<![CDATA[Box of Rain Landscape LLC

<![CDATA[Box of Rain Landscape LLC - Box of Rain Blog]]>Sun, 20 May 2012 19:50:51 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[VG Week 4]]>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:24:11 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/04/vg-week-4.html

Indoor Sprouts:
These babies are really growing now and since the second set of leaves has developed I will be giving them some fertilizer this week.
You don’t want a strong fertilizer and you want to use a liquid one. There are a few different Organic liquid fertilizers out there – so just make sure to read the directions if it is a concentrate and too dilute it a little extra for the first feeding.

Now we will be on a schedule of feeding the sprouts about once a week.

Also the seeds of Basil and Cilantro I started 2 weeks ago are fully up and have been repotted into larger pots. The racks are now full and I wont be starting any more indoor seeds - but will be waiting now until it's warm enough to plant seeds outdoors for the best rotation harvesting.

Things are looking up outside! Today was a real hint of what is coming and here in the PNW where we havent been graced with a freak 80 degree day (like the rest of the ENTIRE country) we just relish any day where there isnt rain and you can get down to at least your bottom layer fleece jacket.

Outdoors:
The radishes are up, second sowing of lettuce and spinach is also up, also seeing signs from the onion sets we planted back in February - but nothing from the peas so far.
The first sowing of greens is about a inch tall - so it's growing slowly still, but growing!

With today being the warmest day of the year so far (a record breaker at that) I felt like I could literally aee things getting bigger out there today.

So when we get weather like today it is important to make sure you dont leave the cloches on during the day, even fully vented. I have taken mine off even for night now and wont use them again unless we get a forecast for 34 or below at night - at which point I will use them for proctection at night.
As they get bigger though they wont fit under the cloches - so I will be setting up a Floating Row Cover for them soon - to help protect them both from possible future cold temps (last year it snowed in April dont forget) and then as a barrier against bugs, the squirrels and my cat as the plants get bigger. (all of them are conspiring against me and trying to eat my vegetables before I get to - well not the cat, he just likes to roll around in the nice warm soil and demolish little seedings)

I also took care of a few other chores in the outdoor vegetable garden earlier this week - one was to spray the fruit trees with Horticultural Oil. (This is a totally organic practice) I wanted to spray them just before the buds start to open to smother any tiny pests waiting to chomp down on those new buds, and the timing was just perfect as the Apricot had 3 flowers open today – the cherry and the apple are really close and the plum is not far behind. Multiple applications of Hort Oil can be made throughout the season all the way up to just before harvest – so if you have had a lot of problems with bugs or scabs or other fruit problems getting on a program using Hort. Oil can really help.

I also took some time to go over the Blueberry bushes (as well as the fruit trees) to prune out any dead branches, as you can now for sure tell what is alive and what's not since they are fully budded up now and some of the blueberries are already leafing out. Just snip out any dead branches with sharp pruners and take care not to damage any new buds or leaves in the process. It is totally normal for blueberries to have random dead little braches in it so dont worry if you see quite a few.

DO NOT however do ANY other pruning this time of year on trees (fruit or other) other than cutting out a little bit of dead wood it might have. In the Spring and the Fall we never prune trees as that is the time thier sap is running and it's very detrimental to prune at those times for the plant.

]]><![CDATA[VG week 3]]>Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:27:44 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/03/vg-week-3.html

Well the weather has been terrible……
The March lion is grumpy!!

Outdoors: No sign of sprouting under the lettuces cloche, but there are a few under the spinach cloche! so I’m not going to start over in that spot quite yet - going to wait another week to see if anything more comes up. The weather has been colder than normal for this time of year so it’s no surprise but I am glad it looks like some spinach is on its way.

Indoors: This has been a different story!
Lots of sprouting this week – all but one of the cucumbers and all but 2 of the sunflowers came up by Wed. (as predicted) and half of the 25 tomato starts came up by Thursday. There are 12 tomatoes still left to come up – 3 of them came up today actually– and I will give the last remaining 9 until Monday to come up. 3 of the 5 Brussels sprouts are up as well.

No sign of the peppers yet (I seeded mini red bell peppers) or the celery…..but these are both slow to sprout plants so I will give them 2 more weeks. (If none come up I will get new seed and try again.)

