Keeping Rabbits out of the garden June 12, 2008

 

KEEPING RABBITS OUT OF THE GARDEN

Keeping rabbits out of the garden. Rabbits are one of the biggest horticulturists problem. 

Without fences, traps, poisons or shooting this is pretty much impossible. 

There are many products out there that will cost you a fortune, but if you are against any other measures listed above,  you will have to deal with the loss of plants.

Here is what rabbits like to eat, just in case you do not know. 

Young tender plants, including veggies, perennials and they love clover. In the vegetable garden rabbits prefer peas, beans and beets. In general they will not eat corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers or potatoes. Though I have had a rabbit “taste” a newly planted tomato plant, biting the stem in two then deciding it was not to his liking and leaving the stem on the ground. Even having some clover in your lawn will help as they will choose that over some of the rest the plants. 

They create nests in open places, favoring tall grass.

Go ahead try bad smelling products from your local garden center. Netting is another thing you can do to cover the rows. There is no product that has a 100 percent guarantee. 

Set up a rabbit feeding station with cracked corn, sunflower seeds and greens so they will go for the easy food first. 

 Fencing is actually one solution that works well and is permanent.  Trapping and removal are the best long term solution. Make sure the holes in the mesh are small enough that the rabbits cannot get into. 

If you happen to have a dog it may help protect the rabbits from staying too long. 

You can make your garden less attractive to rabbits by reducing or eliminating woodpiles, brush piles, overgrown shrubbery, or naturalized areas and by cleaning up seeds that fall to the ground under bird feeders.

Some people claim to get results using odor repellents such as moth balls, blood meal or predator urine. Place them on the ground around the perimeter of the plants. They must be renewed periodically. Many Internet sources sell products containing or simulating predator urine as nuisance animal repellents. Various kinds of animal urine are sometimes available at sporting goods stores in the hunting department. Hunters often use them as lures or scent covers.

Some gardeners have told said that the Russian sage bush with the branches laid around will keep them away. 

Keeping wood piles down, and debris for hiding and nesting rabbits is another good way to help eliminate rabbits

 

Growing Patio Vegetables June 12, 2008

 

Growing Patio Vegetables

 

Growing vegetables in pots on your deck or steps is a wonderful way to have fresh vegetables without a lot of room. They can be grown in a container as long as you meet the plant’s needs. Amazingly the potted plants grow at the same rate as those in the ground, sometimes they grow much faster. The roots need a lot of room, so give them a large pot for future growth. Just use a simple soil mix. Buy one from a garden center or use equal parts of good garden soil, compost, sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite, and sand. Place some kind of screen material over the drainage holes to help guard against the slugs. Let the soil dry out slightly but not dry between watering and fertilize lightly but more often, such as every other day than if the plants were in the ground.

 

Invest in a good pot, not a cheap plastic one. Get a heavier grade plastic and note that the terra cotta pots dry out more rapidly. You could also custom build a wooden one to your specific size needed.  They should hold at least 15 quarts or 16 inches in diameter. Small pots should be used for smaller plants such as parsley or basil. Plants with deeper roots such as eggplant or carrots should have a much larger pot. 

Line hanging baskets with sphagnum moss to keep the water in. Set the pots on a stand or on some bricks or blocks so the excess water can drain properly.  Having the pots on blocks also helps with air circulation. All pots should have drainage holes. Lighter colored planters will reflect more solar energy and keep the roots of the plant cooler.  The wider the planter is the better the plant will grow.  Old washtubs make a good planter for things like beans.

 

Colorful Shady Plants June 12, 2008

 

Colorful Shady Plants

By

Christine Schlueter

These are all for zone 4.

 

Lungwort or Pulmonaria

This plant blooms in the early spring and has interesting foliage from spring to fall.

The leaves grow in basal rosettes and in some types have silver-whitesplotches. The flowers may be blue or pink. They do well in poor soil and like rich moist garden soil with partial to full shade best. They can be used on sloping ground shaded by trees.

 

The Columbine Cardinal, ‘Aquilegia Cardinal’, a Columbine in the Songbird series, is a beautiful, easy to grow spring blooming perennial. The green foliage adds texture and color in the fall to any of your perennial beds. The exquisite 3÷ wide petals are long-spurred, large, red and white bicolor. Columbine is a profuse self-seeder so it should be planted 16÷ apart. It is best used in rock gardens or in containers and for beds and borders, in cottage gardens and it attracts butterflies. Enjoy this popular flower in your garden or as a cut flower. It is a definite eye-catcher.

