Fall Gardening Tips For San Diego

Aired 10/28/13

GUEST

Nan Sterman, garden designer, author, botanist, and host of the KPBS television series “A Growing Passion,”

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San Diego’s climate is rare. With its hot, dry summers and mild wet winters, San Diego enjoys a Mediterranean climate that can only be found in a few parts of the world.

Nan Sterman, garden designer, author, botanist, and host of the KPBS television series “A Growing Passion,” said most people aren’t aware that Fall is the best time to plant in our climate.

“The ground is still warm, the air is cool so it’s not as hot and dry,” she said. “Plants have an easier time adapting because they don’t wilt.”

Sterman said fall is the time to plant deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, lavender and anything that’s woody or native to California.

That gives you a lot of options. There are 5,500 native plant species in California, more than any other state.

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Posted: Friday, October 25, 2013 10:55 am

Gardening Tips: What causes those leaves to change color in the fall?

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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Before we get into the topic of this week’s column, I want to warn everyone of the impending frost. It looks like tonight/Saturday morning will be our first fall frost, after a few close calls earlier this week. I spoke of preparing for frost a few weeks ago so I won’t rehash all of that, but now is the time to act if you have tender plants you wish to protect.

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Friday, October 25, 2013 10:55 am.

I’ve been gardening nearly all my life. One of the things I find most interesting about it is that I learn something new almost every day. And yet there are a number of things we should all know to be better and smarter gardeners.

We’ve talked about these before, but they’re always worth another look.

Here are four to start with.

Use more mulch. If there were ever a workhorse for the garden, it’s mulch. A 3-inch (or so) layer over the soil surface does so many good things for the health of your plants and soil. The aesthetic value of mulch is enough of a reason to use it. It’s like the icing on a cake to provide a polished, finished look to any bed.

More importantly, it provides tremendous benefits overall. Mulch suppresses weed growth by blocking sunlight needed for many weed seeds to germinate. It holds vital moisture in the ground, reducing irrigation needs. Mulch helps cut down on certain soil-borne diseases from harming plants because it provides a protective barrier between certain diseases and foliage. It also insulates soil and regulates temperature by keeping the ground and roots cooler on hot days and warmer on cold days.

Any natural mulch will work. And consider free sources, too. Arborists’ wood chips or shredded leaves are two of my favorite sources.

Drainage in containers. How many times have you been told to add something to the bottom of a container to improve drainage? Examples include small stones, packing peanuts, crushed cans and marbles. But the fact is, adding anything to a container first doesn’t help at all. The reason is that water doesn’t move readily from one substrate to another of unequal pore sizes. It tends to stay or hold much of its original volume in the soil layer. By adding something to the bottom of the container, we are effectively raising the level where water remains. The consequence is damp or potentially saturated soil closer to the surface and surrounding your roots. That can lead to rotting roots and dead plants. Better to simply fill the container with all soil.

Improve pot-bound plants with a box cut. When it comes to pot-bound trees and shrubs, the typical treatment – if we did anything at all – was to slice through the tightly bound root mass. We assumed that by breaking the pattern, we’d enable all the roots to start growing out instead. It turns out that method is far less effective that previously thought. The best method for dealing with such conditions is called the box cut. It involves slicing or sawing off a narrow section of the bottom of the root mass, as well as slicing off vertical sections of the root mass all the way around as well. The result looks like a squared-off root ball. The benefit is a plant or tree that will establish a much healthier and fuller root system.

Plant at the right level. Even printed plant tags tell you to transfer a containerized plant or tree into the ground at the same level that it was growing in the container. That is not always correct, and a bad assumption to make. It’s one of the most common causes of premature plant death. The only correct way to plant something is to know where the tops of the roots are and plant it at that level. It is very common that, even in a container, the roots have been covered up over time at the nursery with several inches of additional soil. At planting time, pull back the top layer of soil until you get to the roots. Then plant at that level in the ground. It’s better to plant slightly high than too low.

Lamp’l, host and executive producer of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS.

Gardening Tips: 5 Things To Do This Fall!

