Rhubarb is a showy plant that holds its own in the front flower beds even if the critters have a snack here or there.  Don’t worry if the leaves get a bit chewed as they get composted regardless.  Be sure not to eat any part of the rhubarb leaves as they are toxic and will make you sick.  The thick red stems is what we are going for.

To harvest, solidly grasp the stem and twist to the side and pull to remove. Do not cut the stalks.

Trim the leaves in a fan pattern for storing in the fridge or  trim the tops completely if you plan to use the rhubarb right away.

Whether stalks are red or green doesn’t affect flavour, but the red stalks are generally preferred to make the beautiful pink colour often associated with rhubarb desserts like this Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe.

There are many types of upside-down planters available and none are expensive in the least.  I have seen many people who use 5-gallon buckets but I must say that once you buy all the hardware you will probably be spending more than just buying a Topsy Turvy planter or the self-watering planters I have hanging on my garage.

The Topsy Turvy planters are cheap but incredibly ugly so I welcome any photos or ideas folks have to make them a bit more presentable.

Materials:

• 1-2 cherry, grape or other small variety tomato plants
• Upside-down planter
• Solid ring hooks
• Bamboo stake
• Self watering system (see Step #8)
• Tomato fertilizer
• Container gardening soil or 40% peat moss / 60% soil

Directions: 

1. First things first, choose the right tomato plant for the hanging planter.  There is just no sense in picking a beefsteak or other large varietal. Large tomatoes generally grow on large plants and have heavy fruit.  These small planters are better suited to determinate/bush forming (as opposed to indeterminate/vine growing) so that the plant can build girth rather than length below the planting bag.  Also choosing container-loving cultivars like Tumbler, Jolly Elf, or Gold Nugget will ensure fruiting is prolific even on smaller plants.

2. Location is another important factor in hanging planters.  Check out site selection for Growing Strawberries in Hanging Containers / Grow Bags as it’s pretty much the same: 8-12 hours of fun sun a day.

3. Prepare your soil for planting by either mixing 40% peat moss 60% high quality organic soil mix (like Sea Soil) or a container gardening mix in a wheelbarrow with some water.  It’s best to moisten the soil before planting to ensure it will hold the water not just run right through the planting hole.

4. Remove your plant from the nursery pot and secure the stopper around the stem, being careful to not damage the stem.  All store-bought planters come with a stopper: either a foam ring or plastic disk with a hole in the center for the stem.

5. Have a strong helper hold your planter while you gently GENTLY maneuver the plant upside-down into the bottom hole from the top.  Again, don’t damage the stem.  If the leaves get a bit mangled it’s OK, but if you damage the stem get a new plant and start over.

6. Gently fill the moistened soil around the root ball about half-full, add a handful of complete organic fertilizer and fill up the rest of the way with more soil.

7. Hang the planter up on sturdy hooks (that should be included with your planter) no less than 7-8 feet off the ground.

**While most folks stop at this point there are a few lessons I’ve learned from growing tomatoes successfully on my garage that I shared in this post:  Topsy Turvy: Ugly as Stink But Good Tomatoes.  These few extra steps will help with the most common problems of upside-down tomato planters: dry soil and broken plants.**

8. The challenge with an upside down planter is that when they dry out, they are difficult to re-moisten.  Water generally flows through dry soil, and with upside-down planters, it can flow right through even moist soil. Unless you want to spend most of your free time slowly watering these planters all summer long, it’s best to set up a self-watering system.  Luckily the new planters I bought have a self-watering trough at the top. Success with this system comes from to ensuring that you don’t let the wick dry out.

You can also make your own self-watering system with these plant stakes or make your own by cutting a hole in the bottom of a soda bottle and poking a few weep holes in the cap.  Screw the cap on firmly and sink into the soil.  Fill with water and let drain.  To see the bottle watering system, check out the photos in this post about Topsy Turvy Tomato Planters.

9. Tomatoes are meant to grow upwards and left to their own devices, they will curve up toward the sky, grow big beautiful tomatoes…and then the stem will break right off in the wind or from the weight of the fruit.  Easily deal with this by sticking a bamboo stake in the bottom hole with the plant, and train the plant downwards as it grows.  An easy solution to a fatal (to ripe fruit at least) problem.

There you have it.  All the tools you need for successfully getting an upside-down planter started this year. These instructions also apply for peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, or squash so get creative with this weekend project.

