Why Weed Killers

It’s become a tradition for gardeners faced with weed problems to pull out the herbicide spray and cover the unwanted weeds in chemicals, effectively poisoning the weed to death. But there are plenty of people who are looking for ways to kill weeds without all the harsh chemicals.

If you like to grow plants organically, or want to avoid the side effects of herbicides, there are plenty of natural weed-killing remedies that date back generations and are just as effective at their job. After all, our grandmothers didn’t have all the chemicals available to them, and they grew lush, weed-free gardens as well as we can now.

Help the Earth with Non-toxic Weed Killers

Chemical weed-killers have a huge list of drawbacks. They’re expensive, harmful to other plants, pets and children, and most of all, they can leach into our water. When you use an herbicide and it rains soon after, all those chemicals end up in storm drains heading straight out into natural water supplies.

Herbicides and pesticides have been responsible for fish kills and algae kills. Alternately, they settle into the soil and work their way down to the natural groundwater level, where they can get into household and commercial wells directly, and eventually end up in streams and ponds.

Natural Weed Killers

Two major natural weed killers are salt and vinegar. Dish detergent mixed with vinegar or water also makes a good household weed-killer that is much gentler on the ecosystem than chemical sprays. Try mixing salt and water together in a spray bottle and spraying on weeds. But be warned: you should only use salt where you are not trying to grow anything else. It sterilizes the soil, so its best use is for weeds growing in sidewalks, driveways or between patio stones.

For a strong weed-killer, pour vinegar directly onto the weed’s roots. Lemon juice has the same effect, but is usually more expensive than vinegar. Some gardeners also swear by a hot pepper sauce like Tabasco for killing weeds.

If these classics don’t work, you can try boiling a kettle or pot full of water, then taking it out and pouring it right on the weeds, essentially boiling them to death.

Get Rid of Roots

Try the natural remedies above in combination with weeding, to cut down on the time-consuming effort of weeding by hand. Spray, let it take effect for a day, then rake or pull up the dying weeds to be sure they stay away. When you weed, you should be sure you’re using a good technique in order to get up the whole root of the weed.

Don’t settle for pulling up weeds by the stems, as this leaves the root behind to grow again. To avoid back pain, you can always use the trusty hoe to hack apart the roots of the weed and get right underneath it. This works on most weeds, but deep-rooted ones may survive a hoeing and resprout. For these, get a hand rake or hand cultivator and dig the roots right out of the ground.

And, of course, get weeds when they’re young, if possible. Early weed shoots are more tender and easier to pull.

Want to learn more about natural weed killing?

Check out these Web sites chosen by us for more information on the subject.

The TipNut archive of tried-and-true homemade weed killer recipes is a great resource of information.

For some sobering reading on herbicides in groundwater, see the U.S. Geological Survey’s study of Midwestern aquifers.

Organic Gardening magazine has a cheery outlook on weeds and how to control them.

Springtime, perfect for having picnics, wearing shorts and admiring the Cherry Blossom in DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an two-week (per annum) event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education.

It also begins the peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings, The National Museum of Crime & Punishment, located in Washington, D.C. is one of those such buildings, with excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more.

Want to learn more about the Cherry Blossom Festival and its history? They also have an official web site.

Cauliflower belongs to the Cole, or cabbage, family but isn’t as easy to grow as cabbage. The delicious taste and versatility it provides in your diet is well worth the extra effort; some people even consider cauliflower a delicacy! Cauliflower is a cool-season vegetable that can be planted a week or two before the last frost in early spring. You can also plant in summer for an early fall crop. Taking the time and effort to understand the climate and soil conditions cauliflower does best in– before you plant– will go a long way toward ensuring success in growing this vegetable.

