Park Seed Garden Journal

Calling All Captions! Funny veg edition.

Tink here.

We had a lot of fun judging the "My Bell Pepper Looks JUST Like Elvis!" veggie photo contest! It's amazing what strange shapes peppers and tomatoes can take.

You can see all of the contest entries on our Flickr, but this particular one (RIGHT) made us laugh.  What exactly is going on here?  

What would YOU caption this photo? >>>  
Post yours to the "Comments" section for this post! 

Park Seed employees are welcome to play, this is not a contest, it's just for fun.

Did you miss our previous Caption Jams?  Check it out.

Plan a Thanksgiving Feast From Your Own Garden

Thanksgiving celebrations are almost universal throughout the history of the world, different cultures celebrating the end of a long working summer, celebrating the harvest. Even thousands of years before the pilgrims ever landed at Plymouth the native Americans were feasting. In 1621, they just happened to have a few hungry European guests.

You can celebrate your own harvest this year, providing much of your Thanksgiving feast from your own garden. It may seem a little early to start planning, but there are are plenty of cool-season veggies that you could plant now and harvest for Thanksgiving.

Today is September first - 86 days until Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th. Beets will mature in just over 70 days. Broccoli in 60. Most lettuces and cabbage in 60 days. Peas in 65. You can get the seeds now and have all these vegetables for the holiday. And if you've planted and squash and pumpkins they should be ready by the end of October or beginning of November. There are also a few things you can do to extend the lives of your other garden plants into the fall.

So, plant now and harvest for Thanksgiving. Share your bounty with your family and friends.

Bumble Bees Are Taking Up The Pollinating Torch

About three years ago "Colony Collapse Disorder" was all over the news - honey bees were starting to disappear, and they have continued to drop in numbers every year since. Honey bees are the primary pollinators for commercial farms, but in nature there are hundreds of bugs, bats, birds buzzing from one plant to the next, keeping the ecosystem on task. One fat, fuzzy little bug is working hard to fill the gap left by the missing honey bees, the bumble bee!

Bumble bees work harder and longer than their smaller cousins, flying in weather that would keep honey bees from leaving the hive. Check out this article from the Seattle Times for more information: Native Bees Picking Up Slack.

Welcome the Bumble Bees into your garden!

• If you find a bumble bee nest, avoid moving if at all possible - these little guys are very important for your garden and other local plant life.
• To attract your own pollinators plant fruit trees and bright flowers. Here is a product list of plants that are known to attract pollinating birds and insects.

Check out Bumblebee.org to learn more about being sensitive to the tiny little workhorses in your garden.

Testing Soil Drainage: Quick & Easy

One of the most specific demands your new plants will have is soil drainage. You want soil that will hold moisture but drain quickly - soaking wet soil will lead to rotten roots. Follow these simple steps to test your soil drainage:

(You will need a stop watch)

1. Dig a small hole, just a few inches.
2. Fill it with water.
3. Start timing.

If your soil drains less than 1/2 in. per hour, your drainage is pretty bad.

If it drains more than 2 in. per hour it may be a little too fast.

You can easy regulate high or low drainage by amending your soil with some high-quality compost. It's that easy. Now all of your plants will have evenly moist, perfect soil!

If you check out Park's tools and supplies we offer plenty of things to keep your soil and your garden healthy. If you want to ensure that you have the best soil possible try using our electronic soil tester or the sturdy, efficient 90 gallon compost bin.

Water Your Garden Regularly

This sprawling, shallow carrot root system was obviously
not on a regular watering schedule.

I have mentioned it a few times this summer - if you are going to have healthy productive plants, you must keep your garden on a strict watering schedule. Water deeply to ensure that roots grow down into the ground, not sprawling along the surface like this carrot (pictured above) that I pulled out of my mother's garden (she is so afraid of wasting water.)

If you water sporadically, allowing plants to wilt and swell, they will buckle - your tomatoes will split and crack if they ever manage to ripen at all. Your gourds and melons will ripen off early, producing tiny little fruits. Your greens will wilt and scorch.

