I'm wondering when I should start planting tulip bulbs, when should I harvest by vegtables and anything else I should do to prepare my garden for fall and winter. This is one of my first years as a gardner so any tips would be appreciated!
What are some ways to prepare your garden for cooler weather?
Plant your tulips %26amp; spring bulbs now.
Dig and store tender summer bulbs... Gladiolus, Dahlias, Cannas... indoors.
Cut back perennials. Trim off frost killed or dried foliage. Leave some stems with dried seeds (for the birds) on Coneflower and Black-eyed Susan.
Hoe weeds. After several hard freezes you can add a 3 inch layer of mulch around your plants (just don't smother them). You can lay evergreen boughs over top of the plants as well.
In the late fall, tender roses will need special winter protection in zones 5 %26amp; lower.
Run your leaves over with your lawn mower, suck them up %26amp; add to the compost pile or spread over your garden.
Pick your vegetables as they ripen. You can extend your season by covering your tomatoes, etc with newspapers during a light frost. Most tender vegetable will die after a hard frost, except for carrots %26amp; some other hardier root vegetables. Those can be protected by mulch %26amp; harvested as needed during a thaw.
Good luck!! Hope this is helpful.
Reply:well it depends where you live you should harvest all veg by October plant bulbs now and put down a layer of mulch to help with frost if you live in a sunny place like me you can garden any time except DEC and January
dress shoes
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Why are the chives in my herb garden turning yellow at the tips?
I planted the garden 2 weeks ago in a container on my deck. All the other herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.) seem to be doing great. The container is well drained and I water daily. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Why are the chives in my herb garden turning yellow at the tips?
This should help solve your problem---
Chives with yellow and brown tips are a sign of poor soil. Unlike the other herbs you have planted, chives prefer a rich moist soil.
When cutting chives, cut them close to the soil line as possible. Regrowth usually results in fewer yellow leaves and more chives.
Reply:Yellow leaves almost always means too much water. I'd let the soil dry out a little more between waterings. Cut down to every other day, and I think you'll see better results. Even with a pot that drains well, the soil can hold lots of water if it's "heavy" soil, and that can drown the roots.
Reply:Maybe they are being overwatered. Just a thought!
Reply:Too much water.
Why are the chives in my herb garden turning yellow at the tips?
This should help solve your problem---
Chives with yellow and brown tips are a sign of poor soil. Unlike the other herbs you have planted, chives prefer a rich moist soil.
When cutting chives, cut them close to the soil line as possible. Regrowth usually results in fewer yellow leaves and more chives.
Reply:Yellow leaves almost always means too much water. I'd let the soil dry out a little more between waterings. Cut down to every other day, and I think you'll see better results. Even with a pot that drains well, the soil can hold lots of water if it's "heavy" soil, and that can drown the roots.
Reply:Maybe they are being overwatered. Just a thought!
Reply:Too much water.
How do I start the perfect organic garden?
I want a decent size organic garden. I would like a lot of tomatoes, green beans, herbs, zuccine, eggplant, squash, lettuces, peppers, and corn. When do I start? Can I start them from seeds now? What can I plant to keep pests away? Any advise would be great.
How do I start the perfect organic garden?
Hopflower is right on. The garden will not be perfect for years.
Start with the soil, make compost and add that several times a year to your garden beds.
learn about seasons in the garden. Peas and lettuce like it cool so are best planted in spring. The rest of your list are warm weather crops that cannot be put in the soil until all threat of frost is over in your planting zone.
Corn and beans need to be sown directly. Squash can either be started indoors or sown directly. Tomatoes, eggplant and the herbs need to be started indoors 8 to 16 weeks before you plan on transplanting them out in the garden
http://www.back40books.com and http://www.acresusa.com have the best selection of books on organic growing.
There is a lot to learn to get competent at it-it takes many many years to get a good organic garden established but it is a great hobby, you will learn a lot about growing things and the natural world and you will eat well.
Reply:First, get off of the position of having it perfect or you will be lead to disappointment. Often. gardens are evolving projects; from which you learn a lot about plants, yourself, and life. You find out what works for you and what you enjoy.
