Poison Ivy Control: Podcast Update

On my podcast this week, the organic way to control poison ivy. On itunes at VirginiaOrganic Gardener or at my pod bean host:

http://virginiaorganicgardener.podbean.com/

Happy gardening!

New Tree Killing Herbicide

I jokingly wrote an entry a while back called "How to kill a tree." Sadly, a new herbicide, Imprelis, thought to be environmentally "better" (whatever that might mean) has been implicated in the death of trees, especially those with shallow roots, like willows, poplars and conifers. For the full article, go to the New York Times at:
NYT TREES

Plant Protection

I just planted my eggplants. Have you ever planted eggplants, only to find them riddled with small holes a week later, each leaf looking like lace? That is the work of the efficient flea beetle, which seems to be able to find an eggplant anywhere. Though sometimes a large, sturdy transplant can outgrow the damage, many plants suffer the rest of the season after an attack. One season, I tried hand picking (rather squashing) the little beetles, and I got pretty good at it, but I had to do it twice a day to make a dent! So now I cover the plants with floating row covers suspended on hoops and the edges weighted down with bricks. This keeps the beetles out, as long as it is pretty secure, and has the added benefit of adding some extra warmth to the heat loving plants. Row covers do need to be removed when the weather really heats up, but I have kept them in place until it hits about 82 degrees regularly. At that point, the flea beetles may be gone, and the plant is large enough to withstand some damage and still produce fruit. I have written about these row covers before. Their main disadvantages are price and longevity- I can seldom get them to last more than one season. I am still interested in trying to use old sheer curtains instead, but need to prowl the thrift stores to find some.
Happy gardening!

Acer color

I love this Japanese maple. I planted it 4 or 5 years ago in a large ceramic pot I got on a super sale at a discount home store and it is thriving. Beautiful chartreuse green in spring, blazing in fall. I love all Japanese maples, but this one I love deeply and I wish my brain were not stuffed to overflowing with plant names so I could drag the variety name of this one out of the old gray matter (I used to be able to). My "last resort memory back up," also known as the metal label in the pot, rusted away and broke off. It is somewhere in the mulch and dogwood leaf duff on the ground near the pot. And it is probably illegible anyway. The original plastic tab that came with the maple has faded away. I failed to record the name in my garden journal (can you say New Year's Resolution anyone?) and might have a tag or tab somewhere in the dreaded garden pocket-binder. Or not. I am too intimidated to open the binder up. Things fall out and make a mess. I tried that memory trick that has worked in the past- the one where I tell myself I will remember the name when I wake up. Falling asleep, I visualized remembering the name, and even dreamt about it too. All I remembered when I woke up at 4 AM is that I am behind at work. (Is it bad to behind at work when you schedule most of your work yourself?). I also tried the trick my mom taught me, go through the alphabet letter by letter until a letter pops up at you and gives you a word that is similar to the name. It's worked like a charm in the past. But I think this variety name is in Japanese and I don't know Japanese words, except that phonetic Cherry Tree song we learned in 3rd grade and "ohio," which doesn't count as it is also a United State word. So, it is a beautiful Japanese maple. Nameless forever?
Happy gardening!

A Sage Tale

Sages for the Ages
As far as I can tell, there are two kind of sages (salvias)- ornamental and culinary. Culinary sage has broader, thicker, crinkly leaves in comparison to ornamental sages, but it is pretty in its own right when it sends up its bluish-purple flower spike (the flowers are pretty enough for the table). Culinary sage is often used in poultry seasoning mixes and Italian dishes (I make a wicked good sage, chickpea and tomato soup). I grows almost like a weed, though can become woody over the years.

Ornamental sages are not edible and do not taste good- to humans. But their flowers produce nectar that attracts hummingbirds. I have many ornamental sages right outside my front door and have frequent hummingbird sightings in season (April 15 to beginning of October) as a result. Ornamental sages are hardy in this area, though they do get woody after a few years and need trimming to get vigorous growth and sometimes need to be replaced. They are relatively care-free in my zone: no pests or diseases (so far) seem to bother them. They are also relatively easy to propagate from cuttings. I cut an 8 inch stem and strip the leaves off the bottom half. I wrap it in a damp paper towel, place it in a glass and put it on a windowsill. I make sure the paper stays moist and I usually have a rooted cutting in 2-3 weeks.

