May 16, 2014

Tips for a small or thirsty garden

Improving the soil will increase vegetable yields

By Jennifer Forker

Associated Press

Fri May 16, 2014, 12:00 AM EDT

How can you get the most yield from a garden where space is limited, and water is too?

Plant smart, and pay attention to the soil.

“Your garden is only as good as your soil,” says David Salman, chief horticulturist at High Country Gardens, a Santa Fe, N.M., catalog that specializes in native and low-water plants.

Find out what nutrients your soil has — and what it’s missing — with a soil test, available through local cooperative extension offices at a nominal fee (home soil-test kits are less reliable, according to the Colorado State University Extension).

Encourage plant health by fertilizing with natural, organic fertilizers, which include fish emulsion and liquid seaweed, says Salman. Limit the use of chemical fertilizers because they don’t help build the soil.

“You will have more nutritionally complete vegetables if you have healthy soil,” he promises.

One trick Salmon recommends, especially for gardeners living in new housing developments, is adding a soil inoculant called mycorrhiza, a beneficial fungi. It’s found naturally in healthy soil, but often needs to be added to a new garden.

“New gardens in new subdivisions, their soil is scraped off as part of construction,” says Salman. “You need to put beneficial fungi back in.”

Peas, beans and soybeans could benefit from legume inoculants, which are species-specific (a soybean inoculant cannot be used to improve peas’ growth). Read product labels carefully or ask your gardening center for assistance.

“Your beans will do OK (without it), but if you really want to crank out the beans, you can do that with the inoculant,” says Salman. “It’s kind of a ‘grandma’s secret’ to growing great beans.”

Plants that can offer high yields with low watering include leafy vegetables such as kale, lettuce and spinach; beans, snow peas and sugar snap peas; and some varieties of cucumbers and squash, he says. Plant vining beans and peas if you have space or can grow them up a fence or trellis; plant bush beans and peas in large pots if space is limited.

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What would spring be without a refresher on tomato growing success? Even veteran gardeners can experience challenges in growing these beauties to perfection. To be sure, I’ve had my share of challenges along the way. But over the years, I’ve honed my skills to master even the greatest challenges Mother Nature can throw my way. So here are a few of the non-negotiable steps you should employ now and every season to improve your tomato growing talent and get your plants off to the best start possible.

– Location is key. Pick a sunny spot that gets at least six-hours per day. More is better so find the sunniest spot that works. Your plants will be fuller, fruit will form faster, and taste best the more sun they get. Next, don’t plant too closely together. Keep your plants separated by at least two-feet in all directions. It’s amazing how large they will get and they need room to grow while receiving adequate light and air circulation. Your plants will be much healthier for it.

– Start with great soil. Starting with great soil and a healthy plant puts you well on your way to an abundant harvest. You can eliminate most of your tomato growing challenges with these two simple mandates. Well-amended soil, full of rich compost and other organic material can be your secret weapon to having the best tomatoes around.

To illustrate this point, last year I grew tomatoes in raised beds, amended with about two-inches each of compost and composted cow manure. As an experiment, in a neighboring bed, I grew tomatoes in just topsoil – no compost or manure. Over the next three months, the composted tomato bed outperformed the competition in every way, in spite of my best efforts to nurture the non-amended tomato plants to perfection. The composted plants grew vigorously, free from pests and diseases. As the season matured, so did the plants. They were heavy with abundant, delicious large red tomatoes right up until frost. The plants in the other bed did okay but fell short in every category. They were not as lush, and had more disease issues and ultimately less fruit.

– Plant them deep. Planting seedlings deep, very deep is a unique technique used for tomato plants. They’re one of the few vegetables that will grow roots along the stem if they’re in contact with soil. I leave about two sets of leaves showing above the soil when I plant new seedlings. This step will ensure a larger root area and a more vigorous plant.

In the planting hole, I add a tablespoon or two of dolomitic limestone and mix it into the soil. This step can help ward off a condition known as blossom end rot in emerging fruit. Cover the plant and water it in thoroughly. You may want to provide some liquid fertilizer now for a quick boost. As an organic gardener, I prefer to use fish emulsion and sea kelp. This adds nitrogen and phosphorus to get the plants off to a good start.

