COMPOSTING AGAIN

After having been gone a month, my composting has suffered. Being at someone else's house means I didn't have that step to deal with, so I need to get back into the habit of saving stuff for the compost.
I have a little container that sits next to the sink. ALL vegetative matter goes in there, assuming it is not cooked or greasy in any way. I also add egg shells (cooked or raw), coffee grinds and tea bags. I just throw in the little coffee filters with the grinds and the entire teabags with strings, etc. go in. I also put in paper towels that I use to wipe up spills and dry my hands. They break down nicely. Then there's the paper from the shredder. When the little bin gets full, I take it to the compost and dump it in.
It's amazing how composting cuts down on the amount of trash that gets collected! We pay for individual collections and in the summer that drops dramatically! I don't compost in the winter because I can't get to the compost bins due to snow. I've thought of a worm bin...but not too seriously.
If you're not composting...try it! Next year your garden will be SO happy!

LET'S SHARE OUR GARDENING!

You know, I think it would be great if we ALL added to this blog. There's SO much common sense and tons of great gardening ideas out there. How about EVERY TIME you visit, you comment SOMETHING?
I will still moderate the blog to be sure we don't get any "unsavory" stuff added, but I think that would be a lot of fun. I'll add stuff, or help answer your questions and comment on your comments...but let's make this OUR blog, instead of just mine, OK?
Here's to our gardening future, together! :-)

I'M HOME!

After a month in the great Pacific Northwest helping my daughter recover from ACL surgery, I'm finally back home in New Hampshire. I must say the bright sunshine and definitive summer weather is pretty nice. Even when the weather is warm in Redmond (WA), there is still the threat of rain at almost any moment. I'm basking in the sunshine!
My favorite guy has done a marvelous job of keeping the gardens under control. At this time of year, the weeds, be they wildflowers or grass, or whatever can be a huge task! So, I'm happy!

GOOD GARDENING TECHNIQUES FROM THE FELLS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Tried and True Gardening Hints, from "The Fells"

Planting: distress the root ball; superphosphate; first week, water every day with lightly fertilized water; create a dam around the plant

Transplant: cut back; manure; shade with milk crate; water the same as above

Fluffing soil: use a “soft claw”; looks great; retains water; avoids washouts

Stepping stones: every 30” for ease in weeding

Composting: the most important thing you can do!

Sprays: dish detergent&water: caterpillars can’t breathe; hand-pick red beetles; beer for slugs; buy prepared sprays for small gardens

Staking; Manure makes stronger scapes: avoid staking; peonies and delphiniums must be staked

Deadheading: Take your morning coffee out and do it!; leave those you would like seed from; if you don’t deadhead, plant’s energy goes into making seed;

cut scapes to the ground and they may bloom again.

Weeding: The single most important job to make the garden look its best, and so plants will get all the food and be healthy, hardy, and gorgeous.

Tools: try soft claw, “L” claw, little rake, knee pads, scissors, clippers

Clean Tools: Take pride in shiny tools!; longer lasting; Tie with a piece of brlght ribbon to make hunting for them easily.

Dry Leaves & Twigs: Rub between hands and/or break them up and return them to soil then & there!

I took these from the Lyme Gardeners email list. They sounded just too good to pass up! I'm hoping they don't mind that I'm sharing them. Credit also goes to "The Fells" in New Hampshire.

Garden Chores for June

Here I am out in Seattle again. My daughter is recovering from ACL surgery and I'm helping out with children and household necessities as much as I can.

The weather here has been absolutely perfect. Warm and CLEAR! All the marvelous mountain ranges are out for all to see.

At any rate, June is here and that means a new set of things to do in the garden. Here they are!

JUNE

Plant your window boxes

Prune spring flowering shrubs when they have finished blooming

Thin seedlings

Use balanced, organic fertilizers around flowers

Be sure to fertilize your annuals with liquid fertilizer. They'll thank you for it by blooming continuously!

Stake tall perennials and tomatoes

Use a pine needle mulch for blueberries

Be sure your lawn mower is set to cut the grass HIGH

After the iris are done blooming they can be divided

Gladiolus corms can be planted

Dead-head (prune off) spent flowers from plants and shrubs

Remove rhubarb seed stalks as they form.

Cutting back perennials such as dianthus, veronica and other similar shrubby varieties, will possibly produce a second blooming. How great would that be? They'll also look better!

You may still plant container grown shrubs

Plant broccoli seed for fall harvest.

If you have a water garden, there's still time to plant water
lilies.

House plants can soon be moved outside to a shady, protected spot.

These same houseplants can be lightly fed with half strength
fertilizer.

Mulch perennials and roses to keep down weeds and conserve moisture.

Look for Jap. beetles either early or late in the day and shake them into a bucket of soapy water. The reason you don't do it mid-day is because they'll out run you!

Any annuals can be safely set out now.

If you have an amaryllis, now would be the time to move it outside.

Pinch the leading stems of your chrysanthemum's to encourage them to
be bushier and have more blossoms. Continue doing this every 6 inches
or so, as they grow.

If you have apple trees, hang red sticky-ball traps to control apple maggot flies. Small trees can get by with 2 balls. Larger trees should probably have 4-6 balls.

Stop cutting asparagus when the new spears get pinkie-finger thin. Let them grow into ferns instead. It will feed the roots.

Side-Dress Veggies to give them a little boost

Have you got Hosta's? Are there slugs chewing them? Try this solution, if you haven't already.
Combine 9 parts water to 1 part common household ammonia and spray it on the hosta just before dark. When the slugs hit this, they will dissolve!

Are you remembering to turn the compost every once in a while? You should also wet it down if the hose is close by.