| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008 4:54 pm |
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 DIY: Rustic birdhouse Saw this link to instructions on how to build a rustic birdhouse from scrap wood. Why spend $25 on something like this at a store when you can do it yourself? Here is the link. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
A non-chemical cure for apple maggots If your apples are an inedible, mushy brown mess the problem is probably apple maggots. Apple maggots hang out in the ground through the winter and then emerge as flies beginning midsummer. They lay eggs in the flesh of apples, the eggs hatch into maggots, and the maggots eat their way through the fruit. It's a serious, relatively recent problem in the Northwest, and there aren't many effective ways of dealing with the problem. One new method that is effective: apple maggot barriers. The little sacks are made of nylon that slips over the fruit just like a sock. An Oregon grower got the idea after watching his girlfriend pull on her nylon footies. The nice folks at the Seattle Tree Fruit Society have used the barriers for three years and found them to be nearly 100 percent effective preventing apple maggot damage and 80 percent effective against coddling moth damage. The Seattle Tree Fruit Society sells Maggot Barriers as a fundraiser and also to help backyard fruit growers protect their fruit without using pesticides. The Maggot Barriers cost $20.00 per bag of 300 for nonmembers or $15.00 per bag of 300 for STFS members. You can find out more about the Seattle Tree Fruit Society or purchase Maggot Barriers at seattletreefruitsociety@hotmail.com. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
An excellent story worth reading about a legal plant (salvia divinorum) with hallucinogenic properties. The natives of Mexico's Sierra Mazateca range have long known about its effects (which don't sound pleasant) but mainstream mentions are picking up. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Betty Dorotik had little more than blackberries and poor soil to work with when she moved to her retirement home on Camano Island 15 years ago. Today her garden is paradise. Betty built up the soil by amending with a mixture of manure and wood shavings she obtained free from an equestrian center in Stanwood. She sends the mister with the truck down to the center once or twice a year, spreading about 6 cubic yards annually on her beds. The horse farms are usually more than happy to get rid of the waste for free. Your tricks for improving soil? ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Have you bought a Scotts Miracle Gro product recently? Read this. The Scotts Miracle Gro-Co. is recalling four illegal, unregistered and misbranded pesticides from store shelves. The EPA asked nine national retailers to remove the products from store shelves and Scotts to stop selling and distributing the following products: Miracle Gro Shake 'n Feed with Weed Preventer All Purpose Plant Food (EPA Reg. No. 62355-4) Scotts Bonus S MAX (EPA Reg. No. 538-301) Scotts Turf Builder MAX (EPA Reg. No. 538-299) SLS Fertilizer with .28 Halts (EPA Reg. No. 538-304) The risks, if any, posed by these unregistered products are unknown. The EPA and its state partner, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, are conducting laboratory analysis of the unregistered products. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Native plants for every area of your garden Landscaping with native plants is hot and for good reason. These plants are adapted to our area so that means minimal work and natives generally don't need extra water once established. And they're beautiful. Granted, it's often a different, less showy beauty, but still beautiful. Rita Moore, a native plant lover who landscaped her own Seattle home, offered a few of her favorites: For the flower garden: fringecup, columbine, deer fern, foam flower, red huckleberry, salal, Pacific bleeding heart, sword fern Edge of a garden bed: maidenhair fern, star-flowered false Solomon’s seal, wild ginger Trees: mountain hemlock, Western red cedar, big leaf maple, Pacific dogwood, vine maples, Pacific crapabble Shrubs: beaked hazelnut, red elderberry, Indian plum, red osier dogwood, snowberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, oceanspray Roses: Nootka, swamp, baldhip For fall color: highbush cranberry or mooseberry Vines: Honeysuckle vines red trumpet and California Ground covers: low Oregon grape, salal, kinnikinnick, native blackberry, Western trillium, red columbine, Siberian miner’s lettuce, Pacific bleeding heart, yellow monkey flower, pink monkey flower, Cusick’s speedwell, camus, nodding onion, lupines, fireweed, tiger lily, penstemons, queen’s cup, Pacific iris, blue-eyed grass, goat’s beard, piggyback plant, inside-out flower, pearly everlasting, white fawn lily Sedge: stone crop Some resources she recommended: Washington Native Plant Society King County Go Native King County Noxious Weed Salmon Friendly Gardens IvyOut Save money, time and water quality by naturescaping ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
