When life gives you too much lemon balm…

I think it was 15 years ago that I had an herb garden where my chicken run now stands. At that time I planted a small cutting of lemon balm. I didn't know what to do with the stuff, I just thought it looked pretty and smelled wonderful — lemony but more like lemon grass than actual lemons. Every time I walked by the plant and disturbed the air around it, the rich lemony scent would fill the air.

Since then, I've found the stuff is as invasive as mint. It looks a lot like mint. It's actually in the mint family and when people visit my garden they always mistake it for peppermint. Lemon balm is also called Lemon Mint. Pests don't seem to like it one bit, it doesn't seem to need much water and it SPREADS. 

Lemon Balm is supposed to have calming properties, helps with insomnia, stress, digestive issues, colic in babies, menstrual pain, headache, toothache, Alzheimer's… you name it. Apparently it will fix anything that ails you! I'm always in favor of natural calming remedies and decided to try making teas with my plants.

For cold tea, I just take a bunch of the leaves, stem and all (about 2 cups, rinsed first of course), smoosh them into a ball and put that in a heat-proof container. Then I boil a kettle full of filtered water, pour the boiling water over the leaves and let it steep. If the leaves float to the top of the water, I put an upright stainless steel spoon on top of the ball of leaves and use it to weight them down. You can pull the wad of leaves out when the water cools down and use the tea right away or store in the fridge. It will keep for a couple of days. I love pouring this tea over a glass filled with ice cubes and a few drops of Stevia liquid.

The hot tea almost tastes even better! Again I take some leaves, a generous tablespoon-sized wad, and put it in a mug. I add boiling water, let it steep for about 4 minutes and end up with a rich, fragrant, lemony hot drink. Very soothing and delicious! 

You could also add mint to the lemon balm for lemon-mint teas.

As my garden overfloweth with Lemon Balm, I'm thrilled to know how beneficial a plant it is. I'd just love to be able to give some away...

DIY Pet Safe Lawn Fertilizer: Does it work?

The first person I ever saw using soap on her lawn was my Denver neighbor Mrs. Bassey back in the 80s. She was from England and had the nicest yard on the block. Mrs. Bassey would be out in her yard every few weeks with a lawn sprayer attached to her hose and filled with Ivory dish liquid. She said it broke up the clay and thatch on the ground and her lawn sure looked—and smelled—great.

Around that time I came across a book by Jerry Baker, The Impatient Gardener, which contained a recipe for lawn tonic. I tried that a few times, but eventually gave way to convenience and went back to using store-bought fertilizers. It wasn't until the past few years that I became more concerned with what exactly was IN those bags of grainy chemicals and what they might to do our pets, the wild animals visiting our yard and the environment in general. 

I searched the internet for more information about DIY fertilizers, pulled out my old Impatient Gardener and compared notes. It seems the recipe hasn't changed, but I was curious why those particular ingredients were being used. Just what do they do? I was able to find all of the ingredients at a dollar store, except for the beer. You'll get several batches from all the ingredients except for the beer and soda, so this tonic is also inexpensive. Once I've applied this to my grass, I water with plain water for a while to help it soak in. Here's the recipe:

1 cup Epsom Salts

1 cup Listerine-type mouthwash

1 cup liquid dish soap (not antibacterial, as plain and simple as possible)

1 cup ammonia

1 bottle of cheap beer

1 can of sugary soda

Put all ingredients into a one quart hose-end sprayer. I was able to get one from Ace Hardware ("Use 7 ways" says the label) that I could attach to a hose on the input side, another (short) hose on the output side and then add an oscillating sprinkler. If you don't have an extra hose or sprinkler you'll just have to stand around for a while and spray your lawn by hand. The book says it will cover up to 2500 square feet and should be used in May and again in late June, but I don't suppose it would hurt to use it more often if it's very dry in your area. And of course don't water during the heat of the day, it's wasteful and you could scorch your grass. 

So does it work? I think so, my lawn looks great! I'll keep applying this tonic throughout the summer and update this post if anything changes.

This is what the ingredients do:

Epsom salts: Magnesium sulfate (sulfur), a critical mineral for seed germination. Vital to the production of chlorophyll, which plants use to transform sunlight into food. An aid in the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen, two of the most important fertilizer components. Sulfur, the other major component, is also an important plant nutrient. Contributes to chlorophyll production. Makes the primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) found in most fertilizers more effective.

Mouthwash: Helps kills grubs and other grass-root-dining insects. Optional in my book.

