Stinging nettle

Have you ever brushed up against a stinging nettle plant? I hear it’s quite painful. So why would anybody grow, much less consume, this plant? A plant that can deliver its own chemical cocktail via its trichomes into your body? Apparently, it has some rather interesting potential medicinal benefits.

According to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica and U. urens) “has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia”. For other general uses and precautions: http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&pid=33&gid=000275.

Dr. Andrew Weil tells us stinging nettle may also help with hay fever – something many of us seem to be battling lately. Dr. Weil says it is also used orally and topically for sprains, tendonitis, and insect bites. The latter of which seems odd to me since the plant delivers a bit of a bite itself. You can find other drug interactions and warnings from his site: https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supplements-herbs/herbs/stinging-nettle/.

In an article by Cornell University, the author claims to “gladly eat it every day it is available”, even though he does mention that rabbits and deer won’t go near it. He thinks the cooked greens are the best of all the greens and goes on to state “it tastes like chicken. Kidding – it tastes a lot like spinach, except sweeter”. You can boil, steam or stir fry the greens. Very entertaining article:  https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2018/04/06/stinging-nettles-not-just-for-breakfast-anymore/.

Well known herbalist, Susun Weed, recommends stinging nettle to “restore mood, replenish energy, and guarantee sound sleep”. She also says “there is no denser nutrition found in any plant, not even bluegreen algae”. It is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and packs a lot of calcium. http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/October08/healingwise.htm.

If you get a sting from nettle, Healthine.com recommends not touching the area for the first ten minutes. They state the chemicals are easier to remove, if they are allowed to dry on top of the skin. After cleaning the area, you can apply tape to remove “any remaining fibers” or use a “wax strip hair removal product”. Read this article for more information and potentially life threatening allergic reactions to this plant. https://www.healthline.com/health/stinging-nettle-rash#homeremedies

Since I have never been a fan of hypodermic needles, I think this is one plant I will leave to the farmers to grow, harvest, dry and bag for me. I do love the taste of a stinging nettle infusion though and drink it regularly. My sister asked me recently what it tasted like. My husband says it tastes like dirt! I’m guessing I must like the taste of dirt, because I told my sister it tastes like “a cup of sunshine and Mother Earth mixed together”.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

 Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - June 17, 2018

Growing corn at home

What vegetable do you think of most when it comes to summer picnics and family gatherings? Did you imagine sweet, buttery corn on the cob? It’s always at the top of my list.

Corn is super easy to grow at home and now is a good time to plant the seeds. Locally grown sweet corn is very flavorful and an excellent choice. However, nothing seems to compare to the juiciness and sweetness of growing your own.

If you want to produce a lot of sweet corn, you need a lot of space. Michigan State University Extension shares that if you wanted to feed a family of four all summer you would need to plant an 80 foot row of corn. Unless you have a large acreage, you probably won’t be feeding the entire clan at the family reunion this year. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/files/corn.pdf.

Most of us don’t have a lot of space for growing corn. At our house, we typically reserve enough room in the garden for six to eight corn plants each year. We then savor each bite of those ears on a special occasion.

Sweet corn is a warm season crop. There are many different varieties of sweet corn categorized according to their color, sweetness, and days to harvest. With our modest growing season, search for varieties you can harvest in 60 to 80 days.

For planting particulars, read the back of the seed packet. This will help you determine planting depth, row width, days to germination, and harvest dates. Sweet corn seeds are typically planted a little deep – one to two inches. You also may need to thin your seedlings. If you haven’t planted your corn yet, you can plant some this weekend, then again at the end of June for successive harvests later this summer.

Corn plants prefer well drained soil and consistent moisture. Their roots are very shallow and can dry out easily in our climate. Once the tassels appear, monitor the soil moisture levels regularly. Corn plants also like a lot of nitrogen. So when the plants are knee high, feed them some high quality nitrogen to give them a boost.

When to harvest your ears of corn? Once the silks turn brown and are dry, carefully peel back the top part of the husk to test a kernel. Using your thumbnail, gently pierce a kernel. If the liquid is milky, then it’s ready. If it is clear, leave it on the plant a bit longer. If there is no liquid at all, you may have gone on vacation and forgotten to ask your neighbor to harvest your corn.

