Well. It’s Official.
Our first meeting for the new Middleburg Heights Garden Club will be July 31st at 6pm.
Join us at the Middleburg Heights Recreation Center if you’re interested in making a local impact, learning more about gardening, and networking with fellow community and surrounding community members.
The July 31 meeting is intended to nail down:
Our mission statement
Club structure and organization
Brainstorming: fundraising ideas and club names
Vote on club formation
Vote on executive team (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer)
Establish the monthly meeting day, time, and location
See YOU on July 31 and let’s get growing!
Garden Club Announcement
A long time dream of mine is kicking off and I would love for you to join the ride. As a resident of Middleburg Heights, I have always dreamed of a community garden, teaching our community how to start kitchen gardens of their own, and head the formation of a garden club. I have, and continue to execute on my first two dreams, and the later is ready for official release!
City Alignment
We have a wonderful Mayor who has been engaged in these discussions with myself and my dear neighbor for nearly two years now. He has been nothing short of supportive and excited to see this addition to our community philanthropy. As a person of transparency, here is the letter that I sent to Mayor Castelli, receiving full support.
This letter perfectly highlights my plan of attack on how we will begin the process. I am shooting to have our kickoff meeting some time in August so that we can get formed prior to the cities Fall Fest, where we will make our first “formal debut” and begin raising funds for our initiatives.
Summer in the City
Flyers will be handed out in the Summer in the City parade, June 13th at 5pm.
Interested and want to be a founding member? Wonderful! I can’t wait to kick this off with folks who understand the importance of gardens in our every day lives, love supporting local community, and want to make an impact. Sign up here, and I will be in touch you soon and thank you for joining us!
Kindest regards, Rachel
Transplanting Success
We all do it. We get excited and throw things into our gardens and watch as they slowly shrivel up, turn yellow, drop leaves, you name it.
It’s not you, it’s them and their need to acclimate to your climate and space. Most of our plants start indoors in a controlled environment. Whether in our homes or in a greenhouse, they are watered the same time almost every day, they receive even sunlight, and in some cases they have their own little tray of family members with the same light and water requirements.
That is just not reality once they encounter the wild outdoors.
What is ‘hardening’?
Hardening off our plants is an act of slowly acclimating our indoor plants to the outdoors. This practice can go for ALL plants - house plants and veggies alike. Here’s a basic schedule to get your plant babies happy and thriving in the great outdoors:
Day 1-3: take the plants out, in shade, and bring them in at night
Day 4-6: slowly expose your plants to sun, but be mindful to not throw them directly into full sun on day 4. The key is to work up to full exposure to minimize sun scold. You can also start leaving them out overnight assuming you no longer have the threat of frost. If you do have frost threats, bring them in this early in the process.
Day 7-9: go for it! Set them free! Let them see what it’s like to bask in 6+ hours of sun and take note of their reaction. Droopy? They likely need water. Yellowing or discoloring? May be too soon and/or too much sun for now. Extend this practice until you see no change in the plants general appearance.
Once you have hardened off your plants, they are now ready to be transplanted into their seasonal or forever home 🌱
How do I transplant?
Most plants can be transplanted as follows:
Prepare your new plant container with fresh soil in the base, creating a ‘well’ of dirt that carries up the sides of the container walls.
Gently squeeze the sides of the nursery pot to work the plant out, then carefully loosen the root ball with your fingers - I call this “tickling” your roots.
Ensure the hole in the new container is slightly larger than your root ball and drop your plant in, back-filling with fresh soil.
Gently press around the base of the plant to ensure that the roots are making contact with soil, and not air. If the root ball has pockets of air around it, it will hinder growth.
Water the new transplant into the soil, and voila!
You have successfully hardened and transplanted!
Now for some of us, it’s not that easy. We may begin overwhelmed at the thought of moving plants in and out, or even knowing WHAT to plant. I want to take the worry out of it. Gardening is one of the best stress relievers and I am here to make it more accessible to all! Have no fear; I can help you determine what to plant and how many. Schedule your garden consult, or feel free to send a message letting me know your needs and we can curate a custom plan just for you.
Why are raised beds better?
Sure, you can plant right in the ground, but here is why you need to invest in a raised garden bed; especially if you’re just starting your gardening journey:
Better Soil
Soil is critical to plant development. Having a raised bed allows you to control the soil conditions and contain them, allowing for years of harvest. When you first fill a raised bed, be sure to use a 1:1:1 ratio of topsoil, sand, and compost. I have a recommendation to that in my blog post, Feed Your Soil. When you are preparing to garden in subsequent years, always be sure to top off with the referenced blend, or at the least, fresh compost.
