Garden Planning for Containers

I worked the election this week as an election judge.  My reward was to go plant shopping the next day. You can see my haul below.  This trip was a few herbs and mostly annuals for my hanging baskets.  I tend to landscape in shades of green.  As an herb grower, you get into that, as flowers are something you cut off, not encourage, but I love the bright shades of flowers so I grow zinna and sunflowers from seed and put out annual hanging baskets.  Our garden club normally has a plant sale where I buy my baskets, but this year no sale, no baskets.  But if you are looking for native plants, the club will get 10% if you SHOP HERE.

As a result, I need to make my own hanging baskets.  I have plenty of planters, so I went to Redbud Creek Farm in Sheridan, IL.  It is about an hour from me, but worth the drive.  They have herbs, vegetables, annuals and perennials.  The layout is wonderful to wander through. And I will have to go back later in the year to see the herb and vegetable garden during the growing season.

We also stopped at Shady Hill Gardens in Elburn to pick up my scented geraniums - and some lemon thyme which was too aromatic to pass up!

Hanging Basket Design

Designing a hanging basket is about the same as designing a small pot spiller, filler, thriller.  But one does not need a tall exceptional center plant as much as one needs more spiller.  Most hanging baskets hang above eye level so you need the plants to flow over the edge.  That means finding plants that low grow and spread or are viney. My favorite for this is portulaca - a variety of purslane, an edible weedy herb, that will grow well in-ground and spread nicely and in pots, it will cascade.  It is covered with colorful blossoms throughout the summer.

English ivy is a good choice, Sweet potato vine with its unusually shaped leaves and lovely shades of green to dark purple allow you to find versions to suit your design.  Another great spiller is Dichondra.  This version is "Silver Falls." 

Trumpet vine and bougainvillea are popular hanging basket items, but they tend to be grown alone.  Because of their own showy appearance, no extras are needed.

For the thiller I like annual flowers. Bright, colorful, sun-loving annuals that will grow fast and fill the pot to overflowing is the best. For one I chose portulaca in 5 different colors. I love yellow and my husband does to, so we got some yellow and orange ----  to hang in the front yard.  Since I am still working from home, my home desk will overlook it everyday.

As filler I got these pretty white flowers -- 

I think I will have to get a few more. 

I wintered over two ivy.  One variegated with wide leaves and one a more traditional ivy.  The traditional ivy died back terribly due to the lack of humidity in our house, but the other ivy flourished.  The cats will be glad it is no longer growing into their lounging space in the bedroom.

Once we are free of the threat of frost I will put these containers together and take photos of the final versions.  

 

Container Gardens - Garden Planning pt 2

I am formal gardener, even if I don’t seem to be.  I like my plants to stay in their own space.  I grow them next to each other, then trim them back to create a border between plants.  I suspect that reflects on my personality in some way. 

I have always leaned toward placing one plant in a container and then grouping the containers in my garden.  I have learned to break this rule to make floral containers to decorate my shade gardens and love it.  Here is my formerly shaded book nook where I could read or play my psaltry and enjoy my garden views with several multi-color flower combos.

That big tree to the left is gone now so the book nook will be full sun this year.  With my red hair, I cannot read in full sun, so I will have to move the reading nook, meaning I can make this into a new garden area.  I have been experimenting in designing containers to go into this area which is planted with Creeping Jenny and Ajuga to give me the opportunity to experiment with what will grow there and how it will look.  After this season, I will make decisions on what I want to plant in that area and hubby will create raised beds for this space for next year!

So here I am sharing a few designs for containers for this corner.  Each of these containers has multiple plants to provide texture and interest in the corner as well as get me used to planting where the plants will crowd one another.  I am learning two things at the same time, and you can too!

If you are into vegetable pots I found some great container ideas with Black Gold soils - Black Gold Spring Salad Pots For Quick, Easy, Fresh Eating

Mediterranean Herb Pots

First is a series of 12-inch pots planted with Mediterranean Herbs.  I think three pots will be perfect to tuck in around larger pots.