Now, depending upon the size of your garden; you can plant some early spring crops such as lettuces, radishes and peas. The time to tart your organic garden is in the autumn. Rototill or dig with your spade and bring the earth up and over to aerate it. If you have weeds, pull as many as you can out, then cover with about newspaper or cardboard about 8 sheets thick. After that, you can cover all this with about 3-6 inches of compost to feed the soil. The winter rains will mix it in and in spring, you have nourished, refreshed earth.
A great book on organic gardening, and there are many; is Straight Up Organic Gardens by Shepherd Ogden of The Cook's Garden Fame. See if you can find a copy; it is very helpful. Or, go down to your local library and see if you can find an organic gardening book you are comfortable with.
Reply:You have to read your packages to find when is the best time to sow those seeds, thinning and importantly, spacing.
You should probably start with a few items first, today I am going to start roma tomatoes and orange sweet pepper in the house. Those to items take about the same time to grow, and both require the same types of soils, so I will sow the seeds indoors and once about 3 leaves high you can transfer to the ground or to bigger pots.
If you are going to use the ground you will probably choose raisesd beds, so go to the lumber yard and buy untreated wood and build yourself a raised box.
*Till the soil, if grubs and beetles are in there then use some milky spore (natural) in the grow box and use up the rest on your lawn. Then in your box lay newspaper, and mix your soils (sands, potting soil, whatever is called for to grow your plants)tons of mulch of your choosing, not only surpresses weeds but keeps moisture in.
*cool tip, when transplanting into your soil cut the bottom out of a cup and place the bottom of it in the hole, plant inside that cup, it will help with cutworms and other critters that cant crawl up that high.
*keep your garden clean of debris and fallin rotten leaves, bugs love living i them.
proper spacing is needed to help with bugs and to make sure your plants arent rubbing against one another.
Pulling your weeds.
*bugs on your leaves? use the recomended mixture of soap and water and spray the leaves, top and underside.
*rats, cats, rodents, use fencing, and if that doest stop the squirrels dust the area with cayanne pepper.
*slugs, many tips on slugs, you pick your favorite. burrying flush with top of soil and using beer makes the little drunkards fall in and die. toss them out in the morning and repeat.
*beetles, you should have used the first tip, milky spores but if you hadnt then you have have them, you will know you do because they will be the ones eating holes in the leaves. Go ahead and buy the milky spores now, treat the yard and the soil next season.
How do I start the perfect organic garden?
Hopflower is right on. The garden will not be perfect for years.
Start with the soil, make compost and add that several times a year to your garden beds.
learn about seasons in the garden. Peas and lettuce like it cool so are best planted in spring. The rest of your list are warm weather crops that cannot be put in the soil until all threat of frost is over in your planting zone.
Corn and beans need to be sown directly. Squash can either be started indoors or sown directly. Tomatoes, eggplant and the herbs need to be started indoors 8 to 16 weeks before you plan on transplanting them out in the garden
http://www.back40books.com and http://www.acresusa.com have the best selection of books on organic growing.
There is a lot to learn to get competent at it-it takes many many years to get a good organic garden established but it is a great hobby, you will learn a lot about growing things and the natural world and you will eat well.
Reply:First, get off of the position of having it perfect or you will be lead to disappointment. Often. gardens are evolving projects; from which you learn a lot about plants, yourself, and life. You find out what works for you and what you enjoy.
Now, depending upon the size of your garden; you can plant some early spring crops such as lettuces, radishes and peas. The time to tart your organic garden is in the autumn. Rototill or dig with your spade and bring the earth up and over to aerate it. If you have weeds, pull as many as you can out, then cover with about newspaper or cardboard about 8 sheets thick. After that, you can cover all this with about 3-6 inches of compost to feed the soil. The winter rains will mix it in and in spring, you have nourished, refreshed earth.
A great book on organic gardening, and there are many; is Straight Up Organic Gardens by Shepherd Ogden of The Cook's Garden Fame. See if you can find a copy; it is very helpful. Or, go down to your local library and see if you can find an organic gardening book you are comfortable with.
Reply:You have to read your packages to find when is the best time to sow those seeds, thinning and importantly, spacing.
