Loving Nature's Garden » garden

Raised bed vegetable garden prep in about 1 hour

Alison Kerr — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:48:36 +0000

Here’s a simple 5 step process which will take your garden from overgrown and wild to ready for raised bed vegetable planting in about an hour.

What you need:

A 4 foot by 4 foot area of garden (1.2 meters by 1.2 meters). If you have a built raised bed use that, but, if you don’t, any area of non-shaded garden ground will do.
Hands and feet – use gardening gloves if you prefer to keep your hands out of dirt, bugs, or spiky plants.
Lemonade, or other thirst-quenching beverage to taste.
A long-handled garden fork.
Compost (more on that later).
Seeds.

How to prepare your raised bed vegetable garden for planting in 1 hour

Step 1 – pull out annuals (5 minutes)

Starting with an overgrown area, your first task is to get in there and haul on whatever weeds and plants are choking up your garden.

Most annual weeds and vegetable plants which have gone to seed will pull right out, roots and all.

Grab the plants near the roots and pull. Don’t worry about plants which resist, just leave them to be taken care of in the next step.

When I worked on my own raised vegetable garden bed I pulled the whole 4 foot by 8 foot area in one go (it took me 10 minutes). It’s a quick way to make your garden look much better, which is a psychological boost.

The ground in my garden was brick hard after the hot July we’ve had here in Kansas. Still, the annuals came out just fine. The only things left behind were a few resistant carrots and turnips.

Step 2 – dig (30 minutes)

Once you’ve removed the annuals which were cluttering up your vegetable bed it’s time to get digging.

Before you dig, take off your square foot gardening grid, if you have one.

Use your long-handled gardening fork to break up the soil. As you fork the top few inches of soil you’ll loosen the resistant roots you left behind in Step 1.

If you don’t know how to use a garden fork here’s a helpful video on essential gardening tools which shows you the basics.

Remove any root crops at this point – carrots, turnips, beetroot, potatoes. Set these aside for cooking later. Mmmm… you can make a stew.

Step 3 – drink lemonade (5 minutes)

Digging over a garden is hard work. Stop and reward yourself with lemonade when you start to get hot or tired.

While you’re inside grab your planting plan from last time you put vegetables into this area. Miss this step out if you haven’t planted here before.

Grab your packets of seeds and start to mull over what you’ll be planting, while you enjoy your cool lemonade.

If you’ve not finished the forking, go back and break the clods of dirt up a bit further. You want most of the dirt lumps to be less than about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across when you are done.

There is no need to turn the soil. You’re just trying to break the lumps up small enough to allow your vegetable plant roots to penetrate (seedlings won’t grow well into hard-packed dirt).

Step 4 – add compost (10 minutes)

Add at least a couple of inches of compost to your raised bed. The compost goes on top (no need to dig it in). Any kind of compost will do.

I don’t have enough homemade compost to add to all of my vegetable beds. I’m using 40lb bags of compost from a local gardening company called Suburban Lawn and Garden. They make their own compost by recycling local garden waste.

If you’re using bagged compost you will need 1.5 – 2 of 40lb bags for a 4 foot by 4 foot garden area.

Spread the compost out on top of the soil then replace your square foot gardening grid (optional).

Step 5 – lay out seed packets (5 minutes)

Once your grid is in place, lay out your vegetable seed packets as you want to plant them.

Be sure to rotate your crops – plant each vegetable in a different spot from you used last time you planted (use your planting plan as a reminder). Crop rotation keeps down plant diseases and pests.

If you are ready to plant your seeds you can do so after this step, otherwise draw out a quick planting plan and take a note of where you want each vegetable crop to go. As soon as the weather is right you will be ready to go!

Clear up (5 minutes)

Remember to put your tools away. Move the weeds and plants you removed to your compost pile, or other means of disposal (do not add invasive weed seeds to your compost).

Take your lemonade glass, your written notes, and your seed packets back inside when you are done. Sit down and take a well-earned rest.

Are you planning a fall vegetable garden (it’s time)? If digging is a challenge consider hiring a neighborhood teen to do Step 2 for you and to haul your compost to your prepared bed.

