Planters
Punchlines
Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
January 2015
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hydroponic Gardening by Cell Phone"
@ Men’s Garden Club of Wethersfield
January Meeting
Monday January 26 @ 7:00 pm in the
Pitkin Community Center
Wethersfield resident Paul Langdon will talk about his and
Curt Downing's prize-winning compact, vertical hydroponic garden — made of PVC
pipe, downspouts and gutters – that grows 160 plants and is controlled from a
cell phone.
Compostable Matter
By Jim Meehan
Marsha and
I went to Santa Fe, New Mexico for the Christmas holiday. Our daughter-in-law and son live there. She is the daughter of a Master Gardener and
an avid, very good plants-woman in her own right. Our son learned from me and therefore provides
muscle when and where he is directed.
There was
however nothing horticultural going on while we were there – except what
transpires secretly under the earths’ surface during its supposedly dormant
season. Despite its tropical sounding
name, northern New Mexico (even with its more southerly latitude) is just about
as plant-friendly during the winter months as southern New England.
The
reason? Particularly out west, altitude
equals latitude.
A good
“rule of thumb” for elevation’s effect on climate (even on the east coast) is
1,000 feet of altitude = 300 miles of latitude = 4 degrees F in
temperature. Here is a “small math”
example. Santa Fe is forty miles north of Albuquerque and 2,000 feet higher. So it is usually about 8.5 degrees
cooler. Wethersfield, CT has an
altitude of forty-five feet above sea level.
Santa Fe is about 7,000 feet at its lowest – more than enough to
eliminate any temperate effects of Northern New Mexico's more southern
latitude.
As a result
the Santa Fe area has between 150 to 180 frost-free days with the last frost
occurring usually between April 20 and May 10.
By comparison CT has around 210 days with a slightly earlier end to the
freezing season. To make matters worse,
Santa Fe’s annual rainfall is a measly14.21 inches. (New Mexico does have some similarities to
the country from which it borrowed its name.) CT averages over four times that
amount.
The story
of New Mexico is in large part the story of water – who owns it, who needs it,
and how to distribute it. In rural areas
this was accomplished by “acequias” community-operated watercourses with
engineered canals that carry snow runoff or river water to distant fields. Each acequia was managed by its own
“Mayordomo” and commission. Most of the
“engineering” was done by trial and error, experience, oral tradition, and more
or less continuous manual labor with shovels and rakes. One result of this system is that the older
properties in the Santa Fe area are laid out long and narrow with access to the
waters of the Santa Fe River at one end, and housing at the other. Inconsequential today when the river is more
of an occasional trickle than a rapidly flowing source of sustenance.
Our D-I-L
and son live about one quarter mile from the SF River, but not on one of the
funky old-time tracts. (Their area was
in fact a Japanese internment during WWII, but that’s a different history
lesson.) She uses soaker hoses and generates a very productive harvest that
last year included kale, sungold tomatoes, arugula, dill, hollyhocks and
buffalo grass.
They sent,
and we received and sowed a package of NM their hollyhock seeds this past
autumn. There is hope that these
biennials will flourish in our plant-loving CT environment. We have tried this before. Some succeeded. Others literally drowned in the
overabundance of water – or succumbed to the dreaded Hollyhock “rust”. This crop is intended to take over the space
that was formerly allocated to our miniscule vegetable garden of six tomato
plants.
But it’s
only January – way too early to even think about gardening back here in “The
Land of Steady Habits”. Still, like
gardeners in more fertile areas, our D-I-L is eagerly poring over her newly
ordered seed catalogs out in the cold, arid “Land of Enchantment” – one of them
from Baker Seed, owners of our own home town Comstock Ferre.
In his book
“A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm”, author and farmer
Stanley Crawford writes “To dream a garden and then to plant it is an act of
independence and even defiance to the greater world.”
Overdramatic
hyperbole to us sea level, drought-free, Northeastern plantsmen. But spot on accurate for our high desert
dwelling family and friends – and their predecessors.
The 10 Worst Garden Weeds
motherearthnews.com - By Shelley Stonebrook
Weeds are
an inevitable thorn in every gardener’s side. While some weeds offer benefits,
such as the edible greens of young dandelions and the nutritious roots of
burdock, many quickly become a frustrating, ongoing struggle if you don’t spot
them early. Garden weeds can steal water, sunlight and soil nutrients from food
crops, and some even release toxic chemicals into the soil that inhibit the
growth of other plants.