It is not unusual at all for all the seeds not to sprout. (my seeds are also not new this year - packed for 2010 and 2011) Seeds will last for years if stored properly so Idon’t buy new ones each year but save them until I have used them all up before I buy more. Even with brand new seeds not all of them may sprout so don’t worry if they don’t and always start a few more than you need for this very reason.

You can also test the viability of your older seeds if you’re not sure they are
still good by scattering some of the seeds (10-15 or so) on a wet paper towel.
Then fold the towel over and place it in a plastic bag and put it on the heat
mat, or a sunny window. Check them every other day or so and if less than half
of them have sprouted after 2 weeks then get new seed – don’t try to plant these sprouts, it won’t work…..but they will be tasty thrown onto a salad!)

So as soon as the sprouts come up I remove them from the “hothouse trays" on the heating mat and move them over to another tray for a day to acclimate to the cooler temps. I also now trim out the smaller of the seedlings if I got more than one seed in there by accident. If 2 or more sprout up then just gently pluck out the smallest ones and leave the biggest one .

Repotting seedlings:
So now it is time to put them into the bigger pots where they will live in until it’s time to go outside. I use bigger peat pots for this and fill them with seed starting mix – not potting soil. Seed starting mix is good for this next stage as it is light and fluffy which lets young roots spread quickly, it also holds water well.

You really want short, stocky strong stem growth to start so make sure the lights are 2-3 inches above the seedling. If it is too low you will burn the tender new leaves – too high and the plants will reach for the light and get long lanky stems that will flop over. This is especially true for tall plants like sunflowers or vining plants like tomatoes.
I plant them in peat pots because rather than do any damage to the roots later when we plant them outside, I will just plant them pot and all.

Also DO NOT fertilize them yet. We will be fertilizing them down the road but they
are too young for it right now.

I planted some of the tomato seedlings 2 to a pot to save on space because my racks are limited this year and they don’t mind sharing because they can be planted together outdoors – this isn’t a good idea for other plants like the cucumbers or sunflowers because we will want to plant them as individuals and won’t want to separate them later, which might cause some root damage in the process.

Now that I also have some space available under the hot house trays I will be starting a next batch of seeds; Cilantro, basil and also broccoli.
(Broccoli I normally wait to seed outdoors in April, but want to get a jump on because I am worrying we might be in for a nasty long cold Spring again UGH!!!! Nooooo! Really hope I am wrong.)

If the weather were warmer I would also be seeding outdoors this weekend – but I’m going to wait another week - when the time comes I will be seeding the radishes, another set of lettuce and spinach, and some cabbage

So it’s all about tending the little new indoor babies right now....
I visit mine about 3 times a day to run down this check list:

:#1 is to monitoring water needs.
They can never fully dry out (instant death) but drying out some is good. You also really have to watch out for overwatering….this is important so they don’t dampen off - dampening off is when an indoor fungus (of which there are several and it doesn’t matter which one) gets a hold in your seeding soil and usually happens if your overwatering and not allowing some dry out time in between. Dampening off will cause a sudden collapse of the sprout, you might see a constriction and discoloration at the stem where it meets the soil which is the first sign.
If you see any signs of this remove the seedling right away and throw it in the garbage in another room to help avoid more spread. If you do have this happen then start over. Clean all of your trays and lids with a bleach and water solution and let air dry, then start seeds again.

To avoid overwatering use only containers with drainage holes, especially if you’re using plastic pots. Allow the surface of the soil to dry out between watering also. Peat pots and seed starting mix have a lot of moss in them so they will hold water longer than soil.
I also only water them from the bottom (by pouring water right on the tray) so the water leaches up the peat pot and into the soil. This is better for the seedling too because they will tend to “float” and the soil will move around too much when you water from the top. I also use lukewarm water, not really cold so it doesn't shock them. If it is really dry air where you have them set up (low humidity) then a little light spritz of water from a spray bottle once a day is good for them too.

#2 is to talk to them and even fan them a little.
This isn’t just an old wives tale –talking to them and fanning them around makes the stems get some of the natural movement they would get outdoors in the wind. This movement helps the plant make a thicker stem to survive winds - and as I said earlier a strong stocky stem is better for the future move to outdoors.
Later – a few weeks before the indoor plants are ready to go out - I will even put an actual fan in the room to gently blow the plants around so they work on their stems getting strong.

#3 Check the lights height.
Some plants will literally grow an inch in 48 hrs. or less if the environment is right and you will need to move those lights
up often from here on out.

