MAY 26TH GARDENING WORKSHOP : CONTAINER GARDENING

Please join us Saturday May 26th at 11am for an information packed gardening seminar on container gardening led by Kathy James of Vineyard Gardens. A workshop on planting your own container follows the lecture.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

FOXGLOVES 20% OFF

FOXGLOVES

Just in time for Mother's Day!

Our Monrovia Georgia order arrived this morning! Vineyard Gardens is now filled with beautiful Tropicals, ferns, hydrangeas, grasses, roses, hollies and much much more! We also have gorgeous flowering baskets for Mother's Day!

Mandevillas

Hibiscus

Lantana

Mandevillas

Bougainvillea

Hydrangea

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Flowering Basket for Mother's Day

Flowering Basket for Mother's Day

New arrivals at Vineyard Gardens Nursery!

Our nursery is bursting with spring colors and flavors! Gorgeous plants have arrived from Monrovia and Proven Winners. Yesterday we unloaded a truck of Forsythia, Andromedas, Rhododendrons and Leyland Cypress. And Vineyard Gardens edibles are ready to be planted in your garden today! We will help get your gardens ready for summer!

ANNUALS

Verbena

Kalanchoe

Cinerarias

Bacopa

Euryops yellow daisy

NEW ARRIVALS from MONROVIA

Tropicals from Monrovia

Rosemary from Monrovia

Rosemary from Monrovia

NEW ARRIVALS from PROVEN WINNERS

STRAWBERRIES

Now is the time to plant your strawberries! On Saturday May 12th at 11:00am, Chuck Wiley of Vineyard Gardens will be giving a hands on workshop/demonstration about planting, growing and harvesting blueberries, raspberries, black berries and strawberries.

PEAS, LEEKS and GREENS

Peas

Leeks

ANDROMEDAS, RHODODENDRONS, LEYLAND CYPRESS AND FORSYTHIA

Unloading the truck

Andromeda

Rhododendrons and Leyland Cypress

Forsythia

MAY 5th GARDEN WORKSHOP : RAISED BED VEGETABLE GARDENING

Please join us for an information packed workshop Saturday May 5th at 11am. Sue Lavalee, of Coast of Maine, will review methods and importance of topdressing and incorporating compost into your garden beds every year, the no-till method of gardening, the importance of organic gardening practices and the Soil Food Web. She will focus on the subject of raised bed gardening and discuss the following topics:

  • Getting the pre-planning process on paper

  • Options for building materials, which materials are unhealthy to use

  • Choosing your location

  • Determining the size

  • Calculating the volume of soil and what type you'll need to fill the beds

  • Planting, the importance of timing and pre-warming the soil

  • Proper watering techniques

  • Fertilizing guidelines

  • Seasonal maintenance of the beds

  • And lots of other helpful gardening tips!

Sue Lavalee , Coast of Maine

Sue Lavalee joined Coast of Maine Organic Products family in 2013 and has worked in the horticultural industry since the mid-eighties. A passionate gardener, she puts a lot of effort into organic fruit, vegetable and herb gardening. Because a lot of the harvest is preserved, she can enjoy cooking with it year-round. An avid birder and naturalist, she is most at home when enjoying the outdoors, whether it's kayaking, beach combing or hiking through her Connecticut woodland.

Why garden in raised beds? There are so many benefits!

  • You don't need a large patch of fertile land and no sod removal needed

  • Better control of your soil composition, healthy and fertile

  • No root rot issues and less fungal diseases affecting the roots

  • Easier to weed (soil not compacted)

  • Raised gardens can be built to suit any height needed

  • Raised gardens make it easy to adapt the square foot gardening method because it eliminates single row gardening (waste of space)

  • Soil warms up more quickly, can plant earlier (no more waiting until "the soil is workable"

  • Easy to add cold frames, row covers, bird netting, trellises

  • Less work, no turning of the soil needed and reduces the amount of bending

  • You can have different types of soil for different beds

  • You can take advantage of vertical gardening. Climbing peas, beans and cucumbers

  • No more damage from burrowing animals like moles and voles

  • No compaction of soil because there's no foot traffic = healthier roots

  • No muddy shoes

  • Less competition for nutrients and water from tree roots

  • Raised beds are aesthetically pleasing

RAISED BEDS REQUIRES CAREFUL PLANNING. Follow these helpful instructions to get your raised bed gardening underway.

