Garden Talk: Harvesting Summer Vegetables, Starting Fall Vegetables

What: Garden Talk - Harvesting Summer Vegetables, Starting Fall Vegetables

When: Wednesday, August 17, 7pm

Where: Central Library Community Garden (east plaza near tennis courts), 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington Va.

Join Don Weber, USDA-ARS entomologist, to learn how, in the midst of the summer harvest, just a few minutes planting will reward you in September, October, and even November! You can extend your gardening with easy, nutritious fall-harvested crops. Our mild climate allows excellent late-season yields of broccoli, cabbage, bok choi, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and many other vegetables.

Win a yard full of plants – house included

Back in December, I wrote a post about DIY network’s Blog Cabin Sweepstakes. I love sweepstakes. I enter them all the time. And I’ve actually won WAY more than my share of good things. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to quit trying to win more!

Starting Monday, you can enter to win a renovated home on the Chesapeake Bay in Susan, Virginia, about 155 miles southeast of DC.

For the past five years, DIY Network has let viewers vote on various options to be included in a home that they build or remodel. At the end of the renovation, viewers can register to win the home.

Since this year’s home is on the Chesapeake Bay, when I first heard about the contest, I contacted Lisa Dyer of DIY Network to ask her if they were going to keep the beauty of the Bay in mind by incorporating Bay Friendly Landscaping.

No matter where you live in the DC area, your lawn and garden practices can have an impact on the Bay. But properties that are directly on the water, such as this one, have an almost immediate effect. Everything that goes into the ground on this property has the potential of finding its way into the Bay. So the use of eco-friendly landscaping is very important.

The premise of the show is that the network gives viewers the opportunity to vote on the options for the home. In December, Ms Dyer told me this:

I confirmed that we are indeed incorporating Bay-friendly landscaping choices into our Blog Cabin online voting. That polling period will be from Feb. 28 – March 13. While we don’t have specifics on what exact questions will be asked at this time, we will have confirmation around early to mid-February at the latest, so I will follow up with you then to provide the specifics.

Well, I forgot to pay attention to their website in Feb and March (and Ms Dyer forgot to follow up with me) so I don’t really know if they asked viewers about whether they should use Bay-friendly landscaping. But it looks like they are done with their landscaping now, so let’s see how they did.

The before photo (above) shows a huge expanse of lawn, and not much else. Not necessarily bad for the Bay, if you don’t use a lot of chemicals to keep it green or over-water it.

But the after photos look much better.

Looks like they used lots of mulch, perhaps a gravel or crushed shell driveway, and at least some of the plants are natives. According to the caption on their page “What About the Landscape” , we can :

Expect to see hollies, magnolias, petunias, grasses and long-blooming hydrangeas. Shrubs, trees and flowering plants were chosen for their drought tolerance, hardiness and color.

You be the judge? How did they do? If you won this house, would you keep these plantings or add new ones?

Wasting Water is Weird

When I first saw this public service campaign, I honestly didn't know what to say about it. I mean, other than it's really, really weird.

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has teamed up with Lowe's, Kohler, Bosch and P&G to remind people not to waste water. Their new campaign is called Wasting Water is Weird and it's already running online. It will soon launch on television as well. It’s an important message delivered by a guy named Rip the Drip, who shows up in people's homes to remind them that, well, wasting water is weird.

At first, I thought that it was a little TOO weird. Kind of creepy, even. But I guess that's the point. It will definitely stick in people's minds. The campaign is so weird, that it really might help remind people not to waste water. And it will certainly give the guy who plays Rip the Drip something interesting to list on his resume.

Sales of Imprelis Herbicide Halted. Refunds Planned

Over the past few weeks, several readers have contacted me and asked if I had heard about an herbicide named Imprelis. I had read about it, in passing, but hadn't had the time to look into it in depth.