 

Perennial Geranium is also called Cranesbill because of the shape of the seed pods once the petals have faded. Seed heads snap open like bird beaks to release the seeds.  Most hardy geraniums bloom for months beginning around May and continuing until October or November. If the cup shaped flowers fade in the summer heat trim the plant back and water deeply to encourage repeat blooming.

Geraniums prefer light shade to full sun except in hot humid areas where part shade is best. Well-drained soil is best.

 

The Monkshood, ‘Aconitum napellus’, is a wonderfully different perennial for your shade garden. Monkshood perform best in shade under trees or on the east or north side of a house. The flowers occur in clusters along tall spikes. Flowers are deep blue to blue and have 1 to 2 inch high hoods. Monkshood takes 2 to 3 years to bloom from seed. They bloom from late summer into early fall. They are used for cut flowers and shade gardens. Note: All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots.

 

Jacob’s Ladder grows wonderfully in shady areas that get some sun during the day. Requires moist, well drained soil. Does not do well in sunny, hot and dry conditions.

ou can use Jacob’s ladder as a perennial border and it also looks nice in rock gardens. Feel free to cut flowers after blooming to stimulate another round of blooms.  Jacob’s ladder gets its name from the variegated leaves with white that resembles rungs on a ladder. 

 

 

Heuchera also known as Coral Bells are available in many colors and prefer moist, well drained soil. The stunning foliage all season long make it s nice plant that survives from full sun to shade.

Remove spent blossoms to encourage continued flower production through summer. 

 

Annabelle Hydrangea is bush that can grow to five feet. It has large snowball flowers with large green leaves. It prefers moist, well drained soil. Prune it in early spring before new growth emerges. Ideal for mass plantings and cutting gardens. This can handle some shade. 

 

Bleeding Heart is always a nice shade plant, the only drawback is the blooming period is fairly short. The leaves have a nice shape and texture. 

 

Bergenia (also called heart-leaved bergenia) is a clump-forming perennial which is primarily grown as a ground cover. Features large rosettes of leathery, glossy, toothed, rounded, dark green leaves (to 10″ long by 8″ wide) which are heart-shaped at the base. Leaves typically form a thick, slowly-spreading clump of foliage to 12″ tall. Foliage turns purplish-bronze in winter. Small dark pink flowers in dense panicles appear within or above the foliage on stout stalks to 16″ tall in April. Leaves are often used in floral arrangements. Also commonly called pig squeak because of the noise produced by rubbing a leaf between thumb and finger.

 

 

 

 

Heucheras March 26, 2008

This is one of best plants to try and this is the year of many new varieties to look for

Heucheras or Coral Bells

Coral bells are an invaluable plant for the sunny rock garden, to line a path or in the light shade of a woodland. Their evergreen leaves have scalloped edges. In spring, tall, thin flower stalks rise up with tiny blooms on them, giving a frothy look.

For a low-growing plant with incredible foliage, it’s hard to beat heuchera. When you add pretty, delicate blooms and the fact that most heucheras are evergreen, what you end up with is a “must-have” plant.

There are nearly 300 known varieties of heuchera (a North American native), also called “coral bells” or “alum root.” In general, heucheras grow to about eighteen inches tall (not counting the flower spikes) and around eighteen inches wide. Their blooms grow on spikes of delicate “bells” in shades of red, pink, white, and purple, generally blooming for four to eight weeks in late spring through early summer. Recent varieties have made the blooms more prominent. But it’s the foliage that makes heuchera a winner. Purple, black, red, orange, brown, silver, chartreuse-you name it, you can most likely find a heuchera in that color.

Planting Heuchera
Heuchera prefers part shade, although some cultivars do better in full sun. They like soil that is average to rich fertility, moist, and well-drained. Heavy soils can be amended at planting time by incorporating compost or leaf mold into the soil from the planting hole. Heuchera are great plants for either edging a bed or using a group as a focal point. They suffer from very few pests and diseases, but powdery mildew can be a problem. Be sure to give them some room so they will get good air circulation. Heuchera tend to be shallow-rooted, and will heave in the winter if there is a lot of freeze/thaw action. To prevent them from heaving, give heuchera a good, three inch layer of mulch in late fall.

