Earthly Garden

Many people think of a garden with vegetables and fruits, but did you know that a garden can also contain livestock as well and the livestock can actually be beneficial to your growing needs in your garden.

I have posted in the past about how chickens can help control insects within your garden but keeping goats, horses and even donkeys and lambs can help you garden as well. The manure from these livestock animals can help your garden grow to new heights and levels that you never imagined before.

Farm animals need love and care and plenty of space to roam freely within your landscape. It is easy to keep cats and even dogs, but larger livestock needs much more room. Some of the best animals to keep and that will overall benefit your garden are:

• Donkeys: They love attention and their manure can help even the most delicate plants. Their manure is organic fertilizer to many plants and can help clear away debris in many over-grown areas on your property as well.

• Goats: Goats are a great asset to your garden and they can even help clear away debris much like the donkeys can. If you get milking goats you can even sell their milk to people interested.

• Chickens: The best bet is to get hand-raised chickens so they are not afraid of you and can be held without hurting anyone. They help to control pests and other insect issues.

• Sheep and Lamb: Sheep are a great way to keep large fields and pastures at a minimum, but if you are worried about coyotes getting to them, invest your money in a llama as well.

To learn more visit The Resource Room.

Many of us already grow cucumbers in our garden, but did you know that you can grow a wide variety of them and still take advantage of the main ones that we all eat.

Cucumbers, when pickled make a great pickle of course, but many cucumbers taste great fresh right off the vine. A few of the different varieties are

1. Common: This is the most common variety of cucumber and is long, cylindrical and has crisp whit flesh with its seeds inside. This cucumber is great sliced raw and served with a bit of salt or vinegar.

2. English/Burpless: These cucumber s can grow about 2 feet long and are seedless. The seeds can cause indigestion therefore their name is burless. Deep green skin with a crispy white inside.

3. Japanese: These cucumber are a slicing cucumber similar to the common but are longer similar to the Burpless. Originated in India and Thailand but is used in many dishes in Eastern and Western cooking. Slender and deep with ridged skin and can taste great in salads.

4. Kirby: These are the main ones used for pickling. They can range from smaller to longer ones ranging from 3 to 6 inches. They can grow irregular shaped with bumpy skin and have dotted spines as well. The skin can range from yellow to pale or dark green and work great with just about any pickling recipe.

If you haven’t grown cucumbers in the past in your garden, I recommend giving them a try. Nothing beats heading out to your own organic garden and picking a cucumber snapping it in half and seeing your accomplishment.

Getting the garden in order for the growing season has to be done during the rainy and mushy parts of the year, what does this mean? It means you end up tracking all of that mud and muck into the front entrance or side entrance of your house. If you are one of the lucky ones to have a side part onto your house called a “mud-room”, you still have the issue of cleaning up that mud once your foot hits the floor, no matter what room it happens to step into. The best way to prevent a massive clean-up of mud is to create something to contain the shoes or boots that have the mud caked onto the bottom of the sole.

While reading an article in an old book (Circa: 1900) in the Special Collections section in the local library near my home, I read about the different types of spores and fungus found in mud. The fungus and spores that thrive in wet conditions that even can be mud or wet sand areas can travel into your home and if you have children or pets that walk on the floor or even crawl on the floor, it can make them sick.

To contain this mud from reaching the entire parts of your house is to remove your shoes right when you walk into your home or before you walk in your home. So why not make an area in your home where all shoes can be removed. Position a boot box near the entrance where you will be coming and out. A boot box consist of a plywood bottom and four 2×4 boards along the back and sides of the ply wood. You can cut the box to any size you want to fit as many or as little of the shoes you want it to hold and use metal corner clamps to hold everything in place along with screws to reinforce the sides. Placing newspaper in the bottom will help absorb any wetness that will linger and it will also make it easier for clean up as well.

1. ‘Siam Queen’ Thai basil: Purple bloom spikes on 14-inch plants.

2. ‘Spicy Globe’ basil: Bushy 10-inch plants have tiny, fragrant leaves.

