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JULY 2017

©Jon Last

BERMS AND BASINS

Edythe Falconer Master Gardener of Ottawa Carleton

Several years ago when we moved back to urban Ottawa from rural Ottawa near North Gower, I was fixated on the idea of having a small orchard in our fairly large back yard. The site that I chose was uncultivated and our soil was hardpan clay. How quickly could I pre-pare the site sufficiently to welcome two apricots, one pear and one cherry tree? I could have called in a landscaper but decided to apply my own muscle to the project. First I dug 1 metre by 1 metre basins – 30cm deep – for each of my trees. Next I partially filled each basin with some very fine compost from bins left behind by the former occupants. Then, after backfilling with clay minus the grass I shovel-mixed the lot. I think I may have added a shovel or two of well-rotted sheep manure. The cherry tree and the pear tree are thriving as are some additional fruit trees that I’ve treated to the same technique. The apricot trees met a sad end when they were “rabbited” two years in a row. My defenses had been too low in the first year so next winter I had raised them to four feet but the snow banks went that high too. The rabbits “finished” the job that winter. Berms and basins can go well together – the berm as a walkway and the basin as an area in which to grow vegetables – especially in hot dry years. Conversely in a wet year the grow-ing can happen on top of a flat berm and excess water can drain into the basin. In the chronically dry southwest of USA indigenous peoples found basin gardens were highly ap-propriate for catching what little rain fell, and /or for trapping water from spring runoff. Also the edges of the basins afforded a modest amount of shade depending upon the time of day. Given the patterns that we are now experiencing - excessive rainfall alternating with heat and drought, we need to use every trick we can devise in order to create resilient gardens despite climate extremes and unpredictability. Dealing with basics, namely soil and water, respecting some time honoured practices while at the same time allowing ourselves the freedom of creative problem solving , will get us there most years. We need to build the best soil we possibly can. However this is a process, especially when working with clay. Although clay is a rich source of nutrients, it needs plenty of organic amendments at regular intervals to realize its full potential. Good soil is a moving target. We reach and maintain good soil by regularly renewing it each year. It gives a lot and we must return the favour. Watering practices are critical. Too much of a good thing and plants grow spindly and tall while neglecting root development. If we continue to have lengthy periods of hot, dry weather these plants will not have the resilience to cope without the use of even more wa-ter to just keep them alive until the rains finally come. Conserving what at times is in short supply is also important. Water plants in the morning or evening, best in the morning. Wa-ter at the base of the plant and resist watering every day except for plants recently trans-planted. When you water think “once a week and deeply”. Plant choices matter greatly. Some are guzzlers of water. Some are not. In our next issues we will talk about these choices.

THE PRETTIEST POLLI-NATORS

Dale Odorizzi Master Gardener of Lanark County

For much of my gardening life, I thought of Butterflies as “Flying Flowers”—something that added colour and beauty to your gar-den but not much more. This didn’t mean I didn’t love and appreciate them and in fact, 20 years ago created a Butterfly Gar-den to attract more. How could they possi-bly be pollinators' with their smooth, cylin-drical bodies and long legs they used to prance around the flowers.

When you think of pollinators, you think of bees. If you spend some time in your flow-er garden, you hear the noisy buzzing of bees as they doggedly go from flower to flower. Their almost furry bodies collect pollen at one plant and deposit it on the next plant, effectively pollinating the plants as they go. They are built for the job.

