GARDENING CHORES FOR MAY

Tulips should be dead-headed(remove spent flower)

The grass can be mowed when it reaches 3-4 inches (sorry, but
it IS that time again!)

Hold off mulching until the soil is warm, or you'll just keep
the cold in!

You can now plant lettuce, beans, corn and carrots right in the
soil.

Tomatoes can be planted when the lilacs bloom. You might sprinkle
a teaspoon of Epsom salts into the hole where they go to provide magnesium.

Marigolds, zinnias and even nasturtiums are good to plant in and around
your vegetables as well as the flower beds. They repel insects!

You can begin to plant gladiolas at 2 week intervals

You can fertilize any bulbs that are up.

Stake your peonies before they get too big

Harvest rhubarb by grabbing it at the base of the stalk and pulling firmly away from the crown, twisting just a bit. Be sure to throw the leaves into the compost as they are poisonous!

You can prune your spring blooming shrubs just as soon as the flowers have faded.

Have you got Hosta's? Are there slugs chewing them? Try this solution, if you haven't already.
Combine 9 parts water to common household amonia and spray it on the hosta just before dark. When the slugs hit this, they will dissolve!

Any questions about MAY?

HERE WE GO WITH THE "COMPOSTING" AGAIN!

I started my yearly spring chore of emptying my primary (working) compost bin this past week before the rains came. I didn’t get to empty the whole thing, because as is so often the case at this time of year, the bottom is still frozen! But I got started anyway.
Let me attempt to explain. I have 3 bins, side by side. The large, primary, working bin is to the far left of the bunch. It’s made of cedar slats. Next to that I have two smaller bins made of cement blocks. It’s all a very simple affair.
The left one is the “working” bin. Next to that is the one where I dump the stuff from last years working bin that ”hasn’t completely broken down”. I figure it’s full of all the good “bugs” needed to keep the pile working. The farthest one to the right is the “finished compost” from the bottom of the bin. (The stuff that is frozen at the moment.) That’s where I take compost for the garden.
The first one is where I dump all my yard waste and kitchen scraps (sans cooked or fatty material). Each time I put some new stuff in there, I take a shovel full of the second bin’s contents and spread over it. It covers it and adds working organic “stuff”. This makes the whole procedure very easy and do-able. The toughest part is this spring reshuffling of materials.
I found a wonderful site from Montana State University that gives more information on composting than you could want in a lifetime. I would suggest if you want to learn a bit more that you might visit this site.
Following this posting I’ve also added some books from Amazon and a compost bin. I’m familiar with “Let it Rot” and “Worms Eat my Garbage”. This last book addresses vermiculture which is a whole other issue, but I thought some of you might just be interested in this kind of thing. They are both very good. The bin looks pretty acceptable for those who don't want to build a bin from scratch.

A WALK AROUND THE GARDEN

You’ve heard the expression to “check the fences”. It’s what farmer does before he let’s his livestock out in the field. For a rancher, it’s an on-going process to be sure his herd doesn’t go wandering where they shouldn’t be.
For a gardener however, it’s what we should be doing RIGHT NOW! We don’t want our gardens to “get away from us”. You need to be an intimate partner with everything that grows on your place. You need to know what’s suffering from some kind of disease, if it’s in too much sun, if it get’s more wind than necessary, etc. If you can correct those maladies, you need to do that. But just like you visit your Doctor annually for a check-up to be sure that little stuff is caught before it becomes an issue, your plants need that kind of help as well. Since they don’t live as long as you do, their check-ups should be more frequent. Hence…checking the fences, or in our cases, the garden!
So, when the weather is nice and you have a block of time to just enjoy the great out of doors, grab your pruners and go for a walk along your garden paths. Start at one end and go all the way around if you have the time. If your time is more limited, or if the garden is too large, start in one direction today, and then the next time, go the other direction so everything gets a “check-up”.
As you walk, look for broken, dead, or diseased branches. Cut them off down to the next healthy bud. Try to have that bud facing AWAY from the center of the shrub. That way when it starts to grow, it will grow OUT. The more breezes you have through the center of a bush or tree, the less likely there will be mold or fungus growth. Any plant likes to have breezes blow through its branches. Just like you love the feel of a breeze blowing your hair. It’s exhilarating for us…why not the plant?
The other thing you should be looking for is plants that have not made it through the winter…some of these will be annuals that didn’t get plucked out last fall. Pull them out now. It will make your job easier when you start cleaning out the beds, if you haven’t already begun that process. Up here in the North Country, I put that off to be sure everything survives any late frosts.
Any of this stuff that is NOT diseased can go right in the compost bin or pile. I even put branches in, as long as they’re not TOO big. I figure that’s a way to keep the pile aerated.
That should do it for now. Later in the season you’ll probably be looking for other things, but right now…it will get you out in the garden and reconnected with your friends out there. Happy Gardening!