 

                                       2- English Lavender, purple sage, Greek or golden oregano

1- Sweet basil, Lettuce leaf Basil and Red Rubin Basil          3- Thyme, Pineapple Sage, Rosemary

These groupings are about water needs.  Basil needs more water, but the other herbs do not, so they can be allowed to hang out together.

Round Mocktail Container

Next, I created a round container plan that I will use in my wrought iron basket (the one above with the inpatients.)  It is 40” in diameter, which makes it perfect for a mocktail container. I am going to use the method detailed by Ben Futo of the Allen Centennial Garden in Madison, Wisconsin in his great PBS digital series called “Let’s Grow Stuff” which is geared toward beginners.  The episode is “Planting a Container.” You can find the entire 2020 season here: Let's Grow Stuff - PBS Wisconsin.

He talks about Thriller, Spiller, and Filler method of creating a container and used several herbs and edible flowers, suggesting they make good cocktails.  That got me thinking about a great way to create a mocktail planter so I adjusted his plan a bit.

Last year I discovered some beautiful yellow and black/purple striped petunias that my husband actually loved, so I knew I was going to have to grow them again.  I had planted them with lantana so Ben’s first two suggestions caught my attention. Then I thought Lavender (1), Lemon Verbena (1), Bronze Fennel (2), thyme, common or lemon(2-3), and a scented geranium (1) would give me lots of different textures and abilities to make different mocktails.  Then for the Filler I will use Chamomile and Yellow Calendula to fill in the spaces between plants.

This design would also work well in a half barrel or large in-ground round bed if you are so inclined.

Rectangular Planter

I also have a rectangular planter so I thought I could put Hardy Herbs in it, then if they work out, I can just transplant them.  Almost all of these herbs are hardy to -20 degrees F, so they can winter over in the container.  If I choose to leave them in the planter I will just put a new two inches of compost in the container at the beginning of the next growing season.

The Sorrel will be Rosemary I have decided, but Rosemary will need to be removed or left to die as it is not hardy over an Illinois winter, but the rest should be.  Being located next to the fence they will be sheltered and should be okay over the winter.  Because I took the photo before I put the measurements on it, the planter is 36 inches across the front and 24 to 30” deep. 

Any of these designs will look good at your house, so why not try them?

If you have a suggestion for a new container combo I would love to hear about it.

Winter Garden Planning part 1

I have decided to spend some time in the next few weeks talking about Garden Planning. I am going to start with why you want to do it now and then how to do it over the next few weeks.  I will show you how and why to keep a garden journal and how to read a seed catalog and more. 

No space—inside or out—should be designed until you figure out what you absolutely have to have and what you'd like to have if budget, time, and space were not limits. The same is true with your landscape: Create a list and design your own backyard, figuring out how much of your landscape should be devoted to each item. Do you gather often with family? Then a large dining and entertaining space might serve you well. Are flowers your thing? Do you crave space to grow your own food? Then a mix of flower and vegetable beds might be a good solution.

For those who mourn the slowing down of the gardening season, here’s some good news: Plants may go dormant in winter, but people don’t have to. With fewer attention-grabbing chores, winter is the perfect time to revisit existing designs and reconsider plant palettes. Certain landscaping projects are actually better suited to the off months and there are definite advantages to getting an early start in winter.

ADVANTAGES TO PLANNING IN WINTER

Here is the back and front yards respectively so I can see the space, the vista, and get a feel for the perennial plants already in my landscape.  We took down a tree this winter, so I was also looking at the kind of sun the yard will now get.

See clearly:

The bones of the garden are exposed in winter, allowing you to easily see what’s out of balance and where you might want to add in structure or visual texture, whether in the form of plants or hardscaping. Sightlines are also exposed when plants and trees have lost their leaves. One can see which sightlines to keep clear, which views to incorporate or borrow, and which ones to block.

Beat the rush:

Get orders started for long lead-time items, such as outdoor kitchen appliances or specialty plants. Don’t let long delivery times in spring push your project off track; order early and keep your project running on time.

Read up:

Cold winter days are the perfect time to catch up on gardening and design books and magazines. There are so many sources for new ideas, but one of my favorites is the Instagram and websites of seed companies. They have gotten very good and giving context for the plants they sell, not just pretty plant pictures to make you drool.

