-Chose the right pot – Window boxes, plastic pots, bushel baskets, any container with good drainage will work for herbs.
-Use top grade potting soil and nothing less.
-Add a little Osmocote for a slow release all season light feeding for your herbs – they don’t require much in nutrients.
-And, of course, Soil Moist to help cut watering in half.
-Find a spot with at least ½ day of sun or more for your herbs.

Now you’re ready to plant herbs in containers, but which will you plant? Well think about the foods you like to cook, or which herbs you use the most. If you’re still not sure, try these combinations:
-For Italian cooking, grow basil, sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, and parsley
-For Seafood try growing parsley, dill, basil, lemon thyme, tarragon, chives, and savory
-Or for Mexican, try cilantro, basil, garlic chives, oregano, and even a pepper plant!
-Or just try growing groups of your favorite herbs like mints, or sage, or basil, or thyme. -Or how about theme plantings? A crock of thyme would be a Jim Croce planter (thyme in a bottle – okay, ‘crock’). Or, how about a Simon and Garfunkel planting? You know it – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Trust me, once you get started growing herbs in containers, you’ll be hooked forever!

Herbs for natural flavoring – Herbs can be a pleasure for all your senses, and many are really good for adding natural flavoring to different foods. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:

Rosemary – usually grown in containers and taken indoors over the winter, Rosemary’s needle like leaves add a piney flavor to foods.

Savory – winter savory is a perennial and summer savory an annual, both are called ‘the bean herb’ and help in digesting beans, while adding a pepper flavoring.

French Tarragon – a perennial herb, French tarragon adds a delicate anise or licorice-like flavor, used in sauces, eggs, veggies and great on broiled asparagus.

Need lemon flavoring? Don’t forget Lemon Verbena, an annual herb, Lemon Balm, a perennial herb, and lemon Thyme, another perennial for lemon flavors. And don’t forget lime thyme, perfect for flavoring those Mojitos!

Onion chives for adding a light onion flavor (flowers are very tasty) and Garlic chives for adding a light garlic onion flavor – both are perennials.

Mint – Not only do you have spearmint and peppermint, you’ll also find Apple mint, Chocolate mint, Grapefruit mint, Orange mint, Lime mint, Pineapple mint, and many more. Remember to grow mint responsibly (in containers).

Salad Burnet and Borage – both used for adding a cucumber flavoring without the burps.

Lovage – a perennial herb that looks like celery, and yes, tastes like it too! Great for cooking when celery is needed, can also be used as a straw to drink thru and flavor your bloody mary!

Stevia – Looking for a natural sugar substitute? Grow Stevia. Zero calories, zero carbs, and zero gylcemic index, making it a great sugar substitute for someone who is diabetic.
Up to 200 times sweeter than sugar, Stevia can be used fresh or dried. An annual for our area, grow it in a container so you can have it outdoors in the summer and indoors for the winter.

Have questions about herbs? Meet Rita Heikenfeld this Saturday (May 19) 10-11am at the Mason store, and 12:30-1:30pm at the Florence store!

“We have been growing the Bjut jolokia (ghost pepper) for 3 years now. Is it still the hottest pepper in the world?” – I’m sure it is for many folks, but believe it or not, there have been 3 new hottest peppers take over the title! The heat in peppers is measured in Scoville units – jalapeños usually come in around 2,500 scoville units and habaneras around 250,000 to 500,000 units. But these peppers are in a totally different category with Bjut jolokia coming in around 1,000,000 scoville units! Last year, ‘Naga Viper’ took the title with 1,359,000, only to be dethroned by ‘Trinidad Scorpian Butch T’ at 1,463,000, only to be dethroned by the current world’s hottest pepper ‘Trinidad Monuga Scorpian’, coming in at a scorching 2,009,231 Scoville units! And yes, Natorp’s grew a very limited amount of all 4 pepper plants being sold at the garden stores.