Dish Soap: Liquid dish detergent has surfactants in it that help the nutrients in the fertilizer stick to and be absorbed by the grass while leaving the grass unharmed. Adding liquid dish detergent to your mix of ingredients can help the ingredients work better.  DO NOT use anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid as it will kill off important microbes in the lawn and soil that help "digest" thatch. It's also a wetting agent and will help break up clay soils and improve water absorption.

Ammonia: Rich in nitrogen, a nutrient that grass needs to be healthy.

Beer: Rich in carbohydrates, beer provides an immediate source of energy for microbes in the soil, which then release energy for the grass to use. 

Soda: Carbohydrates in the sugar or high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten them can make your lawn greener and more lush by feeding the bacteria that live in the soil. The bacteria produce nutrients that grass can readily utilize for energy. Only sugary, non-diet soft drinks should be used.

Here's a healthy lawn ~ Cheers!

Do hoop houses really work?

Hoops before covering

The short answer is "you betcha!" This is my second year of using a hoop house. Last year we just put hoops over one raised bed. I used a plastic drop cloth as the covering and I wasn't completely thrilled with it. During sunny days, even if it was cold outside, the house would get incredibly hot because plastic doesn't breathe. But I planted a couple of weeks earlier than advised and all went well.

By the end of summer, the stowed plastic had begun to disintegrate. I had left it outside within quick reach just in case I had to cover the garden during one of our frequent summer hail storms and plastic just isn't meant to be out in the sun. But the hoop house was successful enough to be encouraging, so we built a second one.

After doing some internet research, I found this Agribon cold weather row cover cloth that was recommended by a few different sources. I ordered it last winter in anticipation of getting an even earlier planting going this spring. Our "last frost" date here is May 16 and still there are no guarantees. But I decided, after looking at the extended forecast for my area, to throw caution to the wind and plant a whole month early. Crazy! I got busy planting.

DIY Sprinkler pipe clips

After a week or two we had a few nights that were expected to be near freezing, so I pulled the fabric over the hoops and hoped for the best. The new fabric clips we'd made from sprinkler pipe worked extremely well and it was quick and easy to cover and uncover the gardens. They made it through those chilly nights without a problem.

Clips in use

Then came Mother's Day. Forecasts for a winter storm were being broadcast for days. First for 2-4 inches of snow. Then 6-8. Then 9-12! I decided to double my row cover fabric "just in case" and made sure none of the plants were touching the fabric on the inside. As a last resort I tried covering the whole thing with plastic, thinking the snow would slide off of it and prevent too much weight on the cloth. Not! For some reason the snow was sticking to the plastic worse than it was to the cloth, so again I ditched the plastic and hoped the fabric would stand up to the heavy spring snow.

That lumpy thing is a hoop house!

I did go out a couple of times during the worst of the snow storm to brush off accumulating snow. I was concerned about the strength of the fabric since I'd had my fingers punch through it a couple of times while pulling it over the hoops. But the fabric is amazingly strong despite it's flimsy gauze-like appearance. A few times I peeked in and warm air puffed out in my face. Apparently the soil in the raised beds had warmed up enough during the previous weeks to keep the inside temps nice and cozy.

Cozy inside!

The next morning I woke to 10" of snow and drifts up to about 18". The hoop houses had some snow on them from over night, but still they stood their ground. I think the snow actually helped insulate the beds a little more. When the sun came out later in the day, the snow began to melt and roll off. The plants inside were still warm and safe inside. And dry!

The next couple of nights were supposed to go down into the 20s, and I didn't want to take any chances. The fabric is rated to 28° and with a double layer I probably got another couple of degrees, but why tempt fate? I put an electric space heater in the house with the tomato plants and figured the other one with broccoli, onions, shallots, etc. would tolerate the cooler temps without extra help. 

Space heater = Toasty temps!

Two nights with temps around 24-28° were not a problem! Early in the mornings I'd peek into the houses and the tomatoes had actually started blooming! The heater kept the house so warm that I had to make sure I got out early to turn it off before the sun added even more heat.

I am definitely a fan of hoop houses after this year's experiment. It's now the end of May and after dodging a few hail storms my garden is waaayyy ahead of where it normally is this time of year. Maybe this summer I won't have to wait until July for tomatoes!

A head start on summer!

Next year I plan to put the hoops on a rail so I can just push them back and forth as needed. I'm also keeping the hoops up and the fabric in a convenient place this summer so if I see those green hail clouds headed my way I can run out and get things covered. It will be interesting to see how well the fabric will hold up to hail and what size hail will "break the camel's back." Keeping my fingers crossed that won't happen!

