Colleen's Organic Gardening Blog

"I grew lettuce this spring, and I really enjoyed picking salads right out of my garden whenever I wanted one. Of course, once it got hot, all of my lettuce sent up flower stalks. Is there any way I can still grow lettuce, even when it's hot outside? It frequently gets into the mid-80's here during the summer."

The short answer is yes, you can. You will need to do a few important things to guarantee success.

1. Plant heat-resistant varieties. There are several really tasty, heat-tolerant varieties of lettuce. Here are a few of my favorites:
   • Black Seeded Simpson
   • Grand Rapids
   • Saladbowl
   • Red Sails
   • Ermosa
   • Lolla Rossa
2. Keep lettuce out of hot afternoon sun. You can either do this by placing shade cloth over the area of the garden in which you are growing lettuce, or select a spot that gets afternoon shade and plant your lettuce there, either in the ground or in a container.


3. Don't let your lettuce dry out. Lettuce is comprised of nearly 95% water, and requires steady moisture to grow well. Generally, we recommend watering deeply and infrequently, but lettuce is one of those crops that seems to do well with frequent waterings, especially since they are shallow-rooted plants

For more about growing lettuce, check out my Complete Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce.

Thanks for the great question!

Researchers at the University of Bristol and University College London found that a beneficial soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, activated a group of neurons that produce serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that produces feelings of calm and happiness, and is produced by several foods and activities, including chocolate and aerobic exercise. Low levels of serotonin are often the suspected culprit in clinical depression.

In the study, which has been published in the latest issue of Neuroscience, mice who were treated with Mycobacterium vaccae altered their behavior much in the same way as mice who are treated with antidepressant drugs.

Again, science is proving what we already suspected: that the time we spend in our garden contributes more than just a pretty landscape and fresh produce for the table. It gives us an improved outlook on life, thanks to regular exercise that comes from digging, weeding, and mowing; the mood-lifting benefits of spending time in the fresh air and sunshine; and a happier disposition thanks to one of the many millions of denizens that inhabit our soil.

Photo by anitapatterson.

• Dee at Red Dirt Rambling shares the less pretty side of gardening by showing us her compost pile in her post, Compost: The Dirty Underbelly of Gardening. She sums it up perfectly when she says:

  Ugly? Dirty? Yes. But, look at the beauty it helps create.

• Kitchen Gardeners International has a quick, informative post about proper watering techniques.


• Kylee at Our Little Acre has a fantastic post about a moth I wish I had in my own garden, the Hummingbird Moth. Check out her post, Plant Monarda and They Will Come.


• Over at Compost Guy, Bentley has a post up that will be a huge help to anyone who finds themselves with more food waste than places to compost it in. Check out his post, Garbage Gardening for a smart solution to creating more space to compost.

• Katie from GardenPunks wrote a post about what happens when you garden organically and embrace the wildlife in your garden in her post, Buzzing.


• Dee from Red Dirt Ramblings wrote a very informative post in which she outlined Five Good Reasons to Deadhead.


• The Cheap Vegetable Gardener wrote an important post about an often overlooked topic, How to Water Your Garden.


• Michelle Owens from Garden Rant spoke to the potato-lover in me when she posted her Love Song for the Potato.


• Carol from May Dreams Gardens wrote a post about the unappreciated beauty of vegetable gardens in her post Pretties? I Take Umbrage!


• For a contrasting viewpoint to Carols' post, check this one out, courtesy of Garden Rant: No Revolution Without the Pretty.



Happy reading! And if you ran across a post this last week that was especially informative or inspiring, I hope you'll share it with us in the comments.

I have just the project for all of you time-challenged (or construction-challenged) gardeners. You can make a simple, efficient compost bin out of nothing more than wire fencing, which you can purchase in any home center, and some twine or zip ties. Even better, this project will take you less than fifteen minutes.

I use these bins in my garden, usually when I have an overflow of materials to compost and I've run out of room in my main bins. They are also perfect for holding all of those wonderful fall leaves. You can store them to add to your main compost pile as you need them, or you can chop them finely and let them sit. You'll end up with leaf mold, which is one of my favorite substances on the planet.