What I originally read was that Imprelis herbicide, which was marketed as an environmentally friendly herbicide for professional use (landscape services, etc), was suspected in the deaths of thousands of Norway Spruces, eastern white pines, and other trees on lawns and golf courses across the country. (Source) 

I just got the chance to look into it further  and have discovered that DuPont, the manufacturer of Imprelis, has halted sales of the product and is planning a product return and refund program. Additionally, they have setup an entire website, called Imprelis Facts,  to answer questions about the product.

If you utilize a landscape service to maintain your lawn, you might want to ask them if they use Imprelis.

I tried to dig a little deeper and find out why it was first thought to be environmentally friendly. I only found a vague mention of it being "less" toxic to mammals.

I also thought it was interesting that, even though it was marketed as environmentally friendly, companies that applied the product were instructed to provide this notice to all of their customers:

Today we have treated your lawn with an innovative weed control product from DuPont. The product label requires that you do not use grass clippings from areas treated with Imprelis for mulching or compost, or allow for collection to composting facilities. Grass clippings must either be left on the treated area, or, if allowed by local yard waste regulations, disposed of in the trash.

As usual, my recommendation is to stay away from herbicides and other lawn chemicals whenever you can, even if they are listed as being more environmentally friendly.

Read More:

Changing Your Relationship With Weeds

Please Don't Poison My Planet

Beware of Second Hand Herbicides

City Blossoms Fall Internships

City Blossoms is seeking energetic, creative, garden-loving individuals to promote access to interactive, holistically healthy green spaces for all urban citizens.

City Blossoms' programming includes regular weekly workshops at several locations in Washington, D.C., and Takoma Park, as well as family-oriented weekend events, volunteer days and various community celebrations.

City Blossoms would like to hire three interns in the areas of administrative support, communications & outreach, and instruction. Must be available to work weekdays and Saturdays. Internship includes hands-on experience in community building through dynamic, multi-purpose green spaces.

A small stipend is provided for successful completion of this internship. Potential for part-time employment is contingent on the completion of this internship. Applicants with access to a car are highly desired. Please send your resume with a cover letter that includes qualifications specific to one of the three opportunities to Lola Bloom lola@cityblossoms.org or Rebecca Lemos Rebecca@cityblossoms.org

Washington Youth Garden Hiring

The Washington Youth Garden is a non-profit garden and environmental science education organization located on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. They are currently seeking people for several positions. 

The Education Assistant position is a part-time (30 hrs/week) professional 3-month position that will support the Washington Youth Garden's Education Coordinator and other WYG staff in the execution and advancement of WYG's Garden Science program.  Via the Garden Science program, the WYG partners with local elementary schools to provide environmental science and nutrition education.  Key components: 1) an interactive eight week garden-based curriculum for third and fourth grade classes;  2) the development, installation, education and management of edible school gardens;  3) a full day field experience to the WYG in May for each school;  and 4) teacher trainings and parent orientations.   

 For additional details and application instructions please visit this page on the Washington Youth Garden website: Education Assistant

WYG is also hiring a Garden Manager. The Garden Manager is responsible for planning, designing and overseeing the maintenance of a ¾-acre demonstration and production garden used for WYG educational programs, workshops, trainings and U.S. National Arboretum visitors. 

For additional details on the Garden Manager position please visit: Garden Manager

Taming the natives - or at least our views about them

I read another wonderful post on Thomas Rainer's blog, Grounded Design, today. The post, entitled "Native Plants and the Wild Look" is written in Mr. Rainer's consistently eloquent style and makes some great points about the use of native plants in a landscape.

I've long thought that many gardeners give native plants a "bad name" because they think that natives should be allowed to grow unkempt and untamed. I feel that this is going to discourage gardeners with an eye for a more structured landscape from even considering native plants.

Rainer addresses some of these issues in his post, but as usual, presents them in a writing style that is so engaging that I find myself appreciating the words as much as the wisdom.

Here are some excerpts, but I encourage you to visit Rainer's blog to read the whole post: 

Excerpts from Native Plants and the Wild Look, by Thomas Rainer  

I have a conflicted relationship with wildness. 

