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Gardener's Corner

Join us for tips, helps, questions and answers about the gardening world. Monitored by a Certified Master Gardener but wisdom is shared by ALL.

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Gardener's Corner

GREETINGS MEMBERS, GUESTS AND VISITORS.
Chief Walks In Shadows is a Florida State Master Gardener.
He will post information that he feels will benefit everyone as a whole. But basically this will be a question and answer group.
IF A GROUP MEMBER KNOWS THE ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ANSWER.
Chief Walks will answer all questions asked to him directly. He has over 40 years of experience. And a sizable personal research library.

We are here to meet ALL of your gardening questions and/or related subjects.

 

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The USDA Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 11 separate zones; each zone is 10°F warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone. If you see a hardiness zone in a catalog or plant description, chances are it refers to the USDA map. To find your USDA Hardiness Zone or use the map below. 

 

 

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Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:30pm
Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:27pm

Active compost pile
An active compost pile means building a simple container; usually a three-sided wooden box. Be sure to balance the nitrogen and carbon-containing materials that you add to your compost pile; you can find helpful charts for this in most organic gardening manuals. Keep your compost pile moist and turn often. The hotter your compost pile gets, the more likely it is to kill off diseases and unwanted weed seeds.
A successful compost heap contains a proper ratio of carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials. Some of the best materials to put into a compost include composted dairy manure, composted chicken manure, worm castings, bat guano, kelp meal and ground oyster shells. Also, kitchen scraps are generally nitrogen-rich and hay, straw, bark and black and white newspaper articles are examples of carbon-rich materials needed to balance the nitrogen levels. These are often referred to as the “green” and “brown” ingredients in a healthy compost heap.
It’s important to remember, though, that a long list of popular plant food products actually derive their nitrogen content from petroleum. Not only is that gross, but it’s far from organic.
While almost any waste can ultimately be composted, some things should not go into your garden compost. It may seem obvious to many gardeners, but we it’s worth mentioning that cat, dog and human feces are big no-no’s in composting. That’s because they may contain unfavorable bacteria, which you do not want spread into your garden.
In addition, bones and meat are unfavorable as they will attract raccoons and rats, dairy and high-oil content wastes will take a very long time to compost and metal, rubber, glass and plastic may take decades to biodegrade! It is also important that you avoid adding pest or disease-ridden material to your compost as this will spread to the healthy plants in your garden.
Animal manure (provided it’s not from cats or dogs) can be added to your compost as a means for activating the decaying process. Fresh, rather than rotted manure is best for this as it still contains the necessary living bacteria. Also, manure can raise the temperature of the compost pile, thus helping to activate the existing bacteria and further speeding the decomposition process.
You will know your compost is ready to use when it is soil-like, odor free, moist (but not wet) and dark. Now it is time to add it to your garden. Only a little is needed, but it will make a world of difference. Compost not only adds nutrients to your garden, but aids with drainage, nutrient and water retention and disease prevention!

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:24pm

Understanding Fertilizer Labels
Fertilizers can provide plants with nutrients that help them grow. But before you use it, it's important to understand the fertilizer's label. The label includes a series of numbers that indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, by weight. For example, a 16-4-8 fertilizer contains 16 percent nitrogen, 4 percent phosphorous, and 8 percent potassium.
The label also lists all of the other nutrients as part of the guaranteed analysis, and information about how to properly apply the product. The fertilizer label specifies if the fertilizer is water soluble or controlled release, indicating if the nutrients will be available immediately to plants or slowly over time.
Remember that you should apply only as much fertilizer as plants can use, and always fertilize responsibly.

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:23pm

Abrupt weather changes and extreme conditions, at any time of year, can do a number on plants. I recommends spot-checking your landscape to see how things are faring.

Trees and Shrubs

Evergreen trees and shrubs often take the biggest hit during the winter months, especially when conditions are both cold and dry for extended periods. You’re likely to notice the colors fading in most evergreens, whether they’re green, blue or yellow evergreens. Some may even turn a slight bronze color, which is perfectly natural. But brown isn’t a color you want to see in evergreen plants. When you see brown, it almost always means the plant is a goner.

