How to Grow Radishes for Beginner Gardeners

June 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on how to grow radishes. Radishes are the perfect vegetable for beginner gardeners.  Actually, they are one of the easiest vegetables to grow.  I love radishes on vegetable trays, in salad or just to snack on.  Spicy radishes are what I crave.  However, there are 35 varieties of radishes for you to choose from to satisfy your taste buds.  

Besides being delicious, another reason to grow radishes is you can reap the benefits from two sowings.  One in the spring and one in the fall.  

Radishes provide great health benefits like antioxidants, calcium and potassium.  Furthermore, they can also help lower blood pressure.  

 

 

how to grow radishes

 

 

So, radishes are root vegetables and belong to the Brassicaceae family.  The Brassicaceae family includes cabbage, cauliflowers, collard greens, turnips, and beets to name a few.  Radishes originated in Egypt.  It gets it’s name from the Latin word root.  Radishes are loved by many, Americans eat approximately 400 million pounds of radishes each year.  

 

Varieties of Radishes:  

 

  • Cherry Belle
  • French Breakfast
  • Gourmet Blend
  • Fire and Ice
  • Pink Beauty
  • Black Spanish
  • White Icicle
  • Easter Egg
  • Purple Plum
  • Daikon

 

 

how to grow radishes

 

 

These radishes can be grown in a variety of containers.  They can be grown in raised beds, flower pots, baskets, colanders, galvanized tubs or buckets.  Personally, I plant them in rows in my garden.  

If you decide to grow radishes in a container, make sure it is a least 6 inches deep.  

 

How to Grow Radishes:  

 

  • Spring and fall are the best time to grow radishes.  Radishes prefer cool weather, so planting in April and or September is the perfect time to sow radish seeds.  
  • Add compost to your soil before you sow your seeds.  
  • Radishes are difficult to transplant; however, some gardeners have good luck transplanting them.  Because they are very easy to grow, I recommend direct sowing your seed as a beginner gardener.   
  • Grow radishes in full sun or partial shade. (They should be get at least 6 hours of sun a day).  
  • Avoid growing radishes next to potatoes, turnips or broccoli  and the herb hyssop.  
  • Not thinning radishes can stunt their growth. So, be sure to thin the radishes so they are an inch apart. You can simply pull or clip the radish seedlings you want to remove.  
  • Hot weather will cause radishes to bolt.  Once radishes bolt, they become bitter, woody and not at all tasty.  How do you know when you plant has bolted?  It will start flowering and attempting to set seed.  You can continue to let the plant bolt and go to seed if your radishes are heirloom plants.  Simply let the plant grow and produce seed pods.  When the pods turn brown and hard harvest the seed and plant them later.  
  • Water regularly.  Make sure your radishes receive at least an inch of water weekly.  When your radishes don’t receive enough water, they tend to crack or split.  You can use a soaker hose to water deeply when you’re pressed for time. 
  • Harvest your radishes timely.  Otherwise, they will become tough because they’ve been left in the ground too long. 
  • Harvest radishes within 30 to 45 days.  Be sure to read the package to ensure they are harvested timely. 
  • If radishes are about an inch out of the ground, they are ready to harvest.
  • When warmer weather hits in June, you should have already harvested your radishes. 

 

I hope that you enjoyed my post on on how to grow radishes.  Last, if you missed your chance to plant in the spring, plan a fall harvest.  Home grown radishes are so much tastier than store brought varieties.  You may also like: Spring Vegetables for Zone 6B.    Check out the Health Benefits of Radishes too.  

 

 

 

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Benefits of Lavender in Your Backyard Garden

November 19, 2019 by 7 Comments

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on the benefits of lavender.  If you’re interested in growing lavender or making DIY medicinal or beauty products using lavender, this post is for you? Lavender is in the mint family; however, it isn’t as invasive as mint.  Furthermore, it’s native to the Middle East, India and the Mediterranean and can be traced back at least 2500 years.