Need help? Contact us at: Telephone help Line: Wednesday and Thursday 1–3 pm (all year) :

613-236-0034 - Ottawa E-mail help Line, monitored daily :

mgoc_helpline@yahoo.ca Lanark E-mail help Line:

lanarkmg@gmail.com

Butterfly Niagara butterfly house Susan Bicket

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WEEDWISE

Edythe Falconer Master Gardener of Ottawa Carleton

Weeds are plants growing where they are not wanted. They grow rapidly and thrive in a wide range of conditions and soils. They compete successfully with surrounding plants and reproduce themselves with ease. Weeds are first to establish them-selves after ground has been disturbed. By “covering” the soil, weeds prevent erosion and protect soil organisms. When weeds die and decay they revi-talize the soil and perpetuate the cycle of renewal. Gradually other plants take over until a more stable balance is reached. Weeds can be valuable sources of medicine and food. Examples include lambs’ quarters, dandelion, chicory, plantain, purslane and nettles. Spring in Saskatchewan – circa 30’s and 40’s – meant gathering up young leaves of lambs’ quarters and using them as a palatable substitute for spinach. Our neighbors made dandelion wine. It is useful to know your weeds – both for pleasure and nutrition. On the other hand – weeds can be aggressive competitive nuisances. They compete with more desirable plants for food, water, space and light and spoil the appearance of ornamen-tal gardens. On farms and market gardens they reduce crop quality and therefore grower income. Some can poison livestock or cause human health problems, and many are hosts to diseases, harmful insects, and rodents. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevention includes using seed-free mulch and compost, keeping tools clean, carefully examining offerings from other gardens and planting a cover crop on soil that otherwise would be bare for any length of time. Pa-trolling non-garden areas to remove weeds before they go to seed is also helpful. A good gardening slogan is “Weed before seed”. Annual weeds that are removed before they go to seed can be safely added to compost. Or they can be rototilled into the soil right where they are. Green manure teas can be made from soaking weeds in a pail of water for later application as liquid fertilizer. Solid residues can go into the compost pile. One means of mechanical control is the weed torch. Its advantages include precision, ad-justability and the elimination of the use of herbicides. Weeds with extensive root systems may need a second flaming. Perennial weeds should be removed as soon as possible. Since even a small part of the root has the potential to produce a new plant, they need to be disposed of separately from com-post piles. Perennial weeds such as dandelions and horsetail demand perennial persistence. Smothering them under black plastic is one option. Hand digging is another. Then there are weeds we have planted ourselves – goutweed, lilies of the valley, Chinese lanterns and dame’s rocket easily escape control. We need to decide just how much we want them. If we like them enough we learn to put up with their wayward habits and we locate them where they are less likely to become a nuisance. Acquiring “weed wisdom” is a constant challenge. When we succeed victory is sweet, no matter how short- lived.

The most beautiful and graceful pollinators, however, are the butterflies. Instead of the noisy buzzing, they artfully flit from flower to flower and while not as efficient as the bees, they do their share in bringing seeds and fruit to production and they are ex-tremely pleasant to watch. Butterflies work in the day and pollinate a wide variety of flowers. They prefer the big, beautiful, brightly coloured blooms. They have good colour vision, sensing more wavelengths than humans or bees. Scent is another characteristic that attracts them to plants. Butterflies are like fashion models as they prance around flowers on their long, thin legs. They prefer flowers with a landing platform and gather pollen as they walk around flower clusters. Once a butterfly finds the right flower, their next challenge is to find the nectar. One study at the University of Colorado showed that the first visit to a flower took 10 sec-onds of groping before finding the right place to sip. By the third or fourth blos-som, it took less than half that time. While butterflies are not the premiere polli-nators, their continual flitting from flower to flower more than makes up for the quantity of pollen they carry. Butterflies probe blossoms with their long tongues. Each flower has a nectary hidden in narrow tubes or spurs. The tongue or proboscis works like a straw drawing up nectar. When not in use the proboscis stays coiled. To attract more butterflies to your garden, plant a variety of plants and remember the caterpillars. They often feed and mature on plants that are different from plants Butterflies love. While having a summer garden that is a haven for butterflies, think three seasons. The time butterflies need you most is in the spring so plant flowers that bloom early. Spring flowering bulbs and shrubs and even the lowly dandelion are all essential for a butterflies life. I still think of my Butterflies as “Flying Flow-ers” but now know there is so much more to them.

