New England Gardener

Young Maple Leaf May 2, 2010

I was kind of hoping with the early bloom this year, maybe we can catch the winter moth sleeping. Perhaps the leaves could bloom so fast, the moths might sleep through the action. On inspection today, Sunday May 2, 2010, we see the moths are hard at work, eating our young maple and oak (and many other) leaves. I could not see any pests on the leaf, but I did see a steady stream of tiny green caterpillars climbing up this weeping cherry tree.
What can we do? Not much. Here is some more information from the Univerisity of Massachusetts Extension. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

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Filed under: Photos

The Season's First Peas-Germinated indoors in a moist paper towel

If you are new to vegetable gardening, I encourage you to check out The Just Add Water layout and seed list on the New England Gardener homepage.
It’s a variation on the 10′ by 10′ plot I grew last year in my local community garden in Yarmouth, Maine. You can copy it seed by seed or improve on it with your own great ideas.
I’ll offer a few simple suggestions for those of you who are growing food for the first time. Start small. Draw a simple plan and stick to it. Leave space (at least 18″) for rows. Work some compost into the soil. Weed and water.
As for what to grow, it’s entirely up to you. I grow food my family will eat and emphasize produce that is expensive or bland at the grocery store. You’ll always find plenty of herbs and tomatoes in my garden.
Other “easy to grow” suggestions include lettuces, carrots, peas, bush beans, tomatoes (from purchased seedlings) and spinach.

The Just Add Water design is similar to last years with a few notable exceptions. I’m growing lettuce, spinach, chard, radishes, tomatoes, cukes and beans again, although in different spots for crop rotation.
For fun, I’m trying melons in the squash patch. I’ve never grown them successfully because of the short season in Maine, but spring is early and I plan to break out some black plastic to heat things up. I also waited much too long to start carrots last year, planting them as a replacement crop after the peas were finished. This year I’m planting carrots early and often.

My first planting of peas, both snap and shell, went in the ground last week. (April 18th) If you haven’t started yours yet, I highly recommend germinating them indoors first in a wet paper towel.
This will save you a few days and ensure better production. My carrots and spinach went in the ground before supper tonight. (April 25th.) I hope to get some lettuce, radishes and chard in, in between the raindrops later this week.

One quick word about the dreaded Late Blight that took out so many tomato and potato crops last year.
The disease does NOT winter over in New England EXCEPT on potato tubers. Check out this fact sheet for details.

Salad days are ahead.

Filed under: Just Add Water Project | Sustainable Gardening | Uncategorized

Earth Day is time to get dirty, in order to get clean. Cleaning the earth includes the soil, the water, and the air. April 22, 2010 is our 40th annual day of action toward a cleaner planet. We have come a long way since April of 1970. Would we swim in Boston Harbor or Lake Erie 40 years ago? Could we breath clean air in Los Angeles or Denver 40 years ago? The answer is no. But today we have substantially cleaner air and water.
I believe the spirit of Earth Day is one of a succession of United States Citizen’s efforts to live on a cleaner planet, much more healthy for life.

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Filed under: Sustainable Gardening

The fun of Bird watching is trying to find and identify as many birds and bird calls as possible. Many of us do the same thing with plants, shrubs, and trees. The difference is that birds are always bouncing and flying, trees and plants just sit there. So we have more time to examine the tree or shrub. Even though, with these pretty flowers just sitting there, I still have trouble identifying them. That’s why we have friends.. it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I am grateful to know plenty of gardening veterans who mentor me in my flora ways. Take this, April 12, 2010 Nashua NH photo, for example.. Very pretty, but what are they? Dolores Ahern of South Dennis Massachusetts, is one of my go to people for help identifying plants and trees. I am able to I.D, the pretty yellow and red on the left as a McCafe Tree, but Dolores had to help with the others.

This from Dolores:
Hi Tim,
The yellow flower appears to be Doronicum orientale or Leopard’s Bane.
The white flowering tree is probably flowering pear and the purple shrub is PJM rhododendron.
How far ahead do you estimate we are for seasonal bloom? A week? 2 weeks?
Everything is early down here. We have to watch out for a frost or we’ll lose stuff.
Hope all is well.
Dolores
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Filed under: Flowers

I HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF MOSS AROUND MY LAWN AND GARDENS.
I AM IN A SHADY LOCATION WHICH MAY NOT HELP.
CAN YOU HELP?
THANK YOU
AL

Hi Al
Sounds like you may want to get someone to thin out the branches that create the shadows on your lawn. You need more sunshine and a breeze. The moss can then be tilled into soil and you can plant ’shady area’ grass seed.
I also found these answers from Dr. Google.
Found this web site http://turfgrass.com/ubb/Forum10/HTML/000014.html
Two items you can try. Dawn Ultra dish soap at 2-3ounces per gallon of water or an iron sulphate at 6 ounces per gallon of water. watch it turn color within hours.
Hay,
What about Copper Sulfate. If you are trying to control Spanish Moss or Ball Moss or others for that matter find some Copper Sulfate and spray moss after a rain for best results and then it will be dead. Now getting it off. Wish for real high winds. I’ve never tried soap but thanks for the hint I will experiment.
Burlap_Etc
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Filed under: Ask The Garden Team

Have you ever seen plants blossom so quickly? Record 2010 March rainfall, now record warmth in April is the recipe for the fastest spring blooming I have ever seen. That means most of us are likely behind on our garden chores.. OK almost all of us, how about show of hands by those who are up to date?

I am running around between work outs and bill paying with pruners, a rake, and a large barrel. My goal is to take a load a day to the Green Connection town compost pile just a mile from my house. Just about every plant, bush, and tree in the yard can use at least a little prune. Some growth needs a heavy prune. Sometimes my hand clippers just don’t cut it. Like with this rose bush. That’s why I break out the Bolt Cutters. These thick Hybrid Tea thorny canes clearly are suffering black rot. This is typical, and does not mean the rose is dead. I believe these were impacted by the salty wind of many Nor’Easters this winter. The roses on the other side of the house were not as badly rotted, and now have five leaf sprouts growing three inches in three days!
The best way to cut these canes back, is to make the cut below the black rot, just above any new budding leave or branch. You may cut the rose right at the ground, if it is healthy the root will send new shoots up very quickly. I used bolt cutters because this cane is so tough. You also want heavy duty leather garden gloves, these thorns are crazy sharp and grabby. A few other chores are listed below.
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Filed under: Flowers