 Participating in these link parties: Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

Of course grapevine (Vitis spp.) is the most popular wood for making vine wreaths.  For this project I used cuttings from a Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) that trails along a shady fence.  It is a bit of a softer vine so adding an unwound coat hanger would stiffen up the frame.  As I have mine on a trellis, it holds its shape just fine. American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) and Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) would also make a great wreath.

Materials:

• vine
• pruners

Directions: 

1. Begin by gathering and untangling the vine pieces.  When they have been tamed into a bundle that is manageable, form the vine into a circular shape on a large surface.  Using a few thick strands of vine, begin to wind around the bundle, tucking the end of the vine in.

2. Continue to wind and secure the entire wreath.  When the end meets the beginning, knit the vine ends together and continue to wind the outer vines to secure, overlapping the starting point.  Tuck in any loose ends.

3. Set the wreath somewhere to dry and take shape.

My vine wreath is just the perfect addition to the bentwood trellis used to distract from the compost bin.

A side note: if you want to also make your own bentwood trellis, Making Bentwood Trellises, Arbors, Gates, & Fences by Jim Long is a great resource.  It has many designs to choose from plus information on choosing wood, suggested plantings, and even recipes.

Now if you want to dress up your new grapevine wreath, here are some creative examples to inspire you.

Faux Floral Ideas clockwise from top left: 1. Rustic Burlap Wreath from Too Much Time, 2. Felt Flower Wreath by Little Things Bring Smiles, 3. Fabric Rosette Wreath by Little Page Turners, 4. Spring Wreath by Creatively Living…Outside The Box, 5. Whimsical Spring Wreath by SAS Interiors

Painted Wreaths clockwise from top left: 6. DIY Flowery Wreath by Style at Home, 7. Blue Spring Wreath by Frugal Coupon Living, 8. Red Wreath by Wisecraft, 9. Wriggling Snake Wreath by Martha Stewart Living, 10. Spring Wreath By Two Yellow Birds Decor

Other Unique Uses for a Grapevine Wreath clockwise from top left: 11. Grapevine Wreath Chandelier by Rustchic (love this idea!), 12. Wreath Bird Feeder by Little House in the Suburbs (adorable), 13. A Grapevine Wreath Charger by StoneGable, 14. Grapevine Wreath Birdbath by Disney Family Fun

15. And of course we can’t forget about the Garden Therapy Halloween Hop Wreath

Thanks for vising the Weekend Project that will also be submitted to Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Epsom salts
• 8 drop pure lavender essential oil
• 6 drops mine essential oil
• 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 2 drops rosemary essential oil
• 1 tsp dried comfrey root powder
• 1 tsp dried lavender
• 1 tsp dried mint leaves
• ¼ tsp dried bergamot petals

Directions: 

1. Fill a pretty jar about halfway full of the Epsom salts.

2. Add essential oils, replace lid, and shake.

3. Remove the lid again, add comfrey and dried herbs, replace lid and shake (again)

4. Add more Epsom salts to full the jar, replace the lid and shake again.

5. Optional: download and print these freebie canning labels to dress it up.

Check out all the other great recipes in the Natural Skincare Series.  This project will also be submitted to Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

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It’s around this time each year that I start salivating for sweet, fresh berries as I see my hanging strawberry planter growing in and the flowers forming.  Establishing a fruit-bearing crop in a growing bag is not difficult, but there are a few key steps that will certainly help.

Site Selection

Strawberries like many fruiting plants really like lots of sun.  It’s not to say that that a crop in a partly shaded are won’t bear fruit, but the fruit will be larger, sweeter and more prolific in 8-12 hours of fun sun a day.  Hanging planters will make the soil much warmer than the ground warm and out of reach from many pests which creates an more environment that can tolerate a less sun if necessary.

Container

I was able to find a green “Flower Tower” at a thrift store many years ago, but there are also very inexpensive grow bags that you can buy online or at hardware and garden stores.  You could certainly make your own, although with the price of these and all the hardware included, it seems more trouble than it’s worth.  If you don’t like the look of the bags (they ARE ugly) then wait a few months.  Soon you won’t see it at all with all the plants growing in.

Soil

Hanging baskets can get pretty heavy when filled with soil and water.  Regular garden soil isn’t light enough and compacts too easily for hanging planters.  The best choice is a container gardening mix that has lots of material mixed in to hold water, ensure drainage, and promote good air circulation. Add a few scoops of organic matter and mix well.  Strawberries like an acidic soil so stay away from mushroom manure which typically has lime in it.  I like to use my garden compost for the organic matter.

