|
In This Issue
Weather It's The
Weather
What's Bugging
You
Questionmark and
Mysterian
Success Tip of
the Week
From the Garden
to the Kitchen
Plant to Ponder
Contact
Information
Up
Coming Events
Granny Needs Your Help!
Granny's Garden School is growing produce for needy families
in the area. Granny needs help maintaining, planting more
of, and harvesting the produce. Give Granny some of your
spare time! Call 324-2873.
grannysgardenschool.com
Quick Links
$10,000 Landscape
Makeover
Newsletter
Archive
Success Tip Sheets
Landscape Design Kit
Gift Cards
Rita's Recipes
|
|
Whether It's The Weather
I think
I summed up the weather conditions in the above opener.
Good thing is, it has been showering in scattered areas
around the tri-state, so some folks have been benefiting in
rainfall relief. Again, you really don't know how good the
rain was unless you have that rain gauge to measure how much
rain your yard actually received. It may surprise you!
[Does it say anywhere in the rhyme that Humpty Dumpty was an
egg?]
What's Bugging You?
So far so good in my area. A few Japanese beetles in the
old Harry Lauders Walking Stick (that the larger birds are
eating), a few too many spider webs for my liking, and it
may be my imagination, but definitely more earwigs showing
up when I move things that have been laying on the deck or
ground. Definitely a strange looking insect! So, should we
try to control them? Well, they can eat flowers, veggies,
ripe fruit, etc., but they also eat other bugs like aphids
and small slugs, as well as garden debris and rotting fruits
and veggies (they feed at night). And no, they don't crawl
in your ears at night! (they used to be found in bedding
and it was believed they would crawl in your ears, thus the
name "earwigs") So they're a good and bad bug. If
populations get too high and damages do occur on plants,
they can be reduced in numbers by several easy methods.
Roll up the newspaper (not too tight) and lay it in the
garden. They love to hide in newspaper. Each morning,
destroy the newspaper. Or take an empty clay pot and fill
with crumpled newspaper or straw. Turn it upside down in
the garden, the earwigs hang out in the pot, in the morning
shake them out into soapy water. Lay a 3/4 inch piece of
black plastic pipe in the garden. They hide inside - you
shake them out in the morning. Clean up the debris or
things they can hide under. If other controls are needed,
diatomaceous earth works, Insecticidal soaps work, Sevin and
Eight work, as well as Rotenone. Keep your eyes peeled for
cucumber beetles as well as squash vine borers. Cover with
grow covers or repeated sprayings of Sevin, Eight, Bt,
Rotenone, etc at the center of the plant and out about 2-3
feet of the vine should help.
Buggy
Joe Boggs (OSU extension) is back from vacation (all
tanned, rested up, and ready to get buggin'), and is
reporting mimosa webworm in locust, dead tops in white pines
now showing up from white pine weevil, warm season spider
mites on the lose, as well as lace bugs (watch your burning
bush for the two-spotted spider mites), adult cutworms out
mating and having the times of their lives, as well as adult
sod webworms partying on their own turf, and now appearing,
many summer caterpillars including bagworms, gypsy moth,
fall webworms, hickory tussock moths, walnut and yellowneck
caterpillars, and even a few catalpa worms on, yes, catalpa
trees. Yes they are great for fishing!
Catch
the Buggy Joe Boggs Report Saturdays at 8:42am on 55KRC The
Talk Station.
[If Milli Vanilli fell in the woods, would someone else make
the sound? -Who remembers Milli Vanilli?]
Questionmark and the Mysterians -
Your Questions Answered
"I know
I have bats in my area, so i put up bat houses. So far, no
bats. Patrick at the Wild Bird Center told me to put bat
guano on the house. Where do I get 'bat crap'?" -Man,
you'd think Patrick would sell it if he recommends it! Go
to Worms Way in northern Kentucky. They sell about 3-4
different types of guano. Or go to their website
wormsway.com. And yes, I actually learned about doing that
from Patrick as well. Let me know if it works for you - I
mean, for the bats!
