It is a flowering perennial shrub, native to the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America that typically grows to 3-4’ in height, but can reach heights of up to 8-10’ with an equal spread. Its upper stems are green and fuzzy to the touch, while more woody towards its base. The leaves are roughly heart shaped and up to 5 inches in diameter, with rounded teeth around the edges. They are dark green, palmately veined, and velvety to the touch.

By far, the most outstanding feature of Malvaviscus arboreus are the one to two inch long scarlet flowers, similar to unopened Hibiscus blossoms, that adorn its stems. The flowers remain tightly wrapped, in an overlapping manner, around a central column, comprised of pistil and stamens, that extends an inch or more beyond the blossom like a small red licorice stick. The blooms appear mostly in the summer and fall attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, and the small red fruit is edible to not only animals and birds, but humans as well. The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, has a mealy texture, and has a taste similar to an apple.

Malvaviscus arboreus is adapted to Plant Hardiness Zones 7–12, and will grow in a variety of soils ranging from sandy to limestone. Once established, it is extremely heat and drought tolerant, and will grow in Full Sun to Partial Shade. It makes an excellent mass under-story planting beneath large trees with mature canopies. To ensure good flowering, prune back half of the previous season’s growth in early spring.

The leaves of the Malvaviscus arboreus have historically been used as an emmolient. A decoction, produced by first mashing, then boiling the flowers to extract oils and volatile organic chemicals, is used in Mexico to treat inflammation of the digestive tract and as a menstrual aid.

Plant some Malvaviscus arboreus in your yard this fall, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone permitting. You’ll be pleased with the plants adaptability and rewarded with a brilliant show of red blossoms next summer and fall.

Disclaimer
The traditional medicinal uses of Malvaviscus arboreus are listed purely for historical purposes. I am certainly not a doctor and make no claims as to their effectiveness in treating any illness or ailment. Always check with your doctor before taking any herbal supplements. Although many people still use this plant for the purposes listed, there are very specific ways that the plant must be processed and ingested or applied. In other words, do your due diligence. Don’t just grab a handful of red flowers from the nearest plant and eat them in hopes of settling your upset tummy.

The post Malvaviscus arboreus - Adaptable and Beautiful first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Makeover: Kids’ Basketball Court and Shady Garden Design | Ellen & Rick Bickling

The How Do Gardener Rick Bickling and wife Ellen bounced off ideas for their sons’ old basketball court and a flooding garden in shade. See how they created a vegetable “food court,” comfy outdoor living rooms, and unique destinations in a formerly grassy yard. To complement furniture and plant colors, they jazzed up the plain wooden fence with colorful picture frames.

The post Central Texas Gardener first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Quite to the contrary, a “rose rustler” is really the good guy in the white cowboy hat, riding in at the last minute to rescue long forgotten rose varieties. Scattered all across the country in old cemeteries, on abandoned homesteads, around old barns, along fences and back country roads are roses that have survived for decades. These “found” roses are hardy survivors and prized for their beauty and history.

Unlike our villain in the black hat, rose rustlers have strict rules of etiquette. When an old/new rose is spotted, care is taken to identify ownership, ask permission to visit the site, and ask permission to take a cutting for propagation. Information is usually gathered from the owner on how long it has been there, who planted it, and the plant’s blooming cycle.

A newly found rose is given a study name that usually relates to where it was found or the original owner. They are often identified as a known rose variety, but many go unidentified and thus permanently take on their study name. “Georgetown Tea”, “Highway 290 Pink Buttons”, and “Caldwell Pink” are just a few examples.

Antique Roses
Along with these “found” roses, many other “Old Garden” “Heritage” or “Antique” roses, many introduced into the U.S. before 1867, are being rediscovered. They are prized for their beauty, ease of growth, heat and drought tolerance, and adaptability to a wide variety of soils.

Research Proven
Horticultural experts at Texas A&M University have conducted an extensive eight-year field research study on these roses. During the study period, no pesticides were applied in order to evaluate their resistance to disease and pests.

Full Sun
All roses require “Full Sun” to thrive. Check out our handy Sun or Shade Tool. Here you will find definitions, and graphical representations to help determine what areas of your yard are in Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade, or Dense Shade.

