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Growing ­Gardeners

Calvert Garden Club offers next-generation grants

Kathy Knotts
Got a great idea for a community-focused gardening project? If it involves educating the next generation, you are invited to apply for a mini-grant with the Calvert Garden Club.     This annual program awards amounts from $100 to $1,000 to nonprofit organizations in Calvert County.     The 60-year-old Calvert Garden Club has awarded grants totaling more than $4,300 in the past two years.
article –   –  by Kathy Knotts  – 12/3/15

Great Gifts for Gardeners

Gardening tools you can count on

Dr. Francis Gouin
Shopping for a gardener? Don’t skimp on price; buy quality tools that last.     These are my long-time favorites:     A Japanese gardener’s knife is especially valuable for dividing perennials in the spring. The blade, about two inches wide, is cupped for digging. I also use my Japanese gardener’s knife in place of a trowel for planting. One edge of its blade is saw-toothed, while the other can be sharpened. I carry it in a sheath attached to my belt.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 12/3/15

A Fire-Safe Christmas Tree

Here’s how to keep your tree fresh, green and safe

Dr. Francis Gouin
A freshly cut Christmas tree that is properly cared for is a fire-safe Christmas tree.     Every year, many house fires are caused by Christmas trees. Avoid such a tragedy by following a few simple rules.     The freshest cut Christmas tree is the one you cut yourself. Thus the advantage of tree farms where you can make selecting and cutting your Christmas tree a family affair.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 11/26/15

Bag Your Yard Waste in Paper

Since plastic leaf bags aren’t biodegradable, their residue will remain in the soil for eternity

Dr. Francis Gouin
Use wet-strength paper bags in place of plastic bags for curbside yard debris collection: That’s the plea of the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 11/19/15

Bedtime for Gardens

Do your soil and yourself a favor; work easy

Dr. Francis Gouin
Don’t pull out those dead annual flowers; hit them down with the lawnmower.     Don’t spade or rototill the flower garden, either, because you destroy precious organic matter and risk plow-pan, a compacted layer of soil formed by the plow or rototiller blade.  This compacted layer prevents roots from penetrating deeper into the soil and leads to poor drainage, thus making plants less drought-resistant.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 11/12/15

Act Now to Fight Tomato Blight

Clean up to improve next year’s crop

Dr. Francis Gouin
Tomato blight attacks your tomatoes by way of the leaves. The blight starts at the bottom of the plants and progresses upward. The lower leaves turn yellow-green, and oblong spots with concentric rings in the middle appear mid-leaf. Soon the leaves brown and fall. Plants are weakened and, without shade, fruit sunburned. So you don’t want to give the blight a foothold, for it will spread.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 11/5/15

Cover Your Soil to Save the Bay

A cover crop of winter rye is the ultimate in nutrient recycling

Dr. Francis Gouin
Planting a cover crop in your garden is good for the soil. It also contributes to improving the quality of Bay waters. Soil should never be exposed to rain and wind. Most of the brown, muddy water you see while boating on the Bay is colored by soil that has washed from adjoining lands or streams.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 10/29/15

Stamp Out Invasives Now

Here’s the one way to kill kudzu and bamboo

Dr. Francis Gouin
These very invasive species cannot be killed by spray during the summer months. They grow so rapidly that the week killers knock back only the top of the plants and not the roots.     To kill the roots of perennial plants, the weed killer must translocate downward into the roots and rhizomes. For kudzu, you need only to kill the roots. For bamboo, you must kill both the roots and the rhizomes, the underground stems from which new bamboo canes appear.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 10/22/15

Time to Plant Garlic

The bulbs grow fat when the days grow short

Dr. Francis Gouin
I have a favorite treat in June: going into the garden and lifting out a big bulb of elephant garlic for roasting. Eat a few crackers smeared with fresh roasted elephant garlic and you will think you’ve died and gone to heaven. If you wish to enjoy that heavenly food, now is the time for planting.  
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 10/15/15

Want to Grow a Bay-Friendly Lawn?

Now’s the time to get to work so it’s lush and green come spring

Dr. Francis Gouin
Feeling less than pride and joy in your lawn?     Fall is the best time to lay the foundation for a rich, green, weed-free grass come spring. 1. Test Your Soil     How’s your lawn doing?     There’s no way to know without soil testing. Fertilize without testing, and you’re not only throwing your money away but also polluting the Bay.
article –   –  by Dr. Francis Gouin  – 10/1/15

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Format: 2016-09-25
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