– Manage the water. Tomato plants like deep watering while keeping the soil consistently moist. A soaker hose is best for this because it allows the water to soak deeply into the soil, without saturating it to excess. Soakers are also great for not wetting the foliage above. Leaves that remain wet for too long can promote diseases that can be avoided by keeping water off the plants.

– Add Mulch. The final step for a great start is to add a two or three inch layer of mulch once the plants are settled. Mulch will help keep the moisture in the soil, prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing on plants and reduce weeds.

These guidelines will get your tomato plants off to a great start. Like with so many examples in gardening and life, how you start out makes all the difference in the world with the success of the harvest.

Joe Lamp’l is the host and executive producer of Growing a Greener World on national public television, and the founder of The joe gardener� Company, devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and sustainable outdoor living.

Question: I have this horrible weed/flower invading the grass in my front yard. It had little blue flowers in early spring and has spread through about half of my yard. How do I get rid of it?

Jean Konda-Witte, Abbotsford

 

Answer: You have violets in your lawn – and violets are hard to eradicate. I don’t think a broad-leaf herbicide will kill them, and a broad-spectrum herbicide would kill everything.

You might try covering the lawn with black plastic for a couple of years, then removing the surface soil removing violet seeds), bringing in new soil and seeding the grass. But this is so onerous it’s almost unworkable.

In any case, I wonder where the violets came from? If the source of the violet seeds (neighbours? city land?) is still there, seeds could blow in again, and you’d have the violets back.

Your best bet is to shade the violets out by cutting the grass to about seven centimetres and treating your lawn so well that it stays lush and thick. The violets will remain because they have very deep roots, but they won’t be as visible because they’d be submerged in long grass. Nor will they spread as fast because grass is a strong competitor.

 

Question: Last year my zucchinis all fell off the stems when they were about five cm long. Any advice?

Neil, Langley

 

Answer: Your zucchinis have a pollination problem. This is happening to more gardeners now that honeybees are vanishing from gardens.

But bumblebees and many tiny wild flies (resembling wasps) still pollinate flowers. Mason bees aren’t much help with zucchinis and other late-flowering vegetables because mason bees are dead by the beginning of June.

It would be best to plant pollinator-attracting flowers near your zucchini area. These include dill, chervil, coriander, mint, fennel, and Sweet Cicely. If you let a few carrots, cabbage or parsnips go to seed nearby, they’ll also draw masses of pollinators

Your alternative is hand-pollinating the zucchini flowers. The female flowers have a small, round knob in the centre of the bloom. The male flowers have spiky stamens. You could take a new paintbrush and brush pollen from the male flowers into the female blooms.

Hand pollinating is more work than adding pollinating plants but you’ll need it, if your first female zucchini flowers open before the pollinator-attracting flowers do.

 

Question: I want to move some tulips for next spring. Shall I leave them where they are or can I store them until the fall after the foliage has died back? How do I do this?

Lorraine Davis, Vancouver

 

Answer: Digging and storing is best. That’s because tulip bulbs need thorough drying otherwise they tend to get fungus diseases.

Some tulips can come back for several years if the bed they’re in is never watered in summer and we have a dry summer. But if we have a wet summer, fungus diseases will strike.

For storing, dig up your tulips when the leaves turn yellow and take them inside till they completely dry. Then clean off the soil, discard any diseased or damaged bulbs and let them dry more. Then store in a mesh bag or in cardboard boxes and replant next fall.

 

Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps if you can tell me the name of your city or region.

© Royal City Record

It’s getting hot out there, and your plants are feeling it too. The desert climate presents special dilemmas for your vegetables and ornamentals. You can’t put sunglasses and SPF on your seedlings, so what can you do to protect them from the heat? How do you keep your garden alive and thriving through fall?

Get more advice from Norm and Angela here.

 

AFTER the ball or party is over there is always the next day when we reflect on the fun and sometimes there is work to be done.

AFTER the ball or party is over there is always the next day when we reflect on the fun and sometimes there is work to be done.

