If You Haven’t Pruned Your Trees and Shrubs, Now Is The Time.

When you are up to your elbows in spring gardening and lawn maintenance, don’t forget that now is also a great time to do a little pruning of your trees and shrubs.

Pruning means removing plant parts – typically fronds, shoots, branches and flowers – to boost health, control growth and improve blooming. You can also prune the roots if they are close to the trunk. It’s a routine part of maintenance, and it shouldn’t be put off until the trees are overgrown.

Overgrown plants are tall and leggy with very little foliage near the ground, making it harder to prune to a desired size without severely damaging the plants. That’s why if you’re at that point, prune overgrown trees and shrubs in stages over several years.

Over time, trees and shrubs can outgrow the space allotted to them. If so, pruning is critical to keep plants in bounds. It’s easy to maintain a uniform size and shape of trees and hedges if you stick to a regular schedule.

Most trees and shrubs benefit from being pruned back each year. Pruning helps your trees keep their shape, gets rid of dead and diseased limbs – and helps new growth to flourish.

The more flowers or fruit are on a plant, the smaller each fruit or flower is. Pruning reduces the amount of wood and diverts energy to produce larger, healthier (but fewer) flowers or fruit. Most flowering shrubs bloom either on one-year-old growth – or on new growth. Pruning helps you increase wood production that will bear flowers or fruit.

To maintain plant health, get rid of any dead, dying or diseased wood you see. Any dying branch is the perfect entry point for insects and disease to quickly spread. When trimming dead branches, use a sharp sterile blade and remove the dying growth all the way back to the healthy wood.

Here are a few quick reminders on pruning shrubs.

There are two main techniques, and it’s key you do them both in moderation: Thinning and “heading back.” Thinning means removing the entire branch back to the main branch or stem. Heading back just means shortening the branch’s length.

Problems can arise if you do either of these techniques to the exclusion of the other. Do a combination of each to keep your plants at the size, shape and density you want.

Thinning regularly helps you prevent disease and maintain good form in all your plants. Even evergreen shrubs benefit from an occasional thinning of their foliage. Thinning allows light and air to penetrate throughout the plant, so you get even better overall growth.

Here are some tips for successfully pruning trees.

  1. Twigs and small branches. Always cut back to a vigorous bud or an intersecting branch. When cutting back to a bud, choose a bud that points in the direction you want for the new growth. Be sure not to cut too close to the bud.
  2. Thick, heavy branches. Remove large branches so they are flush with the “collar” at the branch’s base. The collar is a larger area of tissue at the base and it contains a protective zone to prevent decay. If you accidentally cut too low to the branch base, the protection is removed and you are at risk of a serious trunk wound.
  3. Forget the old “paint” technique when you have cut the branch flush to the trunk. For years, folks have done the flush-cut-and-paint routine. Simply put, don’t. Flush-cutting increases the risk of tree injury – and the paint can trap moisture and add to disease problems.

When it comes to pruning, a simple rule of thumb is this. Don’t overdo it but do it regularly. Generally once a year will keep you in good shape. And use the sharpest shears possible, so you get clean cuts with no frayed edges.

Happy pruning!

 


What to do with Dandelions

There are some wonderful alternatives to fighting dandelions with chemicals.

They’ve really gotten a bad rap, actually. Nowadays when dandelions polka-dot our world with sunny yellow flowers, most of us groan and grab the nearest herbicide. The value of a perfectly green lawn has overshadowed the treasures hidden within this once-prized vegetation. By changing my perspective about these pretty plants, I discovered oodles of fun and delicious things to do with them.

In her book, The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion, Anita Sanchez reveals many unknown or forgotten facts about the worth and possibilities of dandelions. Gardeners used to pull the grass to make room for the dandelions! They were so prized for their medicinal properties by the Europeans sailing on the Mayflower that they packed dandelion seeds to bring to the New World. There are places that actually grow them as crops. In natural food stores, organic dandelion greens can be among the most expensive items! Every part of the plant – blooms, greens and roots – can be used with health and nutritional benefits, some of which include:

Rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, D

One of the richest sources of vitamin K

Good source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, and magnesium

More beta carotene than carrots, more iron than spinach

Great source of natural enzymes, antioxidants

Aid in detoxification, good for liver and kidney function

One palate consideration with dandelions is bitterness. The milky juice running throughout the plant contains sesquiterpenes, the bitter-taste culprit. The non-green flower parts do not contain the juice so you can avoid bitterness by using only the flowers. Some say younger greens are less bitter. Various cooking techniques can dilute or mitigate the flavor.