Growing Cauliflower

Cauliflower grows best in fertile, well-drained, consistently moist soil. It needs to be planted in full sun (at least 6 hours a day. The optimal pH level for cauliflower is between 6.0 and 7.0. The soil should be high in both organic matter and nitrogen. Cauliflower is finicky about the climate it grows in. Either too much cold or too much heat can affect the quality and quantity of the heads. Because the weather is so difficult to predict, this balancing act can be hard to manage. There may be seasons when your cauliflower produces better than others simply because of the climate.

Planting Cauliflower

Good soil preparation is important when planting cauliflower. The best way to determine your soil conditions are to have a soil test performed. Your local university extension office can perform a soil test. To locate your nearest extension office, go to http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.

If your soil is lacking in organic matter and/or nitrogen you can add manure or compost to the soil along with a nitrogen fertilizer during planting. Fertilizer can be applied two more times during the growing season at two-week intervals. Make sure the soil is well cultivated to a depth of at least 8-10 inches before planting.

Cauliflower is usually transplanted from seedlings to the garden. The plants can be purchased from a nursery or garden center. You can also sow the seeds directly into the garden (after the last frost date) or start the seeds indoors about six weeks prior to transplantation.

Transplant the seedlings 18 inches apart in rows that are 30 inches apart. Water the seedlings immediately after transplanting; any wilting could permanently damage the plant. Another way to ensure a good crop is to choose active, healthy plants that have had continuous, steady growth. Buying plants that have been stunted or in flats for too long are prone to producing poor, or no, curds. After planting, apply a top mulch to preserve moisture and prevent the soil from drying out and cracking.

Care for Cauliflower

Cauliflower plants must have consistent moisture; make sure they receive at least an inch of water per week and do not let the soil completely dry out. Healthy curd development results from continuous and vigorous growth. Anything that halts or slows the plant growth will potentially lead to little or no head development. Common interruptions can include too little moisture (drought), plant damage, or extremes in weather.

Weed your cauliflower plants only when necessary and cultivate lightly so as not to damage the plant or roots.

How to Blanch Cauliflower

Cauliflower heads (or curds) need to be blanched. This process involves tying the outer leaves together to cover the curd when the heads have about 2-3 inches of growth. Blanching prevents the heads from damage from the sun, turning green and obtaining an “off” taste. There are varieties that “self-blanch” and naturally curl their leaves to cover and protect the developing head.

Harvesting Cauliflower

Depending on the variety planted, cauliflower takes between 50 and 70 days to mature.

Once the leaves have been blanched, and if growing conditions are good, the curds develop and mature within 7-10 days. Look for full, compact, firm, white heads. To harvest the heads, simply cut the plant at the main stem (leave a few outer leaves for protection) before the heads begin to have a “ricey” appearance; by then they are overly mature and will not taste good. Another sign that your cauliflower is past its prime and will begin to quickly deteriorate is the formation of single florets. After harvesting your crop, you can dispose of the plants in your compost pile, as cauliflower does not usually produce side shoots or a second crop. Cauliflower, like most garden vegetables can be frozen for later consumption. Make sure to blanch them first then place in the freezer immediately after draining and drying.

Cauliflower diseases and pests

Some problems you may encounter when growing cauliflower include:

Imported Cabbage Worm: These are white or yellow “butterflies” that have black spots, and attack cauliflower curds. These pests begin causing trouble in April and continue until September. The butterflies lay eggs on the cauliflower which later hatch into worms which feed on the heads. Covers can be used to prevent this, or insecticides if needed.

Cabbage Looper: are gray-brown moths with silver markings on its’ wings. They lay eggs on the leaves of the cabbage and feed on the leaves and continue to the heads.

Diamond back moths: These moths lay eggs on the underside of the leaves close to the veins. The larvae are green and feed on the leaves from the inside out. These moths are grayish-brown and have three diamond shapes on their body, for which they are named after. They originate in the south and migrate to northern states later in the season. Treatment of the Cabbage Looper and Diamond Back moths are similar. You can cover the crop or use an insecticide if necessary. Cleaning up all debris at the end of the season, after harvest and when leaves drop is also important.

Brown heads: can be caused by downy mildew, or direct sun when water is on the head/curd.

