Half-hearted Fanatic

Although not exactly a hero of mine, sad the way the more you learn about people that can happen, I do still like Edward Abbey.  His quote at the end is one of my favorites, and was in my mind today. 

I had been working through several ideas all week for this weekend's post, without settling on any one thing.  I got some business things done with the start-up; temporary business cards made and a visit with the Small Business Development Center - as well as my regular FT job.  Fought off an insidious chigger attack with lots of help from my wife's essential oils magic.  I must have picked those buggers up at a consultation I did near Winterset.  Started teaching 3&4th graders at church, and my own boys had a touch of a stomach bug.  I also made some progress on my nursery beds this weekend so I will be able to supply harder to source plants locally for clients in the future. 

And although I got that done, I did not make time for a real informative post.  Instead I took Edward Abbey's advice and took the family out to the Brenton Arboretum, where we "messed around" and "rambled out yonder".  We played for a long time on the natural playscape they have there, and got in a short walk around the "Vanishing Acts" trail.  The girls found a bright green Copes (could have been eastern) gray tree frog in the port-a-potty, which we caught and moved to less odoriferous settings by an oak tree outside.  Although I had feared it was traumatized by all the squealing, by the time we left it had already found a meal of something with very long legs!  Sadly, the camera battery was dead by then.

So I leave you with this...

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast...a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.

Edward Abbey (1927 - 1989)

Campfire - What to do when it is all done

What wonderful weather for being outside this weekend!

Today I prepped a new bed making the area between our gate and garden spot easier to mow, dug a few potatoes, helped one of my little gardeners find herbs for mommy's homemade lasagna and chimichurri monkey bread, and planted a few bushes to allow the roots to get going before winter.  I also picked and ate a Macoun apple from my favorite tree.  It wasn't quite ripe (think Atomic Warhead sour) but the anticipation for an apple from the yard got the better of me.  It was still delicious, Ha!

Last night we spent the evening around our fire pit.  The warmth was perfect with the foreshadowing chill in the air.  Stars were twinkling, the moon was overhead.  The drifting wood smoke conjured memories of bonfires past, as well as kept the mosquitos at bay.  A few marshmallows were toasted before we let the glowing embers fade.

Now, what to do with the leftover coals and ash...

You could always just leave them for next time, or until one of the little ones reenacts scenes from old war movies where commandos blacken their faces for a night mission, or the rain turns it into a drain hole clogging slurry.  You could also just give it a toss in the yard, trash or elsewhere but what a waste of valuable resources.

Wood Ash
The white wood ash is a good source of potassium for your plants.  It can also be used to make lye soap when mixed with fats.  If you've ever had cleanup duty while camping you might have put some woods ashes into your bacon grease to scrub the worst dirt off the dishes.  Well, this lye is basic, meaning it will raise the pH of your soil, and if not used in moderation it can spell trouble for your garden.  Blueberries, strawberries, roses, azaleas and other acid loving plants are very sensitive to raises in soil pH.  I mentioned I planted a few bushes earlier, they were Goji Berry (Chinese Wolf Berry) bushes I grew from seed this Spring.  I put these in an area where the Sunflowers have just past their prime.  Both of these species, as well as asparagus, cherry and plum, don't mind or even prefer a higher pH soil, so that's where the wood ashes went, along with a little biochar.

Biochar
What is biochar?  Biochar is similar to charcoal except it is purposely made for agricultural purposes.  Although the leftover coals from our fire were not made for "biochar" I will call it that since that is how I'll use it now.  These dark coal like pieces are full of cracks and pores that can hold nutrients and provide places for microorganisms to live.  This helps to reduce fertility inputs and increase soil life.  Another benefit of biochar is that it holds carbon for a long, long time (100s to 1000s of years) which is why it is often touted as a way to reduce greenhouses gases and global warming. 

While applying to my garden areas, I like to separate the coals from the ash.  That way I can add some biochar to all of my beds and reserve the white ash for my plants that can appreciate the higher pH.
 

If you would like an herb spiral, apple tree or guild or edible & sustainable landscaping project at your home contact me at abundantdesign@hotmail.com and we can get together to talk about a plan.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great weekend!

Lemongrass - A Tropical Herb in a Midwest Garden

This weeks post brings a visitor from the tropics - Lemongrass
There are many uses for Lemongrass from insect spray to teas.  In the following video I will tell all about how to grow it here in Iowa, what it has been used for medicinally, and how to make a tasty lemon tasting herbal tea.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did making it.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought, or give me some ideas for future topics that you would be interested in learning more about!

By the way, here is the link to the Lemongrass-Cholesterol study
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/20570442_Impact_of_lemongrass_oil_an_essential_oil_on_serum_cholesterol

Plantain - Underappreciated Plants & "Weeds"

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Sadly, many plants get labeled as weeds regardless of where they grow; especially in our population that loves a manicured lawn or crop field.

According to Merriam-Webster.com the definition of a weed is:  a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially :  one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants

So, the location of growth is a true factor in the label of weed.

