Gardening: Keeping It Simple with Tulips and Greens
Written by Crystal Voorhees
It’s almost spring! How do we know? We observe signs of it all around us in the cherry tree blossoms and the stores with blooming tulips for sale.
Growing tulips at home has been sought after since the Ottoman Empire in Europe. They are thought to be native to the Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia (Dutch Review) and actually need stress like freezing temperatures to continue to bloom. What does this mean for you? If you buy bulbs in the fall and plant them you may only get blooms the following spring. Here’s the key: when done blooming and the greens of the leaves begin to die off, they gain energy for next season’s blooms through photosynthesis. Once the leaves turn from green to brown, dig them up (if you live in climate with mild winters). I like to store tulips in the garage inside of small empty pots with their tag, this way I know which color and type they are. When there are signs of spring it’s time to plant the tulips. They can be planted in the ground when it’s workable or in pots and either way, I have more success with a sprinkle of bulb fertilizer. Enjoy their softly scented, boldly colored symmetrical beauty!
What about growing something that is good to eat, like your own fresh greens?
Things like bean sprouts, lettuce, bok choy, & kale are greens. The easiest way to do this is to sow seeds in a sunny location in a pot outside your door. Make sure your pot has drainage holes. Start your seeds in seed starting mix or in potting soil if in a pot. If growing in the ground, then plant in a mixture of compost and natural soil.
The key with greens is that they don’t love hot sun. They are typically cold weather crops, but can grow in partial shade in the heat of summer. I like to start my greens inside and gradually transition them to the wind and outside temperatures. The reason for this is that they sprout much faster indoors and the birds cannot eat your seed. If you must sow outside, I recommend covering with mesh netting or fabric to aid the germination process (and keep the birds away). Greens grow quickly and can be planted in succession every three weeks, as needed.
Did you know that you can cut leaf lettuce straight across like a flat top haircut and it will keep growing back? My friend Vic taught me that not many years ago; isn’t God amazing? We can just go out with scissors and hack the top off of lettuce and it’s resilient enough to keep at it!
For those of you who have no workable outside space, you can still grow fresh greens. You can sprout greens in a jar on a window sill. There are neat screw on lids for canning jars that are made for sprout growing (check it out here). Growing sprouts in a jar takes rinsing twice a day and they grow in about a week. Here are some things to grow as sprouts: mung beans (hello Pho soup), brassica seeds like cabbage, broccoli, and kale. Use sprouts in sandwiches, wraps, or in soup.
Photo credit: A Couple Cooks, How to Grow Bean Sprouts
I wish you well in your venture of growing your own greens and adding beauty to your place!
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