Peace and Environment News* June 1995
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Peace and Environment News * June 1995 |
by Ann Cleary
 Ann Cleary |
Lawn care
May was so cold that little lawn care was needed. Lawns, like any other part of the garden, need warmth and moisture to grow. There was sporadic rain in some places, and some people have watered the sod to hasten that lovely green we all aim for, but little winter snow has meant a very dry soil deep down which only some heavy rains can cure.
By now, we should be into the grass mowing season again, and we want to get a respectable lawn without chemicals. For this you need to practice the following methods:
A lawn that is dense and kept high is less prone to disease and insect attack. The denseness also keeps out the weeds. Most authorities suggest the first mowing of the season should be less high to allow sunlight penetration. They also recommend a lower setting for the last mowing of the fall.
Window boxes and containers
If much of your gardening is in pots, containers or window boxes, as it well may be in the city, there are ways of making the best of these limited resources. I always grow radishes, lettuce and cress in window boxes as well as herbs such as parsley, sage and thyme. They are handy to the house at cooking time, and a container of rosemary can thrive outside all summer, coming indoors for winter, where it adds fragrance to a room. Some of its leaves can be dried for cooking or potpourri.
Whatever container you use outside, it must be as big as possible; those less than eight or ten inches in diameter dry out too quickly. A pot within a pot helps to retain moisture. Larger containers can be lined with plastic with holes punched in it for drainage. White plastic pots are considered the best. I always thought clay pots held moisture the best, but I am told this is not so. I shall continue to use them, as I don't like plastic, and clay is more environmentally friendly.
Don't use peat moss in your mix, as it dries out and is hard to wet again. Use fibrous compost, loam and leafmould (you can make the latter yourself in the fall each year). Lighten heavy soils with a little vermiculite or perlite for aeration. Mulch the soil, and keep it most but not too moist by watering through a pot or tube sunk through the mulch.
Try to shade containers from intense sun and wind. Both dry out the soil—the number one problem with containers. Some sort of screening should be devised. Grouping containers together and regular misting is a help. There are elaborate drip systems you can buy, but gardening should be a pleasure and the best results come from tender loving care. Of course, if you don't want to be bothered with keeping your container garden moist, you can always resort to cacti for the summer.
Planting
By now, the first early, cool hardy plants will be up if they were not devastated by frost, wind or dry soil. There was little snow melt this year and long periods virtually without rain. Wind is devastating to plants. It causes the stomata (essential to the food-making process) to close and shuts down leaf development. It also shatters leaves by creating dry soil that blows about, making holes in the leaves. Planting seeds and putting transplants in furrows in raised beds or on the ground will give some protection and conserve moisture in a dry year.
June should see the main crops seeded. Traditionally, potato planting day was May 23, a holiday for all but the children of farmers, who had to help out with the big task so essential for a staple food for Canadians. Nowadays, potatoes are being superseded by rice that is grown thousands of miles away. Early potatoes should be in by now, even in this late spring, and the medium and long-growing varieties can follow.
I have found that presoaking radish seeds a few hours before planting causes them to germinate quickly in the soil. Studies have found that seeds germinate better and yield better (especially radishes) if soaked in melted snow! Save this tip for next year, unless we get a freak storm in June. It has happened!
You can plant your seeds for fall crops such as brassicas at the end of this month and the beginning of next, in flats or in small sections in the ground, to be transplanted to permanent places later.
Ann Cleary is a member of Canadian Organic Growers, Ottawa Chapter. She will be pleased to answer questions from readers. Write to R.R. 1, Carleton Place, Ontario K7C 3P1, or call 613-257-1038.
Converted July 7, 2000 - Lg
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