Kid tip: everything takes just a bit longer when kids are helping. Double the time you allow – you’ll want to stop and watch bugs and it will be more fun if you’re not rushed.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

What to do in your August garden

Alison Kerr — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:18:25 +0000

Eupatorium coelestinum - mist flower - August rain garden

Are you tired of the summer yet? Wondering what to do in your garden in August, apart from sweat, or shed tears over your garden, as your plants burn to a crisp?

August is the time to prepare for a fabulous fall garden. Know what to plant in August and just take it slowly. By mid-August there will be some cooler mornings, if you haven’t had any already.

Vegetable and herb garden tasks for August

It’s time to clear out your veggie garden and get it ready for fall vegetable planting.

Vegetables to plant in early August are almost the same vegetables you could plant in July. By mid-August you can begin planting veggies which are more heat sensitive.

Vegetables to plant in August in Kansas (zone 5b): cabbage, carrots, broccoli, endive, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, radish, spinach, turnips, beets. Ask in the comments if you need help specific to your area.

Do check your local garden center for pre-started vegetables and for bargain herbs. Prune off herbs before planting them in your garden. Once they have settled in you’ll get new growth. Choose herbs which can be grown indoors to extend your gardening season.

Your nature garden in August

As the weather begins to cool just a little, it’s time to add more native plants to your nature garden. Native plant nurseries should still have a reasonable selection of plants available; if you wait until September you won’t get as much choice.

Most fall flowering native forbs are members of the eupatorium or aster family. Eupatoriums, like the mist flower pictured above, come in whites, pinks, and lilacs. Asters come in yellow, white, pink, and purple and include native sunflowers, daisies, thistles, goldenrods, and Jerusalem artichoke.

August is a wonderful time for insect watching in your nature garden. The first caterpillars of the season have turned to butterflies and there should be plenty of other pollinators to enjoy. Look for predatory wasps, iridescent flies, native bees, butterflies, and the praying mantis, which feeds on caterpillars and pollinators.

August garden maintenance

While many of your garden plants have been struggling with the heat, annual summer weeds have jumped in and taken over. It’s time to pull weeds up by the roots, or at least cut them down to prevent them seeding. You can add new plants to bare patches, or put down mulch. It’s a good time to sow a cover crop anywhere you don’t plan to plant until next spring.

Plants are still thirsty in the heat of August. Keep down the work of watering by restricting yourself to planting only as many plants as you can manage to water on a daily basis. I try to stick to one area which can be watered by sprinkler, or to the number of plants I can manage with one watering can worth of water. Know your limitations, or experiment and learn them.

How is your garden looking after the heat of summer? How can I help you prepare for fall?

Kid tip: as kids return to school it’s more important than ever that they have outdoor time. Teach them to find wild things in the garden and make sure they have room to roam with access to natural materials like large rocks, dirt piles, and sticks which are the best “toys” of all.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

Simple ways to know when your grass needs water

Alison Kerr — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:32:22 +0000

Early morning grass by Yes Man

Love it or hate it, if you live in the suburbs like me you most likely have a lawn, an area of grass at least in front or your home, if not completely around.

Lawns needs a whole lot of care to keep them looking reasonable, something I’ve written about before, and that care most often includes periodic watering.

When to water your lawn

The main trick to getting watering right, to keep your costs and water use down without killing your lawn, is knowing when your grass needs water.

Even if, like me, you don’t love your lawn, you’ll probably hate a dead lawn even more!

There are a couple of simple tests which will let you know when your grass needs water and they don’t need any specialist equipment or knowledge. Let’s take a look.

The eyeball-it lawn watering test

Although my garden in North-East Kansas had heavy rain last week, by Sunday my grass didn’t look right. The eyeball-it method of knowing when your grass needs water is pretty simple and effective and it doesn’t need any planning ahead.

Some areas of your grass dry out faster than others. In my lawn these are caused by competition from tree roots and shallow patches of soil where the house builders left rocks near the surface. These patches are like grass alarms – they’re early warning signs that your grass is about to die.

As soon as you see patches which are dull, slightly shriveled, bluish-green, or turning yellow get the sprinklers out and on.