Varieties of Cauliflower

Some recommended varieties to try are:

Want to learn more about growing cauliflower?

The University of Hawaii Extension has extensive information on cauliflower diseases and pests.

Ohio State University Extension put together a fact sheet about growing cauliflower (and broccoli) in the home garden.

These days, more and more individuals are aware of the environmental impact that our non-eco-friendly ways have brought to nature. As such, going organic and eco-friendly are a must if you would like to do your share in helping save the environment.

Here, we will take a look at the things that you can do if you would like to have an eco-friendly garden which produces organic plants, fruits and flowers as well.

What Every Gardener Needs to Know about Going Organic

Basically, your goal in creating an organic garden is to not use any synthetic, chemical or artificial fertilizers to grow the plants or feed the soil. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are a no-no. What you need to use instead are organic elements to feed the soil. Compost and organic fertilizers are two great ways to improve the quality of the soil, increasing the microbial life.

You should also make use of methods which will replenish the sources when tending to your organic garden. Let’s have specific examples so that you will have a better idea of what to do. First, you need to have a soil conditioner on your garden. Rather than using synthetic products which are not just harmful to the environment but expensive as well, you can instead use organic matter such as decaying plants, animal waste, food scraps, vegetable peelings and grass clippings.

In order for you to feed the soil, make sure that you maintain a compost bin. Here, you will have a layer of garden soil which you will top with biodegradable wastes from the kitchen. After adding the waste, you should add another layer of garden soil on the compost bin. After a certain amount of time has passed, you will already have an organic fertilizer which you can use to feed the soil in your garden.

For pest control, manual checking is the best way to go. However, if it seems impossible to get rid of the pests manually, you can still opt for organic pesticides. Another great method to use is interplanting to prevent your plants from overcrowding each other. Finally, make sure that each individual row of plants are separated from each other with barriers like row covers or sticky strips.

Nothing beats the feeling of seeing the fruits of your hard labor once your organic garden is already growing – and you’ll have an organic food source, too, if you plant herbs and vegetables.

Emma Spivey writes for solar bird bath fountain, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to design and eco-friendly garden using solar power.

Lilacs: Colorful, Fragrant, and Easy to Grow

Lilacs are among the most popular garden plants—and for good reasons. Besides being easy to grow, the variety of plant sizes, flower colors, and bloom times creates a colorful and fragrant display over many weeks in the spring. Once they are established lilac plants can grow for hundreds of years.

In the United States, lilacs grow best in the northern states because they need a cold period each year. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil that is slightly acid or alkaline. While lilacs need very little care, they do need watering in times of drought.

Popular Lilac Types

French lilacs (also called common lilacs) grow about fifteen feet tall in clumps eight to twelve feet wide. They have large clusters of flowers and are available in varieties with pink, white, yellow, purple, bronze, or variegated flowers. Korean lilacs grow eight to ten feet tall in a rounded form with small leaves and extremely fragrant flowers. True to their name, tree lilacs grow into medium-size trees rather than shrubs.

Pruning Lilacs

To ensure heavy flowering year after year, remove the flowers after they bloom before they go to seed. Prune out dead branches and suckers in spring after the plants flower. When lilac plants become leggy they need to be pruned. Rather than pruning back the stems, remove about one-third of the oldest and weakest stems at ground level each year for three years. Vigorous new stems will shoot up from the base of the plant.

Lilac Pests and Diseases

Lilac borers are the most serious insect pests; they bore small holes in branches a foot or two above the ground. Small brownish-gray bumps on the branches are oyster-shell scale, which can be controlled by removing badly infested stems then spraying with dormant oil. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that creates whitish blotches on the leaves, usually in late summer, especially when it’s very humid. It’s unsightly but does not harm the lilac plants.

Lilac Propagation

Once a lilac bush starts to spread you can create new bushes by making a vertical cut with a spade and separating off clumps with several stems each. The new plants will bloom in four or five years.

