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Indoor Gardening: loving the house plants

African Violet in Bloom

The practice of growing plants inside is a daring and precarious one, I was reminded in the Master Gardener class two weeks ago. There is, quite obviously, no such thing as an indoor plant. Plants come from outdoors; they are essentially outside beings we invite into our residences. What we consider to be house plants, for the most part, are tropical or semi-tropical plants that tolerate our indoor conditions fairly well.

If we want to grow plants inside, we have to strike a balance that is just right for house plants to thrive. Those who grow house plants successfully have learned– consciously or unconsciously, through trial and error– how to keep their plants happy. What aspects need to be balanced and managed? Basically, all the basics:

Light
• Water
• Temperature
• Soil
• Humidity
• Nutrients
• Pests

When you raise a plants indoors, you are taking on all the responsibilities of Mother Nature. Given all the factors to consider, how can we keep house plants alive? Here are a few general suggestions.

* Buy healthy plants. To give a plant the optimum chance of survival, take the time to inspect prospective house plants in the store. Look for firm green leaves and stalks. Examine plants for evidence of disease or pests, especially on the bottoms of the leaves.

* Cover plants for transport. Just like many people, plants do not enjoy drastic temperature changes. Make sure that plants are well-covered and insulated before taking them outside, especially in winter, summer, or most Michigan weather! Plants will appreciate a preheated car in the cold months as well as not being left in a stifling hot car in the hot months.

* Treat a new plant like a guest. Give a new plant a guest room until you’ve made sure it’s healthy and going to do well, or at least separate it from your other plants until you are sure it is pest and disease-free. Leave a plant in its original pot for a few months rather than re-potting immediately. Limit the number of adjustments that your new plant must make.

* Do some research. The tiny signs that indicate a bit about a plant’s requirements are not enough information to get to know a plant well. Take the time to learn about new plants from reference books you own or borrow from the library or from the internet. When looking at websites, use reputable sources. Plants have varying needs and requirements. Find out what a new plant likes best to give it the optimum conditions.

House plants can be fantastic companions that provide some cheerful signs of green and growth when winter gives us lots of white and grey. What kinds of plants share your home? What tricks and techniques do you use to keep them thriving and happy?

Posted in • Growing.

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By 20 Minute Jan – February 5, 2011

When the Barn Came Down

Our old barn in winter


In the fall of 2006, we made the difficult decision to replace our beloved but tottering antique carriage barn with a solid and fitting structure. We had considered repairs — those had actually been ongoing for the last several decades — and renovations, but we came to the conclusion that the limitations of what we had to work with (size, height, ancient materials) were not going to become the barn of our dreams– with adequate storage, dry on the inside, and where Jim could stand up inside without hitting his head.

The old barn had to go. We would take it down ourselves and leave construction of the new barn to professionals.

Here’s a clip of us taking down the barn.

We saw ourselves as a destructive force at work, but little did we know that the real destruction would come with the actual building of the new barn. Our builders were a fantastic team and very sensitive to our needs; they protected the second year apple tree that had been unintentionally planted a bit too close to the construction site. Backhoes digging foundations and big trucks delivering building supplies, however, took a toll on our backyard garden.

The following spring, we launched our 20 minute garden website to document our efforts to reclaim our yard. Our plan was that we’d rebuild our backyard garden in small steps. As we wrote in our first post on annarbor.com back in August 2010, 20 minute gardening has worked well for us, and it’s a strategy that will guide us in the new gardening season too.

Posted in • Making.

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 29, 2011

Upgrading your gardening skills in the off-season

Snow Day


Winter may be “down time” for gardeners, but it’s also a great time to sit back with a gardening book or magazine and learn something. Gardeners brave enough to leave the warmth of home to learn more about gardening can also take advantage of local gardening classes and workshops. Here are some of the opportunities that I know about; more classes and workshops will be announced, and I’ll be happy to post about them as I hear about them.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum offer a variety of gardening classes and workshops for children and adults. Upcoming classes for adults address topics like botanical illustration, integrated pest management, and “dragonflies and the aquatic environment.” The children’s workshops sound like a fun way to learn on a Saturday or Winter Break day.

The Washtenaw County Michigan Master Gardener Program is offered annually through the MSU extension office. Classes run from January until April, and obviously this year’s course is already in session. (I’m so fortunate and pleased to be a member of this year’s class!) To learn more about the Master Gardener Program or to get on the mailing list for notification of next year’s class, call the Extension office at Phone: 734-222-3948 or email fischerc (a) ewashtenaw.org

It’s too late this year to take all of the courses in WCC’s Organic Gardening Certificate Program, but there are still spaces in their workshops in Easy Organic Fruit Growing, Landscaping with Native Plants, Organic Lawn Care, Organic Pest & Disease Management
Organic Vegetable Gardening, and Organic Weed Management. Individual workshops are held on one day or over two weeks. See the website for more information.

