Fields of lavender commonly brings to mind the rolling hills of Provence, but did you know Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States are also notable for their lavender producion? Not only does the versatile plant have an unforgettable aroma, it’s also easy on the eyes with vibrant hues that can add a dash of color to any landscape. Virginia McNaughton’s Lavender: The Grower’s Guide gives pointers on how grow and care for the plants—so why not get started on your very own south-of-France style backyard?

Growing tips: The two basic requirements for successful lavender growing are full sun and good drainage. Lavender is a hardy plant and will tolerate neglect, but for optimum results it will flourish best if these two requirements are met.

Soil requirements: The best soil for growing lavender is a gritty or sandy loam with a pH factor between 6.0 and 8.0, but a considerable range of light and well-drained soils are generally suitable. In wetter or more clay-based soils lavender can be grown successfully on mounds, but lime will need to be added to increase the pH level and friability.

Climate: Depending on what variety of lavender you grow, the plants are generally tolerant of cold temperatures, winds, rain or snow, providing they have good drainage. More sensitive plants can be grown in pots and moved to a sheltered position when autumn arrives.

Watering: Good irrigation or adequate rainfall is important to establish new plantings, while older plants are able to withstand dry conditions. Overwatering or high rainfall can stress plants, and leave them susceptible to root rot and other fungal and bacterial diseases.

Pruning: Keeping plants in shape is one of the best ways of maintaining a young, healthy and vigorous plant. Pruning should begin when the plant is still in the pot and continue at least once a year for the whole life of the lavender bush. Cut back at least one third of the plant. Pruning in spring will promote a late spring/early summer flowering. Plants pruned in spring will need to be cut back again in the autumn.

Humidity: Many lavenders will tolerate humidity and maintain a reasonably compact shape, but some are more prone to pests and diseases in such conditions, particularly those with prolonged damp periods. Spacing plants well apart to allow for adequate air movement around and between plants can overcome this problem.

Fertilizer: For the home garden, application of a well-balanced compost and some lime will benefit the plants. If this is not possible, lavender will grow happily without any externally added fertilizer for a while, but older plants may show signs of nutritional stress if the soil is poor.

Harvesting and Drying: Optimum timing for the cutting of lavender is determined by the end use for the spikes. Cutting is best undertaken in the morning once the dew has evaporated and before the heat of the day. If harvesting for dried flowers where the spike is to remain intact, cut when the first two flowers on the spike have opened. If picked at the first flower break, the flowers, once dried, will stay on the spike. The optimum time to cut for oil depends on the cultivar, but generally when half the flowers on the spike have withered. For drying, lavender stems are bunched together with a rubber band or tie that allows for shrinkage of stems as they dry. Lavender needs to be dried in a dark, dust-free place with good ventilation.

As much as you might be an admirer of the great outdoors, odds are that you are not a fan of bugs munching on your plants or skittering across your kitchen floor. Take matters into your own hands and get rid of those pests naturally without having to spray gallons of chemicals around your home and garden.  As Rhonda Massingham Hart’s The Dirt Cheap Green Thumb points out, commercial pesticides, whether conventional or organic, can be expensive, and they are not always necessary.  So try some of these bug controllers to get rid of the creepy-crawlies…

Alcohol Spray:
A spritz of alcohol wipes out mealybugs and scale. You can mix a cup of alcohol to a quart of water and spray, but a cheaper alternative is to paint straight alcohol directly on the icky critters using a cotton swab or small toothbrush.

Garlic Spray:
Garlic repels aphids, mealybugs, mites, cabbage loopers, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and squash bugs. It inhibits fungi and even helps deter deer and mice. Add garlic to any other spray for a boost, or combine 3 or 4 ounces of minced garlic with 1 or 2 ounces of mineral oil, and let soak for at least 24 hours, add an ounce of soap then, strain and dilute 2 tablespoons of mix in a pint of water to spray. (Don’t spray over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.) Make oil-free spray by pouring just enough boiling water over a few chopped cloves to cover and steeping overnight. Strain and spray when cooled. Store in a cool, dark place and use within a week.

Boric Acid Powder:
Borax (boric acid) is a cheap solution to infestations of cockroaches, ants, fleas, and some types of beetles. Sprinkle the powder where pests are a problem. It takes a few days to work, but bugs eventually die from desiccation. Caution: Though borax is generally safe to use as a pesticide, some animal studies suggest side effects, so just in case, minimize contact.

