Spring is here and it is the time of year to start planning and planting your vegetable garden! One of the most beloved vegetables  you can plant is the potato! Potatoes are low in calories and fat, but also high in potassium, vitamins and minerals.  I suggest you incorporate some potatoes into your vegetable garden this spring! I will cover the basics of what you need to know to get your seed potatoes started with some FAQ’s:

• What is a “seed potato”?  A seed potato is a sections of a tuber 1.5-25 ounces in size, just the perfect size to allow enough energy for the seed to start, they are not actual seeds like a bean seed for example.
• Can I buy potatoes from a store and cut them into pieces where I see sprouts? This is not recommended as the potatoes you purchase from the grocery store are not certified disease free. Seed potatoes you purchase from a company such as www.hollandbulbfarms.com are certified disease free.
• When should I plant my seed potatoes? Seed potatoes should be planted after the danger of frost has passed in spring, as a freeze (temps under 32 degrees Fahrenheit) will kill them. Also if the soil is too damp or cold in spring they are more likely to rot.
• Where should I plant my seed potatoes? Seed potatoes should be planted in an area that receives full sun, at least 8-10 hours per day. Make sure to incorporate organic matter before planting, as potatoes need well drained soil to grow properly.  Seed potatoes can also be planted in a large container if you do not have room for them in the garden.
• How to plant my seed potatoes? Since you have amended your soil with organic matter you have already completed the first step. You will want to apply a complete 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet. Work the soil well by turning over with a shovel or spade, or rototilling. Space the seeds 12” apart leaving 24” between rows. Plant them 2-3” inches with the eyes faces up.  When the sprouts are about 6” high you will want to hill soil around them, the hills should be about 6” high and 1 foot wide. Hilling soil around them prevents light from reaching them which produces green potatoes, which are inedible.
• When can I harvest my potatoes? New potatoes will be ready about 10 weeks after planting. After harvesting store them in a dark, warm place for a week or so, to allow them to cure. Do not wash them before storage or they will not last.
• Do I need to cut my seed potatoes into smaller sections or can I plant them whole? Cutting the seed potatoes into smaller sections is recommended prior to planting, you can do it right before planting or a couple days before, either way is fine. You will want to cut the whole potatoes into 1.5-2″ sections for best results.

Before your plant your potatoes you should decide what type of potato you would like to grow. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Source: la fleur au Cacao

Best For Your Health: All Blue Seed Potatoes blue and purple seed potatoes are high in anit-oxidants as well as anthocyanin’s, which can help to fight off diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease.  A serving of blue or purple potatoes is 6% of your daily amount of iron.  Research by the USDA found that potatoes with the darkest colors have more than 4 times the the antioxidant potential than those with lighter skin and flesh. This variety is good for roasting and baking.

Best for Roasting: Peanut Fingerling Potatoes This is an heirloom species that boasts a nutty potato flavor. It stores well, with the average yield time of 115 days after planting. Great for baking, roasting or frying.

Best for Soups and Salads: Rose Finn Apple Fingerling Potatoes  This variety can be boiled and works best when used as a thickening agent for purees, soups, sauces and gravies. It’s firm yellow flesh and rosy skin also make it great for roasting as well as for salads.

Best for Baking: Brown Goldrush Russet Seed Potatoes stores well and matures in 110-120 days and is the BEST potato for making baked potatoes! Add some low-fat cottage cheese and chives for a tasty yet healthy addition to your baked potato.

If you haven’t grown seed potatoes before try it out potatoes fresh from the garden are indescribable! A 5 pound package of seed potatoes will yield 50-75 lbs of potatoes that is a lot money you can save by digging in the dirt for your food!

Till we garden again,

Lynn Arndt
Certified Horitculturist – Guest Blogger

Spring has arrived…we think. It sure is hard to know these days, isn’t it? Here in the Midwest, we’ve experienced temperatures as low as 3 degrees F and as high as 80, all within the last month! One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received lately has to do with the growth habits of spring-blooming bulbs, especially those of tulips. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from gardeners “My tulips are beautiful, but I expected them to be much taller!” over the past few weeks. So what is the problem with tulips this year?

Tulip bulbs, like most other fall-planted bulbs such as hyacinth, daffodils, and allium, require a “chilling period” of anywhere from 8-16 weeks with temperatures consistently 55 degrees F or below. If any of these bulbs fail to receive the adequate amount of chilling or have an interruption of warmth during this chilling period, the process within the bulb that produces the bloom is thrown a bit off. Considering that over 75% of the United States had average temperatures at least 5 degrees ABOVE normal during January 2012 alone (check out this map provided in an article appearing in Times Union), many bulbs (as well as other plants) did not receive a typical “winter”. Unfortunately, in the case of tulips, this can mean the difference between a plant reaching its appropriate height while producing a beautiful bloom and it growing with only a weak display of a few sparse leaves with a shortened flower stem. Therefore, while it’s not a fun conclusion to come to, it should not be extremely surprising that many tulips are not performing as expected this spring season considering the “winter” many parts of the country did, or rather did not, receive.

