inthegarden

I am a huge fan of composting. The bin on our kitchen counter is filled up almost before dinnertime with waste from the kitchen — and other areas around the house.

There are many household items that you might throw away that can actually be put in the compost bin. Here are just five of my favorites:

1. Paper towels and tissues. As long as there isn’t animal grease or cleaners on them, they’re safe.
2. Human hair. Being pregnant and long haired, I find a lot of hair in my hair brush, shower drain, bathroom sink drain, etc…
3. Dryer lint.
4. Animal fur. The cats shed about as much as I do, so why not throw their fur into the compost too?
5. Fabric. Old t-shirts that are beyond wearing, dish rags, etc., can all be put in the compost bin.

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?

I love to put a new spin on a classic. So when I was planning my Fourth of July centerpiece, my mind wandered to all the flowers and plants growing in the flower beds around our house and in the garden. I was reluctant to simply pick a few flowers and put them in a vase - where was the creativity in that? - when I thought of something I had seen in a flower shop a while back. The florist had taken ordinary daisies and dyed the petals in pretty colors.

They’re super simple to make, and a fun project for both adults and kids. Simply pick some daisies and put them in a vase (a different vase for each color). Add fresh water to the vase, then a few drops of liquid food coloring in the desired color. Leave overnight, and by morning your daisies’ petals should have taken on the color of the dyes.

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.

Coffee drinkers: save those used grounds (and paper filters). Used coffee grounds make an excellent garden mulch - and it’s free. I’ve been spreading a thin layer around my tomato plants for several years, and notice robust, very hearty plants and fruits with little to no bugs.

Coffee grounds can be spread all over the garden as organic matter, or toss used grounds each time you brew a pot if you wish. If you add larger quantities, you might want to work it into the soil to prevent decay or too much acid in the soil.

If you’re not a coffee drinker, you can still get grounds for free — many coffee shops offer their spent coffee grounds to gardeners to use in their gardens. In fact, Starbucks has a “Grounds for Your Garden” campaign where most stores actually have a bucket (usually near the door) with their spent coffee grounds neatly packaged and ready to go.

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.

I was happy to discover the other day that the peach tree on our property has many, many small peaches growing on it. The little green peaches are about the size of two side by side marbles, and are smooth and fuzzy to the touch.

What’s disappointing is that many of them have a tiny little hole in them, indicating a pest problem - oriental fruit moth. The moth lays an egg or two on the fruit, which hatch into little worms that dig into the fruit and set up camp.

I did some research, and it seems early and frequent spray applications with an insecticide like Imidan does the trick. You must begin spraying in very early spring to help alleviate the problem - immediately after petals drop, or even before all the blossoms are gone.

To keep spraying all summer long, it’s important to protect the fruit. It’s been recommended to bag the peaches in zip top sandwich bags with the corners cut off for drainage, and the plastic above the zip strip also cut off. After the final thinning of peaches and the fruits are bagged, they are safe from the pests; however, a new pest may emerge. Earwigs may crawl up the trunk and move their creepy little selves in the bags, so check the bags often.

I love to eat fruits and veggies, but sometimes when I wash apples I can never seem to get that film off of them. Somehow, water and a cloth just doesn’t seem to cut it.

Even if you purchase organic produce, it can be sprayed with natural substances such as sulfur, copper, dolomite, Bacillius Thuringensis, and diatomaceous earth, according to the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets website .

If you want something more to clean your produce, here’s a simple recipe to make your own fruit and veggie wash.

In a glass measuring cup, mix together:

1 tbsp. organic lemon juice

2 tbsp. baking soda

1 cup purified water

 
Pour the mixture in a spray bottle. To use it, simply spray produce well with the wash, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse and eat.

As we try to go greener, we’re finding new ways to re-use and repurpose items around the house. A recent addition to our eco-friendly repetoire is saving our dish water. No, really. We keep a large, clean bucket in the sink and use it when we hand wash dishes. Then, when we’re done, we take the water outside and use it to water the garden. (It’s also a good time to take out the ever-filling compost container we keep on the counter as well - two trips in one!)

Be sure to use a biodegradable dish soap, such as Seventh Generation or Method.

Here’s a trick to getting free or low-cost gardening supplies: use Freecycle and Craigslist. Sure, you’ve used Craigslist to apply for a job or unload some items in lieu of a garage sale, but it’s also a fantastic resource for finding items you need at no cost – other than the cost of picking up the item. Freecycle is an international non-profit group whose goal is to keep items out of the landfills that can otherwise still be used, and building communities at the same time. Local chapters, which are run through Yahoo Groups, can be found on the Web site. Membership is free, and members can post items they no longer need or request items they want.

I’ve been keeping an eye on my local Freecycle and have seen free pots, plants, seeds, mulch, and more change hands. In addition, many members put up their excess plants as they thin out their perennials and gardens.

Craigslist is a free classified ad Web site with local sections. Each Craigslist has a “Free” section, where anyone can post items they wish to give away. An “Items Wanted” section is available as well, where you can post request for specific things. There is also a “Farm & Garden” section, where you might find items you’re looking for.

Happy swapping!