The poke-it lawn watering test

Take a sharp object, which is at least 6″ long, and poke it down into the soil of your lawn. The best object is a metal screwdriver (don’t use your partner’s best one). I don’t have a screwdriver just for this task so I tend to grab an alternative. Any hard, long narrow object works – I’ve used pieces of stiff wire, bamboo canes, and even hard sticks. I really should invest in a screwdriver!

When your lawn is well watered the sharp object should penetrate to a depth of 6″ to 8″ (15 cm to 20 cm). If the soil is rock-hard and you can’t get your object in more than 1″ it’s time to water. The poke-it test is very useful too after watering to see if you applied enough. Ideally you want at least 6″ of penetration after watering and then you wait until you have 1″ before watering again.

Which lawn watering test is best?

While the eyeball-it method works, it only works well if you’re a quick-response kind of person. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven up my street, eyeballed my lawn, thought “the grass needs watered“, then rushed inside to check email, prepare dinner, or whatever, and left my grass to suffer.

The poke-it lawn watering test is more accurate, more forgiving, and is a better tool for lawn water management. It’s useful after watering, as well as before, and you don’t need to know whether it has rained recently to use it. Of course you do actually need to walk as far as your lawn to do it, so it requires being just a bit more disciplined. Either method works, as long as you do it regularly. Your choice!

Have you tried either of these methods for knowing when your grass needs watered? What other lawn care questions can I help with?

Kid tip: playing in sprinklers is one of the joys of summer. It can take upto 3 hours of slow watering to hydrate your lawn down to 6″ – plenty of time for playing!

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

Vegetables to plant in July

Alison Kerr — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:53:30 +0000

As the heat of July strikes your garden planting vegetable seeds might be the last thing on your mind.

Surprisingly, July is the right time to plant many kinds of vegetable seeds for fall harvest.

Vegetable seeds to plant in July

Almost the same vegetable seeds which are planted in spring can be put into the garden in July.

Here is a partial list:

- Snap Beans

- Potatoes

- Onions, Scallions

- Parsnips, Rutabagas, Turnips, Carrots, Beets

- Mustard Greens, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Chinese Cabbage, Endive

- Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Kale

Does it matter where I live?

Yes, you may not be able to plant all of the vegetables above if you are much north or south of Kansas, or if you live in the mountains. If you are in the southern hemisphere things will be altogether different for you.

If you are south of Kansas, hold off until August or September for most fall vegetables. If you are north, in Minnesota for example, go ahead and plant snap beans, beets, Chinese cabbage and kale.

What can I plant in July in my area?

There are many vegetables you can plant in July. For a complete vegetable planting calendar for your area simply search Google with words Kansas vegetable planting calendar, substituting the name of your state where I have Kansas. Or leave a request for help in the comments below and I’ll help you to figure out what you can plant and when.

Have you ever planted vegetables in July? Leave me your questions and comments please.

Kid tip: give kids full-size containers to plant vegetables in (5 gallons or larger). Small containers heat up too much and dry out too quickly, especially in the heat of July.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

3 tough-love ways to keep plants alive

Alison Kerr — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:52:41 +0000

Organic tomatoes by heliosphan

Spring is in full fling and the array of plants available now at your local garden center is dizzying.

Whether you are transplanting tomatoes, putting in perennials, adding annuals, or planting an herb garden these 3 simple, tough-love tips will help you keep your transplants alive.

Green thumb transplanting

You probably already know the basics of what plants need to grow: water, light, and growing medium. The difference between a green thumb success and a gardening failure lies in tough-love, especially when it comes to a plant’s water needs.

1. Remove flowers and fruit

You picked the best looking plant you could find, the one which has lots of flowers, or already has fruit. You want instant success with your plant. Right? Wrong. Growing flowers and fruit takes important energy from your plant, energy your plant needs to put into new roots after transplanting. Be tough and remove flowers and fruit. Your plant will produce plenty as soon as it is settled in.

2. Remove leaves

If you balked at removing flowers and fruit you’re going to like this one even less. You need to remove leaves to help your plant get settled in. While leaves are food factories for your plant, they also cause your plant to lose water. A plant with less leaves suffers less transplant stress. Be tough and remove at least 1/3 of the leaves. An experienced gardener would probably remove more, but it’s a start. If you’re in doubt, try an experiment: remove leaves from half of your plants. Watch and see which plants do best.