Soap Spray:
Soap is one of the best combatants against aphids and other soft-bodied pests. Mix about 3 tablespoons of a mild laundry soap, such as Ivory Snow or an organic formula (not laundry detergent — soaps and detergents are different substances), or a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid (again, look for organic formulas; they break down quickly without harming the environment) with a gallon of water and spray on both sides of leaves. The spray only works by actually contacting the bugs; there is no residual pesticide effect. Some plants can suffer from phytotoxicity, or burning of foliage, from soaps, so it’s a good idea to test a small area first. Repeat applications can intensify plant sensitivity.

Indoors and outdoors. Garden projects and cooking projects. Rainy days and sunny days. This book is filled with unique and exciting activities to do with young ones. Click here for more about Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars, or visit yesterday’s blog post for a rainy day activity from the book.

Winter is here and those days of rain—sleet—snow—or the dreaded “wintry mix” are upon us. Keep the kids (and yourself) from going stir-crazy with an arts-and-crafts project that’s easy to follow and will provide endless amusement, even once the weather has cleared…

Sharon Lovejoy’s Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars offers 130 child-friendly activities including how to make rainsticks, a primitive musical instrument, which are traditionally made from cactus-branches and filled with small objects to reproduce the sound of rain, hail or rushing water when shaken. But no worries, you don’t have to procure dried cacti to keep your young ones entertained. Instead, kids can get crafty and make their own version of a rainstick with items found around the house.

To make the rainsticks you’ll need:

• Empty cardboard tubes from toilet-paper length to wrapping-paper length (mailing tubes with end coverings are great.)
• Colorful papers, stickers
• Crayons, markers, or paint
• Glue
• Paper muffin cups
• Rubber bands (thick)
• Packing tape
• Aluminum foil
• Small pebbles, beans, lentils, rice, seeds, coarse sand
• Beads, feathers, ribbons, buttons or shells

To assemble:

Decorate the outside of the cardboard tubes with bits of paper, paint, crayons, stickers, or markers. Let the tube dry. Then place a muffin cup over one end, secure it with a rubber band, and wrap it with tape to hold it in place.

Tear off a piece of aluminum foil twice as long as the tube. Roll the aluminum foil into a thin snake and kink and twist it until it is like a long, loosely coiled spring. Push the spring of the foil inside the tube (it should reach from end to end) to act as an inside sound diffuser.

Fill the tube with a few tablespoons of beans, lentils, pebbles or rice. Each ingredient has its own sound. Cap the open end with another paper muffin cup, secure with a rubber band, then wrap it with tape. Once the rainstick is filled and capped, additional decorations can be added, such as long strips of ribbon or twine, feathers, shells, beads, buttons and bells. Colorful papers can also be painted or pasted to either of the ends.

Check back tomorrow for more from Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars

Compost, also known to gardeners as “black gold,” is the stuff that makes soil healthier and helps keep plants stress-free by avoiding insects, disease and nutritional disorders. And best of all you can make your own compost with a few easy-to-find ingredients and a little bit of time.  With the recent interest in rooftop and urban gardening, city-dwellers can get in on the action as well by using composting bins. David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth’s What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) provides an outline of what you need to get started — So give your stressed-out plants a break and start making some compost, here’s how:

1. Pile up kitchen and garden waste and let it decompose. Be sure that all material you add to compost is pathogen and pest-free. It should also be free of weed seeds, and chemicals of any kind.

2. The pile should be made up of two-thirds “brown” material and one-third “green” material. Brown materials include brown, autumn leaves; straw; shredded paper and cardboard; branches that have been run through a chipper; sawdust from untreated wood; dry pine needles; and similar stuff. Green materials include kitchen waste with no animal products; green leaves; grass clippings; and other stuff. These proportions can be measured by the handful, bucket, or shovelful. It is the proportion that counts. As you build the pile, add 1 part good soil to 3 parts brown/green material mix.

3. Toss the brown, green and soil material together randomly. Old-style compost recipes made much of placing these ingredients in distinct layers. Modern research has shown that random scattering works better.

4. After you have a pile equal to about one wheelbarrow full of material, add one 40-pound bag of chicken manure.

5. Turn the pile over with a shovel or pitchfork about once a week to speed up decomposition.

The bacteria, fungi, and chicken manure breaks down and digests the vegetable matter, turning it into a marvelous, dark, friable material that will bless your garden with its generosity. The process takes time of course. Also be aware that the pile generates heat.

If your climate is cold and wet, cover the pile with a tarp, and recognize that you may not have rich soil for up to a year. In a warm and moist climate, you could have finished soil in a matter of weeks. In a very dry climate, water the pile to keep it moist.