"My
daylilies are said to be re-bloomers. Once they're finished
flowering, what should I do for new flowers to come on -
anything?" -Yep. When the flowers are completely finished
(on each flower stalk), deadhead (remove the entire flower
stalk), dead foliage (remove any brown and yellow foliage),
feed with a garden food, water it in, and wait for the next
flush of blooms. They won't be like the first flush, but
they will reflower.
"We now
have a groundhog in our yard! What do we do?" -The best
cure is physical removal. Bottom line. If you can't do it,
call a service to do it for you. Doak's at 722-2145 is a
great way to go.
"I have
bagworms on my Blue Spruce, and found out that I cannot use
Horticultural oils on it. Now what?" -Use Bt, Sevin,
Eight, Orthene, etc. By the way, the hort oil dissolves the
oil on the needles and your Blue Spruce becomes green - but
only for a temporary amount of time. Don't forget that
handpicking them off works very well!
"I'm
starting to see mushrooms in my mulch and yard, as well as
other
gross things growing in the mulch. Has my yard contracted
some type of disease or fungus? Make it all stop showing
up!" -Well, first of all, you're partially right. It is a
fungus, but many different types of fungus, and there's no
cure. But that's okay. as it's all a part of the
decomposition processes going on in your yard. When mulch
or organic matter in the soil breaks down, bacteria and
fungus help the process. You don't see the bacteria, but
chances are you'll see one or many of the different types of
fungus. Dog bark fungus, bird's nest fungus, mushrooms of
all kinds, stink horn fungus, shotgun fungus (bad news) -
and that's just a few of the many. Fluff the mulch, scoop
up and pitch what you don't want to see, and use the nine
iron to practice your golf swing on the mushrooms. Hey,
they're already tee'd up for you! FORE!
"My
peonies are finished blooming. Can I move them now?"
-Nope. The best time to dig and divide peonies is late
summer / early fall. Deadhead, clean up browning foliage as
the summer goes along, and go from there.
"Did I
hear you talking about cutting back annuals now? If so,
why" -Yes you did! My point was if annuals have started
to look leggy, stretched, or even overgrown in the spot
where they were planted, feel free to cut them back as
needed. Leggy annuals will regrow fuller and nicer
looking. Over grown annuals will be controlled and regrow
nicely. So yes, if needed, feel free to cut back annuals as
needed.
[Dentists have recommended to keep your toothbrush at least
6 feet away from the toilet to avoid airborne particles
resulting from the flush.]
Success Tip of the Week
Composting is a practical and convenient way to handle yard
trimmings such as leaves, excess grass, chipped brush, plant
cuttings, etc. And the results of your composting efforts
will one of the best soil amendments that no money can buy!
(And it's a better option than sending this yard waste to
the landfills!) The compost equation: Carbon + Nitrogen +
Water + Air = COMPOST! By combining your yard trimmings and
other clean yard or vegetable wastes with soil or garden
fertilizer, keeping the pile properly moistened and turned,
the compost pile begins to heat and cook as the bacteria and
fungi break down the ingredients.
What can I compost?
-Leaves, grass clippings, plant refuse, wood chips, sod,
livestock manures, vegetative kitchen scrapes, weeds, straw,
pine needles, dead plants, aquarium water / algae and
plants, some newspapers, wood ash, egg shells, coffee
grounds and lot's more. Stay away from meat, bones, dairy
products, cat / dog feces, cooking oils, things sprayed with
pesticides, even insect and diseased plants. NOTE:
Although grass clippings can be added to the compost pile,
they are best returned back to the turf where they belong.
Clippings returned to the turf will generate 25% of your
lawn's total fertilizer needs. So don't bag it; return
those clippings back to the turf!
Where should my compost pile be located?
- Find an out of sight area that is well drained, away from
tree roots, not in the shade, and accessible with a garden
hose. Remove any sod underneath so the pile will be in
direct contact with the soil.
Building the compost pile
- Composting does not require a bin, but they do help to
keep the pile neat and easier to handle. Bins need to be at
least 3x3x3' to heat properly. A 5x5x5' is a much nicer
size to work with. Ready made bins are available, or can be
made with concrete blocks, chicken wire, fencing, wooden
slats, etc. The sides must be designed to allow proper air
flow to the pile. You may even consider the compost
tumblers for ease of turning the pile.
Creating the compost pile
- Layer the materials you'll be using in your compost pile.