My new flower choices and repeat loved herbs have already arrived!

Catch up:

Get caught up on all the latest trends in garden design. Get inspired to try something new—add edible plants to your landscape, make your garden more sustainable, design a garden getaway—whatever catches your eye.

I suggest these great websites for ideas:

https://www.provenwinners.com/container-gardening/ideabooks

https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/advice/g746/garden-plans/

https://www.plantedwell.com/gardening-designs/

And if you want to see previous Garden design posts I've written, here is a search of them all:

Backyard Patch Herbal Blog: Search results for garden planning

So next time I will talk about prepping your garden journal and ordering your seeds.  If this year matches last year with the number of gardeners increasing, you will want to order your seed sooner than later!

Seven Herbs for a Cocktail Garden

Whether you are a gardener who enjoys a cocktail now and then or a mixologist tired of spending money on ingredients with an all-too-short shelf life, growing your own herbs to use in your favorite mixed drinks is fun and easy. 

I crafted a program on using herbs for cocktails (called Crafting Herbal Mocktails) and as a result have experimented with ways to incorporate fresh and dried herbs into mixed drinks or alcohol-free cocktails.  And you too can make your own herb enhanced drinks with just a few herbs.  If you grow in just a couple of planter boxes, a hodge podge of pots of varying sizes or in a garden patch or raised bed you can add a few herbs and start experimenting.

Realize you are not distilling your own spirits, but crafting flavorings and infusing existing spirits with the unique flavor of herbs is easy and fun.  Selecting herbs to grow can transform cocktail hour into an irresistible exercise in gardening as herbs make their way from planter box to martini, collins or rocks glass.

If you are interested in Cocktails or Mocktails I have posted several recipes in the past and you can search the blog or chose the links above.

Here are my picks for the 7 Best herbs to grow for cocktail making:

Mint

Flavor: Cool and refreshing. Depending on what type you grow, some have citrus tones, other are floral or spicy. Kentucky Colonel or Mojito mint are good choices for growing in a cocktail garden.

How to use it: Mint is probably the most commonly used fresh herb for cocktails. Mojitos and juleps are well known for using mint, but this refreshing leaf brightens flavor wherever it is used. Muddled or used as a garnish or infusion, mint is a winning choice for the gardener’s cocktail. And simple syrup can be used to make non-alcoholic ades or to flavor teas.

How to grow it: Mint grows like a weed. Plant in containers or in the yard (if you are prepared to have a lot of it).

To try: Nojito Mint Mojito-Style Mocktail

Rosemary

Flavor: Rosemary looks like clippings from a pine tree with a taste to match.

How to use it: Great as a garnish where just a hint of its flavor pops in to visit. The rich, woody flavor of rosemary can be added whole or muddled as a featured player in gin or vodka or to add pronounced depth to bourbon. Try adding a sprig to your next gin and tonic or whiskey sour. Enjoy it in a punch with sweeter flavor to give a savory hint.  It can also be used to craft a Gin substitute.

How to grow it: Start from cuttings in a pot placed in a sunny spot. Rosemary stands up well in drought conditions, and should be brought in for winter in colder climates.

To try: Rosemary Lemon Vodka

Thyme

Flavor: Can be sweet to savory depending on the variety but for cocktails common garden thyme is a good choice.  It provides a robust earthy flavor with a hint of lemon and mint and a subtle undertone of pepper.

How to use it: A simple syrup made with thyme makes it a great companion to any gin-based drink.  And using the simple syrup to create a fun fizz made with prosecco or a liqueur-based cocktail with Grand Marnier gives your cocktail hour variety.

How to grow it: Great in a rock garden and dry areas, raise from seed or cutting, but if you want to harvest the first year, get yourself a nursery plant to get a head start with this perennial that is slow to get going.

To try: Pear and Thyme Fizz

Basil

Flavor: Currently a fashionable herb in the cocktail scene, different varieties of this complex, aromatic herb can lean sweet, peppery or citrus-y with clove or licorice overtones.

How to use it: Like mint, basil is a great all-purpose herb, adding great flavor to gin, tequila or rum drinks among others. Muddle, use as a garnish or craft a simple syrup to use in cocktails as a change of pace from the same old cocktail. For some great color, use a purple basil.

