Growing Zinnias
Oct 15 | How to Grow Plants
Growing zinnias is very rewarding with their vibrant colors, hardy character and quick bloom times. One ounce of seed yields about 1000 plants when direct sown. Seeds germinate in 35 days when temperatures are 80-85 degrees F. So keep this in mind when planning your indoor seeding schedule. Make sure the outdoor temperatures will be warm enough when the plants need to be moved outdoors. Zinnias like a soil pH between 6.0-6.5, they will produce larger and more frequent blooms if your soil is well aerated and has good organic content. You should fertilize with a balanced organic fertilizer three times during the growing season if using a granular product. Or every 2-3 weeks when foliar feeding.
Globe Artichoke
Oct 8 | How to Grow Plants
These plants are native to the eastern Mediterranean, and were widely grown by the Greeks and Romans who imported them from Northern Africa. They have been cultivated in England since the sixteenth century, where it has always been considered an aristocratic vegetable. A favorite of Henry VIII partly because it was considered an aphrodisiac. His head gardeners took great care cultivating the plants so there would be continuos harvest throughout the summer.
Globe artichokes are different than most vegetables because it is the immature flowers that are eaten. When they are older only the fleshy bases of the bracts (phyllaries) and the choke, the thickened receptable at the base that are soft enough to eat. The tender young flower stalks and leaves are also delicious.
Flowering Bulbs
Oct 6 | Flowering Plants
Flowering bulbs offer the gardener beauty, a wide range of color, flowering times, and height. They give you tremendous pleasure for very little effort, producing flowers with glorious color from early spring through fall.
Make a sketch of the different areas in your garden you would like to add bulbs to. Make sure to take into account the bulb’s height, bloom time, light and soil requirements, and color. As a general rule the bulbs you plant in the fall are hardy and can be left undisturbed to multiply in your garden for many years. Bulbs planted in the spring are usually tender and will need to be dug in the fall and stored before the first hard frost.