3. Bay laurel: Slow-growing shrub is superb in large container; move it inside for the winter.

4. Calendula: Annual, 1-to 2-foot plants bear colorful, daisy-like blooms.

5. Chives: Spiky leaves, 6 to 10-inches tall, topped with pink blooms.

6. Dill: Dwarf ‘Fern leaf’ grows 18-inches tall; needs good drainage and a pot at least 10-inches deep.

7. Germander: Slow growing, 14-inch plants with aromatic foliage and rosy flowers.

8. Heliotrope: 12-to-24-inch plants bear fragrant violet-blue to deep purple blooms.

9. Horseradish: Vigorous plant with large, big leaves needs a big pot and rich, moist soil; harvest pungent roots in fall.

10. Hyssop: Dark green glossy leaves and showy, 14-inch spikes of deep blue flowers.

11. Lavender: All types excellent for pots; 8 to 30-inch plants bear fragrant blue or white blooms in midsummer.

12. Lemon verbena: Tender shrub prized for its lemon-flavored leaves; move inside for winter.

13. Lemon balm: Bright green, lemon-flavored leaves; ‘Aurea’ has gold markings.

14. Licorice plant: (Helichrysum petiolare)-Trailing, tender perennial with gray woolly leaves makes a beautiful edger.

15. Mint: All thrive in containers; standouts include ‘Banana’; ‘Chocolate’, ginger and orange mints.

16. Oregano: Recommended culinary varieties include Greek and Italian; decorative types are ‘Herrenhausen’, ‘Hopley’s Purple’ and dittany of Crete.

17. Parsley: Both Italian flat-leaf and curly parsley thrive in pots.

18. Rosemary: All kinds suitable for pots; drought-tolerant plants have fragrant, needlelike leaves and blue, pink or white blooms.

19. Sage: Both culinary and ornamental varieties are attractive alone or in mixed plantings.

20. Scented geraniums: (Pelargonium spp.)-Fragrant or ornamental; try ‘Almond’, ‘Ginger’, ‘Maple Grey’ and ‘Prince of Orange’; trailers include ‘Coconut’, ‘Green Apple’, ‘Nutmeg’ and ‘Round-Leaf Rose’

21. Thyme: Low-growing and drought tolerant; for culinary use, try English thyme, ‘Narrow-Leaf French’ and ‘Wedgwood English’, cascades include woolly and nutmeg thymes.

HerbDay is a gathering of public educational events celebrating the importance of herbs and herbalism. HerbDay was conceived of by five nonprofit organizations with interests in herbs and herbalism to raise public awareness about the significance of herbs in our lives and the many ways herbs can be used safely and creatively for health, beauty care, and culinary enjoyment. Greater familiarity with herbs will increase informed use of herbal products and build public support for maintaining personal choice in the use of botanicals.

It consist of herb walks, plant lectures, book signings, herb demonstrations, and even herb fairs. It is brought to the public by Taste for Life, GNC, Vitamin Work, and many, many more sponsors. You can register your event here.

Get involved in herbs and others that are interested in herbs and get involved as well in something that has played a major role in human culture throughout history and health. Gardening with herbs has been part of our world since before the Indians. They can help cure many ailemnts, diseases, health conditions and even mild skin irriations as well. If you have never grown herbs for yourself, get involved and start now. You can combine your grown herbs with many cookign dishes and even use some for minor burns, scraps and many, many other things. Start your growing process with Herb Day 2008 and learn about a lot of herbs that you can start growing today. Happy Herb Day 2008. Here’s to great gardening! And here’s to great herb growing as well!

Find out more about Herb Day 2008 here…

Sorry guys, due to circumstances beyond my control (technical difficulties and a kidney infection) I’ve again fallen behind and I am sorry. Seems like every time I get back on track something comes along to knock me off again. Don’t you hate it when you get into a cycle like that? I’m happy to say that I’m just about over the infection and the technical difficulties have been fixed, so let’s try this again, shall we? They say 3rd time’s a charm!

