Archive for July, 2009

Maintaining A Beautiful Garden

Published by
maduncan
at July 31, 2009 in Garden. 0 Comments

Garden Maintenance

Now that we are in the full swing of summer, most of us have our flowers and vegetables in the ground and are enjoying the beautiful blossoms and fruits of our labor.  Here in the Midwest, tomatoes, sweet corn and green beans are plentiful as we have been blessed with rain in most areas, however July has been a little dry.

While the planting work is over, and we are enjoying the beauty of our garden, we don’t want to forget to keep up on the maintenance to keep it looking clean and the color lasting.  Below are a few simple chores that will keep your garden looking good into frost.

  1. Dead Head - don’t forget to remove dead blossoms and stalks as they die off on both your annuals and perennials.  This will promote new blossoms while cleaning up the look of the plant.
  2. Trim - Don’t forget to trim around the edging on your garden weekly as you mow your lawn.  Grass can grow up around your border and into your garden making the edge look shabby.
  3. Mulch - As the warmer days of August approach, you will want to be assured that you have a good layer of mulch to help hold moisture into the ground keeping your plants from drying out.  This will also help cut down on the water bill.  Also don’t forget that a layer of mulch in your potted plants will help too.
  4. Fertilize - If you used a potting mix with a slow release fertilizer in it, the three month window is probably up.  If you notice that your potted plants aren’t blooming, consider adding additional fertilizer that is appropriate for the plant to get a burst of growth and blooms.  Another slow release application will likely last you the rest of the season.
  5. Support - You may find that your vining plants need some additional support as they grow and their weight increases.  Be sure that you have sturdy structures for them to lean against so that they don’t fall and break.  Consider what a wind storm can do to a nice tomato plant that is not well supported.
  6. Weed, Weed, Weed - We all hate it but some of it does need to be done.  Pick times when the ground is soft, like after a rain or when  you have watered good.  While doing this task, keep an eye out to assure you don’t have pests nibbling on your plants as it is a good time to notice unwelcome visitors and treat them as soon as possible.

Keeping your garden clean an tidy will result in compliments from family and friends, which in turn increases your pleasure and makes you feel like your work has paid off.  There are many products to help you during this process.  Don’t forget the basics like good gloves, sharp tools, knee pads, stools, disposal  bags and compost tumblers if you are going green!

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Climbing Plants - 5 Types of Climbers to Know

Published by
ebell
at July 30, 2009 in Garden. 0 Comments

Whether you are an aspiring gardener or a regular green thumb, it’s important that you are well versed in the area of climbers. Climbing plants can be a gardener’s best friend, especially if you’re cramped for space. After all, why grow out when you can grow up? But knowing what types of climbers are out there and what support they need may require a little more thought. There are five primary ways that plants climb up a structure: tendrils, twining, scrambling, adhesive pads, and clinging stem roots. The following article will help you get acquainted with each type of climber and understand a little more about how and where they grow.

Morning Glory

Tendrils:
Tendrils are tiny, spring-like growths that extend out from a plant’s stem. In fact, tendrils are almost like small stems of their own, expect that they are much finer and more pliable than the plant’s main stem. A tendril reaches out and grabs on to the supporting structure by curling and winding around it. Peas are a climber that utilizes tendrils in its upward growth. Climbing vines with tendrils will do best when they are given a narrow support to climb, preferably a diameter no greater than 1/4″. Simple trellises made of narrow strips of bamboo or other thin branches work quite well. Or, consider making your own trellis by constructing a frame and then using large mesh or netting inside it.

Twining:
Twining climbers such as morning glory and clematis use their own leaves and stems to reach out and “grab” onto a supporting structure. Twining plants, depending on the species, will consistently twine in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Some twiners will wrap around their supporting structures loosely; others wrap very tightly. Beware of tightly twining plants, as they can literally choke the life out of any other living plants around them. Also keep in mind that some twiners can grow quite large and heavy, and it’s important to provide them with sufficient support. Wisteria, for example, is a twining climber than is known for collapsing structures like porches and decks.

Scrambling:
Scrambling climbers are actually unable to grow up a structure on their own. They often times have stiff branches or thorns that they may use to prop themselves up on another plant or structure. Roses and raspberries are examples of scrambling plants. If you want a scrambler to climb a trellis or pergola, you will probably have to assist the plant by tacking or tying it to the structure. Take care, though, that you don’t tie the branches too tightly, or you could choke the plant to death. Look for a garden trellis or pergola design that has special training clips designed for this purpose.

Adhesive Pads:
Adhesive pad climbers can be both pervasive and invasive. Have you ever wondered how Boston ivy can climb up the face of a brick wall? Well, Boston ivy is an example of an adhesive pad climber that uses small, sticky tendrils to adhere onto almost any surface. When an adhesive pad climber comes up to an obstacle, they can just as easily climb sideways. Be careful about planting an adhesive pad climber near a building, as these plants have been known to cause damage to brick mortar and other siding materials.

Clinging Stem Roots:
Climbers that use clinging stem roots to grow include climbing hydrangea and English ivy. These climbers actually produce small sticky roots that grow directly out from the stem. These sticky roots will cling to virtually any surface, smooth or porous. Clinging stems can be just as damaging to buildings as adhesive pads, so be careful where you plant these vines. Clinging stem root climbers should also be trimmed back regularly. They will rapidly grow out of control when left unchecked!

Written by Ellen Bell and originally published in March 2008.

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What NOT to Put in Your Composter

Published by
ebell
at July 29, 2009 in Composting. 0 Comments

composter

If you have a backyard garden compost bin, you’re probably already familiar with a number of the basic items you can compost: leaves, grass clippings, dead flowers, and maybe even some food scraps from the kitchen.  But did you know that there are actually a number of things you should NOT introduce into your composter?  Here is the basic list of items not to compost:

  • Moldy bread - The pennicillin-like fungus on moldy bread will slow down the composting process because it can kill many of the bacteria that break down the waste.
  • Potato peelings - Because they contain chemical germ killers
  • Fatty food scraps such as meat, gravy, cheese, butter, lard, and frying oils - Because they smell, attract vermin, and are very slow to break down.
  • Ashes from charcoal briquettes
  • Bones - These take a very long time to break down.
  • Dog or cat poop - Because most domesticated pets are given anti-worm pills, their droppings will kill off any beneficial worms that are present in your compost.
  • Skins of citrus fruits - Because these fruits are often chemically treated.
  • Any weeds that you don’t want to reproduce - The seeds of many common weeds will survive the composting process, and then when you spread your compost in the garden, you’ll end up with a bumper crop of weeds.

For more information on composting, please visit our Composter FAQ page at Home Products ‘N’ More.

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