“We placed newspaper in between the rows in our garden as a weed barrier. Can we use grass clippings from a ‘treated for weeds’ lawn as the mulch on top?” -NO! Definitely not! Grass clippings are excellent soil amendments and mulch for the garden, but not if the lawn has been treated with herbicides. Return those clippings back into the turf.

“We’re growing the horseradish in 18 inch pots. When do we harvest them? This is the second year and they’re flowering.” Harvest container horseradish in the fall of the second year. Slide the plant out of the pot, and you should have a solid mass of smaller nice white horseradish roots. Funny how the flowers actually smell like horseradish! (Ps – Smaller / newer leaves can be picked and used in salads.)

“We want to do more container gardening, but the watering has us thinking twice. Any suggestions?” -If you have many containers in the same area, consider installing a micro irrigation system (drip) that would water all the pots for you by simply turning on the water. Not that expensive and well worth the investment. But there are a couple others you may try. First, make sure you use a top grade potting mix. The main ingredient will be sphagnum peat – very airy yet holds moisture, which is very important in container gardening. After you have the top grade potting mix, there are 2 products that can be added to help maintain moisture even longer. Coconut coir – looks and feels like sphagnum peat, this by product of ground up coconut hulls is also extremely airy, and actually holds more moisture than sphagnum peat! And Soil Moist – these small polymers, when mixed with your potting mix, soften, swell, and absorb and hold water, until the soil dries out, then releases the water back into the soil to help water the plants. Somewhat like a water reservoir. The expanding and contraction also helps in soil aeration. When using Soil Moist, be sure to follow the directions, and incorporate it into the root level of the potting mix, not at the top or surface. Two more products for container gardeners – always have a good watering wand to water with, and I love the Dramm series of watering wands. And if you need to go out of town for a couple days, try using Aquacones. Attach a 2 liter bottle of water, punch out the drip hole, place in the soil, and these will slow drip water your container. Soak the soil really well just before you leave, add the Aqua cones, and you should be good to go for at least a couple days.

“My roses are developing holes in the leaves, but I can’t find anything eating on them? Is this a disease, or what am I missing?” -Not a disease, it is an insect, and a hard one to see and find. It’s called a rose slug, and is not a slug at all. It’s a sawfly, and looks like a small lime green caterpillar (looks like the veins on the bottom on the leaves). Rose slugs feed on the undersides on the leaves, so what you notice are small white dots, then small holes, then larger holes that look like windows. And if they get really bad, they eat almost all of the leaf. Control for the rose slug includes hand smashing when you find them, applying a systemic insecticide around the base of the rose, and repeated foliar sprays of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, spraying the undersides of the leaves.

“When you’re growing your tomatoes in containers, what size pot do you use, and what fertilizer do you recommend?” For tomatoes, the larger the pot the better! This is one time bigger is really better. I like 20-25 gallon pots, but anything 18 inches or larger will work. I add Osmocote for a slow release fertilizer and a source of calcium to the potting soil. And yes, add Soil Moist (now also using coconut coir) to help reduce watering, which the larger pot will help as well. For the fertilizer, I use Espoma’s Tomato Tone (has calcium added). And plant your tomato plants deep, for better rooting.

“Any tomato better to grow in pots than others?” -Not really. I think all of them can be grown in pots, but unless you have a means of supporting them, you may want to try the determinate rather than indeterminate tomatoes. ‘Husker Red’ and ‘Husker Red Cherry’ are two examples of determinate tomatoes. Stocky, usually only require a support stake, but can be caged for extra support, and only grow 4-5’ tall – more of a bush form. Indeterminate tomatoes can be grown in pots – they just need caging / supports for 5-9’ vines. Also look at the newer selections of cherry tomatoes grow just for hanging baskets and smaller pots like ‘Tumbling Toms’ (red and yellow). So many choices of tomatoes today you can go nuts trying to decide which ones to grow! But that’s a fun thing.