To find out
which garden weeds pose the biggest problems in gardens throughout the United
States and Canada, MOTHER EARTH NEWS surveyed more than 2,000 gardeners. We
asked respondents to rate which weeds were the worst in their gardens, and to
tell us about their best organic weed control methods. They also rated the
effectiveness of specific mulch types, organic herbicides and tools used to
cope with garden weeds.
Two
thousand gardeners can’t be wrong — the best tools for keeping ahead of weeds
include several types of hoes (see Hard-Working Garden Hoes), a good garden
fork, a garden knife, a dandelion puller (some use an old screwdriver or
butcher knife instead), and a high-quality pair of gloves.
Grasses
took the cake among the top 10 worst weeds in home gardens with four
representatives: crab grass, Bermuda grass, quack grass and Johnson grass.
Dishonorable mentions included docks, lamb’s-quarters, knotweed and poison ivy.
Hand weeding and mulching heavily with organic matter were far and away the
control measures that received the most praise, and nothing beats frequent monitoring
and early intervention for protection against serious infestations.
1. Crab Grass: Aliases: crowfoot grass,
finger grass, pigeon grass, polish millet
This
super-fast-growing annual is the worst weed plaguing veggie gardens. Thriving
in nearly every U.S. state and southern Canada, it makes crabby cursers out of
gardeners from California to the Carolinas. “Is there a way to win with this
monster?” an Ontario gardener with more than 20 years of experience asked. Many
simply pleaded, “Help!”
Yes, there
is a way to win! Knowing how to spot crab grass is key.. and hoe or pull up the
hand-like seed heads throughout summer. This weed is hard to deal with partly
because it tends to wait for warm days to sprout, which is likely after you’ve
finished your spring weeding and mulching routines and your crops are already
coming up. When the weather turns hot, crab grass goes into overdrive, sending
out long stems that grow so fast they may flower and go to seed before you even
notice them among your carrots. If you do notice them, you may pull what you
think is the plant but fail to notice that you left behind some stems that had
rooted at the nodes (where secondary stems sprout off from the main stem),
perhaps a foot or two away from the main crown. Unnoticed, those pieces will
grow and set seeds, and next summer you’ll have even more sneaky crabbies
sprouting.
If you
learn how to spot crab grass and remove it all each summer, you can prevent it
from becoming a huge problem. Hand weeding and hoeing were rated as effective
control measures, and mulching will help, as long as you spot and remove any
seedlings that sneak up through the mulch. Crab grass grows best in acidic
soil, so if you’re having trouble with it, test your soil’s pH and add lime to
reduce the acidity if needed.
2. Dandelion: Aliases: lion’s tooth,
blowball, cankerwort
Dandelion
sprang in at the No. 2 spot, but — wait! — before any dandelion lovers get up
in arms about this perennial plant making our worst weeds list, let’s fully
acknowledge its benefits. Numerous survey respondents waxed poetic about
enjoying all parts of dandelion: tender young leaves for salad greens, flowers
for wine, roots for flavoring herbal vinegar, roasted roots for a coffee
substitute, and other uses. Many reported feeding dandelions to their rabbits,
chickens, ducks and geese, or letting them flower to serve as food for bees and
other beneficial insects.
But for
those of you who do want to control dandelions, our respondents reported
several effective methods. Dandelions have one thick taproot that can extend
more than a foot into the ground. The fluffy seed heads of dandelions appear
from March to fall frost, so getting these weeds before the seeds float all
over your garden is crucial.
A
Washington gardener (more than 20 years of experience) reported
payingneighborhood kids to dig up dandelions, including the roots. Pulling
without removing some of the taproot is futile, as plants can endure their
leaves being plucked several times. “This is a weed that needs the roots dug
up, or it must be covered thickly so it can’t come up. Light organic mulches
won’t stop it” (Oklahoma gardener, more than 20 years of experience). Others
reported success with specialized tools such as a dandelion puller.
3. Bermuda Grass: Aliases: wire grass,
scutch grass, devil grass
This
perennial grass was a devil for 51 percent of respondents. Not only is it
incredibly difficult to kill, but its roots actually give off chemicals that
harm other plants (a phenomenon called allelopathy). When we asked gardeners
how they handled this weed, one respondent said frankly, “It handles me.” After
the weather warms up, this grass grows rapidly: A single sprig can expand to a
10-foot-wide plant in just a few weeks, and the creeping stems quickly develop
a massive root system. The grass sprouts from rhizomes (pieces of root) that
break off if you try to dig out the plants. Because of this, tilling tends to
make a Bermuda infestation even worse.
If you’re
dealing with Bermuda grass, mulch heavily. Even though this grass will probably
still run above and below your mulch, the mulch will make it easier to pull.
