Are Deicers Harmful to Your Garden?

Gibby's Garden

Can the deicer that keeps your walks and stairs safe to tread on be harmful to your garden? To put it simply, yes. Man-made deicers are made with chemicals responsible for melting ice, but when these chemicals seep into the ground, our garden plants can be damaged from root to tip. So, what makes these deicers harmful to our gardens, and how can we prevent our prized plants from becoming stunted and sickly looking?

3 Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Deicers

Without getting all scientific, there are three chemicals in deicers that can be potentially harmful to your plants. These include sodium chloride, better known as salt, urea and potassium chloride. While all three work wonders for melting ice, when used in excess plant damage can occur.

• Sodium Chloride: When sodium chloride leaches into garden beds, soil can become contaminated and entire plants from the roots up can be damaged.

• Urea: Being a fertilizer, urea can be harmful to more than just plants. When too much is used, ground water, soil and plants can all be effected.  

• Potassium Chloride: Keep an eye on your plants, especially larger ones that peak through the snow as this chemical can be harmful to both foliage and plant roots. 

How to Prevent Plant Damage

The good news is, you can still deice your walks and stairs without worrying too much about the harmful effects on your plants.

• Moderation: Don't overdo it with the deicer, only use it when you need to.
• Spring Clean Up: Sweep and hose down walks and stairs come spring. Your plants and the soil surrounding where you've deiced all winter will benefit from a cleansing soak as well. 
• Mulch: Surround your plants and garden soil with a protective layer of mulch in the fall to help keep chemicals from leaching into the soil and damaging plant roots.
• Cover Plants: Some bushes and shrubs can be covered during the winter. This will help protect foliage from being damaged.
• Natural Deicers: You can always switch to a natural deicer. Keep in mind that these are harder to find and more expensive. 

Next time you head out to deice, be mindful of how much deicer you are using. With a little moderation and preparation, you can keep your walks and stairs safe to use without your plants taking the brunt of a chemical assault.

Have you tried a natural deicer? Are they worth paying a little extra for?

Source: Patton, D. Ice melts help but can be harmful.Retrieved from http://www.johnson.ksu.edu/p.aspx?tabid=597

Gibby's Garden Diary Entry #7: Snail Alert!

July 15, 2013

Image: Adityamadhav83/Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to the usual pests in my garden, I’ve never had a problem with snails until now. Heck, I’ve hardly ever seen them sans the beach until this season. Not only have I been spotting snails in their tiny orange shells sticking to my weed bucket and popping up in the rows of my garden, but I’ve noticed quite a few while out walking the dogs.

I wondered why the sudden influx of snails. Could it be the heavy rains and intense humidity on the odd day of sunshine? Is there something different about my gardens that these snails are attracted too? I did a little reading in one of my go to garden books, Rodale Organic Gardening Basics, “Pests” and found that snails, much like slugs, are attracted to decaying plant matter and love to feed on young plants.

I do have a thick layer of mulch hay in two of my gardens and several inches of leaves in another used to prevent weeds and to keep the ground moist. While I will not forgo my mulch, it drastically reduces the amount of time I spend weeding, I have found a quick, cheap and organic solution to help control these slimy trailed garden pests - beer traps.

I’ve used beer traps to control the slug population in my gardens for quite a few years now, and I’ve been happy with the results. I’ve doubled my efforts and put out more beer traps where I’ve noticed the highest population of snails. I’ve attracted quite a few so far, and make sure to hand pick all snails that I see when weeding.

Snails and slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer, which if you’re like me, you always have an odd can or two in the fridge. I set out my traps in a shady spot slightly away from the garden if possible. Intense sun leads to mold in the traps causing them to need to be changed more often, and placing the traps outside of the garden lures the snails out rather than in.

If you’d like to know how to easily make your own snail and slug beer traps, click on over to my post, How to Make Your Own Slug Traps, to find out how.

What pests have you noticed in your garden this year?

View all Gibby's Garden Diary Entries

Gibby's Garden Diary entry #6 - Plant List (previous entry)

View All Previous Diary Entries

How to Keep Your Garden Healthy in Dry Weather

Image: Gibby's Garden

When there is no rain in sight for days at a time and the humidity rises a few notches, it tends to leave garden soil hard and dry - neither of which are good for plants. Dry weather stunts plants and if it gets really bad, kills them off. To help coax your garden through dry weather - water, mulch and cultivate.

Water

Yes, I’m well aware that I’m stating the obvious here. Truth be told, I never water my gardens, even when they are dry, simply because none of them are anywhere near a hose so I don’t have that option. If you are going to drag out the hose or set up the sprinkler, make sure not to over water (no puddling), do not drag the hose across any plants and water in early mornings to prevent disease and fungus.