How to grow it: Make sure basil plants get plenty of water and sunlight. Harvest leaves from the top a few at a time so the plant will have continued healthy growth throughout the summer and beyond. Start from seed or get a jump start with a nursery plant.

To try: Pineapple Basil Gin Cocktail

Lavender

Flavor: Floral and woody with undertones similar to mint and rosemary, lavender is wonderfully distinctive, but a little goes a long way.

How to use it: Perhaps best prepared in a simple syrup, lavender is the taste of springtime in front porch drinks featuring vodka, gin or even lemonade for the non-drinker.  But sprigs make a great garnish, and sugared stems are wonderful stirred into a drink.

How to grow it: A great container plant. Water deeply, but make sure it has good drainage and gets plenty of sunlight. Harvest as blossoms begin to open. It likes a well drained soil.  Hard to grow from seed, so get a plant from the shops or divide an existing plant from a freind.

To Try: Lavender Collins

Lemon Grass

Flavor: light citrus to lemon overtones with a hint of sweet mint combined with an intoxicating lemon scent.

How to use it: Lemon grass is used both for its lemon flavor as well as its amazing aroma it adds great dimension to flavoring vodka, as well as a simple syrup to make lemonade based drinks or complex citrus cocktails with gin, whiskey or sparkling wines.

How to grow it: An annual in cooler climates grow in a container as an accent plant or in the ground as a focal item as it has a tall spreading grass look that fans out.  It needs little care except regular water and well-drained soil. Propagate by seed or root division. 

To try: Mint and Lemongrass Cooler

Sage

Flavor: Earthy, woody and vaguely peppery, sage has a wonderful and distinctive flavor, but should be used sparingly.

How to use it: Muddled, infused into spirits or prepared in a simple syrup, sage adds savory complexity to mixed drinks, but the flavor can be overpowering for some. Try it in tequila or add some sage to your next gin fizz for a summer drink with unmistakable garden taste. A salt infused with sage is great savory glass rim.

How to grow it: Requires little care and is tolerant of different soil types and conditions, but soil should be well-drained.  Can be started from seed, cutting or division of an existing plant.  Keep well trimmed to avoid woodiness.

To try: Tequila Sage Smash from cakenknife.com

Edibles in your Garden Landscape

Most gardens today are solely ornamental and many of the ones that are edible are tucked into hidden corners of back yards, valued solely for their contribution to the pantry. Before herb gardens and vegetable gardens were relegated to their own spaces, kitchen gardens, cottage gardens, and landscapes around homes were filled plants that were as beautiful as they were useful.

Fortunately, edible landscaping is making a comeback, with more home gardeners choosing to plant attractive edibles that are easy on the eye as well as the dinner plate. A productive, functional and beautiful landscape can be grown on any scale and is especially useful when gardening in a limited space. 

Consider adding a few edibles to your garden from the Garden Club of Villa Park Plant Sale (May 12 & 13, 2017 -  320 E Wildwood, Villa Park, IL)  You can get details and pre-order forms on their website: www.homegardening.org. 

Here are a few basic ideas to get your edibles mixed into your garden landscape:

Height and Depth: pairing together edibles of varying heights in one bed or area creates an interesting look similar to wilder-inclined flower beds. Most vegetables prefer a full day of sun, but some can tolerate 4 to 6 hours of sun.  Any greens and cool-weather loving edibles enjoy the relief of some shade in the hottest parts of the year, so consider interplanting them with taller sun-loving vegetables and edible flowers or herbs. For example, the handsome Spotted Trout Lettuce can be planted under Ping Pong Tomatoes for contrasting colors, depth, height, and a one-stop salad harvest. African Crackerjack Marigolds (a very tall variety) can serve as a backdrop for a row of alternating Red Russian Kale and Purple Vienna Kolhrabi, with Arugula or Spinach interplanted between the brassicas – for a rich landscape of orange, red, purple, and deep green.

In extra cramped quarters, the same effects can be achieved within one pot. For example, Nasturtiums (edible flowers with a peppery kick) can serve as a “groundcover,” draping over the side of a tall container, with one Rainbow Chard and Tom Thumb Pea plant growing up from the center of the pot.

