Watering Veggies

3 most common watering mistakes

Carroll said home gardeners often make three mistakes when watering their vegetable gardens.

They love their garden too much. "People think ... water, water ... it's wilting! ... It needs more water," said Carroll. "When you water too much, plants will actually get the same symptoms (wilting) as they would if you weren't watering your plants enough." The problem with too much water, she said, is that the plant roots can't breathe. "Roots need oxygen," she added.

They water shallowly every day. This causes the problems as described above.

They mist their plants. It may be fun to mist your vegetables, but it doesn't do them any favors."This is probably the worst thing you can do because it can spread diseases," Carroll said. In the Southeast, she pointed out, even in a drought plants can have can have diseases that rely on water to transfer spores from one plant to another because there is so much humidity in the air. Misting plants can contribute to the problem of transferring diseases than can infect and kill plants.

Just because your plant leaves wilt a little on a very hot day doesn't mean that they need watering. Test the soil before you water. Here are 2 easy ways to test soil moisture.

• Soil ball test (video)

• Soil finger test (video)

When you use the soil finger test and you have mulch on top of your soil, move the mulch aside a little to get access to the soil below. When you push your finger into the soil does the tip feel damp? When you pull your finger out are there lots of tiny soil particles sticking to it as in this photo?

Are you watering your veggies the right way?

By Tom Oder, Mother Nature Network , August 19, 2016

Original post link

Here's how to know if your vegetables are getting the water they need. There's a fine balance to watering your vegetables so they're happy.

Everyone knows vegetables need water to grow. What they might not know is that vegetables need adequate water even after the plants have set fruit. Vegetables, after all, are mostly water. Consider, for example, the water content of these commonly grown vegetables:

• Cucumbers and and lettuce: 96 percent

• Zucchini, radish and celery: 95 percent

• Tomatoes: 94 percent

• Green cabbage: 93 percent

• Cauliflower, eggplant, red cabbage, peppers and spinach: 92 percent

• Broccoli: 91 percent

• Carrots: 87 percent

• Green peas and white potatoes: 79 percent

"I think a lot of people forget that a vegetable is really just vegetable-flavored water, and they neglect the water part of growing backyard vegetables," said Dani Carroll, a regional extension agent with Alabama Extension who specializes in home environments, gardens and pests. Carroll offered the tips below to help backyard gardeners ensure they are watering their vegetables correctly so all of the effort they put into their gardens doesn’t go to waste. These guidelines apply to winter and fall gardens as well as spring and summer gardens.

Watering do's:

Water an inch per week. "This is a really good guideline," Carroll said. To help homeowners understand how to calculate how much water is needed to achieves this goal, she said "an inch of rain is 60 gallons per hundred square feet."

Use a rain gauge. This simple device will let you how much rain your garden is receiving and, therefore, how much you need to water.

Collect rainwater. It's free and even contains beneficial trace nutrients, Carroll said.

Water deeply. Apply water two to three times a week and water deeply each time as opposed to a brief, shallow watering every day. Watering deeply — moistening the soil to a depth of six inches is ideal — will encourage plants to send roots well into the ground. Deep roots help plants better sustain stresses caused by hot and dry weather. Your vegetables need about six inches worth of water two or three times a week.

Know your soil type. While Carroll really likes the "inch" rule, she says knowing your soil type is critical to ensuring you achieve this goal. "If you have a sandy soil, the water is going to filter right through, whereas a clay soil is going to hold water." People who have sandy soils, therefore, will need to strive for more than an inch of water a week, Carroll said.

Have your soil tested. Homeowners can send a soil sample to a state extension lab to have it tested to determine its texture. Soil sample kits are available at county extension offices. The results will also include information on the nutrients in your soil. Fees for the service vary by state. The cost is usually very small, but it can save homeowners a lot of money, Carroll pointed out. That's because knowing your soil nutrient content can help avoid the application of unnecessary fertilizers. "I soil test about every three years," she said. One reason for that is to know the soil pH. It's important to get this correct because pH controls how well plants take up nutrients.

Water early in the morning. You'll lose less water to evaporation by watering before the heat of the day sets in. If you get water on plant leaves, they’ll have plenty of time to dry, which reduces the chance of fungal and disease problems than if you water late in the day.

Use a drip or soaker hose. You can apply water next to the plants where the water will seep deep into the root zones. You will also avoid watering between rows and in walkways, which wastes water and can promote weeds to grow. These are best on even ground. If you have uneven ground, you will likely get too much water at the end of the hose and not enough at the front end.        

Use drip irrigation. It's not just for commercial agriculture! Kits for use in home gardens are available online at very reasonable prices. This is a very efficient way to water because pressurized emitters can be set to water specific areas at pre-set rates. With these kits you'll know exactly how much water you're putting on your garden. Drip irrigation allows you to control the amount of water your veggies get.

Water by hand. A slow small stream of water is more efficient than a fast stream because a significant amount of water from a fast stream will run off and be wasted.

Use mulch. There are a number of advantages to mulch. An ideal mulch is three inches thick. Leave a space of one-three inches between the base of the plant and the mulch. Mulch mediates the soil temperature, conserves water by preventing evaporation and holds down fungal diseases from rain that can splash fungal spores onto bottom leaves.

Removed leaves that don't look right. Leaves of vegetable plants, particularly lower leaves, can experience many problems from water. Pull yellow or spotted leaves from the plants and dispose of them away from the garden. "Sanitation is one of the most important aspects of home vegetable gardening," Carroll said.

Use water-soluble fertilizer if growing vegetables in a pot. If you forget to water the pot, granular fertilizers will just sit there. Use granular fertilizers in gardens. With drip hoses, you know granular fertilizers will get watered in, Carroll said.

Observe your plants. They'll let you know if you're watering them properly. Wilted leaves are just one example of how plants "talk" to us. It's important to avoid these types of problems because they weaken plants. "I use drip hoses and drip irrigation, and how long I leave them on is pure observation," Carroll said.

Keep an eye on both your plants and your soil to maximize your watering efforts. (Photo: Belodarova Kseniya/Shutterstock)

Observe the soil. Simply use a spoon or a trowel to see how deeply moisture has penetrated your soil. As mentioned, the ideal

Observe the soil. Simply use a spoon or a trowel to see how deeply moisture has penetrated your soil. As mentioned, the ideal depth is six inches. The depth of your moisture will let you know if you've watered enough.

Watering don'ts:

Use a sprinkler. Overhead watering can contribute to bacterial and fungal diseases. It can also result in wasted water because you'll lose a lot of that water to evaporation, you'll water pathways and rows, which can encourage weeds, and you'll spray nearby areas that don't necessarily need the water. "There’s no telling what you’re watering with a sprinkler," Carroll said.

Water late in the afternoon. The foliage will likely stay wet all night, which can lead to fungal and disease problems.

Water shallowly. Daily shallow watering keeps roots near the top of the soil where they can easily dry out and cause the plants to wilt and underperform in producing vegetables. Exceptions are seed beds and transplants. Seeds need constant moisture to germinate and don't have roots, anyway. Transplants need consistent watering until they are established. Daily watering at first will help reduce transplant shock.

Water too fast. If you're hand watering with a hose, avoid hitting your plants with a hard stream of water. "Many people think you shouldn’t do this because they're going to hurt the plants," Carroll said. That's not the case, she quickly added. The problem with watering too fast is that you'll have a lot of water that just runs off and winds up being wasted. Instead, use a steady small stream of water.

Put out granular fertilizers before big storms. People sometimes think it's a good idea to put out fertilizers before big storms because the rain will soak the granules into the soil. Actually, the opposite can happen. Downpours may wash them away!

3 most common watering mistakes

Carroll said home gardeners often make three mistakes when watering their vegetable gardens.

They love their garden too much. "People think ... water, water ... it's wilting! ... It needs more water," said Carroll. "When you water too much, plants will actually get the same symptoms (wilting) as they would if you weren't watering your plants enough." The problem with too much water, she said, is that the plant roots can't breathe. "Roots need oxygen," she added.

They water shallowly every day. This causes the problems as described above.

They mist their plants. It may be fun to mist your vegetables, but it doesn't do them any favors."This is probably the worst thing you can do because it can spread diseases," Carroll said. In the Southeast, she pointed out, even in a drought plants can have can have diseases that rely on water to transfer spores from one plant to another because there is so much humidity in the air. Misting plants can contribute to the problem of transferring diseases than can infect and kill plants.

Copyright © 2018 NARRATIVE CONTENT GROUP. All rights reserved.

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Using Rain Barrels: Learn About Collecting Rainwater For Gardening

By Jackie Rhoades

How do you collect rainwater and what are the benefits? Whether you have in interest in water conservation or simply want to save a few dollars on your water bill, collecting rainwater for gardening may be the answer for you. Harvesting rainwater with rain barrels conserves potable water — that’s the water that’s safe to drink.

Collecting Rainwater for Gardening

During the summer, much of our potable water is used outdoors. We fill our pools, wash our cars and water our lawns and gardens. This water must be chemically treated to make it safe for drinking. which is great for you, but not necessarily great for your plants. Collecting rainwater for gardening can eliminate many of these chemical salts and harmful minerals from your soil.

Rainwater is naturally soft. The less water used from your local treatment facility, the fewer chemicals they have to use and the less money they have to spend on those chemicals. There’s savings for you, too. Most home gardeners see a rise in their water bill during the summer gardening months and during a drought, many of us have been forced to choose between our garden and out water bill.

Rainwater collection can reduce your bills during the rainy months and help offset your costs during the dry ones. So how do you collect rainwater? The simplest method for harvesting rainwater is with rain barrels.

Using rain barrels involves no special plumbing. They can be purchased, often through local conservation groups or from catalogs or garden centers, or you can make your own. Prices range from around $70 to $300 or more, depending on the design and aesthetics. The price drops considerably if you make your own. Plastic barrels can be painted to blend with your house or landscape.

Using Rain Barrels

How do you collect rainwater for use in the garden? On the most basic level, there are five components. First of all, you need a catchment surface, something the water runs off. For the home gardener, that’s your roof. During a 1-inch rainfall, 90 square feet of roof will shed enough water to fill a 55-gallon drum.

Next, you’ll need a way to direct the flow for rainwater collection. That’s your gutters and downspouts, the same downspouts that direct the water out to your yard or storm sewers.

Now you’ll need a basket filter with a fine screen to keep debris and bugs from your rain barrel, the next component of your rainwater collection system. This barrel should be wide and have a removable lid so it can be cleaned. A 55-gallon drum is perfect.

So now that you’re using rain barrels, how do you get the water to your garden? That’s the last component for collecting rainwater for your garden. You’ll need a spigot installed low on the barrel. An additional spigot can be added higher on the drum for filling watering cans.

Ideally, when using rain barrels, there should also be a method for directing overflow. This can be a hose connected to a second barrel or a piece of drainpipe that leads to the original ground pipe to lead the water away.

Harvesting rainwater with rain barrels is an old idea that has been revived. Our grandmothers dipped their water from the barrels at the side of their house to water their vegetable patch. For them, collecting rainwater for gardening was a necessity. For us, it’s a way to conserve both water and energy and to save a few dollars while we do it.

Note: It is important that you safeguard rain barrels by keeping them covered whenever feasible, especially if you have small children or even pets.

Compost

Time or money invested in your garden’s soil always brings the best returns: healthy, vigorous plants and great harvests. And when you keep yard waste and kitchen scraps from the landfill you’re doubly rewarded. You can buy ready-made, organic compost to get a jump start. But it’s easy and inexpensive to make your own with the right materials and good equipment.

Here you’ll find all you need to know about getting started as well as maintaining the process no matter which composting method you’ve chosen. There’s basic techniques and time-tested wisdom as well as guides to compost tumblers and the various compost aides — the best starters, the most functional and efficient containers, and practical, useful tools like compost thermometers — that will make your composting efforts efficient and rewarding. You can also learn a lot by going through Planet Natural‘s complete line of composting bins, tumblers and equipment. (Source: Planet natural Resource Center - Compost Guru)

Making VS buying compost

Option 1 - Least work: Buy clean organic compost for your edible beds from Deep Roots or a garden center.

Option 2 - Least work: Use the municipal food scrap and yard waste recycling programs which accept food scraps, weeds, grass clippings, shrub branches, etc.) Leaves are collected separately.

For example, Oak Park provides a large gray recycling bin for about $15 per month. Share the bin with your neighbor to cut the cost in half. During the growing season the Village picks up once a week. During the winter they pick up once a month. This waste is trucked to a large scale composting facility that kills all the weed seeds and roots with high heat. Piles of finished compost are trucked back to Oak Park for residents to use. BUT… don’t use this Village compost on your edible plants since it is contaminated with toxic chemicals commonly used on lawns and yards.

Option 3 - Least work: You can have your own safe and clean organic compost quickly and easily from your own shredded yard waste, food scraps, weeds and leaves if you hire Teegen Compost Services. Teegen provides a cubic yard wire bin for your yard. The cubic yard (about 200 gallons) of waste shrinks down to 50 gallons of compost which is piled in your yard and combined with some water. Teegen shreds the bin’s content once a year. See his process, machinery and costs on his website. If you share this bin with your neighbor the cost is reduced. The cost of this service is about $200 per year. If your bin is not full when Teegen is ready to shred you can add ripped up corrugated card board boxes you have been saving for this purpose. Don’t add meat or animal waste from meat-eating mammals.

Option 4 - More work: Some power lawn mowers can shred softer yard waste small enough to speed up the decomposing time. It may not shred finely enough to heat up the the temperature that kills the weed seeds. There may be a shredder you can buy or borrow or rent that will shred all yard waste to the correct consistency. Deep Roots will look into buying one we can loan out to members.

Option 5 - lots more work: Use a compost tumbler. Load in the tumbler unshredded OR shredded food scraps, non-weed yard waste and some leaves but not grass clippings a little at a time. The material shrinks as it rots and makes room to add more. If you don’t have a way to shred your raw compost materials. Cut up the larger pieces. Spin the tumbler every few days. It will take months to turn into compost if the material is not shredded.

Option 6 - lots more work: If there are already weeds in your backyard compost pile your can try to kill the weed seeds after the pile has fully decomposed by putting the compost in heavy black leaf bags and leaving them in the sun at the hottest part of the summer for a week with a thermometer stuck inside. 130-160 degrees for 72 hours kills weed seeds. Rotate the bag every few weeks. Shake it like you shake the bag when making puppy chow, to mix it all up. Test the compost before putting on your beds by putting some in a sunny spot. Wait to see if weeds sprout. If no weeds sprout you are safe to use the

Option 7 - Way way too much work, too slow and takes too much space: The classic instructions for making compost use 3 or four large bins next to each other. This method requires “turning” — moving one bin’s content into the next bin several times – which is very hard labor. There are several YouTube videos that demonstrate this method.

John Quinn has a more complete guide and many more helpful details about the composting process. He has allowed us to share that guide with you that you can download as a PDF below or view directly from his site by clicking here.

3 Essential Elements for Perfect Compost

It’s time to let you in on a little secret: soil building done like this is the perfect lazy person’s gardening project. Unlike weeding or double-digging, which take lots of time and physical effort, a compost pile pretty much takes care of itself. Build it right, and it will transform your growing expectations.

1. Start with a container. We’re dealing with decomposing organic material, folks, so the structure doesn’t need to be fancy. You just need some sort of way to hold all of the ingredients together so the beneficial bacteria that break down the plant matter can heat up and work effectively.

Compost bins are of two types, stationary and rotating. Both types must have their contents turned periodically to provide oxygen and combine the decaying materials. Stationary bins can be as simple as well-ventilated cage made from wire fence sections or wooden crates assembled from a kit. A well-designed bin will retain heat and moisture, allowing for quicker results. Then there’s compost tumblers, easy to turn bins that speed up the process — compost in weeks, not months or years — by frequent oxygen infusions and heat retention. Select one based on how much plant matter (grass, leaves, weeds, stalks and stems from last year’s garden) you have at your disposal, how large your yard is, and how quickly you need to use the finished product.

When using the stationary bin method, locate the pile in a sunny location so that it has as much heat as possible. If it’s in the shade all day, decomposition will still happen, but it will be much slower, especially when freezing temps arrive in the fall. Compost tumblers can also take heat advantage of being placed in direct sunlight.