Mulch

That’s right - mulch. You may think covering the ground near or around your plants with a material that prevents weeds may inhibit water from penetrating the soil, but it doesn’t. A fine layer of mulch helps keep garden soil moist, because it keeps water from evaporating, especially in hot, dry weather.

The rule of thumb for mulching is to leave a 3-4 inch diameter around seedlings and rows of seeds that have recently been sown. Wait until plants have had some time to grow and anchor themselves with their roots before pushing the mulch to within an inch or two of plants.

Cultivate

Another great way to keep gardens growing healthy and strong during dry weather is to cultivate the soil around plants. Be gentle making sure not to disturb the plant’s roots, especially the roots of young plants. I use a hand cultivator to loosen the soil, especially when the soil is dry. This helps let in moisture and gives oxygen a chance to circulate.

How has the weather been in your area this gardening season? Mine has gone from sopping wet to dry and back again. 

Tips for Amending Garden Soil Organically

Image: OakleyOriginals/Flickr

You don’t have to be a chemist or even a green thumb to amend the soil in your vegetable garden. With a few tips and the right tools, adding organic nutrients is easy. For hardcore gardeners, figuring out what the soil is lacking is the first step (this is done with a home soil test kit). For gardeners like me, who are easy going, adding amendments means tilling in a few inches of compost and calling it a day.

Types of Organic Soil Amendments

Year-Old Manure: Very important that it’s rotted so it doesn’t burn the roots of some plants or cause them to grow enormously but not produce any flowers, fruits or vegetables.

Finished Compost: “Black Gold” Finished compost does not have a rotted odor, rather it should smell like earth. It should be dark in color and be completely broken down with no chunks of decomposing material.

Store-Bought Organic Fertilizer: Really read the label on bags of “organic” fertilizers before buying them. Look for N-P-K ratios that are lower than 8 and stay away from ingredients such as superphosphate, nitrate, urea, phosphoric, ammonium, & muriate. (Garden Smarts)

Tips for Adding Organic Soil Amendments

• When amending the soil using an organic fertilizer, remember that too much isn’t always a good thing 
• ALWAYS follow the directions on bags of store bought fertilizers
• If you can, add organic amendments in fall so they have time to absorb into the soil
• Only use year-old or fully rotted manure to avoid burning, stunning or stunting vegetables
• Follow my guide for How Much Compost to Add to the Vegetable Garden
• Till organic soil amendments a good 4-6” into the ground

5 Gardening Tips for the Month of April

The month of April is a great time to get outdoors and get the garden ready for next month’s planting. I suggest waiting until the garden is thoroughly dry before doing any work to prevent compacting the soil. While waiting for the soil to dry, start your seeds indoors and then head out to clear and till your garden beds.

Tip #1: Clear All Garden Beds

It’s important to clear all garden beds of leaves, branches and debris to allow sunlight to penetrate the soil. This helps warm soil temps, making the ground workable for next month’s planting.

Tip #2: Till Dry Garden Beds Only

If the soil has adequately dried, go ahead and till it. If it’s still wet - probably so at the beginning of April - wait to till until the end of the month for the best results. Dry soil is much easier to work.

Tip #3: Till in Amendments

Again, wait until the soil is dry and till in finished compost or composted manure to give garden beds a boost of nutrients. A few inches is all that is typically needed to replenish the nutrients soaked up during the last growing season. Follow my compost guide on how much compost to add to the garden.

Tip #4: Start Seeds Indoors

In the north, the general rule of thumb is to start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks, sometimes 8-10 weeks for long-season vegetables, before the last scheduled frost. If you haven’t already, get your seeds started now. 

Tip #5: Turn Compost Piles

Don’t forget to give your compost pile some much needed attention after a long winter. Turn it over to allow air to circulate and the sun to reach the areas that are still frozen. April is the time to think about starting a new compost pile for the season or continue to add scraps to last years.

What will you be doing in your garden this April? 

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Guide to Backyard Composting

Gibby’s Garden Diary is Back for 2013!

April 1, 2013

The first of April seemed like a good time for Gibby’s Garden to make our first garden diary entry of the year. Despite the foot of snow we had on the first day of spring, it seems like we’ll be on schedule for starting to plant our gardens at the end of the month here in the north.

I’ve already ordered and received most of my seeds and can’t wait to get them in the ground, though I’ll have to be patient as the last of the snow melts and the ground thaws. While I wait until my gardens are workable and ready for some fresh compost and tilling, I’ll be busy making rough sketches of where each of my vegetables are to go.