 

1. Start with making a LIST OF CROPS you'd like to grow and how much your household will need. Keep in mind:

  • Spacing requirements

  • Days to harvest (succession planting)

  • Seasonality

  • Are you preserving the harvest?

  • Flowers for pollinators and edible blossoms (Viola, Calendula, Nasturtium, Chives)

  • Perennial herbs?

  • Patio Varieties as space savers

  • Vertical crops

2. LOCATION

  • Sun requirements = at least 6-8 hours a day

  • How close to a faucet?

  • How close to a tool shed?

  • Correct layout - rows going from E to W

  • Need to fence off the perimeter?

  • Wire mesh?

  • 25 year landscape fabric?

  • Level ground. Mow closely and put down 6-10 sheets of newspaper before wire mesh

3. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

  • Kits available. Gronomics - USA Western Red Cedar w/ 5yr warranty. Retail for $119 for a 4x4 ground level frame to $299 for a 34"x48"x32" elevated garden box. A raised bed frame 34"x95" is $259 and has an optional trellis kit sold separately for $139

  • Aesthetically pleasing

  • Durablity

  • Cost

  • Use Organic (pressure-treated wood leaches copper and/or arsenic). Wood planks (cedar, cypress, locust & redwood = rot resistant but costly), sawmill slabs, garden ties (warp), tree logs (landscape fabric needed), natural stone (hold the warmth in at night), loose stacked stone pavers & bricks (frost heaves will elevate the pH), straw bales, railroad ties (leach creosote)

4. SIZE OF THE BED(S)

  • The best design is to have the raised bed small enough to ensure that your hands can reach everywhere without the need to stand on the soil or walk on it.

  • Size of pathways (just foot traffic or wheelbarrows / garden carts)

  • Height of beds

5. WATERING

  • Sprinkler system?

  • Drip irrigation with emitters?

  • Soaker hoses?

  • Timers?

6. SOIL

  • Loose fertile and living

  • The futility of putting a $5 plant in a 5cent hole. Soil food web.

  • Topdress beds 1 inch per year with compost. A 1 cu. ft. bag will cover about 10 sq.ft. at 1 inch deep

  • Pore space (porosity) allows water and air to reach the roots easily and fosters a healthy population of beneficial micro-organisms

  • Calculate the volume. A 4' x 4' x 12" bed= 48"x 48" x 12"= 27,648 cu. in. divided by 1,728" (a cubic foot is 12'x12'x12")= 16 cft = .5926 cubic yards

  • Don't fill the beds right to the top, leave a few inches for mulch

  • Cover soil immediately (even if you haven't planted yet) with 2-3 inches of mulch (hay, straw, leaves, pine needles, bark mulch, landscape fabric, newspaper, plastic). Uncovered soil results in erosion, compaction, drying out, weed seed germination

7. PLANTING

  • Last frost date usually coincides with the full moon in May

  • Plants started indoors need hardening off prior

  • Direct seeding (get your info on seed packets, books, internet). Warm weather crops (soil temp = 60-70 degrees) vs. cool weather crops (45-50 degrees)

  • Pre-warming the soil

  • Transplanting on cloudy, non-windy cool days are best

  • Mulch or row cover (garden fabric)

8. WATERING

  • 1 inch per week. Exceptions to this rule. Rain gauge

  • Water in the morning. Never at night (invites fungal diseases and powdery mildew)

  • Never let the soil dry out completely. If delicate root hairs die back, the plant must direct its energy to re-growing them, rather than to producing or sizing up fruit. Water stressed plants can also become bitter and tough

9. FERTILIZING

  • Soil test. pH level

  • N-P-K-C

  • Eggshells

  • Micronutrients (kelp)

  • Timing - a week after planting and a mid summer application (or halfway through the life cycle of the crop)

  • Organic vs synthetic / chemical fertilizers

MAY GARDEN WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Come and join us at Vineyard Gardens Nursery every Saturday in May at 11am for the very informative and enjoyable gardening workshops!