This week Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting that unfortunately, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has been detected in another Ohio county (Washington) and is now the second county to be quarantined for this pest (so keep an eye on your hemlock for this pest, which can be treated for in the landscape), horned oak gall is now sending out it’s horns (thus the name – and one of the few oak galls than can cause significant harm to the tree), maple leaf drop has started (caused by the maple petiole borer) which looks bad with so many leaves falling, but really not much of an issue, yucca (one of Joe and my least favorite plants) are being sucked to death by the yucca plant bug (go yucca plant bug, go yucca plant bug – sorry, my apologies to the yucca plant lovers), small carpenter bees spotted drilling into bramble stems, many predator beetles on the prowl right now including the six-spotted tiger beetle and the fiery searcher caterpillar hunter, as well as the green lacewings (they love to eat aphids, lace bugs, and mites), Emerald Ash Borers have begun to emerge, four-lined plant bug continues to suck on perennial gardens assorted plants, orange rust on blackberries (all varieties of black and purple raspberries as well as most blackberries are susceptible – discard infested plants), Sycamore trees hammered with anthracnose (ash showing now as well), ant swarms here and there (be sure to learn the difference between ants and termites), rose slugs hammering rose leaves (small holes in the leaves), more reports of nostoc balls growing in low areas (especially graveled areas) where soil is compacted and water sits, and Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnips both showing up in un-maintained areas as well as right in the landscape beds. NOTE: Keep watching the Ash trees! Every day more and more are showing the results of the Emerald Ash Borer, which is tops dying back, or total death. Folks, we’ve only just begun to see the devastation that will happen to our Ash trees.

-Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station. You’ll also find his blog at www.ronwilsononline.com.

www.emeraldashborer.info

An Edible Mary Garden – Yardboy, as you know, I devote a portion of my herb garden to Biblical herbs. I love the history and stories that accompany them. I have had several requests for growing a Bible garden in, guess what, a container! In fact, the last few presentations I had on Bible herbs & foods came with questions from the audience about appropriate sized herbs that have Biblical significance, but that would fit into a container garden. So, here goes, along with a bit of history about Biblical herbs.

Mary Gardens were started during medieval times and were usually gardens that were enclosed, often in monasteries. I have always felt that an herb garden needs a statue of Mary, even before I had ever heard about Mary Gardens. In antiquity, they were places of quiet beauty where one could pray and meditate. Flowers and herbs fit well in a Bible/Mary garden. In ancient days, people realized that out of all God’s creations none could rival the flowers in representing his Mother’s purity, her holy beauty and her glory. So, fragrant herbs and flowers remind us of her spiritual sweetness, the soothing and healing herbs remind us of her heavenly mercy and compassion and we even have the bitter and sour herbs, which remind us of her bitter sorrows. The Christians saw these plants as special signs of heaven so they gathered them for churches, and eventually started placing them on altars and strewn throughout the church. They were also woven into garlands and crowns worn by priests. Crowning Mary with a crown of flowers dates back to ancient times. When we were kids, May crowning was a big event. I remember the grotto that Mary was in. We had Mary Gardens without realizing it!

What kinds of plants would be appropriate in a container Mary Garden? I like smaller varieties of traditional Bible herbs; roses certainly. And I would plant the miniature roses which are hardy perennials. Roses are the emblem of Mary and she is called the First Rose of Martyrs. Roses are the herb of the year and their petals can be eaten. The rose hips (seed pods) are used in teas, and provide nutrients. Rose petals are mildly astringent, are good for the heart and are considered a refrigerant, which cools you down.
Rose hips – Contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and are also a good source of pectin, B-complex vitamins, etc. Wait until the hips are mature (red in color). Rose hips can be used fresh or dried. If drying hips, rinse, drain, and spread them out on a screen or clean sheet and dry in shade for two to three weeks or in a dry place away from sun in the house. Make a tea by steeping 1 – 2 tbsp hips in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Sweeten with Stevia, honey or sugar. I make rose petal jelly, rosehip tea.

