Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus - which is it?

There are these plants that are all over the stores these days, blooming in pink, red, magenta, and white. They're advertised as "Christmas Cactus," but you want to know the truth? Very few of them are true Christmas cacti. They're actually Thanksgiving cacti. I didn't know the difference until about a year ago, when I bought my first one.

I had my doubts as to whether I could even keep the thing alive for another year, let alone have it bloom again. I have a habit of watering succulents too much and they fall over in a heap of mush. But once this one stopped blooming last year, I put it on the top shelf of my baker's rack and I'm not kidding - I think I only watered it half a dozen times all year. And now it's blooming.

My Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate)

There really are two kinds of these plants and they're very similar. But they're easy to tell apart, once you know how. The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncate) has 'serrated' edges to its leaves, while the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x Buckleyi) leaves are jagged, but more rounded. The flowers also hang a little differently, with the Thanksgiving cactus flowers bending upwards a little more. I don't know that I've ever seen a true Christmas cactus in any nursery or store, even though some are labeled as such.

For more detailed information about these holiday plants, visit this site.

Fun Five Question Holiday Giveaway!

Happy Holidays, Dear Friends!

We are so grateful for our Soil Sisters and Soil Misters, and very excited to play our Fun Five Question Holiday Giveaway with you!  The first person to answer five fun holiday questions correctly will win a four-pack sample of Authentic Haven Brand natural manure tea.  Annie's tea conditions the soil so your plants' root systems can better absorb nutrients needed to build strong, healthy root bases.  This amazing manure tea contains nitrogen in a natural form that is gentle on your plants and may be just the nutrients your plants need!

The winner will be announced on Sunday, November 28th, at 8:00 p.m. EDT.  Get busy, have fun, and secretly email your answers to:  thesoilsisters@gmail.com!  Good luck!

1. How high must a cranberry bounce before it is harvested?
A. 12 inches
B. 8 inches
C. 36 inches
D. 4 inches

2.  What vegetable did the pilgrims have available for Thanksgiving but did not use because they thought it was poisonous?
A. Beans
B. Pumpkin
C. Tomatoes

D. Potatoes

E. Cauliflower

3. What does cornucopia mean?
A. Horn of plenty.
B. The goddesses’ blessings.
C. May your table always be full and your friends many.

4. Which gender of turkey says “gobble, gobble”?
A. The female, when she is eating.
B. They both do!

C. The male, but only seasonally and when going to sleep.

5. Plymouth Rock is how big today?
A. The size of Manhattan
B. The size of a car engine.
C. The size of Carnegie Hall.
D. The size of a peanut.
E. The size of a New York Block.

 

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Congratulations, Donna!

Clarington Forge tools - one of a kind

It's been a busy fall in my garden here in Ohio. Bulb planting is now finished and whew, am I glad! I kind of went overboard this year, but I think it will pay off in the spring with lots of colorful blooms. It's a lot of work planting around 1000 bulbs, but this fall I had something that made it a little easier.

When I attended the IGC Show (a gardening trade show) in Chicago in August, I talked with Emma, from Clarington Forge, about her company and its products. Even at first glance, you can tell these are no ordinary garden tools. They have the look of quality and endurance. I picked one up; the forged steel had some weight to it and the ash handle was solid.

The planting spear has treads for making
digging easier. You can really put your
weight into it when you dig!

Shortly after I returned home, Emma sent a planting spear and a transplanting trowel to me. In all the time I've been gardening, I've never used anything as substantial as these tools. The planting spear was my tool of choice for planting all those bulbs. Oh, I tried other shovels and spades that I had, but nothing could cut through our heavy clay like this forged steel blade. It made for much easier work.

Clarington Forge has the distinction of being the only company still producing solid forged steel garden products in England. The forge has been on the same site, in Wigan, England, producing garden tools since 1780! The forged steel tools have a lifetime guarantee and the other tools they make have a one-year warranty.

I'm really happy with my Clarington Forge tools and may have to purchase a full-sized garden spade. Right now, we have a very old one that bends sometimes when I try to dig with it. I'm fairly certain a Clarington Forge spade wouldn't do that.

*These tools were provided by the manufacturer free of charge and were the only compensation for this review. We will give our honest opinions on any product we feature on The Soil Sisters, good or bad.