MAY 5th - RAISED VEGETABLE BED GARDENS
Raised vegetable bed gardening workshop with Sue Lavalee, of Coast of Maine.

MAY 12th - SMALL FRUITS
A hands on workshop/demonstration about planting, growing and harvesting blueberries, raspberries, black berries and strawberries with Chuck Wiley
of Vineyard Gardens.

MAY 19th - GROWING HERBS
Workshop on growing your own herbs led by Irene Fox, who runs
the Vineyard Gardens herb house.

MAY 26th - CONTAINER GARDENING
Find out the key to container gardening. A workshop on planting your own container follows lecture.  Led by Kathy James of Vineyard Gardens.

2018 MAY GARDEN WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

TRAVELING THROUGH TASTE

Traveling is an amazing way to ignite the senses! The smells, tastes and colors that line the streets get logged into your memory and last a lifetime. On Chris and Chuck Wiley's recent adventure through Thailand they immersed themselves in the local culture and cuisine of Chiang Mai, the largest city in Northern Thailand. The city has over 300 Buddhist Temples ("Wat" in Thai) and is in close proximity to the Ping River, as well as beautiful national parks. While in Chiang Mai, Chris and Chuck took a cooking class to immerse themselves in the Thai cuisine and learn about the produce and herbs grown in Thailand. They explored the local market to purchase fresh ingredients for the feast. They made curry pastes from scratch and proceeded to make multiple Thai dishes. An experience and flavor of a lifetime! (Recipes at the end of post).

Chiang Mai Market

Chiang Mai Market

Chiang Mai Market

Chiang Mai Market

Red curry paste

Spices

Masaman Curry

Masaman Curry

Red Curry

Chris Wiley

Chuck Wiley

A few weeks later I was lucky enough to explore the local produce markets in southern Thailand with them. Chris was excited to see and taste anything that was new and different. She brings that same enthusiasm for life with her to Vineyard Gardens Nursery. She loves exposing her customers to a variety of edibles that they may not know. Her excitement for edibles is contagious which encourages customers to push their boundaries and try to plant a new flavor. Experiencing something different in your garden can help you grow as an individual as you are helping your plants grow!

SOME EXAMPLES OF THE  COOL WEATHER CROPS AVAILABLE AT VINEYARD GARDENS AND READY TO BE PLANTED TODAY. (Warm weather crops will be available in May)

Now that spring is here it may be fun to experiment with new edibles in your garden or at your dinner table. The edibles from Vineyard Gardens can take you around the world in one dining experience from Asian salads to Portuguese kale soups to Thai curries. We will be selling many varieties of Asian greens, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, kale, mustards, collards, lettuce, swiss Chard, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, leeks, onions and celery. We are also seeding jiffy pots of two pea varieties, the shelling kind and snow peas. Cool weather veggies packs are now available through the end of May. It's important to start getting these cool weather loving veggies in the ground and also a great time to plant strawberries, asparagus and other small fruit like blueberries and raspberries. Talk to Vineyard Gardens for specific planting guidelines.

Below are links to a couple recipes to get you started on your cooking journey. 

THAI RED CURRY WITH KALE

KALE SOUP WITH POTATOES AND SAUSAGE

RECIPES FROM THE CHIANG MAI COOKING CLASS

EASTER SUNDAY EASTER EGG HUNT, APRIL 1st

VINEYARD GARDENS ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT

SUNDAY APRIL 1st

Vineyard Gardens Nursery  

484 State Road West Tisbury 02575

(directly across from the West Tisbury Post Office)

Starting PROMPTLY at 1:00pm   

There will be a section for younger children and a section for older children. Hope to see you there!