Until the ground dries up and I can get outside and begin cleaning and working my gardens, there isn’t much else to do but plan, plan, plan and trust me, I have plenty of that to do with the seeds I ordered for this year.

What’s on the List of Vegetables to Plant in 2013?

• Peas - Northfield
• Spinach - Tyee
• Corn - Northern Xtra Sweet Hybrid
• Beans - Improved Golden Wax/Blue Lake Bush 
• Beets - Ruby Queen
• Carrots - Envy Hybrid
• Chard - Bright Lights
• Cucumbers - Miss Pickler Hybrid
• Eggplant - Twilight Hybrid
• Kohlrabi - Early White Vienna
• Radish - Mixture
• Turnips - Purple Top White Globe
• Squash - Winter Table Ace Hybrid

These are the seeds I plan on planting to give myself a wide array of vegetables to work with and enjoy in 2013. Stay tuned to find out which seedlings and their varieties I’ll be picking up at my favorite nursery in another month or so. Until then, happy garden planting and please don’t forget to stop by occasionally for more garden diary updates.

Gardening Tips for the Month of March

March is finally here after a long winter in the north. If you’re as excited as I am to get outside and get to gardening, there are a few things you should do first while the ground continues to warm up. Before heading outside, get your gardening tools in order, making sure they are clean, sharp and ready to use.

5 Must-Do Gardening Tips for March

Tip #1: Let the Ground Dry Up

If you live in the north, wait until the snow melts and the ground dries up before tramping all over the garden. Repeatedly walking on wet soil makes it compact and much more difficult to till, especially by hand.

Tip #2: Pick up Debris

After a long winter there’s bound to be some branches, twigs and trash that migrated into the garden. Pick these up and dispose of them in the proper place. Start a mini brush pile and add small twigs to the compost.

Tip #3: Rake, Rake, Rake

I like to wait until the end of March and sometimes April to rake out my garden beds. This way if a hard freeze hits any areas that have perennials, they’ll be well insulated with leaves. Once the leaves are removed, sunlight hits the garden directly, helping to steadily warm soil temperatures.

Tip #4: Add Finished Compost/Composted Manure to the Garden

I like to amend the soil in my garden as soon as possible. Now, since I live in the north and the ground isn’t always completely thawed in March, I sometime have to wait until the following month to till it into the soil. I never use man made fertilizers, only compost and year-old manure to keep my garden as organic as possible.

Tip #5: Give Attention to the Compost Pile

Give the compost a good turning, making sure to work the inside of the pile out. This helps to circulate air, speeding up the decomposition process. It also helps to de-compact the pile which settled over the winter. March is the perfect time to start a new compost pile for the year.

If you haven’t already, March is a good time to order your seeds and plan your garden. I typically know which of my vegetables are going to go where, but actually standing in the garden gives me a better prospective on where things should go.

Do you have any March gardening tips to share? 

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What’s New for Gibby’s Garden in Spring 2013

As I pondered what to write about here at Gibby’s Garden today, I was hit with a forecast calling for 12-14 inches of snow the day before the start of spring. Though I’d much rather have lots of sunshine and warmer days,  there is still much to do before heading out and planting my garden in the upcoming months.

For starters, I ordered my seeds a few days ago to ensure the varieties of vegetables I wanted would still be in stock. I also decided which vegetables I’d grow from seed and which transplants I’d buy from my local nursery. I plan on canning my own tomato sauce this year so I decided to forgo starting my own tomatoes indoors and instead will buy transplants.

While patiently waiting for spring to settle in, I also thought a lot about companion planting as a way to save space in my ever expanding garden. This year my peas will be planted with my corn so they can use the cornstalks as a natural trellis and my lettuce will be planted with my tomatoes as an edible groundcover and another way to keep the weeds down.

I’m not exactly sure where all the vegetables in my garden are going to go yet, but seeing as I still have some time, I’m going to take my time planning as I figure in crop rotation, companion planting and which vegetables might block the sun from others if planted in the wrong spot.

As I plan my garden this spring, I thought I’d pass a long a few tips to help you plant yours.

• Choose bush varieties for containers and small gardens
• Companion plant to save on space (grouping 2 or more vegetables together that don’t compete for nutrients/space etc.
• Rotate crops from last year
• Choose varieties to fit the growing season (days to maturity)
• Consider plant height and space needed to grow
• Consider succession planting (plant early and late varieties of the same vegetable to extend the growing season)

I use these tips to plan my garden every year. If you have any tips on saving time, space or money or garden planning tips in general, please feel free to share them below. 

Tips on Companion Planting

January Thaw

We're currently experiencing a January thaw here in Maine and other parts of the north. Besides providing a warm winter break, the sunny, mild weather is putting me in the mood to garden. Since it's only January, I can't start my seeds yet or head outdoors to prepare my gardens until spring. In the meantime, I'll be making a list of which vegetables to plant in 2013 and how many.