Caring for Heuchera
Since heuchera prefer moist conditions, be sure to water in hot, dry weather, giving the plant about one inch of water per week. Heuchera can be fertilized with a balanced organic fertilizer in early spring. Divide plants every three years or so, or when you notice that the stem is looking woody or blooming diminishes. Mulch heucheras in the fall to prevent heaving, but don’t put the mulch up against the crown of the plant, or it will rot. Pull the mulch back from the crown two to three inches. Deadhead after the blooms fade to promote re-bloom.

Propagating Heuchera
There are three main ways heuchera can be propagated: seed, division, and leaf-bud cuttings.

Seed: The thing to note when trying to propagate from seed is that cultivars will not come true from seed-only species will. So, for example, Heuchera americana is a species heuchera that will grow true from seed. Heuchera americana ‘Chocolate Veil’ is a cultivar of H. americana, and will not grow true from seed. To grow from seed, the most important step is to stratify the seeds, meaning that the seeds are stored in the cold (a refrigerator will do) for at least six weeks. After stratifying, sow the tiny seeds on top of your seed starting medium, as seeds require light to germinate. They will germinate fairly quickly. Care for them as you would any other plant grown from seed, including hardening them off after danger of frost. Seedling heucheras can then be planted in their desired location in the garden, or placed in a nursery bed for a growing season until they reach a larger size.
Division: Divide heuchera as you would any other perennial. Dig the plant out of the ground and cut the root mass into pieces with a shovel or knife. Replant divisions with the crown at the soil level. This can be done every two to three years to keep the plants vigorous.
Leaf-bud Cuttings: Leaf-bud cuttings are a type of cutting that consists of a few leaves, but most importantly, of a section of the stem from the main plant. This is important because only the main stem has growth buds on it, which is where foliage will grow from. Take leaf-bud cuttings of heuchera any time during the growing season, although spring is best because it allows the parent plant plenty of time to recover before winter. Dip the cutting in rooting hormone, and place it in either seed-starting mix or a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite. Keep it moist, cover the cuttings with a plastic bag (supported so it doesn’t come into contact with the leaves) and place it in a shady location. Once you have roots, you can plant it out in your garden or into a nursery bed.

‘Crimson Curls’ has curly, rich purple leaves with pinkish undersides. This variety works well in beds as well as containers. ‘Crimson Curls’ is compact, growing about eighteen inches wide and tall. Blooms in late spring, sporting long-blooming cream flowers. Hardy in zones 3 through 8.

‘Sparkling Burgundy’ has large, deeply lobed leaves that open bright magenta and mellow to a deep burgundy color. The white blooms appear in spring on eight inch purplish-red stems. ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ is hardy in zones 4 through 9, and can be planted in full sun to part shade.

‘Hollywood’ is a gorgeous heuchera with purplish-black leaves frosted with silver. The leaves are nicely ruffled. In spring, bright coral-red blooms will appear, and will reappear all summer. ‘Hollywood’ is hardy in zones 4 through 9, and can be planted in full sun to part shade.

Radishes are fun to grow March 17, 2008

 Early radish varieties usually grow best in the cool days of early spring, but later-maturing varieties can be planted for summer use. One variety — French Breakfast — holds up better than a lot of the early types in summer heat if water is supplied regularly. Additional sowing of spring types can begin in late summer, to mature in the cooler, moister days of fall. Here are some good spring varieties to try:

Burpee white (25 days to harvest, round, smooth white skin). Champion, (28 days, large, red and round). Cherry Belle (22 days, round, red). Cherry Queen Hybrid (24 days, deep red, round, slow to become pithy). Early Scarlet Globe (23 days, globe shaped, small taproot, bright red). Easter Egg (25 days, large, oval, color mix includes reddish purple, lavender, pink, rose, scarlet, and white. For spring and summer use, the best types seem to be the French Breakfast and the Icicle.

Spring radishes should be planted as early as the soil can be tilled until mid-spring. Make successive plantings of short rows every 10-14 days. Plant in spaces between slow-growing vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts. You can also put them in areas where you are waiting until it warms up to plant the peppers, tomatoes and squash. Spring radishes could also be planted earlier if you have a cold frame.