Be sure to harvest dandelions from ground not treated with chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The whole plant can be picked or pulled. The Weed Popper tools make getting them out of the ground almost effortless, without bending or straining, and are great for all-natural, chemical-free control.

Make Dandelion Drinks

Dandelion wine is one of the better-known ways to enjoy dandelions’ benefits. You can also make dandelion coffee, tea and lemonade. Naturally caffeine-free, dandelion coffee is produced from roots harvested in the fall, dried, lightly roasted and ground. Tea can be made from any part of the plant resulting in a variety of flavors. Dandelion blossom tea is easily made by pulling the yellow petals from the flower, piling them in a coffee filter, closing the filter with a twist-tie and steeping in steaming hot water for a couple minutes. In summer, dandelion sun tea is easy to create with a quart of water and a few cups of blossoms. It is said this tea can help relieve pain from headaches, cramps, backaches, stomach aches and even depression. For dandelion lemonade, gather about two quarts of flowers, place in a gallon of room-temperature water, add fresh lemon juice, honey and chill. Strain, or leave in the flowers for an aesthetically-pleasing glass. You can also add the leaves to a raw/green smoothie mix for enhanced detoxification.

Put Dandelions in Your Dish

Dandelion leaves can be used like other greens. They are great served fresh with other greens in a salad topped with vinaigrette dressing, on a sandwich, or used in place of other herbs. Or, try them sautéed in oil with garlic, or with bacon, onion, brown sugar and vinegar. They are also great in soup. You can also reduce bitterness by steaming them separately for a couple minutes first.

The blooms are enormously fun to cook with, and bring a childlike quality to whatever they’re in: pancakes or fritters, cookies, even sorbet. Fresh dandelion jelly has a light, honey-like taste and is simple to make. Recipes for any of these ideas and much more, are readily available online. It is best for taste to use only the yellow petals, not the green base or stem.

Create Dandelion Crafts

Children see the beauty of dandelions more than any of us and inspire creativity. They are often the only flowers kids can pick for a bouquet without getting in trouble. Pressing dandelions and other wildflowers between wax paper in a thick book and then creating art with them is also a creative way to use dandelions. My children love to make dandelion jewelry. To weave a beautiful dandelion crown, pick a couple dozen flowers and leave the stems long. About 2” below the bloom cut a small slit with your fingernail or a knife. Loop another stem through the hole until the flower heads touch. Continue until the chain is long enough to go around your child’s head. At the end, twist the last stem around the first. Make a matching bracelet and ring, too. Or, craft a long, loose chain to hang as decoration for an outdoor party!

Next time you see yellow dots of dandelion popping up in your yard, reach for your Weed Popper and be inspired to do something different with these useful plants!

Tools List: WeedPopper Step and Twist, WeedPopper


How To Keep Your Lawn Green And Clean All Spring


After the time and energy you put into your lawn to get it ready for spring, the coming weeks are when your hard work will pay off.

I’ve been known to throw around the expression, “If you can’t grow grass now, you can’t grow grass.” The combination of warm (but not hot) weather, sunshine and regular rain generally works its magic this time of year.

Here are some tips for keeping your yard looking great the rest of the spring and into the summer.

First off, water. The idea of being reminded to water may seem a bit strange since this is the rainiest time of year on average. But it’s key. If you’re not getting rain two or three times a week, it’s time to monitor closely. If it is hot and five days have passed with no water, break out the hose and give your lawn a good soaking.

The best time to water is early in the morning. On cool mornings, the moisture is slow to evaporate and your water won’t go to waste. In the daytime, water will dry up quicker and in some areas it can deep-fry your grass rather than keeping it lush and green. At night, you are in danger of disease growth as the water sits atop the lawn all night.

Second is mowing. Make sure you are cutting the grass with your blades set high. Set the mower blade at least 3½ inches. Tall grass is healthy grass, so cut about 1/3 off the top of the blade of grass when you mow. It helps the soil stay cool and moist longer, promotes deeper roots, keeps down weed growth, and encourages healthy soil microbes. Microbes convert soil nutrients into a form that plants love. It also fosters growth to spread and help you get rid of those unwanted bare spots.

In fact, cutting your lawn too short can stop the roots from growing, which is like an open invitation for weeds to spring up. And make sure the grass is as dry as possible. This prevents clumping, clogged mowers and even the spread of disease across the lawn.