I have two favorite ornamental sages- pineapple sage and autumn sage, pictured above, but I have also grown a lovely sage, "Black and Blue", as an annual, and other "experimental" pink and yellow sages, as annuals, that I purchased at botanical garden sales.

Happy gardening!

Colony Collapse Solved?

The cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (what's been killing the bees) may have been determined: a virus and a fungus working together to damage the bee's ability to digest food. As you know, bees are essential to gardening and our very lives- we would not have many fruits, vegetables or grains, nor would we have many plant seeds, without them! The New York Times has a great article on this at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/science/07bees.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

See my entry on pollinators for what you can do to help the bees!
Happy gardening!

Stinky Invaders

A Big Stink

[Image: David R. Lance, USDA APHIS PPQThis image is Image Number 1460048 at Invasive.org, a source for images of invasive and exotic species operated by The Bugwood Network at the University of Georgia and the USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine program.]

We have yet another invasive, exotic pest to worry about, i.e. the brown, marmorated stink bug (pictured above). This insect, native to Asia, was accidentally imported to the east coast in 1998 and joins about 200 species of native stink bugs. They get their name from their charming habit of emitting a nasty odor when disturbed. So why should you care about them? For two reasons: 1. their numbers are exploding on the east coast (they have too few predators here, though praying mantids and some birds have been seen eating them) to the point where they are damaging large numbers of fruit and vegetable crops, reducing yield (they pierce the fruits and veggies, suck and the juice and start them rotting) and 2. They want to move in. With you. Into your house. For the winter.

So, a few things. If they do move into your house, don't crush them. Ick... unless you love the scent of stink bug. Don't spray pesticides indoors- you're organic, right? Besides, it won't stop other stink bugs from coming in and how much pesticide can you live with? The best remedy to keep them outdoors is to caulk up any cracks or crevices in your home where they can get in. If some do get in, vacuum them up and toss away the bag (because it will smell too).

The garden is another story. Encouraging birds and setting out praying mantis eggs cases may be effective organic controls (and these are good controls for other bugs). However, this invasion is so recent that little research has been done and the experts don't yet know what to recommend. Cleaning up overwintering sites might help (like removing leaves and dead plant matter), but this reduces beneficial bugs too.

Happy gardening?

No-till Gardening: The Use of News

The New York Times has an excellent article called "Fending off Weeds with Newsprint" at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/garden/09garden.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

I have written on this topic too (see index for "bed" or "no till"- the entry is called "EASY garden bed preparation"). There are lots of benefits to not tilling or tilling only minimally....

Happy Gardening!

Muscadines

Muscadines

In the fall I planted 2 "Ison" muscadine vines that I purchased at Edible Landscaping in Afton, VA. Muscadines, Vitus rotundifolia, are a native grape, adapted to the warm and humid conditions of the south. Unlike European wine or table grapes, they are not fussy and require far fewer winter chilling hours. Ison produces deep purple fruit: green-colored muscadines are called scuppernongs. It usually takes 3 years for most muscadines to go into full production, though I am getting a small amount of fruit this year. Muscadines are a vigorous vine, and they need occasional pruning and trellising-mine are growing (and beautifying) a chain link fence. Like most native grapes, the flavor is described as "foxy"- it is unusual and some say it is an acquired taste (but I acquired it right away and I'm a Jersey girl!) and it is seeded. The fruit can be made into wine, juice, jelly and preserves, or you can simply leave them for the birds! I make a one-crust pie with them as follows:

Apple-Muscadine Pie

1 pie crust
2 pie apples, sliced
2 c. muscadines, sliced in half and seeded.
3/4 c sugar or to taste
2 T minute tapioca as a thickener (optional)
pat of butter
1 t lemon juice

