Trying to grow
In addition to the tiny list of knitting/spinning resolutions for 2006, I have other resolutions too. One big one being “try not to kill anymore plants”.
We’ve lived at our little house for 4 1/2 years now and over these past few years, my attempts at gardening have yielded:
- sad death of two tomato plants (problem was me watering overhead)
- vicious murder, by me, of one giant mint plant (problem was me planting it in the ground alongside other things)
- stunted growth of many, many basil plants (problem was me planting it next to the mint)
- annual death of little tiny thyme plants resulting in having to purchase fresh thyme at the store (problem was me forgetting to water)
- monthly, expensive replacement of all the plants in a little container by the front door (problem is we don’t come in the front door so I don’t know when the plants need to be watered, and … I forget to water)
- three sad and scraggly looking roses in the front yard (again, me watering overhead — these roses were nice when I bought them).
- an almost completely moss-covered lawn — there are a few token blades of real grass (this is not me, I tried planting grass seeds but I think they got eaten)
- one, and only one, chili which I harvested and left on the kitchen counter until it dried up and had to be tossed (me, I forgot to use it)
I believe that I have the ultimate black thumb. Even the Chinese Fortune Teller told me that I should avoid agricultural enterprises at all costs (well, really, he told me not to marry a farmer). But part of me, maybe the vain part, wants my yard to not give the impression that we live in a crackhouse. Funny, that.
A couple months ago, I lamented to Liz at Pocket Farm that the only things that manage to grow in my garden are mint and sage. She told me it was likely because my soil needed some fortification since herbs are kind of weed-like and thrive in crappy soil. So first things first, I need to feed the garden.
Then, I want to plant a tiny dye garden. Some of these dye plants are reportedly also a little weed-like anyway so it sounds right up my alley! The space I have is currently about 2′ x 6′ (tiny, I know) and is a raised bed. It’s pretty much partial shade. This part of Vancouver is zone 7.
Any hints, tips, suggestions? Anybody have a dyers garden already? I’m thinking Indigo, Madder, Coreopsis, Dyer’s Chamomile, Lady’s Mantle among others. Of course they won’t all fit in that little 2×6 plot, but I may be convinced to remove our so-called lawn.
And finally, in the “always the last to know” category — Carin and stylish Jen let me know that I was nominated for the Best of the Blogs in the Knitting/Craft category. Whoa! How very flattering and exciting to be considered amongst some of my favourite bloggers like Jody at Savannachik, Eunny and Grumperina! If you haven’t already, you can go here http://www.thebestofblogs.com/vote-here/ to vote!
one of my goals this year is to also grow something - sadly i don’t have any outdoor space, but i’m still determined to do some windowsill growing.
anyhow, i’m sure you’re heard of, and probably already have, rita buchanon’s “A Dyers Garden: From Plant to Pot: Growing Dyes for Natural Fiber”. if not, take a look at it, i think it’s exactly what you’re looking for. all fiber arts has a good page, seems to me, on planing a dyers’ garder: http://www.allfiberarts.com/cs/dyeplants.htm
good luck ~ and can’t wait to see the results!
Have you considered installing a sprinkler system? An automated one that would water or not water your plants as appropriate? Seems like it might get to the root of the problem (no pun intended) and save you money in the long run, as you’d be able to not have to replace dead plants. Just a thought.
I’d give you tips on gardening but my own husband has offered to buy me all the plastic plants that my heart may desire. Good luck to you!
Hullo, long-time lurker, first time commenter:
Your garden plot sounds small…do you have any windows or weaves that you could use to widen your space? either put pots on the sill in the house or go to the home garden center and buy some cheap windowboxes or hanging pots. It eliminates the ground issue. I second the motion to put in a sprinkler system. My garden has over 200 roses in it (not my idea! I have brown thumbs), and it eliminates the guesswork, especially in the summer. Best of luck with your dye garden!
There are some gel-like water crystals you can pot and plant with. They come looking like sea salt and then you add water, after that it resembles mashed-up Jello. They help release water into your plants.
I had one of those lucky bamboo shoots which were often saved by this gel stuff.
Not to get too gardeny on you, but to “feed” your soil you should start to make your own compost. This is easy and is a great way to recycle. Get a bin and put all your yard and kitchen (veggie and coffee grounds) waste in the bin. In a while it turns into wonderful compost with which to feed your soil. There are many books about this in the library. It’s very satisfying….
Feeding the garden? Yeah, that’s a good start. For weed control on the lawn, those “weed-b-gon” concentrates worked well for my lawn. Some other brands kills and feeds simultaneously. It really made my lawn greener. I suck at gardening, so all my efforts go towards making the lawn green and I just have perennials everywhere else. Well, if you’re still keeping your lawn, if not, have fun with your dye garden!
Mint usually tries to take over any space it can. It doesn’t play nice with others. Mint is good in containers…but again, it needs water.
I have madder and lady’s mantle growing in pots. Not enough for dyeing but enough for my herbal uses. Herbs are not difficult to grow but do need regular watering. It sounds like it’s not a matter of not knowing how to take care of them but you need a reminder to water them regularly. Maybe a post-it note by the door?
Another thing is to mulch during the dry months. This really does help to slow down water loss.
And thanks for the photo of the flag stakes. I printed that out & took it with me to Home Depot and I am now the proud owner of 3 sets! Just tried them out on my Flower Basket shawl and they work perfectly.