So they say knowledge is power, right? Now that we maybe understand why this happened, what can we as gardeners do about it? Unfortunately, the answer is not much. Considering the lack of control we have over the weather conditions and patterns, there is no way to create an artificial environment for your plants and bulbs planted outdoors unless you were somehow able to encapsulate your entire landscape in the confines of a bubble, similar to the houses the Jetsons resided in. The best thing you can do for you tulips is give them patience, keeping in mind that even though their show may be less than satisfactory this year, they still need to progress through the stages of sprouting, blooming, and then entering into dormancy. This means leaving the foliage in the ground until it has dried and browned to a point when it can be easily removed from the bulb without causing any uprooting. This will allow the plant to continue to make food for the bulb, encouraging lush growth and blooms for the following season. Once they complete their cycle this spring and summer, they will (hopefully) receive a proper fall and winter this coming year and return bigger and better than ever in the spring of 2013.

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

P.S. Feel like you missed out on the spring show of bulbs this year due to the odd weather? Why not try some spring-planted bulbs and enjoy blooms this summer!

And that completes this year’s Homegrown Recipe Contest! Congratulations again to all of our winners!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

Congrats again to Kyle and Roxanne! Be watching tomorrow for the third place-winning recipes…

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

Today is the day we promised the big announcement of our winners! We are pleased to present the following winners in each of the two categories:

Congratulations to all of the winners! Both first place winners will be receiving a $100 shopping spree to Holland Bulb Farms, the second place winners a $50 shopping spree and the third place winners a $25 shopping spree. So winners, be sure to be watching your email for more information on how to claim your prize. Now that’s a good way to jump start your spring planting!

Today I’ll be featuring both of our grand prize winners’ recipes. Tomorrow, watch for the second place recipes and then the third place winners’ will have theirs featured in a blog post on Saturday. Lots of delicious creations to make this weekend!

So there you have it! The grand prize winners of the 2012 Homegrown Recipe Contest. Again, don’t forget to check back tomorrow and Saturday for the other winning recipes…you won’t want to miss them! I am already excited about next year’s contest!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

Balsamic Tomatoes and Cream Cheese Dip submitted by Cara Firestone of Austin, TX

Chicken Wrapped Asparagus submitted by Kellie Foglio or Salem, MA

Baked Garlic Kale Chips submitted by Cara Firestone of Austin, TX

Fresh Strawberry Meringue Roulade by Barbara Engelhart of Bloomfield Hills, MI

Berry Crumble Pie submitted by Hidemi Walsh of Plainfield, IN

Can’t wait to try even more! Stay tuned for when we announce the winners on Thursday, March 1st!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

Here at the Bulb Blog and Holland Bulb Farms, we busy re-creating all of the wonderful entries we received from the 2012 Homegrown Recipe Contest. Even though the contest officially ended last Friday, I thought I’d share with you one of the entries we’ve found recently to be truly delightful! This unique salad recipe comes to us from Kyle in Boulder, Colorado. It is fairly easy to execute and is a perfect taste of summer on for a dreary February day.

Thanks again, Kyle for your submission! Be watching your email for your $10.00 off coupon to Holland Bulb Farms! Perhaps you can use it to buy some watermelon seeds to grow in your own yard We’ll be announcing the winners of the contest next Thursday, March 1st and I’ll be featuring all of the winning recipes for my readers to try. Don’t forget to check back!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

If you’re anything like me, the thought of digging up a bulb during the fall months and keeping it somewhere safe until spring is a bit daunting. Will I do it? Yes, but it doesn’t particularly top my list of fave “to-do’s”. So for this week’s 3 x 3 Garden Trio, I decided to focus on some of the best-loved perennials…plants that will keep coming back despite the icky winter weather we can get here in the Midwest (although we haven’t seen much of it this year). This is a wonderful trio for those of you who have larger garden beds located in sunny areas and are looking for some low maintenance plants to fill in over the next few years. The bright colors and varying textures of this trio play off of each other adding quite the accent to your landscape. An additional benefit of this grouping is that all three are known to attract butterflies and even a few hummingbirds!  The three amazing plants in the following garden layouts are Black-Eyed Susans, Liatris, and Fireball Monarda.

Black-Eyed Susans (5 total plant starts)

Well-known by gardeners and nature observers alike, the simply beauty and everlasting cheerfulness of the Black-eyed Susans are unmistakeable. The blooms are long-lasting whether left to enjoy in the landscape or cut to be enjoyed in a crystal vase. Growing 18-30″ tall, the foliage of this plant creates a nice mounding habit and provides an attractive backdrop for the bright orange-yellow blooms. This particular variety of the Black-eyed Susans is perfect for the “mid-height” ranged of any garden bed in a sunny spot.