I'll be planting my usual crop of beans, peas, corn and tomatoes - many of which will be eaten fresh and the rest frozen. This year I'm going to try planting some new vegetables, one's I've never grown before, such as eggplant and turnips.

I've already been scouring online seed catalogs checking out the new varieties for 2013 and making a mental list of which seeds I want to order to be written down later. I've also been thinking ahead about rotating my crops and thinking about which vegetables to grow where.

In other news, a number of online gardening catalogs have discontinued their affiliate marketing relationship with Google, so I'll be begrudgingly removing all banners and links from Gibby's Garden over the next few weeks. The companies I speak of include Gurney's (one of my favorites), Breck's and a few others. Please be patient as I do this as these links will no longer work from this site and many others similar to mine.

What will you be doing in preparation for this year's vegetable garden?

Guide to Choosing Seeds for the Organic Vegetable Garden

Gibby's Garden

With so many varieties of vegetables to choose from, it can be hard to narrow down which vegetable seeds to choose and which seed company to buy them from. A few things to consider when choosing vegetable seeds is budget, USDA zone and how much space is available in the garden.

Tips for Choosing Vegetable Seeds and Varieties

Choosing Vegetable Seeds for the Northern Garden

3 questions to ask yourself before choosing which vegetable seeds to plant and tips to help make deciding which brand(s) of seeds to buy easier.

Read full article . . . 

Choosing Which Vegetables to Grow in Your Garden

Tips on choosing which types of vegetables and their varieties to plant in your garden. Follow this guide to make choosing the best vegetables to plant for you and your family simple and fun.

Read full article . . .

How Many Vegetables to Plant per Person

Figuring out how many vegetables to plant per person for an entire household can seem a little overwhelming. By answering a few questions and consulting a few free online charts, this process is a lot easier. Deciding how much of which vegetables to plant makes choosing vegetable varieties easier because you can choose from high or low yielding plants depending on the needs of your household.

Read full article . . .

Vegetable Seeds vs. Transplants: The Benefits of Each

Should you choose vegetable seeds, transplants or both? In the north, it’s best to use a mix of both and here’s why.

Read full article . . .

Buy Vegetable Seeds in Fall to Save Money

Buying your vegetable seeds in the fall and winter from online seed companies and catalogs can net you some pretty big savings. Many companies offer discounts and other incentives that are worth taking advantage of.

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How to Make Your Own Seed Tapes

We all know how much of a pain it can be to plant those tiny seeds like radishes and carrots. To save on time, follow this guide to make your own seed tapes for next to nothing.

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Vegetable Garden Maintenance and Protection Guide

Gibby's Garden

Maintaining your vegetable garden and offering it a little protection from the elements makes a big difference in how healthy and productive it grows. Learn tips and tricks from cleaning your garden and tools to maintaining and protecting your plants.

Garden Maintenance and Protection Guides

Spring Cleaning the Vegetable Garden

Once the snow melts and ground thaws here in the north, it’s time to head outside and clean and prepare the vegetable garden for the next growing season. Here are some tips to help guide you through the process.

Read full article . . . 

How to Clean Garden Tools

Clean garden tools are more efficient and last longer. Learn how to clean your garden tools, sharpen them yourself and which supplies are needed to get the job done.

Read full article . . .

3 Steps to Protect the Garden from Heavy Rain

When heavy rains are forecast, head outdoors and offer your vegetable garden some protection. Here’s how.

Read full article . . .

Garden Cleanup after a Heavy Rain

Tips on how to cleanup the garden after a heavy rainstorm. Keep an eye out for damaged plants and those that need to be supported.

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Hurricane Protection: Keep Your Garden Safe

When a hurricane is on its way, head out to the garden and perform a few tasks to help protect it. These tips are mainly for the north where hurricanes are weaker and few and far between. 

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What Were You Thankful for This Gardening Season?

With Thanksgiving only a few days away I thought I’d get into the swing of things by talking about what I’m most thankful for from my garden this year - after all this is a gardening blog and I want to stay on topic. So, without further ado, here are the 3 things that I’m most thankful for now that this gardening season has come to a close.

Number 1: My Garden’s Bounty

After all the hours of work and sweat I put into my organic vegetable garden planning, planting and weeding, I was rewarded with a bountiful harvest. I’m thankful for the bags of homegrown organic vegetables in my freezer, some of which my family and I will be enjoying this Thanksgiving.

