Accessible Gardening. 15 Jan 2024.

This is  work in progress.  My thoughts change all the time.  This is the first of what might be a number of posts.

Time takes its toll, and stuff happens.  Gardening is still one of life's great joys, with innumerable benefits.  But you can't garden if you are too limited in function, and don't have an accessible garden, and don't have ways to accommodate those limitations .  There are lots of ways to make it much, much easier to garden, without sacrificing quantity, quality, flavor, beauty, or variety.  It just takes a different way of thinking.

First - what are the major limitations?

Physical - hard work, height - high or low, energy required, strength required.  There are lots of ways to put the plants at a height that works best for the gardener. There are lots of ways to make a garden less physically difficult, while helping plants grow better.

Financial - if something is not affordable, it's out of range.  If every plant is pre-grown and sold potted, it gets expensive.  Seeds can be expensive.  There are many ways to save costs, while having better suited plants, a healthier garden, and a lot of fun.

Saboteurs  - People, small pests, big pests. Deer, slugs, feral cats, moles, birds, insects.  There are lots.  There are ways of dealing with some, but sometimes choices have to be made.

Climate and weather   - watering plants can require a lot of effort, especially during the hottest, sunniest months when the most growth happens and the effects of missing a watering can ruin months of effort.  Overwintering plants requires a different kind of effort.

Time - You can only do what you can do.  Using time in a thoughtful manner can make a big difference.

Information - If you don't know how to do it, then it may not grow.  There is a lot of false information out there.   A lot of garden lore is lost now, as older generations die off.  Some old methods can be so empowering, save money, bring the most suitable plants into the garden, and bring a lot of joy.

What else? -  I'll add  more as I think of it.

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Physical Challenges.

Addressing physical challenges is the most obvious  way to make gardening more accessible.

The best position for garden tasks is within a foot or two or three, of the hands.   For gardening in the soil (vegetables, flowers) that can be accomplished using raised beds or containers.  Not just the six-inch high raised beds, but two or three feet high.  That's why I built some of mine using cement blocks - inexpensive, can be built a few blocks a day, can fill a bucket at a time.  As time passes, the bed reaches the desired size.  It doesn't have to be done in a week, or two weeks, or three.

(more to follow, and probably some edits.  This is very much a work in progress, and I don't know where it's headed).

Starting Eucalyptus Seeds. 15 Jan 2024.

 I wanted to try something different.  These Eucalyptus citriodora can be grown as an annual.  The trees in Australia are beautiful and truly massive, but the goal here is an annual, sort of similar to a mint or lemon balm, that will tolerate what has been a trend to hotter and drier summers.  If they grow, I'll try growing them in containers.  Of there are extras, I can see if they survive a border accesible to deer.  I bet the deer don't bother them.

I surface planted the seeds in a six pack on moistened peat and perlite seed starting medium. I dusted them with a bit more medium, then spritzed with water.

Again with avoiding unnecessary plastic, I covered with a glass baking dish lid.

I read they require warmth and light, so they are sharing an LED desk lamp with the Schlumbergera seedlings.

From the previous post, these are the seeds.

Stratifying Rudbeckia Seeds. 15 Jan 2024

 I like to start Rudbeckias early.  They usually need cold stratification.  

(The Eucalyptus will be in the next post.)

I label paper towels, using a sharpie.  Let it dry.  Then run water over the paper towel, squeeze it out so they are fairly damp but not dripping.  Sprinkle on the seeds.  This is a lot more than I'll know what to do with, if they all grow.

Fold it over twice, so seeds don't fall out.

Then place into labeled zipper sandwich bag.

I label the paper towel so I can place more than one variety into the bag, to reduce plastic use.

Schlumbergera Seedling Update. 15 Jan 2024.

 So far, so good.  I'm just keeping them under an LED desk lamp, very close.  Light is on about 12 hours daily.  At night they are covered with plastic.  I water them when dry, with a very dilute bloom food.

A few are growing their first true (tiny) cactus pads.

Rose and Blackberry Hardwood Cuttings. 20 Dec 2023.

 I stuck cuttings for some roses and blackberries into the soil in  two of the planters.

I cut pieces about the length of a pencil*, and slightly smaller diameter.  Trimmed off lower leaves (if any).  Stuck them 2/3 to 3/4 of their length, into the soil.  Covered the soil with degraded tree leaves from last year, to reduce weed germination.

I didn't use rooting hormone.  It usually isn't needed for this method of a lot of hardwood cuttings including most roses and blackberries.  It's OK if they don't grow.   I think most of them will grow just fine.

One rose is a climbing type.   The other is a No-ID antique type.  They are nice unlabeled varieties.

*For younger readers, a pencil was a device made of wood wrapped around a graphite core.  It was the size and shape of an i-pad stylus.  The user scratched it onto paper to write, which is sort of like typing but without a keypad.  Crazy!