Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship Green Sanctuary Program

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Topic: Agriculture and food "When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the Dark Ages of commerce. ~ Paul Hawken Get the Most out of Your Summer Garden by Erica Glasener June 15, 2007 National Geographic Green Guide http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/120/garden Summer is upon us, the days are long and the green thumbed have already laid out their gardens, but there's plenty to do to keep heat, drought and pests at bay. To start, take steps to keep your garden full of flowers, fruit and vegetables well into fall. Every two weeks, plant sweet corn seeds or other crops that require a fixed number of days between planting and harvest. Sunflowers, summer squash, lima beans, pole beans and field peas will all fit the bill. In regions with milder weather, you'll have blooms through mid-November. Next, put in tomatoes. Fresh from garden, they'll spoil you for their flavorless, store-bought relatives. When adding tomato plants, bury them deeply to ensure that they develop strong roots. And, if you know that your soil is low in calcium, add two tablespoons of dolomitic lime as you plant (for soil testing, see "Gardeners, Get Ready!"). This and keeping the earth evenly moist can help reduce the occurrence of blossom end rot. Starting with healthy soil and vigorous plants goes a long way to keeping insect and disease problems to a minimum. More summer tips: * Harvest your fresh herbs like basil on a regular basis and pinch out flowers as they bud to encourage healthier foliage. * Don't foist your surplus zucchini on friends and relatives; harvest them, instead, when they're younger and smaller. They'll be more tender, too. * To save space, you can train certain vegetables like scarlet runner beans to grow on a trellis. Large bamboo stakes positioned to form a teepee will quickly be covered with handsome edible vines. Watch Your Watering Since many areas face water restrictions, conserve by mulching your garden with straw, pinestraw, shredded leaves or newspaper. The layer of mulch will help retain soil moisture and reduce weed infestations. Rather than relying on spraying, use soaker hoses to bring water to roots where it's needed (for soakers made from recycled tires, see Fiskar's at www.hardwarestore.com or Aquapore at www.accentshopping.com). Where drought restrictions are more severe, gray water can help keep your garden alive, though it's not recommended for edible plants. Bring a bucket in the shower with you to catch the excess and capture water from the discharge hose of your laundry machine when you wash clothes (see the Arizona Department of Enviromental Protection's standards for gray water best management practices). A rain barrel is another way to collect and save water for dry times; see the 57-gallon, recycled plastic Urban Rain Barrel ($126.95; www.planetnatural.com). Enrich Your Soil As far as fertilizer goes, feed your soil (and the microorganisms it contains) its natural diet through compost rather than petroleum-based products. Good bacteria in dirt will digest compost, converting it into the elements such as nitrogen that plants to need to grow. And playing in the dirt may make you happier as well: Mice exposed to soil bacteria produced more serotonin, a brain chemical the lack of which is associated with depression, according to researchers at Bristol University. Compost can be slow to show positive effects, but you can speed up the process by creating sprayable compost "tea." Perhaps the easiest way to do so is to use red worm castings, with one part castings to three parts water (see Laughing Crow worm castings from www.seedsofchange.com). For detailed instructions, see the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. If you want to start your own worm farm, visit www.wormfarmingsecrets.com for free information. Put A Check on Pests Avoid exposing yourself and others to pesticides or weed killers by adopting integrated pest management (IPM), the least toxic approach to keeping tabs on any pest or disease problems in your garden. Visually inspect your plants on a regular basis for signs of problems. Hand pick pests if there are just a few, or wash off heavier infestations with a strong blast from the hose, an effective method for removing aphids and whiteflies. Mechanical barriers, such as wire cages around your tomatoes, will keep larger critters from eating the fruits of your labor. Also, consider adding "companion" plants, that is plants that help other plants when they grow together in your garden. One simple option is to include strongly scented herbs, like lavender or rosemary, to confuse insect pests when they are looking for vegetables. Or you can specialize by, for example, using Dahlias and marigolds to repel nematodes or nasturtiums to drive away pests that attack cucumbers. As the weather gets hotter, tall flowers provide needed shade for lettuce, which dislike excessive heat. For more IPM tips, see the Bio-Integral Resource Center, www.birc.org.