You should probably start with a few items first, today I am going to start roma tomatoes and orange sweet pepper in the house. Those to items take about the same time to grow, and both require the same types of soils, so I will sow the seeds indoors and once about 3 leaves high you can transfer to the ground or to bigger pots.
If you are going to use the ground you will probably choose raisesd beds, so go to the lumber yard and buy untreated wood and build yourself a raised box.
*Till the soil, if grubs and beetles are in there then use some milky spore (natural) in the grow box and use up the rest on your lawn. Then in your box lay newspaper, and mix your soils (sands, potting soil, whatever is called for to grow your plants)tons of mulch of your choosing, not only surpresses weeds but keeps moisture in.
*cool tip, when transplanting into your soil cut the bottom out of a cup and place the bottom of it in the hole, plant inside that cup, it will help with cutworms and other critters that cant crawl up that high.
*keep your garden clean of debris and fallin rotten leaves, bugs love living i them.
proper spacing is needed to help with bugs and to make sure your plants arent rubbing against one another.
Pulling your weeds.
*bugs on your leaves? use the recomended mixture of soap and water and spray the leaves, top and underside.
*rats, cats, rodents, use fencing, and if that doest stop the squirrels dust the area with cayanne pepper.
*slugs, many tips on slugs, you pick your favorite. burrying flush with top of soil and using beer makes the little drunkards fall in and die. toss them out in the morning and repeat.
*beetles, you should have used the first tip, milky spores but if you hadnt then you have have them, you will know you do because they will be the ones eating holes in the leaves. Go ahead and buy the milky spores now, treat the yard and the soil next season.
How much would a quarter acre japanese garden cost to build?
I know there's a wide range, but please give me your best guess. Please include choices of styles and effect on cost as well. It's for my university garden club's project, and we'd like an idea of expenses as we begin our design process!
How much would a quarter acre japanese garden cost to build?
Depends. Range between $ 1000.00 to $ 50 000.00
How much would a quarter acre japanese garden cost to build?
Depends. Range between $ 1000.00 to $ 50 000.00
Are millipedes good for the garden?
I have found a couple millipedes in my garden and want to know if they are good. Like a worm digesting dirt. Thanks for the help!
Are millipedes good for the garden?
No problem. They usually only eat decomposing material. They look scary but are not. But centipedes really put a hurtin' on you. I live in Thailand and have many. You don't mess with a centipede.Ouch!!Sick for a long time
A question for men
Are millipedes good for the garden?
No problem. They usually only eat decomposing material. They look scary but are not. But centipedes really put a hurtin' on you. I live in Thailand and have many. You don't mess with a centipede.Ouch!!Sick for a long time
A question for men
Any suggestions for stopping rats using the garden as a thoroughfare presumably to their nest.?
We see rats crossing the garden but are afraid to use pesticides as we have a cat and would not want to harm her or other wildlife.
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions for stopping rats using the garden as a thoroughfare presumably to their nest.?
You can use poison without worrying about your cat. If you call the pest control dept of your local council they will bring bait boxes that are enclosed, so your cat can't get at the poison.
The only thing you need to do to protect other animals is check daily for bodies - although they tend to go into their burrows to die.
To ensure that they eat the poison, give your garden a good tidy up and make sure there are no other food sources around - like overflow from bird tables, bin bags (they can chew through thin plastic), open compost bins etc. The less clutter there is, the less they'll like running around there. The pest controller will give you specific advice over any particular problems that may be attracting them to the area.
Reply:Rats can be a big problem - and if they are in your garden it won't be long before they attempt to enter your house. I note you have a cat ? Do you have a cat flap as well?? ? This is a common method of entry for rats. You need to start blocking up all possible methods of entry more than 1 centimetre wide. Yes one centimetre. Half an inch if you prefer. Start with the larger gaps first, but progressively block the 1 cm ones as well. Review when and how and where you feed your cat. You're probably feeding the rats as well at the moment.
Have you got neighbours? It's better if you get together to deal with this, as one house in a row, for example taking measures is less effective if either side do nothing but encourage through food supplies/rubbish.
