The Good Thing – About Gardening

Whatever your reason – saving on gas, acquiring more exercise, or helping the environment – regard ing the purchase of a reel mower and grass catcher is a good decision.

Reel mowers, those push lawn mowers that need no electrical ity, no gas, and just the energy of human ride, are becoming plain again.

These types of mowers, which can also be called walk- tail end lawn mowers, are best for yards that are less than a half acre in size. Remember, you’re going to be walking behind this push reel mower and although they are easier to push than in previous days?, they still take a bit more effort than gas powered or electric mowers.

There are a few things to consider when thinking about purchasing a reel mower or grass catcher. First, you’ll have to keep your lawn mowed regularly. Most push lawn mowers can’t handle grass that’s more than 1 1/2 to 2 inches tall, so if you let your grass go without mowing too long, you’ll have to seek other methods for cutting it.

Second, you can’t mulch when using a reel mower, so if this is important to you, consider a different type of lawn mower.

Third, if you are interested in saving money, a walk-behind lawn mower – or reel mower – is an excellent choice. They don’t take gas or electrical energy and are generally less expensive to purchase than other types of lawn mowers.

Many reside purchase grass catchers and reel mowers for environmental or personal reasons. Push mowers produce no noise or emissions, so they are good for the environment and the vicinity. If you get up early on a Saturday, feel free to roll out your walk behind mower and mow while the neighborhood sleeps. Nobody will hear a thing and your yard work will be done before they even wake up.

With any purchase, you want to be informed before making a decision. Therefore, compare lawn mower types and various lawn mowers so you can make an informed decision.

Solar power systems can provide all of the electrical needs for your home as long as you have enough roof space and your home has the correct orientation to the sun. Some homeowners who might have been interested in solar power have been put off because they did not meet one or the other of these requirements. The installation costs could not be justified in these cases. Improvements in solar panel technology in recent years should give hope to these homeowners, as modern panels are more efficient than older versions and are also more tolerant of sunlight that is hitting them at a steeper angle.  Combining the solar panel with a 12 volt battery and charge controller is the most common application, making a  12 volt solar charger .

These newer solar panels are based on improved solar cell technology and better manufacturing techniques that provide a better solution for all solar power systems. Because of several different improvements, the solar cells in these newer solar panels offer homeowners better power generation than ones that were available just a few years ago. Their biggest advantage is that they can produce more power from less sunlight than older cells. This is good for homeowners since it means that they are more effective for longer periods of the day. Older panels had a limited range of operation during the day and required the sun to hit them directly. During the early morning and and late afternoon these older panels would produce little to no power. If there were any clouds at all, even if the sun could shine through them, these panels couldn’t produce power consistently. These newer panels will help many homeowners justify the cost of installing a solar power system because they will generate more electricity in all levels of sunlight. It is also good news for homes that have a less than perfect alignment to the sun, since it may allow them to produce enough electricity to justify the installation costs.

Another benefit of these newer solar panels is that the average home will need fewer of them to generate enough electricity to eliminate their electric bill. The cost for the system will also be less because fewer panels will be used. For people with limited roof space, this can make a significant difference.  To figure out how many solar panels you will need for your house, check out this Solar Power Calculator .

Longevity is the final advantage to the newer solar panels. Ten to fifteen years was the average life span of older panels. During that time they would generate their peak power for the first 10 years or so and then slowly degrade to the point of needing replacement. This was due to the gradual failure of the solar cells since as these older solar cells aged, they would start to fail. The collection of solar cells would produce less and less electricity as more and more of its cells failed. The newer solar cells will last longer and will also produce more electricity while they are viable. The homeowner will get to enjoy the benefits of solar energy for many more years to come and this makes it an even better choice.  Many people save a lot of money on the cost of a solar installation by making their own home  built solar panel .

Lupine seeds were sown in January.

Last January, after watching a Grow With Kare segment on Channel 11 where they were demonstrating a way to start seedlings in the middle of the winter – in a snow bank no less – I decided to try it out.  Eleanor (my soon-to-be-mother-in-law) and I planted 2 types of parsley, carrots, Painted Daisy and Lupine in recycled take-out plastic food trays.

Winter sowing is an easy way to start seedlings.

We added several inches of potting soil, the seeds and a thin layer of soil, then watered them really well.  We poked holes in the top and the bottom of the trays to allow for moisture release.  Then covered the trays, sealed them with duct tape and set them out in the raised bed garden frame (just to keep them from blowing away.)

We had plenty of snow in the months of January and February so they were covered with snow for several months.  The month of March was very mild, warm and snow-free.  By early April, I could see that most of the seeds had germinated and were doing very well.

So far, I think winter sowing is a great way to get your seedlings started.  It requires very little effort to maintain once you get them planted.

Other years I’ve tried starting seedlings indoors and I’ve had a little success, but winter sowing is definitely easier since you don’t have to water and provide 18 hours of lighting to keep them going.  You also don’t have to guess what type of spring weather you’re going to be dealing with – you can let Mother Nature decide when the seeds get started.  And because they are outside the entire time, you don’t have to bother with hardening them off before planting them in your garden.  Next year, I plan to do both the winter sowing, and spring sowing, which is starting annual seeds outdoors at the end of March (for Zone 4 gardeners).

After applying used kitty litter, the tulips can bloom in peace.

Rabbits destroyed the foliage on these tulips before I applied the used kitty litter.

It’s a delight to see the first tulip bloom of the season.  Imagine my dismay when the following morning the tulip was snapped off and the bloom was completely gone!  Those pesky rabbits are so destructive – they can destroy a flower or vegetable garden in one day.

