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10 tips for organic gardening via Stonyfield Farm – The Birmingham News

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Extension horticulturalist offers tips for a ‘water-wise’ garden – Journal

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STERLING — — A “water-wise” yard doesn’t happen by accident, Brian Kailey told the Sterling Rotary Club during a presentation Wednesday.

The horticulturalist with the Logan County Extension Office spoke about the “Seven Principles of Water-Wise Gardening,” which uses water efficiently to create landscapes that are both attractive and use-appropriate.

Kailey noted the importance of using water wisely. While 80 percent of Colorado’s water use happens in the eastern half of the state, 80 percent of Colorado’s precipitation falls on the western side. Statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey show in 1995, Colorado used 13.8 billion gallons of water each day. Ag irrigation accounted for 93 percent of water use;

40-60 percent of domestic water use was for outdoors, such as watering lawns and gardens, filling pools and ponds or washing automobiles.

Developing a water-wise garden requires:

• Planning and designing for water conservation, beauty and utility

• Improving the soil with organic matter so it will hold more water and minerals and allow for a deeper root system

• Creating practical turf and non-turf areas to match expectations with the actual use of the site

• Selecting plants appropriate for the climate and grouping them according to their water needs

• Watering efficiently with appropriate irrigation methods

• Mulching to reduce evaporation

• Maintaining plants with good horticultural practices

Kailey warned against “zero-scape,” which removes all or most vegetation and replaces it with rock, which then heats up the surrounding environment.

He said that grass offers benefits such as trapping dust and pollen, reducing noise and glare, cooling the surrounding environment and controlling soil erosion. However, there are places where grass may not be appropriate, such as under shade trees where it will not grow well.

He named several perennial plants that are drought tolerant and appropriate for the High Plains climate:

• Prairie coneflower

• Penstemon spp.

• Gaillardia

• California poppy

• Lilac (bush or trees)

• Sagebrush

• Rabbitbrush (“Chamisa”)

Kailey said 40 to 50 percent of water used for landscape irrigation is wasted because of poor design and maintenance and management. He said many systems were set up with little consideration of water conservation. Irrigation zones should reflect water demand, which is affected by exposure to sun, heat and wind. For example, the lawn on a southwest facing slope will typically require twice as much water as the lawn on the north side.

He recommended using drip irrigation for shrubs, flower beds, small fruits and vegetables to reduce water use by up to 50 percent. Watering in the evening or early morning hours versus overnight prevents the moisture from sitting on the lawn too long and causing mold. Organic mulch at a depth of 4 inches is ideal for promoting soil microorganism activity and controlling weeds; however, standard wood chips may blow away in northeast Colorado winds. If using “green” mulch — grass clippings — he recommends letting it dry before applying so it doesn’t block the oxygen. He also noted that mulch should be applied no closer than 6 inches from tree trunks so it doesn’t trap moisture against the bark.

Good horticultural practices will overcome failures on almost all other principles, because healthy plants are more insect- and disease-resistant, he said.

Contact Journal-Advocate managing editor Sara Waite at 970-526-9310 or swaite@journal-advocate.com

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John Humphries on informal displays

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Town centres in far too many parts of Wales have become sad places squeezed by the recession and failed by some local councils not up to the challenge.

Despite the economics of degradation, some can be given a facelift at little expense with some enterprising planting as demonstrated by Newport.

But this week, much to my surprise, I came across wildflower meadows in the centre of the city.

Wild flower meadows have almost disappeared from the landscape, apart from some corners set aside by farmers with grants from the European Union.

But that was never more than tokenism to appease environmental lobbyists.

Newport’s effort, however, is inspirational.

Grass verges adjoining several busy junctions have been planted with wild flowers including cornflower annuals – corn poppy, corn marigold and corn cockle – for a stunning summer display.

While a grass verge or busy roundabout might not be the ideal spot to admire the spectacle, they are certainly uplifting for the cost of several sacks of seed.

Everyone can have a wildflower meadow or wild garden, a tradition maintained in the humble cottage garden since the rigid discipline of Victorian gardening dominated with its formal bedding displays.