FEBRUARY

February.

This is the month in question when people wonder if you are stark raving mad when you mention that you live on Martha’s Vineyard year round.

“What do you DO out there?”

Well, one thing we do is enjoy the fact there’s no one around. It's blissfully quiet and for the most part restrictions are lifted allowing you to walk freely in open fields, stroll on empty beaches and park on Main Street in Vineyard Haven.

A walk on the Woods Property in West Tisbury, part of Vineyard Conservation Lands.

Five Corners on a snowy night

It is also when the gardens are bedded down, sleeping for another month, until we begin our spring chores of pruning, fertilizing, clean up and planting early seed crops.

Calm seas and prosperous voyage

Vineyard Garden... winter aspect

At Vineyard Gardens, we keep one greenhouse open and heated throughout the winter for some of our tender, specialty plants like succulents, Brugmansias, Fuchsias, Gardenias and Rosemary.  Be sure to watch for them this season. Our year round greenhouse allows us to offer the wide range of plants that makes Vineyard Gardens so special.

In the first week of March, we will take our greenhouses out of hibernation to begin our germination process. We begin with the cool weather growers which take several weeks to germinate and develop strong root systems before they can be planted out. This would include the leafy greens like lettuce, cilantro, mustard greens, spinach and parsleys, as well as early flowers like Wallflowers, Pansys and Forget Me Nots.

Vineyard Gardens - Evergreen House

Vineyard Gardens - Overwintering House: Gardenias, Hibiscus, Citrus

Brugmansia sanguinea

Besides exploring the quietness of the island, the short days give us a chance to turn inward and settle in with a good book. It is actually something we quite look forward to since it's not always doable in our busy summer months. If you are yearning for the days to be in the garden, here are a couple of titles from my winter’s night-table to get you in the gardening spirit.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World

Michael Pollan - Random House 2001

Hard to believe this book has been around for 17 years. Its delightful, informative and beautifully written. As we celebrate Darwin’s birthday, this book serves as an apt companion. Pollen talks about our cultural relationship with plants and the natural world we all coexist in. He offers provocative musings on time, bees and the evolution of flower forms…

 

 

 

The Gardener’s Year

Karel Capek - Read Books Ltd. 2013

Originally published in 1929 in Prague. Leading up to the Second World War it is a testament to the healing virtues of gardening. It was penned by a writer known for his essays against fascism. The discovery of this little book came from the pages of one of the best books on the subject of gardens: Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition

 

 

 

Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition

Robert Pogue Harrison - Univ. of Chicago Press 2008

Combining such winter activities as reading, planning this seasons garden palette and browsing the Thrift Shoppe  we discovered this gem,

 

 

 

Old Time Gardens

Alice Morse Earle - The Macmillan Company 1901

It could be difficult to find this book in the bookstores but it is available through the Gutenberg Project in an annotated facsimile edition.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/39049/39049-h/39049-h.htm 

The book traces a practical and poetic history of American gardens touching on Puritan seed packets, Sundials, Flowers of Mystery and strolls down Lilac laden Narragansett lanes. This is from the golden age of pre-war, the First War, American landscape thinking. Its a valuable and surprisingly timely perspective on making gardens as refuge and nourishment for the soul.

A common thread through all these books, and of course gardening in general, is the power of observation. Paying attention. As the world moves ever faster and deeper into virtual abstraction it becomes all the more important that we step outside and absorb our natural world. It is not here simply for our delight, it can carry on quite nicely without us. But if we stop and listen closely we’ll be able to hear it whispering, beckoning us to share in the bounty of being…

“Meanwhile the mind, from pleasure less,

Withdraws into its happiness:

The mind, that ocean where each kind

Does straight its own resemblance find;

Yet it creates, transcending these,

Far other worlds, and other seas;

Annihilating all that’s made

To a green thought in a green shade. “

The Garden, Andrew Marvell  1681

Your correspondent was able to get off Island long enough to attend the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Award’s. It does help to manage Island fever by keeping one foot on solid ground or at least the Red Carpet!