Air Circulation
When planting roses, it is important to place them in a location that has good air circulation and to plant them at their recommended spacing (ex. 4’ apart). Good air circulation around your roses will help to prevent fungal diseases.

Soil
Although these roses will grow in almost any soil, ranging from well-drained acid sands to poorly aerated, highly alkaline clays, they will really thrive in well-drained soil that has been amended with plenty of organic matter or compost.

Deadhead
No, we’re not back in our cowboy analogy. Deadheading roses is the act of cutting off the spent rose flower blossom once it has finished blooming and lost all of its petals. Deadheading helps encourage the rose plant to produce new flowers.

Know Your Zone
Each rose variety will grow in a certain range of “Plant Hardiness Zones” (ex. Zones 4-9). Be sure to check which zones each rose will grow in. Use our Plant Hardiness Zones Tool to learn about Plant Hardiness Zones and to find which zone you live in.

Summary
The table below shows several varieties of roses along with their characteristics. With the large variety in sizes, shapes, growth habits, colors, and fragrances these roses offer, you are sure to find at least one to fit your landscape. Use them in mass plantings, as specimens, in containers, to cover an arbor, to hide the doghouse, or as an extremely effective barrier to “varmints” of all sizes.

Plant some and enjoy them today. And maybe, just maybe, a long, long time from now, a rose rustler will discover them still growing right where you planted them.

DWARF SHRUB
	Blooms: Spring, Summer and Fall Size: 3’ tall x 3’ wide Spacing: 5’ apart on center Fragrant: Outstanding Plant Hardiness Zones: 6-9
	Blooms: Spring, Summer and Fall Size: 3’ tall x 4’ wide Spacing: 6’ apart on center Fragrant: No Plant Hardiness Zones: 4-9
SMALL SHRUB
	Blooms: Spring, Summer, and Fall Size: 4’ tall x 4’ wide Spacing: 6’ apart on center Fragrant: Yes, tea like Plant Hardiness Zones: 7-9
MEDIUM SHRUB
	Blooms: through all warm months Size: 5’ tall x 5’ wide Spacing: 7’ apart on center Fragrant: Moderate Plant Hardiness Zones: 5-9
	Blooms: Spring until first frost Size: 5’ tall x 5’ wide Spacing: 6’ apart on center Fragrant: No Plant Hardiness Zones: 4-9
CLIMBING
	Blooms: Spring Size: 15-20’ tall x 10’ wide Spacing: 12’ apart on center Fragrant: Yes Plant Hardiness Zones: 4-9
	Blooms: Spring, Summer, and Fall Size: 8’ tall x 4’ wide Spacing: 6’ apart on center Fragrant: No Plant Hardiness Zones: 4-9

The post Roses: Old is New Again first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Before our visit, I was told that each guest would have the opportunity to record a short video in which they answer a gardening question. After a day on site, I was asked what I liked most about Moss Mountain Farm.

So, to set the record straight, here’s what I REALLY like most about P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm.

Our tour began as we climbed the stairs to the porch and walked through the front door of the Garden Home. It was like entering the pages of a magazine. The attention to every last detail was amazing. Every scene in every room was a perfectly arranged vignette of matching color, carpet, furniture, artwork, flowers, and even books and pens. The subtle scents of citrus, honeysuckle, wild cilantro and lemon grass, along with the delicate glow from decorative candles added yet another sensory layer that perfectly matched the feeling of each room. The scenic views afforded by the windows, along with beautiful fresh cut flowers, seemed to make the adjoining landscape part of each room rather than a separate destination. Even the floor had just the right amount of “creak” to it that made you feel as if you were in another time and that perhaps Thomas Jefferson himself might enter the room at any moment.

We then moved outdoors onto a perfectly manicured lawn located between the twin outbuildings of the summer kitchen and the art studio. The lawn looks down onto a beautiful water feature, and like many aspects of the farm, acts as a decorative cover for something much more practical. In this case the large storage tanks for the rainwater harvesting system are buried beneath the lawn.

