Articles and Tips September, 2008
Habitat Gardens: Happy Meals and a Home for Garden Critters
“Invite animals into my garden? I don’t THINK so!” I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that from many serious gardeners if asked whether they welcome or shoo away insects, small mammals, birds and other animals to their gardens. Yes, deer herds indiscriminately ripping baby lettuces out of the vegetable garden, and cheerfully eating hostas and stripping arborvitae of their leaves is maddening. …
Top Tips for Fall Gardening
In the last post, we gave you all kinds of advice about what NOT to do to put your garden to bed in the fall. I figured that it was only fair to follow that post with a list of things you SHOULD do at this time of year to tuck your garden in for the winter. If you follow this advice, …
How NOT to put your Garden to Bed
At the end of September, it is time to think about putting your garden to bed. Your location will determine exactly when you need to complete certain tasks. There are, however, some definite NOs when putting your garden to bed for the winter, if you want to make sure that everything comes back nice and lush next spring.
What NOT to Do
1) …
Festive Fall Container Gardens
When the frost is almost on the pumpkin, chance are high that your summer containers are looking droopy and worn-out. Most annual plants have a life span that no amount of deadheading and pruning can overcome. When the petunias are mildewy and half-eaten, and the zinnias have seen better days, it is time for a fall container garden makeover.
Because fall can stretch from a couple of weeks to several months, depending …
Using Humic Acid as a Soil Conditioner
There are many products on the market that can serve as a soil conditioner to help correct deficiencies in the soil to help it better support plant life. One of the most impactful organic soil conditioners out there has got to be humic acid.
Humic acid is still a relatively new concept to most and is not widely available at most lawn …
Planting Greens for Fall Harvest
Cooler weather signals the end of some vegetables – tomatoes and summer squash do not enjoy a nip in the air. It does allow for planting of yummy lettuces and greens. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can be as satisfying as growing and harvesting your own baby greens! There are so many things I love about greens:
They are easy to grow. …
Harvesting Vegetables: What’s Ready Now
Early September is when months of hard work finally start to pay off in the garden. Many vegetables that require a long growing season are ready to harvest, while cool season vegetables start producing again.
Winter Squash
One of the tastiest vegetables finally ready in the fall is winter squash. Acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, spaghetti squash and more require a long growing season to reach maturity. In early September, winter squash …
Organic Weed Control with Corn Gluten
Organic weed control is one of the most difficult aspects of organic gardening. Too much hand weeding, and you lose valuable topsoil to erosion. Certain organic weed control options such as vinegar, boiling water and burning weeds with a torch are difficult to implement in flower beds or around other plants. However, there is one option you may not have heard of – corn gluten meal.
Corn gluten …
Mulch Matters – What and When to Apply in Your Organic Garden
As we get closer to the end of the gardening season for most of North America, it is time to think about mulch. Depending upon where you live, you might automatically think about one material over another when you think about mulch. In the Southeastern US, pine straw is the mulch of choice for many people. It makes sense, because natural …
Tiptoe Through the Tulips: Spring Bulbs
It is time to order your spring flowering bulbs. Early birds have already taken advantage of summer sales and free shipping, but it is not too late!
For the best quality bulbs, order from catalogs specially geared toward flowering bulbs. Local hardware stores and garden centers, as well as the big box retailers will sell some bulbs, and they might be cheap, but they …