Omar Sharif Jr. and Keith Kurman at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards

 

 

CAMELLIAS, POPPIES AND CLEMATIS

It has been a great year for the gardens on Martha's Vineyard. The winter was cold but not wicked. When spring broke, it didn’t swing back around and hit us again late as it sometimes does. We had some heat in the summer but not brutal nor lasting. And here we are with cool autumn conditions right on schedule. All in all, it’s been a year we can almost count as a control measure for future extremes.

Here are some of the plants that have caught our attention over the past year.

CAMELLIAS:

Camellia japonica "April Remembered"

“April Remembered” is a hardy Camellia developed and introduced at the University of North Carolina and Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC. Growing Camellia’s on the Vineyard can be frustrating but when successful, very rewarding. There are many species and selections but most often grown are C. japonica and C. sasanqua.  The “April Series” are C. japonica selections that come in a color range from whites to reds to pinks. The plants themselves are reliably hardy outdoors but because they tend to flower in late winter/early spring the flowers are often burnt by freezing temperatures. This doesn’t seem to daunt those who desire their large, formally structured flowers. The plants can become large in time or easily kept trimmed to a neat, tight shrub.

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua. The flowers on the sasanqua’s tend to be smaller and less formal but are produced in abundance in the late autumn. This works in our favor here on the Island since we tend to have a long, languorous fall season. The sasanqua’s flowers also come in a range of colors from red through pink to white in singles and doubles and have the added advantage of being fragrant. Its not sweet or pungent its more a clean, fresh, woodsy scent that is delightful and unexpected.

Both types are evergreen and somewhat resistant to deer browsing. They prefer a rich, woodsy soil, regular water and some afternoon shade.

POPPIES:

Poppies in the mist

The annual or biennial Poppy (Papaver) is a plant we try to encourage people to use in their gardens and get planted in time, so they establish and produce their finest show.

Papaver rhoeas

Papaver somniferum "Lauren's Grape"

There are so many wonderful varieties, especially the big P. somniferum types like, “Lauren’s Grape” or the classic P. rhoeas, the Legionnaire Poppy. Both can be sown in the ground from seed with mixed results, but we start them early at the nursery to help get them started. The important thing is to get them in the ground early so they have a chance to develop strong roots before the warm temperatures. People often come into the nursery in June/July and marvel at the poppies beauty. Unfortunately, at that point it is really too late to plant them for their flowers but they will produce seed that can begin to establish in the garden for the following year.

CLEMATIS:

Clematis "Etoile Violet"

Of all the wonderful Clematis, none performs as well for us here on the Island as Clematis “Étoile Violette”.

Clematis present a real challenge to most gardeners not just the novice. There are about 300 different species of Clematis and hundreds more named varieties. They fall generally into three groups based on habitual flowering time; early, mid-season and late. There are large flowered forms and hybrids and small flowered forms. Some are fragrant, most are not. There are evergreen types but most of them are not hardy here in New England.

The easiest to grow and maintain are the late flowering types like our Clematis paniculata that is festooning the Island with its garlands of fragrant white, starry flowers right now.

The large flowered types are the ones most people want to grow but are also the most challenging and culturally persnickety.

The mid-season types are the easiest to manage in the mixed shrub or flower garden. “Étoile Violette” falls sweetly into this group. It is a selection of C. viticella introduced in 1885. Aside from its beautiful form and color, albeit slightly smaller flowered than others, it is its ease of management that makes it worth growing. It flowers on the top third of its new growth so it can be trimmed back in the spring and allowed to scramble to whatever heights you want. The spring cut back has the advantage of delaying the flowering time to well past the end of June.

There are other C. viticella selections like, “Mme. Julia Corrévon” and “Venosa Violacea” all of which are recommended.