The Sun Flower

What a beauty!

 Bloom’n today is the Sunflower. The sunflower is a tall, course annual herb that resembles a colossal daisy. Commercially it is one of the most important herbs in the world today. From the point of view of the gardener, growing sunflowers is an enjoyable occupation. When the plants are young their heads will turn to face the sun every morning. There are many varieties, including some that do not produce seed. Sunflowers grow very well in mild, organic fertilizers, and they have few insect pests, so seldom need to be sprayed. Sunflowers will grow successfully on any land that will produce a field of corn. Seeds need to be planted at least three or four feet apart, four giant heads. But for production of seed, space them more closely. As the plant matures, the head will grow heavy and the stalks may need some support. In a small garden sunflowers should be planted in the back or along the perimeter of the property. Sunflowers can be harvested as soon as the backs of the seed heads are brown, and dry. At this time, the inner rows are ripe, but need drying. To harvest, cut off the heads with about a foot of the stalk attached. The stalks are tied together, and the heads hung in an airy loft or barn to dry. When throughly dry, remove the seeds by rubbing the heads lightly. If stored in air tight containers, their food content and vitamins will stay in good condition for a long time. Sunflowers are especially attractive to the smaller seed-eating birds such as goldfinches and chickadees, which will harvest the seeds themselves. Humming birds will visit them for nectar and small insects

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The Apple Tree

Beautiful spring bloom

The Apple tree was first cultivated in Europe for more than 2,000 years. The apple was introduced to the Untied States soon after the Europeans first arrived. Some popular varieties are, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Jonathan, and York to name a few.
As funny as it sounds fall and winter time is the best time to plant and maintain your apple tree. Fall planting is best when the trees are about 1-2 years old, and 5ft tall. Planting after the leaves have fallen, from late October into early November. Young trees withstand the shock of transplanting best when they are dormant. By planting the trees before the ground freezes, some new growth of the roots will take place at once and the trees will have a good start on the season when spring comes. Apples will grow in almost any soil, but do best in a clay loam. A general rule is that they thrive in soils suited to common cereals and potatoes.
To pick a tree with the best qualities; vitamin C content, and taste. The Baldwin is awesome type for cooking (pies and applesauce), where Northern Sky is an excellent eating dessert apple.
Set your trees 40 feet apart and between the rolls. Make holes for them just big enough to accommodate the root development. Set the trees and inch lower in the ground then they sat at the nursery; a young tree will not root any deeper by deep planting. Trees of at least 2 varieties should be planted within 50ft of one another, because of pollination of one variety by the pollen from another is usually required for the trees to bear fruit.
When Apple trees are well maintained; properly pruned and fed, they may blossom and bear fruit for 30 to 50 years. To rejuvenate an old, neglected tree, begin by removing all dead wood, broken limbs and suckers. The second year, thin the regular wood and cut all limbs that grow toward the center of the tree. Continue to prune and shape the tree during the winter of each succeeding year. (The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Smyser Steve, 1978 Rodale Press, p.46-49)

Good luck, and happy growing to you!

Welcome to Blooms N Things…The Birds and the Bee’s

In the 1950s, Sir Albert Howard, a British agricultural scientist, began to express concerns in his writings a natural and whole concept of plant and animal husbandry. “Town wastes, should be returned to the soil as compost. The slow but devastating erosion of good lands everywhere could be stopped, if we let Nature be our teacher,” said Sir Albert. Then the seed of organic gardening had been planted, and took root on every continent.
In the early years as what become known as the organic movement, growth was slow. Soon though, here and there a few conservation minded people became impressed with Sir Albert’s reasoning and began trying to teach his ideas to others.
In this blog I will share some of his ideas, how to plant, cultivate, fertilize, and harvest some popular garden items. Hoping the posts here will help you identify plants, cure plant disease, and prevent insect attacks. Helping you solve your gardening problems, and maybe discover something interesting about new plants.
I sincerely hope you enjoy your time here, and thanks for reading,

Melody Smith