You could also try laying plastic or wooden boards over the top of the area
where the grass is growing. An Arkansas gardener with more than 20 years of experience
offered this tip: “Hand pulling and digging the roots is the only thing that
works, and keeping the grass out by digging a moat around the garden is
effective after you’ve dug out all you can.” Solarizing affected areas may also
help weaken the plant (see “Organic Weed Control: What Works, What Doesn’t”
near the end of this article for instructions on how to solarize).
4. Bindweed: Aliases: woodbine, lady’s
nightcap, wild morning glory, creeping Jenny, hedge bells, possession vine
Bindweed, a
perennial cousin to the sweet potato, got no sweet comments from the 46 percent
of respondents who were dealing with it in their gardens. Many
bindweed-battlers noted this weed’s persistence, and one even called it a
“zombie plant” because it’s so difficult to kill. Bindweed can sprout, resprout
and resprout from wide, spreading roots that can reach as deep as 30 feet
underground! And, if you let this weed’s flowers go to seed in your garden,
watch out: The seeds can stay viable for up to 50 years. You must dig or pull
all bindweed shoots when they first appear, and keep pulling. Repeated pulling
will weaken the roots until — hopefully — they die out. If you let bindweed get
established, you may never be able to eliminate it.
A few
respondents had tried bindweed mites with some success. A Colorado gardener
said free mites can be obtained from the state insectary (a program of the
Department of Agriculture) and worked best in non-watered parts of the garden.
A New Mexico gardener with three to five years of experience said, “This darn
weed seems to ignore herbicides, and tilling just spreads the plants around.
Judicious hand weeding is the only way I have found to keep this prolific weed
out of my garden.” Use a fork instead of a hoe to dig up bindweed, as you’ll
leave fewer fragments behind, and dig after a rain or heavy watering when the
roots are less brittle.
5. Chickweed: Aliases: starweed, satin
flower, tongue grass, passerina, clucken wort, skirt button
Rather than
fighting it, several gardeners used chickweed as an edible green (one gardener
tosses its leaves with honey and lemon juice to make a tasty salad) and take
advantage of its medicinal properties (some make it into a salve to soothe skin
irritation).
Chickweed
is a low-growing, cold-tolerant annual that takes off in early winter. If you
notice it then, turn it over with a fork and leave it in the garden. If you
don’t get to it until early spring, switch to careful-hand-pulling-and-raking
mode.
“Chickweed
is the worst for me. It grows so quickly! If you pull it at the wrong time, the
seeds pop out everywhere — argh! I hand pull early, then use fabric mulch to
cover the spot” (Maryland gardener, 11 to 20 years of experience).
Several
gardeners commented on how quickly this winter annual goes to seed. Seeds can
germinate after being in the soil for up to 10 years, so if you have a major
chickweed problem, stay on top of it before your plants set seed, and don’t
compost chickweed plants no matter what stage of growth they’re in (chickweed
seeds can continue to mature even after you pull the plant).
One
respondent reported that this is the worst weed around perennial crops such as
strawberries. It requires intensive hand weeding, but its roots are shallower
and thus easier to handle than others that made our worst weeds list. Plus,
it’s called chickweed for a reason: Many love feeding this weed to their
poultry. “Just pull up the clumps and toss them to your ducks — they love it!”
(Virginia gardener, more than 20 years of experience).
6. Ground Ivy: Aliases: creeping
Charlie, cat’s foot, field balm, dollar weed
This
creeping perennial had crept unwelcomingly into the gardens of 38 percent of
survey respondents. Common in the eastern half of the United States, ground ivy
roots at the nodes and rapidly creates an expanding, densely matted plant. Many
gardeners reported that persistence was key with this weed. “Just keep pulling
it out, year after year. If you keep on it, it will recede” (New York gardener,
11 to 20 years of experience). Another said, “Hand weeding does the trick, but
by God it’s tedious and requires an almost vicious persistence” (Illinois
gardener, 11 to 20 years of experience). Many reported that watering the
affected area one hour before a thorough hand weeding session made the job
easier. Tackle this task before the plants have developed seed.
A couple of
gardeners reported that using raised beds to keep the soil a bit drier, plus
removing all of the underground runners, had helped. As with many weeds on our
list, gardeners said tilling made ground ivy come back even more vigorously, as
tilling spreads root fragments around and exposes dormant seeds to water and
light.
