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Free Miami Middletown lecture has gardening tips

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Miami University Middletown’s Verity Traditions will host “Square Foot and Pallet Gardening Made Easy” with Alfred Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 11 at Verity Lodge, 4200 N. University Blvd.

Participants will learn to grow fresh, natural, organic vegetables in a fraction of the space it takes in a row and hoe garden. Square foot and pallet gardening is easy, can be done on a patio, rooftop, or in a small area of a yard with no weeding, hoeing, plowing or tilling.

Organic and naturally grown herbs and vegetable plants will also be available for purchase at the program.

The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Alfred Hall is the owner/operator of Terrapin Farms and Eden (Urban Gardening Center) and is a board member of Hamilton Urban Garden System Foundation (HUGS).

For more information, call 513-727-3472 or visit www.regionals.muohio.edu/verity/events.htm.

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Wildlife Photography Tips From Simon King – Simon King shares his advice on …

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150,000+ photographers and growing. Join Today!

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Bee-Friendly Garden Tips

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Adopt a Hive: Tony Gray of 'Fragile Planet Ltd'.StyleNest have teamed up with expert beekeeper at Adopt-a-Hive to bring you some bee-friendly garden tips that the whole family can follow.

Pulling the kids away from the TV and getting them into the great outdoors can prove to be a tricky task. StyleNest and expert beekeeper Tony Gray are on hand to help sow the seed to help encourage the little ones see a greener side.

With the Chelsea Flower Show currently on and with the plight of wild bees in the UK, what better time to start helping the cause. Follow Tony Gray’s gardening top tips to help save the bees.

Tip 1 Don’t Use Pesticides

Bees wont visit your garden if it’s sprayed with pesticides as it’s not very welcoming. If you have to use one then try to use the least toxic one you can find.

Tip 2 Use Local Native Plans

Bees love native plants more than exotic plants. As much as you may be trying to recreate a Mediterranean garden, these plants don’t adapt well to British chilly weather and native plants don’t require much looking after. Your bees will feel much more at home.

Tip 3 More Colour

When bees are buzzing through the air, they’re naturally attracted to colour as this helps them find the yummiest flowers full of nectar and pollen. Colours including blue, purple, white and yellow help to attract bees.

Tip 4 Grouping

Clusters of lots of flowers look a lot more inviting. Allow four feet or more in between each bunch to give the bees some space to land and take off.

Top Tips

  • Bees are just like us and come in all different shapes and sizes with no two bees the same, so make sure you have lots of different shaped flowers so every type of bee is welcome.
  • Some bees like to fly in spring and some in summer so ensure you have a range of plants for them to feed on throughout the seasons.
  • Like us all, bees prefer sunny spots in the garden with a little shade with shelter from strong winds for landing so find a balanced spot for planting.

For more information visit www.thehiveadopt.co.uk.

Click here to see StyleNest’s roundup of the best gardening kits for kids. 

See more in Interiors Notebook »

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Brooker: Gardening tips for the greenest of greenhorns

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I once had the pleasure, somewhat dubious in retrospect, of writing a profile on an award-winning Calgary garden. What a piece of work that yard was. That thing had it all.

It displayed English country garden traits, but that was just the beginning. There was also an alpine rockery, tiered perennial beds, a robust vegetable patch with starter greenhouses, cobbled pathways and roughly several hundred other desirable features.

As I understood it, however, the husband-and-wife team could only keep up with its punishing demands by foregoing sleep for four months a year. Deadheading alone took up most of the sunlit hours. The four-bin compost system – who knew about that one? – is a process that appeared to require a graduate degree.

There was also careful xeriscaping, as I recall, and just in case their terrestrial make-work program wasn’t gruelling enough, they had a koi pond.

No wonder people give up before they start. Who can hope to emulate that level of diligence?

Still, they try. I seem to have numerous friends in their mid-life who suddenly feel compelled to get in the slug-herding game. As someone who has raised a few tasty crops in recent years, they often ask me how to get started.

“First of all,” I used to say, “ask someone who’s an expert, not me.” But that wasn’t terribly helpful, so now I actually dispense advice, but only advice tailored to the greenest of greenhorns.

