Weather Garden Critique

So we didn't do half bad in our garden critique. Our tomatoes were planted a bit too close together, and we need to "sucker" them. Basically, remove all the tiny stems allowing one large plant. This will give you bigger, juicier fruit instead of lots of tiny ones.

Also we found out those pretty white butterflies we've seen flying around the garden are actually a pest. They are called the cabbage moth and are the parent of the cabbage worm, which eat many large leaf plants. In our case, broccoli. The worms are tiny at first, but double in size each day and will become a big problem if not taken care of.

How to rid your plants of the cabbage loopers? Bruce recomended using a spray that is safe for edible plants. DON'T use one that you'd put on non-edible garden plants. You don't want to be eating the pesticide. A safer alternative is an organic solution called BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS (B.T.) LIQUID. It's a liquid formulation of bacteria which controls caterpillars, loopers, cabbageworms, hornworms, leaf folders and leaf rollers and more and won't harm beneficial insects.

There are several internet companies which sell B.T., but might I suggest 7-Springs Farm in Floyd Co. They are an organic only farm and maintain a list of organic products for gardening. Here's the contact info and website.

Phone: Ron Juftes, [540] 651-3228 or Polly Hieser, [540] 651-3226
E-mail for Ron only: 7springs@swva.net
426 Jerry Lane NE - Check, VA 24072
Located in Floyd County Virginia
http://www.7springsfarm.com/

Best of luck in your garden! --Brent

Watering Without Guilt

The use of water has become more and more of an issue for many communities. All across the country we see rationing and restrictions. And why not? Water takes valuable resources to process and make potable. Have we become much too reliant on a cheap source of clean water? We water our lawns to keep them fresh and green. We use chemical fertilizers that increase the amount of water required and do it, with little regard to how, when and why we water our plants.

Here are 3 tips to think about when breaking out the hose:

1. Allow your lawn to experience natural cycles. Well established lawn grasses are tough and resilient. It is their nature to become dormant under drought conditions

2. If you are inclined to water your lawn, water slow, long and deep. A sprinkler should spread water evenly and slowly. Run off is considered very detrimental to your water use as well as your soil.
Lawns require an inch of water weekly for best growth, either from rain or irrigation or both. Inexpensive rain gauges may be purchased, or a coffee can be used to measure the amount of water applied. It takes about 625 gallons of water to apply an inch to 1,000 square feet of lawn area.

3. Mulching can help to reduce water loss. The use of mulch on new or established plantings is an excellent method of conserving water. Beds, which are exposed to the sun, and drying winds without cover will dry out rapidly. Trying to keep these areas moist by watering is not adequate, and a great deal of water is wasted.

Butterfly House

It never dawned on me that insects need to seek shelter during storms just as humans and other animals do. One of nature's fragile fliers, the butterfly, is certainly one of those that need a hiding place.

Eric Harrold, a park interpreter at Douthat State Park stopped by the station to talk about the butterfly house. It's a wooden box, which looks like a bird house but has small rectangular holes for which butterflies can enter. We both agreed these are more ornamental than functional but will work with the right plants.

Here are a a few tips on planting a garden to attract butterflies:

• Plant your garden in full sun. Plants, especially flowering plants, need sun to make food for themselves, and nectar for butterflies. Butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight.
  


• Plant butterfly-attracting flowers Butterflies are attracted to flowers with strong scents and bright colors, where they drink sweet, energy-rich nectar. Select plants that are native to your area, and they will attract local butterflies.
  


• Include host plants in your garden Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants that the emerging caterpillars will eat. The sight of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis will more than make up for the chewed leaves.
  


• Use colorful plants Butterflies see more colors than humans do. They seem to prefer red, orange, yellow, purple, and dark pink. A large, colorful garden is easy for butterflies to find, and encourages them to stay longer.

Case of the Lungwort

Sounds like a medical condition, doesn't it? It's not. The "Lungwort" is another name for pulmonaria, which is a type of plant that is considered resistant to pests.