2. Get the ingredient mix right. A low-maintenance pile has a combination of brown and green plant matter, plus some moisture to keep the good bacteria humming. Shredded newspaper, wood chips and dry leaves are ideal for the brown elements; kitchen waste and grass clippings are perfect for the green add-ins.

Skip meat, fish and dairy for outdoor bins because they tend to attract pests like mice, raccoons and dogs. If you can’t bear the thought of sending your leftovers to the landfill, there are clever systems that turn them into superfood for your plants.

If you’re using a simple container, it’s best to start heaping the ingredients right on the ground, starting with chunky material like small branches or woody stems on the bottom for good airflow. Every time you add green material, add some brown as well to keep a good moisture balance and create air pockets.

It’s a good idea to give your new pile a jump-start to get the process started. There are several great activators that are ready to go right out of the box. No need to mix it in well. Fold in a couple shovelfuls of garden soil rich in organic matter and let the natural process begin. (See moisture below.)

3. Remember a few simple chores. Taking care of a compost pile is extremely basic, but a wee bit of care makes a huge difference. Add material regularly to give the happy bacteria some fresh food to consume and enough insulation to keep the process warm.

Turn the pile with a pitchfork or compost aerator every week or two to make sure that all of the materials are blended in and working together. After you’ve mixed things up, grab a handful to see if it’s slightly damp. Too little moisture will slow the decomposition process and too much will leave you with a slimy mess.

In a few months, your finished product should be a dark, crumbly soil that smells like fresh earth.

Avoid Common Mistakes

It’s hard to mess up compost, but we’re happy to offer a little direction so you get off to the best start.

• Don’t start too small. The breakdown process needs a critical mass in order to do its job. However, certain bins work well for small amounts of material, so choose a product for your specific needs.

• Keep things moist. It’s easy to walk away and forget that there’s an active process going on, so check the pile regularly, especially during hot, dry weather (see Managing Moisture).

• Don’t depend on one material. A combination of different textures and nutrients created by the disintegration of many different plants will give your plants a gourmet diet that helps create disease and pest resistance. Think about it — a huge clump of grass clippings just sticks together in a huge mat that hangs around for years. Add some leaves, stir, and natural forces like water, air and heat go to work quickly!

• Don’t get overwhelmed. This isn’t rocket science, so jump in and try, even if you don’t have a clue. You’ll soon see what works and what doesn’t.

Test your compost for viable weed seeds"

Keep a separate compost bin for weeds since weed seeds and weed roots will die only if your pile reaches 130 to 140 degrees for 72 hours. The is often difficult to achieve if your compost bin is too small, you don’t have the time and energy to turn it with a pitchfork, it’s not in full sun and you couldn't shred the ingredients. So test the comps for viable weeds by putting some in full sun and keeping it moist. If weeds sprout use the blanket method below to heat it up.

You can cover your compost bins with burlap or straw to raise the temperature. Brown matter on top works well at providing a heated “blanket”. If you peel back the “blanket” you should see steam. This is a good sign that your compost bin is heating up naturally. See this article for more details: "Destroy pathogens and weed seeds.”

Native Gardens

Why Edible Gardens Need Native Plants

by Stephanie, West Cook Wild Ones

We often get asked if it’s ok to grow natives with edibles, and the answer is yes, as that’s what many of us are implementing with great success. In fact, on a larger scale, many farmers are beginning to experiment with incorporating insectaries, or planting strips, mostly filled with native plants as part of their farming practices. With these these strips, farmers find:

• they need to use less pesticides

• crops are more productive

Native plants sustain the web of life in your garden

• Native plants host larvae, insects and other beneficial organisms that help sustain the web of life.

• Milkweed creates habitat for monarchs to lay their eggs and provide nectar

• Native plants that evolved in this climate use fewer resources

• Birds help pollinate native plants, disperse their seed and eat insect pests.

• Native plants help reduce flooding water by absorbing more water than traditional lawns.

• Native plants provide food and shelter to a variety of birds.

• Native plants can improve water quality

• Birds help pollinate native plants, disperse their seed and eat insect pests.

Natives for attracting butterflies and pollinators

• Asclepias Incarnata – Swamp Milkweed

• Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed

• Allium cernuum – Nodding Wild Onion

• Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower

• Liatris pycnostachya – Prairie Blazing Star

• Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot

• Pycnanthemum virginianum – Common Mountain Mint

• Symphyotrichum leave – Smooth Blue Aster

• Sun Loving Natives

• Baptisia australis – Blue Wild Indigo

• Coreopsis pubescens – Prairie Coreopsis

• Chasmanthium latifolium – Northern Sea Oats

• Schizachrium scoparium – Little Blue Stem

• Geum triflorum – Prairie Smoke

• Gaillardia aristata – Blanketflower

• Phlox paniculata – Garden Phlox

• Verbena stricta – Hoary Vervain

Shade Loving Natives 

• Actea racemosa – Snakeroot

• Carex pensylvanica – Common Oak Sedge

• Chelone glabra – Turtlehead

• Geranium maculatum – Wild Geranium

• Mertensia virginica – Virginia Bluebells

• Trillium grandiflorum – Large Flower

• Trillium Poelmonium reptans – Jacobs Ladder

How native plants improve farms and edible gardens

1. A native plant hedgerow or garden will maintain a steady population of beneficial insects. These insects don’t care if their prey is on an edible plant or on an aster. Native plants support many different kinds of herbivorous insects, which in turn attract natural enemies, such as predatory and parasitic wasps, birds, ladybugs, beetles (many species’ larvae are voracious ground predators consuming root pests), lacewings, Ambush bugs, etc.

2. Native plants attract pollinators, particularly native bees. You should have plants blooming in the early spring through fall because pollinators are active then, and they all have differing times of emergence which will overlap with your flowering vegetable plants (such as tomatoes, squash, etc).

3. Native bees are more efficient pollinators than honeybees (we love those too--native bees just are understudied, underappreciated and under-resourced). These bees actively collect pollen. Having native plants present means you support native bees that have specialist relationships with native plants. Some bees can only use the pollen from the Helianthus genus to feed their larvae. Squash bees are a native bee and the best pollinator for squash. When these populations are not supported, people often either do not get squash (zucchini, etc) or they must hand-pollinate to ensure squash producing plants.

4. With a native garden, it’s best to do minimal maintenance in the fall that ensures beneficial insects overwinter and emerge with healthy population levels in the spring. Vegetable gardens often need to be cultivated and plant material removed, which can destroy beneficials, as well as pests (although that practice is changing as long as plants were disease-free). Having a section of natives acting as a refuge can help to mitigate the impact on your beneficial populations. Undisturbed areas also provide nesting and overwintering sites for the effective native bees.

5. If your native hedgerow is near your edible garden, or if you interplant native plants, you can also improve the soil, increasing soil biodiversity, adding organic matter, which increases water holding capacity. Many native plants have extensive roots systems that tend to go downward 10+ feet, and every year, some of those roots die back, adding organic matter. The roots also penetrate down into the soil creating water channels; the more organic matter you have, the more water holding capacity of your soil, which means for you, less extra irrigation. Some native plants also are nitrogen fixers, and also attract pollinators. Partridge Pea is one of those plants, one of our few annuals, and of short stature.

Many native plants had historical medicinal uses

To assemble the list below we used: Plants for a Future.  

Allium cernuum - Nodding Wild Onion - bulbs, leaves (like chives, gave Chicago its name)

Amorpha canescens - Lead Plant, a nitrogen-fixer

Aquilegia canadensis - Columbine, flowers edible (but leave some for hummingbirds)

Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger - roots

Blephilia ciliata - Downy Wood Mint (weak mint)

Camassia scilloides - Wild Hyacinth - bulb

Dalea purpurea - Purple Prairie Clover, dried leaves, tea

Eupatorium purpureum - Sweet Joe Pye Weed, roots’ ashes used as a salt

Hydrophyllum virginianium - Virginia Waterleaf - leaves

Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot - tea, leaves

Opuntia humifusa - Prickly Pear Cactus - leaves “pads” and fruit (remove spines)

Podophyllum peltatum - May Apple - only the fruit when ripe; all else poisonous

Polygonatum biflorum - Solomon’s Seal, roots and young shoots (seeds, fruit poisonous)

Sisyrinchium angustifolium - Blue-eyed Grass, leaves,cooked

Zizia aurea - Golden Alexander - flowers added to salad or cooked like broccoli

Native Gardening Basics

Native plants enhance your garden aesthetically and ecologically

There are many ways to start using native plants in your garden. Your garden can be attractive aesthetically and ecologically when you use native plants. You can start to incorporate native plants into your existing landscape – or – you can start completely from scratch. First, make an assessment of the environmental conditions (shady or sunny, drainage, soil types, irrigation, etc.). Also, make an inventory of your existing plants.