Basil – Not mentioned specifically in the Bible, but Bible scholars believe it was used extensively throughout the Mediterranean. Legend has it that it was found growing outside of Jesus’ tomb after the resurrection. Minet, Bouquet or Globe basil is good for a container, as it stays nicely rounded in shape and about 12” high. Good companion for tomatoes, basil makes tomatoes taste better; also good for peppers and likes to grow next to oregano. Basil’s aroma repels flies and mosquitoes, so place some potted basil on your outside decks and by house entrances; and you will also be protected. Basil acts as a fungicide.

Cilantro – It’s a vibrant green and is a good background plant. Try DelFino, which has very narrow leaves and won’t bolt to seed as quickly as some varieties. The seed of this plant, Coriander, is mentioned as the manna of the Bible. Exodus 16:31 -”And the food became known as manna – meaning “What is it? It was white like coriander seed and flat and tasted like honey bread.” Helps spinach and repels or distracts white flies and aphids. Cilantro is rich in anti-oxidants and dietary fiber which help reduce LDL or “bad cholesterol” while increasing HDL or “good cholesterol” levels. It contains lots of vitamin C and vitamin A and also vitamin K which help your bones. Cilantro helps remove heavy metals from the body. Anise grows well with cilantro, and together they are a good deterrent for snails and slugs.

Dill (Matthew 23:23) – Woe to you Pharisees – you pay tithes of cumin, mint and dill, but ignore the important things like justice, mercy and faith. You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.” Try Dukat or Fernleaf – lots of leaf production before bolting to seed.

Helps cabbages, cucumbers (plant cucumbers first then plant dill a week or so later), lettuce, onions; repels squash bugs and cabbage-loopers. The flower heads of dill are one of the best nectar sources for beneficial insects in the garden. Do plant dill in an appropriate spot in ground for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars to feed on. Even their caterpillars are beautiful. It’s the orange yellow & black butterfly.

What about Forget-me-nots, those pretty little blue flowers? In a German legend, the Lord named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, “Forget-me-not, O Lord!” God replied, “That shall be your name.” Forget-me-nots are edible and represent the beautiful blue eyes of Mary.

Impatiens are great container flowers, especially for the shade. Impatiens represents a mother’s love, and their size is nice for containers. I like sprinkling the flowers on cakes.

Marigold has significance, too. (Tagetes, French or Calendula species.) Tomatoes love marigolds, and so do peppers, and cucumbers, even cabbage. Plant them everywhere! Certain varieties of marigolds, like the French marigold, produces a pesticide chemical from their roots, so strong it lasts years after they are gone. One of the reasons marigolds are good as companion plants is their scent – it’s strong! Pests don’t like that aroma at all. Marigolds are called “Mary’s gold”, and the one I would suggest is lemon gem, it’s a delicate plant with tiny golden flowers. Early Christians scattered the flowers around the statue of Mary, and the blossoms were offered to her in place of money/coins. Legend has it that Mary used the blossoms as coins, and during the flight into Egypt, legend has it that the family was threatened by thieves who took Mary’s purse to steal coins, but what came out was marigold petals. Marigold petals are pretty in rice dishes.

HYSSOP (OREGANO) – Mentioned several times in the Bible. Exodus 12:22; Numbers 19:6 – We know Moses told the Israelites to dip a branch of “hyssop” in lamb’s blood to mark their doorposts. Some scholars believe hyssop to be a type of oregano/marjoram.
Try Thumbles or Golden Oregano; a beautiful low growing oregano. You can also grow oregano’s cousin, marjoram, which is a smaller specimen. Oregano helps tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. It acts as an insect repellent for cucumber beetles; repels aphids – a Physician plant. Oregano has many healing qualities. It’s good for joints, colds, flu, even yeast infections (for that you would purchase Syrian oregano capsules). It has more antioxidants than many fruits.