Lavender was initially used as a holy herb.  It is mentioned in the Bible as Spikenard.  It was used to prepare the Holy Essence and gets its name from the Latin word ‘Lavare’ meaning ‘to wash”.  Next, the Romans used lavender to scent their baths, beds, clothes and even hair.  Many use lavender for medicinal purposes and a variety of other reasons today.

 

benefits of lavender

 

 

Here are a few benefits of lavender:

 

benefits of lavender

 

 

Infused – Infuse lavender with olive oil, sweet almond oil or liquid coconut oil.  After 6 weeks, the oil and lavender must be strained through a cheese cloth.  Store the oil in a glass bottle.  Make body butter, hand cream, lip balm, sugar scrub, lotion, and cleaner from the infused lavender oil.

 

 


 


 

 


 

 

Sleep Aid –  Create a sleep-aid with lavender essential oil or infused lavender oil.  Simply, dilute the essential oil with water and fill a travel size spray bottle with the solution.  Spray a handkerchief or washcloth and place it on your pillow at night.  It’s great for calming down kids too.  Use a carrier oil that will not stain your clothing or bedding.  When you infuse oil, use one that won’t stain your clothing and bedding.  Dilute the oil with water to use as a sleep-aid spray.

 

 


 

Kitchen and Bath Cleaner – Infuse dried lavender with white distilled and water for 2 weeks in a glass bottle.  Lavender is a great bathroom and kitchen cleaner.  (Do not use on marble).

 


 

Diffuser – Lavender calms and reduces anxiety as well as relieves stress and assist with sleep.  I use a diffuser with lights that change colors.  I love the changing lights and colors, they relax me and make me happy.

 

 


 

Tea – Seep lavender flowers in a tea ball, and enjoy a hot cup of tea.

 

benefits of lavender

 

 

Last, we hope that the list of benefits of lavender will make you grab a seed packet and start planting.  Finally, lavender is a perennial.  So, once you have established plants it will return year after year.    You can download the Lavender Infographic here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Flower Gardens Tagged With: , , ,

Best Sunflower Varieties for Wildlife

October 27, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing backyard flower garden tips on best sunflower varieties for wildlife. Unfortunately,  the bird populations has declined over the years.  Pesticides and herbicides, the decline in insects, climate change and removal from their natural habitat are major factors in their decline.  Today, I’m going to share the best sunflower varieties to grow in your backyard garden to help sustain our wildlife.

 

sunflower varieties

 

 

There are other steps you can take to help sustain wildlife, but today we’re focusing on solely on sunflowers.  I add them to my vegetable garden every year.  I love opening my curtains in the morning and seeing their smiling faces.  Furthermore, I love it even more when I see my backyard birds feasting on the sunflower seeds.  If you don’t have a vegetable garden, add them along a fence line or in your flower gardens.

Sunflowers attract pollinators which include bees, butterflies, honey bees, wasps, moths, flies, and beetles.  We need pollinators to keep our ecosystem going.  There are some sunflowers that are produced to not attract pollinators.  Many gardeners do not want  pollen dropping on their tables and mantels when they cut sunflower bouquets.

 

Here’s a few of the Best Sunflower Varieties for wildlife: 

 

Lemon Queen  – These beauties find a place in my garden every year.  I love the lighter color of the petals versus the regular yellow petals found on most sunflowers.   They are lovely planted among Autumn Beauty sunflowers.  The contrasting colors are stunning.

Velvet Queen – Another beauty that finds a place in my garden.  It’s sports deep red, almost burgundy colored petals.

Red Sun –  I’ve never grown this particular variety, but I try it in my 2020 summer vegetable garden.

Chocolate Cherry – This sunflower has deep, dark, reddish brown petals that look beautiful with any yellow/lemon sunflowers.  Plant a few.

Autumn Beauty – I have planted this variety, and I love it.  It has multi-color petals in colors of gold, orange, yellow, red, and burgundy.  It looks great with the deeper color sunflowers.

Evening Sun – Fortunately, this beauty goes into my garden every year.  I plant it close to the Lemon Queen for the color contrast.

