National Seed Swap Day is January 26

Coming this weekend is the annual National Seed Swap Day in metro Washington, D.C. I have attended a few of these events, hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine, over the past few years and have had a wonderful time. It is a way to meet and talk to local gardeners at all levels, hear about trends from speakers, take home some edibles and flower seeds and inspire your garden planning.

I will be bringing some zinnia and marigold seeds that I started saving this fall, although bringing seeds not a requirement. It’s easy to makeyour own seed envelopes using pages from seed catalogs.

Haul from last year's seed swap!

Next step is to make a list of the seeds I really want to find. Last year my goal was to start tomatoes from seed and I was able to get 5 or 6 varieties. You might be completely overwhelmed by the variety of flower, vegetable and herb seeds available so having a list of what types of seeds you want to grow this year will make your experience much better. And, you probably won’t get everything you want, so make priorities. 

How Do I Find a Seed Swap in my Area?
I will be shaking things up this year by attending the University of Maryland Extension’s seed swap, held at the Odenton Library. I am not working right now and this event is FREE! Plus, I am completing my Master Gardener internship and this will give me some continuing education hours.

After a quick Google search, I see there are many swaps all over the country and they are not just on January 26 so look around for a swap in your area. I will report back on my haul next week. 

Share your #seedswapday experience in the comments and on social media!

Know your hardiness zone and frost dates

Healthy plants rely on many factors including light, water, temperature and nutrients. Today I will be sharing some information about USDA hardiness zones and frost dates so you can plan for the  conditions where you live.

Stay in your zone

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a free tool that gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a particular location. The map, found online here, is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature. Enter your zip code and it will tell you your zone.

But what do you do with that information? You may have noticed on the tags on the plants you buy, and also shrubs and bushes, will list a range of zones that indicate where the plant will survive.

Purple cone flowers

There is a lot of flexibility, though. Some plants will grow quite nicely during the warm weather in your area but will die off completely when it turns cold. Elephant ears, a tropical plant that is suited for zones 9 to 11,  is an example of this. My neighbor has a beautiful plant in their yard every summer (we live in zone 7A) that dies in the cold fall here in Washington, D.C. As long as you realize there will be ramifications for growing a plant that thrives in a climate different from yours, you can manage your expectations. 

Another example of this is a house nearby to where I live that I drive by periodically and they have cactus in their front yard, in the humid swamp of the mid-Atlantic region. They have chosen to grow plants that are not normally grown in the mid-Atlantic, and they have probably changed the soil to something more suitable for cactus. It’s a little more effort on your part to give the plant the care they need to survive and look great in your garden.

I would not advise using the USDA hardiness zones as a strict rule but more of a guideline. Climate change plays a role that I do not think is reflected in the USDA’s calculation, but you will start to notice small changes in temperature, rainfall and other conditions in your yard and make adjustments.

Frost dates

I look at frost dates for flowers and vegetables more closely than the hardiness zones described above. Here is my result:

The Farmer’s Almanac website provides a tool for you to determine the first and last frost dates for your region of the country by entering your city, state, or zipcode. This will give you an idea of when it’s safe to put your seedlings in the ground in the spring and to time your fall plants for the hard frost that will most likely kill your summer flowers and vegetables.

A few years ago I found this great downloadable Excel spreadsheet called “The Lazy Gardener’s Automatic Seed Starting Chart.” This spreadsheet calculates the seed sowing and planting dates based on your location. Very helpful tool! Play around with it now as you start planning your beds this year.

Use these pieces of information as guides, not hard and fast rules, in your planning. They will help you determine what types of plants will be easier to grow where you live.

Garden Planning Series

You can read Part 1 here where I explain all of the places  I find my garden inspiration. 

Read Part 2 here where I help you determine the sunny and shady areas of your urban garden and how to make the best of those conditions.

Part 3 covers soil health and the simple ways gardeners can improve the soil that they are working with to give plants the best chance for success.

Improving Soil Health

Healthy plants rely on many factors including light, water, temperature and nutrients. Today I will be sharing some information about soil health and the simple ways gardeners can improve the soil that they are working with to give plants the best chance for success.

What is soil?