Line pie pan with crust- you can "blind bake" it if you like (bake it empty at 350 for 20 mins). I like to roll my pie crust out to a square and lay each corner over the filling to make a pattern on the top of the pie (not necessary) (I call this a "handkerchief crust."). In a separate bowl mix apples slices, muscadines, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice and let it sit 15 mins. Preheat over to 350. Add to pie crust, fold corners over to partially cover the top, and put the pat of butter in the center. Bake at 350 for 40 min or until bubbling and crust is browned. Variation: add some cranberries in fall for a different and interesting taste!

Happy gardening ! And eating!

Why I garden organically

Why I garden organically (Photo caption: organic red and gold raspberries with a touch of sugar)
Well, I am going to start by parsing out the sentence “why I garden organically?” First, why do I garden? (I guess we could go further aback in the sentence to just “why?” but that is a question for philosophers). I garden because it gives me peace of mind and deep personal satisfaction. I can think of nothing I like more (except my son and husband) than building a bed and filling it with flowers, fruits or vegetables and standing back and watch it take off (most of the time). I can find no greater pleasure than getting my hands in the soil. I love to eat and love to harvest my own fresh produce and cook dinner with it, even if it just a few snips of fresh herbs to add to a soup or some lettuce for the salad. When we bought our first home, I was so excited to get in the garden, that I was outside digging that first day, despite the unpacked boxes and unhung curtains inside. The previous owners had a small patch with one, sad tomato plant in it. I expanded that patch and planted fall vegetables. I remember my husband commenting “If I’d known you liked dirt so much, I would have bought you some a long time ago.” That fall, I had my first home grown broccoli and greens and the garden just got bigger and bigger.
I started gardening when I was a child, with no guidance and little idea of what I was doing. I got stuck on the idea that roses were the thing to grow, so saved my pennies and bought roses on mail order. I had no clue that hybrid tea roses were incredibly fussy and often looked just awful as the season progressed, due to attacks by Japanese beetles and black spot, plus other fungal diseases. I actually bought and used something called “rose dust” until I re-read the precautions on the label. It was scary then and these were the days before major product labeling requirements. My other brush with chemicals was when we were planning to put our first house up for sale and I could not get rid of persistent weeds. I went to the hardware store and looked at the weed killers. Again, the warnings that it will kill fish, to use a respirator, and indications of carcinogenicity (ability to cause cancer) scared me. I did not buy any of these products and, by the way, our house sold just fine, poor lawn and all.
Other experiences convinced me that organic was the way to go. I did a lot of reading about the effect of yard chemicals on human reproduction, child development, endocrine disruption and cancer. I read about the effects of these chemicals on the environment, on pets, on wild animals and on soil dwelling organisms. I learned that many yard chemicals were developed after World War II from stocks of leftover nerve gas. Nerve gas on my yard? I was convinced. Organic, though not a perfect solution, was the way to go.
I learned more and more as I read and talked to other gardeners. I learned how traditional gardening with chemical depletes the soil of nutrients, and of soil-dwelling creatures that help soil fertility. For example, we are just beginning to understand the positive effect of soil fungus and various bacteria on soil fertility, as well as plant growth and nutritional value of the food crops grown on it. I felt good about gardening without man made chemicals- it seemed better for me, for my neighbors, for animals and for the garden.
Why did I say organic gardening is not a perfect solution? Because there are just some fussy plants that organic care cannot help or these plants require too many organic inputs of time, effort and material. Hybrid tea roses come to mind, though there are other, more durable landscaping roses you can try. Grass is a fertilizer and water hog and needs lots of inputs to sustain it (though there are organic lawn care companies in our area, check them out). And sometimes, with organic methods, the bugs win. But as I read somewhere (and wish I knew who to quote), a gardener, upon picking up an cooked ear of corn to eat and finding a newly deceased corn earworm in it said “Oh good. If the bugs won’t eat it, neither will I.” I agree.
Happy gardening!