Flowers (annual and perennial), Garden hacks, Vegetables

Hardening Off

Ever bought plants from a greenhouse and transplanted them to your garden just to have them die a couple of days later? The plants from a sheltered greenhouse were not able to withstand the full sun of drying winds, they were too tender. It is like myself being in the house all winter and coming outside during a hot, spring day. I would have one bad sunburn. It seems that vine crops are more prone to not being harden off than tougher vegetables like tomatoes. Flower transplants should be treated the same way. This process is called hardening off.

Vines not properly hardened off showing wind and sun burn.

You need to slowly get your young plants transitioned to the full sun and wind. Start by placing your plants in shade, giving morning sun, and gradually move to more sun until they acclimate to their new condition. If the night will get below 45, bring them indoors. This process will take at least a week.

I keep the growing seedlings in a covered cold frame, then bring them out to an open one for a couple of weeks. I try to plant on a cloudy day or in the evening and keep well watered.

Usually planting in shade is not a problem. I would still harden off for a couple of days.

Gardening & Landscape, Landscaping decor

Wind Spinners

Wind spinners can be a do-it-yourself project or a high-dollar piece of art. Using one in the backyard gives motion to the area giving a calm feeling. The wind or breeze is now something you can see. In the garden, the movement helps keep the birds and animals away. In the flowerbed, the colorful glass ones can reflect color among the flowers.


Wind spinners, twirlers, pinwheel’s idea most likely comes from the design of a windmill. Windmills were developed in Persia around 500 BC to raise water. In the United States, early colonial farmers found small versions of the wind spinners that kept wild animals away and started calling them whirlygigs. The Dutch Americans started to design sound into them (like a fan with a farmer chopping wood) to better scare the animals. Whirlygigs became popular when farmers in the 1930s started to make them for city people as a way of making money.

Garden Pests

Neem Oil

There is a “new” product making its way to the garden shelves called Neem oil or Neem oil extract. Actually, Neem oil has been around for thousands of years, however, is entering the garden area. It comes from the Neem tree (Azadirachta) which grows in Southeast Asia and India. The tree’s seeds hold the highest concentration of oil.

Neem Oil pic

It is non-toxic to bees, butterflies, ladybugs, fish, and birds. A soil drench or foliage spray which is taken in by the plant causes the feeding bugs to stop eating. It works well for aphids, mites, scale, cabbage worms, and mealybugs. As a fungicide, it is useful for controlling and preventing mildews, rusts, black spot on roses, and mold on fruit. Read the directions carefully because you do not want to apply it too heavily.