Doug Lyseng, who has a farm at Armena, Alberta, and a vegetable booth at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market, is speaking at a vegetarian potluck this coming Sunday. He’ll be sharing his experiences in growing and selling vegetables.

The potluck is at Park Allen community hall on Sunday, October 28th at 5 p.m. It’s being hosted by the South Edmonton Vegetarian and Gardening Club. If you’d like to attend, come with a vegetarian/vegan or raw dish for six people, plus utensils and a second dish if you’re bringing a guest. 

It costs $6 per person to attend and hear the speaker.  If you don’t want to eat, the speaker starts at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to  780-463-1626. The hall is at 11104-65th Avenue.

“The right plant for the right place” is a gardening maxim. For that reason and many others, trees and shrubs sometimes need to be moved. These cool fall days are the time to do it. Plants won’t be stressed by heat, and they’ll have all winter to develop a new root system and get ready for spring.

Moving a tree or shrub isn’t that hard to do, and we don’t do it often enough in my opinion. Many plants survive but don’t thrive in less-than-ideal conditions. And just like people, they’ll never reach their full potential until they’re placed in an environment to which they’re better suited.

Young and generally healthy shrubs and trees are the best candidates for a successful move. The smaller the shrub or tree, the quicker it will recover, and the easier it will be to handle. Anything more than roughly 8 feet tall or with a trunk diameter over 2 inches becomes unmanageable without special equipment.

You’ll have the most success transplanting trees with compact, fibrous root systems, such as maple, pin oak, ash and shrubs such as azalea and hydrangea. Small feeder root systems recover much faster than, say, the coarse roots of the magnolia or hawthorn. If you have the time, pruning the roots a year before the move will reduce the overall root zone and give young feeder roots a chance to develop and grow inside the root ball zone. That also makes it easier to dig up and easier on the plant to recover.

With chalk or spray paint, draw a circle around the plant 12 inches in diameter for every inch of tree trunk diameter. Dig along the outer edge with a sharp spade, slicing through the roots. If you’re encountering a lot of tough, heavy roots, you’re too close to the trunk — move your trench out a bit. Alternatively, try and plan your root pruning for the dripline. That’s the area on the ground under the tips of the branches. And if all else fails, remember: The more roots you can dig up during the removal process, the better the chance of a successful transplant to the new location, assuming all other conditions are good.

Prune the roots. Dig the ball. When it’s time to move your plant, cut a trench along the root ball line, working progressively deeper as you go. Shave away excess soil as you work, but don’t remove any more roots. Have a helper tip the plant back while you undercut the final roots holding it in place.

Wrap up and move out. Cut a piece of untreated burlap four times the diameter of the root ball, tip the plant over and slide the burlap under the ball as far as possible. Tip the plant the other way and pull the burlap through so the root ball rests on the burlap, then fold and wrap the material around the root ball and pin in place with 2-inch-long flathead nails. To safely remove the root ball from the hole, slip a wooden 2-by-12 underneath it and slide the plant up and out onto a heavy plastic tarp. Using the tarp, pull or carry the plant to its new location. Avoid lifting by the trunk or stems; that will break off roots and knock soil loose.

Replant. Dig the new planting hole no deeper than the root ball is high and three times wider. Set the plant in place with the top of the ball slightly higher than the surrounding soil level (to account for settling). Open the burlap and tuck it into the hole so it won’t wick water away from the roots. It will eventually decompose. Backfill the hole halfway with soil, tamp firm and fill with water. Let the water drain, finish backfilling and build a “saucer” of soil around the tree to direct water down to the roots. Water again.

Post-op recovery. Spread a 3- to 4-inch-deep layer of mulch over the area in the saucer. Don’t fertilize or prune for the first couple of years to allow the plant to settle in gradually to its new home. But keep up with watering, especially through the first summer. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation to let the water sink slowly to the roots. Once the plant has made it through the first summer after relocation, it should be fine on its own after that.
    
Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com.
 

“The right plant for the right place” is a gardening maxim. For that reason and many others, trees and shrubs sometimes need to be moved. These cool fall days are the time to do it. Plants won’t be stressed by heat, and they’ll have all winter to develop a new root system and get ready for spring.

Moving a tree or shrub isn’t that hard to do, and we don’t do it often enough in my opinion. Many plants survive but don’t thrive in less-than-ideal conditions. And just like people, they’ll never reach their full potential until they’re placed in an environment to which they’re better suited.

Young and generally healthy shrubs and trees are the best candidates for a successful move. The smaller the shrub or tree, the quicker it will recover, and the easier it will be to handle. Anything more than roughly 8 feet tall or with a trunk diameter over 2 inches becomes unmanageable without special equipment.

You’ll have the most success transplanting trees with compact, fibrous root systems, such as maple, pin oak, ash and shrubs such as azalea and hydrangea. Small feeder root systems recover much faster than, say, the coarse roots of the magnolia or hawthorn. If you have the time, pruning the roots a year before the move will reduce the overall root zone and give young feeder roots a chance to develop and grow inside the root ball zone. That also makes it easier to dig up and easier on the plant to recover.

With chalk or spray paint, draw a circle around the plant 12 inches in diameter for every inch of tree trunk diameter. Dig along the outer edge with a sharp spade, slicing through the roots. If you’re encountering a lot of tough, heavy roots, you’re too close to the trunk — move your trench out a bit. Alternatively, try and plan your root pruning for the dripline. That’s the area on the ground under the tips of the branches. And if all else fails, remember: The more roots you can dig up during the removal process, the better the chance of a successful transplant to the new location, assuming all other conditions are good.

Prune the roots. Dig the ball. When it’s time to move your plant, cut a trench along the root ball line, working progressively deeper as you go. Shave away excess soil as you work, but don’t remove any more roots. Have a helper tip the plant back while you undercut the final roots holding it in place.

Wrap up and move out. Cut a piece of untreated burlap four times the diameter of the root ball, tip the plant over and slide the burlap under the ball as far as possible. Tip the plant the other way and pull the burlap through so the root ball rests on the burlap, then fold and wrap the material around the root ball and pin in place with 2-inch-long flathead nails. To safely remove the root ball from the hole, slip a wooden 2-by-12 underneath it and slide the plant up and out onto a heavy plastic tarp. Using the tarp, pull or carry the plant to its new location. Avoid lifting by the trunk or stems; that will break off roots and knock soil loose.

Replant. Dig the new planting hole no deeper than the root ball is high and three times wider. Set the plant in place with the top of the ball slightly higher than the surrounding soil level (to account for settling). Open the burlap and tuck it into the hole so it won’t wick water away from the roots. It will eventually decompose. Backfill the hole halfway with soil, tamp firm and fill with water. Let the water drain, finish backfilling and build a “saucer” of soil around the tree to direct water down to the roots. Water again.

Post-op recovery. Spread a 3- to 4-inch-deep layer of mulch over the area in the saucer. Don’t fertilize or prune for the first couple of years to allow the plant to settle in gradually to its new home. But keep up with watering, especially through the first summer. Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation to let the water sink slowly to the roots. Once the plant has made it through the first summer after relocation, it should be fine on its own after that.
    
Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com.
 

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I thought that this week might be a good time to catch up on a few odds and ends. As summer ends, there are a few things we should be looking after.

First of all, you still have time to put in a few bulbs for spring color. Prices are down, and you will get a lot of show for your dollar. And, remember, get more than tulips. Today there are so many things out there that will stretch your bloom season from early March right through late May. Remember, too, to plant bulbs where you will personally enjoy them. It is nice to plant all around the front of the house to make it look good. Personally, I plant mine where I can see them from the breakfast or dinner table. They do give me a lift every morning, and again as I end my day.