Sharpen those mower blades! If you are shredding the grass with dull blades, that can lead to brown lawn and leave your grass susceptible to disease. A good rule of thumb is to sharpen up the blades every 10-12 hours of mowing time. A mower shop can do it for you professionally, or you can go online for plenty of how-to tips on sharpening it yourself.

A great idea is to mow in different directions each time. This promotes healthier grass by reducing wear and tear, helps the grass grow upright and gives you that “striping” look popular on baseball diamonds and golf courses.

Fertilizing in the fall or early spring is generally the best way to go – but in many parts of the country, you can still get away with spreading fertilizer. Do it quickly though!

And forget about applying pesticides, fungicides or insecticides. They are meant to kill what you don’t want, but they also kill living things like the microbes and earthworms that naturally aerate the soil and keep it rich. If you do the other things right you won’t need chemicals, because healthy grass is tougher and more resistant to disease and insect damage.

Heading into summer, don’t sweat it too much if there are some long dry spells. Do your best to water regularly. An hour a week is generally good. Give your grass good long drinks less frequently, rather than short 10-minute waterings every day. This will just inhibit the roots from growing in deep.

And hey, grass goes dormant sometimes! Don’t beat yourself up. Leaves may go brown in the height of July or August, but the heart of the plant undergrounds stays alive while dormant up top. Don’t worry, your lawn will spring back to life in the cooler fall months.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, fall is the ideal time to fertilize. When the air is colder, grass growth slows, but the soil stays plenty warm for continued root growth. Building up those roots in the fall helps them support a healthy, green lawn next spring and summer.


Gardening for All Five Senses

We all garden for different reasons. Why not try this unique approach and incorporate a little something for each of your five senses? And then be sure to include a beautiful bench or a pea pebble path, and, make time to take a walk or sit and enjoy your garden with your eyes, ears, fingers, mouth and nose!

Sight

Gardens can be beautiful visual art and using some ideas from the art world can really enhance yours, especially if selecting color overwhelms you. One great tool is the color wheel. You can purchase an inexpensive one at any craft store. To create a bold, dramatic effect, try planting in complementary colors. These are any colors opposite each other on the wheel. Take the color wheel with you when you go to choose your plants. For example, when choosing annuals, select a flower color you like then locate the opposite color on the wheel and find other florae in that hue. Or try an analogous color scheme (a cluster of 3 adjacent colors on the wheel).

Sound

With the hustle and bustle of our lives, silence can be a beautiful sound. Simply sitting in the quiet of a garden can be music to our ears. If you want to add the twinkling tones of nature’s songbirds, attract birds by providing consistent food, water and cover. Research types of birds to determine what they eat and what types of nesting they require and provide those. A simple, shallow (no more than 3” deep) bird bath is a great way to furnish water.

Touch

As you plan for the sense of touch, think “petting zoo for plants” and ask yourself if the texture of the plant is interesting and durable. One of the most delightful plants to feel is Lambs’ Ear. Its large leaves are densely covered in silky, white hairs and feel like velvet. Snapdragons are another playful flower that is amazing to touch. They come in a variety of vivid, bright colors and their blooms open and close when pinched at the “jaw.” Kids love both of these plants.

Taste

It brings me joy to experience the freedom of plucking something off a plant and eating it in nature. Berries are a sweet favorite, of course, though they require a lot of sun and can take years to establish. In the meantime, there are so many types of mint that are fun to eat. Planting several different kinds and then taste-testing them is a treat. Many types of flowers are also edible, such as marigold, nasturtiums, pansies and peonies. Be careful, though, because not every flower is edible. Never use pesticides or chemicals on them, don’t eat them from the roadside, and be sure you correctly identify the flower before you eat it.

Smell

There’s nothing like the surprise of encountering a beautiful scent as you walk through a garden. It’s fun to try to identify where it’s coming from. Honeysuckle and lilac are two of nature’s most permeating scents. Honeysuckle has wonderful sweet smell, and it flourishes in sunny areas with a rock wall, trellis or fence to grow on. It also attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees so vital to all botanical life. Lilac is also a pleasant smell, and comes in many varieties. The Korean Dwarf Lilac is an easy-to-maintain tree-like bush in the shape of a popsicle. The skinny trunk is topped by a puff of greenery with clusters of powerfully-smelling lavender blooms in the spring. To maintain the circular shape and thickness, be sure to trim monthly.

No matter what type of garden you grow, consider your senses as you plan and plant! It just makes sense!


Nothing Beats the Tastes of Fresh Herbs From Your Own Herb Garden

Chefs around the world know there’s one “not-so-secret” to healthy, flavorful meals: Fresh ingredients.

