Issue #163
May 2006
What's New?
Out back, in the garden...
Compost Alert!
Book of the Month
To Ponder...
Growing Community
Web Finds
Closing Comments
Garden Notes Archives
WELCOME Garden Notes Subscribers!!
In case you didn't get it last month, GOOD NEWS!
The nursery is BACK ONLINE!!
It really has been a crazy spring for me here at GS. Our new hosting company.
A GREEN hosting company
is live and kicked off! We're so proud! All our energy use for home and office;
servers and websites is offset 100% through the use of green tags. We are supporting
clean, renewable energy that generates zero carbon emissions and does not contribute
to accelerated global warming and climate change by purchasing Renewable Energy
Certificates (RECs) or 'Green Tags'
This is an easy, affordable way to clear the air. A U.S. home using about 12,000
kilowatt hours of electricity annually (1,000 kWh monthly) will avoid the release
of about 7.3 tons of carbon dioxide in a year - about as beneficial as not driving
14,600 miles in a year.
For daily pocket change - 50˘ a day or $15 a month - you too can invest
today in cleaner air for both current and future generations. You'll find out more
about this in the 'Community' area of Garden Notes.
If you have a website of your own you'd like to host at an eco friendly webhost,
please support GS and host your site at GoGreenHosting!
It's that 'spring rain just keeps falling warm weather draws them out' time
of year again...
Slugs can drive organic gardeners stark raving mad, wreaking havoc on your seedlings
struggling to make it in the big world of spring. No big wonder that slug pellets
and pesticides are so widely used. However, effective alternatives do exist.
- A shockingly easy solution? Copper. Yes, copper serves as a great barrier for
slugs, giving them a small shock when they try to cross it. By using old pennies
to create 'keep off!' notification to slugs by surrounding your plants, you can have
a natural, non-toxic, slug-free garden and get rid of your copper pennies.
Now that's recycling at it's finest, wouldn't you say? ;)
- Slugs are most active in damp nighttime conditions. If you water in the morning
instead of evening you can reduce slug damage by 80%. Considerable.
- Especially around ornamental areas and if you have access, the coarse surface
of lava rocks, gravel, and other rough materials irritates and deters slugs. For
obvious reasons, not recommended in the vegetable garden, it's a wonderful deterent
in the flower bed.
This next tip is from my friend Steve Boulden. If you've never been to his site
you're missing out. Check it out…
The Landscape Design Site
Excellent newsletter there by the way ;)
Xeriscaping: Water Wise Landscaping
If it were better understood, xeriscaping would be practiced more often than it already is.
This type of landscaping can be very beautiful and generally requires less water,
fertilizer, maintenance, and pest control than traditional landscaping.
And, of course, using less of these will save you time and money.
The principles of xeriscaping deal mostly with slope, plants, plant groups,
watering methods, and soil. Shape and other aspects of design can be dealt with
by traditional principles of landscape design.
Read More...
PRIORITY LIST
- Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Plant new strawberries on top of old ones for a more productive crop. Allow the
runners to cover the beds as thick as they can get. Later in fall cover them with
about two or three inches of soil. The following spring you will be surprized at
the strong production of foliage. The first year may be less productive than
years to come, but then we all know that good strawberries are an investment.
- Tools and Equipment Monthly Reminders...
Make a support rod for your hanging baskets using an old mop or broom handle.
Place two sturdy hooks into your porch or patio roof about as far apart as the
handle is long. Suspend the rod with two equal lengths of chain. The rod can hold
several hanging baskets, depending on size.
- Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcovers Monthly Reminders...
If cotton burlap was used to wrap B&B; tree roots, it does not need to be removed.
Just untie and roll it down from the trunk until it does not stick above the soil
line. If a synthetic material wrapped the roots, remove it completely if possible,
or at least turn it back to expose the sides of the ball and cut it off or push
it to the bottom of the hole. If the species of tree you are planting is one
that grows a taproot, remove all the synthetic material or the root will not be
able to grow properly.
- Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs Monthly Reminders...
Potted plants, when placed outdoors, may need to be watered more frequently than
if they were inside. So now is a good time to get in the swing of it. Days are getting
warmer, and the sun hotter. If you place plants in clay pots inside larger plastic
pots or cover clay pots with aluminum foil, you will reduce the frequency at
which you must water. Remember to punch a drainage hole if foil or plastic is used.
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Check out what goes on in the sustainable garden
in the month of May!
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Weed Them Out! Common Weeds and How to Fight Them
by dave4
All gardeners, from the seasoned professional to the weekend novice, hate to see the onset of weeds in the garden. Weeds threaten the very life of your prized flora and fauna. Here are some of the more common weeds found all across the nation and what you can do to stop them.