It is also helpful when creating a naturalistic landscape design to consider the associations found in specific plant communities (a prairie, wetland or forest). You may also want to visit some local natural areas to observe these associations first-hand.

Planning and planting a native garden does not have to be done all at once. It can be installed in phases as your budget and time allows.

Understand your site and select appropriate plants.

You need to know the amount of sun your intended garden receives:

• 6 hours or more of direct sun is full sun.

• 4-6 hours is considered part sun.

• 2-4 hours is considered part shade

• 2 hours (the light should be dappled) or less is considered shade.

We will assume you have the typical clay/loam Oak Park soil.  Does water collect where you plan to put the garden? Or is it relatively dry? If it stays wet, in a depression or is near a downspout, you can select plants that prefer more moisture.  If it is a drier or hotter spot (near a sidewalk), you should select plants that prefer well-drained and dry soil. 

Soil Preparation if removing lawn

If you are removing lawn, there are two options after you create the outline of your garden.

First option: You can physically remove the lawn by simply digging a few inches down, pull up strips of lawn, shake off the soil, and you can place the grass in a compost pile or even use as a kind of mulch if you place them with the roots up to the air.  

Second option: The easiest method to start a new garden is to use sheet composting or lasagne bed, which is simply layering browns and greens on a bed of cardboard, in the fall. First make sure you have mown the area. Place down cardboard and wet it thoroughly. Then place a layer of leaves, then a layer of greens (lawn clippings are great), and so on till you have a pretty think bed. Water these layers. Add a layer of mulch on top.  

Over the fall, winter, and spring, all of the decomposers in the soil will be working and by late spring you can plant into your new garden. All of the ingredients may not be thoroughly composted, but they are usually enough so that you can plant. As the temperatures warm up, the materials will be consumed and turned into soil soon enough.

Soil preparation if weeds are a problem

If weeds are a big problem, you may want to consider not only hand-pulling, but maybe even covering them with a sheet of clear plastic for several months – a process known as solarization. Other methods to kill weeds are pouring boiling water or vinegar on them. By eliminating weeds first, as much as possible, before planting, it will be much easier than trying to control them in a newly planted site.  

Just as a note, methods that involve solarization, vinegar, boiling water may also kill the beneficial life in the soil.  If you use those methods, allow some time for pH of the soil to return to normal and consider adding good compost or healthy soil from other areas of your garden to help repopulate your soil with beneficial microorganisms.

Plant selection

Choose species based on the soil, light, and water conditions of your site and for the size, shape, texture, and color you desire. You can look at our Top Ten Lists for different conditions (under the Learn tab in the Main Menu). You can purchase plants from our Native Plant Sale or look at other plant resources here: Where to Get Native Plants.

Suggested Prairie Plants (full sun):

• Spring: Spiderwort, Golden Alexanders, Prairie Smoke, Prairie Phlox, Cream Prairie Indigo

• Summer: Purple Prairie Clover, Purple Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Butterflyweed, Culver’s Root,

• Fall: New England Aster, Smooth Blue Aster, Stiff Goldenrod, Showy Goldenrod, Aromatic Aster

• Grasses: Little bluestem, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Indian grass, Switch Grass, Purple Love Grass

Suggested Woodland Plants (shade):

• Spring: Wild geranium, Virginia Bluebells, Wild Columbine, Celadine Poppy, Jacob’s Ladder, Early Meadow Rue, Virginia Water Leaf, Wild Blue Phlox, Columbine

• Ferns: Marginal Shield fern, Ostrich Fern, Christmas Fern

• Groundcovers: Wild Ginger, May Apple, Allegheny Foam Flower

• Three-Season Plants: Solomon’s Seal, Solomon’s Plume, White Baneberry

• Fall: Short’s Aster, Large-leaf Aster, Elm-leaved Goldenrod, Zig-zag Goldenrod, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Blue Mist, White Snakeroot (can be a prolific self-seeder, grows smaller in shady situations)

• Shrubs: Hazelnut, Witch Hazel, Arrowwood Viburnum, Pagoda Dogwood

Planting your native plants

Place your plants in your garden in their pots and arrange until you are satisfied. Be sure to allow for them to mature and fill out.  Plan for 12″ between narrow plants (like liatris) or 18″ inches for larger plants (like coneflowers). It is desirable to plant densely; plants support each other, shade out competing weeds, and offer cover for beneficial insects.

Place shorter plants in the front, taller ones in the back. Plant in drifts (e.g. if you have 3 plants, plants them near each other as opposed to spaced out. Easier for pollinators and more aesthetically pleasing.)

Once you are satisfied with your layout, plant them. Dig the hole a little deeper and wider than the pot or the root system. Gently tip the pot over to the side and ease the plant out.  Place the plant into the hole, start to fill in the hole. After the hole is filled halfway, sprinkle some water to help the soil settle and reduce air pockets. Continue to backfill the soil, and keep a little berm around the plant to help hold and collect water around the plant.  

Water well. Generally, there is no need to fertilize.

Your native plants will need time to become established.

The critical period for watering and weeding is two to three weeks after planting – or longer if you are planting in warm, dry seasons. If you are planting trees or shrubs, apply a four to six-inch layer of organic mulch around them (but, not touching the main stem) and a one-inch or less mulch layer for perennials. Mulch can help control weeds, reduce temperature fluctuations, help retain moisture and give a finished look to the landscape.  

Native plants usually do not require fertilizer.

Many thrive in poor soil and applying fertilizer could chemically burn them, or stimulate either lush or spindly, weak foliage growth with few flowers. Leaving the organic matter in the fall and spring is all you need to do. This material will feed the soil organisms which will then feed your plants. Fungi are critically important for the health of your plants, and they prefer whole material to consume.

Monitor your plants.  

If your plant suffers transplant stress, you can place a container or something to help shade the plant from the sun until it has settled into its new home.  

Be sure to keep the area weeded and watered appropriately.  All transplants will need watering on a regular basis for the first month.  If it’s hot and dry, you might need to water daily even for drought tolerant plants for the first week or so.  Then you can try to water every other day.  Then the third week see if you can stretch out to two full days, and continue till they no longer need supplemental irrigation.

Mulch is essential at this stage of your garden to help conserve water, feed soil organisms, and suppress weeds.  As your plants mature, keep the plant material in the garden and use a light layer of leaves as a mulch.  They will naturally feed the soil organisms which then feed your plants as well as preserving beneficial insects that overwinter.  

Enjoy your garden, and the real satisfaction comes from watching all the changes and paying close attention to the life that will discover and flourish in your living landscape.

Maintain and expand your native plants

Each year add more native plants. Make more prairie and/or woodland spaces. Educate your neighborhood by example! Once you get started, it becomes easier and easier every year to maintain your property/grounds — less mowing and watering; more wildlife and soil improvement. Enjoy the butterflies and birds that visit!

Source: West Cook Wild Ones blog posts

Posted by Stephanie Walquist November 16, 2014

Posted by Stephanie Walquist March 11, 2016

Organic Pest Control

Edible Gardening Pest Prevention

Row cover (or floating row cover)
is a white garden fabric that is a good addition to any gardener’s tool shed because it can be used in so many ways. Protect plants from cold and wind is in early spring at fall. Block insects from laying eggs on your plants and prevent spread of disease. Keep soil and plants from overheating. Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t up for building a mini
hoop house. In many cases garden fabric can be draped directly on top of plants and secured around the perimeter. So the effort involved is often minimal. BUT remember to take the fabric off as soon as flowers form so the pollinators can do their job. OR, if you want a great crop leave the cover on and pollinate the flow yourself.