7. Canada Thistle: Aliases: creeping
thistle, small-flowered thistle, green thistle
Handling
this prickly summer perennial requires heavy leather gloves and strong
determination. From an Ontario gardener with more than 20 years of experience:
“This is hands down my biggest problem. I’ve tried everything, but it only
seems to provoke this plant. I’m at my wits’ end and considering an herbicide
as this weed is now costing me money in my 6-acre market garden. Help!”
Several
gardeners reported getting control of Canada thistle by chopping down the plant
before it went to seed and then pouring vinegar, salt, or a mixture of vinegar
and salt water down the stem area. Repeat this process until you exhaust the
roots. Vinegar is a broad-spectrum herbicide, and even though it’s
water-soluble and will wash away after a heavy rain, avoid spraying it on weeds
on windy days or pouring it right next to crops, or you could harm them, too
(see “Organic Weed Control: What Works, What Doesn’t” near the end of this
article for more on vinegar and other organic herbicides).
Many found
success using a fork or narrow shovel to dig deep around the plants (target the
mother plant, which is generally taller than others nearby), getting the whole
root system, because any root fragments left in the ground will sprout into
more plants. Do this when the ground is saturated so the roots will be easier
to separate from the soil. Like the other worst weeds, controlling Canada
thistle when it first appears is crucial. Neglect it, and you will soon have a
serious problem. Some gardeners reported that their goats loved eating Canada
thistle, and others said that, instead of fighting it, they used the fibers in
the stems of these plants to make rope.
8. Burdock: Aliases: clotbur, wild
rhubarb
Some
gardeners controlled biennial burdock by pouring vinegar down the stem on hot
days. One offered this tip: “The key to getting rid of burdock is to till the
ground between rows or plants every 10 days in the spring and early summer,
which halts the weed’s growing cycle” (Tennessee gardener, six to 10 years of
experience). This makes sense, as burdock can take over in areas that aren’t
worked much. This weed has a deep taproot similar to that of dandelion. Take
the time to dig out the taproot of established plants when you can, as this
plant “doesn’t much care whether you mulch it — it’s so vigorous, it just pushes
right back up!” (Michigan gardener, more than 20 years of experience).
Some
beneficial uses of this plant include eating the roots (one respondent pickles
them) and using it medicinally for conditions from arthritis to sore throat.
Or, you could harvest burdock leaves for composting: “The deep taproots bring
up many beneficial nutrients. If you want extra material for your compost pile,
purposely plant a few seed balls in rows a foot apart. Keep cutting all but two
leaves off and put them in the compost bin. This will provide a nearly endless,
fast-growing supply” (Michigan gardener, three to five years of experience).
9. Quack Grass: Aliases: couchgrass,
quitchgrass, creeping wheat
Perennial
quack grass — which one respondent called “the worst menace” — spreads
primarily via thin, creeping underground rhizomes that release chemicals that
inhibit the growth of other plants. “This weed requires that you remove the
runner roots. A garden fork is essential for loosening the soil, followed by a
rake, cultivator or CobraHead hoe to lift out the roots” (Wisconsin gardener,
more than 20 years of experience). Quack grass roots break easily as you handle
them, so go slowly and take care to remove root fragments as you dig up the
grass clumps.
“This is
the worst weed! It took three years for my wife and me to get it out of the
display beds at our garden center. Dig all the roots out, and repeat often
until all the bits are gone. A local church that was helping a woman weed her
garden used quite a few of the youth to help, and they loved my suggestion to
see who could dig the longest quack grass root” (Alberta gardener, 11 to 20
years of experience). When you or anyone helping you pulls quack grass, let it
dry fully in the sun before you compost it.
Many respondents
warned against tilling this weed, as doing so will make it “spawn many
children.” Some reported success with cover crops such as field peas, buckwheat
or crimson clover, which outcompete quack grass. This weed is common pasture
grass in some areas, so if you’re buying hay mulch or composted manure (quack
grass seeds aren’t phased by the digestive tracts of grazing animals) from
somewhere this plant is common, make sure you’re not getting a product rife
with quack grass seed.
10. Johnson Grass: Aliases: Egyptian
grass, Morocco millet, false guinea grass
One
gardener battling Johnson grass referred to this noxious perennial as “Bermuda
grass on steroids.” If you want to beat this weed, dig out an entire clump and
lay it gently in a wheelbarrow or on your sidewalk without trying to knock off
the soil. After it’s out of your garden, start removing the roots from the
soil, taking care to get every last fragment. Set the dug-out clumps in a pile
and let them rot for several months before tossing the whole lot into your
compost pile.