If you can find any hyacinths, here is an idea for you. Look for three or four six-inch flower pots. Fill three-fourths with potting soil and then plant about five bulbs and cover. Water them thoroughly and set them in an open space in the backyard — someplace where you can get to them in February. Now pile them high with leaves. They need a cold treatment to set bud. I remember one year that I decided to not put them out, and to let them get their cold treatment in our refrigerator. It worked, but Anne Marie was not very happy. I do not recommend this. Dig them in February and they’ll bloom in a couple of weeks, filling the room with a beautiful fragrance and bright colors.

Your house plants should be getting some attention now. About once a year I take them out of doors or toss them into the shower and let a lot of water, a gentle spray, run through them. This will take off all the dust and any insect eggs that might have accumulated. But most of all, if you have fertilized them during the year, doing this will wash out any residual fertilizer that might have accumulated in the soil. Once done, you will need to add some fertilizer. For house plants, I recommend half-strength watering. I say take a liquid fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro, and mix at half the recommended amount with a gallon of water. Put it aside. Now, at every other watering, shake the gallon and water with it. That way the plant will not experience great ups and downs in its nutrition. If the plant shows sights of over-fertilization, just cut out the food for a month or so.

As the heat comes on, remember to keep plants away from heaters or radiators. Yes, we want to give them as much light as possible during the dark winter days, but on a windowsill is not a good place. Windows generally are above radiators. It is too warm there. Remember to keep your hanging baskets at eye-level. It is much too warm near the ceiling.

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a cyclamen — and they are magnificent this year — keep it in the coolest room in the house. They will thrive at 62 to 66 degrees. Give them 75 degrees, and they will go limp in a very short time. This is one plant, like the African violet, that likes to be watered from the bottom. When dry, just set it in a pie plate filled with water for a half hour or so. I do the same with mine. Cyclamen like to dry out a bit between waterings.

And, as you rake your leaves — for sure they are from the neighbor’s trees — instead of putting them out on the curb, make an enormous pile in a back corner of the yard and you will be rewarded next summer or fall with a few precious baskets full of a wonderful humus; it’s called leaf mold. When you see how plants grow in it, you’ll never toss another leaf.

It’s weird. It’s white. It’s a whopper. And right now, it could be lurking in your garden.

Thanks to our cool, wet fall, this is a bumper year for fungi in southern Ontario. They’re popping up everywhere — in lawns, flower beds, sports fields, public parks, woods, even suburban driveways — and their quirky shapes, sizes and growth habits are both fascinating and fun.

Spot a Stinkhorn (they often appear suddenly in urban gardens), and you may even blush, because this curvy, erect mushroom bears a startling resemblance to — ahem — a certain part of male anatomy.

Other fungi intrigue in a more sinister way.

Are they a manifestation of Mother Nature’s dark side? Perhaps. For whenever I encounter a deathly white Destroying Angel, Amanita verna, in evergreen woods in fall, I shudder, because this so-called “angel” somehow looks poisonous. And it is.

However, one I love is the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantea. It tends to grow in the same spot every year and on my land, that’s under some old apple trees. I’m always on tenterhooks in September, thinking “Will I get some? Won’t I?” This year, two monsters materialized. They looked rather like white motorcycle helmets left behind by partying bikers — or full moons, dropped from the sky.

What’s remarkable is that puffballs reach this immense size in only a few days. Blink and wham, it’s happened. They’re also good to eat, although preparing them admittedly takes nerve. I always feel rather like a brain surgeon, cutting into the flesh, because their shape and smooth skin reminds me uncomfortably of a human head. Yet get over that and they taste like mushroomy scrambled eggs.

This year, I chopped one into chunks and sautéed the soft, cottony pieces in butter and olive oil with Spanish onion and parsley. The flavour was perfect with Mexican-style beans and tortillas. I’ve also, in the past, cut puffballs into thick slices to roast in the oven, a popular method in the U.K., where they are often on sale at farmers’ markets in fall.