#4 THINK SPRING!!! :)

]]><![CDATA[Back on Track - VG week 2]]>Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:49:39 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/03/back-on-track-vg-week-2.html

Just planted and already the first cloche is steaming up!

Ok…..all better now!
Here’s what I planted Sunday;

Outdoor Planting
Lettuce and Spinach both need to be planted in cooler weather as they are temperature sensitive and will bolt (go to seed) when the weather warms up to
summer temps.

This is more true for ‘salad greens’ which is what I grow, rather than lettuce you grow until there is a full head. Growing full heads of lettuce is really only practical if you have a really large VG and have a large family to eat it all when it’s ready.

(Note on plant names - I use Territorial seeds….so if I mention a plant by name, it’s is the name of a Territorial seed and might not be called the same thing by other seed companies.
If I do mention it by name it’s because it’s one I have used for a while and I recommend)

Spinach
I plant one seed ½ inch deep every 2 inches or so and in “quintets” or groups
of 5 under the circle of the Cloche so about 15 plants fit in that small spot.
(notes on Cloches below)

The seed packet says to plant every 3-6 inches….but I don’t let the spinach
grow to full grown - we harvest the new leaves for “baby spinach” which is more
tasty then when the plant has full grown and is getting ready to seed, which is
when the leaves get bitter….that bitter is why a lot of people don’t like
spinach. If you harvest the early leaves they taste more like fresh nuts.

You need to plant a Spring/Fall spinach right now….these are the kinds that
want to grow when it is cooler but will bolt as soon as it gets consistently
warm out. I plant Tyee hybrid now and then later in the season (as we will be
replanting greens every 2-3 weeks for successive harvests) I plant Regatta
hybrid (a slow bolting, summer growing spinach) and Galilee (a heirloom
spinach).

Lettuces (greens)
These I plant a little differently because of how we want to harvest them
when the time comes.
To plant I just scuffle up the soil with a dinner fork about ½ in deep and
then shake the seeds out randomly. I use a lot of seeds….I would say 4
tablespoons. Then I just scuffle the soil around again to bury the seeds, don’t
worry if some are still on the surface just get them all mixed into that first
half inch of soil….then I flatten down the circle with a flat rock to insure
good soil contact for the seeds. (If you use one put your cloche down first to
mark the edges where it touches soil, so you don’t have sprouts coming up under
it’s edges) I didn’t water because it has been raining and the soil is wet.

I use a mix of a couple of different Territorial greens mixes for a big
variety (Super gourmet salad blend, Garden Heirloom blend, and Micro Greens mix)
and then some extra of my favorites (Flashy Trouts Back, Tom Thumb Butterhead,
Devils Tongue and Speckles) Which I just mix all together. I the past I have
thrown in beets and radish seeds with the greens, but they disturbed the greens
too much when I pull them up, so now I do those in their own spot.

So I plant this way because I want “micro greens” for my salads. Small young
leaves are just far tastier and have better nutrition then full heads of
lettuce. Planted densely like this the greens grow up in a “patch”.
I might do some thinning, but very little.
Then, when it comes time to harvest, I will be using a technique called ‘cut
and come again’, which means we will “clear cut” the young greens for a
salad…..which will then re-grow for a second cutting. After the second cutting I
move on to another patch that I planted later.

Onion starts and Garlic bulbs.
These I planted 3 weeks ago but it is not too late at all to get them planted.

Cloches (mini greenhouses)
I have had many successes without Cloches and planting early, so you don’t
have to have them to plant now….but they really can be helpful. They also can
help play a part later in the season with the transition of the heat loving
plants like the tomatoes and cucumbers when it is time for them to go from the
warm house and the lights to the outdoors.

Cloches must be vented during the day unless it is rainy and cold out, then
leave them closed. If your gone most of the day then just be sure to open the
top when you leave in the morning, and then close it when you come home for the
night time.

A cloche is used to heat up the soil so the seeds germinate early….you don’t
grow the plants under them. So, with the same principle as the heat mat, as soon
as the seeds sprout and the plants get about an ½ inch tall you need to remove
the cloche entirely during the day….and then only put it back on at night if it
there is a chance of frost or temps in the low 30’s to protect them from cold
burn over night.

