Gardening Workshop, June 2011

Master Gardener Lucy Jarrett’s Workshop at St. Andrews Community Garden June 18, 2011

It was a great workshop! We didn’t all have time to answer all questions or to spell out some of the words or take complete notes. This is intended to fill in some of the blanks and provide references to where you can easily find more information.

Composting. Think “WOSS”. That is Water, Oxygen, Sun and Soil. Even if your garden is not totally organic, you can work toward a “closed loop” where your plants are grown, harvested, plant material is composted and returned to the soil. Your partners in this loop are fauna such as bees and other pollinators, microscopic organisms, and worms. Details on composting are at http://www.howtocompost.org. One source for large amounts of compost is: http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/SolidWaste/Compost-YardWaste/Pages/default.aspx

Pests: healthy plants are the best defense. Work and amend the soil, mulching to conserve moisture. Spraying kills beneficial bugs as well as putting unwanted chemicals into the soil. Ideally, hand pick or vacuum bugs from plants. If you must dust, Dipel DF is one natural pest control harmless to beneficial bugs. You may have to re-apply. For a good explanation of diatomaceous earth as an insecticide see http://www.safesolutionsinc.com/Diatomaceous_Earth.htm. Do not apply it to blossoms of plants, as it would harm bees.

Include plants that attract beneficial insects. One article with photos is at http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/attracting-beneficial-insects.aspx

Tools: Tillers can lift weed seeds to the surface so a broadfork is a better way of digging but requires some muscle in hard soil. Probably the most useful tool to invest in is a good hoe for chopping weeds to save your back.

Seeds: “true” seeds are seeds that can be saved and will come back true the following season. They can be ordered from Sow True Seeds in Asheville. Park Seed Co. may have seeds that will withstand our heat and humidity better than some of the northern seed companies, although Lucy mentioned she also likes seeds from Johnny's. http://www.johnnyseeds.com

http://sowtrueseed.com/howto/ has some good organic growing articles.

Reference Books: Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Expensive, try the library.

Armitage’s Native Plants for N. American Gardens, by Alan Armitage

New Organic Grower, by Eliot Coleman

UNCC.edu website, search for “Native Plant Studies”

Click on photo to enlarge. Comments, gardening tips and questions are encouraged.

Briar Creek Cleanup

Ben Kubie organized this years Briar Creek Cleanup. Waders found less debris than previous years, a good sign for the health of the creek. Unusual item was the 55 gal. oil drum found near the Central bridge. The Siggs also planted a dogwood near the footbridge and Ben whacked a trail though the weeds creekside for easier access. Everyone walking the greenway can help keep ivy off trees by carrying clippers when walking to clip vines near the ground.