Weeds Susan Bicket

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CUT AND COME AGAIN EDIBLES

Edythe Falconer Master Gardener of Ottawa Carleton

If we want to get the best out of our plants harvesting them a bit at a time is a good idea and doesn’t leave gaps in rows of healthy homegrown goodies. There are several plants that lend themselves readily to this procedure. Even those of us who don’t grow rhubarb will know that this plant will keep on regenerating throughout the growing season. You in turn as the prospective cook will always have fresh stems near at hand. Top dressing around the plant once or twice per year will ensure good production over time. There are other plants that are similarly obliging and at least two of them belong to the cab-bage family. These are broccoli and broccolini. In the case of broccoli once the main stem has been harvested the plant will keep on producing smaller heads that are just as tasty as the larger first one. Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and kalian, another member of the cabbage family. It never produces a large head. Instead it forms clusters of thinner stems with smaller heads. Pick only as needed and you’ll have a supply for most of the growing season. Swiss chard is not only edible it is also a fine ornamental for the garden. Pick off a few leaves at a time it will it keep producing even after light fall frosts. In late fall it can come into a sunroom and provide more leaves all winter long. Green onions are a winner for the frugal and for those of us who like to experiment. Save stubs from those that you buy at the grocery store. Plant them indoors or outside and you will soon have a steady supply for cutting into soups and salads. Herbs of course are used to being clipped at intervals and they all soldier on quite nicely. Finally there are potatoes. There is no need to wait until the whole plant is ready to har-vest. As soon as flowers have come and gone you can teach yourself how to approach the plant from the side with a small shovel or even a hand spade and gently dig down – gloved hands are good at this too - and pull out enough “new” potatoes for that very special treat – boiled new potatoes buttered and salted. Cover up the gap you’ve made and repeat proce-dure right up until the whole plant needs to be dug. Here is a list of other plants that respond well to regular pruning/harvesting throughout the growing season:-

• Salad greens

• Beet leaves

• Dandelions

• Kale

• Spinach

• Edible flowers So many plants have this remarkable ability to replace the parts that we harvest from them. We should be forever grateful.

Recipe Colourful Cabbage Salad

Edythe Falconer

Master Gardener of Ottawa Carleton 1/2 each small green and red cabbage, ju-lienned 1/2 each yellow and red pepper, julienned 1/2 medium-size red onion, julienned Fresh parsley, finely chopped, to taste Fresh mint, finely chopped, to taste DRESSING: 1/2 cup (125 ml) cold-pressed walnut, ha-zelnut or flax seed oil 1 Tbsp (15 ml apple cider vinegar Juice of 1 lemon Freshly ground anise, to taste Dill seed, to taste

• Place the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

• Blanche green and red cabbage in boil-ing water for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse in cold water.

• Place cabbage in a large bowl, add pep-pers, onion and herbs then toss with dressing. Serves two to four.

This recipe was in small booklet of herb recipes put out by Rideau Community Sup-port Services several years back.

Watch for Trowel Talk the Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton electronic monthly gardening newsletter available on the 15th at http://mgottawa.ca/ Visit the Almonte online community newspaper ‘The Millstone’ - http://millstonenews.com/ -for a column by David Hinks of the Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners; under the Gardening tab. Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton and Master Gardeners of Lanark County are member groups of Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc., a registered charity with the mission of providing gardening advice to homeowners. The Edible Garden logo was created by Jon Last (jonlast13@rogers.com).

Momentum Judith Cox

Master Gardener of Ottawa Carleton Life moves forward and does not turn around And creeps as a mouse past the onions To gaze longingly at the squash And still the garden grows Drenched in life, hope giving birth

WEED CONTROL TOOL Hoes are designed to control weeds . There are a number of different designs but all consist of a blade which is either pushed or pulled just under the soil surface. It will uproot very young weeds and can slice through all but the toughest of weed stems and if you are not careful your plants! It’s quicker than pulling or digging up weeds. A metal file can be used to keep the blade sharp. Used regularly it can keep the garden weed free and even wear out perennial weeds