How would rosemary fit in a container Mary Garden? Rosemary’s name comes from the legend that Mary tossed her blue cloak over the bush which had white flowers. They turned blue in her honor. Try trailing rosemary, and I would plant it toward the rim of the container so it can trail over. This herb is full of antioxidants. A Mary Garden wouldn’t be complete without mint. Mint was a tithing herb. Peppermint helps members of the cabbage family, including kales. Repels cabbage fly. Plant a container near the kitchen door to keep ants away, and attracts beneficial insects. Mint, with its white flowers, attracts pollinators like bees. Mints can quickly take over. Try a mint called chocolate mint – actually black stemmed peppermint – smells like a peppermint patty – it grows lower than traditional mints so is good for containers. Also pineapple mint is pretty with variegated cream and green colored leaves. Mint is a good digestive herb.

Pansies – Perfect for a container Mary Garden. This edible flower is often called “Our Lady’s Delight” and the flowers can be crystallized, added to vinegars for color and flavor, etc.

Thyme – Try one of the creeping thymes or “steppin” thymes, both low growing. Some people use it as bedding for Jesus’ manger.

What about chives? Chives – A member of the onion family. Numbers 11: 5-6 – When the people wept “Oh that we had some of the delicious fish we enjoyed in Egypt – cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” Helps carrots, tomatoes and members of the cabbage family grow well. You can make a spray out of chives steeped in water to kill powdery mildew. Also repels cabbage worms. Onion chives stand out in a container. Put them in the middle or toward the back. These are relatives to onions, mentioned in the Book of Numbers.
So you can grow both flowers and herbs in a container Mary Garden as long as they have the same soil and climate requirements, the flavors do not transfer to each other.

MARY’S VINEGAR – Using herbs from your Mary Garden, make healthful vinegar. No real recipe but here’s how I do it: choose up to 3 different herbs and fill a glass jar halfway up with them. Pour white wine vinegar over to cover generously. Tap down the herbs with a spoon to release oils. Herbs will infuse the vinegar and that process can be as little as a day or two in a sunny spot outside, or up to a couple weeks indoors. Strain and use in salads, marinades, etc.
-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP, CMH

www.abouteating.com www.cincinnati.com/blogs/cookingwithrita

Tropicals:
__ Mandevilla Vine in a pot (trellis) or hanging basket
__ Tropical Hibiscus (shrub or tree form)
__ Ensete, Banana Tree or Elephant Ears
__ Fragrant Jasmine
__ Mexican Petunia

Annuals:
__ Colorful Hanging Baskets
__ Custom Planted Containers (annuals and perennials)
__ Mixed Table Planter filled with Succulents
__ Lantana Tree

Trees and Shrubs:
__ Green or Red Leafed Japanese Maple
__ Endless Summer Hydrangea series
__ Rose (Knock Out series / Drift Rose series / Tree Rose)
__ Dwarf Lilac

Edibles:
__ Mixed Herb Planter to grow on the porch, deck or patio
__ TopHat Blueberry (dwarf) perfect for growing in a container
__ Everbearing Strawberries in pots for fresh berries all summer long
__ Tomato or Pepper in a pot for fresh veggies on the patio

__Garden gloves __Hummingbird Feeder __Earthbox __Wind Chimes

Still not sure? Then go for the Natorp’s Gift Card. That way Mom can shop either garden store and pick out her favorite bloomer! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Get Those Kids Gardening! The closest most kids get to gardening is being “rooted” to the floor or chair watching TV or playing video games. And when they get older and have a home of their own, are they going to know what to do with their garden, lawn or landscape? Probably not, unless we can get these kids involved with something green, like plants! You know, most kids love planting and love playing in the dirt. Its gardening’s built in advantage! So having them help you in the lawn or garden is a great way to spend time together and help teach them about science, nutrition, nature and more without feeling forced or “in school”.

