have entirely different outcomes. One method involves cutting off the entire stem above the root ball and grafting on a new stem of a different variety. The second method involves pruning off a branch near the stem and grafting a new branch onto the cut end.

The purpose of grafting fruit trees is to have the favored rootstock support a variety that produces different fruit. Grafting might be necessary because with its own roots the new variety would be weak, more prone to disease, or not suited to the environment. Or, as in this case, simply because the gardener wants to replace non-producing branches on his favorite tree.

Paul's readers would have understood this grafting analogy very well. Israel was not cut off entirely, only the unproductive branches (Rom_11:20). The Gentiles did not replace the Jews, they were added in among the producing branches. They were to co-exist with the Jews, sharing the nourishment from the established roots. (Rom_11:17)

Building a Permaculture Fruit Tree Guild

It Began in the Summer of 2018...

Before I moved to this home in Colorado Springs, the yard had been constantly walked over, driven on, and even parked on, so it was very, very compressed. A few years back, I had made a lazy girl's compost pile in the middle there, and a flower border along the driveway.

When I decided to make more flower beds in 2018, I first had to remove the layer of weeds that had surrounded the compost pile. I also discarded the un-decomposed layer of garden debris from the top of the compost pile. Then I turned the dirt over with a shovel and spread out and mixed in the compost that had been created over the years...

I took a trip to my sister's home in Florissant and collected piles of rocks that I brought back to use as borders around the garden and paths.

I used rocks to mark out the flower beds and the pathways, then I dug the path areas down a bit so they would hold water better. (As I went, I tossed the dirt I dug from the paths onto the new garden bed.) 

I hauled in bags and bags of mulch for the paths. The sandy gravel in the new garden contained almost no organic matter, so I mixed in several bags of my favorite soil amendment, Sheep & Peat compost mix, which I get from Home Depot.

I bought a plum tree, so I decided to enlarge the garden area even more and to make it into a permaculture fruit tree guild. I planted my tree, removed more weeds, mixed in more Sheep & Peat compost mix and added more mulch. Then I was finally ready to start planting...

Unfortunately, it was almost October of 2018 by the time I finished all this. Most of the planting would have to wait until Spring.



In the meantime, I'd had to content myself with planting some pansies, daffodil bulbs and a couple of small evergreen trees.

Photos from 2019

By June of 2019 I had planted oregano, garlic, sage, chives, dill, wormwood, comfrey,  echinacea, feverfew, chamomile, nasturtium, tomato 'patio princess', melon 'tigger', melon 'MN midget', and pumpkin 'neon'.

The wormwood was not happy and died by the next year.

By July I had expanded the garden even more and had made several sub-irrigated planters. The tomatoes absolutely loved these planters.

By August everything was really taking off. By this time I had added Goji berry, sweet William, calendula, a few turtle bean plants, and a pretty ground cover. A larkspur volunteer popped up, too.

How I Winter Sow Seeds for My Next Summer's Garden

Preparing one-gallon plastic jugs

Using a drill, hammer and nail, or soldering iron make holes in the bottom of the jug for drainage. You can also use a small screwdriver heated on your stove burner to melt the holes, but the fumes aren’t healthy.

Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut the jug almost all the way around just below the level of the handle. You want to leave a ‘hinge’ of plastic to hold everything together.

Alternatively, you can cut 3 sides of a square opening leaving a top flap. With this method, you won't need to tape the opening shut. Just push the flap back down.

Planting the seeds

Add about 1 inch of potting mix and sprinkle your seeds on top. Cover with more potting mix to the planting depth specified on the seed package. (Some seeds, such as Snapdragons, need light to germinate, so don’t cover that type with potting mix at all.) Don't water the potting mix now since we don't want the seeds to sprout until Spring.

Place a label or tag inside the jug so you know what you planted. This is important because labels on the outside will fade completely from the sunlight, and you won't be able to read them.

Close and tape the jug with duct tape. If desired, label the jug on the outside with more duct tape and a permanent marker, or you can write directly on the jug.

After the Winter Equinox (December 21), Place Jugs Outside

Place the jugs outside. Be sure to leave the caps off the jugs, otherwise on sunny days, even in cold weather, it can get too hot inside the jug, and also so that rain and snow can enter. During the coldest part of winter, it is not necessary to water the jugs because the seeds will not sprout yet.

I am in zone 5, so in early March, I move my jugs to a plastic swimming pool so that I can easily water them by adding an inch or two of water to the pool. The potting mix will soak up what moisture is needed through the drainage holes without disturbing the seeds.

At the perfect time for each type of seed, the seedlings will emerge. Water as often as needed when there is no rain. Once the weather is warm enough, the seedlings are big enough, and the garden soil is not too wet, transplant into your garden.

If the weather has gotten very warm before I get around to transplanting, I open the jugs so that the seedlings don't overheat and die. The jugs create a greenhouse effect so that sunlight--even on cool days--can make it very warm for the plants.

If the seedlings are very crowded in the jugs, I will sometimes transplant them to separate containers and place them in my greenhouse until they get large enough--and the weather gets warm enough--to plant them in the garden.

This is my method of winter sowing—there are many other ways.

For more information visit www.wintersown.org. 

There is also a very helpful Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/wintersown/

Pruning My Mature Crabapple Trees

Over the last few days, I have pruned off tons of dead branches from my crabapple trees. Whew! I'm proud of myself, and the trees look so much better, but I hope I didn't cause too much harm.

Here is a photo from April, just after we moved in.

(Photo from May.)

I put Jobes fertilizer stakes around them last week, so hopefully that will help them recover. (There is still one large dead branch on the right side of the right tree, but my arm just can't handle any more sawing for a while.)