And here’s the kicker: because the puffball is so big, you can’t confuse it with dangerous fungi. It’s easy to recognize. So be brave. Try one. A few tips:

 • Edible puffballs have skin that’s white all over and smooth. If it’s going beige and wrinkly, they’re no longer fresh.

 • Lift them gently from the ground — they come out cleanly — and immediately check the underside for pin holes. These indicate worms — a common occurrence. I simply cut out the wormy bits out if they aren’t numerous.

 • Always peel off the skin. And don’t cook any flesh that looks yellow when you cut the puffball open.

 • A final warning: NEVER collect these amazing mushrooms when they’re still small and button-like. It’s too easy to confuse them with those deadly Amanitas. Wait till they swell up.

It happens fast — and what fun they are in fall.

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FARMINGTON An expert in calamity preparedness, Dave OConnor, (known as Dr. Tomato in other situation) talked to an audience in Farmington Womans Club, last week, that comprised a combination of local gardeners and folks seeking knowledge on how to survive worst case scenarios from economic collapse to catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina.
Referring to his life experience enabling him to talk extensively on the subject, OConnor said he was a Dartmouth graduate, who had spent 10 years in law enforcement, another 10 years as a professional bounty hunter, and had experience in foreign conflict zones. He has taught high angle vertical rescue, has rock and ice climbing experience, is a wire walker and a power-lifter. He omitted to mention that he also plays the bagpipes.
Noting the familiar gardening faces among the audience, he said, Self sufficiency doesnt equate to survival.
He also noted that people have to decide on their own level of preparedness, and then started off with the 72-hour disaster, usually caused, in this area, by blizzards or floods, causing the power to go out.
Then there are forest fires, Seabrook (nuclear plant), and we are near a military base. Here we enter into the area of risk analysis, he said.
In all cases, food, shelter, water and warmth have to be planned for.
OConnor recommends people have a jump bag put together for 72-hour emergencies in case they have to leave their homes, and this should include medications, important papers, money, and a list of items for insurance purposes. A jump kit kept in a vehicle should include water, a first aid kit, a source of light, matches and more. He passed out a sheet containing an extensive list.
For longer range disasters that might occur in the future, such as a breakdown in civil order or a serious interruption to the power grid, OConnor said people had to decide, Do you get out of the situation or survive it at home? Make a long-range plan, but dont dwell on it, or it will drive you nuts, he said.
There is only a two-day supply of food in the food stores, said OConnor, stressing the importance of stocking up on supplies.
He said that some people, with this in mind, favor setting up a community somewhere else.
They need an agricultural-based society that has to be more than one full gas tank away from a city. It takes over a year to get such a place set up, and meanwhile, what do you do for work? It is almost out of the realm of practicality, he said.
OConnor then pointed out the difference in public attitudes between a short-lived catastrophe and one lasting longer.
Up to 72 hours, people band together, he said, but with a longer event, people start changing, said OConnor, giving the chaos that ensued during the Katrina aftermath as an example.
That was the survival of the fittest and most street savvy, he said.
For extended periods of deprivation, he urged people to develop a low cost family food system, keeping in mind that around 1,500 calories per day per person are needed to sustain body weight for the average person.
He suggested items like beans, rice, vitamins, olive oil and powdered milk, as well as comfort foods like chocolate. He recommended varied meals, and added the tip of stocking toilet paper.
The longer the crises lasts, the higher your skill level has got to be, he said.
When facing violence, OConnor said that people had to decide if they wanted a weapon.
How you deal with people is more important than walking around with an assault rifle. There is always someone who has a bigger one, he said.
He recommended to the audience that they get a copy of a book like How to fix everything, and also to consider how they would negotiate with other survivors of a crisis, using barter items such as booze, ammo, matches and even aspirins.
The mind is the most important tool to keep you alive. You have to develop a survivor mind-set, he said, adding The Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales to his books to read list.
To counteract the natural instinct of panic in a dire situation, OConnor recommended that people test themselves with bungee jumping or icy showers.
Bring it back. Bring it back. Bring your breathing down. You have to be able to work and focus when you are cold, tired and wet, he said.
He then went on to discuss the hardening of ones home, to make it more resilient to any attempted invasion by outsiders, and he talked about the ethical dilemma that someone might face when approached by a starving neighbor for food.
I dont care about neighbors, only my family, said a woman from the audience, echoing the sentiment of others in the room envisaging their prepared larders being quickly depleted by generosity.
Keep your larder out of sight, said OConnor, suggesting that if the mother across the street asks for food, she should be shown a cupboard with just a few cans in it.
Give her a couple, and she will think you are in the same boat, he said.
OConnor (who actually lives in a castle) said that the more fortified a home looks, the more it seems to people on the outside that you have stuff in there.
Try to look like everyone else, melt into the neighborhood and never leave your home unguarded, he said.
Getting back to firearms, OConnor recommended people read On Killing by Dave Grossman.
I am not a fan of Stand your Ground laws, having been involved with weapons for 30 years. When you carry a weapon it puts your mind in a different place. The decision about using a weapon becomes blurred. They have the potential to do good but also a tremendous amount of harm, he said.
Asked about forming alliances, in extended dire situations, OConnor said there were pros and cons.