In the case of Mother’s Day, while gift wrapping many different plants, it occurred to me that many mums might need some help.

Caring, possibly, for a plant they have never had before could indeed be a chore, mainly so that their family see their gift flourishing when they visit.

Once again, this year cyclamen were the most popular potted flowering plant and, with a little tender loving care, they will continue to bloom until the warmer weather arrives.

If displayed close to a warm fire or heater the flowers will drop quickly.

A handy hint for maintaining a healthy cyclamen is to place the pot outside at night in a sheltered spot in the cool night air.

Cyclamen can be sensitive to over watering, they are prone to root rot if the soil is constantly kept saturated.

Never keep this beautiful plant sitting in water and after watering allow the excess water to drain off.

Regular feeding will prolong flowering – I use African Violet food or Flourish.

The old reliable chrysanthemums, no doubt were given to grandmas.

Their care is fairly simple. Cut off any dead blooms that will encourage new buds and water under the leaves and flowers.

Once chrysanthemums have finished flowering they can be planted out in the garden where they will multiply and flower again at this time next year.

Anthurium were chosen by the knowledgeable plant lovers who recognise the value in these spectacular indoor plants.

They prefer good natural light and free draining soil that should be watered thoroughly when the soil is dry to touch.

Anthuriums can be grown on verandahs or even in the garden in a sheltered spot but not exposed to direct sunlight.

Orchids, both cymbidiums and phalaenopsis, were in high demand.

Understandably so, as both species are so easy to maintain, producing their beautiful blooms from one season to the next.

Cymbidiums can be displayed inside until they finish flowering, but then should be given a shady spot outside and regularly fed with a specific orchid food.

Phalaenopsis can easily be maintained indoors in a well-lit spot.

It does help to mist the exposed roots that develop and don’t be surprised if they flower more than once from the same spike.

A four-part gardening topics “Camp Florida Friendly” for adults only will be held in June by the Duval County Extension service at its office at 1010 N. McDuff Ave. in Jacksonville.

The classes run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday June 18; Friday June 20; Wednesday June 25 and Friday, June 27. Each class is $5 per person. An extra $40 is charged to make a rain barrel, with $10 more to make a worm bin or $5 to make a bee house.

The topics for June 18 are: Does your yard speak Florida Friendly?; Propagation Made Easy; Hands-on with Recycled Materials; and Citrus 101.

The June 20 topics are: Learn to Compost; Vermicompost; Do you know your insects?; and How to Attract Beneficial Insects.

The June 25 topics are: Rain Gardens: Reduce the Runoff: Updates on Fertilizer and Irrigation; and Make and take rain barrel.

The June 27 topics are: Bring on the Pollinators; Make and Take Bee House; Let’s talk Invasive Plants; and Heat Tolerant Edibles and Cover Crops.

To register with credit card, go to http://campfloridafriendly2014.eventbrite.com, or email beckyd@coj.net for a registration form to return payment by mail.

IT’S THE WEEKEND: May gardening tips from allotment blogger Sean O’Dobhain

10:31am Sunday 11th May 2014 in News

MAY GARDENING: Brassicas to be planted

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HERE’S the latest column from our allotment columnist Sean O’Dobhain, from Cwmbran

(allotmentnotebook.blogspot.co.uk)

I LOVE the month of May with the warmer temperatures and the promise of summer just around the corner. It’s now that the customary avenues of bamboo canes spring up on plot after plot as the supports for the runner and climbing beans. Some rows are so long I wonder how any family can eat so many beans! I’ve found that 16 runner bean plants, plus a small wigwam of French beans give my family ample to eat fresh plus loads for the freezer.

Plant runner beans in free draining soil and add some organic matter before planting to retain moisture as they don’t like it too dry.

If you are putting out plants sown under glass last month then remember to harden them off first by placing them outside for a few days but avoiding a frost at night.

Alternatively, it’s the right time to sow direct; pop a couple of beans at the foot of each cane and thin to one strong plant. Whether planting or sowing, protect against slug attack.