We made our way along a pathway that meandered through the many “Garden Rooms” of Moss Mountain Farm. Just as inside the Home, each Garden Room had a unique function, along with a theme and design that tied it together, yet blended into the overall fabric of the farm. The variety, color, size, shape, texture, and even inherent movement of each plant fit perfectly into its location. The beauty was only enhanced by the tantalizing view of what lay ahead. Our tour of the working heritage poultry, sheep farming, and trial vegetable gardens of Moss Mountain Farm once again showed that the practical can indeed blend seamlessly with the beautiful.

Several times during our tour I had heard our host describe his use of the design principle of ferme ornée, or ornamental farm. I was intrigued, and upon my return home to Texas decided to learn more.

Ferme Ornée is a gardening design concept attributed to Stephen Switzer and described in his book Ichnographia Rustica: or The Nobleman, Gentleman, and Gardner’s Recreation. Rather than just look up the cliff notes on Wikipedia, I was able to find a scanned 1718 first edition of this book made available by the Biodiversity Heritage Library, download it, and read it for myself. Once I got used to the fact that half of the time the letter “s” looks more like an “f”, I found that after about 5 minutes of labored study, I got into a good early 18th century English language groove, and it made for a fascinating read.

Mr. Switzer summarizes ferme ornée by referring to it as “mixing the useful and profitable Parts of Gardening with the pleasurable.” He details how the following effect vegetation:

– Type of soil (heavy or light, hot or cold)
– Water (“not altogether that designed for Use, but for Beauty”)
– Sun
– Air
– Co-efficient Powers (roots, sap, trunk, and leaves)

He then gives detailed directions for raising trees, woods and coppices and details the use of springs and waterworks, statues, grass and gravel in a landscape plan.

He describes the importance of incorporating the concepts of Grand Manier, or open vista, and Simplex Munditiis, or symmetry and proportion, into a landscape. And just in case you’re starting to think that these principles only apply to a British Estate, or 500 spectacular acres on the Arkansas River, Mr. Switzer gives you a posthumous verbal beat down by stating “for the Room be small, there requires the more Judgement in laying it out well.”

After seeing Moss Mountain Farm first hand, and listening to Allen describe the “why” behind so many of the farm’s details, it’s easy to see that these design principles are used extensively in a marriage of the functional with the beautiful, the outdoors with the indoors, and the techniques of the past with the technology of today. I had seen it stated that it’s a shame that there no longer exist any examples of ferme ornée. I submit that P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm is a modern day, living, working example of ferme ornée.

And maybe even more importantly, these same practices and principles can be utilized on your own homestead, whether a large farm, a typical suburban yard, or even an apartment balcony. With today’s enhanced awareness of sustainable green living, growing your own vegetables or raising backyard chickens, there’s no reason not to blend the practical with the beautiful.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with the words of Thomas Whately from his 1770 work Observations on Modern Gardening. They describe Moss Mountain Farm perfectly.

Where Wealth enthron’d in Nature’s pride,
With Taste and Bounty by her side,
And holding Plenty’s horn,
Sends Labour to pursue the toil,
Art to improve the happy soil,
And Beauty to adorn.

Disclaimer: P. Allen Smith and his sponsors paid for my trip to Moss Mountain Farm, as well as my room and board while in Little Rock. The opinions expressed in this article are my own, and influenced by nothing more than the sheer beauty of Moss Mountain Farm. In other words, if I had found the place plain and uninspiring, I would have thanked Allen for having me, and then just written a nice article about brussels sprouts or something.

The post P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm: ferme ornée in Practice first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Recent headlines from around the country show a distinct trend in the availability, and the cost, of water:
– “Texas Drought 2011: State Endures Driest 7-Month Span On Record”
– “Rising Water Rates Making an Impact on Region’s Economy”
– “City proposes to increase rates by 12.5 percent in July, 16 percent next year”
– “Higher water rates are coming”
– “Water rates rising 25%”
– “Water Prices Rising Worldwide”

Water. Its something most of us take for granted. Turn on the faucet to the desired mix of hot and cold fresh clean water and have a drink, wash the car, water the lawn, or do the laundry. But today’s headlines are beginning to offer a foreshadowing of things to come. A recent study reports that over the past five years, municipal water rates have increased by an average of 27 percent in the United States, 32 percent in the United Kingdom, 45 percent, in Australia, 50 percent in South Africa, and 58 percent in Canada.’