If having a somewhat unsightly pile of compost in your backyard isn’t your style, then composting bins may be a better option. Readily available at most garden centers, you can implement the “three-bin” method to create a constant production of compost. Using the same proportions outlined above, pile material into bin A. When the volume of material reduces by half, shovel it into bin B, and refill bin A with fresh material. When the volume in bin B reduces by half, shovel the material into bin C. Shortly after landing in bin C the compost should be ready to go into the garden.  With this system you’ll have a constant production of compost.

Watch yourself…If you’ve ever accidentally touched your eye after chopping habaneros, you know the pain. Capsaicin, the alkaloid that makes chiles hot, is the same one that’ll make you feel like you’re going blind.  So just avoid the danger in the first place, by wearing gloves when handling chiles – and don’t rub your eyes! When you’re working, or cooking with them, try to keep your face as far away as possible. If you do get a little too close, here are a few ways to alleviate the burning:

• If you burn your hands, coat them in vegetable oil and rub for about 30 seconds and then wash with a strong detergent and water.  Or you can rub the burning area with isopropyl alcohol and follow with a salve, such as Preparation H.

• When you burn your mouth or tongue, eat a thick dairy product like cream, sour cream, yogurt, or ice cream and swirl it around in your mouth before swallowing.

• If you get capsaicin in your eyes flush with eyedrops, keep blinking, flush some more, and wait. It may feel excruciating, but it’ll pass.

For more from The Complete Chile Pepper Book, check previous posts with the Pickled Peppers recipe and How to Pickle

If you’re feeling confident with your pickling skills, try them out on this recipe from The Complete Chile Pepper Book:

Pickled Peppers

2 pounds jalapeño, serrano, yellow wax, cherry, habanero, or pepperoncini chiles, whole.
4 sterilized pint jars

Brine:
3 cups water
1 cup pickling salt

Pickling solution:
3 cups water
3 cups 5 to 6 percent distilled white vinegar
3 teaspoons pickling salt

This recipe works well with a variety of chiles. So if you’re a lover of pickled peppers, mark this recipe, as you’ll be using it a lot. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation and does not have to be processed in a water bath.

1. Combine the salt and water and cover the chiles with the mixture.

2. Place a plate on the chiles to keep them submerged in the brine.

3. Soak the chiles overnight to crisp them. Drain, rinse well, and dry.

4. Poke a couple of small holes in the top of each chile and pack them tightly in the sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headroom.

5. Combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a pan. Bring the solution to a boil and pour over the chiles, leaving no headroom. Remove trapped air bubbles.

6. Store for 4 to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place before serving.

For more picking tips, check out yesterday’s post, How to pickle, make pickled peppers, and not get burnt in the process

Pickling is one of the better ways to handle an especially fruitful pepper plant or an overly-enthusiastic trip to the farmer’s market. And as The Complete Chile Pepper Book by Dave DeWitt and Paul W. Bosland points out, while pickling does require spending some time at the stove, it’s not difficult, and the trade-off of having “almost fresh” chiles at your fingertips year-round makes it all worthwhile.

Here are a few basic rules to follow when pickling:

• Sterilize the jars and lids in a boiling water bath for 10 to 15 minutes. Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot with a folded dish towel in the bottom. Place jars into the water mouth down, along with the lids, which can just be set between the jars. Turn down the heat to keep the pot slowly boiling or simmering.

• Use pickling salt rather than table salt, which contains undesirable (for pickling) additives.

• While cider vinegar is more flavorful, 5 to 6 percent distilled white vinegar should be used to avoid discoloring the chiles.

• Do not boil the vinegar for a long period of time, as that will reduce the acidity.

• Poke or cut a hole in each chile to keep it from floating and also to allow the pickling solution to work into the entire chile.

• After filling each jar, remove any trapped air with a spatula or knife blade inserted between the chiles and the wall of the jar, or by gently tapping the jar.
• After processing in a boiling water bath, remove jars to a draft-free location and allow to cool for 12 hours before handling.

Check back tomorrow for a recipe from The Complete Chile Pepper Book.

For those with a green thumb and a love of unexpected outdoor decor, try making a “living wall.” A wall-mounted garden is also a great solution for plant-lovers with limited outdoor space.

Learn how to make a wall mounted garden:

Since it is summer, maybe you’ll be spending more time outdoors, one-upping your neighbors with your well-tended vegetable or flower garden. If so, it could be in your best interest to check out The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms by Nancy J. Turner and Patrick von Aderkas. You’d be surprised to learn how many poisonous plants can be found in homes or gardens, and if there are small children or pets nearby, they can be at risk as well. With color photos for identification, a description of the plant, toxicity level, native growing area, and health consequences, it’s a valuable guide to keep around the house.