You could follow them to the nest - then destroy the nest. They tend to follow the same routes every day and forage up to 100metres from nest. This might be going against your principles but If they are rearing young ones - your problem will get worse. They can multiply very quickly. . Around 8-10 in a litter and each female has 4-5 litters a year. The young ones start having litters from the age of 3 months. More and more mouths to feed means they search harder for food
The alternative might be to follow them in the other direction and see if they are visiting a food source. Then destroy that. But - that does mean they now go in search of alternative food - which might be your house. However these are fairly tame measures.
The best approach is to get rid...........elimination. And the most effective method, if you're not getting professional rodent control in, is (1) contact your local council for support and (2) try a combination of measures to work simultaneously . You'll find trying one thing followed by the next, is less effective. Do several things at once and keep on top of it, make it a mission, for 10-14 days. Your mission is to destroy/disrupt all sources of food, water and shelter. That'll mean going out 3 times a day at least and tending the measures. If your'e thinking of using traps for example - don't just buy one - you need to put quite a few in (hard to judge - depends on colony/size of garden/number of rat runs).
In addition to whatever measures you prefer to use, you'll need a good supply of rubber gloves, disinfectant and strong plastic bin bags for disposal of dead rats.
Reply:I believe that there are sonic devices which will deter small creatures such as rats, squirrels, moles and hedgehogs. Whether these are adjustable for frequency so as not to deter your cats as well, I do not know, but it might be worth investigating. Other types claim to effective in deterring constant barking by neighbours' dogs.
I looked briefly on the Internet and there are hundreds of devices and reviews of their performance. One I noticed is listed below, after typing in 'sonic deterrents' into Google. Lots of reading for you! Hope it helps.
Reply:Call your local council and speak to pest control, alternatively employ a contractor to come and sort it out. Clear all rubbish in the garden and leave clean and tidy.
Fill in rat burrows, hole in the ground and if there is a manhole in the rear garden check that it is sealed. Check your neighbours garden, could be coming from them, especially if it dirty and full of junk.
Reply:Put rat traps at each end of the run they are making, it's easy to see where they are coming in and out. We had them in our garden, we got so annoyed my hubby sat in the garden with an air rifle and shot the daddy.
Make your garden as rat unfriendly as possible, like removing all overgrown areas where they can nest. They used to go under our garden shed so we squirted a bottle of bleach underneath and then power washed under it. that cleared the little b***ers out.
Reply:I don't know about your cat, it's not really doing it's job, is it? it should kill all rodents on sight! But a pet carpet python would solve your rat problem for you including your cat if you let it out in the yard! Have a great day!
Reply:Clean up around your trailer and feed your cat inside. Get more cats to hunt the rats.
It's the cycle of life.
Reply:I'm in the mood for the Caddyshack approach.
Bill Murray can come out and lay dynamite all over the garden and...
next thing you know it's a hole-in-one!
Reply:Get several boxes of D con rodent bait. I will cause them to have internal hemorrhage, and death. They love the stuff.
Reply:Land mines and a shotgun I hate rats.
Reply:Put rat poison in the garden and you get rid oy all the rats
Reply:Buy yourself a wee cairn terrier they were bred for rat catching. They are good %26amp; very efficient.
Good luck.
Reply:Make sure there is no garbage left out or compost available to them. Good luck
Reply:sit in the garden with a air pistol and shoot the little bu**ers
Reply:call the council if there is 1 there will be more
Reply:buy a cat
Reply:rat traps
Reply:put a metal walk way where they usually wakl then when u know cats inside house turn it on zapp the dirty things
Any suggestions?
Any suggestions for stopping rats using the garden as a thoroughfare presumably to their nest.?
You can use poison without worrying about your cat. If you call the pest control dept of your local council they will bring bait boxes that are enclosed, so your cat can't get at the poison.
The only thing you need to do to protect other animals is check daily for bodies - although they tend to go into their burrows to die.
To ensure that they eat the poison, give your garden a good tidy up and make sure there are no other food sources around - like overflow from bird tables, bin bags (they can chew through thin plastic), open compost bins etc. The less clutter there is, the less they'll like running around there. The pest controller will give you specific advice over any particular problems that may be attracting them to the area.
