If you plan to travel this summer, now might be a good time to install an automatic watering system. Doing so can ensure that your plants will not be under-watered or over-watered in your absence.
Drip irrigation is the tool that can help you minimize water wastage and maximize water's benefits to your garden. Drip watering is the frequent, slow application of water to soil through emitters or micro-sprinklers. Drip irrigation works well for vegetable gardens, ornamental and fruit trees, shrubs, vines, and outdoor container plants. Even without an automatic sprinkler system installed, a drip system can be set up using a standard garden hose attached to the main drip line.
Installation of a basic, simple drip system is quite straightforward, and easily within the grasp of most home gardeners. It goes together much like a tubular erector set, all snapping together. Main one-half-inch (1/2”) or five-eighths inch (5/8”) polyethylene tubing line connects to your water source (if you're on well water, you need a filter on the water source). Drip emitters, microsprinklers, or ¼” spaghetti tubing with emitters can be installed off the main line using barbed connector fittings that poke into the main lines. Solid spaghetti tubing can also be attached to the main line with an emitter attached at the other end to provide water directly to the plant. Alternatively, main line poly tubing can be purchased with in-line emitters pre-installed inside the tubing. Both the main poly tubing line or the in-line emitter tubing can be snaked through your beds or circled around shrubs and trees to deliver water directly to your plants.
The second consideration for smart watering is consistency. An automatic watering system is extremely consistent because it runs on a set schedule.
The timing and amount of water you deliver depends on the plants to be watered and the soil type. Depending upon your soil's density, water will move quickly or slowly through it. For example, water poured through sand will move very quickly because sand is loose rather than dense or compact. But water poured through clay will trickle very slowly. Consider the plant's whole root structure within your particular type of soil. An effective water system will deliver water to the entire root structure. The goal is to water for deep, strong roots that that aren't waterlogged.
Watering is an active relationship that requires constant adjustments. You may need to tinker with your system to make seasonal changes, fix broken pieces, and make adjustments for better efficiency.
While drip irrigation is a good way to achieve efficient watering, it is not absolutely necessary. What is necessary is analyzing your own plants and determining how to best meet their needs given your personal situation. If you are a gardener who travels frequently, implementing a reliable automatic watering system will reassure you that your plants will remain happy, well watered, and growing until you return.
Even more helpful can be an in-person workshop, and drip irrigation is the topic of a workshop April 17 at the Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch, one of many in the Master Gardeners' Spring Workshop Series. For more information about this and the other workshops in the series, and to register, visit our website. All workshops are free, but registration is required.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
Quiet, solitude and a connection with nature can be vital to one's peace of mind. Health care centers and hospitals have discovered this, and often incorporate garden spaces into their architectural designs with an eye towards reducing anxiety and improving recovery.
Garden spaces specifically designed for this purpose are called healing or restorative gardens. Guidelines for them include water features, artworks, plants with different textures and seasonal color changes, comfortable seating, and accessibility. Ideally at least seventy percent of outdoor space should be planted in greenery. Plenty of seating in both sun and shade can offer private spaces for those who wish to be alone, and adjacent benches where groups of visitors can gather.
If these therapeutic gardens can be so powerful for healing in hospitals, why not create one in your own yard? Gardens are wonderful spaces for connecting with nature: merely stepping out in the garden provides an instant reprieve from the day's weariness and provides us with a heightened awareness. You can extend that benefit by creating a space in your garden specifically for relaxation and mindfulness.
There are four types of healing gardens to consider: 1) a meditation garden is designed to invitequiet reflection and reduce stress; 2) a rehabilitation garden is not only good for reducing stress but also good for the garden, by providing shelter and food for birds and pollinators like bees and butterflies; a restorative garden focuses on calm healing through horticultural therapy from colorful plants, water features, and natural elements; and an enabling garden aims for therapeutic results from active gardening (e.g. planting, weeding, pruning, harvesting). You can pick and choose from all four of these garden types to create the healing garden space best suited to your needs.
The most important factor in designing such a space is noise. A corner of the backyard next to a busy street or noisy neighbors will not be very calming. A welcoming, comfortable spot to sit is a necessity. Screens for privacy, pathways, water features, wind chimes or bells, rocks or statuary can become elements of design. Grasses and plants will provide texture. Look for seasonal color and native plants to add interest, and don't underestimate the therapeutic benefits of fragrant plants like lavender, thyme, and rosemary. Plants in containers can be moved into a covered area during winter, then brought out again when the weather warms up.
Dream, plan, and design your way to a healing garden best suited to all five senses and your own personal needs.
If the sounds and activities of birds are important components of your ideal healing garden, consider attending “Native Gardens for the Birds,” an upcoming Master Gardener workshop on Friday, April 12th. For more information about this and the other workshops in the Master Gardeners' Spring Workshop Series, and to register, visit our website. All workshops are free, but registration is required.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
As concern grows over the decline in the honey bee population, alternative pollinators are gaining attention. Mason bees, which are native to North America, are one option. These gentle-natured bees do not produce honey but they excel at pollinating and are easy to raise.
The mason bee is a solitary bee which lives in natural cavities such as woodpecker holes or hollow stems. They also seem to be just as happy in artificially-constructed nests, so long as these nests include tubes made of cardboard or paper where the female bee can lay her eggs.
Purpose-built nests, often called bee boxes, are set out in early spring when daytime temperatures regularly reach 55 degrees. The bee box is placed outside, facing south in a location that is sunny but protected from wind and rain. Because mason bees will not fly farther than three hundred yards from their nest, bee boxes must be located within range of fruit trees and flowering plants.