When I think about the sea of lawns and generic plantings that dominate our built landscapes, when I reflect on how quickly our native woodlands are disappearing, I yearn for more wildness. In many ways, our landscapes are too tidy. Our shrubs are too clipped, our lawns too manicured, our planted spaces too restrained. Despite recent progress with more sustainable gardens, the McLandscape is still the dominant form in our country…. 

While I praise wildness on the one hand, I am concerned that it has become the de rigueur of native gardens these days. It is as if a native garden, by definition, must be wild and sprawling. To create a native garden is not only a statement against exotic plants, but it is a statement against traditional garden forms altogether. Almost all of the sustainable landscape techniques, including rain gardens, bioswales, and green roofs—have adopted a wild aesthetic…. 

My second problem with the wild look is my fear that we’re turning the public away from using native plants. When native plants are associated with a wild, chaotic landscape, we narrow their potential adoption in built landscapes. Yes, I do think the American public needs to adopt an aesthetic that permits a bit of wildness, spontaneity, and heck—even a bit of sloppiness. But the way to do that is not to replace our front lawns with a tall grass prairie. We do that by creating native gardens that fit into traditional or contemporary garden forms.

 It's a great post, on a great blog. Check it out!

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees - Or Does It?

Sure the economy concerns me, but probably not as much as it concern others. Why?

Because I know that money loves me. Money doesn’t just love me. It is obsessed with me. Money stalks me. It sits up at night trying to find ways to catch my eye and come home with me.

Okay. I know those statements are a little extreme, but I’ve read a lot of books about the secret to using positive affirmations to get what you want, and those are the ones that I have made up to help attract money.

I also collect 4-leaf clovers and acorns and other items that are supposed to attract prosperity and even painted one room in my house money green, using the color matching machine at the hardware store and a hundred dollar bill.

Oh yeah. And I’ve been saving money since I was 14 and I’m as frugal as a packrat.

Still, we all need to be concerned about our finances. So in addition to scrimping and saving and cutting out all the extras in life that we don’t really need, here is some info I gleaned around the internet for things that are supposed to help attract prosperity:  

Plants :

• Money plant tree (Pachira Aquatica) is a houseplant that is said to attract wealth and prosperity, and bring good luck to those who have it. There are many places suitable for placing a money plant tree, however the most ideal places include areas where money is kept, such as cash registers and safe deposit boxes. Source
• Jade Plant (Crassula ovata) (pictured) . The Jade plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. It's flat round leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree. (Source)
• Fruit Trees. Small orange, lemon or lime trees also contain money-drawing properties and are ideal to place in this sector. (Source)
• Dead or withering plants: BAD for prosperity. Anything obviously decomposing is antithetical to the energy of prosperity and should be removed.(Source)

Herbs and Spices: (source)

• Alfalfa – Known traditionally as the “good luck” herb.
• Allspice –It is thought to attract business luck or success.
• Bayberry – Bayberry candles or incense “bring luck to the home and puts money in the pocket.”
• Basil – Soaking basil leaves in water for three days and then sprinkling the water at your business premises is thought to attract financial success.
• Bay Leaves – Bay leaves increase intuition and are good if you are looking for a promotion or a job. Tuck some under your mattress or boil them and sprinkle the water around your home.
• Chamomile – Washing your hands in chamomile tea is thought to bring gamblers luck. Drinking the tea is thought to bring luck and prosperity.
• Cloves – Cloves can be burned on charcoal, tucked in a sachet or put in your purse to draw money. An ancient money and protection ritual is to stick an orange with the heads of cloves stuck on pins and hang it on a ribbon in the kitchen so your cupboards are never bare.
• Cinnamon: A very handy kitchen spice that can be used “in a pinch” to bring quick money, it can be bought as incense or burned on charcoal or sprinkled in a cash register or wallet to bring business.
• Citronella: The leaves are thought to be good for attracting business.
• Five-Finger Grass (also known as Cinquefoil): This lemony grass can be burned, hid in a potpourri or carried on your person. It is the standard ingredient in most money drawing incenses.
• Honeysuckle: The live and dried flowers are used to attract luck business and prosperity.
• Juniper Berries: Associated with Jupiter, the berries of the juniper tree are said to attract luck, good fortune and business success.
• Mint: All the mints (spearmint, peppermint) are used to attract good spirits and speed good fortune to the bearer.
• Strawberry Leaves: Carried on the person and used to draw fortunate circumstances into a person’s life.
• Squill Root: If you can find this, it is said to be one of the most powerful roots used to draw money to the bearer.