Hopefully, all has gone well in the planting and harvesting stages and you are ready to eat your corn. Fill a large pot with water, add about a teaspoon of sugar, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully add the ears of corn. When the water returns to a boil, your corn is done and it’s time to enjoy!

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - June 10, 2018 

Sunny sunflowers

I love sunflowers! When I look out the window into my backyard and see those cheery faces gently swaying in the wind, I imagine they are smiling at me. They beckon me to come out and play like I did when I was a child. And who among us could not use more play time these days?

Growing sunflowers is super easy. I have grown short ones, tall ones, orange ones and yellow ones. My husband and I grew some one summer that were over ten feet tall – majestic beauties indeed.

Most sunflowers are annual plants, but Maximillian sunflower is reported to be hardy in our growing zone. I haven’t planted any new sunflowers in a long time, because they will usually re-seed themselves. They also attract a number of pollinators. Every summer, I anxiously watch and wait for the yellow finches to return. They love feeding on sunflower seeds.

The University of Minnesota Extension shares that a sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is “actually hundreds of tiny flowers clustered together. The disk flowers form the center. These flowers have both male and female components. After pollination, they produce seeds. The ‘petals’ around the disk are ray flowers”. https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/sunflowers/

You can directly sow sunflower seeds into the ground in late spring. Germination typically takes five to ten days. Remember to read the seed packet for planting depth and width.

Sunflowers like about an inch of water a week and prefer full sun. They are typically disease and pest free, although my sunflowers usually develop a case of rust later in the summer. Avoid overhead watering and increase air flow between the plants to reduce fungal growth.

If you want to bring your sunflowers indoors as cut flowers, there are some pollen-less varieties that have been developed: ‘Moonbright’, ‘Sunbright’, ‘Sunbeam’ and ‘Sunrich’. Take a container of water with you to the garden. Use a sharp knife or pair of shears to cut the stems. Immediately strip off the foliage and place them into the container.

Do you want to eat the seeds yourself instead of feeding the local birds? Cut the head of the sunflower off when the back of the flower has turned from green to yellow. Place in a dry, well-ventilated place for the seeds to reach maturity. University of Minnesota Extension states there are two popular varieties for seed production: ‘Giant Grey Stripe’ and ‘Mammoth Russian’.

You can grow sunflowers in a wide variety of colors from dark red and ivory to orange and lemon yellow. There are also dwarf sunflowers that are suitable for containers and small landscape beds.

Put on a happy face and plant some sunflowers this summer, then watch for them to smile back at you.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - June 3, 2018 

Planting the three sisters

I had a conversation recently with someone talking about the benefits of companion plantings and the Three Sisters in particular. Being wired from graduate school to always questions whether something was simply theory or research-based scientific fact, I decided it was time to investigate.

The Iroquois have been credited with this agriculture technique of planting corn, beans and squash together. Iroquois legend has it that corns, bean and squash are “precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of the Three Sisters’ spirits”. https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/pike/news/2015/three-sisters.

Most scientists and researchers shy away from the term companion planting, because it is often more theory than fact. They do, however, use terms such as intercropping and polyculture. Both methods refer to growing two or more dissimilar crops on the same piece of land simultaneously. One difference between the two terms is polyculture often aims at hosting plants that mature at different times of the growing season.

The benefits of a polyculture is in that it more closely mimics natural biodiversity in the ecosystem. This can reduce disease and insect populations, as well as potentially increasing harvest yields.

It turns out that planting squash, pole beans and corn together results in some interesting perks. The corn acts as a trellis giving the beans a place to climb. The beans provide nitrogen for the other two plants. The squash rounds out this trio’s microclimate by providing shade which can reduce weed growth and retain moisture in the soil. Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom also shares “the prickly hairs of the squash vine keep pests away”. http://aitc.okstate.edu/lessons/okstudies/3sisters.pdf.