Nothing gives a dish more punch than plucking herbs straight from the garden and adding them to the recipe. That’s one reason so many of the world’s finest restaurants have herb gardens readily available — either indoors, behind the building or a short drive away.

Isn’t it time to start your own?

You don’t need much room,
and most environments are perfect for growing herbs outdoors. But they also flourish in small indoor gardens, so having enough room doesn’t have to be an issue.

First, decide how big you want your garden. This will depend on how much variety you want. You only need an area about 12 x 18 inches for each herb. A good outdoor kitchen garden can be an area 20 feet long and 4 feet wide. Here’s a tip: make a diagram and labels for each section, as things can get confusing!

Where to put your herb garden

When choosing a site, think drainage – perhaps the most important single factor in growing herbs. The simple fact is herbs won’t grow in wet soils. To improve drainage, remove the soil to a depth of 15 inches or so. At the bottom, place a three-inch layer of pea gravel covered with compost or peat moss, then add the original soil back on top. Refill the beds higher than the original level to allow the soil to settle.

You don’t need much, if any fertilizer, either. In general, highly fertile soil produces excessive foliage that doesn’t have much flavor. Adding a few bushels of peat or compost every 100 square feet of garden helps improve soil condition and retain moisture.

Very few diseases or insects attack herbs, though rust can infect mints. In hot, dry weather, red spider mites may be found on low-growing plants. Aphids may attack anise, caraway, dill, and fennel.

A few herbs, such as mint, need to be contained or they will overtake a garden. Plant them in a can or bucket; punch several holes just above the bottom rim for drainage. You can also use a drain tile, clay pot, or cement block. Just sink them into the ground and they’ll confine any plant for years.

If you’re in a pinch for room, you can grow herbs in containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets. Just give them more of your attention, especially when it comes to watering.

If you sowed seeds in the winter, now is the time to transplant your seedlings. A rule of thumb is that the finer the seed, the shallower it should be sown. Anise, coriander, dill, and fennel should be sown directly in the garden because they don’t transplant well.

Get biennials directly into the ground in late spring. Work the soil to a fine texture and wet it slightly. Sow the seeds in very shallow rows and firm the soil over them. Do not plant them too deeply. Fine seeds, such as marjoram, savory, or thyme, will spread more evenly if you mix them with sand. Some larger seeds can be covered by up to 1/8-inch of soil. With fine seeds, cover the bed with wet burlap or paper to keep the soil moist. Water with a fine spray to keep your soil from washing away.

Cutting plants can be helpful in propagating certain herbs. When your seeds are slow to germinate, try cutting the plants. Also, be ready to divide certain herbs from the pack, like tarragon, chives, and mint. Lavender should pretty much always be cut.

Harvesting Herbs

Once the foliage is flourishing, it’s time to start harvesting your bounty! This is the fun part. Seek out recipes that ask for the herbs in your garden and put them to work! It’s amazing the difference that fresh-picked herbs will add to your meals. You can pick fresh leaves as soon as the plant has enough foliage to maintain growth.

To ensure proper oil content and the best flavor, pick leaves after the morning dew is gone – but before the sun heats up. For dry, winter use, harvest leaves and seed heads before the flower buds open. Pick them as the color changes from green to brown or gray. Wash leaves and seed heads in cold water; then drain thoroughly, dry and use.

Enjoy the explosion of flavor that is sure to come from a bountiful herb garden!

 


Natural & Organic Weed Control

Not sure about all of you, but in my gardens, flower beds, and my lawn, the annual war against pesky weeds is now in full swing. Making it a grand time for a blog post that covers different methods of engaging these invasive little enemies.

There are, generally speaking, two strategic battle plans to consider when it comes to handling weeds.

One utilizes tools and a more manual process; the other is based on applications of some sort. Our recommendation, for many reasons, is to use natural or organic substances when the latter means is required.

Effective Tools for Weed Control

Hand-to-hand combat with our nutrient-stealing squatters will require an arsenal of effective tools to manage the varying degrees of “weediness” you will encounter. Thankfully, this is where we are uniquely qualified to offer proven, battle-tested solutions! After all, we have been offering tools to do just that for nearly 40 years!

Make Time!

Before delving into the armory, an important note: Fighting weeds requires persistence and consistency. During peak growth, weeds can quickly take over and become tough to manage. So set aside an amount of time that works with your schedule – whether it be 15 or 30 minutes a day, or a dedicated hour a few days a week. This will help you stay on top of them and keep them from taking over your space. Keeping a schedule helps you ensure your plants get all of the room – as well as all of the water and nutrients – they need to stay healthy and strong.