Prolific and Pretty
Raised beds create wonderful focal points in your backyard, but also amplify growing space with the ability to grow vertically with trellises and other garden structures. You will increase your food production and have a secret garden of your own with trellis tunnels, bird fountains, and even obelisk or panel trellises.
Water Management
Raised beds allow to drain well and help a gardener avoid waterlog plants and ultimately damaged or rotting roots. Raised beds also help water distribution in drip irrigation systems, administering water to the place that matters most, the roots.
Pest Deterrent
Raised beds lift our hard work and priceless produce off the ground and away from little furry visitors. You can also add extra protection at the base of the raised bed, like gopher wire, or add protection above ground with a row cover to keep plants protected from larger pests or even insects.
Extend your Season
Raised bed soil temps are always warmer since they are able to warm faster with the spring season, accelerating your planting time. In addition, adding frost covers or row covers can provide enough protection to continue growing well into fall in most climates.
Types of raised beds
There are many types of raised garden beds, however, majority you find will range in height from 5” upwards of 32”. Materials can also vary but most common are metal or wood. When selecting your material be sure to consider the longevity and location. There are rot resistant woods, however, they do require more maintenance than metal varieties.
Not sure what to start with? My consultations include a vision board to help guide our discussion to a conclusion and take all the guessing and research out of it.
Missed Seed to Spoon Registration?
Have no fear! You can watch the workshop recordings online. I am now offering select workshop recordings, via my website, at an affordable rate to ensure we can spread all the awesome details around gardening and growing your own food.
When I started this endeavor, I was on a mission to make my name known as the “garden lady” within my community. In addition, I want to empower anyone who desires to start or improve their gardens to just start. There is nothing proprietary about this information, so it’s time to share with the masses, build a larger community, and have fun while doing it!
So join me in celebrating more gardens in 2024 and beyond, and thank you for being along for the ride.
Soil Amendments
Soil is alive. Yes, that’s right. It is one of the most biodiverse habitats on earth. One shovel of soil contains more species of microorganisms than the entire above ground ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest 😮
Soil is the foundation of any garden and supports healthy organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and earthworms, which all create that dynamic ecosystem. Good soil will produce strong and healthy plants that are more productive and more resistant to pests and disease.
Feed the soil, not the plant.
-unknown
Building a balanced soil is dependent on these key elements:
Minerals
Organic Matter
Air
Water
Living Organisms
Soil Texture
Growing healthy soil starts with understanding what kind of soil you have. This can be done with easy soil tests available at most garden centers or home improvement stores. You can send the soil away for full and comprehensive testing but a lot of home kits can provide insight on:
pH (whether your soil is acidic or alkaline)
Macronutrient levels (these are the big three: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium)
Secondary and micronutrient levels
Soil texture
Organic matter amount
Here is an easy test you can do, right now, with no tools or testing kits! Coined the “squeeze test”, just take a handful of moistened soil (not soggy), squeeze it in the palm of your hand, open your hand, and observe if it:
Holds it’s shape at first and then falls apart when poked, it’s loamy (that is what we want!)
Holds it’s shape even when poked, you have clay soil. Clay soil will feel hard when dry, slippery when wet, and rubbery when moist.
Breaks as soon as you open your hand, you have sandy or silty soil. It will feel gritty and silty soil will feel smooth, like flour.
No matter what, don’t get discouraged! This is why I firmly believe in raised garden beds. You have control over the contents of the beds and can easily amend with organic matter and certain soil enhancements to ensure you have that ideal loamy texture.
If this all seems overwhelming. Please don’t let it be! Schedule a consultation or shoot me a message and we can walk through some ways to improve or perfect your situation. Happy planting!
What’s a Kitchen Garden Consult All About?
So you have a garden to call your own, or you want one. Maybe you have some experience, or maybe you’re a total novice. No matter how big or small, what experience you have, or what you’re desiring to grow, a consultation is the FIRST step to ensuring success in your garden.
So what does it look like? Well, you schedule online and select the day and time that best fits your schedule. Once you secure your spot, you will be prompted with a questionnaire. This allows me to get some basic details regarding your dream kitchen garden, your space, and your experience. This form is quick and captures:
Address
What level of gardener you consider yourself
Gardens of interest
General space assessment
How much sun you receive
How much time you want to dedicate to your kitchen garden
Your responses help us kick start your consultation and allow us more time to measure, take photos, and chat about your goals when we meet in person. Yes, that’s right, my consultations are in-person. I believe in authentic and meaningful interaction to establish our garden-bestie relationship.
When your consultation day arrives, I show up with bells on (this is almost literal, because consults make me super happy). We start in your backyard for photos and measurements. I asses the entire property for ideal location which may mean moving your existing garden for optimal harvests all season long.