3. Cut the plant roots

Again, it sounds crazy, but plants from garden centers are often root bound, or pot bound and need some root cutting. When you remove the plant from the pot check the roots. If there are many surface roots visible your plant will do best if you cut some of the roots. Don’t just pop a pot-shaped, rooted plant into new soil and expect the plant to thrive! Cut slits down through the roots. The cut roots will grow out into the new soil. Here’s a quick video showing you how to cut plant roots.

Are you ready to be tough?

Do you still worry about every little plant and try to treat plants gently during transplanting, or are you ready to get tough? By removing flowers and fruit, some leaves, and by cutting the roots you’ll help keep your plants alive and thriving after transplanting. Experienced gardeners with “green thumbs” are deliberate rather than gentle with plants. What about you?

Do you wimp out when you transplant plants, or are you ready to get tough? Have you watched how an experienced gardener transplants?

Kid tip: let kids help with transplanting, they love instant gardens, just like we do!

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

Practically-free tub vegetable gardens

Alison Kerr — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:45:31 +0000

Karen McKnight, an Arkansas reader of Loving Nature’s Garden, wrote to tell me about her frugal, practically-free, tub vegetable gardens.

Karen is 67 years old, lives on social security, is a breast cancer survivor, and has a back problem. She is obviously resourceful and determined to still be gardening. I wanted to know more.

Karen’s vegetable garden is a container garden, but it’s a container garden with a difference. Karen writes:

“All together I now have 100 tubs. The tubs are about 30 inches tall, making them easy to sit in a chair and weed and plant and pick. It’s just wonderful. I have three sections: veggies; then 30 tubs of blue berries; then 30 tubs of corn on the cob.”

How to get free gardening tubs

“Some of the tubs I get from farmers who have cattle and feed molasses in them… they stack them around in their barns. They are glad to get rid of them.”

“I have seen tubs rolling around empty in fields with the cattle. So I stop at the next house and ask if they would like to get rid of them, then I walk out and pick them up. Even with cracks they grow veggies very well and last several years. I think its soooo neat to recycle these.”

“You can also get plastic 50 gal drums and cut them in half and put holes in and each drum gives you two tubs. Some car washes will give you empty soap barrels.”

How to prepare and plant in tubs

“I drill holes in the bottom and around the side of the bottom about 2 inches up for good drainage I wash them and fill with soil, cow poop, and horse poop and it makes black rich soil.”

“If you want to just start seeds outside…just wait a little in spring and put your seeds in the tub. Water them in and get some cheap saran wrap and put over the top with a little masking tape and you have a tub hot house. When the plants get to the top of the tubs take the saran off.”

Spring crops won’t need any covering – this method is for summer vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. If you plan to use the saran wrap method you will need to be aware of how much sun your tubs are getting. When you create a mini greenhouse like this you can easily overheat your plants. Milk jug greenhouses, which Karen also uses, are another option.

How Karen starts seeds indoors

“I start seeds in the house in the winter. I use two little hot houses that were $20.00 each. They come apart and you put them together. I break them down every year and keep them in a box in the store room. They each have three shelves.”

“I use anything I can get my hands on for starting pots: old butter bowls; plastic meat containers; salad containers; anything that’s free. I ask my family to save for me too. I re-use them every year till they’re worn out.”

Moving plants outdoors

“I move plants out in the spring after frost. With tomatoes, I put about 6 or 8 little plants together in a clump and cover them all with a gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and the lid off; it makes a little green house. I water them down through the top. When the green shows through the top of the jug I separate them and replant them and again the jugs are free and last for several years. You just run a string through the handles and hang them up for the next year.”

More tub vegetable tips

“A nice thing about the tubs it that if a plant isn’t doing well you can easily move the tub for more or less sun. I use a two wheel cart which I got at a backyard sale to move them.”

“I put the tomato tubs in two rows. I get an old piece of fence and two steel posts and put the wire down between the two rows. You don’t need tomato frames from the store. You just tie both sides up with old bailing twine, again free from farmer because it’s been used already to bind hay – its free for the asking.

