Maine Garden Ideas
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        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
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        • How to Grow Onions
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Variegated Pink Sedum Brightens Fall Gardens

9/27/2015

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Picture
I've never been a fan of sedum before, probably because I had never seen them up close when they are in bloom before. I discovered this delightful sedum during a visit to the cemetery and couldn't resist taking a few shots of it. It is definitely going on my list of flowers for my perennial bed for next year.

I'm not sure what variety this is, but I'd love to find the same variety for my garden. If you can identify the variety, please drop me a line.


                                                                             Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!
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Maine Wildflowers: Purple Asters

9/18/2015

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Wildflowers: Purple Asters
Wildflowers: Purple Asters by Nannette Richford
I added these delightful little purple asters to my garden a few years ago. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure they survived this year, until I discovered them hiding out amidst the foliage of my Golden Glow. What a pleasant surprise to find these bright flowers in bloom as other flowers have faded. Luckily for me, one of the plants has produced vibrant pink flowers, too. 

I found them growing wild along an old dirt road near my home and transplanted them to my garden several years ago. If you are interested in transplanting wildflowers to your garden, dig them up in the fall and tuck them into the bed about 6 weeks before the ground freezes in your area. This gives the roots time to form before cold weather strikes. They will return in the spring as soon as warm weather arrives.



                                                                          Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!

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Orange Nasturtiums

9/17/2015

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orange nasturtiums
Photo by Nannette Richford
If you look closely, you can seed the tiny nasturtium seed in the center of this flower. I never gave it a lot of thought before, but I assumed the seed formed after the bloom faded. If you are the ambitious sort, you can gather the seeds (after the petals fall, of course) and replant them next year.


If your nasturtiums are a hybrid, the seeds will not produce true to the parent, but you may get some interesting varieties this way. I intend to pick the seeds and save them for next year. 



                                                                                  Until Next Time . . . Happy Gardening!

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Happy Alien Orchids - What a hoot!

9/11/2015

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Happy Alien Orchid
Happy Alien Orchid by Butterfly voyages/ Creative Commons via Wikipedia
This quirky little orchid is sure to brighten anyone's day looking for all the world like a Happy Alien come down to pay a visit. Don't be fooled. These orchids really exist in the chilly climate at the tip of South America. Some claim they look like colorful penguins - but whether you lean towards aliens or penguins is of little consequence, these flowers will put a smile on your face.

                                                         Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!
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Black Krim Heirloom Tomato Review

9/9/2015

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Black Krim Tomatoes
Black Krim Tomatoes
I was excited to grow Black Krim tomatoes this year in the garden. I had heard that these heirloom tomatoes had exceptional flavor and texture. To be honest with you, I was disappointed. The tomatoes are very mild and not what I expected. I like the kick of acidity in my tomatoes that transforms a sandwich from ordinary to one bursting with flavor. Black Krim doesn't do that for me.

Don't get me wrong. They are good, but I prefer a tomato with a little tartness. I have combined some of my Black Krim tomatoes with my Early Girls for canning and they work well together. I used them in chili base. They Black Krim added some deeper color to the finished sauce and I think their mildness enhanced the flavor.

For sandwiches or eating fresh, I wouldn't choose Black Krim. If you like a mild tomato with low acidity Black Krim is worth a try, but don't expect a burst of tart tomato flavor from this tomato.

I started mine from seed inside this spring and they germinated well and produced healthy plants. They do tend to be heavy, so if you try Black Krim make sure to stake them well. I didn't have any issues with insects or disease and they began to produce vine-ripe tomatoes in late August. While some of the tomatoes were large tomatoes with several lobes, many were small and well-formed globes that grew in clusters of 6 or 8 tomatoes. I did notice that the stems tended to crack and break easily, but I attribute that to inadequate staking.

I'm not sure if I will grow them again next year.



                                                                   Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!



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    For more nature photography, check out my photography site.

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Photo used under Creative Commons from MyArtfulLife
  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • Grow Your Own Amazing Pomato Plant - Tomatoes on the Top and Potatoes on the Bottom
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
      • Control Blister Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables