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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Uses for Pine Needles

Many, many people want to know what to do with pine needles. Since I first wrote about using pine needles in the garden a year ago, ("What to Do With Pine Needles", December 15, 2010), that article has been read by hundreds of people looking for help with the common problem of too many needles in autumn. This year I expand on the topic by offering more uses for pine needles, some that I do and others that I found through research.

A yearly chore

First, using pine needles as a mulch is the best way to use large quantities of the pesky things. I have about a dozen large Ponderosa Pine trees around the house and can use all of the needles as a weed-reducing covering on my garden paths. I dump the pine needles by the wheelbarrow load between my raised beds. It helps that I have a large garden and plenty of paths that need weed suppression. With normal gardening activities the pine needles are compressed and broken down by mid summer and I usually desire more. If you have more needles than garden paths, consider saving them in bags for additional summer mulch applications.

My strawberries are mulched exclusively with pine needles. They're the best mulch I've found for plants like strawberries that are perennial and benefit when their fruit rests above the soil. The stiff pine needles allow plenty of air and water to reach the soil and don't compact when left undisturbed. The strawberry runners are able to dive beneath the needles and root, creating new sister plants. Many other garden plants can benefit from pine needles or a combination mulch along with straw.

Strawberries and pine needles

Another use for pine needles offers an indirect benefit for gardens. Beekeepers use smoke to control their bees as they inspect and manage their hives. Pine needles are virtually perfect as the fuel in metal smokers. Many beekeepers budget the cost of fuel, often burlap or cotton, into their beekeeping and would welcome the opportunity for free fuel. Contact your local beekeepers association or beekeepers you may know and offer them a bag of pine needles as smoker fuel.

Along the same lines, pine needles are great fire starters. For our outdoor fire pit it's easy to grab a few handfuls of pine needles from the nearest tree when I'm layering the kindling and wood; there's no need for newspaper. For indoor fireplaces, pine needles can play the same role. To avoid the mess of loose pine needles all over the hearth, using thread I bundle the needles into little wands to supplement kindling wood. For a rustic decoration the wands can be stacked along with cut wood near the fireplace. Pine needles will burn quickly so they're best when partnered with other basic fire starting components.

Easy pine needle fire starters

If you plan to go to the trouble of tying pine needles into bundles, consider using them as sachets. Fresh pine needles have more pine fragrance but can be mixed with dried needles to make a decorative, fragrant, long-lasting home accessory. Hung in a closet, they'll quickly make it smell like a forest. Wrapped in a sachet bag, they can add fragrance to drawers, closets, and even automobiles; why buy a paper, fake tree to hang from your rear view mirror when you can have the real thing.

Expanding on the needles-in-a-bag concept, create outdoor pillows and mattresses. Using sturdy, weather-resistant fabric, sew large bags and stuff them with pine needles. Similar to straw mattresses commonly used for hundreds of years, these equivalents can work well on a patio or outdoor deck area. They will be slow to break down and should hold their shape and cushion for a long time. If the fabric material is plastic, thick, or used with an internal barrier, the pointy tips shouldn't protrude.

You can also make tea with pine needles, primarily fresh ones. I stumbled across this use on the internet but haven't tried it. Some holistic medicine practitioners say pine needles offer health benefits and are high in Vitamin C. Before you try it I'd recommend conducting your own research to confirm it's what you want. There are many sites out there with more information about pine needle tea.

Start a pine needle compost pile. Last year I raked many piles of needles and used most of them, but one pile remained in an out-of-the-way corner of my yard. I raked in fall and in early summer I finally got around to using the pile, to replenish the mulch on my garden paths. Imagine my surprise when I began lifting the pile into my wheelbarrow and discovered that the inside and base of the pile was fully decomposed into nice, black compost. The snow, rain, and mass of the pile had effectively composted it. If you have more needles than you can use, put them in an area that will receive plenty of moisture and let them decompose.

For the truly crafty people, make a pine needle doll. Raffia and straw are often used in bundles that are bent and wrapped to create the doll's head. Long pine needles that aren't too dry can be used the same way. Once the head is formed a simple cloth dress completes the doll.

While many people with pine needles would prefer they just disappear, with a little effort and ingenuity you can wile away a winter's day by using pine needles creatively. If you have another use for pine needles let me know. I'm looking forward to what next year's pine needle article can offer.

Go to "What to Do With Pine Needles."



Many, many people want to know what to do with pine needles. Since I first wrote about using pine needles in the garden a year ago, ("What to Do With Pine Needles", December 15, 2010), that article has been read by hundreds of people looking for help with the common problem of too many needles in autumn. This year I expand on the topic by offering more uses for pine needles, some that I do and others that I found through research.

A yearly chore

First, using pine needles as a mulch is the best way to use large quantities of the pesky things. I have about a dozen large Ponderosa Pine trees around the house and can use all of the needles as a weed-reducing covering on my garden paths. I dump the pine needles by the wheelbarrow load between my raised beds. It helps that I have a large garden and plenty of paths that need weed suppression. With normal gardening activities the pine needles are compressed and broken down by mid summer and I usually desire more. If you have more needles than garden paths, consider saving them in bags for additional summer mulch applications.

My strawberries are mulched exclusively with pine needles. They're the best mulch I've found for plants like strawberries that are perennial and benefit when their fruit rests above the soil. The stiff pine needles allow plenty of air and water to reach the soil and don't compact when left undisturbed. The strawberry runners are able to dive beneath the needles and root, creating new sister plants. Many other garden plants can benefit from pine needles or a combination mulch along with straw.

Strawberries and pine needles

Another use for pine needles offers an indirect benefit for gardens. Beekeepers use smoke to control their bees as they inspect and manage their hives. Pine needles are virtually perfect as the fuel in metal smokers. Many beekeepers budget the cost of fuel, often burlap or cotton, into their beekeeping and would welcome the opportunity for free fuel. Contact your local beekeepers association or beekeepers you may know and offer them a bag of pine needles as smoker fuel.

Along the same lines, pine needles are great fire starters. For our outdoor fire pit it's easy to grab a few handfuls of pine needles from the nearest tree when I'm layering the kindling and wood; there's no need for newspaper. For indoor fireplaces, pine needles can play the same role. To avoid the mess of loose pine needles all over the hearth, using thread I bundle the needles into little wands to supplement kindling wood. For a rustic decoration the wands can be stacked along with cut wood near the fireplace. Pine needles will burn quickly so they're best when partnered with other basic fire starting components.

Easy pine needle fire starters

If you plan to go to the trouble of tying pine needles into bundles, consider using them as sachets. Fresh pine needles have more pine fragrance but can be mixed with dried needles to make a decorative, fragrant, long-lasting home accessory. Hung in a closet, they'll quickly make it smell like a forest. Wrapped in a sachet bag, they can add fragrance to drawers, closets, and even automobiles; why buy a paper, fake tree to hang from your rear view mirror when you can have the real thing.

Expanding on the needles-in-a-bag concept, create outdoor pillows and mattresses. Using sturdy, weather-resistant fabric, sew large bags and stuff them with pine needles. Similar to straw mattresses commonly used for hundreds of years, these equivalents can work well on a patio or outdoor deck area. They will be slow to break down and should hold their shape and cushion for a long time. If the fabric material is plastic, thick, or used with an internal barrier, the pointy tips shouldn't protrude.

You can also make tea with pine needles, primarily fresh ones. I stumbled across this use on the internet but haven't tried it. Some holistic medicine practitioners say pine needles offer health benefits and are high in Vitamin C. Before you try it I'd recommend conducting your own research to confirm it's what you want. There are many sites out there with more information about pine needle tea.

Start a pine needle compost pile. Last year I raked many piles of needles and used most of them, but one pile remained in an out-of-the-way corner of my yard. I raked in fall and in early summer I finally got around to using the pile, to replenish the mulch on my garden paths. Imagine my surprise when I began lifting the pile into my wheelbarrow and discovered that the inside and base of the pile was fully decomposed into nice, black compost. The snow, rain, and mass of the pile had effectively composted it. If you have more needles than you can use, put them in an area that will receive plenty of moisture and let them decompose.

For the truly crafty people, make a pine needle doll. Raffia and straw are often used in bundles that are bent and wrapped to create the doll's head. Long pine needles that aren't too dry can be used the same way. Once the head is formed a simple cloth dress completes the doll.

While many people with pine needles would prefer they just disappear, with a little effort and ingenuity you can wile away a winter's day by using pine needles creatively. If you have another use for pine needles let me know. I'm looking forward to what next year's pine needle article can offer.

Go to "
What to Do With Pine Needles."



Saturday, November 26, 2011

Seed Catalog Troubles

While children trumpet the news of retail store Christmas displays in October, people of a certain age cringe at the unabashed consumerism and may resent the obvious effort to expand the holiday buying season into the Halloween time frame. I'm beginning to feel the same way about seed catalogs.

Last year I shared my thoughts about the excitement of receiving the first seed catalog of the season. That was in December. Along with the holiday gift circulars and catalogs arriving in the mail and newspaper, I've always felt a little giddy as I intersperse dreaming of new seeds along with the surprises to come under the Christmas tree.

After the excitement of the holidays, many gardeners begin planning the next season's gardens, choosing seeds, and preparing for growing plants inside just after the new year begins. Though winter is just beginning to deepen, spring will soon be a reality. Perusing the seed catalogs of December is timely.

Imagine my consternation when the seed catalogs began arriving in October, along with the Christmas displays creeping into the toy and candy aisles of local stores. At first it was just a curiosity because one of the first catalogs was from a company I hadn't done business with before. Then like feral cats at the back door of a generous old woman, another catalog appeared. And another.

The second week of November four different seed catalogs were delivered in the mail on four different days. Granted, I buy a lot of seeds and am probably perceived as a good customer. But my knowledge of marketing tells me that my good name was sold to new merchants who are now trying to beat their competition to the cash register by inundating me with new, glossy pages filled with enticing gardening pictures.

That troubles me. First, they're too early. I'm still cleaning up beds and putting away tools and lamenting the fading green of the last stalwart plants. It's not time to think about what seeds I'll be planting six months from now. Second, I like to think of myself as a loyal customer to quality companies and the obvious ploy to steal my loyalty by these new pretenders is an affront to my character. Then again, it had to be at least one of those quality companies that sold my name in the first place.

Most troubling is that some of the catalogs are appealing. There are interesting, new opportunities. The catalog from "Totally Tomatoes" is filled with a few hundred choices of, you guessed it, tomatoes. "Pinetree Garden Seeds" has 130 pages of everything imaginable that is garden related including soap making supplies, an arena in which my wife is actively participating.

Intertwined with the excitement of considering the possibility of trying a new hybrid tomato is the annoyance that I'm thinking about it in early November, a full five months before I can even begin to sow seeds indoors, and at least seven months before warm season plants stand a chance of surviving in my garden outside.

I'm a creature of habit and there are things that I prefer to do at certain times. The gardening calendar year has been pretty consistent for me over the years and it seems to be working fine. I'm always willing to try new things and strive for experimental gardening opportunities each growing season, but I have little control over the weather and climate. Asking me to purchase seeds before Thanksgiving, before the twenty-first of December, doesn't work for me.

There are other gardeners with a different gardening calendar than mine. Many regions warm earlier and plant sooner. November and December seed buying may make sense for them, but it doesn't for me.

I like to think that a seed company with my best interest in mind, with the truly personal service that so many of them espouse, would know that my Colorado address cannot support tomato considerations six or seven months early. Gladly, I haven't received seed catalogs from the companies that I was so pleased with last year.

I ordered most of my seeds online last year from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and Territorial Seed Company.  While some of the plants didn't perform as well as hoped, I was very pleased with the quality of their seeds. Neither has sent a catalog yet and I appreciate that. They may not be the culprits who sold my name to another company. I also ordered seeds from Gurney's, and Gurney's has already sent me two catalogs, one the same week as the other new ones. That is suspicious activity.

As I usually do, I'll begin looking at seed catalogs a few weeks before Christmas and start developing my garden plans in January. The new seed catalogs will be in a pile waiting along with all others that arrive in my mailbox between now and then. I'll try not to feel too much animosity toward the seed companies that tried to get me to act impulsively too soon. I recognize that they're trying to make a buck in a tough business.

A point to all of this is that a gardener shouldn't feel pressure to disregard proven gardening timelines, especially by unknown companies that suddenly pop into the mail delivery. Glossy catalogs and fancy claims are designed to get us to act impulsively. While they may have quality products, aggressive tactics should be seen for what they are. Buy from proven providers, online and local. Recognize when a source understands about you and your specific gardening needs.

I look forward to seed catalogs each year just as I look forward to the Christmas season. It sure would be nice if both didn't begin in October.
While children trumpet the news of retail store Christmas displays in October, people of a certain age cringe at the unabashed consumerism and may resent the obvious effort to expand the holiday buying season into the Halloween time frame. I'm beginning to feel the same way about seed catalogs.

Last year I shared my thoughts about the excitement of receiving the first seed catalog of the season. That was in December. Along with the holiday gift circulars and catalogs arriving in the mail and newspaper, I've always felt a little giddy as I intersperse dreaming of new seeds along with the surprises to come under the Christmas tree.

After the excitement of the holidays, many gardeners begin planning the next season's gardens, choosing seeds, and preparing for growing plants inside just after the new year begins. Though winter is just beginning to deepen, spring will soon be a reality. Perusing the seed catalogs of December is timely.

Imagine my consternation when the seed catalogs began arriving in October, along with the Christmas displays creeping into the toy and candy aisles of local stores. At first it was just a curiosity because one of the first catalogs was from a company I hadn't done business with before. Then like feral cats at the back door of a generous old woman, another catalog appeared. And another.

The second week of November four different seed catalogs were delivered in the mail on four different days. Granted, I buy a lot of seeds and am probably perceived as a good customer. But my knowledge of marketing tells me that my good name was sold to new merchants who are now trying to beat their competition to the cash register by inundating me with new, glossy pages filled with enticing gardening pictures.

That troubles me. First, they're too early. I'm still cleaning up beds and putting away tools and lamenting the fading green of the last stalwart plants. It's not time to think about what seeds I'll be planting six months from now. Second, I like to think of myself as a loyal customer to quality companies and the obvious ploy to steal my loyalty by these new pretenders is an affront to my character. Then again, it had to be at least one of those quality companies that sold my name in the first place.

Most troubling is that some of the catalogs are appealing. There are interesting, new opportunities. The catalog from "Totally Tomatoes" is filled with a few hundred choices of, you guessed it, tomatoes. "Pinetree Garden Seeds" has 130 pages of everything imaginable that is garden related including soap making supplies, an arena in which my wife is actively participating.

Intertwined with the excitement of considering the possibility of trying a new hybrid tomato is the annoyance that I'm thinking about it in early November, a full five months before I can even begin to sow seeds indoors, and at least seven months before warm season plants stand a chance of surviving in my garden outside.

I'm a creature of habit and there are things that I prefer to do at certain times. The gardening calendar year has been pretty consistent for me over the years and it seems to be working fine. I'm always willing to try new things and strive for experimental gardening opportunities each growing season, but I have little control over the weather and climate. Asking me to purchase seeds before Thanksgiving, before the twenty-first of December, doesn't work for me.

There are other gardeners with a different gardening calendar than mine. Many regions warm earlier and plant sooner. November and December seed buying may make sense for them, but it doesn't for me.

I like to think that a seed company with my best interest in mind, with the truly personal service that so many of them espouse, would know that my Colorado address cannot support tomato considerations six or seven months early. Gladly, I haven't received seed catalogs from the companies that I was so pleased with last year.

I ordered most of my seeds online last year from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and Territorial Seed Company.  While some of the plants didn't perform as well as hoped, I was very pleased with the quality of their seeds. Neither has sent a catalog yet and I appreciate that. They may not be the culprits who sold my name to another company. I also ordered seeds from Gurney's, and Gurney's has already sent me two catalogs, one the same week as the other new ones. That is suspicious activity.

As I usually do, I'll begin looking at seed catalogs a few weeks before Christmas and start developing my garden plans in January. The new seed catalogs will be in a pile waiting along with all others that arrive in my mailbox between now and then. I'll try not to feel too much animosity toward the seed companies that tried to get me to act impulsively too soon. I recognize that they're trying to make a buck in a tough business.

A point to all of this is that a gardener shouldn't feel pressure to disregard proven gardening timelines, especially by unknown companies that suddenly pop into the mail delivery. Glossy catalogs and fancy claims are designed to get us to act impulsively. While they may have quality products, aggressive tactics should be seen for what they are. Buy from proven providers, online and local. Recognize when a source understands about you and your specific gardening needs.

I look forward to seed catalogs each year just as I look forward to the Christmas season. It sure would be nice if both didn't begin in October.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

A Gardener's Thanksgiving

Today is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Traditionally it's a day for sharing time with friends and family, eating too much delicious food, watching hours of football on television, and being thankful for the things in life that too often we overlook every other day of the year. 

I'll join the millions of Americans who pause to give thanks on this day. I have much to be thankful for and expect to share some of those thoughts with the friends we're dining with today. My list includes good health, a lovely and loving wife, beautiful and intelligent children, a wonderful energetic grandson, and another grandchild on the way. These, or similar sentiments, are the typical thankful subjects heard around the Thanksgiving table.

The friends we're joining for our Thanksgiving celebration happen to be fellow master gardeners. While much of our conversation this afternoon will center around gardening, I doubt that any of us will single out gardening as one of the things we are thankful for. We probably won't offer thanks for being a gardener.

Gardening is a central component in our daily lives and I suspect that occasionally we lose sight of that importance. We take gardening for granted and on a day like today giving thanks for being a gardener may seem similar to giving thanks for our brown hour or blue eyes. It's part of who we are.