Traditionally the cost of water delivered to the consumer was determined by three factors: 1) the cost to transport the water from it’s source, 2) the cost of treatment to remove contaminants, and 3) the total demand versus the available supply of water. So in the words of that famous gardener, Bugs Bunny, “What’s all the hubbub, bub?”

A study by the Water Resources group, “Charting Our Water Future,” reports that by 2030 China, India, South Africa and Brazil will together account for 42 percent of the worldwide water demand with a projected need of 2,355.9 billion cubic meters of water. Unfortunately, their combined current supply of water is only 1,391.7 billion cubic meters. Where will they get that missing 964.2 billion cubic meters of water, and why should I care? The answer may be right under your nose, or more accurately, right under your feet.

Here in Texas, water ownership rights vary depending on weather the water is groundwater or surface water. Groundwater is water found beneath the earth’s surface and is the property of the owners of the land under which it lies. Groundwater may be used or sold as private property. Texas courts have ruled that a landowner has the right to capture for use or sale all the water that they want to from under their land regardless of the effect this may have on the wells or water under adjacent properties. This law has often been called “the law of the biggest pump.” Whoever has the biggest pump, and the deepest well gets the water while the shallower wells go dry.

Once surface water flows into a clearly defined waterway, it becomes the property of the state and anyone wishing to use this water must file for a “water right” permit with the state.

More and more, the rights to water, which has traditionally been considered a public resource under public domain, are being sold to private companies. Newsweek reports that two companies have purchased the rights to transfer 3 billion gallons of water a year from a lake in Sitka, Alaska. The ‘water will be siphoned into the kind of tankers normally reserved for oil—and shipped to a bulk bottling facility near Mumbai.’ T. Boone Pickens, the famous oilman, states that ‘water is the new oil’ and has spent over $100 million dollars to purchase 68,000 acres of land and the rights to the water under it in Texas.

Merriam-Webster defines a commodity as an economic good, something useful or valued, an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment. Water has indeed gone from being a public resource to a commodity that is sold to the highest bidder. Profit margin has now been added to the very top of the list of the factors determining the cost of water to the consumer. With the worldwide increase in demand, and the cost to maintain and repair our water delivery and treatment infrastructure built in the early 1900’s, you can begin to see the reason for those rising water rate headlines.

Does this all mean that the next time you turn on the kitchen faucet, nothing but a puff of dust will come out, and poor old Rover will be left with just an empty water bowl, a sad look on his face, and if he is not already too dehydrated a little puppy tear dripping from the corner of his eye. No, probably not. But, if you have not yet given any thought to Rainwater Harvesting, maybe now is a good time to learn more about it.

In part two of this series, Rainwater Harvesting: The Basics, we’ll look at the basics of Rainwater Harvesting, what it is, how it works, and its pros and cons.

The post Rainwater Harvesting: Reasons to Consider first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Benefits
Composting reduces yard waste entering landfills. Each year hundreds of millions of tons of grass clippings, leaves, weeds, organic debris, and other yard waste enters landfills. This makes up about 20% of the total volume of all material entering landfills. The cost to collect and dispose of this waste is nearly 1 billion dollars a year.

Composting saves you money by reducing the need for store bought fertilizer. Compost is free. Adding compost to soil helps reduce your watering needs by helping the soil retain water.

Components
I. Green Material (Nitrogen)
Grass clippings
Fruit & vegetable scraps and trimmings
Coffee grounds
Used tea bags
Cow, horse, or poultry manure

II. Brown Material (Carbon)
Dry brown leaves
Shredded newspaper
Wood chips
Sawdust

III. Water
Compost forms best when it is kept at a constant moisture level, similar to a damp sponge, not soaking wet.

IV. Air
Air allows aerobic composting to occur rapidly, and with little or no foul odors. About 30% of the total initial volume of your compost pile should be air space.

Mix it Up
A 50:50 ratio of green to brown material by volume will provide the best results. By mixing, or turning, your compost pile regularly, the proper blend of the four components of compost will be maintained. To speed up the composting process, mix your compost pile more often. Mixing your compost allows air to enter into the pile. If the pile has become too dry, add more water and mix it in.