Christmas is almost here and I’m quite excited. This will be my first Christmas as a married woman and the first Christmas in a long time where I’ve been blessed enough to be able to splurge on the people I love. I don’t care what I get this Christmas-in fact I don’t have a thing on my list. There really isn’t anything I want or need-I have it all. I realize I am very fortunate. Many aren’t this holiday season and while you’re counting your blessings why not bring a little holiday magic to those who may not have many to count? Pick up an extra Poinsettia or wreath and bring it to your local nursing home, veteran’s center or homeless shelter. Got some CDs or DVDs you don’t use much anymore? Freecycle them or donate them to a local nursing home or shelter. When you do your holiday grocery shopping, pick up a few extra canned goods and non-perishables and bring them to your local food pantry. These are all small and easy to do things that will mean a lot. This is the season of giving, and the more love and care you give away, the more you’ll get!

christmas, blessings, helping those less fortunate, holidays

Got my first Poinsettia of the season yesterday. It’s gorgeous! Bright red and busy and it looks great sitting next to my tree (yes my Christmas tree is up already! It’s not real unfortunately, as there is a law against having a live Christmas tree in an apartment) but its lovely! While most people think of Poinsettia when look for plants to give or decorate for the holidays, there are several other plants that were just made for the holidays as well!

Christmas Cactus- Prized for their blooms, which come in shades of red, pink, and purple, they get their name from the time of year they bloom. To insure the best blooms, don’t move them once they are brought home. Like the ficus, they hate being moved and will complain by shedding their buds and flowers. From spring to fall, keep moist, but in winter, allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

Potted Christmas Trees- These usually come in two types-the small tabletop trees that come predecorated, and the large floor specimens. The larger ones are almost always Norfolk Island Pines. These plants make lovely holiday decorations and can be kept as houseplants afterwards, providing they get plenty of light (a south or west window is best) and regular misting to increase humidity. Keep the soil moist at all times. They will grow to a height of 5 to 6 feet, so be sure it has plenty of room!

The smaller tabletop varieties of potted trees are actually young specimens of a variety of pines. They will not do well as houseplants but if planted outdoors after the holidays will eventually grow into a lovely pine tree.

Amaryllis- This plant is prized for its showy blossoms. They grow from bulbs that have been forced and are usually bought in the sprouting stage. They prefer bright light and moist soil during their growing period. Once the flowers fade the plant will slowly head into dormancy. Let the pots slowly dry out, remove the old leaves, and let the bulbs rest in a cool place for 10 weeks or so. Repot 6-8 weeks before blossoming is desired.

Christmas trees, amaryllis, norfolk island pine, poinsettia, christmas cactus

Hi everyone,

I want to apologize for the lack of posts the last few days. I’ve been dealing with a massive migrane, but the pain is finally going away, so I will be back posting regularly starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

If you have a pest or disease that has become a problem try these natural organic control methods. Whichever ones you decide to use, please be sure and follow these simple rules:

1.Don’t spray when it is over 80 degrees. The early morning or the cool of evening is best.
2.Test a small part of the plant, wait 24 hours and continue if there is no damage.
3.Always protect your skin and face.

To keep cats and dogs out try this:

Mix two garlic bulbs and one tablespoon of cayenne pepper with one quart of water. Add one tablespoon of liquid dish soap (not the kind for dishwashers!). Strain into a spray bottle and use.

Garlic is also good for aphids and mites. Garlic contains sulfur and acts as an antibacterial agent and fungus preventative. Combine three ounces of minced garlic cloves with one ounce of mineral oil. Soak for 24 hours. Strain. Mix one teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add one tablespoon of soap to this. Slowly mix the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. To use: Mix two tablespoons of garlic mixture with 1 pint of water and spray.

To get rid of deer, cut up a bar of Irish Spring (or any other strong smelling soap) and put it in panty hose. Tie where deer have been known to feed.

For mites add one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to one gallon of water and use with a spray bottle. This also works well for aphids.

Use rubbing alcohol to treat plants with spider mites or mealy bugs.. Several applications of rubbing alcohol to the infested areas will successfully get rid of them. Do not use on sunny days as it will burn the leaves.

To control Black Spot in early spring before the leaves come out, spray with lime sulphur dormant oil. This kills off over-wintering diseases and pests. Remove any leaves showing Black Spot as soon as you see them. To prevent or treat blackspot in roses to be used for cooking and such, or roses near a pond, use a mixture of baking soda and water. Mix together 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and 1 gallon of water and spray on roses once a week.