Succession sowing is also a useful tool both for food production and for growing an edible landscape. For example, radishes – a quickly maturing crop -- can be interplanted with Red Express Cabbage – a pretty, petite cabbage that matures quickly, for a cabbage. Sunflowers can be added to complete the trio, which will eventually grow tall enough to shade out the entire area, but not before the radishes and cabbages are ready to be harvested.  You can also use succession planting to give a continuous crop for herbs like dill or cilantro which can form seed rather quickly eliminating the ability to harvest the tasty leaves.

Colorful Contrast: Simply planting your go-to vegetables in a new formation creates a beautiful, new landscape. Planting Purple Peacock Broccoli and Cauliflower in one block will make for a snow white and rich purple/green checkerboard. Grouping a variety of colorful flowers and vegetables in a cluster instead of a row will automatically bring aesthetic interest to a corner of your garden.

The easiest way to create colorful contrast is to let some of your edible plantings go to seed! Not only will you end season with your very own seed bank, but ordinary plants will assume beautiful, new forms: lettuces, for example, will grow tall and bloom like clusters of tiny dandelions; leeks will shoot out one long stalk with a giant, lavender-hued, globe-shaped blossom.

Choose unusual varieties of usual vegetables in the interest of color, nutrition, and flavor. Merlot Lettuce is merlot colored, Lemon Cucumbers are lemon colored, and Rainbow Chard, yes – also true to its name – comes with stalks in varying colors.

 

purple basil in the center pot,
 edible and color coordinated

Substitute: Another helpful way to think about edible landscapes is to substitute edible varieties for each role you want a plant to serve in the garden. Want a vine to climb up the back fence? How about peas, followed by pole beans: they have beautiful flowers and foliage and also produce delicious pods. Looking for a petite tuft of grass to edge your pathway? How about chives instead – a hardy, perennial with great flavor and attractive magenta blooms. Thyme works great not only as an indispensable seasoning, but as a groundcover too, especially in between a stone pathway. Purple Basil can substitute for a coleus and has the same burgundy foliage.  Adding edible flowers to the flower garden can give you double duty. Chamomile and feverfew look like small daisies; Borage, bachelor Buttons, Love-in-a-Mist can all be eaten; Nasturtiums are well known for the peppery flavor of the leaves and the flowers. And pansies and calendula are also edible.

SOURCE: Hudson Valley Seed Library

Planning a garden in Four Squares

Some of my favorite days are spent when it is raining and dingy and I turn on all the lights in my workroom and drag out my favorite garden planning books and start to design gardens.  Sometimes they are gardens for my home, sometimes they are gardens for my patio and sometimes they are gardens for some imaginary house I will own with limitless garden space and someone else who will weed it.

Four Square Garden in Williamsburg

In the process of these imaginings I have come up with several great, reproducible ideas for gardens that I thought I could share.  These may help you with ideas for your own space so do not be afraid to borrow all the ideas you can use.

As will my Cottage Garden Plans there will be several different plans presented over several days so you can see the variety this style provides.  Unlike a Cottage Garden, a Four Square Garden is an organized and symmetrical plan.

This Four  Square garden is in Ohio

FOUR SQUARE

My husband and I believe the perfect home will be a four square style bungalow and we have been searching for one for years without much success.  However, in sympathy to this I created a garden space consisting of four even squares joined at the center with a decoration.  Although some days that center changes from a pain path into an elaborate container structure or a three dimensional abstract sculpture. Each of the Squares is its own individual theme garden. I like this design because I could call it my "Backyard Patches."

The squares each measure 9 feet by 9 feet this allows for easy reaching for 3 feet in from each side.  I run a path diagonally through each square to give access the to center spaces.  In one design of this garden I made a each square a different use for the herbs: Bath herbs, Tea herbs, Culinary herbs and Medicinal herbs.

