Check out P. Allen Smith, garden designer, give some composting tips. He even hosts a gardening show on public television. It’s a short video. But, he gives some great tips on composting and composting ideas for the fall.
Here’s the video in a nutshell:
Smith says composting is an easy way to help the environment by reusing garden, yard, and kitchen wastes. And, fall is a great time to get a compost bin started! It’s funny how gardeners are sometimes philosophers. He relates composting to a life philosophy: You get out of your compost what you put into it! Really, they’re wise words.
Avoid these items in compost:
Diseased Plants
Weeds
Meat, Bones, Fatty Wastes
Animal Litter
With the abundance of yard wastes and garden debris, fall makes a great time to start a compost bin. Oh, and throw that rotting Jack-O’-Lantern in off the front steps, and you’re set!
Check out this 9 year old kid, Carrick. He gives the low down on how reel mowers reduce pollution. This kid is gaining popularity on his eco video series, even landing a spot on the Bonnie Hunt Show. This kid seems pretty smart, and you have to give him credit for putting this video out there. Here are his points in the video for why to use a reel mower to mow the lawn:
Five percent of the nation’s air pollution is from gas mowers.
The pollution of 11 cars is about the same as the pollution from using a gas mower for an hour.
One third of the gas of gas mowers is released as air pollution.
Gas spills are common with gas powered lawn equipment– 17 million gallons, in fact, and is more than the Valdez spilled in the Gulf of Alaska.
Cheaper and quieter than a gas mower, and requires no gasoline.
He does his research, that’s for sure. Pretty impressive coming from a kid! And worth a watch to give this little guy some credit.
Check out this video from Expert Village’s Craig Morel. He works for Landscape Restorations in Miami, Florida. This video is to talk about troubleshooting garden problems. It’s a basic video for new gardeners. But, he makes a great point in the video for all gardeners to remember.
Here’s his big secret:
Know a little about the plants you are planting. It makes sense, really. And, well, it’s not too much of a secret. But, an easy tip to overlook.
Craig uses the example of integrating plants in a garden. He points out in the video that you wouldn’t place a water pond plant next to a barrel cactus. Water pond plants need really wet feet and a cactus likes dry, sandy soil. This may sound a little obvious. But, it’s a good reminder to know a little about the plants you are planting. It’s not always about what plants look good together!
Tia knows her stuff! Tia Pinney is a Naturalist teacher and Adult Program Coordinator at Massachusetts Audubon Society. In this video for Expert Village she gives some vegetable gardening tips about some common gardening mistakes.
Here’s what she suggests:
Don’t overwater.
Watering is the biggest gardening mistake. The best deal for the garden is to water consistently. When checking the soil moisture, don’t check the soil surface. Check about 3-4 inches deep. Tia points out that if you have added organic material to your soil, most likely the soil remains moist. If not, water.
Don’t crowd plants.
In the video, Tia shows pumpkin plants that have taken over a raised bed. Because the pumpkin plants were crowded, they won’t grow big.
Leave fall crops outside.
Tia advises for fall crops, like pumpkins and winter squash, to stay outside on the plant or vine to harden. Only pick and bring inside if there is a warning of frost. She suggests leaving them out unless the temperature is supposed to fall below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s a quick video to watch (under 2 minutes) and worth it. The overwatering point she makes at the beginning is the most important segment of this video.
This video from Utah State University Extension is a great resource. You can tell by the way this video flows that he is used to educating folks on how to prune roses. The whole video walks you completely through pruning one rose bush.
The guy in the video evidently loves to prune. What’s cool is he knows what he is talking about. His main approach to pruning a rose is to know what you want to keep. Then, it’s easy to determine what you don’t want and will prune.
Prune in the early springs as the rose start to bud out. This will help you see which canes are healthy and strong. He suggests keeping 4-6 canes about size of your finger and about 18-24 inches tall. Prune canes in the middle, but keep the canes growing on the outside if healthy. Really, you need to watch this guy prune a rose bush. He makes it a very simple process.
The video is a little lengthy at just over 4 minutes. But, it’s a great educational video from an extension agency on how to prune roses. And, he’s just not talking about it. He’s doing it. So, you can actually SEE how to prune a rose. Just watch it! It’s worth your time.