Gardening is not always perceived as an external subject or object to identify for gratitude, particularly on a day devoted to giving thanks for things we usually fail to verbalize. The connection with nature, the planting and growing, the color and beauty, are all part of a gardener's daily encounters and each of us gives internal thanks every time we pause to watch a hummingbird flitting, pluck a fragrant, blooming rose, or taste a warm, sweet tomato in summer while surrounded by our maturing plants. Most of us share those experiences in conversation with fellow gardeners. We give thanks often.

Choosing to offer verbal gratitude on just one day a year does little to celebrate the importance that gardening plays in a gardener's life. Being a gardener is a mental state and a way of living. Few others choose to experience what we do and that realization helps make our activities more special.

We understand the special feeling of seeing garlic sprouts poke through the snow in fall and of spotting the first crocus poke through the snow in spring. We feel joy when the dry, bare roots of asparagus planted when the weather is still cool suddenly stand erect as little green spears just at the point we begin to question their survival a few months later. When the speechless beauty of lilies explode in color, just standing and soaking in the experience seems the natural and obvious thing to do.

Gardeners have much to be thankful for on this day and every day. We experience life. We give life and enjoy life. The positive aspects of gardening extend to every part of our personalities.

While our spouses and uninitiated acquaintances may wonder how we can talk for hours about soil and insects and new cultivars and helpful books and other gardeners, they can't fail to notice that we're conversing with exceptional interest, and motivation, and passion. The patterns of today's conversations will probably follow past trends: Cathie and Diane will gush over new offerings in catalogs and at nearby nurseries; Diane and I will lay out how we'll modify our plots this year; Cathie and I will share our respective gardening failures interspersed with successes; we'll all marvel at Barb's landscape while she reacts humbly.

That is one more thing gardeners have to be thankful for. We are a community, a fraternity, a fellowship of like-minded souls. Though we may not know the names of the flowers another gardener is talking about, we understand the importance of beauty in each of our lives. Gardening provides us the opportunity to create, share, and enjoy beauty.

In the great scheme of things, today isn't much different than any other day, but vocalizing gratitude to others helps identify to them the importance of each thing we highlight. Health, family, and friends are parts of my life that I am very grateful for. By comparison, the role of gardening may be deemed less important by others, but to me they're all valuable.

Today I give thanks that I'm a gardener.
Today is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Traditionally it's a day for sharing time with friends and family, eating too much delicious food, watching hours of football on television, and being thankful for the things in life that too often we overlook every other day of the year. 

I'll join the millions of Americans who pause to give thanks on this day. I have much to be thankful for and expect to share some of those thoughts with the friends we're dining with today. My list includes good health, a lovely and loving wife, beautiful and intelligent children, a wonderful energetic grandson, and another grandchild on the way. These, or similar sentiments, are the typical thankful subjects heard around the Thanksgiving table.

The friends we're joining for our Thanksgiving celebration happen to be fellow master gardeners. While much of our conversation this afternoon will center around gardening, I doubt that any of us will single out gardening as one of the things we are thankful for. We probably won't offer thanks for being a gardener.

Gardening is a central component in our daily lives and I suspect that occasionally we lose sight of that importance. We take gardening for granted and on a day like today giving thanks for being a gardener may seem similar to giving thanks for our brown hour or blue eyes. It's part of who we are.

Gardening is not always perceived as an external subject or object to identify for gratitude, particularly on a day devoted to giving thanks for things we usually fail to verbalize. The connection with nature, the planting and growing, the color and beauty, are all part of a gardener's daily encounters and each of us gives internal thanks every time we pause to watch a hummingbird flitting, pluck a fragrant, blooming rose, or taste a warm, sweet tomato in summer while surrounded by our maturing plants. Most of us share those experiences in conversation with fellow gardeners. We give thanks often.

Choosing to offer verbal gratitude on just one day a year does little to celebrate the importance that gardening plays in a gardener's life. Being a gardener is a mental state and a way of living. Few others choose to experience what we do and that realization helps make our activities more special.

We understand the special feeling of seeing garlic sprouts poke through the snow in fall and of spotting the first crocus poke through the snow in spring. We feel joy when the dry, bare roots of asparagus planted when the weather is still cool suddenly stand erect as little green spears just at the point we begin to question their survival a few months later. When the speechless beauty of lilies explode in color, just standing and soaking in the experience seems the natural and obvious thing to do.

Gardeners have much to be thankful for on this day and every day. We experience life. We give life and enjoy life. The positive aspects of gardening extend to every part of our personalities.

While our spouses and uninitiated acquaintances may wonder how we can talk for hours about soil and insects and new cultivars and helpful books and other gardeners, they can't fail to notice that we're conversing with exceptional interest, and motivation, and passion. The patterns of today's conversations will probably follow past trends: Cathie and Diane will gush over new offerings in catalogs and at nearby nurseries; Diane and I will lay out how we'll modify our plots this year; Cathie and I will share our respective gardening failures interspersed with successes; we'll all marvel at Barb's landscape while she reacts humbly.

That is one more thing gardeners have to be thankful for. We are a community, a fraternity, a fellowship of like-minded souls. Though we may not know the names of the flowers another gardener is talking about, we understand the importance of beauty in each of our lives. Gardening provides us the opportunity to create, share, and enjoy beauty.

In the great scheme of things, today isn't much different than any other day, but vocalizing gratitude to others helps identify to them the importance of each thing we highlight. Health, family, and friends are parts of my life that I am very grateful for. By comparison, the role of gardening may be deemed less important by others, but to me they're all valuable.

Today I give thanks that I'm a gardener.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Winter Watering

As fall turns to winter, many gardeners enter hibernation mode. The garden colors have faded, annuals have died, and perennials are muted in dormancy. With gardens quiet and at rest, it's easy for a gardener to enter the same pattern. This relaxation and lack of action can have a devastating effect on plants.

Many tree, grass, shrub, and perennial roots remain viable during cold weather. That means they still need water. In many regions snow fall and occasional rain are enough to provide adequate moisture but during and after prolonged bouts of dry weather or drought it's possible and likely that soil can dry out and the roots will be damaged. Any plant with a shallow root system is at threat and supplemental watering becomes a requirement if you want your plants to survive winter.