The mason bee gathers pollen on her underside. As she zig-zags among the blossoms she is picking up and dropping off pollen, thus pollinating the flowers as she travels. One mason bee can pollinate 2,000 blossoms in a single day. She brings pollen back to her nest and deposits it at the back of the tube, making a mound on which she will lay one egg. She then seals the space off with mud to create a cell. It is because they use mud in their nest construction that they are called mason bees.
All this activity can be closely watched since the bees don't sting. The female can be seen heading into her chamber when she is laden with pollen, and backing into her chamber when she is about to lay an egg. Sometimes she just likes to rest in the front of the chamber. This activity continues for six to eight weeks, and then the mother bee dies.
Mason bee larvae hatch a few days after their eggs are laid. The larvae eat the pollen the mother has provided and then each larva goes into a pupal stage. The following spring, the adult bees emerge. The males emerge from the nest first, the females follow, and the process begins all over again.
More information on mason bees can be found at the Crown Bees website.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
We are lucky to live in an area with a number of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms which provide members with fantastic locally-grown vegetables and fruits.
Whatley argued that the club model, as well as pick-your-own farms, would help small, often Black-owned, farms survive. “The clientele membership club is the lifeblood of the whole setup. It enables the farmer to plan production, anticipate demand, and, of course, have a guaranteed market,” Whatley said in an interview with Mother Earth News in 1982 (The Small Farm Plan By Booker T. Whatley – Mother Earth News).
The Indian Line Farm began with an apple orchard which sold shares for cider, hard cider, and vinegar. Jan Vander Tuin had worked and studied at an organic farm near Zurich, Switzerland. He, along with co-founder Robyn Van En, believed that members of the community had different needs and income levels that could be met by selling shares in the produce of the farm.
The Temple-Wilton Farm was founded by Anthony Graham, dairyman Lincoln Geiger, and German émigré Trauger Groh. The farm began with community pledges rather than a fixed price. Members would be shown the cost of running the farm for the year and would then pledge money to support it according to their means and needs.
Of course, by now the CSA movement has spread across the country. Benefits of joining a CSA are numerous. Members are often introduced to new varieties of fruits and vegetables to try. Eating seasonally fresh, local products allows small growers to survive, and family farms to continue production; this not only benefits farm families, but the local economy as well. Local consumers have a direct connection with local growers, building community and trust. Growers can be asked questions about their growing practices and the varieties of plants they choose to grow. Finally, along with their CSA boxes, growers often include recipes for new or unfamiliar varieties of fruits and vegetables.
The cost of joining a CSA varies from farm to farm depending on what's being offered. A CSA box will often save members money because the cost of wholesome, organically-grown food can be high at the grocery store. And many people who purchase shares in CSA's believe that the benefits of eating fresh, locally-grown food far outweigh the cost of membership.
Also, many local growers have farm stands on or near their property. Often simply driving down back roads will reveal a farm stand or pick-your-own (“U-pick”) opportunity. One such U-pick is Boysen Berry Farm in Orland, which grows heritage boysenberries from an original vine developed in 1923 by Rudolph Boysen, the current owner's grandfather.
Supporting local farmers by joining a CSA, buying produce from a farm stand or farmers market, or taking advantage of a local farm's U-pick are sustainable choices with long-term benefits to the environment and the local economy, as well as ourselves and our children and grandchildren.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
For many of us, gardening involves a constant battle with weeds. Basically, a weed is nothing more than a plant growing where it is not wanted, the classic example being dandelions in the lawn. But as the old saying goes, “One man's trash is another man's treasure,” and there are many “weeds” that are, in fact, completely edible. Good examples are purslane (portulaca oleracea), miner's lettuce (claytonia perfoliate) and, yes, even the unwanted dandelion; many tasty recipes for them can be found in a simple internet search. Looked at another way, a weed may simply be an unloved flower.
According to the Farmer's Almanac, weeds fall into three distinct categories: weeds, noxious weeds, and invasive weeds. A (basic) weed is simply a plant that causes health problems for either humans or animals (as in allergy seasons when certain grasses, seeds, or pollens are released) or causes economic losses or ecological damage, or is simply undesirable where it grows (crabgrass is a classic example). A noxious weed is any plant designated by federal, state, or local government as one which can cause injury to agriculture, wildlife, public health, recreation, or property. Noxious weeds vary from state to state and county to county (field bindweed is noxious in California). An invasive weed is a non-native that competes with natives and may crowd them out and alter ecosystems (English ivy, for example, which has also become invasive in Bidwell Park).
There are precautions to take that will help prevent the spread of unwanted seeds. It is important to make sure gardening tools and pots are cleaned after each use, a step that many people overlook. Immediately clean tools that have been used to remove dead or diseased leaves. If and when purchasing soil and amendments at a garden center, be sure to buy quality materials that are comprised of manure, compost, or “garden” soil that are preferably weed free. Although more expensive, selecting an amendment known to be weed free is worth the investment.
Once your plants are getting established, try to water them by hand or through a drip system. Limiting water applications to areas around your plants' roots will discourage any stray seeds from germinating nearby. Avoid over-fertilizing: over-fertilization encourages more vigorous competition with your plants from any weeds that may be present.
It may take several seasons, but by being diligent weeds can be controlled. It is especially important to remove them before they flower and produce seed. UC weed scientists counsel that “one year's seed results in seven years of weeds.”
It is also helpful to remember that in nature, weeds play an important role. They can resist conditions like drought, acidic soil, lack of humus, and mineral deficiencies. Weeds protect topsoil from eroding away in heavy rains and strong wind. They provide cover and shade for soil microbes and insects. And weeds can reveal important information about the health and pH of our soils -- for example, certain weed species are confined to acidic soils and others to alkaline. The presence of some weeds, like Curly Dock, let you know that soil in the area is frequently wet and saturated. So don't dismiss the weeds in your yard out of hand – they may have something useful to tell you!
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.