These cloches pictured are new ones I got this year as my old ones were
crushed in my little “greenhouse” out behind the shed this year in that one big
snow. I got them at Sky Nursery in Shoreline and am way impressed with them for
3 excellent design features:
1. The vent on top. 2 holes and an easy to move lid.
2. The bottom edge has a ridge to it with small holes - which a wire can be
put through and bent over to pin the cloche to the ground so they wont blow
away. (We had some really strong winds last night and mine didn’t go anywhere!)
3. The size - these are just the right size for the amount of greens I will
sow per planting to keep us (a 2 person family) in a constant supply, but not
overrun us.
My only complaint is I cant get the sticker off!

Indoors
Tomatoes, mini red bell peppers, cucumber, Brussels
sprouts, celery and sunflowers and basil.

They are all on the heat mat - don’t have the lights on yet - but this is
because my shelf is in front of a big window - so if your set up where there is
no natural light where you have your mat set up then turn the lights on during
the day.
I’m betting…..if all is well and my seeds made it through storage, that the
cucumber and or the sunflower will come up in 4 days. (Both of these plants are
really good picks if your doing your garden with kids as they both sprout easily
and are tough plants that don’t need really specific conditions to grow.)

I planted one of the square flats with all tomatoes. 25 possible plants, 2
varieties; Glacier and Gills all Purpose, for canning. Later I will BUY one
cherry tomato plant at the nursery as they always do well and are great for
salads….but I don’t start them because you only really need one of them, they
get huge if in the right spot, and I can buy a bigger start plant than I can
grow on my racks
I always over seed for tomatoes because I will stagger plant them outdoors
when the time comes. That way if we lose the first batch to a freak cold I will
have more in the wings….and if they all make it, then it’s nice to have extra
you can just give to friends.

What else should be started now.
As I said in my first post I have honed my list of food plants down to my 3 criteria so I am
good to go with what I started this weekend - but I thought I would list what else should get started now too.
(the outdoor stuff is still a gamble but if they do come up you’ll be ahead of the game)

Indoors: Squash, melon, gourd, dill, bush beans and cilantro (I will be sowing this this coming
weekend….cilantro is a COOL weather herb and will bolt just like lettuce once it gets warm so it
needs to go out early)
Outdoors: beets, carrots, parsnip, onion starts, chard, cabbage, broccoli
(you can start cabbage and broccoli indoors but it grows better when sprouted outdoors) potato, leeks, and cauliflower.

Fruit trees, blueberries and cane berries:
For established blueberries now is the time to prune - prune very lightly by just removing the dead branches, which you can now tell which is which since the shrubs are budding up now - and any really bad crossing or rubbing on each other branches.
Fruit trees - now is the time to apply Dormant Oil. Follow the directions carefully.
Cane berries -now is the time to cut back last years growth to about a foot above ground level.

If you dont have these plants incorporated in your garden now is also the perfect time to plant all of them. The nurseries are full of bare root fruit trees right now - which is when they are the cheapest all year, plus they are still dormant (not for long) so planting shock is at it's minimum.

By next weekend I should be on the new computer and hopefully will have sprouting to report!

]]><![CDATA[OMG I cant believe this just happened......]]>Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:42:21 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/03/omg-i-cant-believe-this-just-happened.htmlI had JUST FINISHED writing a complete rundown of what I planted today.....had 3 photos....really had a good post going, it was long yes.....but I had a lot of stuff pop into my mind I thought would be really helpful as we got started.....and I was just going over it for the last time for spelling when my STUPID computer decided to have a problem with the data execution preventor (the bane of windows vista!!!!), which shut down my internet connection and like a total dummy I was so on a roll I didnt save a draft....so I lost the whole thing.

I'm so upset I cant even remember all the good stuff and cant re create it all again right now.
So as soon as I chill out over this, maybe later today....maybe tomorrow....I will catch this up.

I have a new computer sitting right here too.....just got it yesterday because I am DONE with my current one - but my old montior needs to be replaced too (I didnt realize this until I tried to plug it into the new CPU) so I cant have it operating yet. Ugh!! Sorry!
I'm going to try to post every Sunday on the VG progress and what is going on and what we need to be doing.....and shouldnt have any more mishaps like this by next weekend when the new computer is up! ]]><![CDATA[Vegetable Garden time!!! ]]>Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:35:39 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/03/vegetable-garden-time.html

Yes, yes it is! Spring is still 2 weeks away and for PNW growers we need all the time we can squeeze out of our Summers, so the time is now to get things prepped and ready.

