Any spring bulb can be tricked into early bloom - some are just easier than others.
This year, I decided to force as many spring blooming bulbs as I could. Forcing is essentially the process of simulating the conditions of winter and spring in order to fool the bulbs, speed up their development, and have them bloom before their time. While we're going through a week of snow and freezing rain here at the farm, my head gardener is inside forcing muscari, scilla, blue squill, and crocus - all from Colorblends Flowerbulbs - a third generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Enjoy these photos.
There’s always excitement when the first bulbs of spring emerge. Here at my farm, I plant thousands of spring-blooming bulbs every year. These are some of last year’s crocus.
There are many types of crocus. Crocus is among the first flowers to appear in spring, usually in shades of purple, yellow, and white. There are about 90 different species of crocus that originate from Southern Europe, Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa.
Croci can be found in alpine meadows, rocky mountainsides, scrublands, and woodlands.
Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers that look like bunches of grapes in spring.
Muscari bloom in mid-spring. Deer and rodents rarely bother them, and the bulbs multiply readily, returning to bloom again year after year.
But blooms can be enjoyed sooner through a process of forcing. Bulbs can be tricked into developing sooner given the right conditions.
Clay pots with good drainage are the best for forcing spring blooming bulbs. Make sure there is at least two inches between the bulbs and the bottom of the pot for proper root development.
I always place a shard over the hole of the pot to help with drainage and to prevent soil from falling through.
Ryan also adds a light layer of gravel to the bottom of the pots for better drainage.
Then, Ryan fills all the pots with a good, well-draining potting mix.
I like to use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix with moisture control.
Fill the pot three-quarters of the way. Depending on the size of the bulbs, one can fill a bit less.
The bulbs should be placed deep enough so they can be fully covered. Ryan gently pushes each bulb down into the soil, so it is well-anchored. And remember, pointed end faced up and root end facing down.
Use enough bulbs to fill the container. They can be crowded together or spaced out.
For these muscari bulbs, Ryan uses a long rectangular shaped planter. When planting bulbs, be sure any bulbs used are heavy and free from mold, mildew, discoloration, or a peeling outer shell.
And for these, Ryan put 150 muscari bulbs in a giant round planter. The display will be colorful and dense.
Here is my greenhouse cat, Blackie, watching from nearby.
Ryan fills the pots with more potting soil mix to cover the bulbs.
Ryan also adds Osmocote fertilizer, which can be sprinkled on top or mixed into the soil. The slow-release prills filled with nutrients feed the plants for up to six months. Remember, if you eat, so should your plants.
All the planted pots are brought out to the greenhouse for a good drink.
And then placed on a windowsill or on shelves in my hoop house where they will get light, humidity, and water to help them grow. I’ll have pots of gorgeous blooms in several weeks.
Here at my farm I regularly feed my plants a refreshing drink of tea - compost tea.
Feeding plants compost tea is a wonderful way to provide wholesome and organic nourishment. Every couple of weeks, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, mixes up a batch and feeds the potted plants in the hoop houses. Compost tea is made by steeping aged compost in water. It improves soil structure, reduces water stress, and is an ideal alternative to toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. I use a brewing systems from Growing Solutions, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon - just combine a few ingredients to create the appropriate "brew" and leave it overnight before using.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is called the System25 by Growing Solutions. It’s a 25-gallon compost tea model that’s great for nurseries and farms. A smaller 10-gallon system is also available for home gardens. The unit needs a sheltered location with a level surface and access to power and water. I keep this in the back of my citrus hoop house.
The compost filter basket is durable and designed for long term compost extraction use.
The filter is connected to a tray that sits on top of the tank. Ryan fills the brewing tank with potable water up to the fill line.
A hose connected to an air stone sits over filter basket. It provides a consistent pattern of air bubbles that prevents compost compaction and incorporates necessary oxygen during the brewing process.
Once the unit is filled, it can be turned on. The bubble action also helps to release damaging chlorine from the water.
The first step is to add compost tea catalyst, which stimulates important microbial growth in the tea.
Ryan adds about a cup to the activating water.
These brewing systems need several generous quart scoops of compost for each batch of tea. I am fortunate to make so much of my own compost right here at the farm.
Ryan fills the filter basket with nutrient rich compost.
