"What you see depends on how you view the world.  To most people this is just dirt, to a farmer it's potential."                                                Doe Zantamata

Hang in there, fellow gardeners. Spring is truly on her way. It may seem hard to believe for those of us with snow still hanging around, but it's true. So what to do while we're waiting?

March is the time to start your indoor seeds of tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes are best started late in the month to avoid ending up with spindly plants in May.

Would you like to grow a very special tomato plant? I'm going to tell you how. This is called the Selke biodynamic cherry tomato plant. The seeds for the Selke are produced by a man named L.A. Rothraine in Bradford, Pa. About twenty years ago I was at a biodynamic workshop and L.A. was the keynote speaker. He told us about his very special cherry tomato plants and how they can grow to twelve or fifteen feet tall and produce a couple of thousand tomatoes (yes, I'm talking about one plant). L.A. Showed us pictures of these giant tomato plants and gave us each a couple of seeds to take home and plant. I was skeptical, not that I didn't believe that it was possible to grow such a tomato plant, just that I didn't think that I could do it. I thought it would take a gifted gardener to pull this off. 

 Nonetheless, I took my seeds home and planted them, first in the house and, when the time was right, in my garden. I picked the one that looked the strongest and healthiest and planted it exactly as L.A. had instructed. That was at the beginning of May. I looked at this tiny tomato plant and thought, no way are you going to be twelve feet tall. In early July I called L.A. And asked, “What do I do with this thing? It's huge.” He instructed me to support it with bamboo, which I did. But two weeks later my husband and I had to replace the bamboo with 2 x 4's. The plant did grow to be about 12 feet tall and produced over 2000 tomatoes.

Our tomato plant became an attraction in the neighborhood, especially for the kids next door who used to come over and feast on these sweet cherry tomatoes as if they were candy. And of course, they are – nature's candy. So, if you would like to grow one of these glorious tomato plants, write to L.A. Rothraine right away and he will send you seeds for the cost of shipping, along with instructions on how to grow one of these amazing tomato plants. The address is Highlands Star Seed, P.O. Box 990, Bradford, PA 16701.

Reflection: Everything depends on the earth, the soil, that substance that our mothers constantly urged us to wash off of ourselves. Yet, despite that upbringing, something in us longs to get our hands dirty, to get down on our knees and renew our contact with Mother Earth. What is that something? Is it the innate understanding that this substance is the true food of life, the source of all health and happiness, the stuff that allows human beings to keep on being? Maybe so.

 ...that we can help to heal our world through gardening

“I'd rather have a cupboard full of herbs than a closet full of shoes.” source unknown 

Growing Herbs in Containers

Container gardening is an ideal way to grow herbs. For one thing, it keeps those herbs that tend to go wild and take over the garden, well contained. You can start your herbs from seed or from young plants(seedlings) purchased at a nursery. If you're going to go with seedlings, I suggest you try to find ones that have been grown organically, which more and more nurseries are now offering. To grow from seed, plant the seeds indoors in seed-starter trays, 4-6 weeks before the start of your growing season, at which time you can transplant them to their permanent containers.

Some advantages of growing herbs in containers are:

You can move the pots around so, as the position of the sun changes through the season, you can change the location of the pots to take the best advantage of the sunlight.
You can position the pots where they will be the most convenient to your kitchen.
You can put your container plants close to an easily accessible water source.
You will not have to contend with weeds - that is as long as you fill the containers with the right kind of soil.

Soil: An organic potting soil is the best for container gardening. Garden soil should not be used, not only because it will probably sprout weeds, but it will become too dense after a while. It's a good idea to feed the soil every 10-14 days with organic fertilizer such as Organic Grow or compost tea. *

Containers: The size and shape of the container should be determined by the root system of the plant and how much it will spread. Parsley, for example, has a long taproot, so it needs a fairly deep pot. Most herbs will thrive in 8-10 inch pots but some, like lemon grass and mint, need a lot of room to spread – 12-18 inches in diameter. Avoid pots that are too large or too heavy to move around. Plastic and resin pots are light weight and can be moved from indoors to outdoors with the season. Ceramic pots, though heavier, come in many different designs and colors and can add to your outdoor decorating scheme. All containers should have drainage holes in the bottom to prevent water-logging the plants. Most planting pots will come with drainage holes, although some ceramic pots do not. Holes can be drilled in them with ceramic drill bits. A tray or saucer under the pot to catch spillage, will prevent stains on the deck or outdoor carpeting. The containers should be placed where the plants will get at least six, and preferably eight, hours of sunlight.

Watering: Container plants should be watered every day that they aren't rained on. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. The water should not be too warm or too cold. Some gardeners fill their watering cans when they are done watering for the day and let them sit out until the following day. This will give the water a nice temperature for the plants and allow any chlorine or fluoride in the water to dissipate. On really hot days container plants might need an extra drink by mid to late afternoon. This can be determined by putting your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If the soil feels dry, it should be watered again. Water early in the day or in the early evening. Watering in the hottest part of the day can cause the leaves to burn; while watering too late, so that the foliage stays wet during the night, can lead to fungus diseases. Directing the water to the soil, rather than spraying the plants from above, is also advisable. These guidelines can be applied to garden plants as well as container plants.

Herbs will be either annual - must be re-planted every year, or perennial - lives for two or more years. The annuals include basil, dill, cilantro, parsley (will grow for two years, but not as good the second year) and summer savory. Chives, ginger, lemon grass, oregano, thyme and fennel are perennials. Your seed packet or seedling packaging will tell you whether the herb is an annual or a perennial.

Planting: To plant purchased seedlings, gently remove them from the container and if they come with a peat pot around them, remove the peat. The planting directions may say that you can plant them right in the peat pot, but it will wick up the water, depriving the plant. Break up the root ball at the bottom and tuck the plant in the space you have made in the soil, making sure there are no air pockets around the plant. Add a little more soil after planting but keep about a 1-1/2 to 2 inch space at the top of the pot, to avoid spillage over the edge when you water.

Some perennial herbs can be grown together in the same pot. Contrasting colors and textures can make a pleasing arrangement. Chives, parsley and oregano, for example, make a nice combination. Make sure the container is large enough to allow for growth. The height of the plants should also be taken into consideration, so tall plants are not casting a shadow over lower ones.

Growing herbs in containers is an adventure that can offer some surprises. You may find that some of the herbs, lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme and winter savory, for example, will give you a year-round harvest, even in cooler climates. Here's a photo of my daughter-in-law, Melinda's, rosemary plant that has been growing on my patio through the winter, despite our record cold temperatures and 50 inches of snow by mid-February. Melinda informed me that some people consider it good luck to have rosemary growing by your door.

As with any type of gardening, expect there to be trial and error. Don't stress over it. Gardening is a life-long learning experience. Try growing some herbs that you frequently use in your cooking. Keep it fun!

Reflection: I'm reading a fascinating book entitled, Thus Spoke the Plant, about recent scientific discoveries, traditional wisdom, and anecdotal stories about the sentient qualities of plants.

Here's what the author, an environmental scientist, has to say about the relationship between plants and humans.
“Indeed, plants seem to know us well, and what we need. In some herbalist circles, it is said that plants are willing to help us and are keen to share their knowledge with us. As plants continue to co-evolve with humans (and other animal species), it is also suggested that new properties and functions for plants will emerge as new needs develop.” Monica Gagliano, PhD

The older I get the more I tend to think that there's a whole lot more going on in the world around me than I've ever been aware of.