Monday, May 23, 2011

Joplin Tornado and Possible Help From Your Garden

Dear Friends,

As you know our Ozark neighbors in Joplin have been hit by an EF-4 tornado. So many folks have no home to live in. A large number of wonderful volunteers have made their way to Joplin to help their neighbors. All these people will need to be fed.

If you are starting to get produce out of your garden and live close to Joplin, please consider donating any extra produce that you have. Some outlets will include local churches and food pantries. The situation is very dynamic at this point, so there will be many opportunities provide food. It is amazing how healing a bit of normalcy can be in this type of devastation. A fresh spinach salad or fresh leaf lettuce can bring back some happy memories plus provide much needed nutrition in a suddenly torn apart world.

If you still have garden space, consider tossing in some extra tomato plants, green beans, squash, and herbs. There will be a need all summer to help these folks. It will take time to pick up all the debris, get new houses built and get the infrastructure back to normal. People who normally helped local food banks and church-based relief activities may now find themselves in need of help. It is time to pay it forward if you can.

If your garden is too small to provide any extra that is okay. I am sure our neighbors would appreciate your prayers. The numbers of people who lost their life is absolutely mind numbing. Their families will need the comfort that only the Great Healer can provide. Unlike the produce which is perishable and needs to be grown close to the disaster, prayer has no expiration date. It can be transported over many, many miles without any wilting or spoilage.

Thank you for considering planting an extra row of crops to help. Thank you for your prayers and help. While I don’t live in Joplin, my heart aches for my neighbors and I so appreciate any comfort you can give these folks. Blessings to you and yours.

Ray Province, the Celtic Ozarkian
www.celticozarkian.com

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Ten Thousand Missouri Gardens

If you live in Missouri and have a garden, do I have the website for you. The state of Missouri is trying to get 10,000 new gardens registered across the state. This project started small with a goal of 1,000 gardens several years ago. That goal has been met so it is on to bigger and better goals.

All gardens are welcome to be registered. You don’t need a huge truck garden to feel comfortable in this group. Any garden is welcome to apply. Whether you are growing food for your family, or flowers to feed the birds and butterflies, take a look at this site.

Actually, that is one of the reasons I love gardening. I can grow great tasting food for my family and have a little corner that produces food for the birds. I love growing sunflowers for the birds. Some people place net bags over the heads of the growing sunflowers to keep the seeds safe. I however, just let the birds eat them whenever they want them. It doesn’t necessarily make for the prettiest sunflowers, but I feel good about feeding the critters. It is my garden and I can grow it my way.

If you haven’t started your garden, it is not too late. In fact we are moving this summer so I don’t have a summer garden in this year. For the first time in forever, there are no fresh tomatoes coming from my labors. However, we will be settled in time to start a fall garden this year.

I may get in a few tomatoes before it is all said and done, but I plan to buy the majority from farmers markets this year. However, I will be planting rosemary and thyme as soon as possible. Then as the summer starts to cool, I will be planting lettuce, spinach, peas, and some corn salad or mache.

If you don’t have space for a garden, consider growing a small garden in pots. Herbs love to grow in pots, and there is nothing like fresh cut herbs to brighten any sauce or salad. I love to grow rosemary both inside the house and in the garden. I keep a pot of rosemary on the window sill for a quick snip for a sauce, a dice to throw in a loaf of bread that is rising to bake, or to toss a couple or sprigs on a baking chicken. It is so fast and easy and really makes a huge difference. I even just brush the leaves gently to release a wonderful aroma as I am standing at the sink doing dishes. All of that from one little pot of rosemary that I got on sale at my local nursery at the end of the season.

If you have a garden space but it has been too wet to get your tomatoes in, have no fear. Go ahead and plant your tomato plants now. It is really to late for seeds, but tomato plants will catch right up with your neighbors in the coming hot days. In fact, we have still had some pretty cool nights that have slowed down the growth of any tomatoes already planted.