To repel beetles on your roses, mash one cup of marigold leaves and flowers and mix with one pint of water. Soak for 24 hours and strain. Add 1-½ quarts of water then add ¼ teaspoon of soap and spray.

gardens, gardening, pest control, natural pest control, homemade insect sprays for plants

Fall has finally arrived here in New York. The air is crisp and cool and the leaves are turning color-finally! According to our local weatherman, the forecast is for cool and seasonable weather here on out, but that’s of little comfort to the leaf peepers. Thanks to unseasonably warm weather and dry conditions, the trees in many areas simply haven’t turned color-in fact many trees will end up dropping their leaves while they are still green. Experts say we’ll still have a peak foliage time, but it will be shorter and a lot less impressive than usual. Global warming? Maybe.

Whatever it is, it’s got most plants totally confused. It’s November 1st and my Petunias are blooming profusely. My tomatoes still want to keep on producing, and even my roses don’t know when to quit and head into dormancy. This could spell trouble, as plants that rely on winter dormancy to protect them from harsh conditions until spring could be killed by a sudden cold snap. It also endangers birds, who are lured into delaying their winter migration by unseasonable warm temps. Sure, lots of people may be thrilled when it’s 70 degrees and sunny up north in November, but gardeners know that the change in season and temperature is necessary for a happy and healthy garden. Plants need that rest period and so does the soil they grow in. I for one welcome the cooler weather and am looking forward to the first snow of the season! The garden needs it’s winter nap.

gardening, gardens, weather, petunias, fall, autumn

I am very happy to report that Earthly Garden has been nominated for a Bloggers Choice Award for Best Hobby Blog! If you enjoy this blog please stop by and vote for us!

gardening, earthly garden, hobby blog, blloggers choice awards

If you are a pet owner and a houseplant lover, you’ve probably found that keeping both happy can be a balancing act. Cats and dogs often view our plants as playthings, snacks, and sometimes even toilets! While there are many plants that are poisonous to our furry friends, here is a list of some safe varieties:

· African Violets (Saintpaulia)

· Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

· Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

· Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus australis)

· Zebra Plant (Calathea zebrina)

· Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula)

· Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)

· Peperomia

· Jade Plant (Crassula argentea)

When shopping for houseplants, avoid obvious dangers like cacti. Dogs and cats don’t understand that the spines are sharp! Also avoid any plant that produces berries they are often too tempting for pets to resist. Here are some other plants to avoid or keep far out of your pet’s reach:

Oleander should NEVER be used as a houseplant. Although it is beautiful, it is also very poisonous. 1 leaf is enough to kill your pet-and you.

Trailing plants such as Philodendron and Pothos should be kept up high where their trailing stems won’t tempt. While neither is toxic, ingesting Philodendron will give your pet an itchy rash, and Pothos will cause vomiting. Diffenbachia should also be kept away from pets-the sap in its leaves can cause swelling of the throat and literally take your pets voice away. (It does the same thing to humans-this may be why some of its nicknames are “Mother in Law Plant” and “Dumb Cane”!) Ivies will cause a blistering rash, and even Aloe Vera, which is a plant no kitchen should be without(the gel inside is wonderful at healing burns and minor skin irritations), will cause vomiting and intestinal distress if eaten.

To be absolutely sure your pets and plants can coexist safely, know what you’re buying. That way you’ll know which plants you can leave around your plants and which need to be placed out of reach-or not purchased at all!

gardening, houseplants, pets, nontoxic plants

If you’ve had your houseplants outside for the summer, now is the time to bring them back in. With the nights getting cooler and cooler, your plants will begin to suffer. Before you do however, give them a good look over and check for signs of insects and disease. You may also want to clean the pots off and check to be sure none of them have outgrown their pots. Replace any pots that have cracked. Once you’ve brought them inside, don’t be surprised if they look a little sad for awhile. After a summer of being outdoors, your home will seem positively dark and dreary to them. After a few weeks they should adjust. Don’t worry about feeding them-this time of year is when their growth period begins to slow down. You’ll find you’ll need to water less as well!

gardening, gardens, houseplants, indoor gardening

Looking for a great holiday gift for your kids? Check this out-and kudos to Nintendo!