So this year I am going to keep a blog running on what I am currently doing in the Vegetable Garden (VG) - so if your starting a new vegetable garden, or just want a guide on what to do when, follow along and I will do my best to help!

I wasn't going to get into a big description about how to set up your garden and will be going on the assumption you have a good spot, but I remembered a good old gardeners saying,(if you are just starting out) that is so true in the case of VG; "use 80% of your budget for soil preparation and use the last 20% on plants."
For successful VG you must have good, rich, healthy soil to grow healthy plants. Think of it like "if you are what you eat, then your vegetables are what your dirt is" also be sure you site your garden in the sunniest place possible."

If you are planning on container gardening your food plants then make the extra investment for Organic soil to fill your containers.
A note on Containers. This is a great way to go for VG - I have containers incorporated in my VG as you will see in later posts. (also see previous post on VG from April of last year for more info) You will also see I have a rather odd VG set up - I have a yard that while open, gets major shade mid day from the large pines we have all over our neighborhood.
So I had to make the best of the sunniest location we have.....which is not where I would have picked to VG.....but I tried all the other spots and it's only in this area where I can get tomatos to ripen in time, so this is where most stuff has to go. (this spot gets full late afternnoon sun all the way to mid October)it is also the WORST soil on the whole property and a ton of water drains into it when it rains. So I'm growing all my vegetables in containers I've collected, surrounded by small fruit trees, blueberry bushes, and cane fruits like raspberrys. It's very random, odd looking and kinda ugly right now. But it will be overflowing by Summer so I live with it.
If your digging up a spot in your yard and you dont know what has been going on in that spot for at least the last 10 years - then get the soil tested, especially for lead - or build raised beds where the soil level will be at least 3' above the ground and fill the bed with clean (organic if possible) topsoil mixed with compost (Cedar Grove here in PNW) and a basic Organic fertilizer with a 5.5.5 NPK ratio.
(here is a good article on fertilizer, and why we dont use much of it except when it really is needed, if interested; Fertilizers   )

Ok so back to what is going on now - Seed starting!!
I am about a month behind starting my seeds than when
I did last year - I waited this year - as last years Spring was so protracted my pumpkins were making baby pumpkins before they even gone outside yet. (these are a miniature variety of white pumpkin called 'baby boo' they are awesome for decorating, not so much for eating)

There are just a few things you need to start seeds indoors, and also keep the plants healthy until it's safe for them to go outside:
1. Seed starting "kit" - I use the Jiffy brand peat pellets in a tray with a domed lid.
2. Heating Mat - Have to have one, it's a key tool. It's just a black mat that heats up the soil temp of your peat pellets so the seeds will germinate. Seeds have to germinate fast or they will just rot so you keep them on the mat - under the domed lid - and not let them dry out - until they sprout.
3. A place to hang some lights for the sprouts to grow under until they are big enough to go outside. I have a pretty simple set up that is just one of those shelving units (on wheels is nice) with shelves you can adjust.

You want to be able to move your lights up as the sprouts grow - the light source should never be more than 2-3 inches from the top of the plant so you will have to move them up as the plant grows and they can grow very fast - so you might be moving up the lights every few days!
Make it easy to do by hanging the lights with chains or rope - the shelves with the wire racks give you lots of spaces to move the hooks to.
The lights are broad spectrum flourescents (you can get "grow" lights - check the spectrum and prices....you dont have to buy the fancy lights, you just need the broad spectrum that is most like the sun.) and the housing is just those cheap white ones.....but you have to get the ones that have a plug! I have 6 housings - 2 on each rack - 2 bulbs per housing - so 4 lights per rack for full coverage. They all plug into a power strip which then plugs into the wall. The sprouts need 12 hours of light a day so I turn it on when I get up and off 12 hours later.
The extra natural bright but filtered sunlight I get from my shelf being place in front of a windowed door we dont use in our laundry room is a total bonus.....so if you have a spot like this put your rack there and remember, bright but filtered sunlight, no direct sunlight.