Winter radishes must be thinned to two to four inches, or even farther apart to allow for proper development of their larger roots. On beds, radishes may be broadcast lightly and thinned to stand two-three inches apart in all directions. Radishes mature rapidly under favorable conditions and should be checked often for approaching maturity. Harvest should begin as soon as roots reach edible size and should be completed quickly, before heat, pithiness or seed stalks begin to develop. Harvest radishes when they are about less than one inch in diameter and pretty young. Radishes remain edible for only a short time before they become pithy (or spongy) and hot. Proper thinning focuses the harvest and avoids disappointing stragglers that have taken too long to develop. Winter varieties mature more slowly and can be harvested when they are larger in size. Once they reach maturity, they can keep their good quality for a longer time, especially in the cooler fall. Buy extra seed in the spring if you plan to have late radishes because it’s hard to find radish seed in August. The Daikon, or Chinese radish, can achieve particularly large size and still maintain excellent quality. Winter radishes can be pulled up before the ground freezes and stored in moist cold storage for up to several months. Several things could cause your radishes to have all tops and no roots. The seeds may have been planted too thickly.

Growing perfect peas March 7, 2008

Perfect Peas

Peas can be planted as soon as you can get the garden worked up.
They can even take frost.
There are lots of varieties of peas. Once you you have picked the variety you want to use you are ready to get started. The norm for soil temperature for peas has been between 40 and 45 degrees. They really do well in areas that have full sun and rich, well drained soil.
Peas grow best is cool spring weather, If the soil is too wet or cold at planting time, the seeds get fungus and rot or barely grow if they sprout. With warmer soil, germination and growth are faster. But when it gets hot our, they stop producing well.

To make germination faster or if you soil does lack some nutrients, dust them with some innoculant. This is available at garden centers or on line. This gives them enough nitrogen to help them grow quickly. Soaking the seeds overnight also helps.

To retard fungus in cold  soil, coat the seeds with a fungacide. If you have powdered fungicide, simply put it in a paper bag with the peas and shake.
Plant the seeds one-inch deep and two-inches apart. You should be able to use seeds for up to three years.
Peas also respond well to the addition of phosphorus (the middle number) so digging in bonemeal  or rock phosphate will help with pea production.

Peas love to climb, so plant them next to some kind of structure. You can tie a string across the row or plant them in a hole surrounded by twigs or bamboo tied with string around the twigs or bamboo so they can climb.
Movable wire fencing works well and then can be used for tomatoes when the peas are done.  Add compost or fertilizer to make the soil better. But do not cultivate heavily if the soil is damp, it ruins the texture. When the first pods appear, try side dressing with compost or fertilizer, or a liquid fertilizer.

Peas also like water, so be sure they have plenty to drink, especially when they start blooming. Add a layer of mulch to keep the soil cool and the weeds out. This will keep the peas coming for another two to three weeks.

Pick peas frequently. If you want for a meal, pick the same evening. Pea sugar changes to tasteless starch very  quickly. To preserve the sweetness immediately freeze any extras in freezer bags or a the vacuum bags. Do not overcook peas, it  takes away their fresh, sweet taste. Try to keep them soft but firm, not mushy.

Different varieties for a longer harvest. The time of sprouting varies from 55 to 70 days, so plant several kinds.
A good heirloom variety is Thomas Laxon, which is 60 days. Micro which produces mini peas takes about 67 days. Arise is very early and takes only 55 days. Wando is tolerant of cold sowing and warm weather. Some other good varieties to try are Knight which takes 56 days, Maestro 57 days, Sparkle 60 days, Green Arrow 62 days, Mr Big 72 days.
The biggest problem of peas is root rot, which causes the foliage to turn brown and idea. The best way to combat this problem is to be sure your soil is well-drained and by rotating your pea crop every year. Peas are also susceptible to powdery mildew in humid weather. Look for resistant varieties. They will be labeled as such on the package.

Don’t forget about growing peas in containers. Burpee’s has just introduced a pea specifically to be grown in pots. Peas n’-a-Pot plants grow to only 10 inches tall, unlike the average bush type peas that grow to two to three feet. They can be grown in a very small pot with no support and are to yield the same as the garden sized plants.
Go to www.burpee.com