Fresh lettuce from your garden shouldn't only be enjoyed in early spring. Careful planning and succession planting can provide you with garden-fresh greens all season long.
You can begin seeding cold-tolerant head lettuce or cos indoors in flats as much as 4-6 weeks before your lastfrost date. Make several small sowings at weekly intervals, and begin setting out your transplants as soon as the ground is workable.
As soon as possible, begin sowing leaf lettuce outdoorsat two week intervals as soon as the ground is workable. At 35F leaf lettuce will germinate in six to twelve days. Alternatively, you can sow the entire crop at once and harvest only the outer leaves as the plants grow.
As the weather warms, begin sowing heat-resistant varieties. They will hold up better in the heat of summer if you plant them in the shade of taller crops. If the soil is too warm for the seeds to germinate well, presprout the seeds in peat moss or perlite, and store the seedlings in the refrigerator for five days before sowing.
In midsummer, switch back to cos or head lettuce. Make successive sowings for a harvest that will last well into fall.
Using Manure in the Garden
Animal manure is not only a good fertilizer, but also helps to condition the soil. Here are some guidelines for using manure in the garden:
Don't use dog or cat manure. These manures often carry diseases that can be spread to children.
Never use fresh manure, since it contains soluble nitrogen compounds and ammonia that can burn plants andinterfere with seed germination. Manure that is well composted or has aged for about six months is best. When added to the compost pile, manure will speed the composting process.
Manure tea can be used for periodic feedings or diluted and used every time you water. Do not allow undiluted manure tea to come into direct contact with foliage. To make manure tea, simply place a shovel or two of manure in a large container filled with water, and after a week or so, strain out the manure. To make the straining process a little easier, you can tie the manure in a burlap bag before placing it in the water.
Horse manure may contain a good many weed seeds, so compost it in a hot compost pile before adding it to your garden.
Low Maintenance Gardening
Here are a few tips on how to reduce your gardening maintenance chores. For a new gardener, the smartest thing to do is start small. Make a first flower or vegetable garden no more than 100 square feet, whether 10-by-10 or 5-by-20 or whatever shape is desired.
Try to spend about a half hour a day tending the yard and gardens, not including the time it takes to mow and water. I try to squeeze in some extra time on weekends.
One of the surest ways to make gardening a lot less time-consuming is to select the right plant for the site. Stick with shade-tolerant plants in the shade, acid-lovers in acidic soil and so on. Go with plants that, once established, need only routine maintenance. Most perennials need only annual feedings and
occasional dividing, and many are also diseaseresistant. If there is a plant in the garden that continually succumbs to disease, try one of two options: Cut it down or switch to a disease-resistant
variety of the same plant, more of which are showing up in nurseries.
Another way to save time in the garden is to let plants shrubs mainly grow naturally rather than prune them. Switching to slow-release fertilizers for your lawn and gardens can save a lot of time and money, and in many cases one application of these products will last up to four months.
A mulching mower is a great time-saver too. Studies show that these machines can reduce lawn-maintenance time by at least 20 percent, compared with mowers equipped with grass catchers. Another benefit is that the nutrients in the leaves, and the clippings they leave behind, are good for the grass.
Watering can consume a great deal of time, especially if you deep-soak plants (as you should, with a hose end sprayer) or if you're constantly having to move the sprinkler. An automatic sprinkler system can make the problem go away, but not everyone can afford one. Drip irrigation hoses are pretty cheap, though, and it is simple to turn the water on and let it drip for a few hours. Water timers work well, too, because they can be
set and left alone.
Common-Sense Tips
Here are some common-sense tips: Locate the garden near a faucet. Keep the compost pile close by to save lots of trips between the pile and the garden. The same is true of the garage or tool shed. Without a doubt, the greatest labor-saving gardening product ever invented is mulch. Nothing will do more to control weeds, maintain soil moisture and improve the health of plants. In other words, mulch and mulching will save time and
August is a good time to get a jump on your fall activities and next year's garden. For Midwest gardeners, that means getting ready for fall-planted bulbs.
