Fall is Here!

The Good:

WOW, it is November already. Hard to believe since the weather here on the coast of Maine has been so amazing. It has been a successful season for the perennial and annual gardens. I always get excited when it is time to start cutting perennials back and pull annuals out; it represents another successful growing year. The years abundant amount of sunshine and days in the upper 70's aided in giving many blooms to be enjoyed by all. It is almost time to start thinking about digging up the dahlias, but...wait for it...one more hard frost to go.

With the amazing temperatures the northeast has been seeing this fall there are still many winged visitors that depend on the gardens for food; bees, praying mantis and butterflies. Hold off on pruning the fall blooms off so our winged friends have a resting place. Sad that many monarchs got stuck here in the northeast from the mild temps and strong wind patterns. I'm happy to report that the gardens I take care of still have flowers in bloom for them to feast on.

Misplaced Monarchs Stuck Up North

The Bad:

The large amount of mosquitoes turned out to be the nemesis for me this season.  Personally I did not find many ticks crawling on me or my clothing but I will add that it has become a habit to spray my socks and shoes as soon as I get out of the vehicle at every garden stop I make.  One of my clients said "you have to choose if you would rather take your chances with cancer from the DEET or lyme disease from the ticks."

The Ugly:

Now for the cannabis growing community the same story is being told over and over:  the drastic change in temperature and rainfall in late September quickly changed a great outdoor grow year that had potential for large yields into a lot of bud mush, aka grey mold. So if there is one piece of free advice I would like to offer you it is this: don't buy products that claim to kill or stop grey mold. None of them work, except perhaps as preventative maintenance. Persistence, patience and being extremely careful in removing the damaged areas are the only way you can win when the plants are growing in areas prone to mold, like foggy coastal Maine.  

~always diggin it, Michelle

Spring is finally here!

In the northeast the ground is still somewhat frozen and it's likely that we will get a a little more snow.  Even so, there are things we can do to get ready for the show! Now is a perfect time to spread a light covering of aged manure over your flower beds. The nutrients in the manure will help amend your soil before your perennials wake up and before any annuals get planted. Its important to know your poop, however! There can be big differences between the sources of manure available for garden soil: all manure should be aged or composted but some take longer than others.

Bagged, dehydrated manure can be purchased anywhere soil is sold and is ready for use. In other words it will be gentle on sensitive plant roots and newly transplanted or divided perennials from last fall that do not fully have  established root systems yet.

Starting From Seed

Growing plants, whether herbs and vegetables to eat or annuals and perennial flowers grown for pleasure, can be so much more gratifying when you start them yourself from seed.

Shopping for seedlings at your local big box store or home improvement center may be convenient and instantly satisfying but it can also bring you more work and frustration in the long run. Their greenhouse centers seedlings are delivered on a truck and often from places far away. The seedlings are often fed with a lot of nutrients to rush the blooms; they want the plants to sell fast once they reach the stores. While that may make them look amazing and too irresistible to pass up, soon after planting them they may die while getting used to the changed conditions in your garden. Along with the flowers you just bought from the garden center, the chances are good that you also brought home some freeloading pests; spider mites, white fly and aphids.

I have listed below a few of the many online seed companies you can purchase quality, harder to find varieties of flowers and vegetables. I have also included a zone chart in case you are not sure of your specific locations growing zone.

https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

This is a small business offering some choice varieties of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables. They offer bulk pricings and orders over $40 are free of additional shipping charges. Personally I love the varieties of zinnia's they have available for purchase

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/

Johnny Seeds is a Maine business that is 100% owned by hard working employees that love what they do. It is so important to support the local growers and breeders as much as possible! I also love the idea that the seeds I purchase were raised in the same general zone as mine. The company also supports multiple charitable organizations and community support efforts.