Chances are the cause of the plant’s demise was a lack of water, assuming it was hardy to begin with. That’s why I’ve stressed for years the importance of watering evergreens during the winter months. After the first hard freeze of winter, it’s equally important to apply a fresh layer of mulch three to four inches deep around evergreens.

Deciduous trees and shrubs tend to fare better under extreme and changing conditions, but they too often need some attention. For example, they may need to be pruned to remove deadwood, open the interior to promote better air circulation and thereby minimize fungal diseases, or merely to reshape the plant. Just remember not to remove more than one-third of the growth. Any more than that may stress the plants beyond the point of recovery. Also remember as you prune to try to retain the natural shape of the plant. In other words, don’t just lop off the top growth to create a tabletop or lollipop shape.

You should also inspect the swelling or emerging buds on your plants, whether flower or leaf buds or both. Unseasonably warm temperatures followed by hard freezes may damage those buds, causing them to shrivel up or fall off. Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do to reverse the damage, but at least you’ll know why a particular plant failed to bloom later in the season. And thankfully, in the case of leaf buds, many plants will produce secondary buds to take the place of the damaged primary buds.

Deciduous trees and shrubs may need a shot of horticultural oil while still dormant to smother scale, mites and other insects that might have overwintered on the plants.

Don’t be alarmed if some of your trees and shrubs still have brown leaves clinging to the branches this time of year. A number of deciduous plants – pin oaks, Japanese maples and hydrangeas among them – often retain their leaves throughout the winter months, even into early spring. So while they may appear to be in trouble, chances are they’re just fine.

Perennial Plants
Certain perennials might need to be tended to this time of year as well. In mass plantings of mondo grass and the similar-looking liriope, many people use a string trimmer or mower in late winter to cut back the bulk of the foliage. That’s fine, because both plants are extremely rugged; however, as with ferns, try not to damage the crowns.
When cutting large clumps of ornamental grasses, I suggests wearing a long-sleeved shirt and gloves. Why? "Grass blades are sharp, and without protection you’ll wind up with what appear to be dozens of painful paper cuts,"

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:22pm

Square Foot Gardening is the concept of square foot gardening. Over the years, it has revolutionized the way people think about planting their gardens.
The idea is simple: Instead of planting a big vegetable garden with long narrow beds separated by walking paths, divide your garden into 4 ft. x 4 ft. planting blocks. These blocks were then further divided into a grid of 1 ft. square planting blocks. Each block was planted and managed as a garden unto itself.One square might contain a pepper plant, the next some spinach and the next a cucumber plant.
Plants are happier, healthier and more productive when they’re allocated their own “room”. Gardeners are also happier and more successful when they’re tending a garden that’s not too big to manage.

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:18pm

Potatoes are easy to grow, but they prefer cool weather so you should try to get them into the ground at the right time. You can order seed potatoes through mail-order garden companies or buy them at local garden centers or hardware stores. (You could use supermarket potatoes, but be aware they have probably been treated with chemicals to inhibit sprouting, so they may not grow well.) Store your seed potatoes in the refrigerator.

Your next step is to determine the recommended planting time for your climate. Since it takes potatoes two to three weeks to emerge from the ground, the earliest you should plant seed potatoes is two weeks before your last anticipated freeze date of 28 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. About a week before your planting-out date, bring the seed out of the fridge and place it in a bright warm window for about a week. This will help break the spuds' dormancy and assure they will grow quickly when you put them into the still-cool spring soil.

If you garden in areas that have hot summers be sure to plant your potatoes early, choose varieties that mature in early- or mid-season. This is because potatoes do not do well when the temperatures climb into the 90s. They may actually keel over and die when the temperature gets to 95 degrees. If a late planting or a late season variety runs into that hot weather while the tubers are in the early bulking stage you may get a very low yield.

