Ok, so the tomato plant didn't see the calendar. I have 4 new blossoms on the plant. Feel bad when I plan to compost the plant. It's almost like the plant's saying it's "not ready." I'm aware talking to plants can get you committed in some places, but hey I'm retired now.
For those of you in milder climates, who haven't had snow yet, I received an interesting news release about Epsom salts. Yes, Epsom salts, the thing your grandmother suggested for achey muscles. The Epsom Salt Council, honest there is one, put out suggested uses for epsom salts. Epsom salts has magnesium in it which helps seeds germinate, so when your flowers and lawn are ready for growing next spring the magnesium will be there ready to use.
- For spring ready beds, as you till and turn over the soil add 1 cup of Epsom salts every 100 feet. Or just mix into the soil before planting.
- Don't ignore your lawn now that the growing season has slowed down. Apply three pounds of Epsom Salt for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer.
- Give your compost pile a boost. Compost can provide a constant source of fertilizer and soil conditioner for your yard. Add a cup of Epsom Salt to your compost pile every 2 weeks.
- For those on the west coast, if you plan on planting some shrubs or evergreens before winter really sets in, add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt for every 9 feet. Reapply over the root zone every 2-4 weeks.
- For those of us who container garden, dilute 2 tablespoons of Epsom salts per gallon of water; feed plants monthly.
One advantage of using epsom salt is the low cost. Also it doesn't burn like using nitrogen based fertilizers. Dissolves and goes right into the soil. Evidently sage doesn't like it though. So for all the herb gardeners, skip the epsom salt on your sage plants. And if you have some Epsom salts left over, put 2 cups in a hot tub. Get in and let your muscles unwind.
All in a gardener's day,
Thanks to Billy Alexander for the generous use of the tomato graphic.
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For those of us in the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgving today. It's a time of reflection, family gatherings, and giving thanks for the blessings in our life. We get to celebrate the bounty of the harvest for this year as we plan for next year's growth.
Today I'm getting to enjoy the last of the tomatoes from the garden as well as the bakers dozen of sweet potatoes. All were grown in their container and thrived throughout the heat of the summer and those cool autumn days.
The harvested plants are being recycled as part of the mini compost pile I've made at the corner of the garden. And so the plants will continue the cycle of renourishment for the next generation of plants in my garden.
No matter where you are, I wish you a bountiful harvest and times for which you can give thanks.
I'm off for my slice of pumpkin pie.
All in a gardener's day,
Photo courtesy of Monmart
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As the holidays approach I'm seeing more and more of the showy Christmas cactus. These tropical houseplants are fun and easy to grow. Though they grow in a similar environment to orchids, the Christmas cactus doesn't require as much care as the orchid in order to produce its flowers. It's an ideal container gardening plant as it can live quite easily inside.
A long living plant, some Christmas cactus plants have even been passed on beyond one generation indeed lasting hundreds of years. To insure lots of flowering of these plants, it's important to remember a couple of tips on light, temperature and amount of watering.
Christmas cactus likes darkness at night, so place the plant where it receives total darkness at night and indirect sunlight by day.Professional growers encourage these plants to blossom for the holidays by putting them in darkness for up to 3/4 of the day. A tropical plant originally from the Brazilian mountains, where warm sunny days mixed with cool nights the Christmas cactus requires humidity to successfully grow and blossom.
It's a good idea to place the plant pot on top of a humidity tray (gravel on a saucer filled halfway with water). Even though the plant likes humidity it does not like wet feet. Over watering is a cause of the flower buds dropping off the plant. The Christmas cactus flowers best when pot bound.
Want to create more plants? Break off a segment of the plant, dip in rooting hormone and place in potting soil. In about 2-3 weeks your new cutting should be nicely rooted.
As it's easy to grow and care for, the Christmas cactus is particularly well suited to adaptive gardening and enabled gardening. Consider this a plant to add to your inside plant collection for adaptive gardening enjoyment.
All in a gardener's day,
Photo courtesy of Emmanuelm
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