As I want Brussels sprouts for Christmas lunch it’s time to plant them and the other brassicas too; plants like cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower. A few simple things are essential for healthy brassicas. First, ensure that the ground is firm; it always feels a bit odd to me, treading down a nicely dug bed with booted feet, but brassicas need firm ground. Secondly, once the ground is firm, add a sprinkling of lime, brassicas won’t grow well in acidic soils. Add some general fertilizer if required (but don’t mix manure with lime) and rake both the lime and fertilizer into the surface before planting.

Some brassicas can become large plants; sprouts for example, need a good 60-80cm between them to grow well. I plant my sprouts out in the bed first then plant summer cabbages in-between the rows. The cabbages are finished by the autumn and the sprouts are able to go on and develop in the space. Remember, pigeons and white butterflies will decimate a brassica crop; always protect plants with some kind of frame and net.

Indoor tomatoes can be set out in the greenhouse too and outdoor varieties on the plot. As I have vine or ‘indeterminate’ varieties of tomatoes, I need to start pinching out the side shoots that grow between a main leaf and stem. This will ensure that the tomato plant will develop truss after truss of flowers and fruit as it grows on a single stem tied on to a cane. If you have a bush or ‘determinate’ variety then side shoots should be left in place.

Lastly this month, I’m planting out delicious sweet corn, raised in root trainers in April. Plant, or sow direct now, in blocks rather than lines to help with pollination; F1 varieties such as Swift or Incredible should do well.

Other allotment jobs for May

• Check summer and winter squashes sown last month, if their roots are through the bottom then re-pot into larger containers. Wait until June when the weather is warm enough before planting outside.

• Plant out any remaining lettuce and place cucumbers into cold frames or a greenhouse.

• Continue to direct sow in shallow drills: carrots, turnip, broad beans, swede, lettuce, radish, peas and beetroot as required.

• Sow winter cabbage like Tundra F1 or Ormskirk Savoy for planting out in July.

• It’s not too late to plant seed potatoes, get them planted in trenches now.

• Weeds and slugs are a problem now; hoe regularly and use slug control around young plants.

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By Michele Buberniak, Bedford Branch Librarian

Time to get growing!

Here are some new gardening titles that you may enjoy while counting off the days until the danger of frost is past and it is safe to plant your own space. Some books on the list are the “how-to” type while others simply celebrate the love of plants, so enjoy!

Vegetables

The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Food in Harmony with Nature by Tammi Hartung, 2014

Thanks to the whimsical drawings of wildlife in this book, the animals look harmless, but as any gardener knows, many animals love plants as much as we do. As the title states, this author believes in harmony and offers great tips for attracting helpful predators as well as pollinators to the yard and using decoy plants and other methods to deter wildlife for consuming everything we grow.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture: Creating an Edible Ecosystem by Christopher Shein with Julie Thompson, 2013

“Permaculture,” or permanent agriculture, is defined as a method of growing vegetables in an efficient way by creating great soil using decomposed plant matter, efficient watering and other techniques in order to re-use the same space on a long-term basis. According to Shein, who grew up in Ann Arbor, the idea was first formalized in Australia in the 1970s. He is passionate on the subject and has written chapters on the basics of permaculture, garden designs, the best choices for plants and tips for seed saving and storing.

Flowers

Garden Rescue: First Aid for Plants and Flowers by Jo Whittingham, 2013

As with all Dorling Kindersley publications, this book has great photos and clear, large text that helps the reader or browser gather information at a glance. The book is written for those who are new to gardening and the problems that can come with it, but this book may also serve as a refresher for experienced growers. The book is divided into sections that include vegetables and fruits as well as ornamental plants and includes information on trees, shrubs, climbers, perennials, bulbs, bedding plants and lawns. The very first section is entitled “Know Your Garden” and it explains how plants work and the importance of the right site and soil. Especially helpful within this heading are the two page spreads that explain what is normal for the plant categories. The “Don’t Panic” pages will make you smile and may even teach you something you don’t already know. Although more academic diagnostic books have been published, this book is helpful with charts useful in identifying problems and info bites. The photos of the pests could have been larger for identification purposes but it is a start for further research.