If you’re one of those, allow me make a few recommendations. Yes, I know we’ve passed the magic date of May 24, but if you have even a small but sunny patch of loamy yard, I’m here to tell you that you can still achieve stellar results this season with a minimum of fuss.

Since it’s June 3 and you’ve done nothing, I’m going to presume you’re lazy like me. And like me, you’re probably not rich, either. So what can you sow that yields produce of maximum value with limited tending?

Two words: mesclun lettuce. The blend of tender baby greens (mesclun being simply a word from Provence that means mixture) has become a gourmet staple at restaurants and produce aisles, yet many Calgarians seem unaware of how readily it grows here.

This is in stark contrast to, say, carrots, which can be finicky and, even if you get decent ones, it’s only at a time when delicious, gigantic Hutterite carrots are 49 cents a pound. Organic baby greens, you will notice, are always $10 a pound.

Planted in rows, they tend to choke out weeds, and can yield a dozen haircuts before they turn bitter. Cleverly, you’ll sow a new row every two weeks until the end of Stampede, to ensure youthful salads all summer long.

Other dead-easy crops to cultivate from seed include spinach, of course, plus sexy arugula and kale. (I recommend the lacinato variety, sometimes called dinosaur kale.) Also, mustard greens, Asian greens mixes and rapini, because the brassicas are superfoods. If you like broccoli, it’s too late for seeding, but buy some plants; frost-tolerant, I’ve had them yield continuously until Halloween.

Other long-season champs include green onions and rainbow Swiss chard, a close relative of beets. If you’re leery of those, I’d recommend golden beets – best served as babies, sauteed with their leaves in garlic, olive oil, white wine and balsamic vinegar. Lay that over freshly shorn mesclun with a sprinkling of feta cheese and you’ve got the wilted salad they want 20 bucks for downtown.

Consider a row or two of herbs with lots of parsley (both curly and Italian), cilantro and oregano. Start a perennial mint patch in preparation for many mojito seasons to come.

Meanwhile, learn how to use these ingredients in a chimichurri, the Argentine parsley salsa that will make you a hit at every barbecue you attend this year.

None of this is labour intensive. So why not let this be the year you discover that growing amazing food, even in tempestuous Calgary, is a lot easier than people make it look.

Kevin Brooker’s column appears

every second Monday

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June in the French Garden – Gardening tips for the south of France – Guide 2 Midi

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June in the French Garden – Gardening tips for the south of France

June continues to be a busy month in the garden.  Weeds continue to grow and remain a problem throughout the month.  Try to keep on top of them by hand weeding or by using glyphosate (a bio-degradable weed killer), where possible. 

 

Continue cutting lawns weekly to produce a lush thick mat, before the hot weather stops growth.


Water, Water, Water – Hopefully watering systems are now in place and simply need checking before use.  If not, they are very easy to install, cost effective and will save you hours, not to mention the obvious benefit to plants.


Vegetable Garden, still plenty of work this month. Here are a few tips:

  1. Continue watering and weeding. 
  2. Tomatoes should be trained and tied straight up removing all side shoots.  Don’t water tomatoes from above as this will encourage blight, which is inevitably catches most of the plants in the South West.  Leaves curl and become dotted with brown legions, ultimately spreading to the fruit.  Weekly sprays of bordelaise (before the blight arrives) and ground watering along with rigorous checks and removal of lower growth will keep tomato blight in check.
  3. Continue sowing vegetable seed crops, radish, lettuce etc, but also consider planting or sowing for autumn veg, certain peas and beans for example.


Roses –  black spot is also abundant this year with the wet Spring and now after the first flush, many Roses will start to become infested.  Feed well, continue spraying with Bordelais and cover the ground underneath plants, both the spores getting up onto the plants and help to retain moisture in the ground.


Other jobs:

  1. Many early Spring flowering shrubs should be lightly pruned this month, keep them in shape and to promote vigour for next year’s flowers.
  2. Herbaceous plants need staking and  feeding.  If you have a herbaceous border, this may be the last chance you have to walk through the bed before plants get too thick in the summer months.
  3. Continue checks for aphids, slugs and treat as necessary.