PRUNING MY BLUEBERRIES

It was BEAUTIFUL outside today! It got up to 70 degrees F. and I loved it! It brought me right outside in a hurry after all my "in house" chores were done. After we lost the tree on top of the house, we were left with a messy yard. That's going to need some attention, but today my heart was with the blueberries.
The important thing to remember with pruning blueberries is that you do it before they get too far along in their spring growth. Since I’m so far north, none of my blueberries have any buds that have broken out into leaves, so I’m still safe. They DO have big, fat buds at the ends of all the branches. I think this summer we should have a ton of blueberries.
Some of these blueberries have had a tough life. This home was a vacation home for 20 years or so. Through those years, I planted all kinds of perennials, shrubs and trees. They HAD to take care of themselves because I wasn’t here nearly enough to keep them weeded, watered and pruned. The other thing is that over the years, some of these plants that started in the sun ended up in shade because we’re in the woods and the trees have a habit of filling in.
So… the blueberries were some of the ones that ended up in the shade. They did NOT yield at ALL. When we moved up here full time about 10 years ago, I decided they really did need to be moved. We put an addition on the house at that time, and during the construction, I couldn’t plant them where I wanted them to be, so I put them temporarily into my plant “nursery” until their permanent site was ready. Anyway, they were in and out of the soil a few times before they finally were placed. Needless to say, they had been set back considerably.
They have never had any bumper crops. But, this year I think my patience is going to pay off. They are loaded with fat buds and I can’t wait until they bloom and yield. Now if we can only keep the bear at bay.
Pruning them involves a few easy principles. As with all pruning, you need to remove all broken, diseased and dead branches. After you’ve done that step back and take a good look.
Make sure that the center of the bush is open so the breeze can blow through, to avoid mold and fungus.
Be sure that no branches rub on others. That will create abrasions which are vulnerable to disease and insects.
Prune out about a fifth of the branches. These should be the oldest which no longer give much of a yield. Saw them off close to the ground or at the lowest healthy new branch growing out of it.
Remember, blueberries yield on 2 or 3 year old branches, so hang onto the newer branches.
That’s enough for now. Enjoy your garden!

MY NEW CYMBIDIUM

IMG_3019.JPG
Originally uploaded by North Country Maturing Gardener.

Well, I did it! I bought a cymbidium!
I had a few orchids quite a few years ago. One of them lives on, but only has leaves, no flowers. I went to a few ORCHID lectures this spring and then got brave enough to TRY AGAIN! Anyway, here's a photo of my newest acquisition. I love it!
I talked with my daughter in-law at length about it. She's the family orchid expert and had all kinds of tips for me. Let's hope I can do NEARLY as well as she does at keeping this not only alive, but blooming!
Wish me luck!

IT'S BEAR TIME!

We had our first bear visit of the season the other night at about 9 PM. I was sitting in the living room reading, and I heard a BANG! It sounded like a branch hitting the house, but it was followed by some scuffling, so I suspected our "friendly" bear was back after a long winter's rest!
Sure enough when I turned off all the lights and went to the window there he was! A huge big boy! I assume it was a male since a female that size would surely be followed by a few cubs. Anyway, he had yanked down one of the feeders from the line. He had to be pretty big to reach it, as the line is at least 7 feet off the ground. All the feeders were about empty, as I haven’t filled them after April 1st as recommended. So, he was disappointed and after some flashlights bothering him, and my husband yelling and banging on the walls, he shuffled off into the woods.
Yesterday, after church, I took down the feeders and cleaned them with the recommended 9/1 parts water to bleach. The yard now looks a bit bare… because of the bear!
It’s interesting, because just a few days prior to this happening, I received this in an email from the NH Wildlife folks!