Number 2: Habitat for Little Critters

I noticed lots of what I call little critters in my vegetable gardens this year - mainly toads and snakes. I’m thankful for the habitat my plants and mulch provided for the “good” critters that called my gardens home this summer. I’m thankful because toads and snakes help keep the bug population down naturally while they stay sheltered and well fed.

Number 3: Exercise and Relaxation

Believe it or not, I’m thankful for all the work it took to keep my greatly expanded vegetable gardens growing healthy and strong. Not only did I get a great workout while keeping my garden tended, I worked off lots of stress as well, providing myself with great relaxation later on. I enjoyed and am thankful for the peace and quiet my garden provided me.

What are you thankful for from your garden this year?

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3 Things I Learned from My Vegetable Garden This Year

3 Things I Learned from My Vegetable Garden This Year

Here in the north the vegetable gardening season has come to a close. In a way it's sad to see yet another season has gone by. On the other hand, it's nice to gain more expeience and knowledge from doing some hands-on gardening. Hopefully, after all the time spent in the garden, you walked away knowing a thing or two more than you did last year - I know I did.

Tomato Cages Don't Work for All Vegetable Plants

For starters, I know not to place tomato cages around my young broccoli plants in an attempt to provide them with support when they are big. After transplanting my seedlings, I dutifully provided them with tomato cages. The cages provided excellent support alright, but the inner leaves of my broccoli plants were forced awkwardly upwards.

This caused the outside of the main heads of broccoli to take longer to ripen than the centers. While patiently waiting for the outsides of the heads to ripen, the insides started to rot. What I learned? Next year I'll wait until my plants actually need support and then I'll stake them.

Check to See if Vegetables are of the Pole or Vining Variety Before Buying

I was excited to try a new type of bean in my vegetable garden this year, well new to  me anyway. They were called "yard long" beans and rightfully named because the beans grow up to a foot or more. After the drenching spring rains had passed by, which chose to fall after I had diligently planted my garden, I was delighted to see that a handful of my yard long bean plants had survived.

If only I had read the back of the seed packet a bit better before planting I would have realized they were vining beans. Next year I'll be growing this variety of bean again and I'll make sure to plant them along a trellis so I don't have to go searching for beans around and under other plants in the garden. What I learned? Slow down and take a minute to thouroughly read plant descriptions before ordering and especially before planting.

Make Sure the Manure I add to My Vegetable Gardens is Well-Composted

Hey, I already know this but the person spreading the manure in my vegetable gardens didn't. My father was nice enough to bring a bucket load of manure and dump it in my gardens and then, in the garden that was big enough to use the tractor, spread it for me. Little did I know the manure wasn't year-old, meaning it was still relatively fresh.

Fresh manure isn't good for all vegetable plants. It can burn the roots of some plants while causing others to focus on growing large and pushing out foliage rather than providing vegetables. Many of my cucumber plants didn't survive but my broccoli plants looked like they were on steroids. I'm happy to report my broccoli is still putting out side shoots, despite my caging, well into October. What I learned? Know exactly what I'm spreading in my vegetable gardens.

What did you learn from your vegetable garden this year?

Organic Gardening Tips for the Month of October

Image: SB_Johnny

This time of year there may not seem like there’s much to do in the garden except clean up and put the tools away for winter. After the last of the vegetables have been harvested and before putting the tools away, there are a few things to do in preparation for spring. The work you put into the garden in October influences the start of next year’s growing season.

Tip #1: October Garden Cleanup

Once your plants have died off, pull them from the ground and toss them into the compost or bag them to put by the curb on trash day. Rake up any debris and toss that as well. Taking these extra steps helps to reduce the garden pest population next year. Many garden pests, “the bad bugs,” burrow under piles of garden debris to lay their eggs or set up home for the duration of the winter. Removing piles of debris from your garden in October encourages pests to hibernate elsewhere.

Guide to Organic Pest Control

Tip #2: Till Compost into the Garden

October is the perfect time of year to till compost into gardens, especially in the north. Plants value the nutrients finished compost leave behind. Add about ½" of compost to existing garden beds and about 1" of compost to new gardens and to those that have never been fertilized before. Till the compost into the soil a good 3 - 4". Over the winter nutrients will leach into the garden bed where they’ll be ready to feed your plants for the new growing season.

Guide to Backyard Composting

Tip #3: Plant a Fast Growing Ground Cover

To minimize the amount of weeds that grow, even during the month of October, plant a fast growing ground cover. Ground covers blanket the garden crowding out weeds. Come spring, till the ground cover into the soil while preparing your garden for planting. Not only will you have fewer weeds, you’ll be giving your garden an extra boost of nutrients.