The 19th century Irish gardener William Robinson, best remembered for introducing the herbaceous border, was also the champion of the wild garden.

The two concepts might seem incompatible – the herbaceous border with its heavy annual work load and the wild garden left to fend for itself.

But the real flower garden nearest the house requires constant attention to the soil and plants.

On the other hand, the wild garden or flower meadow can endure for generations if suited to the soil because it takes care of itself, a notion that should appeal to those wearied by the annual trek to the garden centre to stock up with bedding plants. 

Lawns and borders make ideal sites for wild gardens, either sown with annuals that last one summer or as a perennial meadow which is best on poorer soils because there is less competition from grasses.

Choose the meadow seed that most suits your soil, with cornfield annuals preferring richer soil.

The greatest care must be taken to use only those plants that are able to fend for themselves against considerable competition, for if too much cultivation is needed to keep the plants alive the natural effect is bound to be lost.

Once the flower meadow is established, the surface soil is not cultivated to any great extent apart from cutting grass and unwanted weeds from time to time to prevent them choking the introduced plants.

Before planting, either in March or September, spray-off existing vegetation with systemic glyphosate to remove vigorous perennial weeds, such as nettles, docks and dandelions, then dig or rotovate to make a seedbed as for a new lawn.

But don’t apply fertiliser as high fertility encourages excessive vigour in grasses that then crowd out the wildflowers.

Where soil fertility is too high for perennial wildflowers, sow a cornfield annual mix to flower within three months and again in subsequent years from self-seeding.

In this case the only maintenance necessary is to rake the site in spring to remove weeds and encourage germination.

 

What to do this weekend:

* Dead head all plants frequently, especially roses

* Disbud dahlias and chrysanthemums by removing all but the very top bud if you want large flowers

* Pinch out runner bans when they’ve reached the top of the cane

* Sow parsley for winter use

* Prune deciduous shrubs that have flowered

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July Gardening Tips

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July 13, 2013

The heat, humidity and frequent rains of July are great for tropical plants. Gardeners, however, take a bit of a beating. Remember to keep the sunscreen, insect repellant and iced tea handy as you venture out into your garden to perform some needed summer maintenance.

A midsummer application of fertilizer is usually required, especially on annual flowers, lawns, shrub beds and vegetable gardens. This is a supplemental application, so don’t overdo it. A 15-0-15 slow-release fertilizer is a good general purpose landscape fertilizer for most plants.

Major pruning jobs should have been done earlier, but there is still some maintenance pruning that should be done. Deadhead, or clip old flowers, from summer flowering shrubs as soon as they fade to help insure an extended season of bloom. Crape myrtles, hibiscus, hydrangeas and althea are examples of shrubs that will bloom repeatedly if light, selective pruning is done.

Flowering annuals also respond well to deadheading. Snip off old flowers and flower spikes before they have an opportunity to form seed. Allowing annual flowers to set seed can shorten their blooming season considerably.

Inspect your lawn and shrub plantings frequently in order to identify pest problems as early as possible. The most severe damage from pest insects normally begins in July. Be on the lookout for chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass; spittlebugs in centipede grass; sod webworm in all lawns-especially new ones; lacebug and caterpillars on azaleas; whiteflies on gardenia and spider mites on lots of different types of shrubs.

Sod webworms often attack lawns in the summer. They eat the grass blades producing areas that look as if they have been mowed too short. Close inspection will reveal that the blades have not been cleanly cut as with a mower blade but have been chewed along their edges and tips. These caterpillars feed at night and rest during the day down among the runners and in the thatch.

Once an insect pest is found, evaluate the damage and determine if control is necessary. If it is, choose the least toxic option. If only a few caterpillars are found, hand picking might be the choice. Aphids and spider mites can often be controlled by spraying with an insecticidal soap solution. Chemical insecticides are sometimes required. Before choosing one be sure that the insect pest has been properly identified and that the insecticide is labeled for that purpose For vegetable gardeners that have problems with nematodes, soil borne diseases and extensive weed problems, July is a great time to try soil solarization.