When it comes to common weeds, winning the war requires a patient and methodical approach. Pouring synthetic chemicals on your garden or lawn is not only environmentally irresponsible, but often ineffective as well. By sticking to the basics of weed control, you can restore your garden or lawn into a healthy state without breaking the bank on the latest weed-be-gone fad.
Common Weeds:
- Dandelions. Pretty to look at but murder on your flowers. These perennials are found all over the US, save the southernmost regions. Dig out the entire root and use corn gluten to stop seeding.
- Sowthistle. Found primarily in lawns across the US and Canada, these perennials flower from July to October. Dig out the entire root system and add a generous helping of organic matter to the affected area.
- Crabgrass. These annuals can grow to a height of 3 feet and spread by joining root and plant stems. You must pull out the entire plant as mowing will not kill the base. Spreading corn gluten will also help against this invader.
- Poison Ivy. The toxicity of this plant makes it public enemy number one in most areas. Manifested in the form of a vine or shrub, rid yourself of this pest by cutting it at the base and letting it dry in the sun.
- Ragweed. This annual pest causes a variety of the airborne allergies for homeowners and their families. Remove ragweed from your affected area by pulling up sprouts and mowing larger clumps.
Recognizing common weeds is the first step in controlling them. For a more in depth education on common weeds and how to stop them, visit your local home and garden center.
Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles
What are you reading when you're not reading Garden Notes?
Wonderful Gardening Magazines, are RIGHT HERE!
This month, instead of a book, I found the coolest piece of software! I thought
you all might enjoy it as much as I have, being the gardening/ computer buffs that
we all are...
Your Complete Landscape and Garden Designer
Your Complete Landscape and Garden Designer supplies eight essential tools for
creating the landscape, garden, and deck of your dreams!
- Get inspired by professionally designed gardens -- Choose from seasonal gardens
or beautiful Feng Shui, rose, herb, perennial, Japanese, water gardens & more
- Photo Garden Designer imports a picture of your home and design a landscape around it
- Garden Encyclopedia is a comprehensive gardening reference for selecting and
caring for your plants
- Helpful Wizards aid in designing garden beds, sprinkler systems, and more.
- See how your design will grow through the seasons and over the years.
- Helpful Landscape Design Guide helps create & maintain the garden you've always wanted
Help OCA mobilize millions of organic and socially responsible consumers into a powerful force for change.
Food for Thought:
Before You Pull out Your Wallet
- Who profits from this sale?
- Are you buying this product from a national chain, or buying locally from an independent business, coop, or family farm?
- Where was this item grown or made?
- How far did it travel?
- Were farmers’ or workers’ rights protected?
- Did the producer receive a living wage?
- Is it certified organic or Fair Trade?
- Is the company making or selling this item socially responsible?
- Is this product genuinely ecological & healthy?
- What would be an organic, local, and Fair Trade or Fair Made alternative?
Learn more...
This month we spotlight a place that's been working on the community garden concept
for quite some time...
P-Patch Community Gardens in Seattle Washington.
Over 1900 plots serve more than 4,600 urban gardeners on 12 acres of land.
There are programs to serve low-income, disabled, youth and non-English speaking populations.
Cultivating Communities goal is to help establish safe, healthy communities
and economic opportunity through the development of community gardens and Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprises in Seattle Housing Authority public housing
communities. It is a partnership between the Friends of P-Patch, a non-profit
affiliate of the City of Seattle's P-Patch Program and the Seattle Housing Authority
(SHA). The program also works closely with the respective SHA community councils to
set priorities for garden development.
The project was begun in 1995 to address a need by SHA to provide safe garden sites
for residents and to help build a community among the residents. In the first year,
seven community gardens were developed. During 1996 and 1997 the project added two
income generating gardens, continued to build new community gardens, and worked
with gardeners to develop leadership among the gardeners to help manage and
operate the gardens. The program is primarily grant funded. It has a project
manager and four quarter -time staff during the gardening season which serve as
community organizers, interpreters, and garden coordinators.
P-Patch gardeners show their concern for the value of fresh organic vegetables
by supplying 7 to 10 tons of produce to Seattle food banks each year! (I know, WOW, huh?)
Supporting a strong environmental ethic, the P-Patch Program allows organic gardening only.
Kudos! 
More links on food production and energy use:
Community Food Security: Definitions and Explanations
Want to find one in your state?
See the list!
You don't HAVE a community garden where you live?
Then START ONE!
REALLY COOL TIP!
Love That Junk Mail!
Make good use of all that junk mail! Shred it and layer it on top of soaker
hoses and under a layer of straw. It will help your beds stay moist and weed-free.
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Until next year!, remember the words of Dorothy Frances Gurney ...
"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for
mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on
earth."
Never underestimate the value of what you are doing.
Life is short,
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