Posted: Friday, October 4, 2013 11:19 am

Gardening Tips: The ins and outs of growing pumpkins

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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I’d like to start with a quick reminder Harvest Day is this weekend at the 4-H Rural Life Center in Halifax. Although Harvest Day is mainly an event to celebrate our agricultural history, it is also a day of fun and entertainment. One of the new activities this year will be a dunking booth, and if you’re a faithful reader of this column, you might be interested to hear that I will be sitting in the dunking booth from 12:30 to 1 p.m. tomorrow.

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Home / 5 Tips for Environmentally Conscious Gardening

5 Tips for Environmentally Conscious Gardening

Posted by sevhoo in Green living, Recycling, 7 hours ago

Source: Flickr
Credit: Terriem

Gardening can be costly, both to you and the environment. Thankfully though, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are numerous ways to save money and, more importantly, to protect the environment. Gardening is all about communing with nature anyway, so it should be done in the greenest way possible.
Here are 5 simple tips for green fingered folks who would like to garden in an environmentally conscious way:

1) Use Last Year’s Seeds
One inexpensive way to grow new plants is from seeds left from the previous year. For example, if you have grown some garlic bulbs in your garden you could plant individual garlic cloves and each clove should produce a whole new bulb next harvest. This can of course be done with any number of plants, so consider what you already have in your garden before you go and buy any seeds.

2) Take Clippings
Another top tip for growing plants for free is to take cuttings from your friends’ plants (with their permission of course!). If you have spotted some plants that you love in the gardens of friends and family ask if you can snip off a little bit. They will probably be more than happy to oblige you. Then simply plant your cuttings in a pot and they should start to root in a few weeks, providing you with new blooms and bushes at no cost at all.

3) Make Newspaper Plant Pots
A great green way to make plant pots is by using old your old newspapers. Most people have a few papers lying around the house, so why not make use of them? All you need to do is cut your old paper down the centre, fold it and roll it around a cylindrical object such as a jar or cardboard tube. Twist and fold in the bottom of the paper and you have a basic but functional plant pot. The great thing about these paper pots is that they are biodegradable, so they can be planted straight into your soil and left to decompose naturally. Very clever and very green.

4) Recycle plastic containers
Everyday items such as fruit punnets are ideal for planting in. Just punch a few holes in the bottom to allow water to escape and they are ready to use. You could also use takeaway coffee cups as plant pots rather than throwing them away. Recycling is a fantastic way to make use of non-biodegradable items and this is certainly an environmentally conscious way to garden, as well as a tip that will save you money.

5) Make CD Bird Scarers
Rather than building a full size creepy scarecrow you can use compact discs to keep the birds at bay, while maintaining a green approach to your gardening. These shiny discs hung on strings, suspended on bamboo canes, are very effective at protecting your vegetables and they also give you an opportunity to throw away your more questionable musical choices!

With the tips above, a few gardening tools, a hose pipe for watering your plants and a bit of luck you should be able to look forward to a fantastic garden that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Fall is here and you are probably seeing changes in your garden, one of those might have to do with tomato plants.

The rain can split red tomatoes, but there are ways to use them before they go bad. You can also avoid wasting green tomatoes with a few quick tricks and recipes. Garden expert Lisa Taylor has tips for you to use in your garden.

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Autumn and winter gardening tips from Coolings’ Plant Doctor Mark Reeve

3:22pm Wednesday 2nd October 2013 in Leisure latest news

Autumn and winter gardening tips from Coolings’ Plant Doctor Mark Reeve

Now that summer is a distant memory, here are a few tips ideas to settle your garden in for the autumn and winter months, writes Plant Doctor Mark Reeve of Coolings Garden Centre.

Don’t forget get your pots! Many plants, especially evergreens ones, can freeze in their pots in winter.

If the roots freeze they can’t take up any water so the plant dies. Move them somewhere sheltered near the house to protect them. 

If they cannot be moved then use bubble wrap to wrap around the pot to insulate it. It might not look pretty but it may save your favourite plant.

Fleece can be used on top growth to keep off a few degrees of frost but check the plant regularly as mould and rots can set in. We stock the fleece and bubble wrap at Coolings.

The autumn and winter months are good times (rain and frost permitting) to plant trees and shrubs.

Many trees create a fantastic show later in the year. Many Japanese cherries have good leaf colour as well as spring flowers.