Today our focus is on Plantain (or Plantago Major, not the starchy banana you see at the supermarket).  At one time I would pull this from my lawn or spray it with some toxic blend of  2,4-D, mecoprop or dicamba.  Times have changed, and with a little knowledge, I have come to LOVE this diminutive perennial plant and all it can do!

Watch this video where I tell you all about it!  Leave me a comment, it'll make my day!

 

Turning Compost to Speed Up the Process and Avoid Problems

This week the focus is back on compost!

Composting your plant based kitchen scraps and yard waste is a great way to reduce your contribution to our landfills.  Compost builds soil structure and organic matter that will help it retain water and feed the organisms that are part of healthy soils.  Healthy soils mean healthy plants, whether they are vegetables, trees or grass. 

In this video I will show you the order I flip my bins, the stages of decomposition, hints, and how to avoid problems.  Remember to mix your materials well, as demonstrated, and keep it moist, not wet, for the best results.
Now is the time to be building your pile up so they have enough mass to carry on the process in the middle through the winter.  If you would like a composting system, raised beds or a forest garden for your home, contact me and we can get you started!
 

It looks better if you click the link to watch directly on YouTube.  I will try to fix this better next time.  Leave a comment or ask any questions below!

Pesticide Free Japanese Beetle Defense

Looking for a mate or a meal in the corn patch

They're Here...
As I walked through my yard tonight I found them. 
I had heard others talking about them, but had only seen one or two so far this year.  Now they are in my backyard.  Two years ago I had tons of them and they did quite a number on my apple trees,
and seriously denuded our cherry.  Last year I
was pretty vigilant, but they didn't seem as bad.  Only time will tell for this year...



Japanese Beetle on a Peach Tree Leaf

 
What are they?
Japanese Beetles are an iridescent copper and green colored beetle, about 1/2" long.  They would be quite beautiful if they weren't quite so destructive.  They eat the leaves of your plants, leaving the skeletonized veins behind.  This kills the leaf and hinders its ability to perform photosynthesis (using the sun's energy to make sugar, energy for the plant).

Controlling Them
Adult beetles are difficult to control.  There are certain nematodes and bacterial products that over time can control the larvae in your yard.  The problem is the ones eating your plants may not be from your yard.  The Japanese Beetle has an acute sense of smell and can be attracted from long distances in its search for a mate.  There are also traps that use these pheromones to attract and trap them.  I have not tried these because I don't want to attract any more than I already have, and from what I've read that is what they do. 



Fresh tonight, not stinky yet

What works best for me is to add some dishsoap and water to an ice cream bucket.  The bucket is large enough to catch them in, and the soapy water coats them with a film that they cannot breathe through.  The beetles are poor flyers and usually drop from the leaves when disturbed.  I take the bucket, hold it under a leaf or group of leaves with the biggest collection of beetles, and give it a shake.  The stubborn ones may need a finger flick to be convinced to take a swim.  Be careful not to shake the branch too much or the others on the tree/plant may fly away before you get them.  This seems to be a good way to catch large bunches of them. 

But here's where it gets sort of gross.  I figured since they are so attracted to the smell of living ones, would they be repelled from the smell of dead and rotting ones?  The idea may have come to me because I once left a bucket for a few days in the garden with dead ones in it.  Leaving the stinky bucket near plants that are the Japanese Beetles' favorites has seemed to keep them away!  I have also tried to protect several trees, by dipping some of the mass of dead beetles out of the bucket and around the base of the trees I want to protect.

Maybe it should be higher?

Integrated Pest Management
I also put up a wren house this year that I built out of some scrap lumber.    Plans can be found many places on the internet.  I modified these to be able to use what I had for leftover wood.  I have heard of these little songbirds being quite fond of the pesky beetles.  Unfortunately, we didn't get any to nest in it this year, maybe next year.







More Tips
Also if you are planning new landscape plantings here is a list of plants the are favorite foods and not so favorite foods of our pretty little pests.
Courtesy of http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2010/7-14/japanesebeetle.html 

Least Favored By Japanese Beetles	Most Favored by Japanese beetles
Arbovitae Boxelder Boxwood Clematis Dogwood* Euonymus sp. (burning bush, etc.) Forsythia Hemlock Hickory Holly Juniper Lilac Magnolia Mulberry Northern red oak Pine** Red and silver maples Redbud Spruce*** Sweet gum Tulip poplar (tuliptree) Yew	American and English elm Birch Black walnut Elm Grape Hawthorn Hollyhock Horse-chestnut Japanese* and Norway maple Larch Linden London planetree Malus spp. (crabapple, apple etc.) Mountain ash* Pin oak* Prunus spp. (flowering cherry, etc.) Pussy willow Rose Raspberry Virginia creeper Willow

  * May not be hardy or perform well throughout Iowa.

** Scots and Austrian Pine are not recommended because of disease problems.
*** We do not recommend blue spruce because of disease problems

 

Speed up the composting process

Sorry for the delay for this weekend's update.  More coming soon...
 
For now, here's a brief video how to speed up the decomposition process from my friend Matthew's YouTube Channel.