A garden journal can be a lined notebook or an inexpensive composition book for recording dates, plans and jotting notes about your garden.  It can be a printed journal divided into sections with labels and prompts.  Or, if you are creative, a journal can be embellished with pictures of your garden, colorful notes and detailed layouts.  If you are digital, a document or spreadsheet on your computer or a garden mobile app on your phone or tablet may serve you.

Whichever format you prefer, simple or detailed, a journal can be an important tool for many gardeners to track, manage, and plan their gardens effectively.

Journal topic ideas you may want to consider tracking:

Year-over-year records ⇒ Key dates from your monthly calendar ⇒ Garden improvement and plant expenses ⇒ Plant propagation ⇒ Plant successes and failures	Monthly Calendar ⇒ Rainfall and first/last frost dates ⇒ Tasks and activities to perform by month ⇒ Daily high and low temperatures and      bloom dates
Plant Inventory ⇒ Purchase dates and cost ⇒ Botanical names, varieties and requirements ⇒ Seed packet inventory & storage	Landscape sketch and mapping ⇒ Location of plants and trees ⇒ Location of water faucets and sprinklers
Pest Control ⇒ Garden pollinators and pests ⇒ Treatments	Water management and irrigation ⇒ Sprinkler locations and maintenance ⇒ Watering schedule
Lists ⇒ Plants to buy ⇒ Record purchases ⇒ Plants that were successful	Soil Amendments and Treatments ⇒ Soil Formulas ⇒ Fertilizer

It might serve you best to first try a simple method making notes as you perform activities to determine what you want to track.

Once you get into the habit of documenting then you can invest in a more organized or detailed method.

 

Happy journaling!

Does your back ache after a long day of gardening? Do your knees get sore from kneeling while you plant, weed or harvest your vegetables? Do rabbits routinely nibble your lettuce, beets, or kale? Do you have a limited amount of space for a garden? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, an elevated garden bed may be the answer to your garden woes.

Gardening in an elevated bed offers a means of planting a productive garden in a small space with less back-breaking work. It’s a cross between a container garden and a raised bed garden and offers the advantages of both gardening methods with the added benefit of being adjusted to a height that enables the gardener to maintain the bed without kneeling, stooping or bending. A traditional raised bed has no bottom and is relatively large, while a container garden has a base to contain the plants and growing media and is much smaller than a raised bed. An elevated garden bed is larger than a container garden while it completely encases the growing media unlike in a traditional raised bed. Since it is raised to a working height, it allows people with physical limitations or mobility issues to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, succulents and flowers more easily. An elevated garden bed is also ideal for gardeners living in apartments or condos, as long as the bed can be placed in an area that receives adequate sunlight.

Other advantages of elevated garden beds include:

• No weeds
• Easier pest management
• No concerns about poor soil conditions, such as alkaline, rocky soil or oversaturated clay soil
• No rabbits or other furry creatures nibbling on vegetables
• No soilborne fungal diseases

Once you’ve decided to add an elevated garden bed to your space, you should choose the plants you want to grow. The plants selected should have similar light, water, pH and nutrient requirements. Determining the plants you will grow will help you decide on the size and type of raised garden planter that will best suit the needs of the plants you have selected.

The next step is to decide whether to buy or build the planter. Ready-made elevated garden planters are offered for purchase online or at some retail stores. They can also be assembled by a handy DIYer using plans found online. Some key considerations when choosing an elevated garden planter include the following:

• The height of the planter should allow you to work in it comfortably.
• The planter should have adequate drainage.
• Materials used to construct the planter should be rot-resistant, rust-resistant, sturdy, and long-lasting.
• The legs or other structures used to raise the bed should be strong enough to support the weight of moist soil and mature plants.
• The planter should be deep enough to accommodate the plants you plan to grow.

Placement of the elevated bed is also important to ensure the success of the garden. Most vegetables and sun-loving annuals require six to eight hours of direct sunlight, so the bed should be placed in full sun when growing these plants. If shade-loving plants will be grown, the bed should be placed in a shady spot. It’s also a good idea to place your elevated garden bed near an outdoor faucet or rain barrel.

After the planter has been selected and placed, it should be lined with a material that allows for good drainage if the drainage holes are large. This will prevent the growing media from escaping through the drainage holes. The type of growing media used to fill the planter should be selected to meet the water, nutrient, pH and physical support needs of the plants selected.  Vegetables require well-draining, nutrient-rich soilless or soil mixtures, while succulents require sandy mixes for optimal plant health. Fertilizers should also be added to the growing media before planting. Once the growing media and fertilizer have been added to the elevated garden bed, it’s time to add the plants.

After setting up your raised bed and then maintaining the proper water and nutrient levels, you can enjoy a successful garden in your elevated bed with minimal pain and effort.

By Donna Summerlin, ECMG Intern

For more information on growing a variety of plants in containers, including elevated garden planters, check these sites:

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/files/2010/10/E-545_vegetable_gardening_containers.pdf

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/misc/container.html

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/roses/container.html

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/flowers/daylilies/daylilygardening.html

There are plants for all types of gardeners.  There are even orchids for lazy, inattentive house plant people.  Black Jewel Orchids aren’t demanding and require only regular house plant care.  They aren’t spectacular, but are pretty and they let me truthfully say, “Why, yes, I’ve grown orchids for years.”

The plant is Ludisia Discolor, a species of terrestrial orchids.  They grow in soil in tropical forests of southeast Asia.  This means they will grow well in regular potting mix.  The canopy of the forest protects them from sun, so they like indoors or a shaded patio in summer.  They like bright light but not full sun, so you can put them in the north or east-facing window.  Although they like humidity, I’ve found that they do well in the normal climate of kitchen or bedroom without adding humidity.  They can’t take cold weather, so if they are on the patio, bring them in for winter.

Black Jewels don’t like wet feet but have shallow roots, so water lightly about once a week.  I tend to forget this and my plants tolerate getting dry, but are more lush when I make the effort to water more often.  They are not heavy feeders, so one a month with regular house plant fertilizer will do.  I tend to forget this also and my plants do well anyway.  I haven’t had pest problems and I’ve planted in non-sterilized soil, so they seem to be disease resistant.

Much like purple heart, these orchids grow with segments trailing over the pot to get down to the forest floor.  When a segment breaks off, just stick it in soil to propagate.  Although they have shallow roots, they do need heavy pots or to be put into heavy cache pots.  The trailing over the edge habit can go on for several feet if on a taller shelf and can mean that more plant ends up out of the pot than in it.  Then the weight can pull the plant off the windowsill or shelf.

The beauty of Black Jewel Orchids in in the leaves.  These are dark green velvety leaves with pink to maroon and silver pinstripes.  The flowers are very small, white blossoms on stalks.  If Barbie can’t wait for the Banksia roses for her bridal bouquet, she can use these orchids and marry in late January to early February.  Though not as spectacular as other orchid blossoms, the Black Jewel flowers bloom at the right time when you long for blossoms to mark winter’s end.

These orchids are not commonly available although Calloway’s has had them.  They are for sale on the internet, but the best way to get one is free from a propagation addict.

by Marj McClung, Ellis County Master Gardener