I hope you try this, and, if you do, I hope you'll drop by and share your experiences, either in the comments or in the forum.

I recently got a question from Anne, from my home state of Michigan. Anne asks:

"I planted four zucchini plants in my vegetable garden this year, and I was so excited when they started blooming. But after a few days, the flowers fell off, and there is no sign of any baby zucchinis in their place. Is there anything I can do?"

Zucchinis, like other members of the squash family, produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. For a zucchini to form, a pollinator such as a bee or fly has to visit first a male flower, then a female flower, spreading the pollen from the male flower's stamens onto the female flower's pistil. However, usually the first few blooms you will see on a squash plant are male flowers. These fall off and in a few days more blossoms will take their place, including some female blossoms.

Because zucchinis, and all squashes, depend on pollinators for production, if you are seeing a decline of pollinators in your area, as we are in much of the country, you may have to hand-pollinate the female flowers yourself to ensure a good crop.

So, in short, it's nothing you did wrong, and it's nothing to worry about. If you don't see the kind of zuke production you were hoping to, then go ahead and try hand pollinating. Good luck, and thanks for the great question!

• Potting and Repotting


• How to Pick a Healthy Houseplant


• A Guide to Growing and Blooming Orchids Inside Your House

One of the (many) things I don't understand is why someone who strives to use only natural, organic products in caring for their landscape would think that their container gardens or houseplants should be treated any differently. So many people are great about using compost and organic soil amendments in their flower beds, yet dump synthetics on their potted plants. The assumption, I think, is that because potted plants need more fertilizer to grow well, synthetics are the only really effective option. This is a common misconception, and one that I hope to eradicate through this site. Many of us grow houseplants not only to add beauty to our decor, but also to improve our indoor air quality. Yet we mix up some of "the blue stuff" to keep these living air purifiers growing.

Most synthetic houseplant foods contain ammonium phosphate, which provides a decent dose of nitrogen to keep plants green. Which is fine, except that ammonium phosphate also raises the acidity of the soil, which burns plants if you aren't careful about your dosages. Ammonium phosphate can also be irritating to the skin and respiratory system.

So, I've been testing organic houseplant foods in my quest to help you grow a healthier garden, indoors and out. First on my list: TerraCycle All Purpose Plant Food. If you've used TerraCycle, please share your experience in the comments, or, even better, in the forums.

If you're befuddled by your beets or confused about your carrots, About.com Gardening guide Marie Iannotti has just the thing. She has written a fabulous article that explains how to tell when your vegetables are ready to harvest. From asparagus to zucchini, Marie's got you covered.

And if you haven't started a vegetable garden yet, don't worry. Most nurseries still have plenty of vegetable starts in stock, and crops like radishes, lettuces, carrots, and pole beans are quick and easy to start from seed. Now's as good a time as any, so I hope you'll grab a container or a nice little piece of your yard and grow something delicious.

From the mouth of one gardening industry trendspotter, "Gardening is back!"

And I cheer this trend. I have been shouting it from the rooftops since I was a freshman in college: grow it yourself, be kind to the environment, learn about the creatures and plants in your own back yard. I would love to see a garden in every back yard, and every front yard, for that matter. I'd love to see balconies and patios loaded with containers growing tomatoes, eggplants, lettuces and herbs. For every person I know who is planting their first vegetable garden, I raise a triumphant fist in the air. Yes!

But I have to wonder if it is just that: a trend, a fad. One that will go the way of beehive hairdos and Britney Spears. Is this just "the thing to do" for now? And once our economy stabilizes, or we get used to paying ridiculous amounts for basic needs, will everyone just go back to settling for grocery store produce flown in from South America and beyond? Are we, as a nation, really that fickle?

I hope not. I hope that every person who harvests from his or her own garden this year becomes infected with a deep love of gardening. I hope that the joy that comes from watching something you planted bear fruit is enough to keep new gardeners going, and expanding, in the years ahead.

What do you think? Is GIY (I think I may hate that acronym. I don't know why...) here to stay, or will the hordes of new gardeners go on to the next fad that comes along? I'd love to hear your opinions on this one!