Also make sure the mulch in your flower and vegetable gardens is up to snuff, to keep late season weeds away.
To dry long-stem roses, tie some string around the middle of the bunch and hang them upside down in a well-ventilated area.
This will keep the buds and stems straight
For larger blooms on your fall-blooming chrysanthemums, dahlias and camellias, pinch off the small side buds surrounding the large main buds.
The plant will concentrate it's energies into making one large flower
instead of several smaller ones.
When growing sweet peas from seed, two-thirds fill pot with compost and water well, top up with dry compost and plant seed at about 1/2 inch beneath surface of compost. This way the seed with draw up as much water as required and will not rot away.
To prevent slugs getting to plants in containers, smear outside of container with petroleum jelly or WD40.
Grow varieties of plants that require little or no staking and plant closely so they support each other.
Spray weeds which are well established in a rock garden and paving with a glyphosate herbicide. This kills the entire plant without having to dig them out.
Mix perlite in with the potting compost in patio planters and hanging baskets. It absorbs moisture when water is plentiful and releases it when the compost is dry.
When planting container grown plants, disturb the roots as little as possible so that they continue to benefit from the compost they are grown in. Water as usual after planting.
When planting bare rooted trees and shrubs, spread the roots out like an umbrella, twisted roots stunt growth. As you cover the roots with soil shake the plant from time to time to allow the soil to drop down well between them. Water well after planting.
Put support stakes in before you plant a new tree to avoid the possibility of damaging the roots.
A circle of twigs about 500mm high (20ins), provides a better support for border plants than a single stake, and is less obtrusive.
Save wooden ice cream spatulas, lolly sticks or plastic knives to use as garden labels. Write on them with a ball point pen or waterproof marker.
An old hot water bottle filled sparingly with foam rubber chips is a handy kneeling pad for long gardening jobs.
If tender buds or shoots become frozen, thaw them out slowly by spraying with cold water before the sun shines, otherwise they may get scorched.
To avoid tender plants getting damaged by frost, listen to the weather forecast and protect delicate plants with newspaper or old clothes.
To prevent snow damaging small conifers, when it is forecast tie the branches to the trunk with string, however, do not leave them tied for more than a day or two.
As long as you don't mind how they look, old car tyres make a good temporary cold frames for new seedlings. Sow the seeds inside the tyre and place a piece of glass or clear plastic on top. The rubber absorbs the heat during the day and releases it over night.
If you find handles of tools, mowers and shears uncomfortable to hold try buying a foam bicycle handlebar grip. Slip the grips over the tool handles, using washing up liquid or Vaseline if it proves difficult. If the handle in question is continuous try slitting the grip horizontally to allow it to be slipped over the handle. Pipe insulating foam may also work.
Always buy strong, good quality tools and look after them well. If you can afford it buy stainless steel as they will last a lifetime and are easier to clean. When choosing tools pick them up and try out for balance and weight.
Before filling a strawberry barrel with compost stand a piece of drainpipe or cardboard tube upright in the centre and fill with pebbles. As you fill with compost gradually remove the tube releasing the pebbles. This will act as a central drainage system preventing the soil from becoming waterlogged.
Hanging baskets need watering twice a day; to make this easier consider attaching them to a pulley system available from garden centres.
Water hanging baskets by putting ice cubes on the top, moisture is slowly released as the ice cubes melt. Ensure these do not touch the plants as this may cause damage.
If your hose springs a leak it can be temporarily repaired by inserting a cocktail stick into the hole. Snap the stick off as close to the hose as possible and wrap around with insulating tape or waterproof tape (if available). This should extend by about 2" each side of the hole. As the wood absorbs the water it will expand and seal the hole.
An old wheel rim makes an ideal storage place for a garden hose when not in use. This can be hung on a garage or shed wall.
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an oppournity.
Kahil Gibran
There are more than 700 species of plants that grow in the United States that have been identified as dangerous if eaten. Among them are some that are commonly favored by gardeners: buttercups, daffodils, lily of the valley, sweet peas, oleander, azalea, bleeding heart, delphinium, and rhododendron.