“TAKE DOWN YOUR BIRDFEEDERS -- OR THE BEARS WILL!

Last fall's abundant mast production will provide critical spring food for bears, but spring and early summer still represent lean times for bears. Be assured -- bears will be hungry as they emerge from their dens this spring, and homeowners need to be prepared for them. Remove all attractants in your yard to keep it from becoming a cafeteria for bears! It is also very important that bears find natural foods and not become dependent on human-related food sources. Cease all bird feeding by April 1, or as soon as snow melts, and clean up any spilled seed and dispose of it in the trash. Secure all garbage in airtight containers inside a garage or adequate storage area, and put garbage out only on the morning of pickup. Avoid putting meat or other food scraps in your compost pile. Don't leave pet food dishes outside overnight, and clean and store outdoor grills after each use.

Finally, never intentionally feed bears. These steps will ensure that your backyard doesn't become a magnet for bears, preventing property damage and keeping bears from becoming nuisance animals. Please help prevent bear/human conflicts, so we can coexist with this magnificent animal. - Andy Timmins, Bear Project Leader, N.H. Fish and Game”

So there you have it, the “straight skinny” on Black Bears! If you’re interested, here are a few links that might prove interesting to read.


Here's a link about the Black Bears in New Hampshire

This is a good study of The American Black Bear which gives you more information.

And here's a ton of information from Massachusetts about their Black Bears!

Have fun reading, and good luck with your bears! :-)

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

Spring really is just around the corner. I received a newsletter from the New Hampshire Wild Life/Fish and Game Department.
The major concern at this time of year is frogs or amphibians, and reptiles. It's breeding time and we need to give these little guys all the help we can. Very often frogs cross roads to get to their breeding sites. On rainy evenings, there are frogs hopping all over the roads we travel. We need to give them deference! I know that sounds kind of silly, “Give Way to Frogs!” But they really do need our help. Some of these little guys are endangered. Let me quote from the article I got.

“The spring migration of reptiles and amphibians will likely be going full tilt by the end of this weekend if the rain arrives. With frogs and salamanders out and about, Fish and Game needs volunteers to send observations to its Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Through the Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP), volunteers report sightings of reptiles and amphibians, from spring peepers to snapping turtles. Many of the tools that RAARP volunteers use are now available on website including reporting forms, identification keys, documentation photo tips and much more.
The 2005 RAARP summary report is also posted, with an interesting list of the species seen in the 404 reports volunteers sent in last year. One of the best results of the year was the number of Blanding's, spotted and wood turtles reported. The most commonly reported frogs were green frogs, American toads, wood frogs and spring peepers. No mink frogs were reported in the state. Mink frogs have a distribution north of the White Mountains, so RAARP volunteers in northern N.H. are being encouraged to keep an eye out for them. Listen for their call (sounds like hitting two boards together). If you are fortunate enough to capture one, try to take a good photo! Careful, though -- mink frogs can look very similar to our more common green frog. Mink frogs are so named because, if disturbed, they smell like either mink or rotten onions. Later this year, Fish and Game also needs verified reports of leopard frogs (photos are crucial); focus searches for these amphibians during late
summer in floodplains, fields and agricultural areas along rivers.

And don't forget snakes. Hognose snakes are state threatened, and their sandy habitat continues to be developed in southern New Hampshire. To protect this species, we need to document the best places hognose snakes still occur. Other snakes in the greatest need of additional reports are timber rattlesnake, black racer, ribbon snake and smooth green snake. All snakes are underrepresented, though, and we need more reports on them.

Get involved as a RAARP volunteer -- email wilddiv@wildlife.state.nh.us or call (603) 271-2461 and ask for the RAARP Volunteer Packet.”