Seeing Flowers: Discover the Hidden Life of Flowers. Photography by Robert Llewellyn, text by Teri Dunn Chace, 2013

Photographer Robert Llewellyn has produced stunning images of some flowers in 28 of the most common plant families using a variety of techniques. The photos have a white, backlit appearance reminiscent of botanical drawings and are quite striking. In many cases, this lighting makes the petals appear translucent, and it enhances the beauty of the blooms in a way we cannot visualize in a garden setting.

Teri Dunn Chase provided the text that accompanies the photos in each plant family section. As a writer and editor, she has contributed to many publications such as “Horticulture and North American Gardener” and books including “How to Eradicate Invasive Plants” and “The Anxious Gardener’s Book of Answers.”

Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places that Inspired the Classic Children’s Tales by Marta McDowell, 2013

If you love Peter Rabbit, gardening or watercolors, you will love this book and possibly want your own copy. Every page is a delight, filled with photos, sketches, paintings and most importantly, the story of Beatrix Potter.

Gardeners will appreciate the list at the end of the book of plants that Beatrix grew in her own gardens as well as those that are in her stories.

Syrup

The Sugar Maker’s Companion: An Integrated Approach to Producing Syrup from Maple Birch and Walnut Trees by Michael Farrell, 2013

Michael Farrell said this book is written primarily for those interested in actual syrup production, and those doing it for a hobby might prefer a more concise guide. If you want to start production, be sure to read one of the first chapters, “Is Sugaring for You?”

Other chapters are devoted to topics such as sugarhouse design and construction, gathering techniques and marketing. Readers may be surprised to learn that a wide variety of maples and black walnut trees also produce sap.

Small spaces

Fine Gardening Pocket Gardens: Design ideas for Small-Space Gardening by the editors of Fine Gardening Magazine, 2013

“Pocket Gardening” is a term loosely defined as planting in small spaces. This book contains great ideas from the folks at the reputable Fine Gardening Magazine. Gardening basics are included along with ideas and designs for ornamental and edible crops — yes, it is okay to mix in vegetables with flowers. Be sure to check out the list of plants for small places at the back of the book and the directions for pruning trees in order keep them small.

The author of the tree pruning tips is Janet Macunovich, a landscape designer, Michigan resident and a monthly contributor to the publication Michigan Gardener.

Community gardening

Community gardening is an idea that has become popular in many urban and some rural areas around the country. It provides a garden space for local residents to grow vegetables for healthy food options, especially on a limited budget.

In many areas, local government agencies have partnered with neighborhoods, churches and other organizations to turn vacant, overgrown lots into a shared productive garden space. In some communities, dedicated plots already exist and may be owned by an organization.

Community Gardening by editors Ellen Kirby and Elizabeth Peters, 2008

This title contains the success stories of various community gardens from around the country, including those that grow vegetables and those that are grown for area beautification. In addition to the benefit of healthy food, growing plants fosters a sense of personal satisfaction and in a shared space encourages cooperation among the participants. With great advice from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for organic and sustainable gardening methods, all gardeners should enjoy this selection.

Be sure to stop in at the library as see our great collection of gardening and plant books.

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After our seemingly endless winter, most of us are itching to load up on plants and get our hands dirty. Whether you grow on a grand scale or tend a couple of pots, chances are you’ll be buying plants at a garden center or plant sale. When you do, a growing chorus of voices is urging you to keep bees in mind.

Bee die-offs, colony collapse disorder and possible causes have made headlines. They’ve also “made the public aware of our stewardship role with bees,” said Vera Krischik, associate professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota.

In fact, bee-friendly gardening was named a top national trend for 2014 by the Garden Media Group, and Minnesota, in particular, has become a hive of bee-related activity and advocacy.

“Here in Minnesota, there’s a lot going on with bees,” said Lex Horan, local organizer for the Pesticide Action Network North America, which helped organize a “swarm” at a local Home Depot in February to urge the retailer to stop selling products believed to be toxic to bees.

People have been packing auditoriums for bee seminars, pushing for new legislation to protect bees and beekeepers and urging retailers to stop selling and using neonicotinoids, a widely used class of insecticides that some suspect is playing a role in recent bee die-offs.