Compost No-No’s
Be sure to NEVER place anything containing fats or oils in your compost. (ex. meat scraps, baked goods). Do not place dog or cat waste in your compost pile. Do not place diseased plants or weeds in your compost pile.

Hot Stuff
Microorganisms that contribute to the composting process will generate a substantial amount of heat in a compost pile that has the proper mix of ingredients and that is large enough, at least 1 cubic yard. The optimum internal temperature is right around 150°F. These temperatures are critical for the destruction of pathogens and weed seeds.

Getting Started
Patty Hoenigman, author and Texas Master Composter, describes six ways to compost, ranging from easy but slow to produce, to more involved but producing compost more quickly.

1. Use a mulching lawn mower.

2. Dig a hole and bury kitchen scraps

3. Make a trough, bury kitchen scraps and cover them up as you go.

4. Passive Composting – this can be used to produce a small amount of compost that will be done in 4-6 months. Add leaves to a bin, add food scraps, and cover with more leaves. Add water and mix once a week.

5. Heap or Pile – make a compost pile, away from the house. Add brown and green material as they become available and just let the pile sit. It will take about a year before usable compost will be available at the bottom of the pile.

6. Active Composting – This method requires a minimum of 1 cubic yard of material to start with ideally in a 3’x3’x3’ bin. Soak leaves overnight and then alternate 2” deep layers of brown and green material in the bin. Let it sit for 3 days to allow the internal temperature to peek. Next, turn the pile completely, being sure to add water to any dry areas, every day for 11 days. Let the pile sit undisturbed for two more weeks to cure. You will then have a complete batch of compost ready to use in just four weeks. The final volume of compost will be about 1/3 of the starting volume of the pile.

Summary
Start composting today! It doesn’t matter if it’s 105°F outside or 35°F. You can build a compost bin out of wood, cinder blocks, or chicken wire, or just make a pile or small hole. Once you see the rich results of composting on your garden, you’ll be glad you did.

The post Composting 101 first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Insects and Disease
Soil borne pathogens, and insects, that attack one member of a plant family frequently will infect or attack other plants in that same family. Planting similar plants in the same location, year after year, tends to make the soil in that location much more prone to the diseases and insects that harm those plants.

Soil Nutrients
Different crops take varying amounts of different nutrients from the soil as they grow and produce fruit or vegetables. If similar plants continue to be planted in the same location year after year, the nutrients in the soil inevitably become unbalanced to the point where even the addition of fertilizers may not entirely correct the deficiency.

Preferred Method
There is no hard and fast rule as to which plants should be planted after another when practicing crop rotation, whether in the farmer’s fields or in the home garden. The most effective, and easiest crop rotation system involves grouping vegetables into six ( 6 ) different groups, each of these groups having similar insect, disease, and soil nutritional content characteristics. Never plant a vegetable from the same group, in the same location, two years in a row. Waiting three years before planting a vegetable from the same group is even better.

For example, if this spring you plant Tomatoes, a Group III plant, in a particular spot in the garden, you could plant Broccoli, a Group II plant, in that same spot this fall, and then Cantaloupe, a Group I plant, in that spot next spring. By sequentially planting warm and cool season crops from different groups, you will maximize your garden’s production while maintaining good crop rotation practices.

Here is a Garden Planning spreadsheet that I use with my raised beds utilizing “square foot gardening”, to help keep track of what has been planted, where it was planted, and when. Use it as it is, or feel free to modify it to better meet your particular needs.

Conclusion
Although it takes a little advance planning to implement crop rotation in your home garden, the increased health and production of your vegetables will make you glad to put the effort into doing so.

