Rose Crawford, author of the “Ask Rose” gardening column. CREDIT: Don Boomer/The North County Times
Q. My husband surprised me by building some elevated garden planter boxes. they are up on legs. However, I don’t know how to fill them and am getting all sorts of conflicting advice. I plan to grow vegetables in them. Some people have told me to put gravel in the bottom so the boxes will drain better. Others have told me that gravel is too heavy and would make the boxes collapse. They recommend that I just put a lot of holes in the bottom of the boxes. Others have told me to mix empty milk jugs and yogurt cups into the soil to keep it lighter. The boxes themselves are 4 feet by 8 feet, with lots legs in the middle and are very sturdily built out of cedar. Can you offer me some advice on how to use them? Thank you. — Pat
A. You certainly have been given some strange advice, Pat. I hope mine is a little more practical. You definitely need drainage but the best way to get it is to drill holes in the bottom of the beds. Half-inch holes every foot or so should work fine. To prevent your soil from falling through the holes, just cover the bottom with a fine screen. Set your boxes in a sunny location and then fill with soil. If your native soil is good quality, use about two-thirds soil and one third compost mixed together well. Let the mixture set for a couple of weeks before plating. If you feel that you need a little fertilizer, my recommendation is to get it from Gardens Alive at
gardensalive.com. Their fertilizers are organic and as well as all of the major nutrients they also contain the minor nutrients and trace elements.
Q. I just moved here from Ohio a few months ago. There are quite a few rose bushes around our yard. Much to my surprise, some of them still had roses in December. Should I cut them back as I did in Ohio or is there some other system that gardeners here use? — Edna
A. Growing roses in Southern California is quite different from growing them where the winter is severe and the ground freezes. Roses here still need to be pruned, usually this month before the new growth starts. But no, do not cut them down to the ground as you did “Back East.” Just remove approximately one-third of last year’s growth and take off any leaves. They do not always fall off in this climate. Of course, as in most other types of pruning, remove all dead or damaged wood and crossed branches. Volumes have been written about how to prune roses but there are several very basic rules that most everyone follows. Always cut to a bud eye that is facing outward. Cut out all small twiggy branches and old fragile canes. If a cane looks sick or tired, cut it back to the bud union. After you have done this, depending on the type of rose, you should still have about five strong canes left and your bush will be a fairly good size.
Rose Crawford is a certified garden consultant and a master composter who lives and gardens in Vista. She answers your gardening questions every other week. E-mail questions to askrose@cox.net
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