Apart from evergreens the only other color in my garden at this time of the year is provided by the red and yellow branches of the cornus bushes.

Making compost is an essential part of my gardening routine. Over the years I have read many books describing different methods of making compost, some more complicated than others. I have studied the many different types of compost containers, but never purchased more than some timber to construct a simple 3×3 box which has served me well enough. In fact my system has always involved two boxes. When the first is full the contents are emptied out and the partially decomposed material from the bottom is transferred to the second box to complete the process.

“Surprising Compostable Home and Garden Green and Brown Things” by Susan Morris suggests that your compost heap does not have to consist only of grass clippings and plant waste, but various other sorts of household waste. Read more..

“2012 gardening trends: Hits, misses and hopes” is the title of an article by Kym Pokorny. If you want to know the trend that’s too pervasive to call a trend anymore, the trend riding on its coattails, the trend she most obviously – and embarrassingly – neglected to mention, the trends she hopes really will be trends and the trend that isn’t, except in her mind, read more..

When I saw “Grow Your Own Gnome Garden Kit” I thought it meant “Grow Your Own Gnome”, but no it is just a kit containing three packets of seeds and fibre pots so you can grow a “garden” for your gnome. I thought most people who like gnomes bought them to place in their gardens, so cannot see why they would want to plant a separate garden for their gnome. But then I noticed that the product is available from Perpetual Kid. Read more..

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1. Exploring the Compost – Garlic Connection
2. Moles, Slugs And Compost
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Image via Wikipedia

“Aphids aren’t all bad” claims the headline, but “Gardeners know aphids as tiny, squishy pests that can suck the life right out of plants and, as if that weren’t enough, leave behind a sticky, nasty mess”. It’s common knowledge that ladybugs eat aphids and and so can be used as a non chemical form of pest control. The article goes on to describe how other insects also feast on aphids as well as other garden pests. Where I became slightly lost was the idea that you introduce ladybugs to deal with the aphids, yet at the same time you are planting aphid-attracting butterfly weed to attract more aphids. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick? What do you think? Read more..

“Growing your own healthy soil” is another of those headlines designed to catch your attention. But true to her word the author, Jane Ford, writes that there “are a few things you can do to the soil in your yard and garden this fall that will literally grow it into soil that is healthy and full of organic matter”. It involves adding layers of material to the site in a way reminiscent of the lasagna method except that the latter did not include radishes or spinach. Read more..

My wife loves figs. Recently she discovered that a new friend had a fig tree in her garden and so dropped the odd hint that she would love to receive a few figs. The friend was reluctant to part with her figs, but she did produce a small sapling so that we will in due course be able to harvest the fruit from our own tree.

I remember reading that fig trees need to have their roots restricted so I checked with my copy of “The Fruit Garden Displayed” by the RHS which suggests that the planting hole should measure some three feet by two and be lined with bricks. However I discovered a simpler method from a gardening program on the radio. Use an old drum from a washing machine – it will restrict growth and the holes in the drum will allow small roots to grow through. In fact I will be using an old container with holes drilled in the sides which should perform the same function.

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“When moles are most active, about 20 percent of the calls agent Dave Pehling takes at the Washington State University extension office in Everett, Wash., are from people exasperated by moles.

“There’s not really a lot we can tell them,” Pehling said. That’s because nothing really works for long to get rid of a mole, and if it does, another will just move in”.

But if you can contain your irritation, there is a plus side.
“People should be grateful for moles, agrees Linda Chalker-Scott, associate professor and extension urban horticulturist at Puyallup for Washington State University.

“They are definitely your friends. They are nature’s little rototillers; they aerate the soil and do a wonderful job of bringing a lot of organic material into the soil. They are doing all this great work for us, we don’t have to pay them anything, and most of us are out there trying to kill them.” Read more..

And the soil from those molehills can be converted into excellent potting compost. Read more..

Slugs are another common problem for many of us. The way that they nibble at our emerging plants I find particularly annoying. Suggested remedies are many and varied. My bookshelf contains a slim volume entitled “50 Ways To Kill A Slug” which lists all the conventional forms of control plus several weired ideas. Kym Pokorny writing in The Oregonian has her own suggestions. Read more..

The fact that there are so many different ways to make compost tends to make the process seem more complicated than it really is. Here’s a suggestion for making compost indoors using some rather unusual ingredients:

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What’s free, green and provides exercise in the fresh air? Well according to George Weigel it’s compost. Free because you are using grass clippings, fallen leaves and other plant matter from your own garden. Green because you are recycling matter that would otherwise have to be carted off to landfill and the outdoor exercise comes from building and turning the compost pile. In his article George dispels the common misconceptions about smelly piles that atttact rodents and then extols the benefits of compost in the garden. A useful reminder of why every yard should have at least one compost heap. Read more..

When I read the headline “Natural Selection and Macroevolution in your lifetime” I could not understand why this was included in a list of gardening articles. Furthermore the headline itself was hardly enticing, but I was curious and did read the article. At first glance it is about a particular species of lizard, but read on and you will discover how the lizard’s relationship with a variety of arum lily has changed the landscape of a Mediterranean island in just twenty years. Read more..

“As young gardeners, we put in youthful plants that proceed to grow in unexpected and often unintended ways. Suddenly, or so it seems, we become older gardeners and find ourselves trying to control the unwanted but perfectly natural behavior of mature plants.” This is a quote from “Gardening for a Lifetime — How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older” by Sydney Eddison which is reviewed by Jim McLain in the Yakima Herald-Republic. Read his review and if you are interestd you can by the book at Amazon from the link below. Here’s the review.

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If you haven’t completed your bulb planting yet, I’ve just heard that Dutch Gardens are having a Fall Clearance Sale where you can save up to 40% – worth a look.

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1. Moles, Slugs And Compost

But a conservation garden is not just about grass. “The new 7,000-square-foot Conservation Garden features environmentally friendly gardening with an emphasis on native plants and mulching and composting techniques to reduce the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides that are potentially harmful to people and nature”. The article contains some helpful hints as to how you can adopt these priciples in your own backyard. Read more..

A few months ago I wrote about various garden gadgets that were new on the market. Now I’ve found a couple of articles by people who have bought some of these products and tell of their experiences. First is Larry McDermott writing in The Republican who is not too happy with his $12 watering wand. Read more..

“One of my favorite parts of writing this column is that it provides the perfect excuse for buying and trying gardening toys. Usually, I have three or four new tools or gadgets to play with, but the second one I purchased this year was such a whopper of an expense that I quit after two” says Linden Staciokas writing in the Daily News-Miner. The “whopper of an expense” he refers to is an indoor composter costing $400. When I read about this product earlier in the year I thought it sounded too good to be true and so it turns out. Read more..

And finally the September of my Garden Ramblings newsletter is now online with articles on spring bulbs and organic lawncare among others.

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On the face of it teaching children how to cook seems a strange way of getting them interested in gardening. But harvesting the crop and then preparing it to eat makes the connection and gives kids the incentive to become involved in the gardening activities. The problem is that children usually don’t have a lengthy attention span, but the article explores various ways of overcoming this. Competitions and experiments are just two of the suggestions.  Read more..

Organic gardeners do not use pesticides and so have to find other ways of controlling the aphids and other pests that invade their gardens. Here’s a description of “5 Beneficial Garden Pests That You Will Want To Live In Your Garden”.  Read more..

“Design a compost heap into the landscape” is the message from Jane Gates in the LA Landscape Design Examiner. We all know the benefits of compost, but it’s useful to be reminded of all the different methods of converting garden and kitchen waste into this soil enriching material. Full of practical tips.  Read more..

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