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Published on Wednesday, 23 October 2013 14:06

Written by EarthwormTec

Here are some gardening tips to help you prep for fall from EarthwormTec, an environmentally-conscious business seeking to reduce food waste via composting and sustainable garden practices. 

Given the busy spring and summer season, we all might be getting a little tired right about now when it comes to our yard work. However, if you can muster up the energy to get out there you might save yourself a lot of work when next Spring arrives. Besides, the weather (especially, in Connecticut and the rest of the Northeast) has been absolutely gorgeous this October…what a perfect time to go out there and dig our fingers in the dirt!

Here is a top 5 list of Gardening Tips we recommend you try to do this month so you’ll be smooth sailing next Spring:

• Do make sure you are cutting back spent flower heads from infamous flowers known to re-seed (such as Brown-eyed Susans or Morning Glories).

These particular flowers are dropping a tremendous amount of seeds at this time of year. The seeds are also very winter hardy and come Spring, you will be throwing out your back pulling out all those new shoots.

You can also cut back some of your spent perennial flowers / shrubs in the Autumn or leave them if you want some winter interest (picture snow resting or icicles forming on your favorite evergreen Azalea, like ours below). Ornamental grasses are also very serene in the winter when the feathery seed heads are covered with snowflakes.

Some gardeners use “Preen” in the soil to stop seeds from germinating but at Earthworm Technologies we don’t condone the use of any chemicals in your land. Instead, we encourage you to use organic products or implement more preventative / sustainable methods. (Keep in mind, if you use Preen in any planters where you grow annuals from seed, you will be hindering the germination of those “good” seeds, as well as the bad ones you don’t want. Preen is not selective).

• Do harvest those seeds from your favorite annuals in the garden so you can enjoy them again next year.

Many annual flowers can be harvested – Zinnias, Marigolds, Cosmos and Celosias are among the easiest to harvest seeds from.

Make sure the flower has completely faded, turned brown and crumples in your hand – this is a good indication that the seeds will be ready to harvest. Pluck them too early and they’ll be too green (not ready) and won’t germinate for you.

Want to know another trick: We actually harvest some of our favorite Rudbeckias as we are walking around the garden. We then dig some seeds into the soil of our favorite spots and leave them there to overwinter. Poof – green shoots in the Spring!

• Do put those annoying dead leaves in your yard to good use – why pay good money to have them hauled off?

You are actually paying someone to get rid of something that is organic and very beneficial in your garden.

Either mow the lawn yourself (including the leaves) or tell your lawn guy to do it and let the natural decomposition process take over for the next few months…allowing the nutrients of those dead leaves to seep back into your lawns (the leaf mulch will also be a nice added buffer for your planters during the winter months).

• Do clean up those leaves and twigs in your flower planters!

Especially if you have any rhizome-type flowers (i.e. Irises). Some insects will overwinter or lay their eggs in the piles of leaf debris (especially moths and iris borers). They’ll continue to incubate there and eat their way through your plants in the Spring.

• Do compost all the dead leaves, flowers, twigs, branches, etc. (as long as they’re not diseased) that you are not currently using – you’ll thank us in the Spring!

You can have a very simple compost setup in your lawn for leaves / twigs. If you want to go a step further you can even compost those old Fall pumpkins, squashes and any of your family’s raw veggie and fruit scraps that are currently going in the garbage, with a small worm bin.

Don’t want to have worms composting in your house? No problem…If you live in Fairfield County, CT or Westchester County, NY – you can join our organic vermicomposting program and we’ll make it easy for you to be “Green” without all the hassle, for the nominal cost of a weekly Starbucks visit. In return, you also get 10lbs of pure organic ultra-compost free to use in your outdoor garden or on your indoor plants.

If you’re not in the area – we might have extra product to ship out to you. If you’re interested in any of these services or products, please contact us here and sign-up your email for our blog updates.