Prepare the soil as you normally would for a vegetable garden including adding organic matter. Moisten the area and cover with clear plastic, not black plastic. Clear plastic will produce the highest temperatures. Be sure to weigh down the edges of the plastic so that it doesn’t blow up. Allow the soil to bake in the sun for four to six weeks. The sun will raise the soil temperature high enough to kill many soil borne problems.

Tip of the Week: The nice thing about tomatoes is that you have the option of harvesting when the fruit is green if needed. Tomatoes will ripen indoors at room temperature. To ensure even ripening, place the tomato with the stem up. The ideal time to harvest tomatoes is when they are fully colored but still firm.

In general, it is best to harvest vegetables early in the mornings while the moisture content is higher. The overall quality will quickly diminish as vegetables are exposed to hotter temperatures later in the day.

Comments

One Response to “July Gardening Tips”

  1. avalon on
    July 13th, 2013 8:04 am

    Good article. Anyone have suggestions about grubb worms? Apparently we’ve taken them to raise. LOL

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Growing in volatility: Tips to keep your garden healthy in changing weather

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The heat is on

In Calgary it usually gets hot during the Stampede, but I took no chances this year. I’m on holidays in Kelowna sitting lakeside in 30 C heat, hoping plants at home are surviving the extremes in Calgary weather. As long as water is plentiful, extra sugar gathered from the sun produces earlier tomatoes and peppers, bigger pumpkins and fatter carrots so I am hoping crops will start maturing while I am away. Heat also causes big flowers such as roses and geraniums to fade faster so I did a little preventive deadheading before I left. By this time of year, it is too late to move plants around in the garden but here are some hints to ease the pain of volatile weather.

Some like it cool

Some plants will wilt when grown in full sun. Broad-leaved, soft plants like Hosta, Hydrangea and Ligularia varieties will wilt even if the soil is moist because they simply can’t keep enough fluids in their big leaves to stay fully hydrated during hot spells if planted in full sun. If they get too much direct south or west sun, they will wilt, at least temporarily, and gardeners may panic and pour water on them, even if the soil is moist. A north-facing slope is cooler than a south-facing one, and a shady spot by the house or under a tree is best for these floppy leaved plants. I snapped a photo in the very hot climate of Dubrovnik, Croatia when I saw a gardener there had propped a beach umbrella over hydrangea. In reality, most gardeners aren’t willing to protect individual plants from sun, so instead they grow water-wise plants.

Some like it hot

Bergenia cordifolia (elephant ears) are large-leaved plants with a waxy coating. They will not wilt in hot weather and don’t need moist soil so are considered water wise. Cactus, yucca, hens and chicks and sedum among others only open their “breathing pores� at night so they will not lose moisture to the dry hot air during the day and will not wilt. I visited a wonderfully diverse water-wise garden at Kelowna’s H2O Centre. Most of the plants used in Kelowna (listed here: http://okanaganxeriscape.org) will work in Calgary. The City of Calgary’s drought-tolerant list is at http://bit.ly/132qP8K.

Giving plants what they want

Pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes and grape vines prefer it hot and do best when heat builds in the soil. I am only visiting and not gardening in the Okanagan, so in my colder, north-facing garden at home, I use infrared technology (IRT) mulch over the soil around my pumpkins and squash to keep it hot (http://bit.ly/16uWvBE). This mulch traps the warm infrared light in the soil, a situation ideal for heat-loving vegetables of all kinds.

Most non-fruiting plants prefer cool soil so mulches such as bark, wood or gravel are better in the landscape. These mulches allow infrared light to hit the soil and bounce back into space instead of staying trapped. This keeps soil cooler and helps preserve moisture.

Water restrictions

Watering bans have been lifted in Calgary, but gardeners have been asked to be conservation minded because of the stress on Calgary’s water treatment plant during and after the flood. During our fluctuating summer weather, gardeners can water by hand in the early part of the day only. There is never a reason to overhead water during the day, as most of it will evaporate before it helps plants.