Want to learn more about growing lilacs?

If you live in the north and have sun and well-drained soil, you will have great success growing lilacs. In warmer areas look for varieties that are suited to your climate. Learn more about growing lilacs at these sites:

Find out about lilacs and lilac celebrations at the Arnold Arboretum, where over 400 lilac plants grow.

Join other lilac enthusiasts in the International Lilac Society.

Learn how to prune lilacs.

Lynne Lamstein gardens in Maine and Florida and is currently working on a sustainable landscape. She has a degree in ornamental horticulture from Temple University.

Growing potatoes in your vegetable garden

Potatoes are a year-round staple for many families around the world. Potatoes come in over a hundred varietals in all kinds of sizes, shapes, colors and flavors. There is a potato to suit almost everyone’s taste. The edible part of a potato, the tuber, grows underground and is a part of the stem system. The leaves, stems and flowers that grow above ground cannot be eaten. Potatoes are a cool-season crop and varieties can be planted that you can enjoy nearly all season long.

Soil conditions for growing potatoes

Potatoes aren’t as finicky as many vegetables when it comes to soil conditions, but they do best in well-drained, fertile soil. Compact soil can be especially problematic for potatoes. The soil pH level should be 5.0 to 5.5 for best crop production. Do not add large amounts of organic matter to the soil as it may contribute to potato scab, a disease that frequently infects potatoes. As a cool season vegetable, potatoes can tolerate a few light frosts and actually need cooler soil temperatures (between 60-to 70 degrees) to properly mature and form tubers. If the soil temperatures rise to over 80 degrees, you will probably see little, if any, tuber formation.

How to Plant Potatoes

Potatoes will be one of the first vegetables you can plant in the spring. To determine when you can plant, find out your areas last frost date (go to: http://boldweb.com/gw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=25 ). Potatoes are not started from seed or seedlings but from cut pieces of seed potatoes. Do not use potatoes from the grocery store because these have usually been sprayed to inhibit eye growth. Additionally, do not use potatoes from an earlier crop, as they may contain unknown diseases that could infect your new crop.

You should buy certified seed potatoes that are found in garden centers or nurseries. If the potato is whole and large, cut it into approximately 2 inch pieces; each piece needs to have at least one eye. After cutting, you need to let the pieces sit for a couple of days in a cool, humid location. This will give the potato time to heal, or form a scab over it, which protects it from rotting when planted in the ground. If you buy small seed potatoes, you do not need to cut them prior to planting. When getting ready to plant your potatoes use a spade to hoe a small trench, or furrow, about 4 inches deep and as long as your space allows. You can work in an all-purpose fertilizer into the soil prior to planting.

Place one potato piece at the bottom of the trench with the eye facing upward. The eye will sprout and become the plant. Spacing should be about 10-12 inches apart. Rows should be between 2 to 3 feet apart from each other.

How to Take Care of Potato Plants

Potatoes do well in consistently moist (not wet) soil. They should receive about an inch to an inch and a half of water per week. If they do not receive adequate moisture from rainfall, you will need to hand water them. After your potato plants start to grow, you can add some soil, mulch, or straw around the base of the plant to form a hill. This will encourage new tuber growth and can help to prevent green potatoes.

Potato Pests

Potato Leafhopper

Potato leafhoppers are wedge-shaped, 1/8-inch long, green, active insects. They use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to remove sap from the potato leaf. These small insects fly readily.

Because of their small size and habit of feeding on the underside of the leaf, they are easily overlooked. The symptom of leafhopper activity is more apparent – a triangular brown spot at the tip of the leaf. Similar triangles may appear at the end of each lateral veinlet or the entire margin may roll upward as though scorched. These symptoms are known as “hopperburn”. Other conditions may produce similar symptoms. Check the underside of leaves for the tiny leafhoppers to confirm that they are the cause of the problem [1,1].

An insecticide may need to be used for these pests.