“Now you have all your plants tied up on each side of the wire’. It’s easy to spot bugs and to weed and to pick your produce all from a chair.”

“Here is a list of things i have grown in tubs: corn, carrots, peppers, beets, onions, garlic, lettuce, cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, cucumber, squash, peas, snow peas, bush beans, and gourds.”

Karen is an able gardener!

I think we can all learn something from Karen, whether you want to grow vegetables in tubs, wonder whether gardening is possible for you, or just need some inspiration to be resourceful. Many containers make great gardening containers. You don’t need to have the money to invest in something expensive. Karen has shown us what is possible with even seemingly limited resources.

How is your garden growing so far? Let me know, or ask a question for Karen in the comments.

Kid tip: tubs are really easy for kids to weed. These large tub gardens are deep enough for native plants to attract butterflies and beneficial insects.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

How can I keep down mosquitoes in my garden?

Alison Kerr — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:29:42 +0000

Dragonfly by Dawn Huczek

This question comes from reader Marci Payne in Missouri.

“What about getting rid of mosquitoes? Is that possible…”

Understanding mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are a tricky problem in hot areas of the world. Not only do mosquitoes bite, and cause allergies, many mosquitoes also carry diseases.

Even if your own garden has nowhere for mosquitoes to breed your garden can be invaded by mosquitoes from the surrounding area.

Mosquitoes have flight ranges of 1 to 20 miles, depending on the species. This makes mosquitoes a community problem rather than a homeowner problem. Still, you can do your part to control mosquitoes.

How to control mosquitoes

The larvae of mosquitoes are aquatic and need water to live in. Here are some ways to keep down the number of mosquito larvae and adults in your garden:

Replace bird bath water every day.
Put away pots, cans, jars, and any containers which can collect rainwater.
Some mosquito larvae live in moist, dead leaves. Clear leaves out roof gutters in early spring and unblock garden drains.
Cover your rain barrel with a lid to prevent mosquitoes laying eggs in the water.
Check tree stumps and damaged trees for gathered water. Find a way to drain the water out. Note: I don’t recommend drilling into valuable trees as it makes them vulnerable to disease.
Ponds can harbor mosquito larvae. Frogs, fish, dragonflies, water striders, and other aquatic insects eat mosquito larvae. By attracting wildlife to your pond, and introducing fish, you can keep down the number of mosquito larvae.
Bats eat huge numbers of mosquitoes. Hang a bat box in your garden, especially if you have a pond. Bats need a nearby water source and may not move in without a pond – they drink by scooping up water as they fly over pond water.
Among the biological control methods for mosquitoes are the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), the nematode Romanomermis culcivorax, and insect growth regulators (IGRs) which prevent mosquito larvae from maturing. These biological methods are specific and are safer than insecticides for use around beneficial insects, wildlife, pets, and kids.
Some of the mosquito attracting machines on the market are effective, but they are relatively expensive and tricky to set up. They’re worth looking into if your mosquito problem is significant.

Be prepared for mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are not only annoying, biting insects, but they also carry a number of diseases. You can take steps to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your garden, but you will not be able to rid your neighborhood of mosquitoes by making changes in your garden. Make sure you have some good repellent to hand for the start of mosquito season; wear mosquito repellent for protection while working and playing in your garden.

Are mosquitoes a problem in your area? Do they keep you indoors? Please post any additional questions in the comments.

Kid tip: outdoor play is very important for kids. Don’t keep your kids indoors over fears of mosquito bites. Recommended repellents include DEET, picardin, and oil-of-lemon eucalyptus. Some repellents are unsuitable for kids under 3 yrs.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

How do I control ants in my garden and keep them out the house?

Alison Kerr — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:48:23 +0000

Ant job by faunaface

Reader J from Southern California wrote to ask me about ants.

“As I’ve expanded my garden, I seem to have MANY more pests – especially the ants, which then invade my home.

Pulling up a weed anywhere seems to disturb an ant nest and they pour out in masses, which they didn’t do before.

Do you have recommendations for minimizing ants in the garden?”

Why are the ants there?

Ants are a natural part of the living environment. No doubt they prefer a nicely tended garden which contains flowers.