Crop Rotation Plant Groups
[ Group I ]
• Cucurbitaceae (Gourd Family)
– Cucumber
– Watermelon
– Cantaloupe
– Honeydew Melon
– Summer Squash
– Winter Squash
– Pumpkin

[ Group II ]
• Cruciferae (Mustard Family)
– Cabbage
– Broccoli
– Cauliflower
– Kohlrabi
– Collard
– Kale
– Brussels Sprouts
– Chinese cabbage
– Turnip
– Radish

• Chenopodiaceae (Beets Family)
– Swiss Chard
– Spinach

• Compositae (Sunflower Family)
– Lettuce
– Globe Artichoke
– Jerusalem Artichoke

[ Group III ]
• Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)
– Tomato
– Pepper
– Eggplant
– Potato

• Convolvulaceae (Morning-glory Family)
– Sweet potato

• Malvaceae (Cotton Family)
– Okra

[ Group IV ]
• Alliaceae (Allium Family)
– Onion
– Garlic
– Leek
– Shallot

• Chenopodiaceae (Beets Family)
– Beets

• Umbelliferae (Parsley Family)
– Celery
– Carrot
– Parsnip
– Parsley

[ Group V ]
• Gramineae (Grass Family)
– Sweet corn

[ Group VI ]
• Leguminosae (Pea/Bean Family)
– Snap Bean
– Pea
– Cowpea
– Black-eyed Pea

The post Crop Rotation in the Home Garden first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Just as in life, gardening has its peaks and valleys, its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows. You’ve made it through another long winter where you carefully planned what to plant, when to plant it, and how much to plant.

And then, finally, Spring. Remember the thrill of those first warm spring days, when the danger of frost had passed, and you could finally get your hands in the soil to plant. Soon there was the excitement when that first hint of a new plant peaked out from the soil you worked so hard to prepare.

Before you knew it, your first harvest of green beans, that first vine ripe tomato, fresh strawberries. “Gardening is great!” “I love my garden.”

But soon, all of the potatoes need to be harvested. “Will the kids mind if I store them under their beds?” The green bean plants are spent. “What was I going to plant there next?” The pill bugs are eating the strawberries. “How do I get rid of them again?” The lettuce is starting to wilt. “Am I watering too much or not enough?” You’ve inquired into having a phone extension placed in the garden so that friends and loved ones can actually reach you.

Before you realize it, your gardening thoughts have ever so slowly turned from excitement and pleasure to a sense of foreboding and dread. You find yourself lying in bed at night, in a cold sweat, staring at the ceiling, wondering how you are going to get all of your gardening done tomorrow. “The kids can probably get themselves up, make their own breakfast, and get to school on their own. After all, they’re in first grade now.” “If we can just get one more meal out of that bowl of leftover macaroni and cheese I won’t need to go shopping.”

What once was a gentle distraction from the pressures of everyday life has now gotten to the point where you are really looking forward to that trip to the dentist for a root canal because it will give you a break from the garden. In the words of Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

But fear not. You are not alone. All across the land, gardeners everywhere are having the same thoughts of self-doubt and low garden-esteem. To help better understand and deal with your gardening angst, here is my adaptation of the Kübler-Ross Model, commonly known as the The Five Stages Of Grief.

The Five Stages of Grief Gardening:

1. Denial — “Those green beans will be fine, It’s just a few hundred locusts.”; “Squash vine borers, This can’t be happening, not to me.”

2. Anger — “Why my spinach? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me? I’m 100% organic”; ‘”Where can I find some DDT?”

3. Bargaining — “Just let me get one more tomato before the birds eat them all”; “I’ll do anything for a few more ears of corn.”; “I promise to install a rainwater harvesting system next year if…”

4. Depression — “I am so tired, why bother pulling weeds at all?”; “I don’t like eggplant all that much anyway… What’s the point?”; “I miss my peppers”

5. Acceptance — “It’s going to be okay.”; “I may as well enjoy canning those twelve bushels of tomatoes.”

Perhaps in better understanding the stages of gardening, and identifying which stage you are in, you will once again find peace in your garden. Of course in the time it took you to read this article, you could have mulched at least a third of your raised beds. What’s wrong with you anyway!? What are you, lazy!? Oops. Sorry about that. I guess I’m still in the anger stage after birds ate my entire blueberry harvest the other day. Let me see, where were we? That’s right. There is no better way to achieve a peaceful state of mind than by gardening.

Editor’s Note: No animals were harmed, or small children sent to school without breakfast, in the writing of this article. This is a work of satire. The author really does like gardening. He’ll be much better after the growing season is over. Either that or he will spend all winter complaining about the cold and fussing about how he can’t wait to get back out in the garden come spring.

