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I realize very few of us have a perfect garden. We have sunny spots and shady spots. This article is to help you with herbs and vegetables that grow in the shade. Contents Importance of Sunlight for Vegetable Gardens Vegetables to grow in the shade Herbs to grow in the shade Vegetables you should Never …
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I'm beginning to question my purpose in life, because nothing gets you guys going like plant talk! There's not enough interior styling posts, project updates or outfit inspo that I can give ya'll that would amount to what happens when I start talking about plants, so it was a must that I cut out major space on the blog for it! And speaking of major space, let's get into one of the most fascinating house plants to care for...the split leaf monstera. Scientific name: Monstera Deliciosa, Philodendron Monstera Common names: Monstera, Split leaf Monstera, Swiss Cheese Plant Monsteras love medium to bright indirect light. Too much direct sunlight can scorch their leaves. Mine lives in a south facing window of our home and elevated up off the floor to for as much indirect exposure as possible. One of the most common indicators of the plant are the holes in its broad green leaves. Hence the nickname "Swiss cheese" plant. In their native habitats of tropical jungle floors, monsteras develop the holes in their leaves to allow more sun light and rain to pass through to the rest of plant and its roots! But, not all monstera leaves will have holes. This is a characteristic that the plant develops as it matures. Monsteras are very vine-like as they grow and tend to climb vertical surfaces around them. As the mature, lots of plant owners like to give them stake to encourage that upward growth. I haven't needed to do this yet, but things may change as it grows. And since it grows like a vine, there are always multiple opportunities for new growth. New shoots form and grow from the end of each newest leaf. Once the new leaf grows out, the vine develops a node. In lots, but not all instances, these nodes eventually grow into aerial roots, which is what the plant uses to attach to and climb vertical surfaces. Propagating a Monstera: Since my monstera is pretty mature and very healthy, I have several options when it comes to selecting cuttings to propagate. I can take multiple small cuttings of just 1-2 leaves with nodes, or I can cut one full cutting that has 4-5 leaves and nodes on one vine. In this particualr instance, I went with the second option. When preparing to take a cutting, you want to make sure you have a sharp knife or sheers and you want to make sure that it's clean to not contaminate the parent or the cuttings. Clean thoroughly with soap and water and maybe even rub with a little bit of rubbing alcohol before using. You'll want to cut directly below a node or aerial root. My cutting was a vine length of 6 leaves and 6 nodes/aerial roots. And just like propagating a pothos, you'll want to cut each leaf & node into individual segments on either side of the node/aerial root. You should be left with leaves with an attached node/aerial root like this. The youngest leaf had a node that had not yet fully developed (you can kind of see it bumping through), but its still viable for propagating. Once your cuttings are separated, you'll want to pull off any old sheathing from the stems of the leaves. These can rot when submerged in water for long periods of time and compromise the propagating process. Now, your cutting are all prepared for their temporary home. All you need is a vessel (I prefer clear) and water. Before submerging the cuttings in water, it's good to let the cuts "heal" or dry out a bit. This only takes a few minutes. You can trim back the aerial root, but I like to keep mine in tact. I just carefully roll it up to fit comfortably at the bottom of my vessel. I then arrange the rest of the stems in the vessel, spacing each of them out to give them rooting room, but also arranging them stems in a way that would look good once they're planted in soil. There's not a lot of freedom to try to arrange them at that point due to their new root system. Once they're arranged to your liking, just pour in water until the roots and ends are completely covered. Place in a place that's bright, but not directly in the sun, and change the water every 3-5 days. You should start to see roots developing after about 2-3 weeks! These cuttings have been in water for about 3 months now! Not only has it developed new roots, but there's tons of new leaves growing in too! Below is my very first attempt at propagating a monstera. I followed all of the steps above and after about 3 months, potted the cuttings in soil. I water it once a week and its been thriving ever since! Your questions, answered: Are monsteras good for beginners? Yes! They're great for beginners and are very easy to care for once they're in the right light and are getting the right amount of water. What kind of soil do you use? Do you need moss or pearls? I use regular miracle grow indoor potting mix and pot them in a well draining pot. No moss or pearls needed. Can you control the shape by cutting it down? Short answer, yes. That's part of the reason behind propagating. I wouldn't cut too much or too often because you run the risk of sending the plant into shock, and killing it. How do I know when to transfer it to a new pot? When you can see the roots through the soil or you can tell the growth has slowed quite a bit, it's probably time for a new and bigger pot. When do you fertilize it? I fertilize all of my plants during the growing season (April to September). Since I water them all weekly, I will fertilize every other week. I like liquid fertilizers (plant food) so that I can control how much each plant gets. Where can I get a monstera? Try your local Lowe's or Home Depot or grocery stores, like Kroger may carry them in the summer months. You can always check local nurseries and online nurseries, like The Sill, as well. Hope this answers all of your burning questions! If not, just drop them in the comments below! Happy propagating!
