HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
Three tips to keep it looking good
Heather was watching her strawberries shrivel up and dry out. She watered. She fertilized. And then she realized ants were the problem. They were invading from the south into her dry raised bed. And why not? Her beds are the perfect ant getaway.
I watched my cauliflowers kill my tomatoes last summer. By the time I caught on that the cauliflowers were causing the problem, it became a salvage operation.
Daily visits to the garden are not all about weeding and watering. When you are doing those you are actually doing the most important job of the season: watching. Here are the three Ws to keep the garden healthy now that it is installed and growing.
WEEDING
Sometimes the prettiest plants become weeds. I have grown poppies for years, but last year I sloppily tossed poppies and other mature plants, into my compost. This summer, wherever I spread that compost, I have poppies, parsley, cilantro and lettuce growing. It is almost like the garden seeded itself, if you want that many poppies and that much parsley!
Luckily poppy seeds are edible when they turn black as pods mature after the flowers fall. This year I will save a few plants for seed but will pull the others right after they bloom so I don’t get as many unexpected guests.
Annual weeds like poppies, or more commonly chickweed, are easy to pull out. They don’t have much of a root and can be pulled as you head to your hammock or while on an evening stroll around the garden. Many weeds, like stinging nettle, chickweed, or dandelions are also edible so as you make your rounds, save some leaves for salads or gourmet pizza but remember to garbage the blooms.
If weeds are bloomless, drop them into the compost or leave them on the surface of the garden in “chop and drop” style. If you procrastinate, the weed problem grows and once weeds flower they multiply quickly.
If you like tools, buy a long jabbing tool or narrow trowel for deep-rooted thistles and dandelions or a hoe, like a winged-weeder, to remove small weeds. Leaving cut weeds on the soil surface mulches soil, adds nutrients and helps hold moisture.
WATERING
Moist, mulched, fertile gardens are easier to weed because roots are easier to pull from moist soil. And big beds are more drought tolerant than tiny gardens isolated in individual raised beds or pots. This is because of the edge effect. Plants in pots or planters warm up and dry out faster. In large beds the moisture spreads out evenly as fungus “roots” in the soil share and distribute moisture.
If you thought ahead and your veggie garden design matches the shape of your sprinkler, you can leave the sprinkler in place, turning it on manually or with a timer early in the morning for 10 minutes every four or five days. But remember to stick your finger into the ground after the sprinkler cycle ends to make sure it is wetting the soil at least five centimetres deep. Morning watering means leaves will dry during the day and not be wet overnight, so I am one gardener who suggests morning over evening watering.
If the soil is still dry or there is water puddling on top you may have to increase or decrease the watering time. Mulch of any kind, whether it is non-flowering weeds, lawn clippings, or chopped plants left after crops are picked, has an added benefit: it prevents rain and tap water from pounding on and ruining soil structure.
WATCHING
When Heather noticed the ants she called me first. I had just heard from a listener on my CBC phone-in show that ants can be reduced with the sweetener Splenda. So I bought some and tried it and suggested it to Heather. We were both amazed.
Is there is a pest or problem you haven’t seen before? Maybe it’s time to add another W to your list of summer tasks. Why? If you can’t figure out why a plant is dying, dig in before it is too late.
I lost a whole cauliflower crop because I didn’t react quickly enough last year. Knowing that it is normal for tomato leaves to turn yellow on the bottom of the plant is also important. If a leaf is spotty or missing perfectly circular patches, it is a leafcutter bee at work. Perfect spots on leaves can be bacterial leaf spots.
Spring is for planting and summer is for weeding, watering and watching. So get out in your hammock and watch your plants grow.
Gardeners are not just earth-grubbers. We are birders, conservationists, tree huggers, local food boosters and passionate storytellers. Gardening is the most popular outdoor pastime in Canada, next to walking. More than 80 per cent of us grow something green. Mark Cullen. Mulch of any kind … prevents rain and tap water from pounding on and ruining soil structure.