 

If you want any further advice please contact us using the enquiry form below or visit our business directory listing.

 

 

 

 

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7 tips for creating an elegant garden on your roof deck or balcony

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Living in the city doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful garden. “The key is to visualize the end goal, and then work backward.” said Craig Jenkins-Sutton

by
S. C.

Whether it’s an apartment or a mansion, roof deck gardens can be accessible to everyone. Topiarius, a Chicago-based leader of urban gardening services, works with rooftops of all shapes and sizes to create the perfect escape.
According to Craig Jenkins-Sutton, President of Topiarius, the key to any roof garden isn’t about square footage, it’s what is done with the space available. “You can make a basic roof deck garden simply by adding a covering of potted plants, or you can make an elaborate roof deck garden by creating a sky-high park filled with trees and shrubs,” said Jenkins-Sutton. “The key is to visualize the end goal, and then work backward.”
Jenkins-Sutton provided the following tips on how to make the best use of any roof deck space.
1. Create a destination. A roof deck should be a place to enjoy spending time with friends and family, so it’s important that it’s a relaxing, inviting space—not a half-finished project that’s too cluttered or too stark. Consider what is wanted in an outdoor space. Is it for grilling? Garden? Watch TV? Read? Sunbathe? Eat? Play bocce ball? Add the elements to the deck that are appealing, while also making it an extension of the home.

2. Plan for privacy. Plants and containers provide a lush, garden feel, while also enclosing the deck. Consider using other products such as wood, Plexiglas or metal to create panels. Topiarius has also created box-like panels with lighting as privacy screens. And outdoor fabrics (solids and sheers) work well as curtains on stainless steel rods.

3. Find shade/shelter. The best decks are all-weather decks. By placing something overhead, like pergolas or an umbrella, the outdoor space can be enjoyed rain or shine. Pergolas, which are structures with four corner posts and beams running from side to side, come in all shapes and styles and they can be designed to cover partial or full spaces. For shade and privacy, grow vines on the structure or add retractable shades.

4. Go vertical. Build up, not out, to make the most of the limited space. Consider a water feature, artwork or even a “green wall” on the deck. Green walls are beautiful, but it’s important to know that in the Chicagoland climate (zone 5), the best bet is annuals.

5. Grow your veggies. Some of the best sunshine hits roof decks, so why not start an urban farm? Use simple containers to grow a tomatoes or herbs. For a higher crop yield, consider a raised bed planter. With a peat-based potting soil, rooftop veggies will be very happy.

6. Slake your plants’ thirst. Drip irrigation is key for container gardens, which need more water more often for almost all seasons in order to thrive. When building a new home, make sure to have a spigot with a backflow preventer installed in an accessible but off-to-the side place. For existing roof decks, run water lines from a spigot on the side of the house.

7.Find audio/visual aids . Whether ambient lighting, safety/directional lighting or entertaining lighting is being used, the ambiance of the space is important. Lighting can be hard-wired and incorporated into the whole design or accomplished through usage of outdoor lamps. And don’t forget sound. Consider incorporating outdoor speakers into the design to transform the area into a prime party space.

by
S. C.
03 June 2013 Teatro Naturale International n. 6 Year 5

© REPRODUCTION RESERVED

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Garden Tip: Keep yourself and your plants hydrated

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GARDEN TIP

Summer Is about staying hydrated

Here are two important tips for summer, one for your plants and one for you. Save water, and drink water.

Save water by positioning plants with the same water needs together. You wouldn’t plant dahlias under a Ceanothus shrub or sunflowers with a cactus would you? Either one would die from lack of water, or the other would die from overwatering and root rot. If you group drought-tolerant plants together, you will save water by irrigating infrequently.

Drink water when you work in the garden. Consider carrying a water bottle with you. On warm summer days, it’s important to avoid overheating and dehydration.

— Katie Martin, UC Marin Master Gardener

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Gardening tips from the masters – Daytona Beach News

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Mark your calendar for these free presentations:

QA clinic: 9 a.m.-noon today. Master gardeners will be available at the Walmart garden center, 1699 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.

