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A day-to-day guide to creating an allotment garden from a starting point of absolutely no knowledge and no experience.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
I am determined to finish clearing the last overgrown bed today. I still have a heavy cold which makes the job that little bit more difficult. The plot directly behind mine is empty and overgrown and because this last bed borders it,I have been a bit naughty. I have been digging up the top layer of soil - usually a big sod of grass - and then throwing it over the fence into the neighbouring plot. Not exemplary behaviour I grant you but then I think all sorts of rubbish was dumped on my plot when it was vacant. At one point I nearly do myself an injury. The clod is so heavy, it tears the fork from my hands which flies over the fence too - smashing me on the chin on its way down. I dust myself off and retrieve the fork and carry on. I am sure that some plot holders can see my offence. Joyce and Eric come to say hello and I look guiltily at all the clods of soil on neighbouring plots. Ah well. I nearly manage to clear the whole bed. I have about a square foot left to do. Then I will throw down some manure on the bed which is destined to be a potato bed. When I get home, I have had answers to my questions from the experts at the HDRA. They tell me that my small potato crop was not necessarily down to lack of water and offer some advice for this year. The e-mail also says it is not necessary to chit my maincrop of potatoes but that it doesn't do any harm. They will stay in the bedroom in that case. The expert also says that I should not harvest my stolen rhubarb in its first year. I'd guessed as much. It just means I'll have to put my thieving skills back into practice at harvest time.
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Pest control in the perennial garden
http://home-gardening.blogspot.com/
If you have any good tips please post them on my blog
One of the many advantages of growing perennials is the ability of these beautiful flowers to return to full bloom season after season. While this ability to bloom repeatedly is one of the things that makes perennials so special, it also introduces a number of important factors into your gardening plan. One of the most important of these is a proper pest control regimen.
While a garden full of annuals starts each season as a blank slate, the perennial garden is essentially a work in progress. The fact that the plants stay in the ground through winter makes things like proper pruning, disease management and pest control very important. If the garden bed is not prepared properly after the current growing season, chances are the quality of the blooms will suffer when the next season rolls around.
One of the most important factors to a successful perennial pest control regimen is the attention and vigilance of the gardener. As the gardener, you are in the best position to notice any changes in the garden, such as spots on the leaves, holes in the leaves, or damage to the stems. Any one of these could indicate a problem such as pest infestation or a disease outbreak.
It is important to nip any such problem in the bud, since a disease outbreak or pest infestation can easily spread to take over an entire garden. Fortunately for the gardener, there are a number of effective methods for controlling both common pests and frequently seen plant diseases.
Some of these methods are chemical in nature, such as insecticides and fungicides, while others are more natural, like using beneficial insects to control harmful ones. While both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, many gardeners prefer to try the natural approach first, both for the health of the garden and the environment.
There is an additional benefit of the natural approach that many gardeners are unaware of. These days, it is very popular to combine a koi pond with a garden, for a soothing, relaxing environment. If you do plan to incorporate some type of fish pond into your garden landscape, it is critical to avoid using any type of insecticide or fungicide near the pond, since it could seep into the water and poison the fish. Fish are extremely sensitive to chemicals in the environment, especially with a closed environment like a pond.
As with any health issue, for people or plants, prevention is the best strategy to disease control and pest control alike. The best defense for the gardener is to grow a garden full of the healthiest, most vigorous plants possible. Whenever possible, varieties of plants bred to be disease or pest resistant should be used. There are a number of perennials that, through selective breeding, are quite resistant to the most common plant diseases, so it is a good idea to seek them out.
Happy gardening,
Stan
http://yourebooksuperstore.com/vegetable/
Post a Comment
http://home-gardening.blogspot.com/
If you have any good tips please post them on my blog
One of the many advantages of growing perennials is the ability of these beautiful flowers to return to full bloom season after season. While this ability to bloom repeatedly is one of the things that makes perennials so special, it also introduces a number of important factors into your gardening plan. One of the most important of these is a proper pest control regimen.
While a garden full of annuals starts each season as a blank slate, the perennial garden is essentially a work in progress. The fact that the plants stay in the ground through winter makes things like proper pruning, disease management and pest control very important. If the garden bed is not prepared properly after the current growing season, chances are the quality of the blooms will suffer when the next season rolls around.
One of the most important factors to a successful perennial pest control regimen is the attention and vigilance of the gardener. As the gardener, you are in the best position to notice any changes in the garden, such as spots on the leaves, holes in the leaves, or damage to the stems. Any one of these could indicate a problem such as pest infestation or a disease outbreak.
It is important to nip any such problem in the bud, since a disease outbreak or pest infestation can easily spread to take over an entire garden. Fortunately for the gardener, there are a number of effective methods for controlling both common pests and frequently seen plant diseases.
Some of these methods are chemical in nature, such as insecticides and fungicides, while others are more natural, like using beneficial insects to control harmful ones. While both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, many gardeners prefer to try the natural approach first, both for the health of the garden and the environment.
There is an additional benefit of the natural approach that many gardeners are unaware of. These days, it is very popular to combine a koi pond with a garden, for a soothing, relaxing environment. If you do plan to incorporate some type of fish pond into your garden landscape, it is critical to avoid using any type of insecticide or fungicide near the pond, since it could seep into the water and poison the fish. Fish are extremely sensitive to chemicals in the environment, especially with a closed environment like a pond.
As with any health issue, for people or plants, prevention is the best strategy to disease control and pest control alike. The best defense for the gardener is to grow a garden full of the healthiest, most vigorous plants possible. Whenever possible, varieties of plants bred to be disease or pest resistant should be used. There are a number of perennials that, through selective breeding, are quite resistant to the most common plant diseases, so it is a good idea to seek them out.
Happy gardening,
Stan
http://yourebooksuperstore.com/vegetable/
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: 21 March 2006 15:56
: 21 March 2006 15:56<< Home