Cornell University cautions we may have some unexpected results when using the Three Sisters method, such as a decrease in harvest due to not providing additional fertilizer and an overcrowding of plants. A detailed description of how to plant the Three Sisters based on the Iroquois custom can be found on the university website: http://gardening.cals.cornell.edu/lessons/curricula/the-three-sisters-exploring-an-iroquois-garden/how-to-plant-the-three-sisters/.

So is this method of planting theory, tradition or fact? I couldn’t find any research-based, peer-reviewed papers proving the Three Sisters planting method directly benefits the corn, beans or squash when planted together. On the other hand, polyculture plantings have been shown to be beneficial on numerous levels. Regardless of my findings, I think planting the Three Sisters would be a great activity, especially for youth and those interested in learning more about Native American culture.

For more on the legend of the Three Sisters:

https://nysipm.cornell.edu/sites/nysipm.cornell.edu/files/shared/documents/three-sisters-story.pdf.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - May 20, 2018 

Mother's Day Flowers

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who provide a warm, caring and nurturing environment for the rest of us. You are a welcome haven and a blessing to our lives!

Did you forget it was Mother’s Day? If so, it’s not too late to go pick up some flowers or a potted plant. I was curious which flowers are commonly associated with Mother’s Day. The Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) state on their website that the most desired flower on this momentous occasion is the carnation. They also relate that pink carnations “represent gratitude and love while red carnations signify admiration”. Whereas, white carnations are traditionally given or worn “in remembrance of a mother who is no longer living”. https://www.ftd.com/mothers-day-flower-guide-ctg/occasion-mothers-day-flower.

According to ProFlowers, carnations were incorporated into this tradition by the founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis. She distributed her own mother’s favorite flowers, white carnations, during a memorial service. The word carnation comes from the Greek and it means “heavenly flower”. Interestingly enough, Christian legend has it that pink carnations are believed “to have first grown from the ground where the Virgin Mary shed tears over Jesus’ death”. https://www.proflowers.com/blog/traditional-mothers-day-flowers.

Carnations are native from southern Europe to India. They are a member of the Caryophyllaceae family. Now that is a long word. Try saying it three times in a row. Their botanical name is dianthus caryophyllus. This family of plants is also known as “pinks”. The name was given not because the flowers are pink, but because the “edges of their flowers appear to have been trimmed by pinking shears”. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student%20papers/articles05/keizer,%20sarah/skeizer/skeizer.htm.

How to care for those fresh cut flowers? Cut a small portion off the end of the stem while holding the stems underwater. This will assure that no air enters the stem. Also be sure to remove excess foliage.

The University of Minnesota Extension recommends using a commercial preservative. They state adding aspirin, wine or pennies will not work. Commercially prepared floral preservatives are a mixture of sucrose, an acidifier, and inhibitory agents to protect against microorganisms.

Check the water level daily and add water with preservative as needed. Keep the flowers away from hot or cold areas. When not enjoying the flowers, you can place them in the refrigerator. http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/keeping-cut-flowers-and-flowering-plants/index.html.

Let’s wrap up this week’s article with an excerpt from a Rupert Brooke poem:

And in my flower-beds,

I think,

Smile the carnation

and the pink.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - May 13, 2018

Dry as a bone

How many people were unfortunate enough to have been attempting to drive in that awful wind and dust event last week? The Denver Post reported winds were 80 miles per hour and up. My car got smacked with tumbleweeds, an errant trashcan, and then sandblasted with gravel while I was stuck at an intersection near Brighton. I felt like I had been transported to the 1930s in Oklahoma and experiencing the Dust Bowl firsthand.

It is dry here. There is no getting around that fact. We receive approximately 14 inches of precipitation per annum, but we have not reached even that nominal amount in the past couple of years. Our semi-arid environment requires careful planning and maintenance strategies when it comes to gardening.

How do we deal with the extreme temperature changes and lack of precipitation? We xeriscape – that’s what we do. We design our landscapes in order to preserve resources while also maintaining a beautiful yard. Water in Colorado is a precious commodity, so we plan and plant accordingly.