6-8 inches of materials, a little fertilizer, some garden
soil, moisten, layer again, and again until reaching the
3-5' height. Now it's up to you to help monitor proper
moisture levels as the composting begins. Turning the pile
will begin about one week after the initial pile is made.
Move the inside of the pile to the outside. When your pile
is really cooking, it will heat to 140-160 degrees in the
middle! Your finished compost will be dark in color,
crumbly in nature, and have an 'earthy' smell. The pile
should be reduce to 1/3 to ½ its original size.
Composting Tips
- If the compost has a bad smell, turn it to provide more
air. If the center is dry, moisten and turn the pile. If
the compost is damp and warm only in the middle, the pile is
too small. If the pile is damp and sweet smelling but still
won't heat up, add nitrogen. And remember, yard waste will
compost quicker, when finely ground. Good luck!
For
more information, visit ohioline.osu.edu / Composting at
Home.
[The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache.]
From the Garden to the Kitchen
"Hey
Rita what's Cooking?"
Yardboy,
my zucchini is just now flowering so it will be a couple of
weeks before we get any zucchini. Not so with our family of
readers, though. I've gotten some requests (actually pleas)
for recipes for zucchini. So here's a simple, really
delicious recipe. Medium zucchini works best since the seeds
are not big yet. But if all you have are those gargantuan
ones, just remove the seeds and unless the peel is tough,
leave that on and slice thin.
STEAMED ZUCCHINI WITH CHIVES OR SCALLIONS
The
original recipe called for scallions but I like to use onion
chives.
Put
enough water in a large skillet just to cover the bottom.
Add a nice sprinkling of coarse salt and bring to a simmer.
Add 3 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds) cut diagonally
into 1/4" rounds. Cook, covered, until tender, just a few
minutes. Drain and put in bowl with a drizzle of olive oil
and about 3-4 tablespoons chopped chives. If you use
scallions, slice them thinly and use less. Season with salt
and pepper and maybe some freshly grated Parmesan.
Tips from Rita's garden:
Freezing zucchini:
I like to shred mine raw for breads, muffins, stews, etc.
Let sit in strainer to release some juice and then pack as
desired. Before using, strain again, pushing on the
zucchini to remove excess liquid.
-Rita
Nader Heikenfeld, CCP / Macy's Regional Culinary
Professional / Herbalist / Author / Local TV and Radio
Cooking Expert / Adjunct Professor U.C. Clermont College /
Community Press Papers / Part time Witchdoctor / Maker of
strange potions /
www.abouteating.com
[Marriage is a covered dish. -Can someone explain that one
to me?]
Yardboy's "Plant to Ponder"
There
are so many great perennials available today for our gardens
it is simply unreal. An if someone asked for my favorites,
it's too hard to say. But I'll tell you about one that just
outperforms itself every year - consistently. It's Shasta
Daisy "Becky". As far as I know, this is thee longest
blooming Shasta Daisy, and produces a multitude of large
bright white flowers (yellow center) held up above the
really nice dark green foliage. Loves the sun, but will
tolerate a little afternoon shade, prefers well drained
soils, and does great in the ground or in containers.
Pretty much an all summer bloomer (keep deadheading for
extended blooms), low maintenance, and makes a great cut
flower, this is definitely on my top 25 most favorite
perennial list.
[Would an atheist be able to get insurance against the "acts
of God"?]
A Little
Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
Cut back
annuals as needed to keep them fuller and in control, keep
the pinching process going on mums, asters, Montauk daisies
to keep them shorter, fuller and flowering in the fall (last
pinch is before July 15), deadhead spent flowers on annuals
and perennials to keep them reflowering and looking better,
feel free to shear off the spent flowers on summer blooming
spireas for a second flush of flowers, keep weeds under
control in the beds, watch out for poison ivy in the
landscape (remember it has many different looks), mow as
needed, keeping that mower at a higher level (3 inches
plus), and on the same token, stay off dormant lawns right
now, water your foundation, water newly planted trees and
shrubs as well as established, apply grub preventers now to
the lawn, keep planting herbs for fresh herbs all season
long, and get that lawn mower blade sharpened!
[One thing about egotists - they don't talk about other
people.]
|