Here is a look at the compost inside the filter.
Next, Ryan adds booster supplements to the tea mixture – 2-4-1 fish fertilizer and 2-3-1 fish and seaweed plant food.
Ryan pours about two cups each into the brewing tank. Fish emulsion contains a rich amount of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
It also provides macro and micronutrients for robust plant growth.
He adds the same amount of the fish and seaweed liquid fertilizer which helps to improve soil health and increase its fertility.
Ryan puts the lid back on the system and lets it sit for 24-hours to complete the compost tea making cycle.
The next day the tea is ready to dispense into watering cans.
Ryan fills many cans of tea to manually feed all the plants in the citrus house.
Ryan pours enough to reach all around the roots. Compost tea helps alleviate diseases of the soil. I’ve been giving my plants compost tea for many years.
It also increases plant growth and provides them with so many nutrients. Every citrus plant will be treated. In addition to proper feeding, dwarf citrus trees require at least eight to 12 hours of full sunshine and good air circulation to thrive.
Compost tea can be applied to the soil and roots or sprayed on the leaves.
Here, Ryan rinses the filter to remove any residual compost.
Ryan schedules the compost tea feeding process when the plants are already due for watering.
It makes me so happy to be able to fortify my citrus plants with good, rich food. In return, they provide me with bounties of delicious fruits every season.
If you haven't yet ordered your garden seeds there's still time!
The process of ordering through seed catalogs and web sites can be daunting, but it also provides many advantages, such as being able to choose seeds based on how they are grown and how they are treated. One can also find seeds for more unusual and hard-to-find flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Every year, I plant trays of seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company - it's one of my favorite sources. Started in 1998 as a hobby, it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed establishment.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is my flower garden when so many of the flowers are in bloom. I start a number of them from seed in my greenhouse every year.
Some of the flowers I start include dianthus. Dianthus flowers belong to a family of plants that includes carnations and are characterized by their spicy fragrance. Dianthus plants may be found as a hardy annual, biennial, or perennial and most often used in borders or potted displays. There are numerous types of dianthus – most have pink, red, or white flowers with notched petals.
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a hardy perennial with fernlike leaves and colorful blooms. The large, flat-topped flower clusters are perfect for cutting and drying.
And this dainty perennial is the sweet pea or everlasting pea flower. The sweet pea is a herbaceous climbing vine with beautiful bright flowers that grow up to 10 feet long.
Baker Creek in Mansfield, Missouri, offers one of the largest selections of 19th century heirloom seeds from Europe and Asia, and now features more than 1,000 different seeds in its catalog.
I plant many Baker Creek seeds every year and love how they grow. Each of the colorful packets shows how the flowers look when in bloom or how the vegetables look when mature and ready to harvest.
Baker Creek also carries so many different and sometimes hard-to-find vegetable seed varieties. And, the seed packets have helpful information on how to grow a particular type.
I test what grows best in my garden and what I should plant the next season… or not.
Basil is a big crop here at my farm – I always grow lots of basil. I enjoy using it in my cooking and try as many different varieties as I can.
We begin ordering seeds in January and February. It is important to get seed orders in as promptly as possible so one is not disappointed when popular or rare selections sell out.
My garden is filled with poppies, another wonderful perennial. Poppies are those papery, tissue-like blossoms that look stunning both in the garden and in the vase.
Sweet pea seeds can be sown into small pots of compost in autumn and overwintered indoors, or planted directly into the ground come spring.
Here are some of the snapdragons I’ll plant this year. Snapdragons are available in most colors except blue and coordinate well with other garden bloomers. Snapdragons are known for wispy jaw-like upper and lower petals. A single stem averages 10 to 15 of these unique blooms, grouped closely together.
The head house counters are stacked high with seed starting trays ready for the next batch.
Ryan fills seed trays every day this time of year. These are Aster seeds. Aster seeds range from light to dark brown, and are long with pointed ends. They’re also fairly large and easy to see and handle.
As with all the seeds, Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
Every tray is well-marked. Ryan places a label at one end of each row indicating the variety of seeds that are planted.
And then after each tray is filled, it is covered with more Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, watered and left in a warm location to germinate. Even when it’s blistery cold outside, it’s busy inside getting ready for the next exciting growing season.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