Trees such as Amelanchier, Liquidambar and Nyssa light up the garden in autumn. If you only have room for shrubs then Acers (Japanese maple), Cotinus (smoke bush), Enkianthus and Hamamelis (witch hazel) put on a stunning show.

• Autumn and winter gardening tips from Coolings’ Plant Doctor Mark Reeve
• Vibe’s gardening expert George Long on lightening the shade this autumn
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October is one of the best months to be planting trees, shrubs and perennials. You improve the survival rate of plants when you plant in the Fall as it gives the root system time to establish itself during the winter months. Above ground the plants appears to be dormant in winter (and they are) underground roots are active, growing deeper into the soil to provide a strong anchor for the whole plant.

When spring arrives the plant is acclimatized to its new environment and is ready to put out strong leaves, new top growth and lots of flowers.

Remember, there is still time to plant fall vegetables. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peas, Swiss chard, lettuce, radish, spinach, turnips, onions, parsley, mustard and carrots are all crops that do well this time of year. Vegetables can be planted from seed or transplanted.

Also, make sure to adjust your watering schedule for the cooler temperatures of Fall. The recommendation is to water in the morning if possible. Be sure to water long enough so the root system grows deep rather than staying close to the soil surface. Check your irrigation system for leaks, clogs or breakages to make sure water is getting to all areas in your lawns and beds.

Check your garden regularly for insects and fungi. Plants that have suffered heat stress during the summer are more prone to disease. If you find a problem, take care of it as soon as possible using a recommended insecticide or fungicide. Both organic and non-organic products are available to stop and protect against insects and fungi. This year we are beginning to see oak trees with wooly aphids that give a snow like appearance to the leaves.

Fall is also a good time of year to apply a fresh layer of mulch. Mulching helps reduce water evaporation and keeps the soil temperature warmer during winter to help plants survive frost and snow conditions. Mulching also saves on watering and always improves the appearance of your landscape.

If you are looking for a sea of bluebonnets in your garden next Spring now is the time to be planting. To encourage bluebonnet seeds to germinate they need to be scarified (the shell softened) before planting. Drop by the Nursery and we can show you how to do this – it’s not hard.

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Winding down from summer, gearing up for fall. These garden tips and tasks will get you outdoors to enjoy Middle Tennessee’s October weather.

• Leaf-raking is about to begin (or in some cases, may already have begun). Shred leaves with the mower and place them in the compost, or shovel them directly onto garden beds as mulch.

• Continue to provide water if the weather is dry. Herb beds, especially herbs that last through winter, benefit from regular moisture as the weather cools.

• Fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. Be sure to provide enough water now and throughout the plants’ first year. A layer of mulch helps keep the soil moist.

• Cheery pots of mums brighten porches and gardens, but remember to provide water to keep them fresh as long as possible.

• Keep your herb garden going. New plantings of parsley, cilantro and sorrel can stand up to cooler weather.

• The Nashville African Violet Club will meet at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Green Hill Women’s Center, 10905 Lebanon Road, in Mt. Juliet. And the Tennessee Gesneriad Society will meet in Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall at 2 p.m. Oct. 13. For more information about both events, call 615-364-8459.

• Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee will meet Oct. 15 at Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall. Speaker is Ron Daniels, and the topic is roses. Refreshments at 6:30 p.m.; meeting at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public.

• Plant summer herbs in a pot to grow in a sunny window — or under lights — through the winter.

• Bring your houseplants back inside before nights begin to turn crisp. Clean the pots before you bring them in, and check the containers and the soil for hitchhiking insects.

• Harvest that second planting of bush and pole beans, cucumbers and summer squash, along with any tender herbs, before frost threatens. Frost is possible around the end of the month in many areas of Middle Tennessee.

• Perennials that need to be divided can be dug and replanted now. Prepare the new planting bed by removing weeds and amending the soil. Do this before you dig the plants to be divided so that perennials can be replanted immediately. Keep newly transplanted roots and foliage watered.

• Bring any tender perennials — potted citrus trees, tropical hibiscus, bougainvillea, etc. — indoors and set them in a sunny spot to spend the winter. Provide regular water throughout fall and winter.

• Clean up spent flowers, rotting foliage and other debris from perennial and annual beds to prevent harmful insects and diseases from overwintering.

• As leaves continue to fall, rake or blow them from newly seeded lawns to keep them from shading the new grass.