One way to deal with moles I attended a garden talk with native plant expert Rita Moore recently and she said the biggest pest in her Seattle yard is moles. She chooses not to search and destroy but she did offer one interesting bit of advice: If she notices a plant is droopy, particularly droopy on one side, she surmises that moles probably have tunneled underneath the plant, leaving roots high and dry. When she sees that tell-tale droop, she runs over and stomps. She doesn’t worry too much about moles because they are carnivorous, not plant eaters. However, if you don’t deal with the mole tunnels, voles take up residence and they do eat plants, she said. So get stomping. Please share how you’re dealing with moles, voles and mountain beavers. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Chemical fertilizers = poor gardening? When Barbara Damrosch published the first edition of “The Garden Primer” two decades ago, most people thought vegetables when they thought gardening. A lot changed. We got busier and our yards shrank. Home-grown veggies yielded the throne to supermarket food. And ornamentals became queen of the garden. Veggies are back, Damrosch said, and so too is the book thousands of gardeners lugged dog-eared and dirty around their gardens. Damrosch was in Seattle recently signing copies of a revised edition of the gardening classic, which includes chapters on soil, tools, landscape planning, buying plants and a dictionary of some of the best plants for the home garden. She intended the original to be a how-to guide and the second edition delivers advice in the same plain, practical language. In the past two decades, Damrosch, now 65, evolved from a landscaper to a vegetable farmer, and her speciality is growing vegetables year-round. She and her husband tend 40 acres in Maine. On just an acre and a half they grow $120,000 worth of produce annually, all in raised 30-inch beds. They incorporate tons of organic matter and grow veggies in 20 below zero Maine winters using a combination of unheated greenhouses and floating row covers. The second edition includes plants she now considers indispensable and she ditched plants that could become invasive. Readers will see more native plants, more seed saving and a more ecologically-enlightened approach. This edition is “100 percent” organic — it says so right on the cover — but Damrosch said she has always felt pesticides were harmful. When she learned millions of microscopic organisms lived in an inch of soil and that those organisms play an important role in plant health, she realized “soil is precious and fragile.” Worried about soil compaction, she rototills less and steps more carefully. And no chemical fertilizers. “There is a growing awareness that anything that reduces the life of the soil is just poor gardening,” she said. More people are returning to vegetables because of concerns about the safety of the industrial food system, but she said the trend got its start with mindful cooks looking for the freshest and best produce for their kitchens. People have lost touch with the good basic things in life like sitting down with family and eating together, she said. Food has been devalued. She hopes her book inspires more people to incorporate vegetables into their yards. It doesn’t take much space to grow a significant amount of food, she said. A 10-by-12 foot sunny plot can yield tomatoes, squash, salad greens and beans. Even a container can support a nice mix of greens or herbs. “I’d like to see people get into serious gardening and even community gardens where you can rent a space,” she said. It’s not all about the vegetables. She also wants people to do something more interesting with their yards, something more than “muffin-shaped topiary plants” and a respectable lawn. “People have been browbeaten into a certain aesthetic,” she said. “People should wake up a little bit. I have this tiny piece of earth I have use of. What could I do to make it more interesting? More useful? More fruitful?” ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Learn how to plant a pretty container Master Gardener Carol Bello will be at Lynnwood Library, 19200 44th Ave W (just behind Fred Meyer's), 7 p.m. tonight (April 24) demonstrating how to create a hanging basket for spring. It's free. One person will win the basket Carol makes in class. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
A garden great talks tonight in Mill Creek Barbara Damrosch, author and long-time garden expert, plans to speak 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, April 23) at the University Bookstore, 15311 Main St., Mill Creek. I just got off the phone with her and if our conservation is any indication, the talk tonight will be a good one. She’s in Seattle promoting the second edition of her best-selling book “The Garden Primer” and she’ll be signing copies. She’ll also be dishing about how to incorporate veggies into our yards. It’s something she knows a lot about as a landscape designer turned vegetable farmer. She grows vegetables year-round on her farm in Maine, where the winters can reach 20 below. If she can grow $120,000 worth of produce on an acre and a half in those conditions, I guess we could work some lettuce into our yards. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Could weed and feed be killing bees? My coworker, Eco Geek Sarah Jackson, received this letter from a local beekeeper who wonders if her neighbor's herbicide spraying could kill her bees. I asked Dave Pehling at the WSU extension for his take, and he kindly responded. So first, the letter: To Whom it May Concern: I am a local beekeeper. Luckily all four of my hives have survived the winter. I call the bees “my girls” because the worker bees are immature females. Anyway, my girls are out foraging for nectar and pollen right now. Allergy sufferers will agree that Spring is here. Dandelions are a nectar source for many pollinators not just the honey bee. Those yellow flowers are lovely to behold. My neighbor, a nice older gentleman lives in a subdivision that was recently built in the floodplain between Everett and Snohomish. This neighbor was out spraying his dandelions with an herbicide. The bees will go to those contaminated flowers and bring the chemicals back to their hive. They will build their honeycomb and feed their young. People often ask me, “Why are the bees dying?” Could my neighbor and all of the pristine lawn owners be partially to blame? Also, these herbicides will end up in the wetlands and Snohomish River. There are aisles of herbicides and pesticides in the local hardware stores. Can we not just change the way we view our gardening habits? Why not change the word weeds to herbs. Dorothea