The Trowel & You

For small raised beds and containers, getting a larger tool to work these areas may not be feasible. Your best bet here is to weed by hand, plucking small weeds by the root, and using a small trowel if necessary to dig up more established root systems. If you own the detachable short plastic handle for our Original Garden Weasel, this would be a valuable asset in  smaller spaces like this, bringing weeds and root systems to the surface.

WeedPopper Step & Twist

For work in your lawns, tools like the WeedPopper Step & Twist let you move around the yard with little bending or kneeling, grabbing weeds by the root with the added bonus of aerating your yard at the same time.

The Original Garden Weasel

In your gardens and beds, cultivation can be a very effective tactic for small weeds. Breaking up the soil provides easy access to weeds and their entire root. You can then remove them easily by hand or just leave them to wither in the sun. This is where the scissor-like action of the Original Garden Weasel’s bladed wheels do much of the work on your behalf.

Garden Claw

Deeper, established weeds will require something a bit more intense. This is where our  Garden Claw is called to arms and shines brightly. A tool with many uses, weeding is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to the Claw.  Able to go deep and turn up larger clumps, roots and all, this tool is the go-to weapon of choice for the weeds that don’t give in to the WeedPopper or Garden Weasel. In fact, if you can’t get it with the Garden Claw, you better break out the shovel!

Natural & Organic Applications for Weed Control

Attacking weeds sometimes requires an alternative approach. As mentioned above, we lean toward natural, or organic means when applications are the right answer.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn Gluten Meal is a natural weed and feed fertilizer. Getting it down prior to weed germination is the key.  Once it’s down, it should help prevent roots from forming, acting as a pre-emergent – while also playing the role of fertilizer.

Vinegar

Another popular – and effective – “green” herbicide can come right out of the kitchen. Vinegar, mixed with a few ingredients, can be used as as a spray for spot removal. It’s also perfect for our WeedBall applicator when windy conditions, or you want straight lines… or you are just cleaning up a border or edge. An ideal formula would look somethign like this:

1 gallon of 10% (100 grain) vinegar
Add 1 ounce orange oil or d-limonene
1 teaspoon liquid soap or other surfactant
(No need to add water)

Shake well – and note – this tends to work better on warm to hot days.

AG Crabgrass Killer

In more southern zones, it’s tough to beat our Garden Weasel AG Crabgrass Killer for a product that is simple, safe, and effective against crabgrass, chickweed, clover, and many more. Available in both  consumer and industrial quantities, this all-natural post-emergent alternative to chemical herbicides can simply be sprinkled on without harming St. Augustine, Bahia, Common Bermuda and Centipede grass.

Weed Suppressing Plants

One of the best, most unique ideas I have found for weed control is this: plant perennials that actually suppress weeds! These particular plants help do some of the heavy lifting for you, discouraging weed growth:

  • ‘Emerald Blue’ moss phlox (Phlox subulata)
  • ‘Thriller’ lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
  • ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
  • ‘Golden Fleece’ Dwarf (Solidago sphacelata)
  • ‘Albiflorus’ Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox)
  • ‘Herman’s Pride’ False Lamium (Lamiastrum galeobdolon)
  • ‘Majestic’ Lilyturf (Liriope)

Mulch & Barriers

Using mulch creates a barrier that deprives weeds of the chlorophyll-producing light they need to take over your garden.  Plus it looks nice and adds another layer of defense to your weed-fighting strategy.  Organic mulch, synthetic mulches, black poly film, and even newspaper can work for barrier material.

There are always additional tactics to employ in the ongoing battle to maintain weed-free lawns, gardens, and flower beds. A combination of the strategies above can give you a a good start to winning the war on weeds.

What are YOU doing to combat pesky unwanted growth in your lawns, gardens & flower beds? Let us know in the comments below, or visit our Facebook page and post your ideas there. We’d love to hear from you!


How to Plant and Grow Roses

rose garden, planting roses, garden weasel A friend told me recently I needed to “stop and smell the roses.” I knew he meant “slow down and enjoy life,” but it occurred to me that I would actually like to plant some roses in my garden TO smell.

Roses can be intimidating. Like me, you may have the impression that they are territory only for master gardeners. But au contraire. Roses are tough and hardy. Even amateur horticulturalists can grow these beautiful flowers and still have time to stop and smell them.