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Gardening advice: Tips for improving soil makeup in your garden

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Q: Someone told me I should add gypsum to my garden soil. What is gypsum, and what are the benefits of adding it to my garden?

A: Gypsum is a soft white or gray mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulfate and is used in many ways, one of which is in plaster. It is used to decompact clay soil in the western U.S., where the soil composition is different from Indiana. (See www.agry.purdue.edu/ turf/tips/2009/04172009 _gypsum.html.)

Instead of using gypsum to decompact clay soil in our part of the country, it is recommended that the compacted soil be amended with compost, aged cow or horse manure (in spring), fresh manure (in fall) and sphagnum peat moss.

Sphagnum peat moss comes in bales at most garden centers and is a dry peat, which is used extensively to amend and lighten soils. It is used in seed starting material, and even as mulch that helps hold in moisture when used in vegetable gardens and in containers. It also acidifies the soil and is an excellent additive to use around acid-loving plants, such as blueberries, hydrangeas, azaleas and rhododendrons..

All of these amendments, when tilled in, will greatly improve the soil’s structure and nutrition. Amendments can also be added to the top of compacted clay soil, such as in an established lawn, around trees and other areas where you cannot safely use a tiller.

Begin the process by aerating the lawn or soil around the root system of trees and established shrubs. You can purchase devices such as a spike aerator or a pair of aerator shoes. These work well if you live in the city and have a small area to work with. You can rent a gas or electric driven aerator from many hardware stores and Lowe’s to do the job on larger landscapes.

After opening the compressed soil, spread the amendments on the lawn — even mix grass seed in the soil mixture — water well and see your lawn grasses improve. Opening the soil and piling on amendments under and around trees and shrubs can make a huge difference in their health and growth as well.

Q: I have been told by several people that I need to add lime to my garden soil. I’m not sure why or if I should do that. Hopefully you can help.

A: The soil in Allen County is mostly neutral, meaning it has a pH of 7 or slightly below, which is about perfect for most plants. So before adding lime, have your soil tested. You can have this done for a small fee through the Allen County office of the Purdue Cooperative Extension, 4001 Crescent Ave.

Here is an excellent discussion on adding lime to lawns from Ohio State University — http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/4000/4026.html.

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Your Life: Vegetable garden tips and tricks

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Oshawa This Week

DURHAM — Next week’s video series on durhamregion.com, is all about tips for planting, growing and maintaining your vegetable garden with horticultural consultant Ken Brown.

Mr. Brown is a certified horticultural judge and is a frequent speaker at horticultural meetings and seminars in Durham. His writing and photography continues to be published in several magazines and newspapers. Mr. Brown’s web page, http://www.gardening-enjoyed.com/, is a great source of advice, tips and updates on his own garden. He grows a wide range of vegetables and flowers in some innovative ways to maximize the use of space.

We are about to get colourful and creative. Tune into durhamregion.com for the inside scoop on maintaining a healthy vegetable garden.

Series breakdown:

• Monday, July 15: Training cucumbers

Mr. Brown shows you how to use a trellis to save garden space.

• Tuesday, July 16: Keeping fruit off the ground

Do you have a slew of uninvited pests looking to dine at your all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet? Let Mr. Brown help you train your tomatoes to grow around a rope to save space and keep critters away.

• Wednesday, July 17: Cutting side shoots

Get a bang for your buck. In this segment, Mr. Brown shows you how to cut side shoots to increase broccoli production.

• Thursday, July 18: Zucchini in a cage

Putting zucchini in a cage saves space and keeps fruit off the ground.

• Friday, July 19: Seeding in a row

Parsnips are very slow to germinate. Since they are a root, they can be difficult to track. Tune in to see what Mr. Brown uses as a marking device for these delicious veggies.

• Saturday, July 20: Hilling up the potatoes

Learn how to produce an abundant crop by using the hoe.

• Sunday, July 21: Tall climbing items

In this segment, we are growing sugar snap peas. See what Mr. Brown uses as a trellis to maximize yield.

Is there a project you would like to see us cover? Have a project at your home we can film? Let us know what you want to learn. Drop us a line or post your information on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/newsdurham

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Red Bluff Garden Club: Watering tips

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Summer is here and we have had temperatures soaring into the 100’s.