Plants

Strawberries are either June-Bearing (one large crop in early Summer) or Ever-Bearing (crop spread out over the summer months).  I like June-bearing as they produce more fruit.  Choose plants that are free from pests and disease, often it’s best to get them from a nursery to be sure.  Strawberry plants spread quickly through runners so if you have an established patch somewhere, or a neighbour does, you can easily clip those to start your planter.

Planting

  1. Fill the bag loosely with potting soil water thoroughly and slowly to ensure water gets absorbed throughout.

  2. Shake the soil off the roots of the strawberry plants and gently tuck them into the planting holes. Snip off any brown leaves, runners or roots and top up with more soil mix.

  3. Water thoroughly and slowly again, allowing the water to absorb into the soil rather than just running straight off through the holes.

  4. Hang and get ready for strawberries!

Watering

Watering these hanging bags can be tricky.  The water tends to quickly flow through the holes while the plant gets established.  If you lack the patience and arm strength to water very slowly, try a watering spike attached to a soda bottle or make your own by cutting a hole in the bottom of a soda bottle and poking a few weep holes in the cap.  Screw the cap on firmly and sink into the soil.  Fill with water and let drain.  Be careful not to let the planter dry out, particularly when it’s hot.

Fertilizer

Add a slow-release organic fertilizer at planting (a balanced 10-10-10) and a compost tea when flowering.  A compost tea or some Moo Poo Tea (from my friend, Annie Haven) are perfect to water with every few weeks in the spring and early summer.  Stop fertilizing when the fruit forms and water frequently for plump fruit.

Hopefully this will get you started with hanging strawberries as part of You Can Grow That! day created by C.L. of Whole Life Gardening.  For ideas on what to do with all your juicy berries check out Strawberry Coconut Torte, Organic Strawberry Jam, and Strawberry Balsamic & Black Pepper Preserves.

Participating in these link parties: Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

For moms who love the garden you can surprise her with garden-inspired creations like 1. Block Printed Tea Towels, 2. a Hanging Globe Terrarium 3. Lavender Sachets 4. Serenity Now! DIY Lavender Eye Pillows, or 5. a Salad Bowl Terrarium.

Some moms need a little pampering. Whip up some of these recipes from the Natural Skincare Series and present it in a vintage mason jar.  6. Easy Homemade Bath Salts, 7. DIY Bath Bombs, 8. Simple Sugar Scrub, 9. Cold-Process All-Natural Handmade Soap, 10. Hemp & Honey Lip Balm, 11. Mango Citrus Body Butter

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If making crafts just isn’t your thing here are some gorgeous handmade items available on Etsy that any gardening mom would love. UPDATE: a few shops are offering discounts to Garden Therapy readers which is listed after the item link – woo woo!

12.  Spring Garden Grass Green Half Demi Half Apron $30.00 (Use Coupon Code GARDENTHERAPY and save 15% on aprons and other stuff in http://www.akitschykitchen.com shop), 13. Keep Calm Spoon Plant Garden Marker $10.00, 14. Mini Patio Mix Kit For Miniature Gardens $16.95

15. Garden Therapy Handmade Sunflower Photo Print Pillow $80.00 (use code SPRING for 10% off), 16. Coin purse – Autumn Patchwork print $23.00, 17. Green Leaf Earrings $22.50, 18. Fabric Flower Brooch Pin Yellow Poppy $10.00, 19. Oat and Poppy Scrub Soap $10.00

20. DIY Succulent Wreath Kit $45.00.

21. While these modern plant labels from aHa! Modern Living aren’t handmade, they are just too adorable to not be included.

Participating in these link parties: Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

In past years I have used a 4-tier wire shelf which allows me to grow 8 trays of seedlings into large plants as I can continuously move the shelves to make more room for taller plants.  Plus it comes with a greenhouse cover that makes the perfect transition to the outdoors to harden off seedlings.

I still plan to use the 4-tier wire shelf as an outdoor greenhouse when I pot up the seedlings into larger pots.  I decided that this year I would make something a little neater for the starts as the shelf is in a prominent place in our office.  Plus I need more room indoors for my air plants and terrariums.  I’ve seen the GORM shelf used for a few projects by fabulously stylish gardeners and this year I decided to give it a try.

Carrie from Read Between the Limes’s $29.99 IKEA Seed Starting Rack was the inspiration for this project.  Her shelf has fewer lights and adorable labels for her seeds and soil supply.  Make sure you check out Carrie’s blog for the instructions on how she set up her shelf and lots of great ideas on gardening with kids.