Research on neonicotinoids’ impact on bees is currently underway. But in the meantime, several large local players, including retailers Bachman’s and Gertens and wholesale grower Bailey Nurseries, have decided to err on the side of caution and eliminate or sharply reduce their use of neonicotinoids.

Feed the bees

Trying not to kill bees is only one piece of the pollinator-protection puzzle, however.

With more and more habitat lost to development and agriculture (corn and soybeans, the state’s top crops, don’t provide nectar), bees need food, too. And that’s where home gardeners can really help, according to experts.

“The main thing is to plant more flowering plants,” said Heather Holm, of Minnetonka, a landscape designer and author of the new book “Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects With Native Plants” (available at www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com).

Native bees, in particular, have a short flight distance — about 500 yards, she said. “If you and your neighbors aren’t providing forage, they will have a hard time finding food.”

From the pollinators’ perspective, it’s important to have a continuous succession of plants flowering throughout the growing season, Holm said. “In most gardens there is a gap,” especially in early spring and late fall. Holm advises gardeners to evaluate their landscape, identify the flower gaps and fill them. Good early-spring bloomers are woodland plants, such as bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches and wild geranium. Good fall bloomers include asters and goldenrod.

And all flowering plants aren’t equal, from the bee’s perspective. “Stick with straight species” rather than cultivars, Holm advised. “If breeding has changed the flower color, it can also change the fragrance or nectar. It may look better to us, but it may not be attractive to bees.”

When choosing plants, opt for older, simpler varieties, Holm said, even if it means passing up the plants that catch your eye with their showy form or unusual hue. “Rethink how a bee or pollinator would see your garden — not just what you think is prettiest, with double flowers or a brand-new introduction in a cool color,” she said.

Good plants for bees include coneflowers, liatris, salvia, catmint, catnip, hyssop, black-eyed Susans and single-flower sunflowers, Krischik said. (For an extensive list, by region, of bee-friendly plants, visit the Xerces Society’s website, (www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/GreatLakesPlantList_web.pdf)

Many of the plants sold today “have been hybridized to the point that they don’t have much value to pollinators,” said Ron Bowen, president of Prairie Restorations (www.prairieresto.com) of Princeton, Minn., who encourages homeowners to convert 25 percent of their land to native prairie plants.

“If you plant natives, you’re going to be helping something, native bees or other beneficial insects,” he said. “Most of us have been taught that insects are bad, like mosquitoes. But insects are pretty important. That awakening is upon us.”

To help gardeners create more bee-friendly landscapes, Bowen has developed a series of prairie-restoration kits, which contain plants and seedlings to cover a 500-square-foot area — about the size of a very large living room — along with a book about wildflowers. One of Bowen’s kits, the “Pollinator Package,” consists of 32 species of wildflowers and grasses that provide habitat and food sources for bees and other pollinators.

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Plant palms in May through August, as they establish best when planted into warm soil. Always ask how hardy a palm is before you purchase it. Ideally, palms should be hardy down to 15 degrees or lower to be reliable here — particularly on the north shore. Keep newly planted palms well watered during their establishment period.

• Apply paint or shade cloth to greenhouses to prevent heat buildup. Fans should run just about constantly, and there should be plenty of ventilation. I usually empty out my greenhouse this time of the year and move plants to benches outside.

• Plant basil now for harvest all summer. Choose a sunny, well-drained location and space plants about 12 inches apart. Consider growing some different types, such as cinnamon, lemon or Thai basil, in addition to common sweet basil.

• May is the last chance to apply many of the broad leaf lawn weed killers before the weather gets too hot. Virginia buttonweed is particularly troublesome, and it’s easier to control now while it is young. Try using Ferti-lome Weed Free Zone or Weed B Gon.

• Cannas that have brown, deformed leaves with holes have been attacked by canna leaf-rollers, a caterpillar that can be devastating to cannas. Control is difficult and requires regular spraying all summer. If you decide to treat, use a systemic insecticide such as acephate and make weekly applications.