Eckert Flying Tomato Farm ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Ficus tree with fungus gnats I received this email from Carol Murphy about her ailing ficus tree: "I'm having a problem with a ficus that I've had for years. It's 5 1/2 feet tall from the soil and has a trunk bottom circumference of 5 1/2 inches. The pot is 13 inches diameter and 14 inches tall. It usually sheds leaves midwinter and then grows lots of new ones, This year it has just been having lots of wilted leaves and is getting sparse. It also has developed lots of little nuisance flies. On one of Ciscoe's programs he said it could be a fungus fly so I have just put sand on the top as he had suggested, but I don't know what to do further. Should I repot, change the soil, which would be a tricky thing or.....??? I'd sure appreciate some of your wonderful advice. I enjoy your articles in the Herald." Seriously, I didn't pay her for the last part. I don't know if I can offer more wisdom than Ciscoe, but what research I've done on ficus shows that fungus gnats can be traced back to over watering and/or poor soil quality. You could repot with sterile potting mix. Gardeners growing ficus: Other solutions that have worked for you? ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Destroying blackberries Rush Dixon of Ashland, Ore., thinks he has invented the solution to blackberries: a machine that combines teeth and a rake, attached to a front-end loader, that digs up blackberries by their roots. He says it will clear a patch 2,000 feet square in 10 minutes. The blackberries do come back after a few years, he admits. If you want another non-herbicide solution you could try renting goats. It's not cheap at $750 a day but those goats are effective. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
If you love dahlias (and who doesn’t) then you might want to check out two local tuber sales this weekend. The Snohomish County Dahlia Society is holding a sale from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday (April 20) at Legion Hall at Legion Park, 145 Alverson Blvd., Everett. The Seattle Dahlia Society is holding a sale 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (April 19) and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (April 20) at Country Village, 23732 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell. The members of both societies are knowledgeable folk who will send you home with good quality tubers and solid information. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Keep plants safe from the snow Yes, we’re expected to get some cold temperatures and possibly snow. The hardy plants should be fine but tender plants in pots can be snuggled up next to the house away from the wind. Plants in pots are always more susceptible to cold temps. Reporter Jackson Holtz, who tends a Seattle condo garden, wrote about the coming weather and interviewed local plant woman Sharon Collman. Check out her recommendations. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Cold temps may be coming this weekend but look at the tulips at Skagit Valley. This photo was taken by my father, Richard Vaughn, who lives on Whidbey Island. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Track climate change clues in your backyard You can help track climate change by observing and recording the timing of flowers and foliage in your backyard as part of Project Budburst. You select one or more plants to watch and take notes on buds opening, the first leaves and flowers emerging and when seed dispersal happens. Then you record the data online at www.budburst.org. The project is collaboration between academic and scientific institutions and is paid for by a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
The worst moles live in Snohomish A company that makes mole, vole and gopher “solutions” is once again searching for the best mole woe stories. Last year they did a nationwide search and a Snohomish woman won after submitting an epic poem about her husband’s battle with moles. If you’ve ever dealt with moles, you know that an epic poem is perfectly appropriate. Sweeney’s, the mole “solutions” company, wants a short story. The deadline is Aug. 31. You could win a $500 gift certificate to Lowe’s or a gift basket stuffed with mole, vole and gopher “solutions.” No word on whether any of they solutions involve explosives. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
What's that tree in your yard? Tree expert Stephen Arno will give a slide show about identifying Northwest trees 7 p.m., tonight (Wednesday, April 16) at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave. He'll also sign copies of his book, "Northwest Trees: Identifying and Understanding the Region's Native Trees." The event is free. Love that. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Don’t miss this garden art sale The Salvage Studio in Edmonds is run by three extremely creative women with a “lust for rust.” They hold a big garden art sale every year with all kinds of goodies made from rescued and recycled remnants. This year it’s set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 10. Call for directions: 425-330-5425. ... [Read More]
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I heart Ciscoe How much do we love Ciscoe Morris, the gardening personality of ooh-la-la fame? Enough every seat in an Everett auditorium was filled Friday with the behinds of local gardeners. The consensus around me at this event was that Ciscoe is beloved because he is a brilliant plantsman and whacky with a capital W. \ His speaking persona mystifies me: I’ve seen him before at media events and off stage he is subdued. Sure enough, he ooh-la-la-ed through his favorite plants and how to care for them. The list he shared during the talk was extensive but here are a few: ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! |
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