Putting in a New Garden Bed this Fall

Tip #4: Clean and Put Away Garden Tools

October is a good month to clean your garden tools and tuck them away in the shed for the winter. While you’re in the shed, place snow shovels in an easy to reach place. Remove garden dirt and debris from your tools, oil them to prevent rust and sharpen any blades that need it. Organize your tools by hanging them up and placing them in storage racks so they’re kept out of the elements and easy to find next year.

How to Clean Garden Tools

One of the things I like to do in October is to sit on the porch drinking a cup of coffee, usually in a sweatshirt here in Maine, and think about my garden. What grew well and what didn’t? What will I keep the same next year and what will I do differently? I keep a garden diary, this year I posted it online, and I make notes for myself to remember next year. Maybe it’s a variety of vegetable that didn’t grow well or a certain insect infestation I had to combat. Whatever it may be, it helps me to grow an even more productive garden the following year. 

Fall Decorating Ideas for the Garden

Image: Flominator via Wikimedia Commons

As flowers and vegetables begin to dwindle, they often take with them the beautiful and eye catching splashes of color they once provided. Instead of gazing over a sea of dismal looking plants, spice up the garden with a few fall decorations that please the eye. After all, fall is a wonderful time of year to sit in the garden and relax. The bugs are gone and the sun is still providing enough warmth to warm the chilled air.

Types of Fall Garden Decorations

• Garland
• Signs
• Flags
• Solar Powered Lights
• Decorative Containers/Planters
• Fall Blooming Flowers
• Door Hangings
• Wreaths
• Pumpkins
• Cornstalks
• Sunflowers
• Square Bales
• Chimes/Spinners
• Yard Art

Fall Decorating Themes

• Country
• Whimsical
• Autumn
• Halloween

Tips for Taking Decorating Ideas to another Level

• Drape garland along fences and railings, over doorways and arches and around light posts
• Place themed flags and signs in and around the garden
• Line walkways with solar powered lights
• Scatter colorful containers/planters around the garden and trailing stairs
• Fill containers/planters with bright fall blooming plants
• Hang wreaths and decorative signs on doors, garden gates and along fences
• Place pumpkins of varying sizes on stairs and doorsteps
• Use cornstalks, sunflowers and square bales to add a touch of autumn inspired decorations to the garden and porches and decks
• Hang chimes and spinners from trees, posts and along hooks in the garden
• Scatter themed yard art to add a pop of color and draw the eye

Decorating the garden for fall should be a fun experience. Mix and match different decorations and experiment among varying themes. There are lots of ideas to draw inspiration from. Most of all, don’t forget to enjoy the crisp days of autumn around your very own home.

4 Gardening Tips for the Month of September

Gibby's Garden

You've been diligent. You’ve worked hard all summer long pulling weeds, watering, carefully tying wayward plants to their supports and implementing the best organic pest control you know how. September is here and there’s still much to do. Here’s a list of tips gathered from my own experience to help your garden go out with a bang.

Tips for Gardening in September

Tip #1: Harvest!

You worked hard nurturing and pampering your organic vegetable garden all summer long. Now it’s time to reap your final rewards. Get out and harvest and continue to do so as vegetables mature. Keep in mind that the harvest will slow during the month of September as the nights turn colder and plants begin to die off.

Tip #2: Preserve Your Bounty

You’re bound to have excess vegetables from your harvest. Don’t let them go to waste! Freeze, preserve and dehydrate your vegetables so you can enjoy them all summer long. 

Tip #3: Continue to Weed

Weed? Yes you read that right. Though your vegetable garden is coming to an end, those pesky weeds are still striving to have their say. Continue to pull them, especially before they go to seed. This will help set you up for fewer weeds during the next growing season. Weed seeds will have no problem ingratiating themselves into the soil of your garden where they’ll snuggle quietly over the long winter months while waiting for spring.

Tip #4: Remove Dead Vegetable Plants

As your vegetable plants begin to die off, pull them and toss them into the compost pile. If any are diseased, tomato plants with blight for example, bag those and put them by the curb on trash day. Whatever you do with your plants, don’t leave them piled up in the garden over the winter. These piles provide welcoming homes for pests to nestle under over the winter.

Winding Down for the Season

For those of us in the north, the gardening season is starting to wind down. What we do now, in September and October, influences our gardens next year in terms of a preemptive strike against pests, weeds and disease. My best tip for the month of September; get outside and enjoy what’s left of the season and take a moment to remember why it is you love to grow your own organic vegetables. Was it worth it?

Hurricane Protection: Keeping Gardens Safe in the North

Image: freedigitalphotos.net

Here in the northern part of the U.S., we typically don’t get hurricanes; we get the leftovers. That usually means strong winds and heavy rains. Never the less, we should still protect our gardens when hurricane-like weather hits. There are two ways to protect your garden should strong winds and heavy rains sweep over your area.

