 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
ILLINIOS YARD AND GARDEN
Ah, the hot, sunny and probably dry days of summer will soon be here. It would be nice to have the power to make it rain once a week, preferably on Thursdays, and in the morning. An inch would be nice. And don't forget keeping temperatures around 85 degrees and humidity levels about half that. I could live with that. You probably could, too. Instead we'll have "sweat gardening," where you will actually try to convince yourself that if you stay indoors, nothing bad will happen outside. After a couple of beers, you don't even care if something really does happen. There are a few ways to make gardening more fun during the summer, but do realize it is not all peaches and cream. First and foremost, get up early. There's nothing like 5:30 in the morning, as the sun is peaking over the horizon and the birds are starting to sing. Now, don't send all your negative comments about getting enough sleep, and the noisy birds. I don't want those. Turn the garden hoses on. Water the plants. Water the containers. Fill the birdbath for those singing birds. Jump through the sprinkler yourself. Remember, though, shampoo may kill plants. There's less water evaporation in the early morning hours when the breezes are nil and temperatures aren't hot enough to make the water disappear. Any water that gets on foliage will dry before mid-morning and you'll cut down any potential diseases. BIG NOTE: That's not to say get the foliage wet. It's still better to water the ground and not the leaves. Roses will get black spots in a second if water remains on the leaves a nanosecond. So, in other words, try to water the root zone instead of the foliage zone. Early risers also have the opportunity to do all sorts of garden work when the temperatures are still in the backside of the 80s. You can weed. You can hoe. You can deadhead the flowers. Insects don't seem to crawl or fly as fast and you can quickly knock them into a bucket of soapy water. (That's the best way and time to control Japanese beetles.) Gardening in a bathrobe or pajamas is still not recommended unless you live in the country or a progressive neighborhood. Things not to do at 5:30 a.m. include mowing your lawn, using your weed-eater or firing up the leaf blower. Your neighbors might not like that. I wouldn't like it. And the birds won't like you disturbing their morning songfest. Anyway, the grass will probably be too wet to mow. Let it dry out. Pick flowers, fruits and vegetables early in the morning. They'll be at their freshest and most turgid. Second, to make your body and clothes less like a sponge, consider all the labor saving options. Mulch. Mulch. Mulch. A four to six-inch layer of wood chips, bark, dried shredded leaves or other organic decomposing matter is perfect for keeping the ground cool, moist and relatively weedfree. Don't go overboard. Too much mulch is just as bad as too little. You'll have to water more. You may have plants that wilt because you haven't watered enough. You'll have poor air circulation which, coupled with the Wet soil, will lead to root rots. Can't get something to grow? Mulch. Have pets running around all over the place? Mulch. Mulch does wonders. Nature does it in the woods, so you can do it in your yard. There is no rule that says you have to have grass everywhere. Do a little bit of work every day instead of waiting until the weekend. If you work a half-hour each day during the week, you probably won't have to work all day on the weekends. Hoeing baby weeds doesn't take much time, and they can get a quick start between Monday and Saturday. Insects and diseases can spread quickly, but looking for them every day prevents that spread. Or at least every other day.
16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.icl.coop |
|
|
