Dear Iris

Cardboard helps transform lawn into planting space

By COLLEEN T. BELL, Master Gardener Intern | Apr 19, 2012

 

Photo by: JULIE JOHNSTON/Ledger photo  

 

Trees are being planted at the Maasdam Barns using the cardboard method.

My goal is to phase out turf grass except for pathways between beds of a wide range of edible fruit and nut trees, berries, herbs, and flowers (some edible). It’s easy to transform lawn space (or just about any flat space that’s a good garden site) into planting space with little to no digging and no rototiling. Use cardboard!

Why cardboard? Cardboard blocks light and air from turf so it dies. It does let water in and that helps the grass break down. This creates a 4- to 6-inch layer of compost, which attracts worms that will eat the wet cardboard. It’s amazing how loose and “plantable” the soil is within a few months. The worms naturally aerate the soil, which makes it easier for things to grow. The roots need oxygen. (When we rototill, it not only destroys any worms, it breaks down the soil structure, and it takes a long time to build up again. It causes compacted soil.)

This is especially useful for fruit trees because their young roots grow laterally just below the surface. Take away that competition of turf to give them a good start in their new home.

How to do this? If planning ahead, water the area for the new growing space. Mow as close to the ground as possible. Then layer and overlap the cardboard over the entire area to be planted. Leave no grass showing, please. Be sure to remove tape and staples that won’t decompose with the cardboard. Water thoroughly.

The second step is covering the cardboard with about 2 to 4 inches of compost if possible and topsoil if necessary for weight. Water again, thoroughly. This facilitates decomposition and holds the cardboard down.

The third step: Cover area with a layer of mulch to retain moisture until your living mulch is established. This mulch will vary depending on what you are planting.

When you plant in the new bed always leave at least 3 to 6 inch breathing space between cardboard and stem. Don’t let wet cardboard be up against any growing thing, please! Pull the cardboard away from the tree trunk or plant. Tear it out or tuck it under.

If you haven’t done this technique ahead of the time of planting your tree, it’s OK to do it all at once when you plant the trees or soon after. Follow the tree planting instructions as usual. Then mulch with cardboard!
This technique also is useful for making a new flower or vegetable bed. Follow the same instructions for any size bed. If there are a lot of smaller plants in a row just cut a strip out to plant. Then I use folded multi layers of newspaper to go between the small plants because its easier to work with around small plants.

Here is how to use it for fruit trees:  Create a circle about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Figure the center and measure a 3-foot string and draw a perfect circle to be covered with cardboard. Ideally when you plant your fruit or nut trees, plant a circle of daffodils around the trunk. They are poisonous, so the critters won’t burrow up to the trunk to snack. Do this when you plant the tree. Transplant them from places where they have gotten too crowded. Once you have planted, don’t walk in that circle. It compacts the soil. If you need to get close use a board or stepping stone.

Now the tree needs some company! Plants that will support and aid in its growth and survival! Permaculture design uses the term guild to describe such a group of plants. Comfrey is a good example that fills several functions. The Fairfield Public Library has several books on permaculture and edible forest gardening.

Colleen T. Bell is a Master Gardener intern, a graduate of the permaculture design program and owner and manager of Earth Wisdom.

Maasdam House This Spring

There has been some wonderful Master Gardener work done out here at the Maasdam House lately!  Just look at those tulips!  (Yes, everything is very early this year.)

Waiting to be planted 

(I have it on good authority that these bushes are now "in the ground!"

Plantings, weeding and mulching is being accomplished by the Jefferson County Master Gardeners.

Dear Iris

For orchid success, duplicate plant's natural conditions

Mar 29, 2012

Orchids have long been a symbol of love. Since selling so many of them in the floral department during Valentine’s Day, I thought that people who received them would like more information on how to care for them. I have to admit I didn’t know much about how to care for my own orchid.
The golden rule for orchid success is to duplicate the plant’s natural conditions as closely as possible.In nature most orchids are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other objects, clinging to rough bark or even stone. The showy orchids favored by most people are usually either phalaenopsis hybrids — so called moth orchids or dendrobium hybrids. They like;
1. Strong light, but not direct sunlight
2. High humidity
3. Good air flow around the roots
4. Regular periods of drying and watering (one trick I learned is to use 3 to 4 ice cubes to water the plant slowly)
5. Keep temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees
The first step with any store-bought orchid is to enjoy the bloom.Don’t re-pot a flowering plant. After the bloom is gone, cut off the dead flower spike (I pinched mine off like dead-heading) and re-pot.
Orchids should be potted into specialized orchid pots using an orchid soil mixture. Orchid pots feature drainage slits so water will run through the pot. They are widely available. During the growing season, feed the plant weekly with orchid fertilizer. In the summer, give it more water.
In the winter months, keep your plant warm and cut back on the water. Don’t fertilize it. Mist your orchid every so often to keep it hydrated (but all my research says not to get water on the leaves).
If you see signs of distress, such as yellowing leaves, wrinkled leaves or no blooms, move the plant and keep tweaking your conditions. Once an orchid finds a happy spot, and falls into a routine, the plant should regularly throw new roots and leaves or canes depending on the type of orchid. Do not be concerned if the roots are coming out of the top of your plant. Orchid’s like to have their roots crowded. Your plant should reward you yearly with beautiful blooms.

