Gardening — Blog — Heather O'Meara

Vegetables to Direct Sow

Direct seeding or direct sowing just means that you start planting seeds in the garden, rather than buying small plants or starting seeds indoors earlier and transplanting them outside. Many seeds of both flowers and vegetables can be started outdoors, at the start of the growing season. [Source: The Spruce]

Beans:

There are generally two types of beans, bush and pole. Pole beans grow long vines and will need support of a pole or trellis. Pole beans continue to produce for a long time until frost. Bush beans produce their crop quicker…

GardeningHeather O'MearaJune 9, 2021direct sowing, direct seeding

The Best Flowers for Attracting Hummingbirds

There are many flowers that can attract hummingbirds, but some are better at enticing these flying jewels than others.

When choosing hummingbird flowers for your garden or landscape, look for blooms with rich, bright colors (red flowers are particular hummingbird favorites), long or tapered shapes that can accommodate the hovering birds' long bills, and plentiful nectar to keep them coming back.

GardeningHeather O'MearaJune 1, 2021flowers, hummingbirds, butterflies

Grapes, Glorious Grapes!

Grapes are not difficult to grow, especially when you select varieties that are best suited for your soil and growing conditions.

Beyond that, success boils down to starting plants off right when planting, and providing the proper long term support and care for vines.

Selecting what grape variety to grow starts with knowing what you want from your crop. Are you looking for table grapes to eat? Or perhaps grapes for making jam, jellies, juice or wine?

GardeningHeather O'MearaMay 19, 2021grapes

Making Newspaper Pots

Seed starter pots from newspaper are simple to make, plus starting seeds in newspaper is an environmentally friendly use of the material, as the paper will decompose when the seedlings in newspaper are transplanted. Recycled newspaper pots are fairly simple to make. They can be made in square shapes by cutting the newspaper to size and folding the corners in, or in a round shape by either wrapping cut newsprint around an aluminum can or folding. All this can be accomplished by hand or by using a pot maker – a two part wooden mold.

GardeningHeather O'MearaMay 12, 2021seedling, compostable, newspaper pots

Growing Asparagus

It takes patience to start your asparagus patch from seed, but there are advantages to gain from the extra wait. Seed-grown plants don't suffer from transplant trauma like nursery-grown roots, and you can buy a whole packet of seed for the same price you'll pay for one asparagus crown. Most seed-grown asparagus plants eventually out-produce those started from roots. I have not personally started asparagus from seed only from roots.

GardeningHeather O'MearaMay 5, 2021asparagus, vegetables

Strawberries!

Strawberries are hardy, easy to grow and produce a good crop with moderate effort, making them well suited to home gardens. Early spring is the best time to plant strawberries in Zones 5-7 but don’t rush to remove mulch.

GardeningHeather O'MearaMay 3, 2021strawberries, fruit

The Very Best Flowering Vines

Here are a dozen wonderfully fragrant AND incredibly gorgeous flowering vines!

1) Sweet Pea

This vine produces showy pink to white flowers from around June to September, and it grows roughly 6 to 9 feet long. It can be used as a ground cover and border, as well as tied to a support structure. It also grows well in containers. Water regularly and fertilize throughout the growing season. But avoid overhead watering as much as possible, which can cause disease in the vine.

GardeningHeather O'MearaApril 30, 2021flowers, spring flowers, flowering vines

Spring Care for Fruit Trees

Late Winter is also the time to apply conditioners to the soil. Additives such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium need time to be absorbed and spread evenly throughout the soil. Applying them weeks before the growing season is the best bet to allow the roots to properly take in the different nutrients.

GardeningHeather O'MearaApril 19, 2021Spring, fruit trees

Fruit Bearing... and SHADE?

My family loves their fruit and berries and most need full sun for at least 8 hours per day in order to produce. BUT WAIT!!! There are several fruit trees and berries that are happy in the shade… and quite a number of them, too.

Most of these are in the berry category, but if you have a partially shaded area, even pears and plums may be grown.

Pears trees do need some sun, but they will produce in partial shade. Try a variety such as ‘Beth’ planted in a westerly facing area that will get a few hours of sun in the afternoon.

GardeningHeather O'MearaMarch 23, 2021fruit trees, fruit, shade

Storing Seeds

Whether you have a large seed collection, or are looking to swap out varieties every other year or so? Or maybe you’re being proactive and saving seeds for survival purposes? The best way to store seeds long term is to create the perfect conditions for your seeds to dwell in, which the secret is in two words: cool and dry.

GardeningHeather O'MearaMarch 15, 2021Seeds, Storage

Winter in The Garden: Dreaming (& planning) for Fruit Trees

On this February day I have done a quick walk though of my snow-covered garden and started my search for seeds, bulbs, fruit trees, grape vines, and shrubs.

Winter is a perfect time to dream and design what you want this spring, summer, and fall gardens to look like.

GardeningHeather O'MearaFebruary 25, 2021Winter Gardening, Winter, Planning Ahead

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Homeschool Hacks, Food Notes, & More

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