Hoping for Repeat Blooming
This past week I spent time cutting back my mass planting of catmint. (it’s ‘Walker’s Low’, so no self seeding or crazy spreading). It had finished blooming and the bees were no longer lingering among the blooms. I’m hoping with a severe cut it will rebloom this fall, hopefully with a little less vigor. Gardening is always a process, always learning and editing. This mass planting of catmint is AMAZING, something I’m going to expand and do a few other places around the garden.
My planting was a little too close, I’m going to be digging up every other plant, probably next spring. That’s not a big deal because it will give me lots of plants for another mass planting. I have plans to increase this one by about two times and then do the same thing across the patio area by the back door.
After this sever cut back, I watered it will with liquid kelp. This should give it the boost it needs to rebloom nicely. I’ll keep you posted on the late summer blooms. In our short season, sometimes deadheading for a second flush of blooms doesn’t quit work. Meanwhile, I’m adding lots of goodness to the compost pile with all this deadheading. Next year it will feed pumpkins and other squashes.
What are you deadheading in the garden this week?
Share this:
Tucked In
I’ve tried growing cauliflower for years, then a few years ago I read about ‘Bishop’ and finally achieved cauliflower success. They’re supposed to be self-blanching heads, though I still tuck the leaves around the heads to make sure they’re nice and white.
I would harvest these, but I’m waiting on a few gallons of white wine vinegar. Pickled cauliflowers is one of our favorite winter time treats, all four heads I grew will be pickled and put into jars for winter eating. It’s perfect sautéed in a cast iron skillet as a side to bratwurst or some other kind of pork. I’ve always liked cauliflower, even when I was a kid. I can eat it pretty much eat it cooked in any way, or raw as well.
Are you a lover or a hater of cauliflower?
I use the recipe for pickled cauliflower from Well Preserved by Mary Dragan, but I add caraway and mustard seeds to the jars before canning.
Share this:
New to Me Nasturtiums
In Ohio I tried growing nasturtiums many times, they never did well at all. Everyone always said they were so “easy” and did well in poor soil, yet I could never get them to do anything at all in my garden. I finally gave up trying to grow them and moved on to other annuals. When we moved to Maine and I was growing in a different area, growing them never crossed my mind until this spring. A pack of ‘Night & Day’ nasturtiums were ordered from Johnny’s, started in soil blocks, and planted throughout the garden.
I was not prepared for the exuberance of these plants. Here by the front door they’re taking over their pots, growing up the side of the house, and being fantastic. I planted one between each tomato plant in the main garden, they are growing up way too big. Last week I cut them back hoping they would regrow but be a little less crazy. I’m undecided on whether I like these plants and will grow them again next year. This pale yellow is nice, especially by the front door. I’m not a big fan of bright, brash colors in the garden, which nasturtiums tend to be. I guess I’ll watch these the rest of the summer and see what I think in another month or so.
What annual that everyone says is “easy” have you struggled to grow?
Share this:
Fennel, Fennel, and more Fennel
I’ve loved fennel for quite awhile. I’ve tried growing it for just as long, without much success. It never failed that my fennel bolted before it formed bulbs, I probably count on one hand the number of bulbs I was able to harvest in all my years of trying to grow it. Then, two years ago I tried ‘Preludio’ fennel from Johnny’s and was finally able to produce fennel bulbs with remarkable consistency. This spring, I decided to see if it was actually the variety or the conditions here in my Maine garden that caused my success.
I seeded the same number of ‘Preludio’ and the heirloom variety ‘Florence’. I planted them in the garden and watched them closely. Out of the 8 plants of each I transplanted, only one ‘Florence’ produced a bulb, the rest bolted. As you can see by the image below, the ‘Preludio’ is on the left, ‘Florence’ bulb bolted in the middle, and the single bulb of ‘Florence’.
‘Preludio’ also produced much larger and tighter bulbs. We did a taste test and they were the same in taste and texture. Overall, I’ll keep growing ‘Preludio’ since it ensures my success with fennel. If you’ve struggled to grow fennel in your garden, give this variety a try. Another tip is to not disturb the roots. Seed in a soil block if possible and transplant before the roots get too big. Root disruption can be on the causes of bolting in fennel.
Do you eat fennel? What’s your favorite way to enjoy it?
Share this:
Nooks and Crannies in the Garden
If you remember, earlier this spring I talked about planting some creeping thyme under the front porch door. It was always an awkward spot, growing weeds and generally just making the entryway look a little unkempt. This small nook isn’t very large, the tiny front vestibule/porch area is only about 3×5 and underneath it is filled with gravel. Of course weeds always thrived in this spot, which was not my idea of what I want at my front door. This spring I thought creeping thyme might just be the plant to grow here. It will thrive in the dry gravely conditions and should keep weeds from taking root.
So far it’s working beautifully. I love being able to use these tiny nooks to grow plants, especially ones that pollinators love. This short thyme is finally established and starting to bloom. Overall, I’d say I solved this problem! Sometimes we can take these troublesome nooks and crannies and fill them with just the right plant to make them a feature instead of problem.
Creeping thyme is always one of my go-to plants when I have little nooks and crannies to fill in the garden. It grows in less than ideal situations and looks beautiful most of the year. It’s definitely a favorite plant around here.
What’s your favorite plant for nooks and crannies in the garden?
