April, 2014 - Westbank Library

Westbank
Garden
April, 2014
Garden Talk Series
Organic Gardening
With Colleen Dieter
Calendar
Garden Talk, April 17:
Garden Design with
Diana Kirby
Garden Party, May 3rd:
Page 5
On March 20, appropriately, the first day of spring, Colleen
Dieter presented the garden talk on basic organic
gardening. Much of the talk centered around the use of
compost. Compost is the backbone of organic gardening. It
contains all of the basic nutrients the plants need to
survive. Fruits and vegetables are fast growing plants and
are huge feeders. In addition to nutrients, compost also
helps to aerate the soil. Over time, soil tends to compress,
making it hard for roots to penetrate and get air. Compost
also help the soil to hold moisture and helps plants to be
more drought tolerant. Another important ingredient of
compost is microbes, which continue to break down organic
matter in the soil (and even protect against ants!). The
objective is to grow healthy soil and then you’ll have
healthy plants.
How do you add compost? Surprisingly, there is no need to
till your soil! Simply add a few inches of
compost to the top of your bed and then plant.
Tilling should be reserved for breaking the
ground for a new garden. If planting root
vegetables, you may want to loosen the soil,
but tilling tends to break the larger pieces of
soil into pieces which are too small to trap air
and keep the soil loose. Whenever you plant
something new, simply add a little bit of
compost on top of that area and then plant—
no need to mix the compost in.
Some compost brands recommended by
Colleen are Revitalizer or Dr. Gobbler Turkey
Compost (which has high nitrogen content).
If the community garden were to buy in bulk,
the price would be about half.
If you are interested in using an organic
fertilizer, Colleen likes the granular type.
She recommends Microlife 8-4-6, Espoma
brand or Rabbit Hill Farms. Her favorite is
cotton seed meal, though it can be hard to
find. Read directions for application, but it is
very difficult to overdose with an organic
fertilizer.
We also talked briefly about how to properly
transplant a new plant. It is important to
carefully remove your plant from the plastic
pot by holding it upside down and gently
squeezing the pot so that it releases the plant.
Do not pull on the plant to get it out of the
pot. This will damage the stem. The next
step is to loosen the soil around the roots,
allowing the bottom third of the soil to simply
fall away. This helps to loosen roots that may
be “root bound” in small pots. Dig a hole
roughly the same size as the root ball, place
roots in the hole and gently cover with soil—
do not press hard, just pat the soil down and
then water.
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When planting very small seeds, like carrots
or lettuce, it is important that you don’t plant
them deeply. Simply scratch the surface of
the soil and sprinkle the seeds over the top.
Then gently pat them down and water. For
carrots, it is helpful to place damp burlap or
cloth over the top of the seeds to hold them in
place and keep them moist.
Using the proper tools is helpful.
A hand cultivator is useful for
scratching the surface of the soil to
plant seeds or to mix in fertilizer
in the top layer of the soil. A small
hand shovel (like a Japanese weeder—or a
shovel with a sharp edge) is useful for making
small holes the size of your root ball. One of
Colleen’s tips is to use tools with brightly
colored handles, so you can find them easily!
Lastly, we talked about seed storage. You
want to store seeds in airtight containers, like
mason jars and keep them in a temperature
controlled room in the house. If you have
room in the refrigerator, the crisper drawer
will keep seeds alive and fresh for years.
Recommended Reading
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Bugs
Have you
noticed these armored
looking bugs in your
plot? The adjacent
diagram depicts the life
cycle of our beloved lady
bug!
On a recent walk
through the garden,
Colleen pointed out
several in Francis’ plot
and informed us that
these somewhat scary
looking larvae on her
arugula were, in fact,
baby lady bugs!
Ladybug Feet Stink!
Adult wasps have evolved to
avoid the smell of the blend of
chemicals that ladybugs deposit
with each footprint they make.
This is because, wasps deposit
their offspring into aphids and
ladybugs will consume the wasp
offspring when they eat the
aphids.
Why We Love Ladybugs
Ladybug larvae will eat
approximately 400 aphids prior
to pupating. Adults will eat
more than 5,000 aphids during
their lifetime! Try to eliminate
ants prior to releasing lady
bugs, since ants will
aggressively protect sucking
insects like aphids, mealybugs,
and thrips, which produce a
honeydew that the ants feed
on.
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What to Plant in April
1-15
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Lima Beans
Snap Beans
Beets
Canteloupe
Chard
Sweet Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Okra
Black-eye Peas
Pepper Plants
Pumpkin
Radishes
New Zealand Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Tomato Plants
Watermelon
15-30
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Lima Beans
Snap Beans
Beets
Chard
Okra
Black-eye Peas
Pepper Plants
New Zealand Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potatoes
10 Mistakes New Gardeners Make
1. Overwatering—know your plant’s
needs.
2. Fertilizing—add only fish emulsion to
your tomatoes and get a big green plant
with no tomatoes!
3. Growing non-native species.
4. Not knowing your zone—we are Zone
8b
5. Growing from seed—transplanting
can be difficult, at first.
6. Plant lust—more is not better
7. Killing all the bugs—some are good!
8. Knowing your sun exposure—most
vegetables need 6 hours of full sun.
9. Avoiding weeding
10. Not preparing plots properly—e.g.,
not mulching!
Some Vegetables will tolerate 3-6
hours of sun or consistent dappled
shade:
Salad Greens
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Beets
Radishes
Swiss Chard
Leafy Green (collards,
spinach, kale, mustard
greens)
Beans
Brussels Sprouts
You Are Invited
To A Garden Party!
Join us May 3rd
at the Westbank Community Garden
9:30-11:00am
Bring a breakfast item to share and your
own large cup of coffee!
Juice will be provided
RSVP yes or no and how many will attend to Cathy at [email protected]
Colleen Dieter is available for consulting and advice for your
home landscape. Get a tour of your yard through the eyes of
an expert! Troubleshooting, plant recommendations, step by
step plans and landscape drawings available. $80 per hour.
Call 512-217-6955 or email
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Shaved Asparagus Salad
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(makes 4 servings)
Prep Time: 5 mins (from Weelicious.com)
Ingredients
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1 pound asparagus
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
1. 1. Place the asparagus flat on a cutting board, and
using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into thin ribbons. Hold down the
asparagus with your hand on the woody end and start shaving about 1 inch from the
bottom to avoid the fibrous section.
2. 2. Place the shaved asparagus in a bowl and top with the almonds and parmesan
cheese.
3. 3. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Drizzle on top of
the asparagus and toss to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
Coming Soon…
May 15th, Garden Talk:
Attracting Wild Birds by
Rick Stults from Wild Birds
Unlimited
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