Once I have a solid bearing on the backyard and available space, we dive into the details. Some of my go-to questions include:
Who is gardening?
How often can you dedicate to your space?
How long do you want to eat from your kitchen garden?
What previous failures have you experienced?
What do you love to eat?
What do you hate to eat?
And so on…
At the end of the consultation we set up a follow up day and time to review your garden sketch and subsequent needs. Your garden sketch will provide you with the size, orientation, and the “lay of the land”. Every client is different, but we may uncover additional needs from our discussion. These needs can range from monthly coaching, planting plans, planting help, or maintenance help while you’re home or away, and I will include the add-on costs of those services during our follow up.
So that’s it! What art you waiting for? This small investment will bring you years of endless happiness, stress release, mindful moments, priceless lessons, sustainable independence, and a few less trips to the grocery store.
DIY Soil Blend
It’s critically important to feed your soil before transplanting for the season. Do yourself a favor and save some money by mixing your own soil blends to top off your raised beds this year. The ratio is a simple 1:1:1 of materials readily found at your local box hardware stores or garden centers. I should start by saying that I prefer organic gardening methods, so please be aware of the ingredients in the specific items you select, as they are not always consistent location to location.
Compost: add organic matter to the soil
Top Soil: holds moisture longer and helps soil retain its structure
Sand: enhances aeration and drainage
There are some things to look at before using a 1:1:1 ratio on the above. For example;
If your top soil is “sand heavy”, it means that there is a high ratio of sand in the mixture. You can determine this by examining the top soil in your hand and take note of the tiny brown flecks. If it seems plentiful, back off on adding equal parts sand and add more compost.
Not all composts are created equal. I prefer a mushroom compost. Some composts also have manure components, which is also fine, just be sure to read those ingredients to ensure you’re adding what you want to your soil, and ultimately your food.
Buying bagged soil is the answer for topping off beds to freshen the soil going into a new grow season, however, I would always suggest ordering bulk to fill new beds. As part of a kitchen garden consultation, you not only receive a custom sketch of your garden space, but options to deliver you a turnkey kitchen garden in as little as 3 weeks. Schedule a consult to take out the guesswork and take the first step to growing more in 2024!
Seedling Care Cheat Sheet
Starting your plants from seed does not have to be intimidating! I promise you, gardening is all about experimenting, so have fun with it. Plus seeds are an inexpensive way to gain confidence about your ability to grow nearly anything your heart desires. So give it a try! Be sure to give your plant babies the necessary sunlight, warmth, and ventilation to get things going. If you need help with that, check out my upcoming workshops or contact me directly to get a consultation scheduled.
Once they are planted, indoors or out, check out this handy cheat sheet… as if seedlings could talk.
Your Kitchen Garden + Sun Requirements
Considering starting a garden this year but not sure where the best spot may be in your yard? Or maybe you have a kitchen garden and you’re noticing some plants thrive in past years, and others fail; sun is likely a big reason for this. It’s quite simple when you break down the needs of any given plant. When you do your research and know what you want to grow, here is a simple rule of thumb:
Full sun plants require 8+ hours of direct sunlight.
Partial sun plants require 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.
Part shade plants prefer 3-6 hours without late day direct sunlight.
Full shade plants want less than 3 hours of direct sunlight.
When planning your garden design, it is critical to locate the southern most portion of your space. Southern sun is consistent, not too hot, and going to provide that 8+ hours of sun which most kitchen garden veggies and fruits require. Some herbs and cold crops like spinach or lettuce can get away with a little less sun, but again, the more the better in most instances.
If you’re able to plant in southern sun exposure, but also see westerly sun like my garden, we get some hot afternoons in the summer. Consider creating shade settings for your plants to get a break from the afternoon heat. This can be accomplished with garden features like trellises or installing a shade sail.
At the end of the day, never give up. Gardens grow with us and are certainly not always a permanent structure. And my theory, the more the better! Add onto your garden space if moving it is not possible. As always, if you’re in need of a consult, I know a gal who would love to be your garden bestie and help you accomplish all your garden goals! Now get growing!
Seed Preparation + Planning
One of the key factors to success in your garden is preparation and planning. Here is an easy trick for your home kitchen garden, as we approach spring.
One of the key factors to success in your garden is preparation and planning.
Here's an easy trick: get a photo organizer and label your seeds. Labeling can be by month, planting via direct sow or indoor start, or maybe you want to sort like-crops together. Whatever method you chose, by allowing yourself the time to take inventory of your current seeds, take note of what you may need, and organize, you will be more efficient and get a solid jump start on growth.
Not sure what to plant, where, or when? Check out our new workshops to help you get started. Prefer a 1:1 setting at your own home? Get a consultation scheduled and we can discuss your specific needs and wants and get you growing!