The best defense against pests is to grow resilient and healthy plants.
Weak plants attract pests and healthy plants repel them. Boost your plants’ health and your soil microbes’ health by using a powerful organic fertilizer with a wide range of nutrients and other ingredients. Our favorite is called Soil Alive! because it contains important ingredients often missing in other fertilizers. Adding compost tea to your beds 3 times a year also boosts the health of micro-organisms in your soil.

Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale & Cauliflower: How to prevent cabbage worms
The amazing benefits of using row covers to grow cabbage family crops include bug protection and weather protection for stronger, more productive plants. It prevents the cabbage butterfly from laying eggs on the plants’ leaves. The eggs hatch into the very destructive cabbage worms. It works better if you keep the row cover edges completely sealed. The plants grown under the cover are healthier, grow faster, and produce sooner.

Spinach, beets, Swiss chard: How to prevent leaf miner fly eggs
The cover prevents the adult leaf miner fly from laying eggs on the plants’ leaves. Use the row cover for the entire season because none of these veggies need to be pollinated.

Zucchini: How to prevent Squash Vine Borer
Never plant zucchini in the same spot it was in last year since the vine borer eggs are in the soil. The best defense is to cover the seedlings with row cover so the squash vine moth can’t lay its eggs on your seedlings. Support the fabric so it doesn’t touch the seedling, and give it some space to grow. Cover the edges of the row cover with soil and stones to prevent the insects from crawling under it. You can use row cover early in the season over plants that will eventually need to be pollinated like zucchini. Once the plants begin blooming, remove the covers so the pollinators can get to the flowers. Then wrap the vines where they enter the ground with some row cover material to continue your physical protection of the plant at the actual point of attack – the stems close to the ground. (NOTE: Tomboncino squash has a hard solid stem and is resistant to Squash Vine Borer.) VIDEO

Zucchini: How to prevent powdery mildew & blossom end rot
Prune Zucchini to increase sunlight and air flow. Powdery mildew needs dampness to survive. It produces more zucchini and to harvest until fall. VIDEO

Confuse pests by not planting the same veggie in one spot
Bugs find a particular plant that they love by scent. The scent is stronger and easier to find when many of the same plants grow in one spot. Enjoy a completely organic pest free garden by simply planting lots of plants all mixed up. But make sure that they are “plant companions” and like to grow together. Video by MIgardener.com

Naturally Preventing Garden Pests

Dealing with pests and disease is a natural part of gardening. Even expert gardeners and farmers experience crop failure from time to time.

PREVENTING garden pests is far easier (and more fun!) than dealing with pest outbreaks AFTER they show up.

You might be surprised to learn that I don’t use pesticide sprays in the garden, even organic or homemade products. That’s because some natural solutions can be as toxic as chemical products to soil life.

Pesticides of any kind (even organic and homemade products) can kill beneficial insects. Killing insects is their purpose, after all! They can alter the pH balance of the soil, leave a toxic residue on the crop, destroy beneficial soil microbes, or a combination of these consequences.

Soap-and-water spray, for example, is commonly used for natural pest control. But it might also kill beneficial soil microbes and change the soil pH, depending on the brand and dilution.

I don’t want to damage my garden ecosystem or poison crops I eat, so I don’t fight pests. If I fail at preventing them, then I learn from them, but I don’t spray.

One of the keys to natural pest management is patience. For example, when we replaced our front lawn with an edible landscape, we had quite a few pest problems. I was really disappointed—we had put so much time, money, and effort into creating the garden. I wanted to save it from being devoured by pests!

Instead of making a rash action, however, I waited, and continued to practice all of the following techniques. While we were doing our part, the beneficial soil microbes were getting acquainted with this new environment. These soil organisms duked it out and eventually came into a balance.

We saw progressively more improvement each year as the soil ecosystem matured.

What do soil microbes have to do with pests?

The beneficial soil microbes help feed plants, keeping them healthy and well-protected against pests. If we had sprayed anything, it would have disrupted their establishment period and delayed the balance we desired.

It could have become a never-ending dependence on pesticides. Instead, patience was the answer.

Pesticides & Toxic Fertilizers

Conventionally treated lawns are unsafe for children, pets and wildlife.

Traditional lawn care is toxic and wasteful

Nationwide, turf grass is estimated to cover over 40 million acres, an area three times larger than the amount dedicated to corn. Lawn and landscape care practices take up many resources as they rely on large amounts of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and water for maintenance.

These practices negatively affect the quality of life in our communities by degrading local waterways, polluting the air, harming pets and wildlife, contributing to climate change, and threatening human health.

For these reasons, many people, municipalities, and countries are transforming their lawns, parks, and public spaces by eliminating pesticides and using other sustainable lawn and landscape care practices.

Traditional lawn care has huge environmental costs.

It is misleading and a unfair to compare what the consumer pays for organic vs conventional lawn care. Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops. Nearly 80 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients are used on U.S. lawns annually. On top of this, 90 million pounds of chemical fertilizers are used on lawns annually. Additionally, 26.7 million tons of air pollutants from mowing are introduced annually.

Americans spread over 90 million tons of toxic pesticides and fertilizers on our lawns each year.

Traditional lawn care disadvantages

• Manufacturing & transportation environmental costs

• Toxic to plants, insects, fungi and other soil microorganisms

• Runoff affects waterways, sheds & a growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico

• Provides limited nutrients

• “Apply til you die”

• “Downstream” costs paid by society

• Herbicide resistance is happening

• 40 million acres of turf grass in U.S. (America’s largest irrigated crop)

• Lawn account for 30% of residential water usage

• Average American lawn is 1/3 acre and 54 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend

• Lawn mowers consume over 800 million gallons of gasoline annually

• In 1 hour, a lawn mower produces as much air pollution as driving a car for 100 miles

• Nearly 90,000 tons of pesticides are used on U.S. lawns annually

• Pesticides were found in “detectable levels” in 100% of river samples taken

Example of why traditional lawn care works poorly

• After a homeowner sprays dandelions with herbicides the plants reproduce lots of seeds for next year’s crop

• After a homeowner applies poison for grub damage the grass take up the poison. Grubs eat the grass roots and get poisoned. Birds and mammals eat the grubs poisoning the food chain. Lawn is still damaged

Join the natural lawn care movement.

Find more details on our Natural Lawn Care page.

Register for a Natural Lawn Care workshop

Healthy Soil

Healthy soil is critical to all life

“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.”

Soil health is key to a sustainable future

We need to restore our living soils for a sustainable and healthy future for the seven billion people on the planet. In a handful of healthy soil, there is more biodiversity in just the bacterial community than you will find in all the animals of the Amazon basin.We need these tiny partners to help build a sustainable agricultural system, to stabilize our climate in an era of increasing drought and severe weather, and to maintain our very health and well-being.

Scientific advances have now allowed us to take soil organisms from an eco-farming niche to mainstream agribusiness. Studies show that there will also be major savings from reduced need for chemical fertilizers and irrigation due to more efficient up-take of minerals and water. This also means fewer toxins and pollutants, particularly nitrogen fertilizers, leaching from agricultural lands into our public water system and rivers.

What is the “Soil Food Web”

Healthy soil is a powerful and complex ecosystem that supports microorganism, plants, animals, insects, humans and the planet. An incredible diversity of organisms make up the soil food web. They range in size from the tiniest one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa to the more complex nematodes and micro-arthropods, to the visible earthworms, to insects, small vertebrates, and plants. As these organisms eat, grow, and move through the soil, they make it possible to have clean water, clean air, healthy plants, and moderated water flow. Soil organisms prey on crop pests and are food for above-ground animals.

Advantages of an optimally functioning ecosystem of soil microorganisms:

Gardening and farming organically has huge benefits to humans, animal, plants and the environment. It can do most of the gardening work for you – saving you time and money. It protects plants against pest. Pests like to attack weak plants. Monitoring for pest and fighting pest saves lots of time. Preventing pests extends the productive life of the vegetable pants and gives larger harvests.

Nutrient dense soil supports nutrient dense plants and healthier humans who get the nutrients their bodies need to stay healthy. Eating lots of organic fruit and vegetables prevents many chronic diseases caused by nutrient deficiency and toxins. Learn more about the dangers of eating processed food (https://fatburningman.com/dr-mark-hyman-what-to-do-about-fake-foods-nutrient-deficiencies-pesticides/) from Dr. Mark Hyman. Organic growing methods avoid garden and lawn care chemicals that can be harmful to humans, pets, wildlife and waterways. Plus, human contact with healthy soil and nature improves overall health. New science shows that some healthy soil microbes are essential for a healthy human directive system.