They can work well if you know the people, but there has to be shared responsibility, he said.

Gardening experts share tips on hanging baskets at Lydiard Park in Swindon

3:31pm Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News

Learn about hanging baskets

A workshop to make hanging baskets will take place at Lydiard House on Saturday.

The workshop will be led by Lydiard Park Gardening Team and will plant up a hanging basket with violas, bellis, dianthus, cyclamen and miniature daffodils.

It will run from 11am to noon and 2pm to 3pm and costs £15 per person, including all materials, bulbs and refreshments. Places must be booked by calling 01793 770401 or via email at lydiardpark@swindon.gov.uk.

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Q. What vegetables can I plant in my garden now? — Cameron, San Luis Obispo

A. There are many cool season vegetables you can plant now, which produce well from seeds or from transplants in the cooler months of the year. Among them: broccoli, carrots, chard, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, spinach, onions and most Asian greens. In San Luis Obispo County, many herbs such as chives, parsley, rosemary and thyme are also hardy year- round.

A chart of recommended vegetable planting dates is available through the University of California: http://ucanr.org/sites/gardenweb/files/29040.pdf.

If planting and keeping a kitchen garden over the cooler months seems daunting, attend the Master Gardener October “Advice To Grow By” workshop on Saturday! We’ll feature a talk on kitchen gardens, including how to prepare the garden, grow and enjoy winter vegetables. It will be held in our demonstration garden, the Garden of the Seven Sisters, 2156 Sierra Way, in San Luis Obispo from 10 a.m. to noon. Bring a hat, dress for the weather and bring your vegetable and herb gardening questions for our Master Gardener experts.

Q. Every year we’re faced with an invasion of some kind of pest. Once it was mice, and ants are always a problem. What can we do to thwart these pests? — Bobbie, Templeton

A. We have a great resource! Information on most pests found in California is only a few keystrokes away. The University of California Agricultural Natural Resources website has a searchable data base of research-based information on household pests at the UC IPM Online website: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.house.html

The Master Gardener’s upcoming “Advice To Grow By” workshop Saturday will also feature a timely talk about our most common winter pests, ants and mice, including their habits and effective control methods. Park in the lot adjacent to the garden.

Got a gardening question? Contact the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners: at 781-5939 from 1 to 5p.m. on Monday and Thursday; at 473-7190 from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Arroyo Grande; and at 434-4105 from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday in Templeton. Visit the UCCE Master Gardeners Web site at http://ucanr.org/sites/mgslo/ or   e-mail mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.