 

 

 

 

 

Henry Wild – I’m not familiar with this variety, but it’s great with pollination so it’s alright with me.  I am going to do my homework, I may want to plant a few.

Russian Mammoth – So, I can’t live without this sunflower in my garden, and neither can my American Goldfinch.  It is massive.  The fence behind these Russian Mammoths is six feet.  I’ve had them grown as tall as 12 – 15 feet.

 

russian mammoth sunflower

 

 

 


 

Earth Walker – I haven’t had good luck with the Earth Walker.  I planted a few this summer, but they failed to germinate.  I haven’t given up though.  I’ll try again in the upcoming growing season.

Mexican – Unfortunately, another variety that has failed to grown in my garden.  I’ll be trying this variety again too.  They’re lower than most sunflowers, they’ll make a nice border in front of some of the taller varieties.

 

Planting any of these sunflower varieties for wildlife habitats will help create or sustain them. Start browsing the internet or catalogues for seeds that interest you.  Make sure they sunflower varieties are good for pollination.  You may also like:  7 Uses for Sunflowers and Soak Up the Rain. 

 

 

Filed Under: Backyard Birds, Flower Gardens Tagged With: , , ,

16 Low Maintenance Backyard Garden Perennials

July 17, 2019 by 3 Comments

Today, I’m sharing tips on growing backyard garden perennials.  If you are wishing for a beautiful garden, but think you don’t have the time to maintain it, I have a solution!   The solution is growing low maintenance perennials.  I love flowers that you can plant and forget.  Fortunately, perennials return year after year.  So, they are not only beautiful but cost effective as well.

 

 

 

backyard garden perennials

 

 

Here’s a list of low maintenance perennials that I plant:

 

Stella O’Dora Day Lily – I love these lilies in yellow.  I have them planted in the front of my house and on one side.  I love them.  They return more robust year after year.  They make a nice border in front of taller plants.  If I had room, I would plant more.

Lilies – My father gave me lilies bulbs when I first moved into my house.  I have the Asiatic Lily Mont Blanc and Stargazer Oriental Lilies planted.  They smell heavenly.

Iris – Iris’ come in a variety of colors and multiply.  They are excellent planted in the background with a shorter variety planted in the front. You can cut them down and allow the shorter variety to be the show stopper.

Star Flowers –  Star Flowers announce spring has arrived.  They are lovely planted under trees that loose their leaves in the fall.

Black Eyed Susan – Black Eyed Susan are in the sunflower family.  They grow to about 2 – 3 feet.  If they’re deadheaded, they will continue to produce flowers.

Yarrow – Yarrow comes in a variety of colors.  The flowers can be yellow, red, or pink.  They make excellent cut flowers.  Additionally, they attract butterflies and they are drought resistant.  You may see Yarrow growing wild along highways too.

Clematis –  Know as the queen of climbers.  Pick out a trellis and get to planting.  You won’t be disappointed.

Coneflowers – Coneflowers make great cut flowers.  They attract birds and pollinators.   Furthermore, they come in shades of pink, orange, yellow, red and chartreuse.  Actually, mine are a vanilla color.  I just added them to the garden this year.

 

backyard perennials

 

 

Hydrangeas – One of my favorite flowers in the garden.  The blooms are large and look beautiful in vases.  They come in a variety of colors.  They can strive in sun to partial sun.  Be sure to read the label for planting instructions.

Peonies – Additionally, another favorite of my backyard garden perennials.  I have Sarah Bernhardt Peonies.  They’re a beautiful light pink shade, and make beautiful bouquets.

Sedum –  Sedums produce amazing red/pink blooms in the fall.  They are easy to divide, so you can have plants in other areas.

Shasta Daisy –  Shasta Daisies make great cut flowers.  If you deadhead them regularly, they will continue to bloom.

 

backyard perennials

 

Ferns –  Furthermore, ferns are perfect in a shade garden.  There are plenty of varieties to choose from.  I have the Japanese Painted Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Ostrich fern, and the Autumn Fern.  I also have the Boston Fern, which I bring inside at the end of summer.