– Using plants to conserve energy: 1- 2 p.m. June 13. Howard Jeffries will explain how planting the right trees in the right places can have a major impact on cooling your home. His presentation will be at DeBary Hall Historic Site, 198 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary.

– Best pest control: 10 a.m.- noon June 15. Jeffries will explain how to control harmful landscape insects responsibly during a presentation at DeBary Hall.

– QA clinic: 9-11 a.m. June 19. Carole Alderman and Jane Holcomb will answer questions at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, Port Orange.

– Herb gardening: 2-3 p.m. June 20. Jean Porter will explain how to select and grow herbs at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S. Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach.

– Palms for Central Florida: 1-2 p.m. June 27. Jeffries will offer advice on selecting, planting, pruning and fertilizing palm trees during a presentation at DeBary Hall.

Reservations are not required. For more information, call the University of Florida/Volusia County Extension at 386-822-5778.

Send your news of home and garden events to Home Garden Editor, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2831, or send email to accent@news-jrnl.com. Fax is 386-258-8623. Deadline is noon Monday for Saturday publication.

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FarmGirls offer garden tips

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FarmGirls

FarmGirls




Posted: Saturday, June 1, 2013 5:04 pm
|


Updated: 5:12 pm, Sat Jun 1, 2013.


FarmGirls offer garden tips

BY MARILYN DONELLE Simmons
FarmGirls

Waxahachie Newspapers Inc.

The FarmGirls have hustled all spring weeding, digging, planting seeds and vegetable transplants. Spring has been kind and delivered timely garden rain showers. Donelle has headed up all the gardens, while I have been healing from an injury to my leg and foot. We have four ground vegetable gardens. Many square foot gardens, an herb garden, and a tower garden. They are all teaching gardens. We have interns that come and work beside Donelle and learn gardening skills. Among the variety of gardening subjects we teach  “Shovels in the Soil” a hands- on learning experience in the gardens. The students experience planting, foliar spraying, mulching, bug patrol and many gardening techniques. 


The FarmGirls are always working with nature. Farming organically and avoiding the use of chemicals. We apply natural practices. Some of these practices are rain water catchment, mulching, companion planting, the use of beneficial insects, rotating crops, and encouraging birds to stay on our property.

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More about Farmgirls

  • ARTICLE: FarmGirls: Sustainable Day
  • ARTICLE: FarmGirls: Growing vegetables up
  • ARTICLE: FarmGirls: On your mark, get set, DRIVE!
  • ARTICLE: FarmGirls: Trucking through spring

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Updated: 5:12 pm.


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The Pecks: Mulch works better than bark dust in garden beds; tips for buying, use

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hg.pecks.mulch.JPGView full sizePhoto by Marcia Westcott Peck
There I was, staring at my own private Bandini Mountain,  2 units of garden mulch that extended from our driveway across the sidewalk and almost to the street.

I loaded the wheelbarrow a couple of times, dumping its contents in our garden.

About the third time, neighbor Mike stopped by, and for some reason “Tom Sawyer” came to mind. I mentioned how I reckoned that just by looking at the huge pile, I could feel my arms and back getting stronger.

Why, I said, it was like getting a quality workout at the gym at no price whatsoever.

So, enjoying a good workout as much as the next person, he asked, “Oh come on, lemme try a load or two” (only not in those exact words).

Aw, shucks. I hesitated. Just enough, I reckon, because before he dove in, he brought me a bottle of water as a payment of sorts for that free exercise.

And it wasn’t long after neighbor Mike, feeling a twinge in his back from all that free exercise, decided to call it a day, that neighbor Dwayne came by, wanting in on the action, too.

I have to admit, by day’s end, I felt a little (and apparently sounded a little, too) like Tom Sawyer  himself. Although I never got an apple or a kite (in good repair) or a dead rat and a string to swing it with, I did learn the same lesson he did in Mark Twain’s  classic book: “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and … Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”  

Neither Mike nor Dwayne was obliged to try to bring that huge pile of mulch down to manageable size, I reckon, but both did so, anyhow.

To which, I can only say, “Much obliged.”