A day at Bell Farms in Michigan

Many years ago Patrick lived next door to a monastery and befriended Brother Ben.  Brother Ben raised cattle and Patrick enjoyed helping him.  Before long Patrick was very interested in raising his own.  He asked Brother Ben to sell him some cattle and so he did.  Shortly thereafter, Patrick learned it was more cost effective to grow the corn to feed his cattle so he purchased 10 acres of land and began farming.  

Thirty-two years later, Patrick owns and operates Bell Farms in Metamora, Michigan.  During the growing season, Patrick farms over 3,300 acres of corn, beets, and beans for food consumption, in very large quantities! Wow...that's a lot of land and food!

On this particular day, Patrick was very busy harvesting corn and I was invited to join him.  His lovely girlfriend Marisa (a city gal gone farmer) drove us to the farm where Patrick was working.  Patrick and four other farmers (and the combine) awaited us!

Patrick and I before we boarded his unbelievably huge, comfy, heated,
electronic, computerized, surround-sound monster looking combine!
This very innovative farm equipment provides incredible productivity!

This is the very large plot of land that we were scheduled to
harvest that day.  Fortunately, the combine has big headlights for
planting and harvesting in the wee hours of the night!

Here Patrick had to get out of the combine to move a deer carcass.  :(

The combine is 36’ wide with a 12 and 24 row planter.  The grain bin
on the combine holds 350 bushels.  It was fascinating watching the
combine glide through the precisely separated corn stalks!

As soon as the bin on the combine is filled with corn, it is loaded into another bin pulled by the tractor, and then off-loaded into a semi-truck.

The tractor hauling the corn to the semi-trucks.

Bell Farms' semi-trucks hold 1300-1400 bushels of corn.  One
bushel of corn weighs 56 lbs.  The semi-trucks deliver the corn
to the rail cars.

Our work was done for the day on this particular farm.  The combine is removed and hauled on a trailer to another farm for more harvesting! 

Patrick and Marisa

I learned so much about farming, planting, and harvesting the modern way!  Thank you Patrick and Marisa for a wonderful autumn day on the farm!

“I Am a Worm Murderer” - A Guest Post

If you've had the pleasure of meeting Katie Elzer-Peters (and I have), this already amusing story becomes more so, because you can visualize the facial expressions (more like lack of them!) and hear her saying it...


Well, I told Kylee that I’d write a post about my worm ranching operation for the blog, and...well...I am. This isn’t the post I planned to write. I planned to write about how my worms and I were getting along fabulously. We were sharing our food, and creating wonderful crap (er...castings) for the soil, and enjoying every minute of it.

I planned to write about the magic of worm poo, and how my worms and I are living happily ever after.

Instead, I have to confess to murdering my worms. How did we get from running into each other’s arms from across the room to confessing crimes against the soil?

Let’s back up.

On April 24, 2010, I celebrated my birthday by working at this little indie bookstore in my town, running our “Garden Extravaganza Day!” It was lots of fun, if somewhat poorly attended due to the fact that springtime in Wilmington brings with it a multitude of events - many more than people can actually make it to.

Wikimedia Commons

Anyway. One of our speakers was a worm advocate. She had a brand-new worm bin that she made out of a big Rubbermaid container. It had fresh worm bedding and happy worms. She told us all how to use it, and then gave it to me as a birthday present!

Worms! For my birthday!

I brought home my new pets (where have I read about it not being a good idea to give people pets for “occasions?”), and started dutifully feeding them. I wasn’t good about the “feed them as much food as the back of my hand every day” directions, but about once a week, I’d load them up. Every now and then, I’d toss in a handful of shredded newspaper.

Then, when there was more poop than worms in the bin, I began the disgusting process of sorting out the worms from the poo so that I could put it in my garden. I’ll spare you the details, but I feel lucky that I didn’t vomit. Then I put the poo in the garden, and the worms back in their box with new newspaper.

The worm poop really is magical. My garden soil was horrendous. I live in an area that is basically sand. We pretty much grow hydroponically here. In the ground. After adding the worm poo though, my winter veggies are so happy! They’re actually growing.

Today, when I went out to the garage, where I have the bin, to take some photos for this blog, I was dismayed to find that I can’t FIND the worms. And they didn’t escape. I think that the horrible smell I’ve smelled in the garage this week is, in fact, dead worms turning to slime.