Reply:Rats can be a big problem - and if they are in your garden it won't be long before they attempt to enter your house. I note you have a cat ? Do you have a cat flap as well?? ? This is a common method of entry for rats. You need to start blocking up all possible methods of entry more than 1 centimetre wide. Yes one centimetre. Half an inch if you prefer. Start with the larger gaps first, but progressively block the 1 cm ones as well. Review when and how and where you feed your cat. You're probably feeding the rats as well at the moment.
Have you got neighbours? It's better if you get together to deal with this, as one house in a row, for example taking measures is less effective if either side do nothing but encourage through food supplies/rubbish.
You could follow them to the nest - then destroy the nest. They tend to follow the same routes every day and forage up to 100metres from nest. This might be going against your principles but If they are rearing young ones - your problem will get worse. They can multiply very quickly. . Around 8-10 in a litter and each female has 4-5 litters a year. The young ones start having litters from the age of 3 months. More and more mouths to feed means they search harder for food
The alternative might be to follow them in the other direction and see if they are visiting a food source. Then destroy that. But - that does mean they now go in search of alternative food - which might be your house. However these are fairly tame measures.
The best approach is to get rid...........elimination. And the most effective method, if you're not getting professional rodent control in, is (1) contact your local council for support and (2) try a combination of measures to work simultaneously . You'll find trying one thing followed by the next, is less effective. Do several things at once and keep on top of it, make it a mission, for 10-14 days. Your mission is to destroy/disrupt all sources of food, water and shelter. That'll mean going out 3 times a day at least and tending the measures. If your'e thinking of using traps for example - don't just buy one - you need to put quite a few in (hard to judge - depends on colony/size of garden/number of rat runs).
In addition to whatever measures you prefer to use, you'll need a good supply of rubber gloves, disinfectant and strong plastic bin bags for disposal of dead rats.
Reply:I believe that there are sonic devices which will deter small creatures such as rats, squirrels, moles and hedgehogs. Whether these are adjustable for frequency so as not to deter your cats as well, I do not know, but it might be worth investigating. Other types claim to effective in deterring constant barking by neighbours' dogs.
I looked briefly on the Internet and there are hundreds of devices and reviews of their performance. One I noticed is listed below, after typing in 'sonic deterrents' into Google. Lots of reading for you! Hope it helps.
Reply:Call your local council and speak to pest control, alternatively employ a contractor to come and sort it out. Clear all rubbish in the garden and leave clean and tidy.
Fill in rat burrows, hole in the ground and if there is a manhole in the rear garden check that it is sealed. Check your neighbours garden, could be coming from them, especially if it dirty and full of junk.
Reply:Put rat traps at each end of the run they are making, it's easy to see where they are coming in and out. We had them in our garden, we got so annoyed my hubby sat in the garden with an air rifle and shot the daddy.
Make your garden as rat unfriendly as possible, like removing all overgrown areas where they can nest. They used to go under our garden shed so we squirted a bottle of bleach underneath and then power washed under it. that cleared the little b***ers out.
Reply:I don't know about your cat, it's not really doing it's job, is it? it should kill all rodents on sight! But a pet carpet python would solve your rat problem for you including your cat if you let it out in the yard! Have a great day!
Reply:Clean up around your trailer and feed your cat inside. Get more cats to hunt the rats.
It's the cycle of life.
Reply:I'm in the mood for the Caddyshack approach.
Bill Murray can come out and lay dynamite all over the garden and...
next thing you know it's a hole-in-one!
Reply:Get several boxes of D con rodent bait. I will cause them to have internal hemorrhage, and death. They love the stuff.
Reply:Land mines and a shotgun I hate rats.
Reply:Put rat poison in the garden and you get rid oy all the rats
Reply:Buy yourself a wee cairn terrier they were bred for rat catching. They are good %26amp; very efficient.
Good luck.
Reply:Make sure there is no garbage left out or compost available to them. Good luck
Reply:sit in the garden with a air pistol and shoot the little bu**ers
Reply:call the council if there is 1 there will be more
Reply:buy a cat
Reply:rat traps
Reply:put a metal walk way where they usually wakl then when u know cats inside house turn it on zapp the dirty things
How early can I start planting my garden?