• Plant spring-flowering bulbs. Some garden wildlife consider bulbs a tasty treat, so you may need to protect your plantings by laying hardware cloth across the planting bed and covering it with soil. The foliage will grow through it next spring. Garden critters won’t bother daffodils, which are poisonous to chipmunks and other rodents, but tulips are often in danger of becoming a rodent’s dinner.

• Say goodbye to summer gardening by cleaning mowers, trimmers and other power tools, emptying hoses and storing them indoors, and cleaning dirt and mud from garden tools before putting them away for the winter.

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Prune orchards once reigned supreme in the Napa Valley. Pears, walnuts and fodder for grazing sheep were also grown where now 45,000 acres of premium wine grapes flourish.

The crush is on in Napa County. Mostly cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and merlot are being harvested at night, but back in 1928 the prune crop was worth twice as much as wine grapes.

We all have an insect or two that we have to deal with in our gardens. I found out on a recent excursion to Napa Valley that all those acres of grape vines could possibly be lost if the European grape moth has its way. Believed to have been imported in vegetables from Europe, it was first detected in Napa County in 2009. Back in 2011 Santa Cruz County was dealing with the same pest. With quarantine efforts and eradication of fruits and flowers near the area where they were first detected, our county hasn’t had much of a problem with them since.

Integrated pest management is the ecologically sound approach to pest control. In Napa County, I learned that the European grape moth is being well-controlled in recent years by organic sprays such as spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis, more commonly known as BT. Another very effective control method used is mating disruption with pheromones.

These techniques might not be as picturesque as planting roses around a grape orchard as an early warning system for fungal diseases, but they have worked for the grape moth. Roses are traditionally planted at the perimeter of vineyards because both they and grape vines are prone to powdery mildew and Downy mildew in our Mediterranean-type climate. If powdery mildew appears on the roses, the vineyard can be sprayed with sulfur. Although sulfur does not cure powdery mildew, it will prevent it.

Downy mildew is another deadly mildew that attacks the green parts of the grape vine. Once Downy mildew is detected on the rose bushes, the grape vines can be immediately sprayed with a solution of copper sulphate and lime.

Many of the vineyards also plant lavender and rosemary to repel many harmful insects, provide habitat for beneficial insects preying on undesirable insects and add a pleasant flavor to the wine.

Sitting outside on a tasting room patio planted with beautiful flowering shrubs and perennials, it’s hard to imagine the delicious wine in your glass doesn’t come effortlessly on the part of the winery. Like our area that grows pinot noir grapes exceptionally well, the terroir of the Napa valley is expressed in the flavor of its wine. The qualities of the soil, geography and climate all contribute.

A vast array of soils of volcanic and marine origin coexist in Napa Valley. Half of the world’s soil orders occur here with more than 100 soil variations all affecting the character of the grapes. Soils guide the grape-grower as to which rootstock and grape varieties to plant. Valley floor soils tend to be deeper and more fertile and produce vigorous growth, so the crop must be tightly managed to produce concentrated grapes. On the hillsides, the vine has to struggle to survive the spare, rocky soils and naturally sets a smaller crop, producing smaller grapes of highly concentrated color and flavors.

Walking among the vines, I noted drip irrigation in use. I found out that traditionally Old World wine regions consider natural rainfall the only source of water that will still allow the vineyard to maintain its terroir characteristics. Spain has recently loosened the regulations of the European Union Wine Laws and France has been reviewing the issue.

Grapes depend on a certain amount of water mainly in the spring and summer, and so, here in California and other summer dry regions of the world like Australia, the vines are irrigated starting in May or June. It’s a fine line to determine how much and how often to irrigate to preserve the flavor of the grape and not just grow lush plants with high yields.

In our own gardens, we can train a plant to put down deep roots, decreasing the amount of watering it needs. So it is in grape growing where the vine receives sufficient water during budding and flowering, but irrigation is then scaled back during the ripening period so that the vine funnels more of its limited resources into developing grape clusters.

I enjoyed the gardens of the Napa Valley as much as the wine tasting. White Japanese anemone, pink sasanqua camellia and oakleaf hydrangea are all blooming. The dogwood trees are budded for next year’s show and the Japanese maples are starting to color.

It’s interesting to know that one grape vine produces about four to six bottles of wine per year and in 1968 the nation’s first Agriculture Preserve was established to protect open space and prevent future over-development.

– Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California certified nursery professional, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at janis001@aol.com, or visit www.jannelsonlandscapedesign.com to view past columns and pictures.