Although many herbs cross over from one category to the other I was still able to fill each space with unique herbs.  And I could choose more unusual medicinal or tea herbs when the basic herbs seemed to end up in the culinary patch.  Here were the plants by section:

Culinary                                                               Tea
   Mustard                                                                     bergamot
   Cilantro                                                                      lemon balm
   Dill                                                                             lemon grass
   Nasturtiums                                                                lemon verbena
   Fennel                                                                        anise hyssop
   Chives                                                                        chamomile
   Marjoram                                                                   hyssop
   Oregano                                                                     mints              
   Parsley                                                                       scented geraniums
   Savory                                                                        catnip
   Tarragon                                                                     Meadowsweet
   Thyme                                                                        marigold, scented
   caraway
   lovage

Bath                                                                     Medicinal

   Comfrey                                                                      comfrey
   Chickweed                                                                  feverfew
   Nettles                                                                         penny royal
   Lavender                                                                     sage
   Rosemary                                                                    southernwood
   Sage                                                                            thyme
   Marjoram                                                                     borage
   Chamomile                                                                  valerian
   Roses                                                                           betony
   Aloe                                                                            marsh mallow
   Witch hazel                                                                 sage
   Lady’s mantle                                                             ginger
   Peppermint                                                                  St. John’s Wort
   Lemon balm                                                                Echinacea
   Calendula                                                                    primrose
   Clary sage                                                                   catnip
   Thyme                                                                         eyebright
   Yarrow                                                                        sweet cicely


The numbers match the layout in the photo above.

Another Four Square pattern I crafted was the single plant version.  This one has smaller squares within the squares each one containing multiple varieties of a single species, like Basil, Mint, Lemon, and Thyme (I'll use any excuse to plant a variety of thyme species.)

Here is the Plant arrangement list for the drawing above:

Lemon Herbs
Lemon basil
Sorrel
Lemon balm
Lemon thyme
Bergamot

Basils
tulsi basil (holy)
sweet basil spicy globe basil
purple basil
purple ruffled basil
lemon basil
lime basil
basil genovese

Garlic and Onion
onion chives
garlic chives
shallots

Sages
Common sage
Bergarten Sage
tri-color sage
purple sage
golden sage
pineapple sage (focal)
mint

Thyme varieties
lemon thyme
common thyme
silver thyme
golden thyme
wedgewood thyme
french thyme
english thyme

Mints
peppermint
spearmint
apple mint
variegated apple mint
pennyroyal
pineapple mint
curly mint
Corsican mint


Flowering Herbs
Although most herbs flower, as a dedicated herb grower I usually clip the flower heads off as soon as they arrive, but there are some herbs that you actually grow for the flowers.

Scented Marigold
Mexican mint marigold
bergamot
calendula (Pot marigod)
pineapple sage
Hyssop and anise hyssop

My favorite by far and the one that took me the most time to complete a design for was a color four square garden.  This one was designed with four complimentary colors and a color matching path.  Rather than put a path down the middle of of each square I made the squares only 6 by 6 feet so you could reach all the plants from the outside path.  Notice However that the colors were not placed in squares but in triangles to get the most attractive contrast when viewed from a distance or from above.

Silver
Peruvian sage
common sage
Bergarten sage
lavender
silver thyme / wedgewood thyme

Dark green to purple
peppermint
winter savory
purple sage
purple basil

Bright green
lemon balm
lemon basil
pineapple mint
lemon grass
variegated thyme
variegated mint

Golden
golden sage
golden thyme
calendula
lemon scented marigolds

With this garden I also planned a center diamond to accent the colors with a tiered raised bed
the bottom tier was dark green with rosemary and creeping thyme, the second tier silver with dusty miller and the third tier was purple and green with purple ruffled basil and red flowering thyme

Harsh Winter - Hardy Plants!

This winter was harsh.  There was so much snow and so much cold and the only garden safety net we had was the covering of snow which settled in on December and did not melt away until April.  The covering of snow protected the plants when the weather turned bitter, going 25 degrees below zero at one point.  My favorite saying this winter was the ground is still white.  I was saying that in May when we had one last snow storm that covered the grass in white one last time making it impossible to plant even perennials until after May 18.