So there you have it. Get involved if you can!
Spring really is just around the corner. I received a newsletter from the New Hampshire Wild Life/Fish and Game Department.
The major concern at this time of year is frogs or amphibians, and reptiles. It's breeding time and we need to give these little guys all the help we can. Very often frogs cross roads to get to their breeding sites. On rainy evenings, there are frogs hopping all over the roads we travel. We need to give them deference! I know that sounds kind of silly, “Give Way to Frogs!” But they really do need our help. Some of these little guys are endangered. Let me quote from the article I got.

“The spring migration of reptiles and amphibians will likely be going full tilt by the end of this weekend if the rain arrives. With frogs and salamanders out and about, Fish and Game needs volunteers to send observations to its Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program. Through the Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program (RAARP), volunteers report sightings of reptiles and amphibians, from spring peepers to snapping turtles. Many of the tools that RAARP volunteers use are now available on Fish and Game's website at , including reporting forms, identification keys, documentation photo tips and much more.
The 2005 RAARP summary report is also posted, with an interesting list of the species seen in the 404 reports volunteers sent in last year. One of the best results of the year was the number of Blanding's, spotted and wood turtles reported. The most commonly reported frogs were green frogs, American toads, wood frogs and spring peepers. No mink frogs were reported in the state. Mink frogs have a distribution north of the White Mountains, so RAARP volunteers in northern N.H. are being encouraged to keep an eye out for them. Listen for their call (sounds like hitting two boards together). If you are fortunate enough to capture one, try to take a good photo! Careful, though -- mink frogs can look very similar to our more common green frog. Mink frogs are so named because, if disturbed, they smell like either mink or rotten onions. Later this year, Fish and Game also needs verified reports of leopard frogs (photos are crucial); focus searches for these amphibians during late
summer in floodplains, fields and agricultural areas along rivers.

And don't forget snakes. Hognose snakes are state threatened, and their sandy habitat continues to be developed in southern New Hampshire. To protect this species, we need to document the best places hognose snakes still occur. Other snakes in the greatest need of additional reports are timber rattlesnake, black racer, ribbon snake and smooth green snake. All snakes are underrepresented, though, and we need more reports on them.

Get involved as a RAARP volunteer -- email wilddiv@wildlife.state.nh.us or call (603) 271-2461 and ask for the RAARP Volunteer Packet.”

So there you have it. If you live in New Hampshire, get involved if you can!

FERTILIZER & LILACS

It's getting close to Lilac time! Although my garden is still tucked into frozen ground, I'm sure others of you are beginning to see lots of "green" around the garden. I have gotten a question about lilacs and how to treat them, so I thought I'd address it in a posting here.
My lilacs have swollen buds, but that's IT! How about yours?
The first thing that most people are thinking about is PRUNING! DON’T do it YET! Pruning on any flowering shrub should ONLY be done AFTER it has finished blooming. If you don’t wait, you’ll cut off your flowers! So, put this on the back burner.
Next is fertilizing. Here I can give you a little help. Try going to this link about fertilizer. It explains the numbers pretty clearly. I always try to simplify stuff like this, so I label the numbers by what I see on the plant “first, second, and seldom”.
The first thing you will see is the leaves. So that’s what the first number will help. It will “green up” the plant.
The second thing you see is the blooms. So the second number benefits the fruiting and seed manufacturing function of the plant.
The thing you seldom see is the roots, bulb, rhizome, etc. So the third number will beef up those critical parts of your plant.
The bottom line here is that:
• when you want to encourage leaf growth, as in grass, you want the first number to be HIGH.
• when you have a flowering plant, you want the second number to be high to encourage those blooms.
• when you want to encourage root health, as for bulbs, rhizomes, etc., cold-hardiness and general health you want the third number to be HIGH
This also means that at different times of the year, you might use different balances of fertilizer depending on what you want to encourage.
Remember these are pretty GENERAL statements.
As is usually the recommended procedure, you should get a SOIL TEST done. This will tell you exactly what you should add, and the quantities to boot!
So what to do NOW with your LILACS? I’d give them a bit of fertilizer with the second number higher than the others. Scratch it into the soil around the plant to the drip line. By the way, the drip line is where the plants leaves would drip when wet. That’s also about as far out as the roots would venture. It’s a good guide as to where to fertilize around a tree or shrub. If you have mulch around it, don’t worry about scraping it in, it’ll get where it needs to be after the next rain, and it won’t wash away as it would if left on bare ground.