Step 1: Cover Delicate Plants with Cloches and Plastic Covers

Whether it’s a prized flower or a delicate vegetable plant you’ve nurtured all summer long, cover it up. Retailers both local and online sell what are called garden cloches. These resemble clear domes in different sizes and are placed over plants.

Cloches protect garden plants from heavy rains, strong winds and falling debris. If you’re buying a set of cloches, make sure to get the right size. They come in small, medium and large.

If you’re a frugal gardener or on a budget like me, go ahead and make your own garden cloches. Use empty gallon-sized milk jugs, cut their bottoms off and slip over your plants for instant protection.

Retailers also sell plastic covers. These remind me of the bags used to protect dry-cleaning. If you’re opting for plastic covers, a more affordable solution, choose those that are reusable so they can be used next time a hurricane or its leftover strong winds and heavy rains hit.

Step 2: Stake, Cage and Tie Garden Plants

Stake, tie and cage those garden plants to offer them protection against strong winds; your tomato, green pepper and other top heavy plants and flowers will thank you. Secure trellises with additional stakes and ties. Place cages around small, delicate plants and stakes around those too large to slip a cage over.

Loosely tie the main plant stems to the stakes using garden twine or plant ties. (For strong winds associated with a hurricane, I’d opt for the twine.) Tying them loosely gives plants a little slack to sway in the wind causing less damage to the plant.

Strong winds and heavy rains can wreak havoc on your garden. Though these steps won’t stand up to the brute force of a hurricane, especially if you’re directly in its path, they go along way towards offering protection from the remnants we see here in the north.  

3 Tips to Extend the Growing Season in Your Maine Garden

Image: Gibby’s Garden

For some, especially those of us in Maine and the north, when August rolls around the growing season never seems long enough. So, how can we extend it and keep our vegetable gardens producing a little longer?

The answer is to pamper our vegetable plants by snipping away dead and dying leaves and vines, harvesting all mature vegetables and blanketing our most delicate plants with floating row covers.

Tip # 1: Say Goodbye to Dead and Dying Foliage

Before you begin snipping away dead and dying foliage, take a good look at your plants. Focus on the ones that are healthy and still have vegetables to bear. Snip off the yellowing and brown leaves and vines. For example, when cucumber vines begin to die off, snip them off from the main plant stem.

This move helps extend the growing season by refocusing plants on producing and maturing more vegetables instead of spending energy trying to repair damaged and dying plant parts. Remember, you don’t need to go crazy doing this. When all is said and done, toss the clippings in the compost pile, woods or whatever, but don’t leave them piled up in the garden. Leaving them in garden invites garden pests to over winter under them.

Tip # 2: Harvest all Mature Vegetables

Some vegetable plants, string beans for example, stop producing if their mature vegetables haven’t been harvested. So, harvest them when they’re ready to help extend their growing season. You put all that work into growing a garden, so why wouldn’t you want to harvest everything it produces?

If you end up with more vegetables than you know what to do with, freeze and preserve them, give them away to friends, family and neighbors or drop them off at the local food pantry. Someone is sure to enjoy them, even if it’s not you.

Tip # 3: Floating Row Covers

Why am I talking about floating row covers in August? It’s still summer right? Well, here in Maine, temperatures can dip pretty low at night, even in summer, especially towards the end of August. Floating row covers help lock in heat during the day keeping plants and soil temperatures warmer at night. Warmer temperatures encourage plants to keep producing, thus extending their growing season.

Floating row covers can easily be pulled back for harvesting during the day. You don’t have to cover all your plants, only those that are still healthy and producing vegetables.

A great time-saving tip is to snip away dead and dying foliage as you harvest. Yesterday, as I harvested my wax beans and the first of my burgundy beans, I pinched of the yellowing and brown, crispy leaves, though there were few of them. I’ll continue to do this as I harvest and weed as August moves along.

I’m always on the hunt for tips to extend the growing season; do you have any to share?

6 Benefits of Backyard Composting

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Attention all organic gardeners; are you composting? If you answered no, you should be. Backyard composting has many benefits that fit naturally into organic gardening. It’s easy to get started and unless you buy a compost bin, it won’t cost you a penny. The big plus is you’ll be cutting down on decomposable household waste and feeding your garden with organic ingredients.

Slow-Release Plant Food

Compost slowly releases its nutrients over time. This benefits your organic garden because it gets fed all season long without the need for chemicals. In early spring and late fall when the soil is cool, compost releases nutrients at slow rates. As soil temperatures warm, the release of nutrients speeds up when plants need them the most to produce flowers and fruit.

