Cover Crops - a short guide

September 2nd, 2010 | One comment |
blue flowered pea-like plant

Hairy Vetch by homeredwardprice

Don’t leave bare soil in your garden when you could plant a cover crop instead. Here’s why and how.

1. A cover crop is a short-term planting which is used to protect and/or improve your soil rather than for food.

2. Plant your cover crop in the fall rather than leaving bare soil in your vegetable beds.

Alternatively you can mulch with compost.

3. Seeds you can plant for cover cropping include: hairy vetch, common vetch, winter rye, buckwheat, oats, clovers, alfalfa, soybeans and favas.

4. Reasons you want to plant cover include: protecting your soil from erosion; breaking up your soil; adding nitrogen to your soil; and making phosphates available for vegetables you plant later.

If you don’t plant cover or use a layer of weed-free compost on your vegetable beds you will be weeding instead!

5. A cover crop can also be sown in spring or summer – you’re better off watering for a few days to get your cover established than you are weeding later. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there and done that!

Places to get seeds for cover planting: Territorial Seed, Seeds of Change, Gardens Alive.

Sites with more information on cover planting: Organic Gardening Solutions, Cornell Gardening, Oregon State.

Have you tried this? What was your experience?

September 2nd, 2010 | Tags: , , , , | Category: garden | One comment

Are You Willing to Make Your Own Grass Greener?

August 31st, 2010 | 3 comments |
hiking boots, green Scottish landscape and cottage in background

Been a Long Day Walking by David Masters

What if you could live anywhere you like? Wouldn’t you choose somewhere with a job you love and great schools?

Or maybe you’d want fabulous places to hike and explore nature – mountains, parks, and beaches. Or the best place to grow the flowers and vegetables you dream of.

Making the Choice to Stay Put

The reality is that many of us do have a huge amount of choice about where we live. And you know what they say, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

But what if by staying put and making your own grass greener you could help to save the planet and the very things you really care about? What if growing your own sense of place in your garden is the the key to solving the environmental crisis?

“When the American poet Gary Snyder was once asked to discuss at length how individuals could best help resolve the environmental crisis, he responded with two words: ‘Stay put.’ Only by rediscovering a sense of place, he suggested, a commitment to a particular piece of ground, will we be able to redefine our relationship to the planet.”

Shadows in the Sun, Wade Davis, Island Press, 1998

“Make Your Own Grass Greener”

Is the epidemic of garden spraying and land despoiling really about lacking a sense of belonging and a sense of place? Could it be that simple? When you stop and notice a bug crawling by and learn the name of a native plant which feeds a butterfly do you feel a sense of connection?

Are you willing to stay put and “make your own grass greener”, or do you have fresh pastures in your sights, somewhere which just seems better, less spoiled, with more opportunities, maybe even with a community more tuned in to gardening, nature, or the environment? Are there things you love about your own little place which you share with your kids, friends, and family?

What are you doing to grow your connection to where you live? Do you feel a sense of place? Is your little bit of ground something you care deeply about? Would you like to care more?

August 31st, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: garden | 3 comments

Why You Want to Add a Birdfeeder to Your Garden

August 26th, 2010 | 7 comments |
round peanut bird feeder with two cute British blue tits

New Bird Feeder by ahisgett

If you haven’t already got at least one bird feeder in your nature garden you’re going to want to add one. Here is why.

It’s Easy

Hanging a bird feeder in your garden is one of the easiest ways to get started with nature gardening.

You don’t need to know precisely which kind of birds live near you, and you don’t need to understand native plants and how to care for them (at least not yet).

It’s Pleasurable

Birds are such a joy to watch. I’ve heard so many stories of elderly folks who practically lived for the joy of watching little feathered visitors outside their window. Maybe you remember too The Birdman of Alcatraz?

Somehow birds have magic which can touch even violent and troubled souls; there’s no doubt that watching birds is a pleasurable and calming hobby. And it’s a great for all ages from infancy up.

It’s Inexpensive

While a good quality, sturdy, squirrel-proof bird feeder can easily cost more than $50, it’s not expensive to get started. You can make a bird feeder from a milk carton or orange juice carton. And when you compare the cost of feeding a few garden birds with the cost of keeping a caged bird, or other pet, complete with vet bills, it’s a really affordable choice.

It’s Educational

Garden birds are the ultimate mini science teachers. They prompt questions in everything from ecology, through nutrition, to physiology, anatomy, behavioral science, geography, optics, acoustics, and aeronautics.

Kids can learn about what different birds eat, where they live, why they migrate, how they breathe and communicate, why their feathers are shiny, how their skeletons are similar to ours, and why they are important to our gardens.

But… it’s just the beginning

But wouldn’t you be better off planting some native shrubs, trees, or perennials which will feed the birds? Yes, it’s really important that birds have natural sources of insect food and native seeds to eat. Trees such as dogwood and crab apple attract and feed a lot of birds. And hummingbirds will love natives such as cardinal flowers. Shifting to greener, organic gardening practices will also leave un-sprayed insects for the birds to enjoy.

All the same, I recommend you mix feeding the birds with gradually adding natives to your garden. Feeders bring birds close in where you can see them from your window. I find that exciting and motivating and it makes me want to do more and more for our beautiful feathered friends. Perhaps you feel the same way?

Next week I’m going to share about Wild Birds Unlimited stores and why you want to visit one.

August 26th, 2010 | Tags: , , , | Category: Wild Birds | 7 comments
 
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