Good for the garden was the fact the snow fell in December and never melted.  This snow cover protected everything in the garden.  However anything not covered by the snow was wind damaged or killed outright.  The tops of some plants were dried out by raking winds.  Climbers, trees and shrubs have large amounts of winter kill.  My thyme bed is so disheartening that I could not take photos of it.  However, this year I have a special project-- a 20 x 20 foot community garden patch and in that patch is a 3 foot by 3 foot raised bed with thyme, so at least I have beautiful thyme plants to enjoy without memory of what once was!

The garden as first planted 5-18-14

These are a combination of French, German, English, Common Lemon and Doone Valley Thyme.  The Doone Valley I wintered over in the house, the others I purchased this spring from nurseries and plant sales.

The soil did not really warm up until between May 15 and 20.  I did no direct sowing in the garden until around Memorial day.  The winter sowing I did was slow too.  The plants finally germinated and sprouted in late April.

You can see the snow cover even in February

Here are the spouts on 4/27/14

They are large enough and have their first two real leaves, so I can plant them out in the garden now at the end of May.  For details and photos of that task, check out my Community Backyard Blog later this weekend.  Winter sowing was to give me a jump start on the seed season, but I think it is not going to be the coup I'd hoped it would be this year!

To my surprise the seed that fared worst was Nasturtiums.  These hard shell seeds usually are perfect for winter sowing, but the germination of the seed was 1 plant in the entire container.

Herb Plant Diseases

According to Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs (Rodale Press, 1988) there are several diseases you need to worry about with your herbs.  I tell you this now, because if you begin shopping in the nursery soon, you want to check plants for signs of these issues to avoid buying diseased plants.

1. Damping-off (Rhlzoctonia solani and Pythium debaryanum). This disease kills seedling roots, leaving them water-soaked and looking shriveled. Provide warm, well drained seed beds to manage this issue.  May affect sweet marjoram and sweet basil, especially the hybrids like purple and lemon basil.
   
   
   
2. Root rot (Rhizoctonia solani). This fungus causes rotted, yellowish brown to black roots and underground stems. Outer layers of the root will slough off, leaving a central core. Check new nursery plants by popping them put of the pot before purchase.  If you happen to have this in the garden, then control it by rotating plants every three years and provide with good drainage. Promptly remove the diseased plants. May affect lavender, oregano, rosemary and sage.
3. 
   
   
4. Powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearom). This fungus forms white, powdery mold on the upper surfaces of leaves and petioles; foliage then wilts and browns. Promptly remove the diseased plant. May affect bee balm, lemon balm and yarrow.
5. 
   
   
6. Downy mildew (Phytophthora spp.). Leaves will wither and die after this fungus takes hold. It forms yellow spots on the upper surface of leaves and violet-gray mold on the undersides. To defend against it, don't crown plants; cultivate only when plants are dry; and rotate your plants every three years. May affect calendula, coriander. tarragon and basil.  
7. 
   
   
8. Anthracnose (Leaf spot) (Colletotrichum spp.). You can see this fungus on mints and scented geraniums.  It looks like a water-soaked spot on leaves and stems of the plant.  Elongated tan cankers may also form on stems. Rotate plants every two years afterward and don't cultivate when wet. Promptly remove the diseased plants. May affect foxglove, mints and violets.
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Winter Sowing Herbs

A friend of mine who lives in zone 7 recommended this.  She said instead of sitting back with your seed catalogs and dreaming of that gorgeous garden you are going to grow next summer, take action now and get a head start on spring.  But I kept thinking, I live in zone 5 and trays of seeds will just freeze out there and die.  This winter I decided to give it a shot. (Why this winter I can only guess is because it has been so much winter that I am dying to get into something like gardening.)  This is what I know about it.

Winter sowing refers to planting seeds in flats or trays during the winter months and setting them outside to allow seeds to germinate and seedlings to emerge naturally when the weather warms. Not only does this give flowers and vegetables a head start in the spring it allows you to start seeds in the midst of winter while the landscape is frozen.  Once temperatures rise and the soil thaws, seeds germinate and sprout naturally at the ideal time for growing.

