This will be my last blog from the Curious Gardener's Almanac because I have to take it back to the library. It's overdue and I can't renew it again since I already have two or three times! *Six ways to conserve water in your gardens 1.Put plants with similar moisture requirements close together so that you can water them in one good dousing rather than having to visit various different areas to give them all a good soaking. 2. Mulch your plants with compost, straw, dead leaves or bark chips. You can also encircle the base of larger plants with stones, which stops them from drying out quickly in hot weather. 3.Improve the water-retaining qualities of your earth by digging in lots of organic matter. 4.Place thirstier plants in positions where they will benefit from water running down any slopes you may have. 5.Place drought-tolerant plants like lavender and rosemary in positions where they will shelter their thirstier friends from the dehydrating effects of the wind. 6. Place a rain barrel under eaves trough to collect rainwater. 7.Don't water your lawn. *A well watered lawn will look great for a week or two, but you will have created a rod for your own back because it will start to expect another dousing. Grass is a tough plant and can survive very long stretches without water. It can survive up to eight months without rain. Something to think about: In one hour the average sprinkler uses the equivalent of two days' water consumption by a family of four. The average family uses approximately 500 litres of pure water per day. My daughter did a water unit in her science class and some of the statistics are very shocking. The class did a collective website so if you're interested, here's the website. www.waterwarriors.pbwiki.com

More practical wisdom on soils

Here are some more practical gardening tips from "The Curious Gardener's Almanac". *Sandy soil drains quickly and therefore cannot hold on to moisture and nutrients long enough for the plant to benefit from them. Digging in organic matter will help bulk up the soil, allowing it to retain water and goodness for a lot longer. Organic matter includes garden compost, used compost from pots, grow-bags, tubs and hanging baskets, and well-rotted manure. *Loamy soil (that which is neither sandy nor clay) is best for the gardener because it drains well while retaining nutrients and water and there is enough air space for healthy root growth. *Clay soils pose the opposite problem to sandy ones because they are so compacted and sticky that the ground cannot breathe or drain effectively. Wet ground will also stunt root growth, or even rot the roots. Add gritty, pebbly sand (not the soft type used by builders and in sandpits) to the soil to improve the drainage and air circulation. * To the inexpert eye, most earth just looks brown and dirty. Ideally, you want your soil to be a roughly equal balance of clay, sand and organic matter. You can determine the nature of your soil by performing a simple experiment. Fill about a third of a clear bottle with some soil, but make sure it comes from at least one foot down as the topsoil may have had compost and other matter heaped on it over the years. Pour in another third or so of water and give the bottle a good shake before leaving it to settle. The heavier sand will sing to the bottom pretty quickly and the organic matter will float to the top, while the finer sands and clay will take much longer to settle. If you check the bottle a few hours later, you will get a good idea of what make up you soil and you can act accordingly to correct the balance. Hope this is useful info for you. Treating your earth properly is one of the most important ways to grow great plants! Have a great weekend!

On Friday, June 19 beginning at 9 am, you can purchase annuals, hanging baskets, assorted planters, vines and hanging bags for up to 50% off. When you arrive, you will receive a sale price list and we'll direct you to whatever section or plant you'd like to see. It's still great planting weather and the ground is moist now from a rain. While supplies last.

Hope to see you there!

Age old wisdom

I picked up a book at the library a few weeks ago called the "Curious Gardeners Almanac- centuries of practical garden wisdom." This is an amazing collection of gardening advice, from fruits and vegetables to wildlife. I picked out a few tips that I'd like to share with you. Enjoy! *The best time to transplant trees and shrubs is spring and early autumn so that the roots have time to establish themselves before the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter. *Water your garden or lawn in the early evening or, failing that, in the early morning. Much of the moisture will be lost to evaporation if you water in the heat of the day, and on very hot days the leaves of some very tender plants may even "burn". Only water when your plants need it and make sure you water them well to encourage deeper root growth, rather that little and often which will only encourage roots to head towards the surface in search of moisture. *There is an old saying that if a shrub flowers before the middle of summer, prune it in the autumn. If afterwards then wait till spring. There are exceptions to this but generally it holds true. *Slugs detest the smell of peppermint, spearmint and elder, so an infusion made from the leaves of any of them, poured or sprayed around the plants you want to protect, will send them oozing and sliming their way to more attractive pastures. It's best to do this at dusk when the slugs start to emerge. Rats and other rodents, meanwhile, loathe the smell of tar, so if your garden has a problem with them, soak some rags in tar and leave them scattered around. Rabbits hate foxglove and onions and it is unlikely they will bother your patch if you have good quantities of them in situ. Mice don't like the smell of mint. *There are a number of cheap painless ways of ridding your pathways or drive of stubborn weeds without resorting to chemicals. A mixture of salt and ashes works will but even just pouring a watering can of hot salty water should do the trick. Quote for the day- " It is a regrettable truth that the better the quality of the soil, the bigger and more prolific the weeds." Isn't that a wonderful thought! :p

Not too late to plant tomato plants!

Just because your tomato plants have gotten tall doesn't mean you can't still plant them. Dig a long hole and lay the root ball and part of the stem in it. You want only 4-6" of the stem showing about the ground. Cover the rest up but be careful when hoeing that you don't accidently sever the stem. The plant will correct its position in a week or so depending on weather conditions. The stem that is under the ground will grow roots and help to anchor the plant down. Occasional fertilizer can benefit your tomato plant and grow beautiful tomatoes. Lots of sunshine and warmth are necessary too.

This picture isn't very good. I should've buried more of the stem.

This is how they should look after a week or two. Tomato cages are a good idea too. They help the tomatoes to stay off the ground which helps with airflow around the plants and the tomatoes are easier to pick.

Beginning today, June 8, our 4 pak flowering annuals and vegetables are 50% off. That works out to $0.65 per 4 pak and $0.60 for a 4" vegetable pot. This includes cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, melons and more! If you found some empty pots that need some flowers or an empty row in your garden, now is a great time to come out and save!

What??!! How can it be??!!

What did my wondering eyes see this morning? Frost! Frost on my lawn, frost on the top of the truck, frost in the gully! I slipped into some shoes to investigate my flowers and my poor little pepper and tomato plants. They were very wet and cold. Time will tell if any damage was done. Unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it now except replant. The weather has not been very cooperative this spring and I'm sure many of you have plants that haven't grown a cm since you planted them. Hang in there...the weather will get warmer and then they will grow! I apologize for my sporadic and short blogging. The last month has been insane and it seems my chances to blog have been few and far between. My next blog is going to be on tomatoes. It's not to late to plant them, even if they're incredibly tall.