Lawns can be particularly susceptible to winter kill, the damage or death of plants in winter. Most cool season grasses can handle cold temperatures and snow cover, but when they encounter desiccating winds and sustained warm winter temperatures, dormant or semi-dormant turf grass can be injured and killed.

Light snow may not be enough for lawns

Newly-planted trees and shrubs are also susceptible to injury in the same weather conditions. They typically require more water than established plants until their root systems become strong enough to sustain them, a period that takes one to two years, and dry winter conditions can be deadly.

Perennials, particularly new transplants, that are exposed to winds and full sun can quickly dry out. Potted perennials are especially at risk.

Daisies can remain alive and green throughout winter

Watering in late fall, winter, and early spring should be a regular part of your gardening activities. Heavy snowfall mitigates the need, but watering may still be necessary. Snow in cold weather actually holds less moisture than commonly believed. Ten inches of snow at the peak of winter only holds about one inch of water. If your storms drop an inch or two of snow, there is hardly any moisture present and when brief snows are followed by long periods with no snow plants are effectively exposed to desert conditions.

Not every day is a good watering day, even if plants need it. You should only water when the outside air temperature is above 40F degrees (4C). The soil should not be frozen or covered with snow.

Also, try to water around noon. The air is above freezing and that will allow the water time to soak into the soil and avoid the possibility of freezing into an ice layer at night. Compacted soil, typical in many lawns, may need a second watering to ensure water soaks into the soil without running off.

Watering slowly by hand is usually the best method to help ensure the water soaks in. Soaker hoses and drip systems may be good during the warm season but in winter any residual water can freeze quickly, thaw slowly, and render them ineffective. A sprinkler on a hose works well for lawns, but be sure that the hose is completely drained after use or you'll encounter the same problem when you reach for it again.

Look closely at your landscape to identify areas that need supplemental winter water. Areas with south-facing walls can dry out quickly due to reflective heat. Snow can remain under the shade of a tree, but the roots can extend well beyond that into dry zones. High spots can receive more sun and wind and be the first to dry. Note where the snow melts first and that will probably be the same spot that needs extra water first. Mulched plants usually need less water but when the soil is dry beneath the mulch watering is needed.

Generally, trees need about ten gallons (38 liters) for each inch (2.5 cm) diameter of the trunk. That means a four-inch thick (10 cm) tree requires forty gallons (150 liters) of water. Thankfully that amount only needs to be supplied once a month in winter; young trees may need two waterings. This ensures the water soaks in to the depth that the roots are growing in an area encompassing the drip zone and beyond. This is a total amount of water and can be reduced by the level of snow or rain.

Small, established shrubs (less than three feet or one meter high) require about five gallons (19 liters) of water per month. The amount increases to about 18 gallons (68 liters) to shrubs taller than six feet or two meters. Newly-planted shrubs need twice that amount.

Many established perennials can handle dry conditions for prolonged cold periods but when sustained warm winter days combine with dry weather, watering is advised. Potted plants will dry out faster and should be the first to receive supplemental water. The amount of water varies with the size of the plant so provide a good soaking once or twice a month. Plants that you put in the ground in fall will probably need at least twice that much.

Some herbs can stay green in winter after others are dead

You don't have to water in winter. Many plants have naturally adapted to varying winter conditions. But your garden plants may not be native to your region and probably don't have those natural adaptations. If you choose to avoid winter watering you're also choosing to place those plants under stress that can cause damage and death.

I've talked with many people who find large patches of turf dead in the spring. Others wonder why so many of their flowers or shrubs don't survive the winter. All around town I see trees where only half is alive and growing. This can all be attributed to winter kill. Sure, I live in a region with harsh, dry winters, but the solution for me and so many others is supplemental watering.

It takes extra effort to pull the hose out on a cool day, spend the time to water each plant, thoroughly drain the hose afterward, and put it all away, but for the two or three times it may be necessary over the course of winter it can save countless hours later. Pruning unnecessarily dead and damaged branches, replacing flowers and sod, and removing dried-out bushes is work that few gardeners look forward to doing. A simple application of water when plants need it most, in winter, can be a life saver, literally.
As fall turns to winter, many gardeners enter hibernation mode. The garden colors have faded, annuals have died, and perennials are muted in dormancy. With gardens quiet and at rest, it's easy for a gardener to enter the same pattern. This relaxation and lack of action can have a devastating effect on plants.

Many tree, grass, shrub, and perennial roots remain viable during cold weather. That means they still need water. In many regions snow fall and occasional rain are enough to provide adequate moisture but during and after prolonged bouts of dry weather or drought it's possible and likely that soil can dry out and the roots will be damaged. Any plant with a shallow root system is at threat and supplemental watering becomes a requirement if you want your plants to survive winter.

Lawns can be particularly susceptible to winter kill, the damage or death of plants in winter. Most cool season grasses can handle cold temperatures and snow cover, but when they encounter desiccating winds and sustained warm winter temperatures, dormant or semi-dormant turf grass can be injured and killed.

Light snow may not be enough for lawns

Newly-planted trees and shrubs are also susceptible to injury in the same weather conditions. They typically require more water than established plants until their root systems become strong enough to sustain them, a period that takes one to two years, and dry winter conditions can be deadly.

Perennials, particularly new transplants, that are exposed to winds and full sun can quickly dry out. Potted perennials are especially at risk.

Daisies can remain alive and green throughout winter

Watering in late fall, winter, and early spring should be a regular part of your gardening activities. Heavy snowfall mitigates the need, but watering may still be necessary. Snow in cold weather actually holds less moisture than commonly believed. Ten inches of snow at the peak of winter only holds about one inch of water. If your storms drop an inch or two of snow, there is hardly any moisture present and when brief snows are followed by long periods with no snow plants are effectively exposed to desert conditions.

Not every day is a good watering day, even if plants need it. You should only water when the outside air temperature is above 40F degrees (4C). The soil should not be frozen or covered with snow.

Also, try to water around noon. The air is above freezing and that will allow the water time to soak into the soil and avoid the possibility of freezing into an ice layer at night. Compacted soil, typical in many lawns, may need a second watering to ensure water soaks into the soil without running off.