And also, “What are you doing next weekend?” (Marcia: I reckon it’s going to be more like a month of weekends for us. Dennis: I’m afeared she’s right).

Marcia:

Tom, er, I mean Dennis, and I used to bark-dust our garden but switched to garden mulch about 15 to 20 years ago and haven’t looked back.

Because garden mulch is decomposed plant material, it doesn’t rob the soil of nitrogen as it breaks down, and instead builds the soil.

hg.pecks.mulch2.JPGView full sizeThere was an endless stream of smiles (OK, maybe not, but I’€™m smiling inside as I lead him down the garden path with the wheelbarrows) when very helpful neighbor Mike (Marchione) came by to help move mulch. A lot of mulch. Photo by Marcia Westcott Peck
When I first ordered it instead of bark dust it was a little confusing. What I thought of as compost, some retailers (including the ones we have ordered from) called mulch or garden mulch, which is decomposed green waste that should be brought up to, according to various organizations, 160 degrees (Dennis: by the place you buy it from, not by you) to kill any existing seeds and pathogens. What some retailers call compost is manure-based and not what you’d want to mulch your beds with.

When you order, ask what you’re getting so there are no mistakes. Better yet, check it out in person. And before we hear from the bark dust lovers out there, I agree it’s a great product, and I know a lot of people use it as a mulch, but I prefer garden mulch because of all its added benefits.

Why garden mulch?

  •  You use less water because it holds in the moisture.
  •  You use less fertilizer, because the mulch’s nutrients leach into the soil.
  •  It helps keep out weeds.
  •  It builds the soil and helps break up clay soil.
  •  It insulates and moderates soil temperatures in weather extremes, keeping the roots cooler or warmer, depending on the season.
  •  It looks good and can really tidy up garden beds.
  •  It can be used on lawns, too. We mulch our lawns, where it acts as a fertilizer, builds the soil and helps retain moisture. (Dennis: And it helps even out the uneven spots caused by moles, which return to our backyard every year as sure as the swallows return to Capistrano, or the Vaux’s swifts to Chapman Elementary.) You would never want to use bark dust on a lawn, because it would kill the grass.
  •  It helps lessen soil erosion.

Tips

1. Weed first. Mulch helps control weeds but does not eliminate them.

2. Check out the website of the company you are ordering from, to see if it includes the following information:

  •  Has the mulch been heated up to 160 degrees to kill any seeds?
  •  Is it 100 percent decomposed green waste or is it blended with decomposed bark dust (which is nice, too). Make sure it’s decomposed, or it can rob the soil of nitrogen.

3. Buy it by the unit or the yard. A unit equals about 7 1/2 cubic yards and covers 1,200 square feet 2 inches deep.
hg.pecks.mulch3.JPGView full sizePhoto by Marcia Westcott Peck 4. Since garden mulch can vary widely in quality, check it out in person. It should be fairly even in texture and broken down, shouldn’t have any scraps of garbage and, unlike fertilizer, shouldn’t smell, well, funky.

5. For those people sensitive to mulch, use garden gloves, a mask and long sleeves when handling. Or, you could have it blown in, but that costs quite a bit more.

6. Spread your garden mulch 2 to 3 inches thick by using a wheelbarrow and dispersing it with your hands, a small bucket or a shovel.

7. Keep mulch away from the stems and trunks of plants and trees to prevent pests, rot and fungus.

8. How often you apply varies. We apply every two to four years when the old mulch is almost gone. Don’t over-mulch, either. If mulch builds up year after year it can create an impenetrable layer that doesn’t break down and allow root growth, among many other problems.

9. As for when, we usually mulch in the spring after the plants have sprouted up.

10. And, take it from someone who has done this a lot of times, have some duct tape on hand to remove the inevitable splinters you get if you, like me, don’t wear gloves. Just stick it on the affected area, then rip it off. The splinter sticks to the adhesive and you’re good to go.

Marcia Westcott Peck is a landscape designer (pecklandscape.com) and Dennis Peck is not. He is the editor of The Oregonian’s Living section, which is a good thing for him, because if he actually had to use his hands for anything other than typing, it would not be pretty.

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