Soil bacteria and fungi serve as the "stomachs" of plants.

Just as the microbes in the human body both aid digestion and maintain our immune system, soil microorganisms both digest nutrients and protect plants against pathogens and other threats. They form symbiotic relationships with plant roots and "digest" nutrients, providing nitrogen, phosphorus, and many other nutrients in a form that plant cells can assimilate.

These fungal filaments not only channel nutrients and water back to the plant cells, they connect plants and allow them to communicate with one another and set up defense systems. The fungi colonize the root system of a host plant, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities while the plant provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis.

Mycorrhizae is the scientific term for this symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants that you sometimes see listed in the ingredient of organic fertilizers. Endomycorrhizal fungi penetrate the cell wall and ectomycorrhizal fungi stay outside the cells.

Healthy soil tips for organic farmers and gardeners:

• Protect loose granular structure and avoid compaction. Raised beds are best. Never kneel or walk on you edible beds.

• Promote soil drainage and evenly moist soil. Never over water. Learn the ”finger test” for soil moisture.

• Soil color should be dark from organic matter.

• Cover you soil with dense leaf mulch to retain moisture

• Organic matter is a great source of slow-released plant nutrients. It encourages structure development by holding soil particles together like glue. It also attracts beneficial organisms, which also help develop soil structure.

• Applying organic matter to feed plant and soil microbes every fall and spring. Organic leaf compost rich in nutrients is best. In the fall applying a 2” layer of composted manure from organic dairy cows gives a powerful boost to soil microorganisms.

• Use the best organic fertilizers for general soil heath that include 100+ minerals, vitamins, natural plant hormones, natural plant stimulators, essential sugars/amino acids/carbon and protein plus billions of beneficial microorganisms, Mycorrhizal Fungi and food for microbiology. Deep Roots store sells an organic fertilizer we call Soil Alive that restores soil microorganisms along with the their nutrients and foods.

• Add biochar once to the soil of a new bed to support health microbes and retain water

• Cover your soil in winter. Naked soil is vulnerable to wind and water erosion that leads to soil and organic matter loss, reduced water infiltration, and structural loss.

• Cover crops like clover and vetch provide additional nutrients to your soil. They can also be tilled into the garden bed before planting in the spring.

• Keep moisture in the soil with dense leaf mulch. A deep raised bed (15-20 inches)allows room for 3 to 4 inches of dense mulch. The mulch becomes rich compost in time.

• Compost tea is a critical component to an ecological system of soil and plant health. It adds the essential microbes that allow all the soil ingredients to work together at maximum benefit to each other soil and plants. Ideally Apply it 3 time per growing season. You can brew yours with compost tea it.

• Support soil in healthy lawns and decorative landscaping using organic methods that prevent pests and disease.

• Natural lawn care includes watering correctly, mowing high, using natural non-toxic products. applying nematodes, supporting native insects, over seeding annually, adding compost, aerating turf, applying biochar, applying compost tea

Why biochar is an essential part of healthy soil?

Biochar is an ancient soil amendment from Amazon civilizations. Carbon in decomposing plants which would otherwise escape into the air as greenhouse gases, can be sequestered by the biologically active charcoal in the soil. The charcoal is colonized by billions of microbes, fungi, earthworms, and other creatures which produce carbon-based molecules that stick to the charcoal, gradually increasing the soil’s carbon content. Every ton of this biochar in the soil is capable of capturing and holding at least 3 tons of carbon.

Biochar used in modern agriculture is spreadable organic fertilizer for lawns and organic garden beds that supports healthy soil microbes that feed the soil and the plants.. Sustainable, natural, and safe healthy plants start with healthy soil. Biochar mixed with compost and nutrients helps plants thrive by improving the efficiency of your soil.

The biochar added to the initial soil of a bed remains in the soil to increase fertility and water absorption while decreasing nutrient leaching. Biochar reduces water needs, aerates soils and reduces compaction, buffers pH, and increases nutrient uptake by roots. The biochar provides permanent homes for microorganisms, reduces the possibility of disease in your soil and captures and holds carbon in soil, thus reducing greenhouse gases. As the bacteria thrive so does the natural process that makes your plant grow.

If you use Deep Roots Super Growth Garden Soil blend, 10% biochar is already mixed into the soil. The biochar Deep Root sells has been “charged” with microbes by storing it with organic compost for a few months.

Core Gardening method reduces watering

Using the core gardening method creates better soil. Not only does the core hold moisture for your plants, but it also loosens the soil up. In the process, the soil begins to drain better. This is ideal for plants. They all like loose soil where they can easily stretch their roots.

By using the core gardening method you can go weeks without adding water to your garden. There is no waiting period to plant when applying the core method. You create a sponge of weathered straw down the middle of your raised bed. You do this once a year and avoid the hassle of watering many times during a drought. This is the definition of simplicity in gardening.

Since the materials in the core have already begun to break down before you apply them, you’re in the clear to plant as soon as you’ve completed adding the core. When you use other methods to retain soil moisture like hugelkultur, you have to wait for the logs, wood chips or straw to compost before you can plant.

The simple steps: Collect discarded straw used for decoration at Halloween and Thanksgiving. Let the straw start to decompose over winter. Dig a trench down the middle of our raised bed and fill it with straw to create a sponge. Add some composted manure to the straw because extra nitrogen is needed while the straw decomposes. Cover the straw with your normal soil and thoroughly “charge” the straw with water. The bed is now ready to add seedlings and seeds.

Human health is directly correlated to soil health.

The mass destruction of soil microorganisms began with technological advances in the early twentieth century. The number of tractors in the U.S. went from zero to three million by 1950. The "Green Revolution" was driven by a fear of how to feed massive population growth. It did produce more food, but the food it did produce was progressively less nutritious as the soil became depleted of organic matter, minerals, and microorganisms.

Just as we have unwittingly destroyed vital microbes in the human gut through overuse of antibiotics and highly processed foods, we have recklessly devastated soil microbiota essential to plant health through overuse of certain chemical fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, failure to add sufficient organic matter (upon which they feed), and heavy tillage.

Half of the earth's habitable lands are farmed and we are losing soil and organic matter at an alarming rate. Studies show steady global soil depletion over time, and a serious stagnation in crop yields.

So, not only have we hindered natural processes that nourish crops and sequester carbon in cultivated land, but modern agriculture has become one of the biggest causes of climate instability. Our current global food system, from clearing forests to growing food, to fertilizer manufacturing, to food storage and packaging, is responsible for up to one-third of all human-caused greenhouse-gas emissions. This is more than all the cars and trucks in the transportation sector, which accounts for about one-fifth of all green house gases globally.

Building your own healthy soil takes time and effort

We encourage new gardeners to use new healthy soil in raised beds that already have the best ingredients to support a flourishing microorganism soil ecology. You can be confident there are no toxins or weed seeds that make gardening harder. They don’t have to worry about how their land was treated at earlier times and what toxic remnants it still contains.

But there are ways to build healthy soil that are cheaper but are more work and take a lot longer. Most local nurseries sell inexpensive soil testing kits that will give you a good idea of what is in your soil. Once you know what’s in your soil, you can amend it using compost or a variety of organic products found in your local nursery.

Lasagna gardening and hugelkultur beds (are two other ways to build your soil while knowing exactly what is going into it. These methods take more effort and time to mature than simply pushing seeds into the existing soil, but will ensure that the vegetables you plant are growing in healthy, organic soil.

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Edible & Native Garden Design

Perennial, Edible, and Native Plant Garden Design

Healthy soil is the core of a bountiful organic vegetable garden

An organic vegetative garden is a cycle of renewal. Garden soil lives and breathes, although you can't see most of its' important components. A handful of dirt is filled with thousands of invisible microbes, bacteria and fungi. As leaves fall from the trees, and other plant life decays, soil organisms go to work recycling the once-living matter. It decomposes into nutrients that growing plants need to thrive and be healthy.

