If you’ve been to your local big box home improvement store lately, you’ve probably seen a curious item in with the cypress and other mulches — rubber mulch. This product is made up of ground tire waste, and is supposed to be beneficial for soil moisture due to its non-porous nature. It is also said to reduce fungal growth can be a weed barrier, as weed seeds dehydrate in the mulch before reaching the soil.
The tires’ springiness make it a good fit for playground equipment areas.
However, the material is also a hazard if ignited — and can be difficult to put out. It may also leach chemicals that can be hazardous to your plants — and possibly you if you’re growing fruits and vegetables in it.
My verdict? I like to go natural and organic whenever possible, including in my garden. I will stick with organic materials as mulch — natural, renewable resources and chopped up garden waste. Fall leaves make an excellent mulch to get flower beds and other areas through the somewhat harsh winters in my climate, and best of all — it’s free!
I love having fresh flowers in vases scattered throughout the house, but many times it means hacking away all the flowers in my garden and not being able to enjoy them outside.
A good solution to this is a cutting garden. Many common varieties of flowers make excellent candidates for a cutting garden. Check out this list of 45 fantastic cut flowers at Organic Gardening. Simply plant extra of the flowers you wish to cut to avoid having bare spots when you do pick flowers, or separate the plants you have and place them into a separate garden designated as a cutting garden, and get cutting!
While I’m still coming to terms with the fact that it is already July (where do the days go?), it’s time to start thinking about mid-summer gardening to-dos.
My gardening to dos are as follows:
- Water all containers regularly.
- Prune and deadhead all perennials to stimulate further blooms.
- Pull spent annuals and replace with fall bloomers such as mums.
- Weed, weed, weed.
- Pull the lettuce that’s bolted and sow some new seeds.
- Keep picking raspberries and strawberries, keeping an eye out for evidence of pests.
- Divide the bearded iris before they take over everything.
- Prune and fertilize roses.
- Keep checking on those tomato plants, watering regularly and watching for any color (other than green, of course) on the fruit.
- Keep cutting and using the herbs in the garden to encourage further growth.
- Enjoy my garden! As fast as summer arrived, fall will be here and the temperatures won’t be nearly as friendly and encouraging for outdoor activities.
What’s on your to-do list this month?
Cats are lovely animals and make great house pets, but when they start to use your garden - especially vegetable and fruit garden - as a litter box, it’s time to take action.
There are natural and non toxic ways to repel cats from your garden. You can start by adding plants to your garden that will keep cats away. Herbs and plants such as lavender, rue, geranium, absinthe and lemon thyme all serve to repel cats.
You could also try the bait and switch approach by luring the cat into a different part of your garden. Instead of trying to keep him out of one spot, plant a patch of catnip in another area to attract the cat there instead. He’ll be much happier in that area, and so will you.
I can’t believe the weather we are having lately. Here in zone 4/5 we are recovering from a serious heat wave. It’s the beginning of June and temperatures have passed 90 degrees. As I sip an icy cold lemonade and enjoy the air conditioning, it’s a good time to talk about hot-weather crops.
There are several vegetable plants that love hot weather. If you haven’t already, now would be a good time to plant them. If you have them already planted, be sure to water them regularly and check for wilt. You may also need to move them to a less sunny location to prevent them from drying out and wilting too quickly - especially if they are in containers.
Six hot-weather-loving plants every garden should have are: tomatoes, corn, hot peppers, beans, squash and cucumbers. All are easy to grow and will provide an abundance of veggies in mid- to late summer. Check the plant tags for complete instructions and be sure to mulch to conserve water and help the plants grow healthy.
On my property we have to contend not only with an ever-increasing number of rabbits, but squirrels and chipmunks as well. As such, after losing one too many strawberries to the varmints, I’ve looked into several ways to deter these rodents from enjoying the fruits of my garden before I can get a chance to.
There are several methods for preventing small animals from getting into your garden:
Raised beds. Raised beds function by planting your plants about 1 foot off the ground. Simply use bricks, wood or other materials to border the area, then fill with dirt, compost, etc., and plant as usual. For some reason, the height of the beds will keep rabbits and other animals from entering your garden.
Fencing. By putting a fence around your garden, you can keep unwanted rodents from entering. Use chicken wire or other fencing materials available at the home-improvement store. The height of the fence will depend on the size and leg span of the rodents in question — higher for deer, lower for squirrels or rabbits.
Cages. We’ve resorted to cages for our strawberry plants, to keep both the rabbits and chipmunks out. Using narrow wiring, we wrapped the material around boards and built a simple yet effective cage that the rodents can’t get into, but that allows plenty of circulation and sunlight in.
Here are photos of our strawberry cages, built with chicken wire and 2 x 2s.
One of my very favorite gardening books is the Reader’s Digest Guide to Gardening. I have a second- or third-hand copy that was passed down to me, and with it came sticky notes and scraps of paper marking pertinent spots in the book. Needless to say, I have added to those stickys and scraps and my book is truly a mess. So when I saw that there was a New Illustrated Guide to Gardening came out last year, I couldn’t want to get my hands on a copy.
And it did not disappoint. The color photos are even more vibrant, and thumbnail photos showing specific species of plants, as well as specific photos of pests and disease, are invaluable. This is truly a time when a picture is worth a thousand words. This book is a terrific resource for a beginner gardener like me, or anyone who wants access to basic and helpful gardening information in one very well put together place.
If you enjoy heirloom or organic fruits and vegetables, such as from farmers’ markets, try planting a seed or two from the produce. I recently planted a handful of seeds from a bag of organic Meyer lemons I bought, dreaming that someday I might have a Meyer lemon tree of my own to grow my own sweet and tart little fruits. Guess what - they have sprouted. Granted, it may not bear fruit for seven years, if at all, but it might still turn out to be a pretty house plant.
Heirlooms are such that the seeds have been saved and passed down from generations, thus the”heirloom” name. As such, the seeds can usually be planted and the plants will generate fruit. For best results, use seeds from self-pollinators such as beans, peas, peanuts, lettuce, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