When getting kids involved in gardening, remember the 3 golden rules of kid’s gardening: 1.) Make it easy. 2.) Make it fast. 3.) Make it fun. Here are some great suggestions on getting those kid’s gardening!

Container Gardening – This may be the best way to grow with the kids. Give the kids their own containers and let them grow their own plants. Veggies, fruits and berries, herbs, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, and on and on. Remember, if it grows in the ground, chances are the kids can grow it in a container. Check out our container gardening tip sheets for more suggestions. And don’t forget growing an indoor plant or two in their bedrooms.

Vegetable Gardening – Select a sunny spot, do most of the hard work (tilling, raking and initial weeding), and let the kids do the planting. Use can’t fail veggies from seed like beans, radishes, cucumbers, squash, lettuce and spinach, as well as zinnias and sunflowers! From plants, try peppers and tomatoes, marigolds and petunias, snapdragons and of course, herbs! Find plants with funny names like balloon flowers, strawflowers, money plant and catnip. And plant in circles, triangles or patterns. Maybe even plant their initials. And for older kids, help them keep a journal throughout the season.

Other ideas for kid’s gardening include -Take a round plastic kiddie pool, punch drain holes in the bottom and lower sides, and use this for a nice sized round container garden (for a pretty cheap price!). -Use 6 foot poles, tie like a teepee, and grow beans up the stakes, creating a bean house. -Start a worm bin / Start a compost pile. -Take cut flowers from the garden and create flower arrangements. -Collect flowers, berries, leaves and insects and talk about what you’ve collected. Press leaves and flowers for future use.
-Start plants indoors from seeds. -Indoors, try growing avocados from seed, pineapples from the pineapple tops, and even green onions from the rooted end of the onion. -Grow herbs indoors on the windowsill / Grow greens in small planters, window boxes, etc. for your daily salads. –Create a wildlife habitat in your backyard. -Be creative, remember the 3 golden rules of kids gardening, and have fun! GET THOSE KIDS INVOLVED IN GARDENING!

“What are the red bugs that have invaded my spearmint? They are not red spider mites, they are large than that. The leaves are being eaten I think, turning black and crinkly. How should I treat them? A strong water stream from the hose has not worked. Any info would be appreciated.” – Probably four-lined plant bug. Actually a sucking insect that pierces the foliage, injects saliva, then sucks out the juices. Those areas turn black which makes it resemble a leaf disease. These critters are fast movers and hard to spray.

“Okay, what was the annual you were talking about that overwintered in your daughter’s container outdoors? Something like ‘caplibrokea’?” – Sorry, I need to speak clearer!  It’s Calibrachoa, a tough, durable, all summer long blooming annual perfect for those sunny containers. Described as a ‘tiny petunias on steroids’, Calibrachoa have become the ultimate easy to grow flowering annual! Also called Million Bells, Superbells, and Mini Famous, these powerhouse annuals grow at an amazing speed filling up your containers, hanging baskets, and spilling onto the sidewalk if planted in your annual borders. And if fast growing, excellent in containers, and the fact that they’re available in a multitude of brilliant summer colors including double flowers isn’t enough, I mean look at all these great colors and how many flowers are already formed on these small plants, Calibrachoa are also sun loving, drought tolerant, and self deadheading. Put all those benefits together, and that makes Calibrachoa, or Million Bells, a true must have annual for any garden, especially those created in containers. And the fact that it overwintered in a container outdoors showed how mild the winter actually was, and how tough Calibrachoa can be!

“I grew a pineapple like you said, took two years, but it worked and we had the best pineapple ever (about 3 bites each for my wife and I). Now what? Does it grow again? I did replant the crown from the pineapple we ate.” -Good deal! Yes, they’re small but very sweet. They’re basically a one shoot deal in the fields. One major crop the first year, smaller crop the second from side shoots, and then the fields are replanted. So it’s probably finished and will just be a green plant. Great project for anyone, including the kids!