Hello, my name is Katie and I’m a worm murderer.

I WILL try again next year with new worms, though, because their poo really is magical.


~We believe you, Katie. And forgive you. Better luck next time!

You can find the inimitable Katie Elzer-Peters all over the internet, usually doing "Business Writing for Busy Bees." Her website is The Garden of Words and you can also find her on Twitter at @thegardenofwords.

Fun Friday!

It's time for Friday fun with The Soil Sisters! We thought it would be nice to end the week with a smile so each Friday we'll post a random question for each of us to answer, not necessarily garden-related, (after all, we're more than just garden gals and guys). We'd love for you to share your answers with us!

Winter garden at Our Little Acre in Ohio

Do you garden year round? If so, do you grow different things in the winter than you do in the summer? Do you have plants that flower year round?

Kylee: I'm in the north, so I focus more on my indoor plants - all 175+ of them!. Most of those are outside during the summer, so it's like bringing the outside in. This year, most will be in our new conservatory! The real stars of my winter "gardens" are my large collection of amaryllises. It seems there's one (or more) blooming all winter long, beginning around Christmas time. They're so vibrant; I many times will just stop and stare at them.  They're simply amazing flowers!

'Piquant'

Jan:    The cold winter months in Michigan leave me inside looking out!  With the exception of indoor plants, seed sowing, and holiday decorating for clients, I enjoy the winter interest my gardens offer from my windows.  However, this season I have an extra "winter interest" bonus...Edgar!  ;)

Edgar, the white squirrel, at Jan's home in Michigan

The busy-ness of the fall season

Goodness, this time of year is a busy one! Jan and I both have been busy in the gardens - I in mine at Our Little Acre and Jan in her own and in others as she does business as Two Women and a Hoe™. My work as a dental hygienist has picked up, too, as it typically does in the fall. We have to pay the bills though, so that's why blog posts have been lacking in the last week or so.

We've had Indian summer during this time, which has been a blessing, giving us wonderful weather to do what needs to be done before the snow arrives: bringing in tender plants for overwintering, trimming back dead or diseased branches, chopping excess leaves for compost or mulch, planting bulbs, etc. This year's version of Indian summer was absolutely glorious!

The staghorn sumac tree (Rhus typhina) glows in autumn.

What is Indian summer exactly? The precise definition, according to Wikipedia, is a "meteorological phenomenon...characterized by a period of sunny, warm weather, after the leaves have turned following an onset of frost, but before the first snowfall." Now we did see some flurries a couple of weeks ago, but nothing more than a few flying around in the air, nothing on the ground. At least some people saw them. I didn't.

Cooler weather is here now, and it feels good to have things ready for even colder weather that will come our way very soon. We never know what the winter will bring, but we hope it's enough snow to give the plants a good layer of insulation.

Jan and I both garden in the north, where we experience frigid winters. We wonder what kinds of things those in the warmer climates have to do (if anything) to prepare for winters there? Do you garden year round? If so, do you grow different things in the winter than you do in the summer? Do you have plants that flower year round? Do things like tomatoes just keep producing or do they have seasons like fruit trees? Please tell us how it is!

Chicory - pretty and useful!

I've always loved seeing chicory's periwinkle blue flowers dotting the roadsides here in Ohio. The thought has even gone through my mind to dig some up and put it in my garden, but I've not done it...yet. Blue flowers are some of the less common in the gardening world and I, like a lot of gardeners, am drawn to them.

Wild chicory, growing along an Ohio roadside

But chicory (Cichorium intybus) isn't just a pretty face! It's edible, too! The leaves are used in salads and have a similar taste to dandelions, only less bitter. In fact, it's been called Italian dandelion. Radicchio is actually a chicory and is a common salad ingredient.

The roots of Cichorium intybus var. sativum are roasted and ground, then used as a coffee substitute or coffee additive.  Another species in the genus is Cichorium endivia, commonly known as curly endive, also very edible.

Chicory has medicinal uses, too. It's a common additive to fodder for animals because it contains inulin, which is fatal to internal parasites.