Aleta Mottet is a Master Gardener.

The Master Gardener Garden at JCHC - it's "First Spring!"

I believe nearly everything is growing - and looking good, so far!

The concern was last year's drought.  We did water often.  I'm sure that pulled it through!

I'm not sure this "panoramic" shot will work... but click on any photo to enlarge it!

 See the cute little muscari (grape hyacinths) in the lower right hand corner?  Hopefully they'll sow seeds and multiply!  :-)  And yes, Joan and I planted some hyacinth.  They were a little droopy after a couple of days, but perhaps the bit of rain helped today (Saturday, April 7th).

Look how great Doc Dunn's flowering crab apple - Malus 'Sargentii' - aka 'Sargent Flowering Crabapple' - looks!!

Doc Dunn's Korean Lilac in the back.

Cristen Shipman-Steinbeck's evergreen boxwood is in front.

You might take notice of the edging that "Tim the Concrete Man" created. 

He is located across from Casey's on Hwy 1 south.

He did a great job.  It should help keep things neat and tidy.

It was also paid for by C. Steinbeck's memorial fund.

Dirt under my nails

By Julie Johnston, Ledger photographer | Mar 15, 2012 

 

This may be titled dirt under my nails, but my nails are too short for dirt to get under them. I cannot garden with gloves on my hands, so, in summer, my hands never look REALLY clean. The cracks and crevices are blackened from the earth. This used to embarrass me, but I have long since outgrown that waste of emotion. Dirty hands from honest labor are nothing about which to be embarrassed. Of course I wash, even scrub, them, but sometimes the stain is there to stay until it wears off.

As hobbies go, gardening is one of the least expensive as far as dollars spent. The rewards go far beyond the momentary satisfaction of many hobbies. There is something primal about digging in the soil that takes us back to our ancestral roots, when they had to be hunters and gatherers to survive. The gatherers became gardeners, though I doubt they called themselves gardeners. Besides, what other hobby can, not only feed your soul, it can also feed your belly? As I was growing up, everyone I knew had a garden. If you didn’t have a garden, you probably didn’t eat unless you were rich enough to buy everything at the store. I didn’t know any rich people.

You have heard the saying, “You can take the boy off the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the boy.” That goes for girls too. As the granddaughter, daughter and wife of farmers, I feel very connected to the soil. It would be difficult for me to live in an apartment where I could not get out and get my hands dirty planting something. I firmly believe that, because we have taken so many off the farm and herded them into cities where they can find jobs, this is why we are seeing a great resurgence of hobby farmers, wannabes and urban gardeners. They may be generations removed from their agricultural roots but the desire for dirt under their nails is still there. They may say this resurgence is because of a desire for fresher, locally grown food, but we gardeners know the truth.

In addition to the garden we had fruit trees and a strawberry bed. We children didn’t dare say we were bored or we got busy pretty quickly picking produce of one kind or another OR pulling weeds. The weed pulling was a nice source of income for a small child, and we learned arithmetic (or is it numbers or math these days?) to boot. The reward for pulling 100 weeds was a penny. Yes, a penny per hundred weeds! Of course, in those days a nickel would buy a bottle of pop and 2 cents would buy a comic book (my money usually went for the comics). We learned our numbers and earned some cash, Mom got her garden cleaned up as well as some time to herself and I had dirt under my fingernails all summer. This was the only job I did at home for which I got paid. Everything else you did because you were part of the family and you just did your share. I suspect my mom hated pulling weeds!

We had a great screened-in porch, which was shaded, and we got lovely breezes to cool us as we worked at either snapping beans, shelling peas, pitting cherries or peeling apples. Frequently, Grandma Hawley would come to help. She lived in town then and I now realize she just needed an excuse to get back to the farm and do necessary garden work. She did have a garden in town, but it was small. Besides, we all know that work is more fun when it is shared. I never felt like I was working when there was gardening to be done, whether it was pulling weeds, planting or harvesting.

If you haven’t gotten dirt under your fingernails lately, perhaps it is time to become a gardener. There are ways to do this without acres of space. Container gardening can be done on an apartment balcony or patio. A terrarium only takes as much space as a fish bowl and still lets you play in the dirt. These ideas are columns for another day, perhaps by another Master Gardener or MG intern.
Meanwhile, for the next few months, don’t be surprised at the grime on my hands, which would be dirt under my fingernails if my nails were longer.

Julie Johnston is photographer for The Fairfield Ledger.

DEAR IRIS

Choose a day lily for carefree beauty

By GERRI LYON, Master Gardener intern | Mar 15, 2012

 

If you are starting a new perennial garden, consider the many varieties of easy to grow day lilies in your plan. They are trouble free and can grow undisturbed for many years.