Some ants feed on aphids, others like nectar. Some ants eat other insects, including garden pests. Plants provide all of these.

Knowing that the ants love your garden is not much comfort when ants are invading your kitchen! Since I moved to Kansas I’ve had my own share of ant challenges. Knowledge is power – there are ways to control ants. The first step is identifying them.

Identify the ants

To identify ants you first need to collect a few for examination. Don’t try to collect ants if you’ve already been bitten, or if biting ants are a problem in your area.

If you are not comfortable with catching and identifying ants call in a pest control specialist; make sure they are going to identify the ants and not just spray insecticide. Call several companies to find one you are comfortable with. Ask them over the phone about how they choose a treatment method.

Organic ant control or least toxic

You will have to decide whether you want to use organic control methods for the ants, or least toxic methods. Organic pest control products are made from naturally occurring substances but are not necessarily the least toxic control methods.

Physical ant controls

You can keep ants out of your house and away from any food sources by: carefully sealing cracks around doors, windows, and baseboards; storing food in sealed containers; clearing up food waste; and putting sticky barriers around anything which attracts ants.

Quickly cleaning up any ants which come inside your home with a sponge and soapy liquid can also help to prevent a full-scale invasion. If you are a really clean and organized person physical methods of ant control may be sufficient to keep you in control of ants.

Direct chemical ant controls

Finding the best chemical control method for ants requires knowing the type of ant, where it nests, and what it feeds on. Chemical methods include baits, soaps, and insect growth regulators.

Ant baits consist of very small quantities of chemicals in a food source. Baits are designed to be taken back to the colony and shared with other workers and with the queen. Baits affect only the ants which eat the bait, and not any other insects in your garden. I do no recommend the use of arsenic baits; boric acid baits are much safer.

Insecticidal soaps can be applied to ant nests to reduce ant numbers and to cause the ants to move the nest – hopefully further away from your house.

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are special chemicals which mimic chemicals within the ants’ bodies. IGRs are specific to the ant species and prevent ants from developing into adults.

Ant control in your nature garden

Not all ant treatments are created equal. Know which type of ant you are dealing with and you can find the best solution to keeping them under control in your home and garden. Animals which eat ants include spiders, snakes, lizards, birds, coyotes, and anteaters. By growing native plants and providing shelter for wildlife in your garden you increase the chances of ants being controlled naturally.

Do you need more help with controlling ants? Leave your questions in the comments.

Kid tip: ants are fascinating and hard-working creatures. Before studying ants in your garden make sure they are not the biting sort; lay down on your stomach and watch the ants at work. It’s a great lazy day activity!

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

Grass FAQ: best seeds, grub resistant grass, less lawn care

Alison Kerr — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:40:22 +0000

Sprawled on the Lawn by edenpictures

I’ve received quite a few gardening questions recently. Over the next few days I will try to catch up with answering.

Today’s questions come from Angela Artemis.

Which grass seeds are best for my lawn?

Before choosing seeds you need to understand that lawn grasses come in two groups: cool season grasses and warm season grasses.

Cool season grasses green-up in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall, when soil temperature is 65F or lower. They go dormant when the weather gets hot and dry.

Cool season lawn grasses include fescues, bluegrass, and rye grass. Some fescues prefer shady conditions.

Warm season grasses are dormant and brown in cooler weather. They green-up and grow in hot weather. Warm season lawn grasses include zoysia, Saint Augustine, Bermuda grass, kikuyu, centipede grass, and buffalo grass.

Cool season grasses are best for northern climates. Warm season grasses are best for the south. If you want a green lawn all year you’ll have to jump through all kinds of “hoops”, like sewing cool season seed into a warm season lawn every year in the fall. Most of us don’t want that much work.

Not all grasses are available as seed – some have to be bought as plugs, or turf. There is no ideal grass for your lawn, but understanding grasses will help you decide whether to reseed and how to choose seeds.

Why are lawns so much work?

In nature grass is not green all year and it is part of an ecosystem rather than a monoculture. These facts, together with the demands we place on lawns, and the fact that we are planting lawn grasses outside their native range, make for a lot of work.