Liatris (10 total bulbs)

One of the tried and truest “prairie-type” perennials, the Liatris plant is a great textural addition to this trio with its vertical flower stalks and pineapple-like foliage. The height of this plant in its maturity (topping out at 36″ tall) makes it perfect for the backdrop of any sun perennial garden. The vibrant purple of its blooms are sure to catch the eye even when used in a property line berm or garden bed. A favorite of honeybees, butterflies, and hummingbirds!

Fireball Monarda (7 total plant starts)

A smaller version of its parent plant, the Fireball Monarda couldn’t be more perfect in this garden trio. Typically reaching no more than 18″ tall, this plant fits in the foreground of this trio with ease. This plant loves just about any kind of soil and can get by with a little less water than normal. A vigorous grower, the Monarda produces bright fiery red blooms which can be seen from quite a distance. One of hummingbirds’ favorite sources of nectar!

Garden Layout #1: Rectangular Bed

The tall height of the Liatris makes it a wonderful backdrop in this rectangular garden bed layout. Space the (10) liatris bulbs evenly in a diagonal pattern along the back half of the bed, approx. 12″ apart. Place the black-eyed Susan plant starts just below the soil surface diagonally in front of the liatris a bit further apart (15-18″ or so). Arrange the monarda to then fill in the space between the black-eyed susans and the front edge of the bed, planting them again just below the soil surface. This should fill a bed approximately 40-50 square feet in area.

Garden Layout #2: Berm Bed

As I mentioned earlier, the bright vibrant bloom colors of these three amazing plants make them excellent selections for flowerbeds or planting areas viewed from a distance, such as those in a berm or along a property line. The other characteristic of these plants which make them ideal for this application is that they are all somewhat “drought-tolerant” so can stand to be watered less often…this means less time dragging the house out to those “far reach” corners of your yard! In this layout, I wanted to show how they can easily be tucked into existing planting beds to add some color to an otherwise boring part of the landscape. Again, start with the tallest plants (the liatris) in the back, the black-eyed susans in the middle, and the monarda filling in along the front. This planting layout should be viewed simply as a guide since the location of your existing plants/trees and the shape of the bed can vary greatly depending on your particular situation.

Garden Layout #3: Circular Tree Bed

This trio is ideal for planting around a tall-growing tree since the taller height of the liatris will not be dwarfed by the massiveness of the mature (or not-so-mature) tree in the center. Start by placing the liatris approximately 8-12″ apart around the base of the tree, leaving at least 8″ of space between the center of the bulbs and the bark of the tree. Place the (5) black-eyed susans around the latris in a star pattern as shown on the diagram. Then again fill in with the monarda between the black-eyed susans and the bed edge. This layout should cover a circular bed at least 7′ in diameter.

New introductions to the landscape can definitely be fun and exciting, but there is a reason why some of them have stood the test of time. Hopefully this 3×3 Garden gave you some ideas for ways to use those tried and true perennials of the “sunny garden world”. Like the others, this trio collection is available for 50% off from Holland Bulb Farms. Chick here and get started now!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

P.S. TODAY is your LAST CHANCE to enter the 2012 Homegrown Recipe Contest! We’ve received some amazing entries so far but would love to have even more! Submit yours here today before it’s too late!

Ever since jumping on Pinterest this summer, I’ve been inspired to create a miniature succulent garden. I’ve seen so many neat examples of how to incorporate succulents into your indoor lifestyle. For example, using a shadowbox and a frame to put together living artwork, a succulent necklace, hanging succulents in glass bulbs and so on. The inspiration on Pinterest is constantly flowing.

So, finally after longing to bring some life to my cold, dreary February, I decided to go for it. First, I went to our local craft store and picked up a shallow glass bowl and some decorative rocks. Then, I made a trip to a local garden center to pick out three succulents and some cactus-succulent potting soil to create my own living oasis. When picking out these succulents, I chose three types that were different heights, shapes, and textures.

When I got home I broke out the soil on my kitchen floor to begin. I first added rocks to the bottom of the bowl to help with drainage. Second I filled in some potting soil. Next, I took the two taller succulents and grouped them with each other in the back. Then I took the smaller, rose-like succulents and scattered them about in the front – trying to make the garden look natural. Lastly, I added some more potting soil and placed some more rocks on top to complete the look.