A Little Pre-Planting Homework

Be brave and don’t be afraid to plant roses. But before you go out and buy some, a little study will go a long way. Roses are a bit like people. Each kind is different and needs a different environment to thrive. So the two pieces of research to do in advance are about what and where.

What – First, if you are dreaming of growing the kinds of perfect roses you find in the store, you’ll need to lower your standards. There is a reason those cost a dollar a rose. Open your mind to all the possibilities of color, smell, full-grown size, type of bloom (single, double, ruffled, miniature, etc.), and disease resistance. There are 150 species and thousands of varieties of shrub, tree and climbing roses. The best way to narrow the field of what to plant is to consult your local extension office or nursery. They can give you a well-researched list of roses that grow well in your climate zone.

Then purchase good roses to increase your odds of success. Buying roses from a garden center, nursery or mail order assures a quality start. The American Rose Society is a great online resource and has a helpful rating system; they recommend buying top grade/number 1 roses with three canes and a fully developed root system.

Where – Choosing the best location also increases your odds of success. But as Grandma Weasel always taught me: don’t be afraid to move something if it’s not doing well where you planted it the first time.

Roses need 5 basic things: sunlight, soil, water, space and food. Assess your desired spot for these factors:

Sunlight is essential to those beautiful blooms. Make sure the spot you want to place your roses has a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight. Morning light is optimal. Number of petals is a consideration here: the higher the number of petals in the bloom the greater then need for sun.

Soil is also key. The ideal soil is loam (equal mixture of sand, silt and clay), so figure out what type of soil you have and provide the needed amendments. Your garden center can easily help with this. Basically, roses need lots of organic material and the right pH level (slightly acidic). The pH level affects how the plant absorbs nutrients. Soil should also be well drained because water is vital. They don’t do well with standing water around their roots. As you prepare the soil, the Garden Weasel is great for loosening it up. The Garden Claw is also great for breaking up dirt and allowing air to circulate.

Space allows room to grow. All roses need good air flow and wind should be minimized. A good rule of thumb is to allow as much space for the width of the fully grown plant as it will be tall.

 A Time to Plant

Once you have your spot and roses picked out, and your soil ready to go, planting is a breeze! Garden Glide is a helpful tool that eases the job of moving bags and plantings to their spot.

Ideally your hole for the amended soil should be about 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide. Fill the hole with water and let it drain. Place your amended loamy soil in the bottom, tossing in a handful of bone meal to help strengthen the root system. At about 12” from the top, form a cone with the soil. Place the roots over the cone.

You will observe the roots and canes look crooked and gnarled, a bit of a mirror image. Find a knob between them. This is the “bud union” and it is your guide to the planting depth. It should be about 2 inches below ground level. Alternate water and soil as you fill the hole.

Place a couple inches of mulch on top of the soil. This helps conserve water and minimize weeds.

Tending Means Noticing

I always pictured tending roses as a complicated matter, but really it just means noticing what they need. So again, like people or pets, they just need a little attention. I like this adage as a guide: feed a little, water a lot.

Water – Don’t let soil dry out. Deep soaking with 4-5 gallons of water two times a week is better than a light watering every day. Deep soaking can be done with a slow soaking hose or a deep soaking tool that delivers the water straight to the roots.

Feed – Fertilize with a slow-release product containing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in the spring, midsummer and fall. If your roses aren’t blooming well, add some soluble nitrogen between feedings for a boost.

Prune – Roses don’t have to be pruned often. The purpose of pruning is to get rid of damage and to shape. Once a year before spring is plenty. Doing it right is easy – slice at a 45 degree angle, ¼-1/2” from the leaf node.

Also, deal with insects and disease promptly. Your extension office and nursery can help you figure out what spots, growths or colors mean and how to treat them.

Tools Used: Garden Weasel, Garden Claw, Garden Glide


Composting – Why It’s a Beautiful Thing

composting bin, compost pile, compostA garden or flowerbed’s best friend is good, rich soil. And there are very few better – or cheaper – ways than composting to pack nutrients and add vitality to any soil, so plant growth can flourish.

Add some healthful compost to your beds, gardens or the base of trees, and sit back and watch as flowers bloom brighter, vegetables grow larger and tree leaves thrive.

Other benefits of composting include:

  • Conditioning the soil and helping it retain moisture
  • Recycling kitchen and yard waste to keep it out of the landfill
  • Adding microscopic organisms to soil so it aerates better and fights plant disease
  • Acting as a natural, chemical-free fertilizer

It’s easy! With a little room, and a little time, anyone can transform lawn and kitchen waste into a gardener’s version of gold. Adding compost to soil improves its structure, retains moisture better and naturally aerates soil with too much clay or sand.