Repotting tomato plants

A big part of raising vegetables from seed is upsizing the pots they live in until they make it out to the garden. For most vegetables the process is straight-forward: carefully pop the plants out of their outgrown container into a slightly larger one, add dirt and water. You don't want to go too much bigger with the new container because the plants will spend all their time growing roots to fill all that dirt and not growing the actual plant. Most plants will only need to be repotted once before going outdoors. But tomato plants (and sometimes peppers) may take several transplants before they reach the garden. Especially if your growing season is short: You want the biggest plants possible going into the ground on your last frost date.

To get seedlings out of their container:

• Make sure the soil is wet so it doesn't stick to the plastic container. 
• Do not pull on the plant, because it will just break!
• Squeeze the sides of the cell or plastic container to loosen the soil and tip the plant out into your hand. Even if you have a six pack of cells, you should be able to get just one cell out at a time. I cup my fingers in the "receiving" hand so I can catch the soil on my fingertips while the plant is protected by the cupped part of my palm.
• If the plant is short, you'll need to put some potting soil in the bottom of the new container to raise it up. Then fill with more soil around the sides.

This plant will end up having soil almost
up to it's leaves.

As with all plants, the bigger and stronger the root system, the healthier the plant. Tomato plants have the unique ability to grow roots out of their stems. You could actually break a branch off a mature tomato plant and root it in water or soil! The trick to getting a great root system going on a tomato transplant is to bury the plant up to it's leaves in soil. Extra roots will grow along the stem. More roots mean more water and nutrition being consumed by the plant, so faster growth. I do this every time I move them to a larger container, and even when I plant them in the garden. They will have a nice tall stem again within a week.

Another thing I learned is that because of this rooting ability, tomatoes don't seem to mind having their roots disturbed when transplanting. With other plants you have to be extremely careful to not injure the roots and with some vegetables you need to plant the seeds directly into your garden soil because they won't tolerate transplanting at all. Not tomatoes! 

Same plant, one week later!

You know how when you're starting off seeds, it's recommended that you put 2-3 seeds in each plant cell, since not all seeds will germinate? Then sometimes all the seeds germinate and you're supposed to pinch off the smaller ones and keep the healthiest plant (if you pull out the smaller ones you will disturb the roots of your chosen surviving plant). Well, a couple of years ago I started separating the baby tomato plants that grew together in the cells, rather than pinching some back. All of the tomatoes transplanted this way survived and flourished! So now I end up with 2 - 3 times as many plants as I expected. I give away and donate whatever I can't fit into the garden. Need some tomato plants?

When should you plant garden seeds?

Just the beginning...

A week ago I started my seeds indoors for this summer's garden. Normally the "last frost date" in this area is around May 17, although some sources day as late as June 1—nearly three weeks later than Denver, which is only about 20 miles away! But our elevation is higher and we're in a more open area than Denver proper, which has it's own microcosm. I'm aiming for a May 3 or 4 plant date, two weeks earlier than advised, but my hoop frames with row covers will protect the garden from late-season snow and frost.

Wondering what your last frost date it? A great online source for that information is the Farmer's Almanac web site. All you need to do is enter your town or zip code into the search box and the site will not only give you a last frost date, but also a list of vegetables, when to start your seeds and when to set the plants out—all based on your frost date. Each vegetable on the list is a link to more in-depth information on how to grow that specific veggie. What a great resource! They even have an amazing on-line garden planner that you can use for free for 30 days. 

Seed start planning!

Taking plant dates even a little farther, I put together an Excel chart listing only the vegetables I plan to grow. For plants that didn't appear on the Farmer's chart, I either used the recommendations on my seed packages, the charts that come in Park's Seeds catalogs or looked for an on-line source such as Heirloom Seeds. Some seeds will be sown directly into the garden, on my plant date, so those went to the bottom of my chart. I then sorted the list by seed start date. I'm putting the Excel chart up here for download if you're interested. You can then personalize the chart for your particular plants and planting schedule. If you don't have Excel, here's a PDF version that you can edit by hand. You'll see a column labeled Actual. I decided to keep track on actual germination time, which can vary depending on temperature of the room in which you're starting your seeds.

I have sunshine on
a cloudy day!

This year I moved my seed starting operation to a small upstairs bedroom with a south-facing window. It's very easy to keep that room warm—much warmer than the rest of the house. I bought a second LED grow light to double my coverage, and added a humidifier for moisture and a little more heat, especially for those overcast or snowy days. I was very surprised to see that the first plants to germinate, chamomile and cabbage, came up within three days of planting. Their germination time is supposed to be roughly 7-14 days! In fact, everything I planted last week, with the exception of peppers (bell and Anaheim) and celery, are up and growing. I think I'll photograph their progress every Sunday and update this post with the photos.

If you're growing your garden from seed this year, you'd better get to work now! Here is a more detailed post on starting plants from seeds from March of last year.