Feng Shui Elements for Prosperity (source)

• Water is the main element that brings wealth to your home. Water should always be clear, moving and free flowing. Never let your water get stagnant. A fish tank is one way to stimulate your wealth areas. Make sure fish are healthy and strong and always keep the tank clean. A fountain is also a great way to keep your abundance flowing.
• Enhance your wealth corners by hanging wind chimes, a mobile, or by hanging Chinese coins tied together with a red ribbon (if you do this make sure you use coins in the increments of 3, 6, or 8 with 8 being the most powerful money manifesting number).
• Add some plants with round leaves to your home. This is another good way to enhance your wealth area, according to feng shui guidelines. If the plants have red or purple flowers that is even better.
• Paint for prosperity. The best colors for the wealth area are green, red, purple, black and gold, with the most effective colors being red and green.
• Make sure your plumbing is in good working order. A dripping faucet is symbolically and literally money going down the drain. You should also keep your drains plugged when not in use. This keeps money in your possession. You do not want to accumulate wealth then have it go down the drain.
• Close toilet lids. You don’t want to flush your money down the toilet.
• Incorporate feng shui elements outside your home, in your yard, to attract wealth and prosperity. A fountain can be placed in front of your home; the water should flow inward towards your home. Place a windmill, weathervane, or any moving, spinning object in the far left corner of your backyard to stimulate energy and attract wealth.

Now if you don’t believe in any of that hooey, you can always go bury some of your money in the backyard until things in the stock market decide to settle down again.

If you do decide to bury your money, make sure that you do it correctly. You need to make sure you use a container that won’t fall apart underground. Old-timers used to use mason jars, but I found something that looks like a better solution :

Although it might seem excessively paranoid to some, Burying your cash might be the most bulletproof way of hiding cash. Using cache tubes involves getting some 6″ to 8″ PVC drain tubing several feet long, with two threaded end caps. Your stash can be placed in several plastic baggies, and then the end caps can be epoxied in place, or sealed with extreme pressure wheel bearing grease, both of which are also available at your local hardware store. This type of tubing, made out of PVC,is strong enough to withstand most natural elements, such as corrosives, salts and water. All one has to do, is to use a common pot hole digger to create a good hole to bury the tube. If you are burying money, make sure it is wrapped in layers of zip lock bags and throw in a silica pack from the inside of vitamin or supplement containers to avoid mildew or similar smells. (Source)

Summer Veggies and Herbs - Garden Talk, August 3rd

Garden Talk: Summer Veggies and Herbs

Wednesday, August 3, 7 p.m.

Central Library Community Garden (east plaza near tennis courts), 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22201

Cooking straight from the garden. We’ll see, smell and taste some of the great vegetables and herbs of summer with Puwen Lee of AFAC and the Library gardeners! Come see how to grow, harvest, and use tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, cucumbers, summer squash, basil, and other plants of the summer garden. It doesn’t get any fresher than straight from the garden!

Deer Resistent Plants - Great List on Washington Gardener Magazine Blog

I'm such a nature lover that is a tough moral dilemma for me sometimes when it comes to trying to deter wildlife from my gardens. But no matter how much you love the thought of waking up and spotting a few deer slowly making their way across your property, once they start eating your plants, that love can quickly turn to loathing.

Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, recently polled her readers and asked them what some of their favorite deer-resistent plants are. She received quite a few responses, and I image the list will keep growing as other local gardeners add their comments.

If you want to add to the list, or read the suggestions of others, visit Kathy's blog post: Favorite Deer Resistent Plants.