About EarthwormTec: Earthworm Technologies (“EwT”) offers an innovative, comprehensive Eco-friendly solution to the enormous food waste problem we have in America. We guide you in separating your pre-processed food waste scraps (i.e. raw veggie / fruit scraps, coffee grinds and filters, tea grinds and filters, breads, uncooked pastas, etc.) as well as newspaper / cardboard products. We then offer a weekly hauling program to pick up this waste. Utilizing an in-depth double composting process with the eventual help of thousands of our hardworking little earthworm helpers, we divert all that mineral-rich food waste scrap away from poisonous landfills and instead convert it into a superior organic and highly beneficial microbial quality soil amendment which we can then offer directly back to you as a lawn / shrub / trees / flower beds treatment program.

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Dean Fosdick

Gardening

This Sept. 26, 2010 photo shows a Halloween display at the Red Lion Inn, in Stockbridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Dean Fosdick)

Posted: Monday, October 21, 2013 12:15 pm

Score plants, gardening tips at Fall Garden Fest

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East Valley Tribune

Fall Garden Festival 2013

This year’s Fall Garden Festival will be from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Metro Tech High School, 1900 W. Thomas Road, in Phoenix. The yearly festival is put on by The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension of Maricopa County Master Gardener program and the high school.

The free festival offers affordable plants grown by master gardeners who will share their expertise with attendees, a rummage sale, gardening-related vendors and how-to workshops such as 10 Steps To A Successful Vegetable Garden.

The festival also features an inaugural “Home Gardeners Do It With Plants” contest, where Maricopa County residents can submit photos of their home garden in one of three categories: desert, flower or vegetable. A panel of master gardeners will select a winner in each category based on garden form and function. The three winners will be featured on the Maricopa County Master Gardener’s Facebook page and will receive one 30-minute phone consultation with a master gardener.

For the most current information on the festival and contest, visit the Fall Garden Festival 2013 event on Facebook.

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Monday, October 21, 2013 12:15 pm.

Exterminator helps residents prepare for rat season

A pair of rats can breed 10,000 in one year and rat season should be under way in about a month.

As you recycle autumn leaves into compost this fall, consider the science that transforms waste into “black gold” for your soil.

“There are more microorganisms in a teaspoon of topsoil than there are people on planet Earth,” said Nick Andrews, small farms specialist and compost expert for the Oregon State University Extension Service. “Compost is similar. It’s teeming with billions of microorganisms for each ounce of compost.”

Those billions of microorganisms aren’t sitting still. Their metabolism works hard to convert organic material into fuel – activity that heats up compost. Compost must reach 130 to 135 degrees to kill weed seeds and pathogens, Andrews said.

Turn the pile after its first three to five weeks with a garden fork to add air and break up clumps of material. If the pile is big enough – one-half to one cubic yard – and well-built with a good carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, moisture content and porosity, it should heat up within a week and stay hot long enough for you to turn the pile and “process” the raw material to kill pathogens and weed seeds.    

If compost just isn’t happening, Andrews offered these troubleshooting tips.

Problem: It isn’t heating up because the pile is too small.

For a continuous fuel source, microorganisms need at least one-half cubic yard to one cubic yard of fresh organic material, Andrews said. During harvest time in August and September, that’s realistic for most gardeners.

Solution: Make sure you have a steady source of fresh material. If you don’t, you could cool-compost the rest of the year, or build a worm bin, using earthworms to decompose food waste and organic matter.

“Adjust your expectations,” Andrews said. “If the pile isn’t heating up, allow it to decompose over a longer time period, and wait long enough for the raw material to look fully decomposed, like ‘black gold.’ It’s the ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ approach.”

Problem: It stinks like rotten eggs.

Healthy compost should emit a rich, earthy odor. But a stinky compost pile might not have enough air and could be too wet. Compost piles thrive on a good balance of air and moisture and should contain 60 to 65 percent moisture, Andrews said.

Solution: Add dry material like straw, dry leaves or shredded paper. Turn the pile with a fork as you incorporate these materials. To keep out rainwater, cover the pile with plastic tarp or enclose your bin with a roof made out of scrap material.

Problem: It attracts raccoons, mice, rats or other critters.

Material that invites varmints includes meat, poultry, fish, fat, oil, dairy products, bread, grains and bones.

Solution: If this is a problem for you, avoid composting food that attracts unwanted critters. The more actively you manage and turn your pile during early decomposition, the less likely you will have problems.