To prevent further damage, I cleaned out the cat box and saved the used litter, sprinkling it around the perimeter of the flower beds.  That was three weeks ago and I haven’t had any more damage.  I used this same rabbit repellent last year and it was very effective.  Unfortunately I didn’t learn about it until after the furry four-legged mowers had chewed all of the foliage off my hostas.

This year I’ll be liberally sprinkling the litter around the edges of the gardens on a regular basis.  Especially after heavy rainfall.    If it loses its effectiveness, I’ll give one of the commercially prepared solutions a try as I’ve heard that you should alternate between repellents periodically.

I’ll be sure to let you know what the outcome is.

Marigolds add color to the early spring garden

After a snow-less March in Minneapolis (first time since they’ve been recording the weather), and an April that seemed like May (blooming lilacs, dandelions, and crab trees), the first week of May feels like early April – in a “normal” year.

The forecast calls for snow north of the cities this weekend.  There is definitely something to be said for the “urban heat island” when you’re itching to get out in the garden.

I was at the local garden center this weekend and the place was crawling with fellow gardeners seeking vibrant, blooming color to liven up their terrain.  Of course it could have been the $2 bags of mulch that drew in the crowd, but my instincts tell me it was the burning desire that most gardeners get in early spring to get out and start planting.  As tempting as that is, I don’t recommend planting any warm weather sets or annuals that are not hardy before Memorial Day Weekend.  It’s just too likely that temps will dip into the freezing range overnight.

Even during an unusually warm spring like this one has been, planting sets before the end of May doesn’t gain you much.  I’ve found that the warm weather crops (tomatoes and peppers) don’t grow much in cool temperatures.  They do just as well indoors until overnight temps are safe.  Of course, you should set the plants outdoors during the day in a sheltered area to help harden them off before planting them in the ground.

OK – so I’ll admit it.  I did purchase a few annual flowers to add color around my backyard pond.  I didn’t get too crazy though – just a few trays of impatiens, marigolds, and violas.  I also picked up some mulch for the ground around the pond.  There was plenty of shredded leaves left from the fall leaf harvest (the annual shred fest that produces 30 lawn bags of shredded oak leaves and makes wonderful mulch), but I like to add a thin layer to give a bright, fresh look in the spring.  I thoroughly enjoyed adding the flowers to the back landscaped area behind the pond and scattering the mulch around.  That was a good dose of digging that will last until the warm weather returns – when I plan to add some Endless Summer™ Hydrangea

Plump Juicy Homegrown Strawberries are a Healthy Treat

Enjoying a handful of plump, juicy strawberries grown in your very own backyard is a real treat. Growing strawberries takes a little more care than some other popular fruits such as rhubarb and tomatoes, but with a few tips, even the beginning gardener can be successful at it.

Types of Plants

There are three basic types of strawberry plants that can be grown in northern gardens. June-bearing produce a large crop in late spring; ever-bearing produce one crop in late spring and one in early fall; and day-neutral strawberry plants produce fruit throughout the season, however the overall production is generally less than the June-bearing variety.

You should work with your local nursery to choose a cultivar that is appropriate for your area, or check the USDA gardening zone and order plants online.

Location

Strawberry plants thrive in an area that receives 8 or more hours of full sun per day. Less sun and the plants will still produce berries, however there won’t be as many, nor will they be as large. The soil should be well-drained and free from soil-borne diseases so you’ll want to choose an area that was not recently used to grow tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, or peppers.

Soil should be slightly acidic (pH between 5-6). A raised bed garden is a great choice for growing strawberries, as it provides proper drainage and the soil can be amended as needed.

Planting

When planting strawberries in a raised bed garden, you can use the hill method, rather than the matted, or space matted system.

When using the hill method, trim off the runners from each plant and space them in rows 12″ apart. If using the matted or space matted system, plant them in rows 3 feet apart, spacing each plant 12″ from the next. The matted system requires no trimming of runners. However the space matted system requires that you trim the majority of the runners and affix them so that they are spaced 12″ apart from other plants.

When planting, trim away any dead roots and plant in a hole deep enough to cover the root system, but leave the top half of the crown of the plant above the soil level. Water well and pack the soil tightly around the middle of the crown.

Care and Harvest

The first year, blossoms should be removed from June-bearing plants to encourage growth of the root system and runners. This will produce a more abundant crop of berries the following year. Ever-bearing and day-neutral plants should have their blossoms removed up until the end of June for fruit production in early to late fall.

Feeding

To encourage an abundance of fruit, strawberry plants need to be watered regularly, but should never sit in water. They should also be well fertilized. If you prefer an organic fertilizer, bone meal and blood meal work well and should be applied monthly throughout the growing season. A regular fertilizer of 10-10-10 at the beginning of the season is another option.

Keeping Pests Away

Strawberry plants are not prone to a lot of disease. However you may want to choose a variety that is certified to be resistant to Verticillium Wilt, since plants that are infected with this must be destroyed.

To protect plants from birds, the strawberries can be covered with bird netting. If rabbits and deer are prevalent in your area, you may also want to install a wire mesh fence around the perimeter of your strawberry patch to keep them from nibbling (or completely destroying) the plants.

Winterizing

At the end of the season, plants should be trimmed of dead foliage and plants should be thinned if runners were allowed to spread. Keep the strawberries well watered until the ground freezes and then cover with mulch to protect them during the winter months.

If proper care is given, you may enjoy an abundance of fresh strawberries for 3-4 years before replacing the plants with fresh stock.