Here’s an Expert Village video with Scott Reil, from www.safelawns.org, giving tips on how to plant a vegetable garden. The video is shot in his own garden, which is usually a good sign that he knows what he is doing! He gives a few good tips to consider when planning and planting your vegetable garden.
It’s worth the watch. But I’ll cheat and tell you a few of Scott’s tips:
Don’t overlook the design. The design can make or break whether your garden is successful. Consider what plants need: sun and water. He planted his garden in the sunniest place in his yard, and directs water runoff from around his house towards the garden area to keep the area watered deeply. Not a bad idea.
Consider the path of the sun. He plans his garden so that small plants are on one side of the garden, and large on the other. This way the larger plants will not shade smaller plants.
Maximize gardening space by growing vertically. He grows his beans on the fence.
Be realistic. Don’t try to grow too many plants. He wanted twelve tomato plants, but could only fit in six.
It’s only two minutes to watch. But, Scott packs in a bunch of great tips to consider when planning a vegetable garden. Plus, he is wearing a must see gardening shirt!
Ok, this is just funny. While Yolanda Vanveen is completely educated in her field, this is comical. But, she really does bring up a good point—compost as an alternative to fertilizer.
The funny part to watch is her comments about fish and bone meal fertilizers, especially the fish part. It’s just a two minute video, and it’s a hoot. When did fish meal not become natural?
Her point is a good one, but maybe not stressed enough. Adding compost to flower beds does make a difference. And if it’s good compost, it will be rich in nutrients. Thus, being a great alternative to fertilizer.
But, it’s still funny to watch her talk about not wanting to add bodily fluids to her gardening beds. What? And, she doesn’t think fish are natural. Again, what?
First things first! For the record, this is an irritating video. Her words don’t match her lips, so it’s annoying to watch. But, she lays out in detail how to grow basil in just over six minutes. So, if you are looking for a thorough How to Grow Basil video, this one is for you. I think her name is Lily Galloway, if I understood her right. I definitely couldn’t read her lips.
She starts by talking about the popularity of basil, and links it to the amount of varieties and flavors of basil. It’s also easy to grow, even in containers. Just give it sunshine and water. That does sound pretty easy!
Lily demonstrates how to plant basil from seeds in a container. But, she says this is the same way you would plant basil seeds in the ground, too. Here’s what you need: watering can, potting soil, basil seeds or starter plants, fish fertilizer, spray bottle, trowel, and container.
Step 1
Basil likes well drained soil mixed with organic matter (amend with compost) and full sun of 6-8 hours. She suggests a high quality potting soil. Premoisten soil so basil seeds won’t float, and will stick to the soil a bit.
Step 2
Plant seeds when soil is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Nights shouldn’t be dipping below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, either. Sprinkly seeds over soil. Lightly pat the soil. Sift the soil with your hands over the seeds, lightly. You only want to cover the seeds so they are ¼ inch deep.
Step 3
Water the seeds in. Water gently, so you don’t cause the seeds to float and clump together. Basil seeds are pretty tiny. Don’t let the soil dry out. She recommends using a watering can instead of garden hose, even when planting in the ground to water gently.
Step 4
When seedlings are 2-3 inches tall, thin to 4-6 inches apart. This step is mainly about pruning basil, and is very important when aiming for the biggest harvest from your basil plants. Pinch back the plants above a set of leaves. A set of leaves is two leaves on the opposite side of the plant. Pruning basil gives you bushy basil plants, which is what you want. This might be the most important step to watch on pruning basil. It starts at minute 4:08, if you want to fast forward to this step. With proper basil pruning, one plant can produce 24 cups of leaves. That’s a lot!
Step 5
Use organic fertilizer. Basil is a heavy feeder. She suggests fish emulsion. Follow instructions on the bottle. She does a foliar feed and sprays the leaves being careful to get the underside, too. Lily suggests for the first two months of the growing season, fertilize basil every two weeks. The rest of the summer, fertilize monthly.
Step 6
Harvest basil. Don’t put in the refrigerator, because the leaves will turn black. Just put stems in water and out of direct sunlight.
Ok, even though her words aren’t match with her mouth. We like this girl because she gets her hands dirty! This is a detailed video and LONG. But, it definitely answers any questions you might have about pruning or planting basil.