The best source on the internet for winter sowing tips and guidelines is www.wintersown.org by Trudi Davidoff.  On that site you can identify what can be winter sown or if you should just save the seed and direct sow it in the garden.  Not all flower and vegetable seeds are suitable for winter planting, but many are. Tender annuals or tropical flowers and herbs are not likely to do well if planted in winter as their seeds do not require cold stratification and may not survive the exposure to cold temperature. Look for seeds from plants that self-seed. This includes many wild flowers and native plants. If you have noticed seedlings emerging in early spring near flowers and herbs, they are a good candidate for winter sowing. Most perennials thrive with winter sowing.

The materials you need to winter sow are pretty simple:

Seed starting soil (you can make or buy)

seeds

containers with lids

waterproof markers

water

assorted tools

You can also look in seed catalogs for plants with notations for "fall planting", "early spring planting", "hardy seeds", "self seeds" or "will colonize". Some may note the seed requires cold stratification. These are all perfect to use for winter sowing. I like Park's Seed catalog, it has a great germination table right in the middle of the catalog. They have a numbered guide indicating the best germination requirements for seeds. I took a yellow highlighter and went down that numbered list and highlighted all the numbers that would be appropriate for Winter Sowing, then I carefully went through their list of seeds and highlighted the varieties that corresponded to the correct numbers. This is how I chose which varieties I would Winter Sow. A lot of catalogs, not just Parks, will have a germination table, or some information about germination, look at them, study them, and learn. Additionally you get sowing information on the back of seed packets as well.

Nice to have dirt under the fingernails in February

Milk jugs and soda bottles seem to be the best choice for me in Zone 5 to use for winter sowing.  They create mini greenhouses for seeds. You can also use traditional seed starting trays, but this is not necessary. One person I know lines toilet paper tubes up on a cardboard box, fills them with soil and seed and covers it with a clear plastic bag.  Each tube is a different seed.

Wash and dry the containers with hot soapy water to remove food residue and to prevent the spread of bacteria or disease causing organisms. Poke holes in the bottom of the container. 

Add the moist seed starter to the jugs.  It does not need to be very deep about 1 ½ to 2 inches at most.  You can make your own seed starter by mixing equal parts potting soil, peat moss and vermiculite or perlite. Mix in large bowl or bucket and moisten with tepid water. The starter should be damp, but not soggy.

Plant seeds to the recommended depth and cover with soil. Firm down with your hands to remove air pockets. Since I did not cut these containers I used the handle of a wooden spoon to firm the soil. Replace the plastic cover or cover with plastic. You need to have 2 inches above the soil to allow space for seedlings to grow. 

Label the container. Even though you think you will remember, chances are you will not. A label makes your life easier.

Place trays outside. Many prefer to place trays on a picnic table or an elevated structure where they can be reached easily. Although you want to expose the seeds to elements, placing them in a sheltered location prevents them from being blown over when the winter winds howl. Seeds can be placed on the deck or porch and moved to a sunnier location once snow begins to melt and spring approaches.  I placed mine on the shelter of window boxes.  I tied ribbon on them so they looked like a decoration to those passing by.

Allow trays to freeze and thaw naturally. When spring arrives, the soil will thaw and seeds will germinate at the proper time. Remove the plastic once seedlings emerge and danger of freezing has passed.

As many people know my garden is rented and I live in an apartment, so the place where I am winter sowingis on my apartment patio.  I placed a window box on the ground near the windows so the containers did notssit on the concrete.  I have several hanging window boxes that I decorate with greens for the holiday that 

were frozen to the railing by January, so I tied bows on pop bottles and nestled the bottles down in the old 

soil and started a few there as well.  My patio faces north to northeast so those near the window are rather 

sheltered the ones in the hanging boxes are exposed to more elements.

 Winter sowing is relatively maintenance free and produces young seedlings just in time for spring planting. There is no need for constant monitoring of the seeds as you allow nature to take its course to produce vigorous young seedlings that do not require hardening off and don't take up precious space in your home. So, get out those seeds and satisfy that gardening bug by starting your seeds now with winter planting.

We will see what happens and follow up with you about it as winter progresses.

Herb seeds I recommend for winter sowing:

Calendula

Viola

Flax

Basil

Mint

Oregano

Parsley

Sage

Thyme

Dill

Hyssop

Marjoram

Chamomile

Chives

Yarrow