I’ve finally found a few things I can grow without killing them. The spring plants like daffodils and crocus; sunflowers; and morning glories. I actually have a few indoor plants that I have kept alive for several years which is truly a record for me. Of course, they all start drooping when they need water and are where I can see them. I have killed aloe and snake plants in the past, both of which are supposed to be difficult to kill
Good luck on your garden!
No need to throw out the dried red pepper. My Granny taught me to harvest the peppers during growing season and hang them to dry. Then during the winter months you have a ready supply of whole peppers to throw in a pot of soup or chili. Or grind them up and put in a shaker for red pepper flakes for pizza or whatever else you want to add a bit of heat to.
I can’t believe you killed mint, Felicia. Your thumb is a bit blacker than I previously thought.
I’m not sure water/lack of is the problem. Sounds like you have quite a bit of shade, and Vancouver doesn’t seem like the kind of place that has a shortage of natural moisture (moss growing in your lawn is telling me you should have enough water).
Compost and mulch are your friends. I would recommend against chemical fertilizers because while they’ll give you a boost in the short term, they burn off organic matter in your soil over the long term. So any water-retaining abilities your soil has gets degraded over time, where compost builds organic matter and mulch will help slow evaporation.
But shade can also be a culprit…if your plants aren’t getting enough sun they’ll be stressed and won’t do well.
compost, compost, mulch, mulch, compost.
I live near you so I experience the same conditions. I am a lazy gardener (don’t amend the soil, rarely water, don’t like weeding) but I manage to have a great garden by buying the right plants (well, it also helps to have a friend who works at Gardenworks and another friend with her master gardeners certification). The biggest problem with our soil is acidity. So I buy acid loving plants. Keep that in mind when you go shopping.
And when you say partial shade, it’s the number of hours and the time of day the sun hits your raised bed that will matter. A few hours of sun in the morning is not the same as a few hours of sun at noon.
If you are thinking coreopsis, I have success with it in my garden. It needs full sun (at least 8 hours) and I don’t water mine now that it’s established. I also have a thyme bush and it has the same conditions. If you want some free thyme plants, let me know. I am always weeding out the baby thyme that pop up in the cracks on the patio.
Lee Valley has great irrigation systems that are not expensive. I have one from them and it’s great. The City of Vancouver also has a rain barrel program. You can get one for half the retail price.
Yikes, never plant a mint plant in the ground! They are very fast creepers and will take over everything in a blink of an eye. Keep them in a pot. On the plus side, mint plants are very hardy.
As for the moss lawn, we had the same thing and had to airate(?) the lawn, add good dirt(live in Atlanta so red clay) and throw grass seed out. We hired day labors for most of it. Big, hard job!
I have thumbs very much like your own. For the last 10 years or so I’ve gone the silk and plastic route. We don’t have a yard so everything is in pots out on the front porch. We do have a few jade trees which are hardy and I can’t seem to kill. They are all from the plants downstairs and all I do is stick a little bit that falls off of the mama plant in dirt and 6 months later it’s growing. Even my boss told me I couldn’t water the one plant we have at work.
Good luck with those dye plants. You make me wish I had a garden too!
I’ve grown all kinds of dye plants, inspired by Rita Buchanan’s book, which is excellent. Problem turned out to be, in BC’s climate we don’t usually get enough sun and warmth to really develop strong colour, so you have to grow masses of plants to get anything. But it is a very interesting and satisfying process, if only for a learning experience. (Other problem, esp. with coreopsis and marigold, you really have to stay on top of harvesting the blooms.)
There are actually many good sources of dyeplants that grow wild. One especially good one we have lots of here is a lichen, lobaria pulmonaria, which you can find on the ground in wooded areas after a big windstorm. It gives a lovely deep orangey-brown, very lightfast.
I do have a green thumb, but there are certain plants that are just hard for everyone to manage… My tomato plants were awful this year and I did the same thing. I had a small handful of cherry tomatoes and simply let them rott away on the counter! GOod luck to you and your plants
A dye garden is something I’d definitely want to explore when I move into a place with an actual yard.
Congrats on your nomination!
I had the EXACT SAME chili pepper! Just one. Out of TWELVE plants. I also planted six tomato plants, then forgot to harvest them. By the time I remembered, they were all rotten on the vine!
i feel your pain! i have a notoriously ‘black thumb’.
Its not a dye plant, but i have one that i love and is very easy to keep. (or rather, impossible to kilL!) its “Oxalis”, it has really cool purple leaves that open up in the daytime and fold down at night. When its very happy it makes really pretty little pink flowers. Even when i forget to water it for MONTHS or leave it outside when its too cold, it always pops back to life and recovers. i’ve had it for 5 years now, which is a record!
Pinetree Seeds has a section of their catalog devoted to medicinal and dye plants–in the on-line catalog, check the bottom of the Herb page. They also have great prices, because they package their seed for small-plot gardeners.
Don’t forget the bull’s blood beets. (I promise, beets are very easy to germinate–the hardest part will be thinning the seedlings.)
Zone 7!!!?? Really, I can’t get past that. Just be glad that you aren’t in Zone 3! I can’t get anything to grow because my growing season’s something like 7 days. Good luck. It looks like you received lots of good advice.
Howdy, (I’m one of the BlogHer hobby editors getting familiar with the blogs on our roll).
I know a bit about gardening, almost nothing about natural dye gardening, but I know an expert:\http://www.prairiefibers.com/