“I put down lime last fall on the lawn, and read where it shouldn’t be applied but every few years – only to read elsewhere you can’t apply enough in Southern Ohio. What’s your opinion?” -Never apply lime unless you have a soil test, and the results say “apply lime”. That’s my opinion and proven answer. A little lime may be used for a source of calcium around tomatoes and peppers (gypsum is even better and won’t change the pH), but otherwise, don’t do it unless the soil tests tell you to. Southern lawns / soils (warm season grasses) are different as their soils need lime, but generally not around here.

“I hear you talking about something to help cut down on the watering of my containers, but not sure what it is?” -It’s called “Soil Moist” and truly is a life saver for container gardeners. The small polymers (mixed into the potting soil) absorb water and swell up to 20 times or more their original size. When the soil dries out, they release water back into the soil which helps cut down on your watering. I like to mix it into the bottom 3/5 of the potting soil, and then add the rest of the potting soil without it. That keeps it lower into the soil and gets plants to root deeper. Please read the label before using. Note: You can add this to existing planters by taking a pencil, poking it down into the soil, and creating several cores. Then sprinkle in a few Soil Moist crystals, and fill back in.

“Is it too late to grow potatoes in containers? We also wanted to try the straw bales for our tomatoes, but think it may be too late.” -Nope on both! Get those straw bales in place and start soaking the bajeebers out of them, while getting that nitrogen inside to get them started cooking inside (see our tip sheet on bale gardening – www.natorp.com). It takes about 3 weeks if you stick with it. And still plenty of time to plant potatoes in containers, but get your seed potatoes soon as they will disappear from the shelves quickly!

“Is it really necessary to pinch the blooms off new strawberry plants for the first year?”
-Not if you’re growing ever-bearing (or day neutral) strawberries, which are perfect for growing in containers! They will produce the first year / all season long. But my good friend, Mr. Gary Gao (OSU Extension) does recommend removing flowers from June bearing plants for the first year. It gives them time to grow roots, crowns and develop themselves for next year’s strawberry crop.

“What’s the hanging basket that you give your mom every year for Mother’s Day?” -It’s Dragon Wing Begonia! Tough, durable, glossy leaves, blooms all summer – she loves it!
“What is it about catnip that makes cats go crazy?” -There is a substance called ‘nepetalactone’ which seems to have a hallucinogenic effect on cats. From what I’ve read, it’s similar to something in a female cats urine, and may explain why unneutered males may react more than neutered and females (although both of ours go nuts-oh!). Looks like lions, pumas and leopards like it too, but not every cat “gets off” on it. Kittens usually don’t react to it until they’re older, and there are a percentage of cats that never react to it. Giving your cat a buzz from this stuff is harmless, and non-addictive, so you’re not creating a drug addict cat.

This week Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting poison hemlock now becoming very apparent in southern Ohio and ripe for control (yes, all parts are poisonous), NWS reporting that based on average high temps, March was warmer than April (go figure), frost damages continuing to show especially in fruits and berries (blackberries looking bad) and some peach trees dropping all peaches due to fruit damages, yellow bellied sapsucker damages being reported, rose slug damages to rose leaves becoming heavier, boxwood leafminer adults flying, powdery mildew showing up earlier than usual, cedar quince rust on juniper stems, seed heads showing up in tall fescue and bluegrass lawns, and reports of oystershell scale showing up on Knock Out roses.

-Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station. You’ll also find his blog at www.ronwilsononline.com.