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Nintendo is on a mission to make some locations — both virtual and real — a little greener. In honor of the launch of Chibi-Robo(TM): Park Patrol for the portable Nintendo DS(TM), Nintendo is offering 500 tree seedlings to kids who want to help keep their environments clean and beautiful.

Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol is one of the first games based on the growing environmental movement, and it's a great way to get kids and their parents on a green path. In the game, players take on the persona of a cute little robot. They clean up a park by planting flowers, building park equipment and defeating toxic enemies called Smoglings.

Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol lets players use the Nintendo DS touch screen to control actions like watering plants, squirting enemies or riding a bike. Chibi's good deeds are converted into Happy Points that power him and the friendly toys he meets along the way. He even uses environmentally friendly modes of transportation to get around.

“From hybrid cars to energy-conserving light bulbs, everyone is going green,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol represents one of the first environmentally themed video game adventures.”

To get a tree seedling, register at http://www.Chibi-Robo.com between now and Nov. 9. Before America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, Nintendo will choose 500 people at random to receive a seedling that they can plant in their community.

But Nintendo’s environmental efforts are not limited to video games. In the real world, Nintendo has already undertaken multiple initiatives to help preserve the environment. Nintendo:

— recycles the paper it uses company-wide, limits the use of colored
paper (since it’s not easily recycled) and purchases recycled paper
towels, report covers, message pads and writing pads.
— recycles more than 70 percent of the waste generated at its
headquarters and promotes the recycling of aluminum cans and glass in
its corporate cafeterias. According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the United States as a whole recycles about 32
percent of its waste.
— requires manufacturers not use any banned substances (such as lead,
mercury, etc.) in components, nor use them in the manufacturing
process for any components used in its products.

Sounds like a great game, and three cheers to Nintendo for putting out a game that lets kids learn about the environment and growing things! I have a neice and two nephews and this sounds like the perfect Christmas gift!

gardening, trees, Nintendo, environment

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Gold. It’s the color of success, sunshine and is associated with feelings of joy, intelligence and energy. As a rose color, it’s known for friendship, delight and the promise of a new beginning. For 2008, All-America Rose Selections(TM) (AARS(TM), http://www.rose.org) celebrates those sentiments with the introduction of its 2008 Winners: Dream Come True(TM) and Mardi Gras at this year’s Garden Writers Association Symposium in Oklahoma City.

As holders of the coveted “AARS Winner” title, these two new roses excelled during two years of testing against 15 criteria — including ease of maintenance and disease resistance — in the world’s toughest rose trial. Bearing the AARS red rose seal of approval ensures that these rose bushes will flourish in gardens nationwide.

“Since 1938, AARS has identified the best roses for gardens across the country,” said AARS president Tom Carruth. “We are continually impressed to see the unique — and exceptional — new rose varieties stand up to our rigorous testing. The 2008 Winners are sure to bring much delight to gardeners nationwide.”

Dream Come True
Dream Come True is a stunning sight of catchy colors, which lures the likes of even non-rose lovers to its side. This rose produces flawlessly formed yellow blossoms, blushed with ruby-red at the tips, all set amongst abundant matte green foliage. The big, bushy, vigorous plant yields long-stemmed, long-lived blooms with mild tea fragrance, making it lovely in the landscape and a great choice for bouquets.
Dream Come True was hybridized by Dr. John Pottschmidt of Cincinnati, Ohio — only the third amateur hybridizer to win the AARS Award in 67 years — and is introduced by Weeks Roses of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Mardi Gras
With flamboyant blooms in a novel blend of pink, orange, and yellow, and a delightful peppery scent, Mardi Gras creates a festive atmosphere in any setting. Each high-centered hybrid tea style bloom begins as an apricot-orange bud that slowly spirals open to reveal a 4-inch bright pink and orange bloom with a yellow base. As an All-America Rose Selections winner, this festive floribunda has proven to perform exceptionally well across the country with little-to-no care. The colorful blooms are perfectly framed with dark green, semi-glossy foliage, and its upright columnar habit makes Mardi Gras an ideal rose to use as a hedge or in a border with mixed perennials. Mardi Gras was hybridized by Keith Zary and is introduced by Jackson & Perkins Wholesale, Inc. of Medford, Ore.

gardening, flower gardens, All American Rose Selections, roses