I have had a hard time tolerating this heat and can only imagine how difficult it must be for our plants. It is imperative that you check your garden beds and pots daily to see if your plants are getting enough water.

Look for signs that your plants need to drink. Signs to look out for are wilting, browning or crispy leaves. If you see these signs then water slowly so that it will soak into the root ball. Early morning is the best time to water since it gives the plant plenty of time for absorption before the hottest part of the day arrives. Be sure to mulch to keep the soil cool and moist.

Potted plants will be the most vulnerable to hot weather. Those in the sun may need to be watered twice a day or simply moved into the shade especially if temps exceed 110 degrees. Placing saucers beneath these pots to hold extra water might be necessary but be sure to remove these as soon as possible when the temperatures return to their average levels. Full sun plants will be fine sitting in the shade for a few days.

Never transplant or divide during a heat wave. Even avoid planting smaller plants as those in six-packs. Keep these in the shade until the severe heat leaves-check them twice a day or more to see if they need additional watering.

Never use a sprinkler during the hottest part of the day since most of the water will evaporate and it could scorch the already stressed

plants.

Never fertilize when it is hot. It is best to wait until it is cooler to prevent fertilizer burn.

As for the vegetable garden, most vegetables should be established by now to withstand the heat. Consistent watering is essential however to prevent long term damage such as tomato and pepper blossom end rot. Inconsistent watering also causes tomatoes to crack and leafy vegetables to bolt.

Work in your gardens during the cool mornings only and keep yourself as hydrated as your plants!


Red Bluff Garden Club is affiliated with Cascade District Garden Club, California Garden Clubs, Inc., Pacific Region Garden Clubs, and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

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Summer Water Saving Tips from Homeserve for Your Home and Garden – SYS

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WALSALL, UNITED KINGDOM — (Marketwired) — 07/11/13 — Glorious sunshine, the smell of barbeques and warm nights all signify one thing; summer is officially here at last! With the rising temperatures it becomes more important to try and save water as we do sometimes experience water shortages in the UK. With this in mind we’ve created HomeServe Handy Hints to help you save water.

By making some minor changes you could not only help to reduce your bills, but also become more environmentally friendly too! So read on to find out more with our latest Handy Hints.

Saving water in and around your home 


--  Don't leave your taps running - Do you leave the water running when you
    brush your teeth? Most people do, but by simply turning off the tap
    whilst you clean your teeth you could save a significant amount of water
    across the year. By making this small change you could help to make a
    positive difference to your water bill.  
    
--  Be sensible with your settings - All appliances have different washing
    settings so try to use the most efficient settings available. Another
    top tip to avoid water waste is to ensure your dishwasher or washing
    machine is full before use so that you get value for money with each
    wash. 
    
--  Think of alternative uses for your used water - When you give your pet
    fresh water, don't throw the old water away. Try using it instead to
    water your trees, plants or shrubs. 
    
                                                                            
Saving water in your garden                                                 

--  No butts about it - Consider investing in a water butt for your garden.
    Apart from the cost to purchase it, collecting the water is free and it
    can be used to water your plants and shrubs to help keep your garden
    looking lovely. 
    
--  Grab a bucket and sponge - When cleaning your car why not reach for a
    bucket and sponge and do it yourself? It may take a little longer than
    using a car wash but by choosing to clean your car this way you'll avoid
    a car wash that invariably uses more water.

HomeServe also offers boiler cover insurance as well as insurance for plumbing, drains, electrical wiring and gas central heating.

Important information regarding HomeServe help and advice

HomeServe try to make the home advice as useful and reliable as possible. However, the purpose of HomeServe help and advice content is to provide homeowners and private landlords with general guidance and useful tips only. It doesn’t necessarily deal with every important topic or cover every aspect of the topics with which it deals and might not be relevant or appropriate in all circumstances. It is not designed to provide professional advice or financial advice and should not be relied on as such. The full disclaimer regarding HomeServe help and advice can be found on the website at the following page: http://www.homeserve.com/help-advice/disclaimer.