One note here about Ash trees. Keep looking around; Joe and I both feel you’re going to see more Ash trees dying or dead than ever up to this point. This spring will start to show the devastating affects the Emerald Ash Borer is and will be having on our Ash trees. If you have hesitated getting involved in an Ash tree protection program in your yard, you may want to get serious about it, today. Keep watching; we’re already seeing it happen.

www.emeraldashborer.info

Yardboy, I had so much fun with the grandkids for Earth Day. We made pizza gardens with oregano and rosemary. They also planted edible flowers in their pots just for fun. Snapdragons were a favorite. I also showed them how to make a “green” flower pot to plant with seeds or seedlings. These flower pots were a huge hit and a great way to get kids involved with gardening. And what did I give them to plant in the biodegradable pots? Natorp’s sunflower seeds! For photos, check out my blog.

NEWSPAPER FLOWER POTS – Use old newspaper and a cylinder shaped object, like a glass bottle, to create the pot. Cut several pages of newspaper, using a bottle or soda can as your guide. Wrap the paper around the bottle and use your fingers to tuck in the ends at the bottom to make a base. Slide paper pot off bottle and press down the inside of the pot. Fill with soil to steady the pot. Choose seeds, a couple per pot, and bury in soil. Add water. Make a label on a Popsicle stick. Put in a sunny window or outdoors. If putting outdoors, stabilize the paper pot by putting it in a larger paper cup. When the plant has a good root system, plant it pot and all into the ground or in a container filled with good potting soil. Water well.

Tips from Rita’s kitchen: Seeds like radishes and lettuce are wonderful for kids to grow since they sprout very fast.

-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP, CMH
www.abouteating.com www.cincinnati.com/blogs/cookingwithrita

This week Buggy Joe Boggs (OSU Extension) is reporting continued signs of fruit loss across the state due to freeze and frost, questions about eating frost damaged rhubarb (don’t if the stems are soft – remove and encourage new stems), also wants to remind you that when planting fruit trees, make sure those who need pollinators have the right ones close by, a reported isolated outbreak of grasshoppers along the bike trail – eating sounds so loud bikers stopped to see what was going on (sort of like dinner at the Boggs’ home, hawthorn leafminers and pod galls apparent now, calico scales puffing up and excreting honeydew, late spring hive losses (honeybees) due to early buildup or broods (warm late winter) with lack of honey and pollen stores (Remember us talking about putting out the hummingbird feeders early on to feed the bees? That’s why!), gypsy moth treatments beginning this week, euonymus scale already starting to crawl, pine needle scale crawlers beginning to crawl, beech anthracnose showing on some (yes, you can guess it) beech trees, weather ups and downs playing havoc with herbicide applications, and last but not least, keep your eyes open for frosts!

-Catch The Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The Talk Station. You’ll also find his blog at www.ronwilsononline.com.

Need help identifying Ohio’s Wildlife? www.wildohio.org

Learn more about Emerald Ash Borer: www.emeraldashborer.info

Mint will grow about anywhere, grows quickly and yes, grows quickly out of control! As Rita Heikenfeld will ask during her herbal talks, “who grows mint?” quickly followed by “who wishes they didn’t grow mint?” And most hands stayed raised for both questions. Attesting to mint’s ability to take over in-ground plantings. And that is where container gardening steps up to the plate!

Mint was born to be grown in a container. Lifted above the ground and surrounded by the walls of the container, mint actually behaves itself and grows into a wonderful, attractive, and terrific smelling container planting. Now you have the foliage of mint right at your fingertips, and ready for use in your cooking, potpourris, or whatever you chose to use it for.

Following out tip sheet on container gardening (www.natorp.com), it is suggested that you use a larger container for growing mint, to allow room for these aggressive growers to do their thing. 18, 20, 24 inch pots all work nicely, and can be left outdoors year round (move pots to a sheltered location). Water as needed, feed those mints a couple times during the season, and you’ll have mint coming out of your ears – okay, just joking. But at least growing it in containers, mint won’t wind up growing out of the air conditioning unit. Right, Rita?

P.S. If you would like to grow mint for your Mint Julep, it’s the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ Spearmint that you’re looking for. And please, grow mint responsibly.