CEDAR CHIPS AS A MULCH?

I have done a little research on Cedar Mulch. The question came up in my ILEAD class a few weeks ago. Someone in the class wanted to know how it stacked up as a mulch. After all, it doesn’t break down too readily. I wasn’t really sure.
As I thought about it over the next few days, I thought, you know, we have a Cedar closet. We put clothes in there that are being stored over the long term. The reason we put it in cedar is because we don’t want moths, etc. to get into them. So, that’s good right?
But look at the other side of that equation. Some bugs are very beneficial. We don’t want to discourage them, do we?
Another thought is that one of the best things about mulch is that it breaks down adding good stuff to the soil. Cedar is used as shingles and siding on houses because it DOESN’T break down. So, what does THAT tell us?
Then some folks have alleged that cedar adds harmful chemicals to the soil. A test has been done testing that theory. It was found that there was NO significant change in the soil chemistry. So throw that thought out.
Anyway, Cedar mulch will look good for a long time, because it LASTS a long time. This is a good AND a bad thing.
It discourages some bugs.
This is a good AND a bad thing.
Chemically it doesn’t change the soil chemistry…including ph. This is a good AND a bad thing.
So there you have it. USE YOUR OWN GOOD JUDGEMENT. What is it you want? Do you want to change your mulch less frequently? Maybe cedar mulch would be good for you.
Are you a gardener who wants the mulch to break down adding good stuff to the soil? Maybe cedar mulch would NOT be good for you.
Do you want to discourage little bugs in the mulch. (I don't know the implications for worms. That's a whole other subject. I didn't see anything addressing that issue.)
Do you want to adjust your ph level? Don’t count on cedar mulch to do it for you!
So, what have we learned here? Again, use you own judgment!
Sorry I wasn’t more help!

STUDY UP ON ORCHIDS

Rather than write more on ORCHIDS where I'm really NOT an expert, I thought it would make much more sense to recommend some reading material. Check your local library for these books, or else try ordering from Amazon right through my page. The books are cheaper through Amazon than they will be in your local bookstore, and they arrive in just a couple of days. I have found Amazon to be quite acceptable. Anyway, here are the books recommended by the gal who gave the talk at the NH Master Gardeners Conference.

The "Orchids for Dummies" is my recommendation. I have found the "Dummies" series of books often quite easy to navigate, as well as enlightening. By the way, if these come through without a picture of the book, just click on the link and you'll get more information. You won't be locked into a purchase at all.

MORE ON ORCHIDS

Let's get back into the orchid "mode". There's still a lot to tell.
We talked about watering and we know now that you wait until until the pot almost flies into the air when you pick it up. Practice that so you can tell when to water! It will make a difference.
Planting medium should NOT be spagnum moss here in our climate where we heat our houses a large part of the year. That heat will dry out the plants too much. They like moisture, even if they don't want soggy roots!
So, what should you use to plant them in? I don't know about you, but I'm the worlds ultimate lazy gardener...I'm going for that hydroponic method! The orchids are planted in pottery or crockery "beads" (for want of a better word.) There is a double pot; you water when a little float tells you to, and you don't need to repot, because the medium does NOT break down. I would imagine they need to be removed on occasion to be sure the roots stay IN the pot, and aren't getting soft or unhealthy. So, perhaps that pot needs to be checked every other year anyway. If you don't want to go that route, you can use any orchid potting medium as long as it's moisture retentative and drains well.
What size pot should you use? Determine that by the size of the root. The root should not be crowded, but neither should it have more room than it needs. It should fit comfortably into the pot, so there is room for enough medium to keep the root covered and protected.
How about fertilizer? Use fertilizer that is especially created for orchids because it's WEAKER than the regular fertilizer. If you would prefer to use other fertilizer, that's OK. Just be sure it's a 20-10-10 mix or one of a similar ratio. The first number should be the larger one. That's the nitrogen. However, if it's not orchid fertilizer, only use it half strength. They don't need much and the build-up of the salts is not good for them.
I will re-visit this topic again. In the meantime, here's a link you can use to find out a lot about orchids.