Watering slowly by hand is usually the best method to help ensure the water soaks in. Soaker hoses and drip systems may be good during the warm season but in winter any residual water can freeze quickly, thaw slowly, and render them ineffective. A sprinkler on a hose works well for lawns, but be sure that the hose is completely drained after use or you'll encounter the same problem when you reach for it again.

Look closely at your landscape to identify areas that need supplemental winter water. Areas with south-facing walls can dry out quickly due to reflective heat. Snow can remain under the shade of a tree, but the roots can extend well beyond that into dry zones. High spots can receive more sun and wind and be the first to dry. Note where the snow melts first and that will probably be the same spot that needs extra water first. Mulched plants usually need less water but when the soil is dry beneath the mulch watering is needed.

Generally, trees need about ten gallons (38 liters) for each inch (2.5 cm) diameter of the trunk. That means a four-inch thick (10 cm) tree requires forty gallons (150 liters) of water. Thankfully that amount only needs to be supplied once a month in winter; young trees may need two waterings. This ensures the water soaks in to the depth that the roots are growing in an area encompassing the drip zone and beyond. This is a total amount of water and can be reduced by the level of snow or rain.

Small, established shrubs (less than three feet or one meter high) require about five gallons (19 liters) of water per month. The amount increases to about 18 gallons (68 liters) to shrubs taller than six feet or two meters. Newly-planted shrubs need twice that amount.

Many established perennials can handle dry conditions for prolonged cold periods but when sustained warm winter days combine with dry weather, watering is advised. Potted plants will dry out faster and should be the first to receive supplemental water. The amount of water varies with the size of the plant so provide a good soaking once or twice a month. Plants that you put in the ground in fall will probably need at least twice that much.

Some herbs can stay green in winter after others are dead

You don't have to water in winter. Many plants have naturally adapted to varying winter conditions. But your garden plants may not be native to your region and probably don't have those natural adaptations. If you choose to avoid winter watering you're also choosing to place those plants under stress that can cause damage and death.

I've talked with many people who find large patches of turf dead in the spring. Others wonder why so many of their flowers or shrubs don't survive the winter. All around town I see trees where only half is alive and growing. This can all be attributed to winter kill. Sure, I live in a region with harsh, dry winters, but the solution for me and so many others is supplemental watering.

It takes extra effort to pull the hose out on a cool day, spend the time to water each plant, thoroughly drain the hose afterward, and put it all away, but for the two or three times it may be necessary over the course of winter it can save countless hours later. Pruning unnecessarily dead and damaged branches, replacing flowers and sod, and removing dried-out bushes is work that few gardeners look forward to doing. A simple application of water when plants need it most, in winter, can be a life saver, literally.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Beginning Bird Watching

It's not often that home gardeners can compare themselves to Steve Martin, Jack Black, or Owen Wilson. The three actors recently starred as obsessive and competitive bird watchers in the film, "The Big Year", based on the book by Mark Obmascik. My wife and I enjoyed the movie recently and as we walked out of the theater I thought, I can do that. Not the actor part, but the bird part. They portray individuals who are fanatical about bird watching, and the concept of becoming a person who not only enjoys watching birds but seeks out new ones and keeps track of the experience is oddly appealing to me.

I've written about birds in the garden and some of the ways you can attract them and support their habitats. In my opinion, a garden isn't complete without the frenzied activities of birds, insects, and other wildlife. To date my bird knowledge is quite basic with a focus on the Robins, Doves, Jays, and Magpies that are easy to identify. Often a new bird makes a stopover in my garden and often I wonder what it is.

A Broad-Tailed Hummingbird

When I wrote about birds eating seeds in my garden last winter, it took over an hour for me to find an online source that was able to identify some of them as Common Grackles, a bird with which I was totally unfamiliar. Now I'm afraid that they may have been European Starlings.

That's because I'm the proud owner of "National Geographic Field Guide to Birds," the Colorado edition. My friend Deb suggested this book and it's a great addition to my gardening library. It is filled with beautiful photos of birds that inhabit my region and includes wonderful information about their behavior, habitats, and local sites. Did you know that the Common Raven is the largest perching bird in North America and is monogamous for life? I think that's interesting.

Gardeners have an inherent interest in nature or they wouldn't venture outside to practice their hobby or passion. Bird watching can make gardening more enjoyable. The National Geographic book points out, "Looking for and identifying birds will sharpen and heighten your perceptions... and you'll find that you notice everything else more acutely -- the terrain, the season, the weather, the plant life, other animal life."

Gardeners can miss the forest for the trees. We can become so focused on individual plants that we lose sight of the greater picture and how a our plants fit into nature as a whole. Taking a step back to look at and identify birds can help us identify our role, and our garden's role, on nature's stage.

I don't know how many of the 183 birds listed in the book visit my gardens on a regular basis. The field guide can fit in my pocket and includes a small box to check off birds as I see them so I can keep track. I'll never come close to observing the 745 birds recorded by the "winner" of the bird watching challenge in "The Big Year", but I've set a personal goal of 50 by the end of next year.

The National Geographic book's assessment of heightened perception through bird watching is accurate. To see a bird you have to watch the territory that it frequents. That means looking at trees, and bushes, and flowers, and grass. I do that as a gardener already, but now it is with more focus. When I see a rustle in a tree I wonder if it's a bird or a leaf. If it's a bird I watch it's activity, but if it's a leaf I find that I'm looking closer to identify it's shape and color and health.

There's no requirement for gardeners to know more about birds than the fundamental role they play in pollination, insect control, and seed propagation. Bird watching as a specified goal is a level or two above basic gardening activity. Learning the Linnaean taxonomy of plants is a similar goal. Adding a challenge to gardening can make it more interesting, even exciting.

Winter is a good time to kindle new interests in gardening. Physical activities are lessened which makes the season ideal for an increase in mental and intellectual activities. Educating myself about birds in my garden will help increase my awareness of the habitat and landscape of my gardens and a knowledgeable gardener is a better gardener.

A White-Crowned Sparrow in winter

National Geographic has a number of field guides for bird watching in many regions of North America. They also have a book for "Complete Birds of the World." I purchased a few other bird watching guides and I'll share my experiences as I determine which ones work best for me. My efforts won't be as a competitive bird watcher but as a gardener who is interested in birds.