GROW IT

Common names:  Chicory, cornflower, Italian dandelion
Botanical name:  Cichorium intybus
Hardiness:  Zones 4-11
Bloom time:  Late spring to mid-autumn
Height: 18-36"

Grow it: Chicory is drought-tolerant, once established and will grow in the poorest of soils. It likes a sunny location but will also grow in part shade. It spreads by self-seeding and can be an aggressive grower.

Meet a Weeder - Joseph from Michigan

We first met Joseph in July in Buffalo, NY, while attending Buffa10, this year's garden bloggers' get-together. He has an infectious enthusiasm for gardening and for life. He's our Soil Mister and latest "Meet a Weeder" contributor! 

I never chose to be a gardener. I just am one. Before my first day of kindergarten, I went outside to say goodbye to my marigold. I had grown it from seed, and now it was tall, almost taller than I was, and flowering. I didn't want to go away and leave it.

A few years later, when my family moved from Maryland to Ohio, I was most upset about saying goodbye to my little weeping willow tree. I had picked up a twig at a neighbor's house, and brought it home with me. When I told my mom I was going to grow it into a whole new tree, she tried to gently explain to me that it didn't have any roots, and so it couldn't grow. I (somehow) knew better, stuck it in a glass of water, rooted it, and planted it in the yard.

As I grew older, I drifted away from gardening, only to rediscover it all in a rush one summer as a teenager. I had to grow roses. I HAD to. I checked out every book on them in the library. I spent everything I had on rose bushes. Then, the first one flowered. I couldn't hardly believe it - something so lovely, so fragrant, so delicate, so perfect - and it just grew. I stuck a bundle of twigs in the ground, and out came these impossibly perfect jewels.

I still can't hardly believe it. Every time a seed sprouts, a leaf unfolds, a flower opens, I am in awe.

I go to plants for joy, and for peace. Wandering through the county park next to my parent's house, a teenager, terrified to realize, to admit to myself, that I was gay, I found the foundation of an old abandoned home. The house had crumbled and vanished, but it was still surrounded by ancient, nameless, fragrant roses. When it all seemed too much, I would go sit under those roses, breath in their rich, wild, ageless scent, and know I was going to be okay.

A few years ago, when I got the news a friend had taken her own life, I rushed out of the house, hardly able to see. It was early spring. I walked, not knowing where I was going, and there they were - the first daffodils of the year, just unfolded, fresh and bright. I knelt down next to them, feeling the cold wet of the ground through my jeans, and leaned close. I touched the petals - so fragile, so fleeting - and they whispered something back to me. Something about life. Something about death. Something about rebirth.

Gardening, for me, is not just a hobby. Not even "just" a passion or a love. It is something more than that, something deeper, richer. Something so close to me I don't have a word for it. And I don't need one.

Learn more about Joseph through his blog, Greensparrow Gardens.  

Get thee some amaryllis NOW!

People who know me well know that I'm nuts for amaryllis! I've got a large collection of bulbs and potting them up and waiting for them to bloom is a high point of my winter. As one who suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), growing amaryllis is a vital part of the Rx for this common condition among northerners.

'Picotee'

NOW is the time for potting up the amaryllis bulbs if you want to have blooms for Christmas. It takes about six to eight weeks for them to put up the flower stalks and open into glorious, unbelievably beautiful bloom.

Here's how:

1. Take a firm, healthy bulb and a pot just a little larger around than the bulb. (They like it snug.)
2. Fill the pot about halfway with potting medium - something with good drainage to prevent bulb rot.
3. Place the bulb in the pot, then add more potting medium, but keep the top half to one-third of the bulb exposed.
4. Water lightly and place in a brightly lit location. The warmer the location, the quicker the bulb will respond and grow. Remember, these are tropical.
5. As foliage and/or flower stalk grows, continue to water, allowing the potting medium to dry out between waterings. Don't overwater!
6. Once the flower begins to open, place in a cooler location to prolong the bloom.
7. Enjoy!

You can keep the bulb once the flower is finished. Simply cut the flower stalk just above the top of the bulb. Continue to care for bulb as usual, as long as it has foliage. When the foliage begins to yellow and die, stop watering and store the bulb in a cool, dry place until the ground warms enough (50°) in the spring to allow you to plant it out. Those of you that live in zones 8 or warmer can enjoy these in the ground year round.

Here are some photos of past blooms from my collection:

'San Remo'

'Red Lion'

'Apple Blossom'

'Dancing Queen'