Plant lighting requirements

If you’re mystified by plant and seed labels, here’s how to figure out what they mean when they talk about light requirements:

Sun – direct sunlight at least eight hours a day

Shade – less than four hours of direct sunlight

Partial Sun – between four and six hours of sunlight a day

Know how much light your future garden will get. You may have some great vegetables planted out there, but no amount of praying to the gardening gods will get them to grow if they don’t have enough light. Ask yourself a few basic questions: How is the light distributed? Are their shady spots? What about sun rich areas? Matching up the right plant, to how much light an area of your garden receives, can prevent big problems down the road.

Edible Perennials Versus Annuals

From a functional standpoint, there are many ways to design a garden so that it is easier to grow and maintain. For many time-pressed gardeners, perennials, which come up year after year on their own, can be a great solution versus annuals that have to be planted each year. Also, consider growing herbs that not only smell great and require minimal care but will also help spice up your cooking. Most are perennials, as are chives and scallions.

Beauty and Aesthetics

When it comes to aesthetics, some points to consider are variety and balance. Vary heights, colors, densities, sizes and shapes.

Height. Use raised beds or pedestals. Shaped containers can also help, as do vines, which can crawl up walls, fences or other vertical structures. Climbing flowers, such as morning glories or sweet peas, as well as tall flowers such as hollyhocks or sunflowers, not only will add height, but can hide ugly chain link fences. Planting trees and bushes in the middle of flower beds varies height and makes your garden more visually attractive. Just be sure to consider how tall your trees will grow in say 20 years as well as where their roots will spread and where there shade will fall.

Color. Amazed by the colors you see in those formal gardens in Europe, but don’t have the foggiest idea of what color scheme to use in your garden? Use a color wheel to find similar colors that will go well together or look for opposites that will provide contrast.

Plants with “cool” colored blooms such as blue, green and lavender can go in shady spots because direct sunlight will tend to wash out their color.

You can also create a monochromatic garden. Choose one color — orange, purple, red — and choose plants and flowers with different shades of the same color. Monochromatic gardens are known for looking harmonious.

If you want to add color to your lawn, consider adding a flower element to it. Just scatter crocuses throughout the lawn. It will add early color to your landscape in the spring. Start in the fall, by digging up small plugs of grass and replacing them with a crocus bulb. The crocus will bloom, die and then will be replaced by grass later on in the season.

Texture. Ornamental grasses add color and texture and they last longer than most plants. So, even when the rest of your garden has turned brown and dormant, your grasses will still be green.

When Mother Nature doesn’t deliver, your garden doesn’t have to suffer. We’ve got backup watering equipment and tools that will keep your garden from going thirsty. If you’re in a low-rainfall area, look into using a rain barrel, which will save precious water that would just roll through your gutters.

Finally, plant something new every year. You may get some pleasant surprises and you’ll learn from cultivating something that you haven’t grown before. Remember that you want some contrast, but an overall harmony.

Where to put what?

There are several strategies you can use to decide where to plant what. You may want to cluster plants with similar needs — amount of water, nutrients, sunlight — together to make it easier to care for them.

You can also practice “companion planting” where you place plants together which can work with each other to keep your garden flourishing. For example, one plant can replenish the soil with nutrients that another plant uses from the soil. Sometimes combining different plants together can help attract beneficial insects.

If a particular plant specimen needs more warmth than your climate can provide, give it shelter by planting it next to a south-facing wall. The wall collects warmth from the sun by day and will release it at night.

What else to include – trees shrubs, native plants, flowers and more?

If you have shaded areas, consider using native ferns for ground cover since they don’t require a lot of sun and, in fact, prefer the shade. Perfumed flowers also make a great addition to any garden and give it “smell appeal.” Consider planning citrus, gardenia or plumeria.

If you live where the winds blow hard and often, consider including evergreens and tall deciduous trees. They tend to be fast growing and can block prevailing winds. It’s what the pioneers did when homesteading in the plains and it will work for you as well. One tip for lazy gardeners: don’t plant trees that shed leaves, fruit or nuts near the driveway or you will spend the summer months picking up after them.

Also, don’t neglect plants that attract beneficial insects. They can help your garden grow by attracting “good bugs” that will fight garden pests. Such plants include: baby blue eyes, candy tuft, evening primrose and sweet alyssum. Our Beneficial Insect Seed Mix will attract both wild and introduced beneficial insects to your garden. Use as a border or plant between rows.

Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can enjoy vegetables that grow on vines. Just get creative in your choices. Anything from squash to melons to cucumbers can be trained to grow on a trellis. Just give them the support they need and they’ll take care of the rest (see Grow Vertical Vegetables).

Also, remember that a garden is more than greenery. You may want to add stone slabs, brick pavers, small gravel or a wooden deck. Adding “flooring” to your garden will make it more attractive and will help with movement and maintenance. In addition, add boundary “lines” with fences, stone walls and hedges to keep your garden orderly.

Tip: When building boundaries, don’t use railroad ties or pressure treated wood around your vegetables. The chemicals used to preserve the wood are toxic and certainly shouldn’t be used where they can leach into the soil and be absorbed by your plants.

Keep in mind that it’s your garden. So unless you’re entering a competition, if your plan makes you happy it’s achieved its goal.

What is a plant based diet?

A whole-foods, plant-based diet is a way of eating that celebrates plant foods and cuts out unhealthy items like added sugars and refined grains. Plant-based diets have been linked to a number of health benefits, including reducing your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, obesity, diabetes and cognitive decline.

These diets are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help lower blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and help maintain a healthy weight, all of which can lower your risk of heart disease. Yet, the types of plant foods and their sources are also important.

Living a Whole Food, Plant-Based Life

EAT whole plants such as grains, nuts, and fruit. Studies have shown that populations with mostly plant-based diets have longer lifespans.

AVOID animal products such as meat, fish, and dairy. ...

AVOID processed, artificial foods. ...

AVOID added fats and sugars.

Eating habits that are vegan (no animal products at all) or other vegetarian types (which may include one or more of choices like dairy products, eggs, and fish) are plant-based diets. But not all plant-based diets are vegetarian. ... In fact, a plant-based diet can be as individual as you are.

A plant-based diet is centered on real, whole, or minimally processed food. It's a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (all beans, peas, lentils), nuts, healthy fats, and water, while minimizing or excluding consumption of meat, soda, and highly processed foods.

Is it possible to reverse coronary artery disease? ... A. If you have the gumption to make major changes to your lifestyle, you can, indeed, reverse coronary artery disease. This disease is the accumulation of cholesterol-laden plaque inside the arteries nourishing your heart, a process known as atherosclerosis.

While one person following a WFPB diet may eat no animal products, another may eat small amounts of eggs, poultry, seafood, meat or dairy. Summary The whole-foods, plant-based diet emphasizes plant-based foods while minimizing animal products and processed items.

The 14 Healthiest Vegetables on Earth

Spinach. This leafy green tops the chart as one of the healthiest vegetables, thanks to its impressive nutrient profile.
Carrots. Carrots are packed with vitamin A, providing 428% of the daily recommended value in just one cup (128 grams) (4).
Broccoli. ...
Garlic. ...
Brussels Sprouts. ...
Kale. ...
Green Peas. ...
Swiss Chard.

Why would I give up meat?

Going plant-based doesn't necessarily mean you have to. Our definition of a plant-based diet allows for modest amounts of fish and lean meat. But more importantly, choosing a diet heavy in fruits and veggies may help ward off chronic diseases and keep you svelte in 2016 and years to come. U.S. News has gathered a few reasons to go the plant-based route.

Links

• Why would I give up meat?

• The 14 Healthiest Vegetables on Earth - Healthline

• Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide

• Mythbuster: Bread isn't part of a plant-based diet — Breadsense

• Plant-Based Diet: 7 things you need to know now for healthy eating

• Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet Guide - Center for Nutrition Studies

• Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet: A Detailed Beginner's Guide

• The right plant-based diet for you - Harvard Health

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Degeneration Nation: Connecting the Dots Between Factory Farms, Roundup, GMOs, and Fake 'Natural' Foods

July 11, 2017 Organic Consumers Association by Ronnie Cummins

You can help to prompt significant change in the agricultural industry by boycotting CAFO and GE products and instead purchasing food grown only by local farmers who are using natural methods and soil-regenerative techniques, such as no-till, cover crops, composting and livestock integration. Look for farmers markets, food co-ops and direct-from-the-farm sales in your area — these sustainable alternatives are growing

rapidly across the U.S. and will offer you fresher, healthier food and the satisfaction of knowing you are helping to drive permanent positive changes in food production.