Summer Watering tips:

1. Try using a soaker or drip hose in your garden - sprinklers tend to only give a superficial watering, and they leave your foliage wet which might lead to fungus. (Sprinklers are perfect for lawns, but not for vegetables).
2. Make up a regular watering schedule, and keep it - start out with two waterings a week, and adjust with the weather. If you are getting plenty of rain, water less frequently - If it is near a hundred every day and you haven't seen a drop in weeks, you may want to water 3 or 4 times a week.
3. Use a water soluble fertilizer with every other watering to grow strong resilient plants that will be more hardy to climate changes.
4. Use mulch to regulate soil moisture levels, weeds, and temperature.
5. Pull competing weeds and grass - ensure that your garden plants are benefiting from your hard work, not mooching, unwanted interlopers.
6. Keep harvesting and dead-heading throughout the summer to keep your plants vigorous and productive.

Ground-Covers: A Smart Landscaping Decision

Perennial ground-covers can make life in the garden easier. Ground-covers offer a beautiful, organic method for handling many common garden problems. Understanding and properly applying ground-covers can significantly improve your overall landscape design.

• Most popular ground-cover plants spread vigorously - they can be used to bare spots in your yard, even hillsides and dry spots under trees.
• Deep-rooted ground-covers can help you contain an erosion proble, holding the earth solidly in place. Short-rooted ground-covers break up the ground, allowing trees and shrubs to receive moisture and nutrients more easily.
• Ground-covers regulate soil moisture and temperature, reducing the need for mulch. They also crowd out and smother weeds.
• Short, tread-able ground-covers can be used as a low-maintenance, interesting alternative to traditional lawn grass.

Browse through Park Seed's full selection of ground-cover plants to find what works best for you. Not only do they solve man practical garden problems, but lying down a nice leaf background to your beautiful blooming plants can really tie the whole garden together adding depth, creating strong finished look that you might expect in a professional botanical garden.

Extending the Life of Your Garden

There is still plenty of time left in the year for your vegetable garden. Planting is better in the fall - the days are cool, but the ground is still warm. Your plants can get all the light they need without getting burned up and dried out in the hot summer heat.

Starting seeds in the fall?

Yes you can! Peas, greens, broccoli and many more great veggies thrive in the cool fall planting season. Start them now and you can have a full crop of delicious fresh produce by September or October. You can start the seeds indoors while the weather is still hot, and move them outside in a couple weeks.

Keep your summer garden going.

You can keep your other veggies going much longer by following a few simple tips. Keep weeds, diseases, and pests out of your garden - they add stress that shortens your growing season. Stop them early and keep your garden growing longer. Water regularly - irregular watering will lead to cracked bitter fruits and lower production. And, most importantly, pick ripened fruit - if your tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers get too ripe they will trigger the plant to end production for the season, and you will see a dramatic drop in production.

Perennial Shade Gardens: 3 Tips For Success

Perennial shade gardens are really pretty easy. Just plan ahead and choose shade-loving plants that you are familiar with. The biggest mistake that people make is not properly researching their plants' needs before they start planting.

1. Choose your shade garden plot and plants wisely.
   Is your plot in full shade or part shade? Some plants have very finicky light requirements - research your plants' before purchasing or planting. What kind of soil do you have? Are you planting under trees? Your shade plants are going to have to compete with your trees for nutrients and moisture, and they may needs extra attention in the future. Soil under conifers tends to be more acidic, and it may need to be amended to adjust the pH before plants will thrive. Any shady spot will do, but some will require a little more prep work than others.
2. Design your shade garden layout before you start planting.
   Certain plants need a little bit more sunlight than others and may need to be planted near the edge of your shady area. Position your bright-blooming shade plants like Daylilies, Columbines, and Lenten Roses so that the flowers will stand out against your deeper colored foliage-interest plants like Heucheras, Hostas, and Ferns. You don't want your flowering plants hidden in the shadows - they should twinkle and highlight all the interesting things that you have going on throughout.
3. Give your shade garden the special care and attention it needs.
   Pull weeds and saplings that will compete with your plants. Use mulch to regulate soil moisture and temperature and to deter weeds. Water deeply once a week, possibly more if your garden is in the shade of trees. Use rich compost and manure or an all-purpose fertilizer to ensure that your plants have plenty of nutrients.

Shade gardens can be one of the most attractive, peaceful places in the garden. Along the edge of the woods, a small grove of trees in your lawn, or in a corner along a north facing wall: your shade garden will be an oasis from the summer heat. Accentuate with a bench, a flagstone path, a frog pond, or maybe a bird bath to make your new space more comfortable, and spend your summer relaxing in the shade.