You can also build your composting pile to exclude mammalian pests — for example, line it with hardware cloth. Your goal is to prevent animals from nesting or feeding from your compost pile.

Grass clippings, leaves, plant stalks, vines, weeds without seeds, healthy fruit and vegetable scraps, livestock manure and straw don’t attract pests. Wood chips, nut shells, twigs, acorns and egg shells are also compostable, but these materials are slower to decompose.

To learn more about composting, see the OSU Extension guides “Gardening with Composts, Mulches and Row Covers” at  and “Composting with Worms.”

— Denise Ruttan

If you want to receive home and garden tips, sign up for the free OregonLive.com’s newsletter.

Bob Massey | Herald correspondent

Composting class

Master Gardner Ray Machovsky, left, explains the different kinds of composting, during the Harker Heights Parks and Recreation gardening series class Monday.

Posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 4:30 am

Master Gardener gives composting tips

Matthew Dunegan | Herald correspondent

The Killeen Daily Herald

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October 18, 2013

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Bell County Master Gardeners hosted a free presentation about composting at Harker Heights Activities Center on Monday.

Master Gardener Ray Machovsky taught the importance of composting as a natural process that decomposes organic wastes into nutrient rich soil to an audience of 18 people.

“We can solve lots of money and landfill problems by taking stuff we normally throw in the trash and putting it into a compost pile,” Machovsky said. “You’ll increase soil water absorption, and help get air to the roots so they can breathe.”

Yard waste, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, rotting manure and even paper can be used in compost piles. Milk products, meat, lard, peanut butter, vegetable oils and bones are materials gardeners should not compost, Machovsky said, as they attract animals and can potentially gum up the compost. Worms, microbes and insects will help break down whatever green or brown matter into usable dirt.

The lecture weighed pros and cons of hot pile composting versus cold pile composting. Success comes with frequent turning — every three days, if possible — regardless of method.

Machovsky discussed composter construction, worm composting, troubleshooting unsuccessful compost and location.

“The best location for your compost pile will have full sun and good drainage,” he said. “But don’t put it under a tree or next to your shed.”

Find free materials

Several attendees suggested unexpected sources for gardeners to get free compost starter and supplementary materials, such as damaged wood shaving bales from Tractor Supply Company and used coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. Others weighed in about using wood ash from the fireplace.

“We already have alkaline soil in Central Texas, so use it sparingly if you do,” said Killeen resident Lisa Spann.

Nolanville resident Irene Andrews shared an anecdote about her gardening experiences working with Central Texas soil.

“I ran for office last year and I told everybody I want to do composting citywide,” she said. “I want to do victory gardens.”

More about Compost

• ARTICLE: Free composting class offered Monday
• ARTICLE: Bell County water district handles Cove’s compost
• ARTICLE: Oma’s Garten Pflanzen promotes organic approach
• ARTICLE: Organic gardening class gives tips for fruitful harvest

More about Organic Gardening

• ARTICLE: Free composting class offered Monday
• ARTICLE: Zoysia grass lasts a lifetime, needs little maintenance
• ARTICLE: Killeen should move ahead on golf course water recycling project
• ARTICLE: Good versus bad bugs

More about Agriculture

• ARTICLE: Free composting class offered Monday
• ARTICLE: Weed and feed can harm lawn more than help
• ARTICLE: Hay show entries due by Oct. 16
• ARTICLE: Police: Killeen man arrested after shooting at sister

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Friday, October 18, 2013 4:30 am.

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Posted: Friday, October 18, 2013 11:31 am

Gardening Tips: Keeping pesty bugs out of your home

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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Every year when the weather begins to get cold, certain types of insects will find their way into homes in search of water and heat. Lady bugs are probably the most common culprits, but others, such as box elder bugs and kudzu bugs, may be found inside as well. Usually these insects will come in through small openings in the siding, cracks around windows, doors or other openings.

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© 2013 The Daily Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thank you for reading 10 free articles on our site. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 10 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you need help, please contact our office at 252-537-2505.

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Friday, October 18, 2013 11:31 am.