The post The Five Stages of Gardening first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Suddenly you stop dead in your tracks. “What the…!” You notice bits of broken glass on the ground near where the side window used to be. And there, sitting in the driver seat with a bunch of loose wires in his hand and a smirk on his face is that teenager from down the street. You’ve seen him hanging around the street corner. You’ve heard from neighbors of the trouble he’s caused them. But you never thought you’d catch him red handed trying to take something of yours.

That’s pretty much how you feel when you go out to your garden and see a bunch of pill bugs eating your strawberries, a stinkbug sucking on one of your peaches, or a grasshopper gnawing on your lettuce. To paraphrase that infamous Sith Lord, “Take your pesticide, Strike down the cabbage looper with all of your hatred, and your journey to the dark side will be complete.”

Integrated Pest Management
Fortunately, by utilizing a technique called Integrated Pest Management, we can control pests in our garden without making our backyard a nuclear waste dump. According to the Department of Horticultural Sciences, and the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the home vegetable garden consists of four key strategies:
1) Plant genetic resistance to pests and disease
2) Biological control (the use of one organism to control another)
3) Environmental and cultural (favorable for the plant, unfavorable for the pest)
4) Chemical

Plan Ahead
IPM starts before you even plant your garden. Choose vegetable varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases or that will continue to grow and produce vegetables in spite of pest damage. Your state Cooperative Extension system is an excellent source of information on vegetable varieties that do best in your area. Check my post from March 2011 for a listing of, and links to, the Cooperative Extension agencies in each state.

Healthy Plants
A healthy plant can better survive pest damage and ward off disease. Place your garden in an area that receives at least 6-8 hours of full sunlight each day. Ensure that the soil in your garden is high in organic matter and drains well. Consider using raised beds. Water your plants deeply and regularly, but don’t over water. To help prevent plant diseases, always water early in the morning so the foliage will have a chance to dry during the day. Consider drip irrigation. Many pests live, and eat, on the underside of foliage. Sometimes just spraying the affected area with a garden hose will at least temporarily wash them off.

Keep the Bugs Out
Keep your garden clean and weed free. Always remove any dead or diseased foliage from your plants, and remove weeds and plant debris from your garden as they can harbor pests. Consider covering your plants with floating row covers. A floating row cover is a lightweight fabric that can be purchased from your local garden supply store. The fabric allows rain, and 85 to 90% of sunlight to penetrate. It can protect your plants from wind damage and offers some moderate frost protection as well. Be sure to uncover your plants when they are flowering so that bees and other pollinators have access.

According to the AgriLIFE EXTENSION, Texas A&M System, an estimated 70% of all plant problems are caused by cultural practices rather than insects and diseases.

Biological Control
Biological control is the use of one organism to help control another. Most pests have natural predators or parasites that can help to keep a pest population in check. Introducing companion plants into your garden can provide a desirable environment for these beneficial predators and parasites. Some companion plants may exude natural chemicals that repel pests. Other companion plants can even be used as a trap crop, a plant that the pest is more attracted to than your vegetables.

Identify the Problem
There are more than 30,000 species of insects found in Texas alone; fewer than 100 of these cause problems in vegetable gardens. These insects come in a vast assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors, and can fly, walk, crawl, or dig their way into your garden. For any given insect species, its appearance and often its mode of transportation will change dramatically as it progresses through its life cycle.

The key to proper identification, and successful control, of pests is early detection. Pests can migrate to, or reproduce in your garden very quickly and in large numbers. If possible, make it part of your daily routine to spend time in your garden each morning. It’s a good time to see how your plants are growing, water your plants, inspect your plants for any signs of pests, and if you’re lucky harvest a few fresh vegetables.

Vegetable IPM website
Here is a link to the Integrated Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden website, http://vegetableipm.tamu.edu/. This site will help you identify an insect, both pests and beneficial insects, by its name, a picture, the type of damage it’s doing, or by the vegetable it’s damaging. It also offers different methods of controlling the pests.