Ann Arbor Project Grow’s 2011 workshops haven’t been announced yet, but I’ll be checking back often to see what they will offer. I’m sorry I didn’t attend the workshop on Growing Potatoes last year; if it’s offered again, you can be sure I won’t miss it!

Downtown Home and Garden offers occasional Saturday lectures and special events. Backyard Beekeeping with Pat & Bob returns on Sat, February 5, 10am – 12pm. Jim and I attended this fascinating talk last year, and we learned an enormous amount from the enthusiastic beekeepers. This talk is free and open to the public.

What garden events are you looking forward to for inspiration and advice?

Posted in • Local Happenings.

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 22, 2011

Share Seeds and Garden Chat at an Upcoming Seed Swap Event


Are you the type of gardener who:

* purchases seeds with reckless abandon?

* proudly brings home a packet of green beans only discover the exact same package in the seed stash?

* resents buying a whole package of pumpkin seeds when you only want to grow 4 or 5?

* has unopened seed packages from last year that you are unsure how to grow or even if you want to grow them?

* wants to start gardening this year but feels uncertain of how to begin?

* would like to meet neighbors, chat about gardening and exchange some seeds?

If any of these descriptions is fitting, you will want to attend the Preserving Traditions Seed Swap on January 22, from 2 – 4pm at the Pittsfield Grange at 3337 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. in Ann Arbor.

I have not attended a seed swap before, so I’m very excited to take part in this event. I plan to sort through our seeds and see what I come up with to exchange.

Event organizer Emily Springfield says that gardeners are welcome to attend even if they have nothing to trade. For those interested in participating, she offers the following tips:

Bring seeds to share, if you have them. They can be commercial or home-grown and saved. Seeds can be up to 5 years old, but don’t bring anything that you know isn’t sprouting well. Seeds should be labeled with at least the type and variety name (“Bush bean – Contender” or “Winter storage cabbage, savoy – January King”). The original packets with growing instructions are appreciated but not necessary. If you want to keep some of the seeds for your own garden, separate them out before you put them on the “to share” tables.

You might also want to bring pen and paper for making notes of varieties, growing directions, etc. Small envelopes will be provided to take seeds home in.

All are welcome at this free event. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to preservetrad(at)gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

Posted in • Local Happenings.

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 15, 2011

The Seduction of Seeds

“Plant one seed and forever a gardener be.”

I don’t know who said that. It may well have been me because that sentiment summarizes my history with gardening.

Seeds are one of the most seductive aspects of gardening. The display racks found at the garden store and other locations are so mesmerizing and full of potential. The brightly colored packages often sport a lovely picture of a fully mature specimen on the front with a small amount of tiny writing on the back, which seems to imply that the journey from the tiny seed in the package to the hand-sized tomato or head-sized pumpkin is a short and easy path. And seeds cost so very little! For the price of a head of lettuce in winter, one can get seeds for heaven-only-knows how many future heads of lettuce! It’s truly amazing.

It’s also extremely easy to end up with more seeds than we know what to do with!

One way we attempt to be wise and thoughtful shoppers for seeds is to plan ahead. We take the time to review and catalog the leftovers from the previous year so that we don’t duplicate our purchases. Making and carrying a list is a great way to prevent unnecessary purchases; it’s easy to forget what kind or how many carrot seeds are at home when faced with 8 or 10 new choices. We also like to look at print seed catalogs and online catalogs. Those collections are inspiring as well, and we have time to contemplate our purchases.

Pea Seeds

There are a multitude of seed companies, but we like to steer our business toward those that specialize in heirloom varieties, open pollination, and non-GMO seeds. Two of our favorite seed companies are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seeds of Change. Baker Creek boasts more than 1400 varieties of seeds, and Seeds of Changes has more than 1200 varieties, so there are plenty of choices. Both of these websites are full of informative about gardening, including vegetables and flowers, how-to’s, soil amendments, extending the season. There are gardeners’ forums and information about what terms like heirloom, open pollination and non-GMO mean if you want to get an understanding of those concepts . Even if you don’t order seeds online, these websites are wonderful resources for gardeners.

It’s the time of year to start thinking about what to grow in the garden this season and, if seeds are your thing too, about what to order and from where. Where are your favorite places to order or purchase seeds?

Our next post will information about an upcoming Seed Swap and other ways to obtain inexpensive or free seeds.

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By 20 Minute Jan – January 11, 2011