Plant of the Month

Rosemary

This fragrant, woody, perennial herb is commonly used in Mediterranean dishes. Originally from Asia and the Mediterranean, rosemary is able to withstand droughts and cool climates.

It is easier to grow a rosemary plant from a cutting. The proper way to do this goes as follows:

1.      Snip 2 inch cutting from the new growth of an established plant.

2.      Remove the leaves from the bottom inch and place into a moist, fertilized soil.

3.      Place the container in a warm spot with indirect sunlight.

4.      Mist the cuttings daily and make sure the soil does not dry out.

5.      In about 2-3 weeks, test for root growth by very gently tugging on the cuttings.

6.      Once the cuttings have roots, transplant into individual pots about 3-4 inches in diameter.

7.      Pinch off the very top of the cutting to encourage it to develop branches.

Once you have your rosemary plant, make sure it has full sun, well-drained soil and a pH of 6-7.

Winter Growing

While some growers cease planting during the winter, we're still growing strong, preparing for our spring plant sales. I spent Saturday afternoon taking dozens of cuttings of herbs and potting up plantlets of popular house plants. The greenhouse was nice and cozy compared to the outside, although it was still a bit chilly. 

Vicks, chocolate mint, lavender, rosemary and oregano cuttings

Anyways, with luck we should have tons of herbs that are a decent size for the first spring plant sale. And if they don't strike or grow fast enough, there's always aloe vera. Everyone loves aloe!

And we have lots of spider plants on hand as well. This time around, we have multiple varieties - the traditional white-striped leaf type along with the darker green cultivar and the green-striped leaf kind. Hopefully the winter won't be too cold and we'll have a good number of nice-sized plants for the sale. Venus flytraps will probably be sold towards the end of March, when it's warmer and they are exiting their winter dormancy. 

Green Roof Update

We haven't talked much about the green roof lately, but that's not because we haven't been doing anything with it! On the contrary, we went up there about 3 weeks ago and used pruning shears to cut back the tall grass to a few inches.

Notice the tall grass towards the back

Even with 10 people we were still unable to clear all 7 beds; we finished about 4 beds and will be back to complete the job before winter break.

Low-cut and ready for seeding