Chemical Control
The mention of chemicals to control pests often conjures up images of someone in a HAZMAT suit pumping barrels of highly toxic substances all over your vegetables. But many pesticides are derived from natural substances and are approved for organic gardening usage. The toxicity level of a pesticide is rated by its Lethal Dosage (LD50) Value. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, An LD50 is a standard measurement of acute toxicity that is stated in milligrams (mg) of pesticide per kilogram (kg) of body weight. An LD50 represents the individual dose required to kill 50 percent of a test population. Because LD50 values are standard measurements, it is possible to compare relative toxicities among pesticides.

The lower the LD50 dose, the more toxic the pesticide. A pesticide with an LD50 value of 10 mg/kg is 10 times more toxic than a pesticide with an LD50 of 100 mg/kg. The table below shows the LD50 levels of several chemicals.

Pesticide Acute Toxicity by LD50
Source: Montgomery County Texas Extension

Summary
Do your best to prevent pests before they can do a lot of damage. Attract beneficials to your garden. Have patience. All gardens have at least a few pests. Monitor outbreak areas before you spray. Know your pest. By properly identifying the pest and its current stage of development, the appropriate pesticide can be chosen. Choose a pesticide that kills only the pest and not beneficials.

Trying to use “the force” or a “light saber” to keep pests out of your garden probably won’t work. But a little hard work and a well-planed Integrated Pest Management program will go a long towards ensuring a bountiful garden harvest.

The post Pests: The Dark Side of Gardening first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Bulb Selection
The key to having success with spring flowering bulbs is purchasing healthy, quality bulbs. Purchase bulbs early from a reputable source and store them in a cool, dry place that is well ventilated. In general the larger and healthier the bulb, the better flowering it will be.

Planting Tips
– Plant bulbs in the fall once night time temperatures consistently fall to between 50° F and 40° F for two weeks straight
– Plant bulbs in an area that receives full sun
– Plant bulbs in holes that are three times their height (ex. plant a 2” tall bulb in 6” deep hole).
– Plant bulbs with their tip pointing up, and their base down
– Plant small bulbs about 2” apart, and large bulbs about 6” apart
– Water the planting site well after planting

Make Planting Easier
One of the best tools I’ve ever come across for planting bulbs is the Yard Butler Bulb Auger. Just insert it into your power drill, then quickly and easily drill 1-1/4-inch wide holes to the desired depth. You’ll be done planting your bulbs in no time and your back and knees will thank you.

Bulb Life Cycle
Once planted, the bulbs roots begin to develop in the fall. During the winter, the bulbs roots continue to develop and the floral and leaf meristems (the initial emerging leaf and flower stems) start to develop. In the spring, the shoots elongate, flowering occurs, and daughter bulbs (new bulbs attached to the sides of a bulb) form. In the summer, shoots senesce, or wither, daughter bulb formation is complete, the original old bulb separates, and the new daughter bulbs may be harvested.

Forcing Bulbs
A great way to get even more enjoyment out of your bulbs is to plant a few in containers for “forcing” to create indoor flowering container plants. Forcing a bulb is simply a means of tricking the bulb into thinking it has spent a long cold winter outdoors in the ground, and that it is now spring and time to bloom.

Place 1” of gravel in a small pot. Using a light weight potting soil, place several bulbs in the soil in the pot about ½” apart. Leave the tip of the bulbs just showing above the soil. The potted bulbs now need to be stored at between 50° F and 40° F for 10 to 12 weeks to simulate winter. The vegetable drawer in your refrigerator is the perfect environment for this if you have the room. After this time, move the potted bulbs to a cool dimly lit area for a few days, and finally move them to a brightly lit area where they will bloom. Be sure to keep the bulbs slightly moist.

Favorite Varieties

	Dutch Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis)
	Paperwhite (Narcissus papyraceus)
	Daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)
	Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana)
	Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum)

Summary
Spring flowering bulbs, planted in the fall, can provide a vast assortment of colors, textures, and scents in your garden for years to come. Experiment with different types and cultivars to see which ones grow best for you. Once you’ve found your favorites, dig up and share the daughter bulbs, that grow along side the original bulb, with friends and loved ones. A little time spent planting bulbs this fall will be rewarded many times over this spring, and for many springs to come. Enjoy.

The post Plant Bulbs This Fall for a Spring Blossom Bonanza first appeared on The How Do Gardener.