Almost all lawn grasses are non-native in the USA – they come from Europe and Asia. Buffalograss and St Augustine are exceptions. Buffalo grass is native to much of the non-coastal USA (see native range of buffalograss) and St Augustine grass is native to the southern states (see native range of St Augustine). Buffalo grass is currently the only USA native lawn grass available as seed – it’s a good-looking, low maintenance choice, but only if you have full sun.

In nature grass does not grow by itself – it is found as part of a plant and animal community. It is controlled and fertilized by grazing animals, nitrogen fixing plants, and fire. When we cut and fertilize a lawn we are trying to replicate what grazing animals and plant communities do in nature. It’s a lot of work.

In nature grassland reseeds itself. When we mow we keep the grass flexible and green and stop grass flowers and seed from forming. Reseeding a lawn is a lot of work, in the most part because the grass is non-native and needs us to create the right conditions for it. Grass seed must be kept moist until it germinates, which may require watering the seedbed twice a day for 7-10 days. Compost or mulch can make your job easier.

How do I choose a grass seed mix?

While grass seed mixes are readily available at hardware stores and big box stores, the best way to find a good grass seed mix for your area is to visit with a local, family-owned garden center. Family-owned businesses depend on satisfied customers – it’s in their interest to sell you something suitable. Ask around and choose a supplier who takes the time to answer your questions rather than trying to sell you an instant solution. If they can explain organic lawn care to you so much the better.

Is there a grub resistant grass?

Grubs which affect grass are the larvae of non-native Japanese beetles. The grubs feed on grass roots and kill the grass. The adult Japanese beetles are pests of trees and shrubs in the rose family. They will damage roses, apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach trees, maple trees, and chestnut trees.

There are no grasses resistant to grub attack that I know of. However, there are some organic controls for Japanese beetle grubs. Nematodes can be added to the soil. Milky spore, which kills the grubs, is available commercially. You can buy traps for the adults Japanese beetles.

Many birds enjoy eating Japanese beetle grubs, including: redwinged blackbirds, songsparrows, grackles, crows, robins, European starlings, catbirds, bobwhites, and kingbirds.

How do I reduce lawn care?

The best way to reduce lawn care is to reduce the amount of lawn you have. A small lawn may not require a whole lot less time to mow, but it will need a lot less fertilizer and water. Good alternatives to lawn include mulched perennial beds, areas planted with ground-covers, and edible landscaping.

There is no easy way to get the perfect lawn. Most of us settle for a good-enough lawn. By gradually reducing your lawn area and transitioning to organic lawn care practices you can help to save the environment. Lawns are estimated to cause more waterway pollution with fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides than farmed fields.

Do you have other lawn care questions? Please post in the comments and I will do my best to answer.

Kid tip: many parents have the mistaken belief that what kids most need in a garden is open lawn area. If you want to discover the truth take your kids to visit a botanic garden, or park, and observe what they are drawn to.

Download your copy of Simple Sprouts ebook here (it's Free).

Reader question: Clara’s vegetable garden plan

Alison Kerr — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:00:44 +0000

So much depends on a little red wagon by Exquisitur

Today’s post is about Clara’s brand new, empty vegetable garden.

Clara sent me questions about her garden.

I used Clara’s questions to put together a square foot gardening plan and a report for her.

About Clara and her garden

Clara is a regular reader of Loving Nature’s Garden. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and her two year old daughter.

Clara plans to plant a 10′ by 10′ fenced area of her garden with vegetables and herbs.

Your gardening questions answered

I first heard from Clara after I sent out the most recent Loving Nature’s Garden, biweekly (every two weeks) newsletter. I’d invited gardening questions and I was eagerly awaiting them.

Now, I guess it’s because I’m a garden writer, but somehow solving the puzzle of other people’s gardening questions is just as much fun as getting on with my own garden. When I heard from Clara I was eager to help her with her vegetable garden plans.

Here is what Clara said:

Hi Alison,

My husband and I are hoping to plant a garden for the first time in the next month or so. We live in sunny central Florida, so we’ve been told we can pretty much garden year-round, is that true? We are hoping to plant some herbs, aloe vera, and some produce. I’m trying to compile a list of veggies that we eat a lot of and that are easy to grow (we both work full-time, plus I’m a part-time Ph.D. student and we have a 2-y.o. daughter, so we want a garden that we can’t mess up if we can’t give it constant attention).