Lily of the Valley –  The Lily of the Valley is perfect in a shade garden.  They spread too.

Bee Balm  – Last, Bee Balm is perfect if you want to attract butterflies.  They come a varieity of colors and humming birds love them.  They’re also great for attracting butterflies and bees. Dried leaves and flowers can also be used in sachets and potpourri.

Knock Out Roses – I have burgundy and light pink planted together.  The produce amazing blooms into fall.  They make nice cute flowers too.

 

Most importantly, choose a few flowers from our list of backyard garden perennials and head to your nearest nursery or garden center.  These perennials will have your garden looking beauty in no time.   Finally, you may also like:  20 Flowers to Use in a Wildflower Gardens.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Flower Gardens Tagged With: , ,

Sunflowers and Finches In The Garden

July 25, 2014 by
I love sunflowers.  They make me happy, look at their beauty faces.   They dance in the garden and add brilliant color among the greenery.  This is my fifth year growing sunflowers, and I’m in love.  The first year, I didn’t have one seed germinate.  However, I changed my method of germinating  them, and bam!  The key is to use bottle greenhouses to germinate sunflower seeds.  Once the weather is good I transfer them to the garden.  So, today let’s discuss how to attract the American Gold Finch.  I have had great success using this method.  Check out my other sunflower gardening tips before you leave. 

sunflowers

 

Below are some of my favorite sunflowers varieties.  I make sure they have a place in my backyard garden every year.  The Gold Finches love my sunflowers as much as I do.  They bring beauty to my backyard.  I love sitting on my deck watching the Goldfinch feast on the sunflower seeds.  Unfortunately, the lens on my camera doesn’t capture the beauties in the garden.  I guess I shouldn’t blame the lens, I need to learn how to use my camera!

 

 

Autumn Beauty

 

These are Autumn Beauties.  I love their brownish yellow color.  It reminds me of fall, my favorite time of year.  I stagger my sunflower seedlings when planting them in the garden to ensure I have sunflowers for fall.  The Autumn Beauty is beautiful in fall centerpieces.

 

Gardening tips

          Mammoth

 

This variety is the Russian Mammoth.  It grows anywhere from 10 – 12+ feet tall.  The fence behind it is 6 feet.  As a result, it towers above the smaller varieties making a grand display in my backyard garden.

 

lemon queen sunflowers

 

        Lemon Queen

 

 

So, my favorite sunflower is the Lemon Queen.  It’s much smaller compared to the Mammoth.  It only grows to about 5 feet.  I plant the Mammoth between the Lemon Queen and Autumn Beauties so there can be some depth in the garden.

 


 

In a few weeks, the centers will be filled with sunflower seeds and the American Gold Finch will have a new feeder.  Right now they are enjoying the Nyjer Seed in the sock and tube feeder.

 

American Gold Finch

 

 

 

Furthermore, when the sunflowers mature, the finches will eat every seed on the stalks if I don’t remove the heads. Because they are so beautiful the majority of the time I just let them eat until their heart is content.  Take a close look at the pictures, because there’s 2 males and a female in this picture.  The female is the dull colored finch at the top.  However, the males turns the same dull color as the female in the fall/winter.  They “color up” in the spring and summer to the brilliant color shown.

 


 

Also, this feeding station is outside my bedroom window.  I have a Nyjer Thistle feeder and a seed sock at the feeding station.  The finches will come to both.  As a result, I hang both of the feeders.  Some days I may have 10 or 12 American Goldfinch feasting on the Nyjer Thistle.  So, the finches head to the seed sock first for some reason.  They will feed from the tube feeder, which is my preference for them.  Simply because of their aerobatic moves on the perches.

Finally, next year I hope to add additional varieties of sunflowers to the garden.  Do you grow sunflowers? What variety do you grow?  Grab a few packs of sunflower seeds, and use my bottle greenhouse method to germinate them for your garden.  Also, purchase the thistle and feeders.  You’ll be enjoying these beauties in your backyard too.

Filed Under: Backyard Birds, Nature-Gardening Tagged With: , , ,