Of course I'll take photos when I can. Birds are fascinating to observe and as seen in these bird guides they're usually quite photogenic. This should be a fun activity to occupy my time in winter and through the next year. How about you? What will you do to keep your gardening mind active?
It's not often that home gardeners can compare themselves to Steve Martin, Jack Black, or Owen Wilson. The three actors recently starred as obsessive and competitive bird watchers in the film, "The Big Year", based on the book by Mark Obmascik. My wife and I enjoyed the movie recently and as we walked out of the theater I thought, I can do that. Not the actor part, but the bird part. They portray individuals who are fanatical about bird watching, and the concept of becoming a person who not only enjoys watching birds but seeks out new ones and keeps track of the experience is oddly appealing to me.

I've written about birds in the garden and some of the ways you can attract them and support their habitats. In my opinion, a garden isn't complete without the frenzied activities of birds, insects, and other wildlife. To date my bird knowledge is quite basic with a focus on the Robins, Doves, Jays, and Magpies that are easy to identify. Often a new bird makes a stopover in my garden and often I wonder what it is.

A Broad-Tailed Hummingbird

When I wrote about birds eating seeds in my garden last winter, it took over an hour for me to find an online source that was able to identify some of them as Common Grackles, a bird with which I was totally unfamiliar. Now I'm afraid that they may have been European Starlings.

That's because I'm the proud owner of "National Geographic Field Guide to Birds," the Colorado edition. My friend Deb suggested this book and it's a great addition to my gardening library. It is filled with beautiful photos of birds that inhabit my region and includes wonderful information about their behavior, habitats, and local sites. Did you know that the Common Raven is the largest perching bird in North America and is monogamous for life? I think that's interesting.

Gardeners have an inherent interest in nature or they wouldn't venture outside to practice their hobby or passion. Bird watching can make gardening more enjoyable. The National Geographic book points out, "Looking for and identifying birds will sharpen and heighten your perceptions... and you'll find that you notice everything else more acutely -- the terrain, the season, the weather, the plant life, other animal life."

Gardeners can miss the forest for the trees. We can become so focused on individual plants that we lose sight of the greater picture and how a our plants fit into nature as a whole. Taking a step back to look at and identify birds can help us identify our role, and our garden's role, on nature's stage.

I don't know how many of the 183 birds listed in the book visit my gardens on a regular basis. The field guide can fit in my pocket and includes a small box to check off birds as I see them so I can keep track. I'll never come close to observing the 745 birds recorded by the "winner" of the bird watching challenge in "The Big Year", but I've set a personal goal of 50 by the end of next year.

The National Geographic book's assessment of heightened perception through bird watching is accurate. To see a bird you have to watch the territory that it frequents. That means looking at trees, and bushes, and flowers, and grass. I do that as a gardener already, but now it is with more focus. When I see a rustle in a tree I wonder if it's a bird or a leaf. If it's a bird I watch it's activity, but if it's a leaf I find that I'm looking closer to identify it's shape and color and health.

There's no requirement for gardeners to know more about birds than the fundamental role they play in pollination, insect control, and seed propagation. Bird watching as a specified goal is a level or two above basic gardening activity. Learning the Linnaean taxonomy of plants is a similar goal. Adding a challenge to gardening can make it more interesting, even exciting.

Winter is a good time to kindle new interests in gardening. Physical activities are lessened which makes the season ideal for an increase in mental and intellectual activities. Educating myself about birds in my garden will help increase my awareness of the habitat and landscape of my gardens and a knowledgeable gardener is a better gardener.

A White-Crowned Sparrow in winter

National Geographic has a number of field guides for bird watching in many regions of North America. They also have a book for "Complete Birds of the World." I purchased a few other bird watching guides and I'll share my experiences as I determine which ones work best for me. My efforts won't be as a competitive bird watcher but as a gardener who is interested in birds.

Of course I'll take photos when I can. Birds are fascinating to observe and as seen in these bird guides they're usually quite photogenic. This should be a fun activity to occupy my time in winter and through the next year. How about you? What will you do to keep your gardening mind active?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Gardening Lessons Learned

The end of the growing season is a good time to look back and reflect upon gardening lessons learned throughout the year. Albert Einstein is credited with this definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." While some people think we gardeners are insane to do what we do, there is little reason to prove them accurate by repeating actions in our gardens that we know will produce poor results.

Making a list of gardening successes, failures, and neutral actions helps identify the activities that may lead to insanity. By noting what hasn't worked, you can avoid pointless repetition and the rubber room. By noting what works and replicating it, you'll be perceived as another Einstein.

Starting tomatoes indoors was a great success

I recommend taking pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard and listing everything you noticed about your gardening that could prove useful for your next growing season. Ideally, you're keeping track of lessons learned throughout the season in a gardening journal. Try to be as specific and thorough as you can so the proper memory synapses fire when you read your list again in the future.

Dividing my daisies worked well

Here's a condensed version of my list:

- Buying seeds from heirloom seed companies online is cheaper than the little packets at box stores and provides many more choices.
- A meat thermometer works well as a soil temperature probe.
- Wall-o-water (and similar season extending products) really does work and gave a four-week head start on growing tomatoes.
- Starting seeds under a grow light isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
- Properly hardening off seedlings reduced my transplant loss rate to zero.
- Kale really grows well in my garden.
- An overhead sprinkler on a timer helped keep soil moist for seed germination.
- "Sweet 100" did better than any other tomatoes I planted.
- Of the many heirloom tomato varieties I tried, "Grace Lahman" did worst and "Caspian Pink" did best, but none of them produced much fruit before the first frost.
- Leeks do very well in my garden.
- Swiss chard does very well in my garden and doesn't taste bad at all.
- The germination of corn, squash, and green beans took almost four weeks.
- Butternut squash grew very well in my garden but needed a few more weeks to ripen when the frost hit.
- Deer found my garden and returned more than I expected.
- Even short-season melons didn't grow well in my garden.
- Every asparagus crown I planted grew; doing it right made a difference.
- Beets, carrots, and parsnips grow very well in my garden.
- Rabbit manure and used bedding take a long time to decompose.
- The wind was strong enough to rip the plastic on my mini-greenhouse hoops.
- Straw is an excellent mulch but drops seeds that require weeding of new straw plants.
- Hairy Vetch grows well as a green manure.