Now is a great time to get beans and squash in the ground. If you can just find a day when the ground is dry enough, it has been a bit rough in this part of the Ozarks this year. But that is the life of a gardener. Too much rain, not enough rain, hail, and strong winds always make being a gardener a challenge! Speaking of challenges, here is the website I promised. Sorry I got so wordy; I just love all aspects of gardening. http://ping.fm/M1DNO

Ten Thousand Celtic Ozark Gardens



If you live in Missouri and have a celtic ozark garden, do I have the website for you. The state of Missouri is trying to get 10,000 new gardens registered across the state. This project started small with a goal of 1,000 gardens several years ago. That goal has been met so it is on to bigger and better goals. So, why not have as many as possible registered as Celtic Ozark Gardens

All gardens are welcome to be registered. You don’t need a huge truck garden to feel comfortable in this group. Any garden is welcome to apply. Whether you are growing food for your family, or flowers to feed the birds and butterflies, take a look at this site.

Actually, that is one of the reasons I love gardening. I can grow great tasting food for my family and have a little corner that produces food for the birds. I love growing sunflowers for the birds. Some people place net bags over the heads of the growing sunflowers to keep the seeds safe. I however, just let the birds eat them whenever they want them. It doesn’t necessarily make for the prettiest sunflowers, but I feel good about feeding the critters. It is my garden and I can grow it my way.

If you haven’t started your celtic ozark garden, it is not too late. In fact we are moving this summer so I don’t have a summer garden in this year. For the first time in forever, there are no fresh tomatoes coming from my labors. However, we will be settled in time to start a fall garden this year.

I may get in a few tomatoes before it is all said and done, but I plan to buy the majority from farmers markets this year. However, I will be planting rosemary and thyme as soon as possible. Then as the summer starts to cool, I will be planting lettuce, spinach, peas, and some corn salad or mache.

If you don’t have space for a garden, consider growing a small garden in pots. Herbs love to grow in pots, and there is nothing like fresh cut herbs to brighten any sauce or salad. I love to grow rosemary both inside the house and in the garden. I keep a pot of rosemary on the window sill for a quick snip for a sauce, a dice to throw in a loaf of bread that is rising to bake, or to toss a couple or sprigs on a baking chicken. It is so fast and easy and really makes a huge difference. I even just brush the leaves gently to release a wonderful aroma as I am standing at the sink doing dishes. All of that from one little pot of rosemary that I got on sale at my local nursery at the end of the season.

If you have a garden space but it has been too wet to get your tomatoes in, have no fear. Go ahead and plant your tomato plants now. It is really to late for seeds, but tomato plants will catch right up with your neighbors in the coming hot days. In fact, we have still had some pretty cool nights that have slowed down the growth of any tomatoes already planted.

Now is a great time to get beans and squash in the ground. If you can just find a day when the ground is dry enough, it has been a bit rough in this part of the Ozarks this year. But that is the life of a gardener. Too much rain, not enough rain, hail, and strong winds always make being a gardener a challenge! Speaking of challenges, here is the website I promised. Sorry I got so wordy; I just love all aspects of gardening. http://agrimissouri.com/gardens/gardens10K/join . So, let's get your Celtic Ozark Garden in today.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Celtic Ozark Heather



Celtic Ozark Heather is one of my favorite herbs in the garden. It is also a favorite ingredient for a Scottish brand beer that I brew. Keeping in my garden here helps me to think about the healther and mountain thyme that covers the mountains of far away Scotland.






It is a happy growing plant in nothern Europe and the British Isles because of its ability to handle cold, and thrive in rocky soil. So, you may have to really work at this plant if you are too hot an area. Heather is not real happy in most of the Ozarks.






If you want to take a crack at adding this plant to your Celtic Ozark Garden, you will need to have an acidic soil. The plants grow best in soil with an acidity of pH 4.5 – 5.5 (slightly acidic).
If your soil is pH neutral (6.5 – 7.5), you'll need to raise the acidity with soil additions. Chemicals such as elemental sulfur or gypsum (calcium sulfate) work well.






As a general rule of thumb, this plant needs at least half a day of sunshine. More specifically, plant the heather in a location where it will get at least six hours of sunlight, and up to twelve if planted in a sunny-but-shady area. Afterall, the plant is used to growing on the sides of sunny mountains. If it gets enough light, it will produce more brilliant colors in their flowers and leaves. Too little sunlight will make the plants leggy and dull their colors.