“Johnson
grass is very serious for me. It has taken over my strawberries and asparagus
beds. We’ve tried to dig up the roots, but they’re an extensive, interlocking
system” (Pennsylvania gardener, 11 to 20 years of experience). If Johnson grass
has taken over perennial beds, your best bet may be to move your crops to a new
location during their dormant season, then plant a cover crop that will
suppress the remaining grass. One respondent had success defeating Johnson
grass by setting up a chicken house over the affected area, letting the birds
eat the sprouting grasses every time they surfaced. Eventually, the rhizomes
weakened and died.
Top vegetables to grow in 2015
Get sowing now and try these tasty and nutritious new veg
By Sarah Raven - http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Early in
January and February is a good time to flip through all the new seed catalogues
and find some exciting new vegetables to grow.
Many of us
love spinach, but if it's been conventionally grown it's one of the plants
which contains the highest pesticide residue, even after a good wash (visit
ewg.org). This is therefore a good crop to grow yourself, yet spinach can be
tricky to germinate. So instead, choose komatsuna (thompson-morgan.com) ideal
for sowing in a greenhouse, or a sheltered spot under a plastic tunnel or
cloche. It's easier to grow than baby-leaf spinach, but similar in flavour.
The plants
are hardy enough to grow right through winter – particularly under glass – but
also fine to grow and slow to bolt in spring and summer.
Salsola
(realseeds.co.uk), is great raw in salads. It reminds me of samphire and is
popular with chefs, who wilt it down by quick-frying in olive oil or butter.
This is delicious served with almost any fish and is another cut-and-come-again
annual (or, strictly speaking, a tender perennial). Harvest it with scissors,
cutting off the top shoots. To aid germination, put the seed in the freezer for
a few days before sowing.
Suttons.co.uk
also have true samphire – the delicious stuff usually harvested from the
mudflats of East Anglia, Kent and the Brittany coast. There's no reason we
can't all grow it as a cut-and-come-again. I imagine it will need regular
watering, but I'm certainly going to try it.
For later
in the summer, I've also fallen for a blue-black tomato 'Indigo Rose'
(suttons.co.uk; denieuwetuin.be). Two gardener-grower friends of mine grew this
last year and recommend it – sweet, tangy and thin-skinned. The skin contains
the same pigment as blueberries and blood oranges (anthocyanin), one of the
most powerful antioxidants yet discovered.
Look out
also for the almost everlasting sweetcorn 'Red Strawberry'
(thompson-morgan.com; denieuwetuin.be), invaluable for looking good in displays
and wreaths. I'm hoping to grow a glade of this next summer. And I'm planning
to use it as my vertical climbing frame for a new bean discovery 'Helda'
(organiccatalogue.com; kingsseedsdirect.com; sarahraven.com), again recommended
by friends. It has meltingly tender flesh and no hint of that terrible
stringiness which puts us all off grown-too-large runners.
Then, for
the end of the year but for sowing this spring, I'm trying out flower sprouts,
a cross between a Brussels sprout and kale (dobies.co.uk). I've only eaten
these in London restaurants, but this year we should all grow our own. They
taste like a mild, sweeter sprout and are very good for you. Like all
brassicas, they contain vitamins and antioxidants to boost our immune systems.
My final
must-sow is kale from Peter Bauwens's unusual list (denieuwetuin.be). We should
all eat more of this. It's full of compounds, which turn on the detoxifying
system in our own cells and so help protect against various cancers. If you can
find kales which look good in the garden as well as being good to eat, and give
us a new boost of life, you're on to a winner.
Horti-Culture Corner
http://www.guy-sports.com/humor
Thank God
Albert took
over an old, run-down, abandoned allotment. The beds were overgrown with weeds,
the shed was falling down, and the greenhouse was just a frame with broken
glass.
During his
first day of work, the vicar stopped by to bless Albert's work, saying,
"May you and God work together to make this the allotment of your
dreams!"
A few
months later, the vicar stopped by again. Lo and behold, it was completely
transformed. The shed had been expertly rebuilt, vegetables were growing in
neat rows and the greenhouse had been re-glazed and was full of plump, ripe
tomatoes.
"Amazing!"
exclaimed the vicar. "Look what God and you have accomplished
together!"
"Yes,
reverend," said Albert, "but remember what the place was like when
God was working it alone!"
Cutting the Grass
Michael
O'Leary was waiting at the bus stop with his friend, Paddy Maguire, when a
lorry went by loaded up with rolls of turf.
O'Leary
opined, 'I'm gonna do that when I win de lottery, Maguire.'
'What's
that, Michael?' responds his mate.
'Send me
lawn away to be cut,' concludes O'Leary.
Short Gardening Jokes
A weed is a
plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in
rows.
Knowledge
is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit
salad