I also did some research on succulents, since I’ve never grown them before. It’s important that you get the correct potting soil and provide good drainage, as succulents do not like to sit in water because they store water inside. I watered mine right away when I was done, but then intend to wait until the soil is very dry again before watering again. It is important to make sure to provide plenty of sun – though it is best not to leave them in direct sun as they will scorch. You can easily tell if you’ve over-watered or provided too much sun by looking at the plants. If they become pale or the edges curl, they are being over-watered. If you start seeing brown spots, move them further from their light source.

It seems pretty hard to kill succulents, and I hope this is true since I’m a newbie to the gardening world. What other ways do you bring life indoors while surviving the long winter?

P.S. Check out this other blog about Outdoor Living Inspiration, they are also featuring this succulent garden as their Weekend Do-It-Yourself Project!

So last week I mentioned that I was looking forward to this particular “3×3 Garden” as it contains two of my most favorite things in the summer garden: dahlias and the color purple! So if you’re like me and have a “passion for purple”, then this combination might be just what you and your partial to full sun spot need! This is also a great trio for those of you who share my love for enjoying fresh flowers in the house as all three of these charmers make excellent cut flowers. The vibrancy of the purple dahlias are a perfect complement to the striking pinks of the smaller plants in this trio. The three amazing plants in the following garden layouts are the Lipstick Calla Lily, the Jan Van Schaeffelaar Pompon Dahlia, and the Purple Gem Cactus Dahlia.

Lipstick Calla Lily (9 total corms)

The color of this little beauty couldn’t be more perfect in this combination, nor could the name be more fitting. Truly reminiscent of a classic pink lipstick color, these callas lilies have a gorgeous, almost honeysuckle color to them with a noticeable yellow stamen in the center of each. Topping out at just 16″ tall, these border-type plants fit nicely around and underneath the larger foliage of the dahlias. Like the other plants in this grouping, this one can handle a little bit of shade so a partially sunny location is ideal.

Jan Van Schaeffelaar Pompon Dahlia (6 total tubers)

The bright pink color and tightly-growing petals of the Jan Van Schaeffelaar Pompon Dahlia are two delightful qualities of this plant. This has got to be one of my favorite dahlias (despite the dreadfully long name ). I just love the round blooms it produces and feels it adds a very cheery touch to this garden combination. This one grows 24-36″ tall on extremely sturdy stems which makes it great for cutting and planting in containers.

Purple Gem Cactus Dahlia (3 total tubers)

Texture. Texture. Texture! That’s what this plant’s role is all about in this trio. The rounded edges of the calla lily and pompon dahlia’s petals create a very subdued, relaxed feeling when all of a sudden Kazam!… the radiating, vibrant purple petals of the cactus dahlia stick straight out from the center and make a statement. Sometimes growing as tall as 60″, the Purple Gem Dahlia craves attention as it stands above the rest and puts on a show. Again, great for cutting and handling small amounts of shade, there is sure to be an application for this beauty in your yard.

Garden Layout #1: Circular Garden Bed or Round Container

The tall height of the Cactus Dahlia make them an excellent focal point in a circular-shaped garden area. Begin by placing the (3) Purple Gem Dahlia tubers in the center of the bed in a triangular-shaped pattern, approximately 12-18″ apart leaving them enough room for the lush foliage which grows towards the base of the dahlia plant. Leave approximately 12″ of soil between them and the next dahlias, placing the (6) Pink Pompon Dahlias around them in a circle, also leaving 12″ or so between each. Finish off the layout by placing the (9) Lipstick Calla corms around the dahlias to form a border, leaving 6-8″ of space between each. This should cover a circular bed which is at least 60-72″ in diameter.

Garden Layout #2: Rectangular Garden Bed

This layout would be perfect for planting along a  straight-walled structure as the towering habit of the Purple Gem Dahlias makes an excellent screen or cover to break up a boring wall or fence. Place the Purple Gems towards the back and center of the bed, arranging them in a stretched obtuse triangle pattern as shown in the diagram, leaving approximately 18″ between each. Then place the Pompon Dahlias slightly in front of but also among the Purple Gems in two groups of three, spacing them at about 12″. The (9) Lipstick Callas should then be used to form a border of sorts in front of the dahlias, spacing them 6-8″ apart in a diagonal pattern.

Garden Layout #3: Half Circle Garden Bed

Since these bulbs don’t need a full day of direct sunlight, they can work perfect in a partially shaded bed under a light-filtering tree or other structure. Place the (3) Purple Gem Cactus dahlia around the base of the tree, again leaving 12-18″ of space between them. Continue by planting the pompon dahlias again in two separate “triangle” shapes among the large cactus dahlias. Finish the bed off by filling in the rest of the area, placing the calla corms in a diagonal pattern along the border.

Ah yes. These combinations are truly my favorites. This trio collection is also available for 50% off from Holland Bulb Farms which will make it easy for you to try in your own garden! Click here and check it out! Next week’s trio contains some of the best-loved perennials…great for those of us in the colder climates!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,