Gardening is hard work, so it's always a nice break when you can do a fun project for a change. Learning to make a scarecrow is a task that children will not try to avoid, especially if they are involved in the design and construction.
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For the first time on our new homestead, I've got too much kale and collard greens to eat fresh. This is amazing considering the deer love greens as much as my family! The abundance is a happy thing, though, because greens are easy to preserve for winter eating. You may certainly can greens, but I find them mushy and disagreeable when preserved this way. You may also dehydrate greens to use in smoothies or to powder and add to various dishes. You may also freeze dry greens for similar purposes. (Learn more about dehydrating vs. freeze drying here.) But my preferred method for preserving greens is freezing - because frozen greens are most like fresh, cooked greens. Typically, I defrost frozen greens, pop them into a skillet with a dab of bacon drippings or olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and maybe some onion or garlic powder, and saute until bright green. DEElish! You may also use frozen greens in any cooked dish, like casseroles or enchiladas. But first, you gotta prepare the greens, which may include: * collards * kale * spinach * mustard greens * turnip leaves * kohlrabi leaves * radish leaves * Brussels sprout leaves * broccoli leaves * cauliflower leaves * Swiss chard * and orach. But no, it's not quite as simple as popping the greens into a freezer bag and tossing them in the freezer. That, my friends, would result in goopy mush. (But it works well for green beans!) Preparing Greens for Freezing 1. Wash the leaves, and remove all thick stems. I usually tear the leaves off the stems, but you may cut them if you prefer. The stems are edible, by the way, but they require more cooking than the leaves, and I usually just compost them. 2. Roll the leaves into a cigar shape and slice into thin strips. The thicker the leaves, the thinner the slice you'll need. For example, collards are pretty thick and tough, so I cut the slices just under 1/4 inch wide or so. Spinach is pretty thin-leaved, so I make the slices about 1/2 inch wide. Chopping kale in preparation for freezing. Blanching Greens for Freezing 3. Fill a large pot with hot tap water and place it over high heat. 4. While waiting for the pot to come to a boil, thoroughly wash and sanitize the sink. Pour ice cubes into the cleaned sink and add cold tap water. 5. When the water in the pot comes to a full boil, carefully add the prepared greens. Blanch for an appropriate amount of time: Collards = 3 min. Other greens = 1 - 2 mins. The thicker (tougher) the leaves are, the more blanching time they require. 6. When the greens are done blanching, place a colander over the opposite side of the sink (the one without ice in it) and strain the greens. 7. Quickly transfer the strained greens to the ice water.* 8. When the greens are completely cool to the touch, use a slotted spoon or your hands to transfer them back to the colander. Allow to them to drain for a few minutes. Freezing Greens 9. Transfer the greens to freezer-safe containers. Use within 1 year. Greens blanched, bagged, and ready for the freezer. *NOTE: A more traditional method is to pour the blanched greens directly into the ice water, without putting them into a colander first. However, I find my method cools the greens faster, thereby stopping the cooking faster, which in turn leads to a more nutritious and fresher-tasting end product.