Heather should be planted in either the spring or early autumn. Plant them in open areas that get some airflow. You can plant them from seeds, layerings, or cuttings. If you want to grow one from a cutting, take the cutting from a healthy plant in August. Plant the heather in a space that is two times as large as the root system, so it has some room to grow.



If you use mulch, use an acidic one, like pine straw, peat moss, or leaf mold. If planting in the autumn, evergreen boughs make good winter mulch. Depending on the exact type of heather plant you choose it will flower between late July and November.






Fertilize your heather with a rhododendron acid based fertilizer when you first plant, then just leave them be. This plant can be very sensitive to over fertilizing. Water your heather a couple of times a week for the first couple of months. After that, they should get pretty happy on just the rain they get from Mother Nature. Remember, they thrive on the side of mountains, which can be almost desert like, in terms of water.

Let us know about how your heather does in your Celtic Ozark Garden.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Now is the Time to Plant Tomatoes


Now is the perfect time to plant tomatoes in the Ozarks. Yes, I know that some folks already have their tomatoes in the ground, but we have had some really cold weather. One of the things to remember in how to grow your own food is to find the optimal planting time. Tomatoes are a tropical plant and they do not thrive until the temperature is consistently above 55 degrees at night.

I usually hold off on planting tomatoes in our part of Missouri until Mother’s Day week. By then the temperatures have usually stabilized at night enough to be safe, although we did have frost in spots last week. It will be close to 90 degrees this week with high humidity, but we had frost last week! Welcome to the Ozarks.

If you don’t have a garden spot, but you do have a sunny porch, then consider tossing a tomato in a large pot. I have consistently grown tomatoes in pots with great success. I love to toss cherry tomatoes or Roma tomatoes in a pot close to the kitchen door. I love tossing warm cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden right in the salad for supper. What a treat on a hot summer day.

Look for a nice big garden pot for your back porch tomato. Select a tomato plant that is at least 6 inches tall and looks vigorous. Fill your pot with nice rich potting soil and amend it with vermicompost. Tomatoes love a rich soil. I grow my own worms, so I have a nice supply of vermicompost. If you’re new to growing your own food, making your vermicompost may be something you might want to consider down the road.

You will want to bury your tomato plant deeply in the soil. I always gently pinch off all the leaves except the top two on my tomato plant. Then bury the plant to with in about ½ inch of the leaves. The goal here is to plant the tomato as deeply as possible, but still have the leaves up away from the soil. You do not want the leaves to get wet.

Now is the time to put your tomato cage on. I always forget to put it on until the tomato is big enough to need it if I don’t do it now. Trust me, if you plant your tomato when it is warm and water it faithfully, you will need that tomato cage faster than you imagined you would.

Always water your tomato plant at the soil level. Do not let the water run over the leaves. Now you are thinking “but it rains on the top of the leaves” and I agree with you. But your tomato plant will be healthier if you don’t get the leaves consistently wet. We typically get infrequent rain in the Ozarks in the summer time. So there are not many chances for the tomatoes to get wet leaves naturally.

You will need to water your tomato plants in pots very frequently. In July, when my tomatoes are producing heavily and it is very hot and dry, I usually water my tomatoes in pots twice a day. You can adjust that as needed depending upon the rain and the heaviness of your soil. Tomatoes don’t like to be too wet, just a nice consistent amount of moisture.

In addition to the vermicompost, I always add a nice sprinkle of Epsom salt for the added magnesium. Epsom salt is inexpensive and readily available. I usually add more midway though the season to my plants in pots because the extra watering will wash out the magnesium. Do not add to much at one time as a time saver because it will interfere with the calcium uptake. Your tomatoes need both elements to produce fruit and thrive.

Even if you only have a tiny space, you can grow at least some of your own food, by throwing at least one tomato in a garden pot. You won’t get enough to can, but you will get enough fresh tomatoes to supplement your diet. In addition, you KNOW exactly what was put on your food. You raised your own tasty veggies, and picked them at the peak of freshness. It is hard to get veggies any fresher than that.