In order to effectively use your resources, consider the type of soil you currently have, how you want to irrigate, and the type of mulch that would work within your scheme. For an overall view of your current landscape, take out a piece of paper and sketch out your house, driveway, sidewalks, and existing vegetation.

Since xeriscaping is a long term plan, you will want to think about how long you expect to reside in your home, the amount of money you want to spend, and how much time and effort you are willing to invest in maintenance.

Next, divide your yard into water usage zones, such as high, moderate and low. High usage zones are areas near a patio, for example, that are highly visible and will receive supplemental water on a regular basis. Moderate usage areas will receive supplemental water when plants show the beginning signs of drought stress. Low usage zones only receive natural rainfall.

After you have completed your drawing, refer to these wonderful fact sheets from Colorado State University Extension. . Xeriscaping: Trees and Shrubs - 7.229, Xeriscaping: Ground Cover Plants - 7.230 and Xeriscaping: Annuals and Perennials - 7.231. Here’s the link for the first one: http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/xeriscaping-trees-and-shrubs-7-229/

Make a wish list of the plants you want to include in your landscape. Lay a piece of tracing paper on top of your drawing, then sketch in the plants. Each year, you can add a few extra plants to your design.

For additional inspiration, take a walk through the xeriscape garden located in the parking lot of the George Di Ciero City and County building, near the intersection of Descombes Drive and Spader Way. This lovely garden is always open and free to the public.

Despite the lack of precipitation we receive here in Colorado, you can still have beautiful, desirable plants in your yard and kick the tumbleweeds and cactus to the curb. It just requires a little knowledge and planning.

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - April 22, 2018

Gardening with kids

If you read my column regularly, then you know I am all about bringing people and plants together. Whether it be through gardening, healthy eating, or alternative and complementary therapies, my world revolves around plants. Realizing I normally target the adults when writing, I thought it was high time to write an article about gardening with children. Kids are people too!

I have personal hands-on experience working with the youth at the Salvation Army in Broomfield. The Birch Community Garden sits on the Salvation Army’s property. This past summer, we would take the kids into the garden each week for education and fun. Their faces would light up with excitement every single time.

According to Michigan State University Extension “young children can practice locomotor skills, body management skills and object control skills while they move from one place to the other carrying tools, soil and water”. Fine motor skills are also developed through grasping objects such as a spade, rake or tiny seeds. We all know that spending time outdoors getting some fresh air and being in touch with nature is good for us. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/gardening_with_young_children_helps_their_development.

Other positive aspects of youth in the garden include sensory stimulation. Children can water plants or learn about the process of growing their own food. By asking the youth questions and engaging the kids with the various stages of planting, growing and harvesting edible plants, cognitive development is enhanced.

Bonding with children in the garden will help them create memories and possibly a lifelong love of growing things. Tending to live plants can develop qualities such as responsibility, independence, leadership, empathy, teamwork and problem solving.

The University of New Hampshire Extension gives us a few ideas. A small raised bed about three feet by three feet is a good size for a young gardener. Involve the kids in planning and planting the garden. For very young children, focus on growing plants that have big seeds, such as sunflowers, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin and squashes. For the older children, try plants they can eat, such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, and herbs. https://ceinfo.unh.edu/Community-Gardens/Gardening-Children.

Another idea from UNH is to plant a pizza garden “grown in the shape of a wheel with each wedge planted with a pizza ingredient”. Or try a rainbow garden, where the kids choose plants that represent all of the colors of the rainbow. For example, red salvia, yellow marigolds, green curly parsley, blue petunias, etc. You can take the children to your local nursery to pick out the seed packets.

Based on my experience with children and gardening, they don’t care if they are pulling weeds or planting seeds. Watering was always a highly prized task. The kids happily carried bags of soil, dug in the dirt, spread mulch, looked for pests, and harvested. Child size gloves and tools are helpful.

If you don’t have the room or time to build a raised plot, then purchase some inexpensive planter pots to sit on your patio or balcony. Small bush type edible plants, such as cherry tomatoes or cucumbers, as well as most herbs will do well in containers.

Make gardening a family affair this year. Your kids will love it!

Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

Article originally published in Broomfield Enterprise - April 15, 2018