The botanical name Hemerocallis is derived from a Greek word meaning “beautiful for a day.” Individual flowers last only a single day, with new buds opening daily. Stalks bear flowers for several weeks.

My first memory of lilies is the “ditch lily or tiger lily.” Have you ever noticed the bright orange flower along roadsides or at an old farmstead? Obviously, a hardy survivor after years of abandon! This is simply more proof of day lilies being easy to grow. The modern hybrid varieties are vastly improved and have more shapes and colors available. Some varieties are ruffled, others have double layers of petals. Still others have spidery looking blossoms, some are large and some are small giving the grower many choices in addition to color.

Day lily foliage in itself, adds a visual effect in your garden for the entire growing season. Bright green strap-like leaves arch from the crown of the plant and form a graceful mound.

Flower stalks grow from the crown and can grow from 1 foot to 6 feet. The stalks branch at the top where the showy flowers open for one day. That’s a sad fact for me. Only one day, when they are so perfect and beautiful. But, keep in mind, flowering does last for several weeks!

Plantings should be made in full sun or partial shade. Loamy soil is ideal, but they can adapt to a variety of soil types. Good drainage is important. Fertilizer should be used sparingly unless you are planting in poor soil types. Use a 0-20-20 or 5-20-20; 1 or 2 tablespoons can be applied around plants in early spring.

Ideally, planting and transplanting, should be done in the late summer. Prepare your new garden area, working soil 1 foot deep. If dividing plants from an existing bed, dig clumps, remove soil from root area, then use a knife or spade to divide into sections. Be sure each section has several crowns — the spot where foliage and roots meet. Cut back foliage tops to 8- to 10 inches. This is a good time to share your favorites with family and friends or perhaps a community project
.
Place the crowns about 1 inch deep, spreading out roots into the soil. Gently firm the soil and water thoroughly. Plantings should be spaced 1-2 feet apart. Water the newly planted day lilies regularly, to ensure good root growth.

A day lily can grow for five to seven years with little maintenance. There are many choices for early-, mid- and late-season blooming. You can’t go wrong using a day lily. The rewards are an endless wave of color and texture in your landscaping.

I mentioned little maintenance. Because of their heavy blooming nature, dead heading or removing spent blossoms is desirable to keep plants looking fresh and healthy. I don’t mind this duty; it’s another chance to admire and enjoy the beauty of mid-June mornings! To continue enjoying the mounded foliage of your plants, remove the stalks when they start to dry and turn brown.

Gerri Lyon is a Master Gardener intern.

Dear Iris - Thinking About Gardening

Time to start thinking about the garden

By JULIE WETRICH, Master Gardener | Mar 08, 2012

As I write this article, the temperature is close to 40! I’m getting Spring Fever in February! Along with Spring Fever comes thoughts of the garden and when it is the right time to start planting.

Being familiar with the average dates of the last frost and the first frost in your area is a key indicator of when to plant your plants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gives about a month’s range of dates for frost. Of course this varies from year to year — it all depends on the weather!

Typically the last frost in southeast Iowa occurs in late April. Central Iowa begins to thaw a week later, and northern Iowa a week after that.

Vegetable planting time is not an exact science! Folk vision says to “plant when the leaves of the lilac bushes are as big as a mouse’s ear” according to the Iowa Garden Website. I haven’t measured a mouse’s ear lately but I think you get the idea!

I’m sure many of you have already started some of your vegetable seeds indoors. Starting the seeds indoors while it is still winter gives the plants a head start on growing. You can cut the lids off egg cartons, punch a small hole in each cell and fill with potting soil. Put two seeds per cell and a small amount of water. It is easy to pop the plants out when it comes time to transplant them into the garden!

February is a good time to start tomato seeds indoors. This allows the seed to grow into a sturdy plant that can handle the shock of transplanting. Tomato seeds sown outdoors may or may not germinate or grow as strong. Use a 2-liter soda bottle to grow tomato plants (or any other vegetable/flower). Cut the bottle in half, discard the cap, fill with potting soil and plant your seeds or seedlings in the top half. Then set the top half in the bottom half. Any excess water will drip through the opening into the bottom half of the bottle. This is a great way to recycle and save money!

Plant cold-weather vegetables like lettuce, radishes, carrots, peas and onions directly in the garden as soon as the ground is workable, usually late March or early April. These vegetables can withstand a little bit of frost and need to be finished producing by the time summer’s heat comes around. Planting vegetables too late in the season also puts them in a vulnerable position, risking the chance of frost before the fruits ripen. It’s all in the timing!

April is a busy month for gardeners planting seeds. Turnips, radishes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can all be planted directly in the soil about the middle of April. By doing this you can avoid premature development in soil temperatures of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The soil needs to be completely warm for other vegetables including corn, beans, potatoes and okra. This usually occurs in May. When planting vegetables like peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, you will want to wait until late May in southeast Iowa, when there is no chance of a freeze. These vegetables need the long, hot summer to produce.

“If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.”

— Robert Brault

Julie Wetrich, a Master Gardener, states sources for this article include ehow.com and Birds and Blooms magazine.