Soil is comprised of minerals, air, water and organic matter. Sand, silt and clay are the major minerals that determine the texture of your soil. Sand, silt and clay are broken down into 12 “textural classes,” as determined by the USDA, and are not alterable. For example, you may have clay soil, like I do here in the mid-Atlantic. But, don’t fret, because the structure of your soil can be amended, using organic matter (AKA compost or humus), to make your soil a more friendly plants for your plants to grow.

Improving your soil will help you grow beautiful vegetables and flowers.

How do I know what my soil health is?

One task I am embarrassed to admit I have never done is soil testing. Very important, gardeners! If your soil isn’t well balanced with minerals like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, your plants and lawn will struggle and you will get frustrated. In simple terms, you send dirt samples from around your garden to a lab. The results show pH, calcium, phosphate, potassium and magnesium levels and give recommendations on what minerals to add to your soil to improve it. The University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center has a list of labs where you can send your samples and a video on how to collect soil for testing. Or you can contact your local extension for more information about getting your soil tested.

How can I improve my soil?

Adding compost, which is also referred to as organic matter or humus, to your soil has many positive effects:

1.       Improves physical condition

2.       Increases water filtration

3.       Improves soil tilth (physical condition of soil, especially in relation to its suitability for planting or growing a crop, including the stability of aggregated soil particles, moisture content, degree of aeration, rate of water infiltration and drainage.)

4.       Decreases erosion

5.       Supplies nutrients

Read about making compost in a small, urban backyard.

Also, if you decide to do soil testing, the lab results will include recommendations for improving the soil using commercial fertilizers.

Garden Planning Series

You can read Part 1 here where I explain all of the places  I find my garden inspiration. 

Read Part 2 here where I help you determine the sunny and shady areas of your urban garden and how to make the best of those conditions.

Know Where You're Sun and Shade Is

Welcome to Part 2 of my garden-planning-for-regular-people series. Planning ahead can really improve your gardening success and winter is the perfect time to start. I will share my experience and insights for planning ahead so you have a successful growing season.

In order for flowers, herbs and vegetables to grow successfully, they need have the right conditions. They is essentially sunlight, water levels, types of soil, health of soil, and climate.

Sunny container with pentas, lobelia.

Sun & Shade

From my perspective, the amount of sunlight hitting your beds daily is the number one factor that will determine your success. My small yard has tremendous variation in sun and shade because of the trees in my yard and in my neighbors yards, and also the trees out along the curb, the house, the shed, the fence and the surrounding buildings. 

For example, this spring I will be moving a little bed of shade-loving hosta that now get almost full sun because of a tree in my neighbor’s yard. The flower beds in the front of the house are almost full-shade now, but they were not that way four years ago then they were installed. This is really bumming me out because I never wanted to be a shade gardener. I love the flowers all summer and fall! Alas, I can still grow them, I just have to change where I grow them in my urban yard. And I am educating myself about growing in the shade.

How to Document Shade and Sun

Six years ago when I first moved to my house, in the early summer I spent a (sunny) day taking photos of the yard every hour to see where the sun and shade landed. I marked a few spots all around the house and every hour or so I took a photo from those same locations. At the end of the day I had a good idea where the sunniest and shadiest locations were and how many hours the sun was hitting sections of the yard. I think I need to do that again this May because of the changes in the height and density of the trees that cast shadow in my yard.

Have Fun with What You Have Available

Shade containers including begonias, creeping jenny

The container garden on the porch step is an example of the extremes in my yard. The cement step is about 10 feet wide and 3 feet deep and this very small space has opposite conditions--one half is full-sun and the other half is full shade. Once I finally figured this out for myself a few years ago, I am excited playing around with what types of plants I put in the containers each year. On the shady side (see photo at left), I usually grow frilly begonias because they need shade and they are so gorgeous to look at when I come in and out of the house.  A few feet away, I fill the pots with sun-loving flowers and herbs (photo above), tying everything together using color.

Set Yourself Up to Succeed

If you are trying to grow plants in the wrong kind of light, they will fail to put it plainly. So be prepared, know where you have the most and least sun and choose plants that will be happy in those conditions.

You can read Part 1 here where I explain all of the places  I find my garden inspiration.