So for starters, what do you need? Pretty much just a shovel or pitchfork – and a space outdoors with at least a foot of clearance from surrounding structures. You can also buy a fancy composting bin if you’d like. They’re terrific, and especially good in tight spaces. But basically, a pile on the ground can work just as well!

To get it going, start with grass clippings, garden weeds or other yard waste, along with kitchen scraps like eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, and fruit or vegetable scraps. One important thing, don’t use meat scraps, grease or bones, as those will just attract unwanted critters! Keep a container under the kitchen sink for scraps. Coffee grounds have a pleasant smell to hide odors.

composting, compost, compost bin, kitchen scrapsGrass clippings and kitchen scraps provide nitrogen while leaves or dried straw provide carbon. Just throw in any organic materials as it becomes available. To speed things up, we suggest you water it to keep it moist (but not soggy!) turn the pile every other week to give it air. If your pile smells bad, break out the pitchfork as it may be wet or not getting enough oxygen.

The finished compost pile will take up only about a quarter of the space of the original pile. When you can no longer identify the individual materials and the pile looks like dark, rich soil, you’re ready to go! It will smell sweet and earthy, and it will crumble in your fingers. If it smells bad, it is either too wet or not getting any oxygen.

Tips for composting success!

  • Start your compost pile on bare ground. This lets worms and insects do some natural aerating.
  • Add compost in layers. Alternate moist and dry layers and cover up the kitchen scraps with grass clippings or leaves.
  • Cover your pile. A covering of wood, plastic or even a carpet scrap helps your pile retain moisture and heat.
  • Keep it moist. You don’t want things to get soggy, but water it about once a week and turn it after a rain.
  • Compost is an additive only. Don’t use compost exclusively as a soil. Think of it as one component of a healthy garden bed, not the soil itself.

It’s easy. It’s good for plants and the environment. And it’s free! What’s not to love about composting? Now that spring is in full bloom, find a small space in your yard and make it your composting headquarters. Your plants and your wallet will thank you!


Heirloom Tomatoes

We weasels don’t have any family heirlooms. Nothing gets passed down except our pointy noses and passion for gardening. You’d think with all the digging we do that one of my ancestors would have discovered a buried treasure. But, alas, no. Maybe that is why I am so intrigued by Heirloom Tomatoes.

What are Heirloom Tomatoes?

Many tomatoes found at grocery and garden stores today are hybrids. This means they are commercially grown with controlled pollination to retain or introduce desired traits – like thick skin or disease resistance.

Heirloom Tomatoes are unique, pure-bred tomatoes that are considered so good their seeds are preserved and passed down like a family inheritance. They’re the varieties our grandparents ate many years ago. In the past they were often rare and grown by a particular family. Today the term encompasses tomatoes with unique characteristics or that have been around for 50 years. Now more than 3,000 varieties exist in the U.S. and 10,000 in the world.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

To enjoy Heirlooms you have to learn to see beauty in uniqueness. Hybrids are grown to be uniform red orbs of perfection. Not so with Heirlooms. No two heirloom tomatoes are alike; their shapes vary greatly. I’ve seen a heart-shaped tomato and many that look rather bulbous. They are also known to crack because their skin is not grown to be thick to bear weight in transportation like many hybrids.

Don’t Judge a Tomato by Its Cover

Bite into an heirloom and you will discover why their appearance doesn’t matter. The taste of an heirloom is always robust and flavorful. The color actually tells you a lot about the tomato. Dark means acidic, light means less acidic. Red equates to sweetness. Green means tart. Yellow and orange are milder. Purple and black are bold and rich.

The book 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden by Carolyn J. Male wonderfully illustrates and describes this great garden item.

Plant for the Plate

When deciding what to plant, I like to visualize my plate. Heirlooms come in a range of beautiful colors from yellows to reds to purples and everything in between. And, because they taste so great, they can be cut and served as their own beautiful and delicious dish. So I like imagine what colors would look good on a plate served together and make my selections about what to grow from there.

Or, maybe you would prefer to choose them by name. Unique vegetables deserve unique names and heirlooms have them: German Giant, Box Car Willie, Cherokee Chocolate, Pink Ping Pong, Orange Strawberry, Green Zebra, to name a few. One of the most common heirloom tomatoes is the beefsteak variety and they have some great names, too: Big Ben, Big Rainbow, Watermelon, Italian Sweet.