Here is how they look now.

A tale of good Samaritans

Yesterday, I got a huge load of mulch delivered by RockyTop Resources to my backyard fence. I was working to shovel it into my yard when a kind neighbor from across the road saw me and came over with 3 of his young nephews to help out.

I was so grateful because I had definitely underestimated how long it would take me to do by myself. I had shoveled for over an hour, and the pile was still over my head. The 4 of them moved that remaining mountain of mulch in a little over an hour. 

 (This photo was taken after they were more than halfway done.)

I sent them home with my gratitude... and some Dominos pizzas and cold drinks.  

Removing Big Shrubs to Make a Flower Bed

 

When I moved to my new home in March 2021, there were large Forsythia and Lilac bushes planted under the front windows. They had been incorrectly pruned so they didn't even bloom.

As I added mulch under the bushes, I found there were 3 lonely Columbines planted there.

I (incorrectly) thought that if I just chopped the bushes really low, they would die out and I could turn the area into a flower bed.



Using small pruners and a hand saw, I eventually got all four bushes cut down to stumps. I mixed compost into the soil and covered the dirt with mulch. I planned to just start planting around the stumps.

I couldn't wait to get going!

I thought this would be a shady bed, so I started with Foxglove, Coral Bells (Heuchera) and some Violas for immediate color.


I planted a small circle of Snap Dragon seeds. Snap Dragons do really well here in Zone 5--they bloom from early Spring to early Winter. They are annuals, but they self-seed very easily.

Unfortunately, the shrubs did not die so I had to dig them out later while trying not to harm the things I had already planted. It was a struggle getting those large stumps and root balls dug out. I could barely lift them!



(You can see the stumps along the fence at the top right of the photo.)

I planted Foxglove and violas where the first stump had been. I also moved one of the Columbine plants. That turned out to be a mistake. I didn't know that Columbines really resent being moved so it almost died.



I always cut the flowers off plants before transplanting so they can focus on building strong roots right away.

I mixed in more compost and spread more mulch where the other 3 stumps had been.


By this time, I had noticed that the right half of this bed gets a lot more sun, so rather than shade-loving plants, I planted annual Gaillardia and Black-Eyed Susans that I had grown from seed.


I know I'll be adding more plants very soon...

Mature Trees at my New Home

 After 10 years of living on a tiny, tree-less lot, I love having so much space and especially so many huge trees!

My elm tree in the early morning.

 

The sun shining through a huge willow tree.

The poor pine tree next to my driveway is strangely trimmed because of the power lines.

My crab apple trees after I pruned some obviously dead branches.

My New Backyard is a Blank Canvas

In March I moved to my new home on a large lot. I'm so excited to have all this space to work with!

The first thing I did was get a load of mulch delivered to cover all the bare dirt.



Because I now also have a carport blocking the way into the back yard, all 5 cubic yards of mulch were dumped into my driveway.

It took me 30 wheelbarrow loads to get most it moved to the back and side yards. Now I've got to get it all spread out properly.

Home-Made Hydroponics Rooting System for Plant Cuttings

Coast Hydro (on Facebook) made this awesome “aeroponics” rooting system for plant cuttings. An aquarium pump and air stones aerate the water so the cuttings root in a fraction of the time, and with a higher success rate.

I decided to make a miniature version of my own using a small aquarium pump, airline tubing, and a small air stone. I purchased these online, but similar items can be found at pet stores and at Walmart.

I melted holes in the top of a cheap food storage container to insert the air line and the cuttings. I used painters tape to hold everything in place. You can also cut up a sponge to put around the stems as Coast Hydro did in their larger version.

I filled the container to the top with plain tap water, plugged in the pump, and voila!

Easy Self-Watering Planters from Plastic Bottles

 I am so completely sold on the benefits of self-watering (also known as sub-irrigated) planters!

Here are some parsley plants I grew from seed. The ones planted in the sub-irrigated planters are much larger, have much larger leaves, and much thicker stems than the seedlings growing in the standard cup planters.

I make my own sub-irrigated planters from 2- or 3-liter soft drink bottles. Here is how you can make your own as well:

Using a drill or soldering iron, make 2 or 3 holes around the neck of the bottle to aid in water absorption.

To prevent over-watering from rain or sprinklers (in case these will be outside), make 1 or 2 holes around the top curve of the bottle so that excess water can drain into the water reservoir, if necessary.

Cut off the bottom third of the bottle.
This will become the water reservoir.

Cut a circle of polypropylene fabric such as that from a reusable shopping bag. (My bag was from Wal-Mart and cost $0.50.) This fabric won't rot and will allow the water to wick up into the soil.

 

Fasten the fabric securely to the neck of the bottle using a zip tie or something similar. This will hold the potting mix in the bottle, and prevent the plant’s roots from growing down into the water.

Pack soil-less potting mix or peat moss firmly down into the tip of the bottle. Plain dirt or potting soil will not allow the water to wick up to the plants’ roots, so soil-less potting mix or peat moss is best.


Fill the bottle the rest of the way with potting mix and moisten thoroughly. (Stir the potting mix to make sure it is completely moistened.) There should be some water that drips down into the water reservoir.

Make a well in the center of the potting mix and insert your plant. Top with more potting mix, if desired.


If you wish, dump the water out of the water reservoir and fill with fresh water. (I do this because I don’t like the black water that drips from the potting mix.)

 

Keep an eye on the water level in the reservoir and add more when it runs low. Try not to let it ever run dry.


Never add water to the top of the planter, add it directly into the reservoir. The soil and plant’s roots will absorb all the water they need right from the reservoir.

To make it easier to move several of these planters, I put them in laundry baskets from The Dollar Store.