Shelby Snider, a Roanoke Valley Master Gardener showed me several types of plants that have it made in the shade and, for various reasons, pests don't like. Many of you may have hostas. If you're like me, they are eaten up with various bugs and slugs. Well, not with Pulmanaria. The fuzzy leaves are something these little insects don't like to chew on, that's what makes this plant a great alternative to the popular hostas. Here are some other Pulmanaria facts:

• Some species are evergreen but most are deciduous with attractive rosettes of leaves and flowers emerging from the ground in very early spring . Plants start to flower in early spring and bloom for a few weeks (April - June.) Flowering stems rise from the top of the plant which many times may still have green leaves after winter. The flowering stems have small leaves and flowers are in clustered cymes. Most plants have funnel shaped flowers with somewhat flaring mouths and small notches on the petal apexes. The petals are fused together into one corolla which is an identifying characteristic of the family Boranginaceae.
  
• Flower colors can be red, blue, white or violet. With some species having red-pink flower buds , opening up to reddish - violet and then turning blue as they age. Flowers close at night and open again in the morning. New leaves begin to grow a few days to weeks after the first flowers open. The first flowers may open when stems are only 1 inch out of the ground and more flowers open over the next few weeks as the stems reach their full height, which is generally around 10-18 inches for most forms. Roots are white and thickly fibrous showing the typical size and structure for plants adapted for damp and wet soils.
  
• Pulmonaria should be planted in a somewhat shady area, like under deciduous trees. They like spring sunshine and morning light. They do not like hot afternoon heat- wilting under the intense heat and light of the summer sun. Plants are not that good in hot humid climates, were they will go dormant in summer and begin to grow again in late summer or early fall, when the temperature is cooler. They also suffer from powdery mildew under these conditions.

For More on The Lungwort or Pulmonaria, click here.

Thyme After Thyme

Many of the plants we grow such as annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees are herbs in the true sense of the word. With increased interest in recent years in continental or gourmet cooking the word "herb" is nearly always thought of by home gardeners to mean the "culinary" herb.

DEFINITION:
herb (ûrb, hûrb)
1. A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season.
2. Any of various often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning.

Here's some tips gather on herb planting.

HERBS TO GROW FROM SEED

BASIL, SWEET (Ocimum basilicum) Both green and 'Dark Opal' basil are attractive plants for the garden. I prefer to plant the seed where it is to grow directly to -the garden in mid-May. Germination usually occurs in 7 to 10 days. Basil is not difficult to transplant. Grows to 18 inches; space 12 inches between plants. 'Dark Opal' has beautiful deep red foliage and lovely pink flowers and is excellent to use along a walk or as a solid bed for decoration in the garden. Basil is very good to use to flavor tomato juice and tomato pastes.

CHIVES (Allium scboenoprasum) This is a perennial plant growing from bulblets. They are really very easy to grow from seed. Mine, started under the fluorescent lights as well as in the greenhouse in the spring germinated in 10 days. The tiny little plants look like fragile spears of grass. When transplanted they wilt slightly. Even during a continued drought they grow very well. Mature plants grow to 12, inches; space 6 inches apart. They are very hardy even in cold locations. Flowers are pretty enough so that chives can be grown as a border or in the rock garden. Fine in salads, egg dishes and sauces of all kinds. Potted up, chives will grow on a sunny windowsill in winter

SAGE (Saivia officinalis) This is a hardy perennial in our location and is often grown in gardens for its pretty foliage and spikes of bluish flowers. Seed sown indoors germinates in 14 days. Grows to 2 feet and should be spaced 12 inches apart. Can be sown outdoors in May with germination in 21 to 30 days. Fine herb for dressings for chicken, turkey, pork and for flavoring sausages.

THYME (Thymus vulgaris) This is a hardy perennial being of somewhat shrubby growth. Leaves are cut for drying before the blossoms are open. It is easily grown from seed sown indoors with germination in 21 to 30 days. Grows slowly when young. Grows to 12. inches; space 8 inches apart. It needs rich soil. Thyme is used for flavoring soups and poultry dressing.

MINT (Mentha spicata) This mint is very easy to grow. It is a hardy perennial and spreads by root stolons. Sown indoors seed germinates in 10 to 15 days. It grows to 2 feet and is rather sprawling, in habit. Space 12 inches apart. Is at its best in good rich soil. Fine to use for mint jelly and in mint juleps, lemonade and other fruit drinks.

As we continue our gardening "adventure," we will feature more guests on the program with advice and answers to your questions. Feel free to leave a comment or question by clicking the comment text below this post, or email me at bwatts@wdbj7.com.