– "Factory Farms Consuming the U.S.," Mercola.com, June 20, 2017

After years of single-issue campaigning against America’s degenerate food and farming system, with real but limited success, it’s time for a change of strategy and tactics. By connecting the dots between a range of heretofore separate issues and campaigns, by focusing on some of the major weaknesses or vulnerabilities of the system, we can speed up our transition to an organic and regenerative food and farming system before our health, environmental and climate crises turn into full-blown catastrophe.

After decades of trying to reform public policy on food and farming, including an intense four-year battle to force mandatory labeling of GMOs (rudely terminated in 2016 when Congress and the Obama administration rammed through the outrageous DARK Act), food activists and conscious consumers find ourselves wondering “what’s the use of lobbying the government?” Do we really think the Trump administration, the Republican Congress, and farm state and Establishment Democrats care about the toxicity, exploitation and environmental destruction of our food system?

The culinary directive from Congress and the White House this summer goes something like this: Don’t worry. Shut up and eat your Frankenfoods, cheap junk foods, and factory-farmed meat, dairy and poultry. Don’t worry about Monsanto’s Roundup or Dow’s neonic residues in your food and water. Don’t worry about the dubious fare at your local supermarkets, including thousands of products fraudulently labeled or advertised as “natural.”

Don’t worry about cancer, diabetes, heart attacks or supersizing yourself and your kids with chemical and GMO-tainted food, we’re told. Don’t worry about contaminated food pouring in from China and Brazil. Don’t worry about mutant genes, pesticide residues, antibiotics, hormone disruptors, BPA and other carcinogens and hormone disruptors. nd don’t worry about global warming, or the precarious state of bees, birds and the environment. Put your trust in America’s industrial food system and factory farms and Monsanto’s minions--indentured scientists, politicians, regulatory agencies and the mass media.

If we’re ever going to have a food and farming system that’s healthy for us and the planet, one of the things we’ll have to do is “throw the bums out” and elect a Brand New Government, from Main Street to Washington D.C. But in the meantime, since Our Revolution is going to take a while, a growing number of food activists, including myself, believe it’s time to step up the attack on Monsanto, pesticides, factory farms, fake “natural” products, organic fraud, and the entire degenerative food and farming system.

It’s time to make organic and healthy food the norm, not just the niche market that it still is.

Over the past several decades, public education, protests and boycotts against GMOs, pesticides, factory farms and junk food have begun to transform U.S. consumer consciousness, driving a combined annual $55-billion organic and grass-fed market that now comprises more than 5 percent of all grocery store sales (and 15 percent of all produce sales). This is a good start. But our challenge over the next four years, while we can expect Congress to do little or nothing, is to double the size of the organic and grass-fed market, moving from a niche position to the tipping point.

Surveys indicate that Americans are increasingly alarmed about deteriorating public health, and the pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and GMOs lurking in conventional food brands, restaurant fare and school cafeterias. We obviously can’t count on a corrupt Congress or a Trump/Pence administration to protect our food and our environment. So it’s time to step up our marketplace pressure, with boycotts, lawsuits, brand de-legitimization and direct action.

Our job is to escalate our food fights into what can only be described as a food revolution. Our health, environment and climate stability require that we turn away from our degenerate food, farming and land use system to one which is regenerative.

How do we do this?

Here are six steps we as individuals, and we as a food movement, need to take:

1. Boycott GMO foods. Practically speaking, every grocery and restaurant food product or menu item that contains soy, corn, canola, vegetable oil or sweeteners, unless labeled “organic,” is GMO-derived. The same is true for every meat, dairy or egg product that is not labeled or advertised as organic, transition to organic, grass-fed, or genuinely free range.

Our answer to the anti-consumer DARK Act SmartCodes (which substitute bar codes and company websites for clear on-package GMO labeling) must be to boycott every one of the thousands of supermarket food products that display a QR SmartCode, the veritable “Mark of Monsanto.”

2. Boycott factory-farm meat, dairy and poultry, i.e. everything that isn’t labeled or marketed as organic or 100% grass-fed or pastured. We need to stop the overconsumption of CAFO meat and animal products in general. Americans consume on the average 10 ounces a day of meat, whereas natural health experts recommend three, none of which should come from factory farms.

Factory farming, a trillion-dollar industry, is the lynchpin of the GMO industry and the primary driver of deteriorating public health, environmental destruction, water pollution and global warming.

Factory farms:

• Imprison billions of farm animals in filthy, unhealthy, inhumane confinement, where they are drugged, implanted and injected with synthetic hormones and growth promoters, and fed a steady diet of pesticide-drenched GMO grains.

• Occupy the majority of U.S. and global farmland today, either for raising animals before they are sent to the CAFO feedlots, or to grow the GMO and chemical-intensive crops such as alfalfa, canola, corn and soybeans to feed animals.

• Are the number one cause of water pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions. Factory farm meat, dairy and egg products are leading causes of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, reproductive defects, hormone disruption and obesity.

3. Drive Monsanto’s Roundup (active ingredient glyphosate) off the market. Roundup is the DDT of our times, and it is polluting the entire country, and the world. We need to force farmers and food brands to stop using Roundup, but we also need to convince homeowners and landscape managers to stop buying it.

Up to 90 percent of all GMO crops are sprayed with Roundup, as are a growing number of other foods, even if they are not yet genetically engineered, including (non-organic) wheat, oats and beans. Roundup is used as a desiccant on many of these crops, to dry them out before harvest.

But we also need to keep in mind that 30 percent of all Roundup herbicides (representing 50 percent of Monsanto’s Roundup profits) are sold to consumers (for lawn and garden spraying) and local governments (for spraying in parks, schoolyards, and along roads and transmission lines). We need to pressure major retail and online vendors of Roundup (Amazon, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Costco) to stop selling this poison, as well as other toxic pesticides, such as bee-killing neonic pesticides, and Agent Orange 2-4 D. We also need to do the same with local governments, park boards and school boards. If local officials refuse to stop spraying Roundup, we need to expose them and then vote them out of office. Organic landscaping for lawns, parks, roadways, and schoolyards is an integral part of the Regeneration Revolution.

4. Increase independent lab testing of brand-name foods, especially those pretending to be “natural” or “all natural,” for pesticides like Roundup, so we can reveal the pesticides, poisons and toxins lurking in non-organic foods. Once we expose the pesticides and toxins laced into these foods we can sue the fake natural, greenwashing companies for false advertising while launching grassroots campaigns to boycott them. It’s time to expose the fraud of so-called “Natural” and “All Natural” products and underline the difference between these fake organic and genuine organic products.

5. Make organic, grass-fed and regenerative food and farming the dominant force in the market by 2025. We need to educate consumers and change public policy so as to make organic and regenerative food at least 50 percent of the market by 2025, just as France and other nations are starting to do. In order to do this, we will need to eliminate the multi-billion-dollar taxpayer subsidies for industrial agriculture and GMOs that make chemical food seem “cheap,” compared to organic and grass-fed food, despite industrial food’s massive and costly damage to the environment, public health and the climate.

6. Move beyond single-issue thinking (“my issue is more important than your issue”) and silos and begin to “connect the dots” between food and farming and all the burning issues: health, justice, climate, environment, peace and democracy. We need to work together to build a Movement of Movements powerful enough to bring about a political revolution.

It’s time to take back control of our food system, our health, our government and regulatory agencies. If the government won’t allow proper labeling and safety testing of foods, then we, the global grassroots, need to investigate, expose and boycott toxic products and chemicals. If industry and the government won’t fund “sound science,” then we will need to crowdsource and fund independent, sound science ourselves.

In the meantime, we need to defend ourselves and our families, especially the children and most vulnerable, by buying organic and truly natural foods and products, today and every day. Grow your own. Build up local food hubs and community capacity. Support economic justice campaigns so that poor and minority communities can afford and gain access to organic foods. Reach out to others and get organized. Don’t just mourn or complain, Resist and Boycott.

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CREDIT for “Degeneration Nation” Article

Ronnie Cummins is international director of the Organic Consumers Association and a member of the Regeneration International steering committee.

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