I live in eastern Iowa in plant hardiness zone 5A, and I have been trying to find out how early I can start planting my garden. Everything I have read says "you can plant when you're sure there isn't any more frost in the ground" but that doesn't tell me anything! As warm as our weather has been lately, I have noticed that several of my neighbors have plants that are already coming up, and I've already had to start mowing my lawn, but I just wasn't sure if it was ok to start planting before May! If someone can help I'd appreciate it.
How early can I start planting my garden?
Yeah, normal time to start planting most of your garden vegetables is now. I already have half of my garden planted, most of the rest of it will be planted by the middle of April. If you wait till May, you are waiting too late.
I live here in Indiana, so we should have about the same weather.
My grandpa used to start his garden as early as February. I'm not that much of an early bird, but I did start mine in the middle of March. Part of how early you start is going to be based on what you plant. Stuff like potatoes, onions, and peanuts (tuberous, bulb, and below ground stuff) you want to put out very early. They can take the cold and take a good while to mature.
Most of your plants can normally get planted by mid-April, such as tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, peppers, etc.
Sweet potatoes and tomatoes and stuff you can start indoors around February or March so when time to put them outdoors comes you are well and ready to get a nice good fast start.
The hardest thing I've found is being able to get into the garden when it is dry. You'll only have a few days in the early spring when the ground is dry enough to till.
Tomatoes can be planted outside as early as March, but that is pushing it. You'll need something like a Wall-O-Water to do that and even you may lose them to frost or a cold night.
Reply:you can start your seeds in peat pots indoors now when they get up big enough to put in the ground ,the fear of frost will be over.
Reply:That is true, you have to wait until there is no chance of frost. If you have a garage or enough room inside, you can start your seeds at 40 degrees or above and then plant those when it is wram.
Reply:In growing zone 5, your last frost date would be May 15. Of course, Mother Nature doesn't always pay attention to schedules, so you also have to watch the weather trends. We've had some 70 degree weather already and things are growing, but it's supposed to get cold again this weekend, so it's still too early to be planting. It's still entirely possible to get a snowstorm in your neck of the woods in mid-April, so just be patient. Cool weather veggies such as peas, radishes or lettuce could be planted in a couple of weeks. Warm weather crops like corn, tomatoes and most annual flowers shouldn't be planted until mid-May. They like to have warm feet.
How early can I start planting my garden?
Yeah, normal time to start planting most of your garden vegetables is now. I already have half of my garden planted, most of the rest of it will be planted by the middle of April. If you wait till May, you are waiting too late.
I live here in Indiana, so we should have about the same weather.
My grandpa used to start his garden as early as February. I'm not that much of an early bird, but I did start mine in the middle of March. Part of how early you start is going to be based on what you plant. Stuff like potatoes, onions, and peanuts (tuberous, bulb, and below ground stuff) you want to put out very early. They can take the cold and take a good while to mature.
Most of your plants can normally get planted by mid-April, such as tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, peppers, etc.
Sweet potatoes and tomatoes and stuff you can start indoors around February or March so when time to put them outdoors comes you are well and ready to get a nice good fast start.
The hardest thing I've found is being able to get into the garden when it is dry. You'll only have a few days in the early spring when the ground is dry enough to till.
Tomatoes can be planted outside as early as March, but that is pushing it. You'll need something like a Wall-O-Water to do that and even you may lose them to frost or a cold night.
Reply:you can start your seeds in peat pots indoors now when they get up big enough to put in the ground ,the fear of frost will be over.
Reply:That is true, you have to wait until there is no chance of frost. If you have a garage or enough room inside, you can start your seeds at 40 degrees or above and then plant those when it is wram.
Reply:In growing zone 5, your last frost date would be May 15. Of course, Mother Nature doesn't always pay attention to schedules, so you also have to watch the weather trends. We've had some 70 degree weather already and things are growing, but it's supposed to get cold again this weekend, so it's still too early to be planting. It's still entirely possible to get a snowstorm in your neck of the woods in mid-April, so just be patient. Cool weather veggies such as peas, radishes or lettuce could be planted in a couple of weeks. Warm weather crops like corn, tomatoes and most annual flowers shouldn't be planted until mid-May. They like to have warm feet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)