The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook by Mimi Luebbermann has 50 great recipes to try once your crop comes in.

Where to Get Them

You have to be careful when buying tomato seeds or plants from your local nursery. Many plants sold are hybrids, so you will want to make sure you check with the horticulturalist to make sure what you are buying is truly an heirloom variety.

There are also some great online sources. I like www.tomatofest.com. They sell organic heirloom tomato seeds from all around the world.

Tips for Successful Growing

As heirlooms in your home require limited but special care, so do heirloom tomatoes. They will flourish if grown in 18-24” of fluffy, fertile soil with plenty of good quality mulch. I use my Garden Claw to cultivate the soil because tomato plants are water drinkers and well cultivated soil absorbs water instead of letting it run off.

Tomatoes need lots of sun. Do prune old leaves and unproductive stems to maximize growth.

Heirlooms may not produce as much as hybrids, nor as consistently, so I also plant hybrids in my garden as well to ensure I have plenty of tomatoes.

Save the Seeds

Another unique thing about Heirloom Tomatoes is their seeds. Hybrid seeds are sometimes sterile, or do not reproduce the same tomatoes if saved and replanted. But Heirloom Tomato seeds can be saved and used to grow the same tomatoes again next year.

When you find the tomato you’d like to pass on in your family, here’s how you can save the seeds and create your family’s culinary heirloom:

  • Choose a good, ripe tomato.
  • Cut it and squeeze the seeds into a cup.
  • Put a couple inches of water over the seeds and set aside for 2-3 days.
  • When white mold begins to grow, dispose of any floating seeds. Rinse the remaining seeds and place on a paper plate in a single layer.
  • Set aside to dry completely for several days.
  • Place in a sealed container and label it.
  • Keep in a cool dry place for up to 10 years.

Tools used: Garden Claw


It’s Time for Spring Perennials!

Now that spring has sprung, it’s the ideal time to plant your perennials.

You can take advantage of everything that spring flowers love most: soil that is thawed out and warming up, longer daylight hours, moist ground, regular rains and plenty of sunshine. Down below the ground, root systems flourish, soaking up water and nutrients to fuel growth. And up above, foliage, stems and flowers explode into color.

The most common way to plant perennials is buying small plants in containers. These plants are already growing and give you flexibility on selection and planting all season long.

Or you can buy bare root or packaged plants sold dormant by mail order or at garden centers. These are for spring planting only. If you get these at a time you can’t plant right away, keep the plants cool and the roots moist. You can store them for several weeks this way, thus assuring their survival prior to planting.

Successful perennial gardens start with thorough and thoughtful bed preparation. Some of the key points include: eliminating perennial weeds before turning the soil; insuring a well-drained soil that can retain enough moisture for good plant growth; providing for sufficient organic matter in the soil; and adding fertilizer as needed.

Let new plants adjust to life outdoors for a few days or a week by storing them in a sheltered spot. Leave the plants outside just a few hours, and slowly increase the time until they’re outdoors full time. If there’s a threat of a late frost, bring perennials indoors or cover them. You can cover them with single layer of newspaper to reduce the light intensity and wind exposure.

Choose a cool, cloudy, or damp day to plant, or plant in late afternoon. Plant in good soil, create a basin of soil or mulch around each plant, and give a good, soaking watering. Make sure that the water drains out where you want it to go.

Here are some tips on how to handle perennials:

  • Be gentle. Don’t handle the plants roughly or you may damage them.
  • Help the roots take hold. Either tease apart the roots a bit or lightly score the sides with a sharp knife, which inspires new root growth. Then you can place the perennial in its hole.
  • Make sure the soil is ready. Don’t plant them in waterlogged ground, or drench them right after planting. Too much water can stop oxygen from getting to the roots, and the plants will drown or rot.

After you have your plants in the ground, cover around the stems with mulch. This will stop weeds from taking over and stealing nutrients from your perennials. It will also hold in soil moisture and protecting your plants from drying out quickly.

In cold-winter areas, mulch protects plant roots from helps prevent frost-heaving, which can literally push plants out of the ground by the natural expansion and contraction of the soil as it cools off and heats up. In hot-summer areas, it can help keep plant roots cooler all season long.

If you follow these helpful hints (and – cough cough – use the right tools to get your garden beds ready) and you can look forward to flourishing spring perennials adding beauty to your home and neighborhood.

And if you make the neighbors just a little bit jealous… well, that’s okay too!

 


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