Hello Garden Gang,
I have some secrets to share with you! Here’s an update on our last garden gathering, with some
extremely useful information from Master Gardener Jackie Peel. Many thanks,
Jackie, for sharing your expertise with us.
Watering:
The best tool for gauging watering needs is a “soil moisture
meter.” Where can you get one? We all have one—our index finger! Dig into your
garden soil about two knuckles down. The soil should feel like a damp sponge.
If it doesn’t, it’s time to water. Watering at night is most efficient, but if
your schedule only allows for morning watering, go for it. Remember to keep
leaves dry to minimize diseases, and shoot your water directly at the root of
the plant for best efficiency.
Fertilizing/Mulching:
Jackie recommends Cotton Burr compost (Earth’s Best or Finest).
Each bed can take about 2 bags of the 40lb. variety which can be found for
about six dollars at Foreman’s feed or McDonnell's Feed. We should each have
about 2-3 inches (!) of mulch on our beds to keep bugs away and keep the soil
moist. Also, Jackie says NEVER to use weed and feed, at home or in our beds.
The chemicals used to kill weeds will also kill plants and trees. She
recommends a slow-release all nitrogen variety fertilizer, such as 17-0-0. We
can also continue to use our leftover worm castings and molasses to enrich our
beds.
Bug Identification:
Did you know that 90% of all bugs in the garden are
beneficial? Wow! So, if you see a bug, don’t panic. Most pests are species
specific, which is good news for us since our gardens have such a wide variety.
For pest control, Jackie recommends shooting water at buggy sites, and if all
else fails, use NEEM. It’s an organic pest control that works for just about anything.
NEEM can also be found as Green Light Rose Defense. It’s the same product, so
we can use it on our gardens.
She also shared the following tips:
- Make the garden work for YOU and don’t be a
slave to your garden.
- A little flaw in produce is okay. We’re too
quick to denounce our imperfect looking produce as inedible (or not worthy of
donation.)
- Protect extreme heat with physical barriers. Our
peppers, which have looked a little sad, need cover from intense heat. She
suggests burlap or netting.
- Tomatoes quit production when nighttime temperatures
don’t get below 80. If your tomatoes have slowed down, that’s why.
- Other community gardens are good places to steal
with your eyes. Visit other gardens and see what’s working!
- Use holidays to help you remember planting
dates. New Year’s we can start seeds for spring, St. Patrick’s day is good for
spring planting, 4th of July to start fall seeds at home, Labor Day
to plant fall crops. She recommended that we can start seedlings for fall
plants at home now. Examples include tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, winter
squash, leafy and root vegetables like carrots, turnips, beets. Now’s a good
time to start seeds for broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and garlic and herbs.
She recommends using short-maturing varieties to maximize production.
She also shared the following resources with us:
Doug Welsh’s Texas Gardening Almanac
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
Nrhcommunitygarden.com for bug identification and when to
plant what
Tarrant County Master Gardener Helpline 817-884-1944
Many thanks to all who attended our meeting—we had a great
time!
Cheers,
Britta