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Since okra pods need regular harvesting, you're probably scrambling to pick them so often that you've run out of ways to use them. Whether you're tired of traditional dishes like fried okra or just don't have enough time to make a labor-intensive dinner every time you harvest those prolific pods, I've put together some interesting ways to use them up. From edible blooms and sensational stir-frys to coffee substitutes and biofuel, you're in for a few surprises. Put Small Harvests to Use So what to do with all that okra? Luckily it tastes good with just about anything and can be added to your other recipes on the fly. Okra is also a popular component of cuisines around the world, and it has been used in the Caribbean, Middle-east, Africa and South Asia far longer than it became a 'Southern food'. Since it has a light and unobtrusive flavor, you can add it to just about any stir-fry recipe. Need a quicker dish? Okra tastes superb with summer squash medallions on medium-high heat so that they get crispy and caramelized! I'm sure you'll have lots of other good ideas, so share away! Thicken Stews - The notorious slime produced by okra pods is easily cut down with the help of dry heat or acidity (tomato sauce or lemon juice), but rather than find ways around the slime, why not embrace it? After all, it's no coincidence that 'gumbo' is yet another common name for this versatile vegetable, and it does indeed help thicken gumbos and other stews from around the world. Add it to curries, soups and sauces, either sliced or whole. Whole pods can be removed before serving if desired. Oh, and why not use it to thicken your homemade beauty products? Illustration by Steve Asbell Save Okra for Later Okra might be tasty, but if your daily harvests are getting in the way of variety in the kitchen, you can preserve okra by pickling, dehydrating or baking. Carolyn Binder has a great recipe for Spicy Pickled Okra on her blog, Cowlick Cottage Farm, but you can probably substitute okra for cucumbers in other pickle recipes too. If you'd rather just save your okra for lunch the next day, I found a promising recipe for Oven Roasted Okra Fries over at Lesley Eats. I also found that by leaving sauteed okra on a warm skillet for an hour (was waiting for the Mrs.) I was able to make sweet little crispy okra morsels that could be added to salads for a bit of crunch. Make Okra Coffee What do you do when the pods get too big and become too tough and stringy to eat? Make coffee! A surgeon in the Civil War deemed 'Okra the best substitute for coffee' in this fascinating transcript from 1863. I'm a bit of a coffee snob myself and turn my nose up at Mrs. Rainforest Gardener when she brings home Maxwell House instead of 'real coffee', so I probably won't be making okra coffee anytime soon. If you've tried it yourself, feel free to sing its praises! Cook Okra Greens and Flowers The leaves and blooms of the okra plant are edible too, but they are unique among greens because they have the same mucilaginous (slimy) properties as the pods themselves. There aren't many English-language recipes available, but this one from The Food Network is a start. A blog post from The Serendipitous Chef actually uses a different plant that is used similarly but has so many comments from around the world attesting to the usefulness of the leaves that it's really worth sharing here. Though they don't really have enough flavor to stand out, the chopped and slightly bitter leaves can be added in small amounts to thicken stews from regions as diverse as Egypt, Vietnam and Nigeria. The edible hibiscus-like flowers of okra can also be added as a garnish to dishes that need a little tropical style. When Okra is Too Tough Seasoned gardeners will tell you that okra pods need to be harvested every other day - this prevents the tender 'lady fingers' from turning into tough and calloused ogre fingers, and keeps the plants from shutting down production for the season. Gardeners are often told to harvest okra before it gets five inches long, but I've found that the pods can get longer than that and still remain tender. You'll be able to tell if okra is too tough when you're at the cutting board and considering whether or not you should break out the loppers or a hack saw to slice the woody pods. That's when okra is past its prime. At the end of summer okra pods can be left to mature until they turn brown and woody so that seeds may be collected and stored until next year. Other Uses for Okra Okra's large and palmate leaves make them attractive enough to be grown as an ornamental plant in their own right (especially the red variety) and the hibiscus-esque blooms lend a tropical flair to the summer garden. But did you know that the oil-rich seeds show a lot of potential for use as a biofuel? Now that's some soulfood. If all of these uses have somehow made okra seem unappetizing, there's no need to worry. Because it probably tastes infinitely better than okra coffee, here's a recipe for okra fries with garden herb aioli to make you forget all about its uses as a biofuel or shampoo. In what tasty ways do you put your okra to use? Other Fun Foodie Posts Why your Mango Tastes Awful 5 Exotic Fruits Ripe for Dessert Healthy Blueberry Muffins Growing your Own Ginger from the Grocery Store
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