Contacts:
HomeServe
Famena Nawaz
+44-(0)-1902-609106
famena.nawaz@homeserve.com

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Tips for (nearly) weedless gardening – Times

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Click photo to enlarge

For a time many years back, I would become nervous every time I went out to my garden to weed. The weeds were so few that I feared something was wrong with the soil.

True, I had taken deliberate steps to create this condition, but initially it was hard to believe that results could so well bear out theory.

The first step in creating this “weedless” condition was to stop turning over or tilling the ground.

Buried in every soil are countless dormant weed seeds just waiting to be awakened by exposure to light and/or air. Not tilling — whether with a shovel, garden fork or rototiller — keeps those seeds buried and dormant.

Added bonuses to the no-till approach are preservation of valuable soil humus (organic matter), earlier planting in spring, more efficient water use and, of course, not having to go through the trouble of tilling.

KEEP THE SOIL INTACT AND COVERED

I now take great pains to avoid disturbing the layering that naturally develops over time in any soil.

I clean up old marigold plants, tomato vines and other spent plants during and at the end of the growing season by just jerking them out of the ground, coaxing out plants with large roots, such as corn, by first cutting around their main roots with a garden knife.

I also enrich the soil from the top down, spreading fertilizers and compost or other organic materials right on the surface. Most of a plant’s feeder roots — the roots that benefit most from organic

materials and fertilizers — grow near the surface anyway. And near or on the surface is where organic materials can also do the most good offering protection from the pounding of raindrops and the summer sun.

Still, there are always those weeds that arrive in the garden as seeds hitchhiking in with the wind or dropped by birds. Each year, I smother them by spreading a thin, weed-free mulch over the soil. The mulch of choice depends on the look I want, the plants and the soil.

Poor soil and hungrier plants demand the most nourishing mulch. So every year, compost gets slathered an inch thick over the ground where vegetables grow.

Buckwheat hulls, straw or wood chips are adequate and attractive for most flowers.

DON’T WALK ON MY BED!

Of course, you can’t just stop tilling, throw mulch on the ground and garden as usual. Walking on the soil and rolling a wheelbarrow, garden cart or tractor over it compacts the soil; tillage is then needed to aerate it.

The way to avoid compaction in the first place is to lay out the garden with permanent areas for plants and for traffic. Trafficked areas also need to be mulched, in this case with some lean, weed-free material such as wood chips, gravel or straw.

Planted areas in my vegetable garden consist of rectangular beds 3 feet wide surrounded by 18-inch-wide paths. Beds in my flower garden are more free-form or have stepping stones.

Planted areas in a vegetable garden don’t need to be raised beds, however; they can be laid out flat on the ground.

A big advantage of bed planting is that you can pack more plants into less space. Instead of planting carrots with 18 inches between rows, four or five rows can be planted with only a few inches between them. (That 18 inches is to let you walk between the rows for planting, weeding and harvesting. With a 3-foot-wide bed, you can do all that from the paths.)

Also, different vegetables, flowers, or vegetables and flowers can be grown together in beds.

DRIP THAT WATER

Changing watering technique was the final step on my road to “weedlessness.” Not all plants need regular watering, but for those that do, drip irrigation is the way to go.

Drip irrigation puts water near garden plants, so none is wasted or promoting weed growth in the areas between plants or in paths.

This is not to say that with the above four steps — drip irrigation, mulching, keeping traffic off planted areas, and not tilling — weeds never appear. They do. But weed problems do not.

What few large weeds do appear get yanked out of the soil, roots and all, coaxed out, if necessary, with a garden knife or trowel at their roots.

Colonies of small weeds are quickly done in with a “winged weeder,” colinear hoe or some other hoe with a sharp blade that can be slid along parallel to and just a fraction of an inch below the soil surface.

Also important in keeping a garden weed-free is to search regularly for them. With the above four steps, this activity is pared down to nothing more than a few pleasant minutes per week.

For more information online, visit http://leereich.blogspot.com and http://leereich.com.

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