Over time, nutrients build up in the soil making it healthier and better able to retain the nutrients left behind from compost. Healthy soil needs less amending, i.e. less and less compost season to season.

Better Soil Aeration

Soil that doesn’t get enough air circulating through it becomes compacted. Compacted soil prevents water from soaking through which leads to pour seed germination and brittle, dry plants. Adding compost helps prevent this problem by allowing air to circulate and water to penetrate.

Fewer Plant Diseases

Did you know a touch of compost helps to prevent and control plant disease? Well, it does. According to a handful of studies referenced in Organic Gardening’s Make Compost in 14 Days, compost helps to prevent certain kinds of plant rot, turf diseases and mildew.

Drought Protection

Soil that contains compost has an easier time retaining moisture. Soil granules form in compost rich soil. These granules sop up water and hold on it. Furthermore, once compost has completely broken down it turns into humus. Humus rich soil is incredibly moist meaning you’ll spend less time watering the garden.

Put an End to Erosion

Loose and compost free soil has a hard time retaining water; when heavy rains and strong winds hit, they tend to wash it away. Mixing compost into the soil will help it retain moisture and grow strong plants preventing erosion. Humus rich soil is even better at preventing erosion.

Benefits the Environment

Composting benefits the environment in many ways. First, it cuts down on the amount of biodegradable kitchen and yard waste that takes up room in landfills. It also returns nutrients to the earth, naturally benefiting the environment around it. Using compost eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers as well.

Besides feeding my garden and being good for the environment, saving money is one of my favorite benefits of composting. Composting doesn’t cost a thing unless you invest in a composting bin. All the compost ingredients are found in and around the home and using compost in the garden eliminates the need to spend money on chemical laden fertilizers.

Additional Composting Articles

Compost: Nature’s Organic Plant Food

6 Benefits of Composting

List of Good and Bad Compost Ingredients

How to Make Cold Compost

How to Make Hot Compost

How to Tell if Compost is Finished

How Much Compost to Add to the Garden

Calculating How Much Compost You Need

Reference: Organic Gardening (2007). Make Compost in 14 Days. Rodale Inc.

Garden Cleanup after a Heavy Rain

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“Rain, rain go away, come back another day.” Wow did we get some heavy rain here in Maine over the weekend. In fact, as I write this, it’s still raining outside. So, what can you do besides wait out the storm and hope your garden hasn’t been ruined?

Well, before getting discouraged, put on your big girl galoshes and head outside to check things out. Your transplants and seedlings are tougher than you think and forgoing a torrent of water streaming through your garden, I bet it held up better than you think. Take the following steps to cleanup your garden after a heavy rain.

Steps for Cleaning Up the Garden after a Heavy Rain

Access the Situation

Now that the rain has stopped, it’s time to access the situation and see exactly what you are dealing with. Look for toppled plants and fallen garden structures as well as any areas of the garden that have been flooded. Has the water drained? Are there washouts?

Fix Drainage Issues

If part of your garden is under water, you have a drainage issue and you need to get rid of the water as fast as you can to prevent further damage. Seeds and plants that are drowning in water are susceptible to rot.

First, decide on the best place for the water to drain. Next, use a garden hoe or shovel to create a small trench allowing the water to flow out of the garden. Be weary of draining the water near your foundation or into your neighbor’s yard.

Fix Washouts

Washouts happen when loose soil is swept away after a heavy rain. These are less likely to happen once your plants have become established and even less likely to happen if you’ve applied mulch in the garden. Though mulch helps prevent washouts, a harsh rainstorm can wash away some of your mulch, so that may need fixing.

Rebuild any mounds that have been damaged. Keeping your mounds built up helps to protect the roots of your plants which is important, especially while they are still developing. Add more soil or mulch in areas that need it and take preventative measures to protect your garden in the future by mulching around mounds and rows that were washed out.

Check for Damaged Plants

Check your plants, especially young seedlings. Look for leaning or bent stalks and push the soil up around any that need a little extra support. Tape any cracks or splits and pull the plants that have been damage beyond repair. As I write this in early June, it’s still early enough to replace plants with seedlings as well as some seeds.

Cleanup

What needs to be cleaned up around the garden? Rake away any mulch or soil that washed away and pick up other debris leftover from the heavy rain. Make sure the areas where you planted seeds that haven’t germinated yet aren’t buried beneath a layer of light and rain blocking debris.

Cleaning up and making repairs around the garden after a heavy rainstorm is sometimes needed. If your garden was hit hard and the cleanup is getting overwhelming, break it into steps. Always access the situation and start by making the most needed repairs first.

Was your garden affected by this weekend’s heavy rain?