It's May long weekend, it's Manitoba and it's raining - predictable and familiar - they go together like Larry, Curly and Moe. One of the truly beautiful things about getting older is that you have enough summers behind you to recognize trends, and you can start to avoid the unnecessary let-downs of things beyond your control.
Who decided the May long weekend was for camping and frolicking in the backyard anyway? For me, its an opportunity to stock up on Shiraz, procure a good book and luxuriate by my picture window while mother nature greens up my lawn. It's also a great time to get out the gardening books, draw a schematic of the yard and plan, plan, plan.
Think like Annie: "The sun'll come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun."
This year I've decided to turn a page, send Monsanto (and other unfriendly chemical producers) a "dear John" and follow the beat of a more kindly and gentle drummer. I will practice what I preach - more natural options to lawn and garden care and insect control.
Spring is my favorite time of year. At this point memories of back-breaking weed-pulling and perpetual lawn mowing still elude me. The smell of fresh-cut grass and the luxurious feel of compost in my palms is a catharsis for my soul.
We've made some practical changes in the last year, selling off a portion of our much too large property and rethinking the extraordinary possibilities of what a smaller yard is capable of doing. This has me excited to say the least, imagining garden boxes, planter vegetables and herb gardens in my front lawn. Every corner, nook and cranny of my lot will soon become functional, beautiful or both.
And so, believing that the sun WILL come out tomorrow (or at least sooner or later), I thought I'd pass on some handy tips I've been learning in my quest for lovelier, fed-from-nature's-spoon gardens and lawns.
1)
FOR A WEED FREE EXPERIENCE: Lay a layer of newspaper right over your existing garden beds (working around perennials & shrubs) and cover it over with a really good compost mixture (purchased by the yard at landscape centers). The newspaper works better than landscape fabric for weed control, is biodegradable and free. You don't have to wait a season, you can plant immediately. This is also a great option for eliminating a patch of lawn to be turned into garden.
2)
POTTED PLANTS: Using a good quality compost in your pots can produce far better results than even the best potting soil mixture. No soil required!
3)
COVER THE DIRT with fine wood mulch. It can be the answer to weeding and tilling around trees, shrubs and perrenials. Use a layer of newspaper and compost first and you'll eliminate weeds further. The mulch adds esthetic appeal and feeds your plants. It can be purchased by the yard to reduce the cost of buying it in bags.
4)
PREVENT INVASIVE PLANTS FROM SPREADING, like decorative grasses, by burying a planter right into the soil and planting in the planter. Every 2-3 years you'll need to remove the plant from the planter to thin out the bulbs or roots but it won't take over your garden. Simply repot one portion of the separated roots, stick the pot back into the ground and you're good for another few years.
5)
PLANT GARDEN BOXES. Using the newspaper method above you can virtually eliminate weeds from your vege garden too. Garden boxes are attractive and keep your feet off the dirt to prevent compacting the soil (light, airy soil is what your plants want). Build the garden boxes small enough for you to reach right to the center without a problem. The higher you build them the less you need to bend. Internal irrigation systems are available at Home Depot so that even watering can be a breeze. Make sure your soil is a 50/50 mix of quality soil and compost. Adding mulch such as coconut husk (purchased at Sage Garden) helps keep the soil airy and easy to work with.
6)
GET GROWING ORGANICALLY. Sage Garden on St. Mary's is currently the only garden center in Winnipeg that specializes in organic plants and seeds. Check them out. They also offer some fantastic classes in Spring, Summer and Fall to boost your green thumb skills.
7)
ORGANIC FERTILIZER is like medicine to the ailing, like fudge to the chocolate lover! In 24 hours you can create a compost tea to add to your plants and gardens. Then stand back and watch them thank you. Recipe for compost tea:
unchlorinated water
2 oz skim milk powder
compost
3-4 oz Seawater liquid (available at Sage Garden)
3 oz unsulfured black strap molasses
5 gallon pail
1 stocking, nylon or burlap bag
1 fish tank aerator
Fill the stocking or bag with compost and tie shut. Fill the 5 gallon pail with water to about 2/3 full and add remaining ingredients to water. Steep the stocking in the water alongside the aerator. Steep for 24 hours. Dilute the tea with another equal amount of water and feed plants regularly.
8)
WEED CONTROL. Use straight Javex in a spray bottle for killing weeds like dandelions, thistle, quack grass, etc. Be careful to shield other plants from spray. Another option is a mixture of 1/2 gallon apple cider vinegar, 1 1/4 cups table salt and 1/2 tsp liquid dish soap.
Sprinkle baking soda between patio blocks or stones to curb weed growth.
Use 2 tablespoon Epsom salt to a gallon of water to spray on lawn for lush, green grass. Epsom salt is loaded with magnesium.
9)
PEST CONTROL. Mix 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia and spray directly onto plants to control slugs and other pests.
Keep spiders from constructing webs across your windows and doors with the following mixture: 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup pepper, 1 tsp each cooking oil and liquid soap. Pour into a spray bottle to apply. Re-apply after a rain.
Natural mosquito repellant: 16 oz spray bottle, 15 drops lavendar oil, 3-4 tablespoons vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp lemon juice. Fill the balance of the bottle with water and shake.
Place a half orange with the fleshly portion stabbed with whole cloves on your patio table when eating al fresco to keep the flies at bay.
Install a bat house (can be homemade or purchased where bird houses are sold) near your back yard. Bats are insectivores and one bat can catch up to 600+ mosquitoes per hour!
There is a wealth of informtion out there for organically sound yard and garden options just waiting to be explored. One of my favorite people, Mark, works with a Winnipeg organization called Urban Eatin Gardeners Worker Co-op -
www.urbaneatin.com - helping urban dwellers create functional growing spaces full of organic good eatin'. Check out the website. They would be glad to respond to any questions with sound, healthy, sustainable options.
I'd love to hear your ideas and share them on further blogs.
You can see why I love my backyard!