OK - you have your supplies - you have picked out your seeds and are ready to go:

1. READ your seed packets.
Some seeds may need an extra step before sowing - some need to be 'scuffed up" to break the seed coats, some may need to be chilled and a lot of them you dont start indoors. They will need to wait to be sown outside.
I've learned over the years to mellow out with wild dreams when I'm in the seed packet isle - or where I get into most trouble - ordering online. (like one year I tried to grow Loofah.... the thing you use in the shower.....its the dried out stalk of this plant.) So now I try to narrow down my seed selection with the following 3 citeria: 1. Will we actaully eat it. 2. Is it expensive in the stores 3. Is it something that I can grow but is always an import in the store.
See my previous post from last April called Vegetable Gardening for my top 5 PNW vegetables to grow for the crops that are the easiest to grow.
2. Sow the seeds (and make sure to mark them....I write on top of the plastic lid what is where and then mark a top and bottom on the lid and tray so I dont accidently flip it around.) The little peat pellets are great for not planting a seed too deep - after fully wetting them - with warm water! they swell up. Once they are fully swelled I flatten each top gently with the back of a spoon......this is just to even out the medium for each seed to be planted at the same depth, so they all sprout at approx. the same time and to insure good soil contact. Then I poke the same depth hole for each seed with the end of a pencil and drop them in. I cover them after I have planted the number of them I want so I dont mess up and plant the same ones twice. Gently smoothing down the top with the back of the spoon again - make sure the seed is fully covered.
3. Put the lid on the tray, put the tray on the heat mat - NO lights yet. Then just check them every day for their little heads to poke up and water if needed. Some plants like beans will sprout in like 3 days....some will take longer. Be patient - make sure the mat stays on, you dont want any abrupt changes in temperature around the seeds. If it seems "too" wet inside the tray then just let the lid set askew for some water to evaporate. The seeds need it moist and warm to germinate....too wet they rot, too dry the dont sprout. They are babies, keep an eye on them.
4. Once the seeds have sprouted you want to take them out of the lidded tray and move them into another tray - which will then be under lights from now on out. You might be taking out one or two of one kind of sprout and one or two of another so mark them when you move them too so you dont forget who is who and so they are grouped together for later light needs that will be different from each other. (tall plants and short ones on d
5. Sow the outside seeds now as a trial first sowing - lettuces - spinach - sugar snap peas.
I will be sowing these seeds outside in the VG this coming weekend and starting the indoor plants later today! Sugar snap peas need innoculant dont forget......there will be packets of it in or around the seed displays, it's cheap, and organic, and a real good idea for peas here, especially playing the gamble with the weather like this. I am doing the first sowing outside early this year (my tradition is Spring Equinox) but this Winter has been one of the warmest on record so I'm gonna gamble.

Check in next week next wee if your following and if we have germination we will go on to the next steps! Happy VG!!! :)

]]><![CDATA[Box of Rain is now Box of Rain Landscape LLC!!]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:14:09 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/02/box-of-rain-is-now-box-of-rain-landscape-llc.htmlOk well it's fully official once my new license comes - and I take it to the bank to change the name on the business account - after which the checks will then need to be written to Box of Rain Landscape LLC......But that should be any day now and I got my new business cards today so I got excited :) (one can also use the new Pay Pal button on the home page to pay invoices and skip the checks altogether!)
Will be sending out a announcent in the mail with copies of the new card to clients soon! But here is the new card with the new Box of Rain logo - drawn by yours truly.

]]><![CDATA[Spring Sprouts early this year!!]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:43 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/02/spring-sprouts-early-this-year1.htmlWell Cliff Mass says that if the fronts hold this weekend, he is going to start on his vegetable garden! These are the things that make me go Whooot! (He is better than that old Groundhog any day for trying to nail down your garden schedule.)

So that means the Spring clean up is ON - and early - which I really hopes translates into a normal Spring.....not like last year, coldest on record, that really was not fun and the gardens hated it.

Spring clean up does need to be done with a gentle hand though, especially in years where it starts early, so dont go nuts yet ,as it is still 6 weeks until "actual Spring":

We usually start full on Spring clean up right along with the start of the rose pruning season - which normally starts on Presidents Day, which is still 4 weeks before the Vernal Equinox and the start of actual Spring. So we are a good 5 weeks away from the usual "last frost date" right now......I would be really happy if we didn't get at least one more frost, but I also don't count my buds before they open, so I think a cautious hand would best serve my clients right now.....even though I know it is making some of them crazy to see "dead stuff" in the garden still! (and as always, I appreciate their patience and trust in me!)