To save work, or as a way to start a new garden bed, some people like to just toss their potato seed pieces onto bare ground or even a patch of sod, and then cover the pieces with a heavy mulch of straw or leaves. I've always wondered if you get as many potatoes with this short-cut method as you would if you buried the seed in a prepared garden bed, so I asked Jim and Megan Gerritsen, who grow and sell certified organic potatoes at Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine, what they think of this technique.
Q: Does planting potatoes in a deep mulch on uncultivated ground still give reasonably good yields?
A: This deep mulch potato planting technique is called the Stout method, named after the old-time popular organic gardener Ruth Stout. Over the years Ruth had created beautiful soil and that fertile soil was a big factor in her success. Perform the Stout method on great soil and expect great yields of delicious potatoes. But try the technique on old worn out and unimproved ground and get ready to learn some patience and gain some humility. Potatoes are heavy feeders and they will respond dramatically to good fertility and tilth. Your yield will suffer to the extent that the soil you plant in lacks proper fertility and water.

Over the years, Stout's deep mulching technique will help you build wonderful soil fertility plus conserve water. In the meantime, working some organic fertilizer (we like fish meal) into the soil while you are building the organic matter and fertility will pay big dividends with any method of growing potatoes.

As to laying the seed pieces on top of the ground, shallow planting the potato seed piece into 1 to 2 inches of soil beneath the deep mulch would be a good compromise and would provide superior results because it is more in keeping with tried and true traditional potato planting methods Also, be sure the mulch is not so dense and packed that the developing potato plants can't find their way to sunlight. One final word of caution: If you have big problems with slugs or mice the deep mulch method can add to your troubles.

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:13pm

When building a garden, place a layer of newspaper under your loam and topsoil. The newspaper will kill the weeds and grass below, then compost into great mulch that the roots can grow through.

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:12pm

To make the most of limited garden space, plant leaf and head lettuce around taller plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes. The lettuce helps its neighbor by acting as a living mulch to keep the soil moist and cool and to keep weeds at bay. As summer approaches, the taller plants provide shade for the lettuce. You can produce two crops in the same space! It's amazing how much lettuce can be grown in what is usually wasted space. Keep extra lettuce seeds or seedlings on hand in the spring and again in late summer for filling vacancies as they occur.

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:12pm

Keep Cats Out of the Garden
Got Cats?When you think of pests in the garden, you probably think of insects or digging squirrels, rather than that fluffy ball of fur that purrs away on your lap as you read your favorite magazine.
But the truth is that cats, whether feral or wandering visitors from two doors down, can be a problem in the garden. I offer these tips for dealing with unwanted feline garden visitors:
Use scent. Scatter fresh orange and lemon peels or spray citrus-scented fragrances. Oil of lavender, lemongrass, citronella, and eucalyptus deter cats.
Plant rue. This evergreen herb repels cats. You can also sprinkle dried rue over the garden.
Keep it covered. Cover exposed ground in flower beds with large, attractive river rocks to prevent cats from digging. (They have the added benefit of deterring weeds.)

Comment by Chief Walks on May 16, 2013 at 2:09pm

Buying everything organic might be a healthy choice for the body, but many have found it's less than healthy for the household budget.

For those that can't afford to go all organic, certain foods take priority over others, because organic foods cost more, it is important to pick and choose foods that really make a difference in your health and the health of your family. Not all purchased foods need to be organic, espacially when shopping on a budget.

Nutritionally there is NO difference between organic versus non-organic foods! The vitamins and minerals in an apple are the same whether it is organic or not. The primary difference with organic foods is in the production and processing methods used.

Organic food has been grown or raised without chemical fertilizers, pesticides weed killers or drugs. By definition organic foods are produced according to government established production standards. Organic produce is grown without the use of conventional pesticides or artificial fertilizers and contain no food additives. Organic beef, pork and poultry come from animals reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without a trace of growth hormones.

The best for your budget may be to clean all vegetables thoroughly before eating or cooking. Cooking your meat and eggs thoroughly to the prescribed temperatures for each kind of meat also.

Organic does have it's benefits but being able to afford organic foods may not be for everyone and their budgets.

 
 
 

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