Flowers (annual and perennial)

Purslane

First year in growing purslane. I have planted a couple of plants in a cement block and they are doing good.

In the Mediterranean, it is used in soups and salads and has lots of potential health benefits. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels because of its omega-3 fatty acids. In Mexico it is often used in omelets, stews and many other recipes. For a very intense flavor, the wilder varieties are much tastier. Some say it has a lemony taste, or is similar to watercress, but I’ve also heard people compare it to the taste of spinach.

Portulaca oleracea, the green and wildest variety, has tiny yellow flowers. It is a serious weed to most farmers and gardeners, they want to get rid of it, but it’s very difficult to do.  It reseeds itself when you disturb the plants. The best way is just to eat it.  Portulaca sativa is golden purslane and it’s often found in herb gardens and is the favorite among chefs.

Ornamental purslanes you see hanging in baskets at the nurseries. There are dozens of varieties with bright colorful blooms and the benefit of being a drought-friendly plant. Ornamental purslane produces flowers all summer and into fall.

Garden hacks, Gardening & Landscape

Garden Hacks For Lazy Gardeners

Here are some gardening hacks to use in your garden.

Composting tips

Adding coffee grounds to the soil in your garden is a great way to enrich it with nitrogen, which encourages microorganism growth in the soil. Using coffee grounds seems to deter snails and slugs that may cause damage to your plants.

Egg shells can be a great way to deter slugs from feeding on your vegetables plants. Simply put cracked egg shells at the base of your plants, and they will not want to crawl over the sharp shells.

A great way to discourage pests from getting too close to your plants is to place a layer of foil around the plants. Many insects do not like metal surfaces, so this would prevent most pests from reaching the stems of your plants especially squash bores. Make sure it is shiny side up, as this will also serve as a method of reflecting the sunlight back to the plant.

If you don’t have a lot of space for a garden, it is best to create vertical growing space instead of overcrowding an area on the ground, as this hinders the growth of the vegetables that you plant. If you allow certain plants to grow upwards, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, it can also protect them from soil born pests that may stunt their growth.

How to build a pvc cucumber trellis

Make a tool holder from a terracotta pot and add abrasive sand, and mineral oil in that. It will not only hold your garden tools as you thrust them in but the sand and mineral oil mixed in it also clean and sharpen them at the same time.

When you boil or steam some vegetables on the stove top, don’t pour the water down the drain. Once the water has cooled, pour this vegetable water in your plants to fertilize them instead of wasting it. You can also do the same with your boiled egg water.

Deadhead spent flowers from your plants to promote more blooms and remove top shoots and emerging flowers of your herbs to help them have a healthy growth and prevent bolting. Also, most of the new gardeners avoid pruning their plants but it is important too and helps in rejuvenating the growth of plants.

How long do seeds last

If weeds are surfacing in your garden do this: Before you put a layer of mulch on your planting beds, cover the garden bed with newspapers and then drop a layer of mulch to smother the weeds or use old carpet for paths between the beds like I have done.

Garden Pests

Garden Pummeled by Hail

It’s such a sinking feeling to have one’s garden pummeled by hail especially for farmers who lost crops.

Anyways in a few days to a week you’ll probably get a good idea what is salvageable or not. It never looks pretty after the storm but in a few weeks, it’ll be kind of normal again.

Damaged leaves can still function, just not as well as they once did. Don’t trim them immediately. Give the plant a chance to grow new leaves and draw nutrients out of the old leaves before trimming. A half of a leaf is better than no leaf.

For tomatoes, start using a fungicide spray because their wounds and torn leaves will let fungi into their system like late blight.

With damaged flowers, you may be able to trim back the top leaves, which bore the brunt of the weather damage, to reveal less damaged leaves below.

It is a good idea to fertilize your plants, which will help them to grow new leaves. Be sure to stay on top of watering, especially any plants that were severely damaged. An addition of 2 to 3 inches of mulch will also benefit these plants.

We lost most of our fruit tree fruit to a late frost. June was non-stop rain; July brings heat and hail. How the season will finish is anyone’s guess.