For now the work is taking down the perennial foliage left up for Winter, cutting back grasses, cleaning up leaf litter left on beds to protect them through the Winter and doing only light pruning on shrubs; as in only cleaning up any Winter/snow damage they may have sustained and taking out dead branches - DONT start pruning the shrubs yet. (see my post on Sping Pruning from May of last year below) This is also the best time of year to get at the weeds.....with a warm Winter (second warmest on record for the whole country) the weeds can and will get ahead of you very quickly once the weather warms up just a little.

Flower and Garden show was also this last weekend - which is the official start of the nurseries stocking up for Spring - I think they will be stocked early this year too as they will be wanting to make up for the bad Spring last year and wont have as much fear of a late freeze. Right now there is the usual fare of primroses, potted bulbs, pansy and viola......yawn.....but this will change soon.

So if I were you I would wait until the perennials come in.....or even better check back in with the new BOX OF RAIN STORE
in March to see our container garden offerings!! (and Vertical Wall hanging plantings that we are working on right now!!)

]]><![CDATA[Spring Sprouts early this year!!]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:39 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/02/spring-sprouts-early-this-year.htmlWell Cliff Mass says that if the fronts hold this weekend, he is going to start on his vegetable garden! These are the things that make me go Whooot! (He is better than that old Groundhog any day for trying to nail down your garden schedule.)

So that means the Spring clean up is ON - and early - which I really hopes translates into a normal Spring.....not like last year, coldest on record, that really was not fun and the gardens hated it.

Spring clean up does need to be done with a gentle hand though, especially in years where it starts early, so dont go nuts yet ,as it is still 6 weeks until "actual Spring":

We usually start full on Spring clean up right along with the start of the rose pruning season - which normally starts on Presidents Day, which is still 4 weeks before the Vernal Equinox and the start of actual Spring. So we are a good 5 weeks away from the usual "last frost date" right now......I would be really happy if we didn't get at least one more frost, but I also don't count my buds before they open, so I think a cautious hand would best serve my clients right now.....even though I know it is making some of them crazy to see "dead stuff" in the garden still! (and as always, I appreciate their patience and trust in me!)

For now the work is taking down the perennial foliage left up for Winter, cutting back grasses, cleaning up leaf litter left on beds to protect them through the Winter and doing only light pruning on shrubs; as in only cleaning up any Winter/snow damage they may have sustained and taking out dead branches - DONT start pruning the shrubs yet. (see my post on Sping Pruning from May of last year below) This is also the best time of year to get at the weeds.....with a warm Winter (second warmest on record for the whole country) the weeds can and will get ahead of you very quickly once the weather warms up just a little.

Flower and Garden show was also this last weekend - which is the official start of the nurseries stocking up for Spring - I think they will be stocked early this year too as they will be wanting to make up for the bad Spring last year and wont have as much fear of a late freeze. Right now there is the usual fare of primroses, potted bulbs, pansy and viola......yawn.....but this will change soon.

So if I were you I would wait until the perennials come in.....or even better check back in with the new BOX OF RAIN STORE
in March to see our container garden offerings!! (and Vertical Wall hanging plantings that we are working on right now!!)

]]><![CDATA[Changes coming for Box of Rain!]]>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:53:29 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/01/changes-coming-for-box-of-rain.htmlBox of Rain will be making some BIG UPDATES for 2012!

Box of Rain will become Box of Rain Landscape LLC in January! (mid Feb. at the latest)
(Checks will need to be written out to the new name and we will be sending out an official email to current clients when all changes are in place)

We also will now be able to accept Debit or Credit card payments here on the website through PayPal - and you dont have to have a paypal account to use it.

We are currently working on the Box of Rain Shop on the website!
Plants and Pottery, Tools and Books - we want to sell our favorite things that we have already tested in the field and we know work, as well as make our customers aware of specials we find and can pass on for plants and pottery!

CAD design - We upgraded to CAD design last Fall so we can now do designs faster, make changes easier and can now send the design via email (as well of photos of what the garden will look like when it grows in!)

On the Horizon: I'm currently OBSESSED with vertical plantings and have been doing self study this Winter on how to achieve creating them - This Spring I am going to start creating some small "picture frame" vertical plantings and will have them for view and (hopefully) for sale Summer 2012! Check back in to see how this goes! ]]><![CDATA[Winter.....Boooo!]]>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:37:00 -0800http://boxofrainlandscape.com/1/post/2012/01/winterboooo1.html