Gardening Against Drugs

City middle schools in New Jersey took advantage of Red Ribbon Week, the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention program, by planting red tulips as a symbol of the students pledge to live drug-free lives.

Come spring, the tulips will be not only a source of pride, but also provide a great daily reminder to the kids (and even to those who didn't participate) of their promise to stay away from drugs. They can take the lesson home with them too, using the gardening skills they learned to plant bulbs around their own walkways, yards and gardens. In fact, this can be a fun exercise for the whole family!

Talk to your child about the lesson here: on the one hand, you've got something positive and living; on the other hand, something negative and deadly. Kids get the symbolism, but it doesn't hurt to articulate: life (in all its forms) is to be nurtured and the poison of drugs is certainly never a smart choice.

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Windowsill Gardening

Great advice from an Ohio-based gardening club (called the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club), where a presentation was given by the club's vice-president, Mary Ann Basinger, about how to successfully grow plants and herbs indoors.

She rightly stated that the most important factor in growing indoor plants is choosing the right place for the right plant, and then continued with other essential tips and reminders:

• if you're bringing plant pots in from outside, you need to properly wash them (first) and then soak them to remove potentially harmful residue;
• good drainage is always necessity (indoor or outdoor) and you can help your plant by lining the bottom of your planters with charcoal and/or coffee filters;
• draft-free and sunny windowsills are prime real estate, of course, with best temperatures being between 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit;
  

Ms. Basinger also gave a recipe for a spray to ensure plant health and prevent bugs:

• one teaspoon of soap such as Ivory (or use a castile soap, which is a good hard soap made from olive oil and sodium hydroxide)
• Pour one-eighth cup of boiling water over to dissolve it
• Add water to make a cup, tossing in a trace of canola oil and a a bit of garlic.
  

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Black Plants

Gardener, nursery owner and author of Black Plants, Paul Bonine, "believes dark-hued annuals, perennials and shrubs are an ideal way to bring depth and mystery to the garden." Although black isn't usually the first color that comes to mind when you think of plants and gardens, the dark-hued leaves and flowers (as the book blurb from Martha Stewart Living says) have enormous appeal in a garden.

Dark colors in plants is caused by a compound called anthocyanin, the pigment responsible for turning fall leaves all shades of brilliance and vegetables their own array of colors, like red beets, orange pumpkins and so on .

Bonine's Black Plants guide includes descriptions and photographs of 75 black annuals, perennials, bulbs, and shrubs, among which are the batflower; Salvia discolor; ornamental pepper Capsicum 'Black Pearl,' and the striking succulent Aeonium 'Zwartkop'. With each plant description, characteristics are provided to help you successfully grow the plant: light requirements, soil conditions, growth habits and hardiness zones. Companion plantings are suggested too, in order to best display each plant's unique traits.

For best effect, says Bonine, black plants require contrast in the garden.

Gold-leaf plants work really well - or a backdrop like a light stone wall. They're especially good in containers mixed with other textures and colors.

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No Dirt Gardening: Hydroponics

When you grow plants without soil, but feed them through nutrient-rich water, you've got yourself a hydroponic garden.

In my experience, the plants are held in place by gravel (the roots of water-fed plants tend to be smaller than those grow traditionally in soil), although you can find hydroponics kits that use a bases of sand or even water.

Because the roots of hydroponics plants are fed directly, the plant's energy does not need to be focused on growing a root system large enough to find enough nutrients to survive. That energy becomes re-focused, allowing the plants to grow twice as fast as their soil-based counterparts.

Hydroponic gardens are compact too when compared to vegetable gardens grown in a traditional soil garden. Because there's pretty much no root system to speak of, the plants don't physically take up as much room. In other words, you can reap the same harvest in a hydroponic garden that is approximately five times smaller than the size of a soil-based garden.

This small size means that an indoor hydroponics garden can fit into almost any home, whether it's a corner in your kitchen or part of a sun room. It also means that the electricity used for pumps and grow lamps doesn't have to be a major expenditure.

Obviously indoor hydroponic gardens can be maintained year round, so you can enjoy fresh vegetables no matter the season -- and for that reason alone, it's certainly a type of gardening format you may wish to consider!

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Fresh Parsley in your Kitchen Herb Garden

When it's too cold for gardening outside, it may be time to start your indoor garden. One of the most useful of these is the herb garden -- hopefully grown right in your kitchen.

You can start with parsley, easily grown from seed (no matter what naysayers might otherwise state!). Just remember to get a pot that's deep enough to hold the long root and use a new bag of potting soil. Lots of sun is necessary for parsley to do well: if you don't get a minimum of 5 hours direct sun, then supplement with fluorescent lighting.

Curly parsley (petroselinum crispum) contains Vitamins A and C as well as other valuable nutrients, so it's a healthy and breath-freshening green to include in salads and use liberally as garnish.

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Chinese Lanterns

The Chinese Lantern is a perennial flower that grows up to 24" in height, and is native to Asia and Japan. They make a fabulous addition to any dried flower arrangement and dress up flower gardens with their unique look and brilliant color. The husks (which contain a sour red berry inside) are orange-red and resemble Chinese lanterns, hence the name -- although they are sometimes also called the Winter Cherry or Strawberry Tomato.

If you'd like to grow Chinese Lanterns in your garden, all you really need is a sunny spot (but not full sun) and rich soil. Giving the plant enough room (ie., planting 24" apart) will ensure that you see the maximum amount of lanterns possible.


NOTE: the leaves and unripe berries of this plant are poisonous and can be fatal if eaten.

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