There are many more things I discovered this year. Some were confirmations of things I suspected, some were surprising results of experiments, some were serendipitous findings. I tried to make note of what I tried and what worked and what didn't. Most of it is documented for future articles.

Netting around a new plum tree kept the deer out

After you complete your list you can spent the off-season evaluating it. Decide if you want to repeat a planting that worked well. Decide if you want to try something again that didn't work, but with different preparation. Begin planning for new gardening efforts.

My list of gardening lessons learned will influence my gardening next year and every other. I've tried to grow melons in the past and never had any success; it's time to abandon that crop. "Sweet 100" is a tomato to grow more. I'll spend time next year starting seeds indoors and will use more wall-o-water-like plastic coverings to plant early. I think I can have success with corn, beans, and, squash if I cover the soil with plastic to heat it up days before I sow the seeds (this is where the signs of insanity begin to enter the picture).

There are some big garden projects ahead if I want to take them on. A deer-proof fence is needed if I want to avoid the damage they inflicted this year. My mini-greenhouse design is ideal for most areas but it doesn't stand up well to the 50, 60, and 70 mile-per-hour winds we get in late spring; a better plastic retention system is needed. Gophers broached my vegetable garden borders so I need to bury a barrier to keep them out.

Deer tracked right through the garden

By making a list and analyzing it, you can make your gardens better. I like to try new things and a list of gardening lessons learned helps me identify success and failure. There's nothing wrong with growing the same plants in the same plot year after year and by paying attention and noting your actions, even repetitive plantings can be improved upon.

If you're at the end of your season and the weather is getting colder, spend some time on a cold day to create your lessons learned list. If you're at the beginning of your season as the days grow warmer, keep track of things you try and what you learn along the way. Repeating this activity year after year is a nice way to avoid gardening insanity.

 
The end of the growing season is a good time to look back and reflect upon gardening lessons learned throughout the year. Albert Einstein is credited with this definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." While some people think we gardeners are insane to do what we do, there is little reason to prove them accurate by repeating actions in our gardens that we know will produce poor results.

Making a list of gardening successes, failures, and neutral actions helps identify the activities that may lead to insanity. By noting what hasn't worked, you can avoid pointless repetition and the rubber room. By noting what works and replicating it, you'll be perceived as another Einstein.

Starting tomatoes indoors was a great success

I recommend taking pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard and listing everything you noticed about your gardening that could prove useful for your next growing season. Ideally, you're keeping track of lessons learned throughout the season in a gardening journal. Try to be as specific and thorough as you can so the proper memory synapses fire when you read your list again in the future.

Dividing my daisies worked well

Here's a condensed version of my list:

- Buying seeds from heirloom seed companies online is cheaper than the little packets at box stores and provides many more choices.
- A meat thermometer works well as a soil temperature probe.
- Wall-o-water (and similar season extending products) really does work and gave a four-week head start on growing tomatoes.
- Starting seeds under a grow light isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
- Properly hardening off seedlings reduced my transplant loss rate to zero.
- Kale really grows well in my garden.
- An overhead sprinkler on a timer helped keep soil moist for seed germination.
- "Sweet 100" did better than any other tomatoes I planted.
- Of the many heirloom tomato varieties I tried, "Grace Lahman" did worst and "Caspian Pink" did best, but none of them produced much fruit before the first frost.
- Leeks do very well in my garden.
- Swiss chard does very well in my garden and doesn't taste bad at all.
- The germination of corn, squash, and green beans took almost four weeks.
- Butternut squash grew very well in my garden but needed a few more weeks to ripen when the frost hit.
- Deer found my garden and returned more than I expected.
- Even short-season melons didn't grow well in my garden.
- Every asparagus crown I planted grew; doing it right made a difference.
- Beets, carrots, and parsnips grow very well in my garden.
- Rabbit manure and used bedding take a long time to decompose.
- The wind was strong enough to rip the plastic on my mini-greenhouse hoops.
- Straw is an excellent mulch but drops seeds that require weeding of new straw plants.
- Hairy Vetch grows well as a green manure.

There are many more things I discovered this year. Some were confirmations of things I suspected, some were surprising results of experiments, some were serendipitous findings. I tried to make note of what I tried and what worked and what didn't. Most of it is documented for future articles.

Netting around a new plum tree kept the deer out

After you complete your list you can spent the off-season evaluating it. Decide if you want to repeat a planting that worked well. Decide if you want to try something again that didn't work, but with different preparation. Begin planning for new gardening efforts.

My list of gardening lessons learned will influence my gardening next year and every other. I've tried to grow melons in the past and never had any success; it's time to abandon that crop. "Sweet 100" is a tomato to grow more. I'll spend time next year starting seeds indoors and will use more wall-o-water-like plastic coverings to plant early. I think I can have success with corn, beans, and, squash if I cover the soil with plastic to heat it up days before I sow the seeds (this is where the signs of insanity begin to enter the picture).

There are some big garden projects ahead if I want to take them on. A deer-proof fence is needed if I want to avoid the damage they inflicted this year. My mini-greenhouse design is ideal for most areas but it doesn't stand up well to the 50, 60, and 70 mile-per-hour winds we get in late spring; a better plastic retention system is needed. Gophers broached my vegetable garden borders so I need to bury a barrier to keep them out.

Deer tracked right through the garden

By making a list and analyzing it, you can make your gardens better. I like to try new things and a list of gardening lessons learned helps me identify success and failure. There's nothing wrong with growing the same plants in the same plot year after year and by paying attention and noting your actions, even repetitive plantings can be improved upon.

If you're at the end of your season and the weather is getting colder, spend some time on a cold day to create your lessons learned list. If you're at the beginning of your season as the days grow warmer, keep track of things you try and what you learn along the way. Repeating this activity year after year is a nice way to avoid gardening insanity.