I added to Carrie’s set up by using 6 lights on the top three shelves which has been the perfect amount of light to prevent the seedlings from becoming too leggy.  Disclaimer: I had to leave the seedlings in a bright window for 3 days while I visited the Tulip Festival, so they did get somewhat leggy.

Tall, spindly (aka leggy) seedlings do not give your plants a great start.  It’s not the end of the world, but it indicates that the plants are not getting enough light which is stressful for the plant.  Growing really tall and skinny can cause the plants to flop over and break or easily be damaged.   If you have leggy plants, re-pot them in deeper pots with the soil line all the way up to the seed leaves (the first leaves that appeared when they sprouted).  All that extra stem can be tucked under the soil for protection and the leaves will have a fresh start.

The best remedy for leggyness is to provide enough light and the right kind of light.  For most home growers wanting to start a few seedlings, standard florescent utility lights work just fine.  If you can find inexpensive lights specifically made for growing plants, they may have a high colour temperature that more closely mimics the sun (and they are pink!).  These can be very expensive and for the price the results are not that much different than standard florescent bulbs so save your bucks and buy a “daylight” bulb instead.

Materials:

• 1 GORM Shelving Unit assembled as per instructions with 2 extra shelves.
• 6 utility lights with full spectrum or grow lights where available
• 12 screw in hooks
• 12 x 7” lengths of chain
• Wire or twine
• Power bar

Directions:

1.  Assemble shelving unit as per instructions. Space top 3 shelves 15” apart; these will be your growing shelves.  Space remaining 2 shelves as you desire from the bottom; these will be supply shelves.

2.  Screw 2 hooks to the underside on both the front and back board, spaced 2” in from the width of the lights.

3.  Tie wire or string around the light and affix the end of a length of chain to each side.  Simply hang the other end of the wires on the hooks at about 1” above the seedlings.  Continue to raise the lights as the seedlings grow.

4. I plug all the lights into a power bar so that I can easily turn on or off the whole thing with one switch.  Start by giving your seedlings 8 hours of light a day and slowly increase to 12 hours.  This mimics the increase in light the plants get as the seasons change and the days get longer.

Now don’t think you must have a dedicated area specifically for seed starting indoors.  My friend Sam sent me some great photos of the Victory Garden’s office where they have seeds growing all over the place.  I particularly love them growing under the desk – what a smart use of space!

For more information on seed starting, please check out the other posts in this series:  Seed Starting 101, Homemade Seed Starting Containers DIY Projects,  The Best and Worst Store Bought Seed Starting Containers and Seed Starting Outdoors Under Umbrella Greenhouses.

Victory Gardens is running a container gardening workshop at  Old Faithful Saturday, May 12th from 9:30 – 11 AM.  Not only will you learn some important basics on container gardening from this stylish collaboration, but also you will leave with your very own wooden crate planted with various greens and herbs and some certified organic Westcoast Seeds (my very favourite seeds!).

To register for this event, please go to http://www.Oldfaithfulshop.com/.  Space is limited.

Spring is the time to plant peas out in the garden.  Seeds germinate well in cool soil so plants have a strong start by the time summer hits.  I like to start my peas indoors then move the little vines out when they are strong enough, but you can also buy started pea plants at nurseries and farmers market this time of year.

When you plant your peas they will start to ramble and tangle along the ground and the sweet tips get munched on by just about any vegetable loving creature you can imagine (slugs, snails, the darn dog!) so it’s nice to grow them vertically up a support.  The little vines cling and twine nicely around string, and this simple trellis is perfect to pack a lot of peas into a small area.

Materials:

• Bamboo poles of various lengths
• A spool of garden twine
• A garden helper

Directions:

1. Stick two 6’ or longer bamboo poles into the soil on either side of your pea patch.

2.  Make a frame using two more bamboo poles that measure a few inches longer than the width of your side stakes.  Secure the poles together by tying twine around the poles where they cross in a figure eight pattern.

3. Using twine on a spool, tie one end of the twine to the bottom of one side of the bottom of the frame.  Run the twine up and over the top of the frame, and allow to drop back down.  Let your garden helper wind the twine around the frame over and over until you have reached the other side. Tie the twin in a knot on the end of the frame to secure.

4. Gently lift the tips of the pea plants and tuck their tendrils onto the twine.  The peas will take it from here.

Garden Therapy Handmade pillows are made from fabric designed with photographs from my garden.  Macro imagery of each flower has been carefully giclée-printed on a gorgeous a linen-cotton blend.  The fabric is sturdy and the print is washable making this truly art you can use. For more information, please visit the Garden Therapy Handmade Shop.