We have a 10×10 squared off area in our backyard (we have a fence around it – to keep out the deer and rabbits that like to eat all our plants).

Although Clara works, and is studying for her PhD as well, she still wants to plant a garden. Wow, my readers are awesome, and adventurous!

Answering Clara’s questions

Yes, it’s true, if you live in Florida, Southern California, Hawaii, the Caribbean, South Texas, tropical Africa, northern coastal Australia, and parts of Central and South America you can grow food in your garden all year.

Clara wants a garden which can stand to be ignored, at least for a few days at a time. From my own experience of vegetable gardening, composted raised beds are the lowest maintenance and most productive vegetable gardens.

Clara’s 10′ by 10′ raised bed vegetable plan

I used a spreadsheet to create Clara’s 10 foot by 10 foot square vegetable garden then I tried out several layout plans.

Raised beds should be a maximum of 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide. It’s hard to reach across more than a 2 foot (0.6 meter) width.

Because of the fence around Clara’s garden she can only reach in from one side. I made the raised beds 2′ wide. Paths need to be at least 2′ wide.

I made a little central 6′ by 2′ bed for Clara’s daughter to garden in.

How much can Clara grow?

I came up with a plan which gives Clara 66 square feet of planting space. According to Mel Bartholomew, in All New Square Foot Gardening, that’s roughly enough to grow vegetables for 2 adults for 2 meals per day every day of the growing season.

It’s amazing how much you can grow in a small space and Clara may not want to grow this much produce. Bear in mind though that there’s a certain amount of trial and error with gardening, especially in your first season.

If Clara decides to grow this much food she will be spending quite a bit of time working in her garden. While raised bed vegetable gardening is less labor intensive, it still takes time to bring in compost, spread it out, plant seeds, and care for the garden while the plants become established. This is an ambitious garden for e beginner.

Starting off your garden simply

While it’s tempting to rush in and plant in every bit of space you have, you don’t want to burn out on gardening. Clara’s plan can be adapted to let her plant only part of her garden this spring. She can start with just 20 square feet of garden. Her top picks for vegetables are peppers, tomatoes, and herbs.

Click on the graphic of Clara’s plan and you’ll see that if she plants only the rosemary, basil, peppers, and tomatoes, all on the left side, she will have a manageable 20 square feet of garden. She can help her little one plant something in the center too; they will have a simple and enjoyable first garden.

What to do with the rest of the garden

Assuming Clara chooses to only plant part of her raised bed vegetable garden she will want to avoid having the rest of it turn into a weed bed. She can choose from one of several strategies:

A cover crop will protect the soil, enrich it, and keep out most weeds.
Mulch is another option, though it’s likely to be more expensive, and more work to put down.
Black plastic can be used as a temporary ground cover to keep out weeds. It’s not the most environmentally friendly option, but it is simple and inexpensive.

A customized gardening report

I’ve put together a report for Clara presenting her with 3 different options for creating raised beds – home built, off-the-shelf, and edge-free. I’m giving her a shopping list for each raised bed option and garden guidance specific for her Central Florida location. The report is still in progress. I’m happy to say that she is delighted with what I’ve so far shared with her.

Clara has big plans for her vegetable and herb garden this year. She is also involving her husband and her 2 year old daughter. Mindful of their limited time and energy I’ve given her several options in her vegetable garden plan and tried to make her job easier. Her planting plan takes into account the future – it is adaptable to a phased approach and is designed for a three year garden crop rotation to reduce plant disease risks.

What do you think of Clara’s garden plan? What do you have planned for your garden this year?

I am opening up the sign-up for my biweekly Loving Nature’s Garden Newsletter to my regular readers for a limited time. Newsletter readers will have access to Clara’s report when it is ready. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by email here. If you are not already receiving all of my tips from the blog by email please also sign up to become a regular reader.

My thanks to my blogging friend Cristina Colli for inspiring me to share the answer to Clara’s questions here at Loving Nature’s Garden. You can find Cristina at Positively Beauty.

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