Flea beetles

Flea beetles are small usually black beetles that are often difficult to spot due to their size and their inclination to quickly jump away when disturbed. These pests chew holes through the leaves of plants. When present in large numbers they can cause the plant leaves to wilt and decreased crop production.

Harvesting and storage of Potatoes

Traditionally, potatoes are harvested in the fall, or about 90-120 days after planting. An outward sign that your potatoes are ready to harvest is when the entire above-ground plant is brown and dried out; it will look like it is dead. If you are unsure if the potatoes are ready for harvesting, you can check one plant by digging up the tubers with a pitchfork to see if they are mature.

When you are harvesting your potatoes, be careful not to pierce the potatoes with the fork; these damaged potatoes will not keep (you can eat them for dinner that night!) Using either a pitchfork or a shovel is the easiest way to gather the potatoes.
Potatoes can be stored throughout the winter months if kept in a very cool (30s or 40s), humid and dark place.

Want to learn more about growing potatoes?

To learn more about growing potatoes in your home garden, visit the Ohio State University Extension fact sheet about Growing Potatoes in the Home Garden.

Read more about potato problems from the University of North Dakota’s website .

Those pesky weeds. As sure as the days will get longer and the weather will get warmer, the presence of weeds will return, posing a challenge for homeowners to maintain the perfect lawn. So how do you eliminate weeds without the backbreaking effort of pulling them or with chemicals that can smell and harm the environment and your pets? Start early and start small, when the weeds are small anyway, and you’ll save a lot of effort. There’s plenty you can do outside as soon as the ground is cleared of the snow and the sun is shining.

First, what is a weed? A weed is a plant growing where it is not wanted. A plant can be a weed in some circumstances and not in others. Let’s just deal with plants that we all would recognize as a weed.

These are the most common in the Midwest: Wild Mustard, Musk or Nodding Thistle, Oxeye Daisy, Poison Hemlock, Wild Carrot, Purple Loosestrife, Wild Parsnip, Mile-a-minute weed, Russian Thistle, Cressleaf Groundsel, Shattercane, Johnson Grass, Grapevines, Canada Thistle.

When you are preparing for lawn care season, start with prevention. Add or refresh your mulch. It’s likely that mulch is your primary weed inhibitor. Paying attention to it early helps avoid weeds that would otherwise normally get a foot hold. Be cautious about mulching around perennials and bulbs, where you probably should open the mulch up over the roots as soon as weather is not likely to freeze so you can warm up the soil and the plant will come out. The mulch does its’ insulation job well and will keep the soil cold/frozen and delay the emergence.

Remember, you can use mini-cultivators or similar garden tools to refresh the mulch earlier on, and then add to the mulch later. Not only will your mulch look better earlier, but it also will be more effective, and you’ll need to add less to the existing mulch later on.

But, if you let it go, or if the weeds were established from the previous year, you’ll have to do more work.

Let’s group the weeds into where we are likely to find them:

Early spring weeds – Common Chickweed, Corn Speedwell, Common Chickweed

Lawn weeds – Crabgrass, Clover, Yellow Nut Sedge

Garden weeds: Lamb’s Quarter, Galinsoga

Annuals and perennials require different control techniques. With annuals, prevent seed production. With perennials, kill rhizomes/stolons/roots. Remember, when controlling annuals, hoe shallow and hoe often. The mini-cultivators really help accomplish this. Mulch and ground covers help, too, but you will still need to keep an eye on weeds to pull.

Effective weed pulling is an art. Never let the plant go to seed before pulling. It is best is to pull the plant as soon as you see it emerge. Other techniques are selective chemicals that terminate a specific weed or weed family. When using chemicals, make sure you correctly identify the weed and ensure that the chemical won’t kill the surrounding plants that you want to keep. In addition, chemicals frequently fail because of these factors: wrong time of plant growth cycle, wrong weather conditions, wrong soil conditions and type, and weed resistance to herbicides.

A new product, the NatureZap, uses heat energy to kill weeds. Others use propane, which is not exactly beneficial from a greenhouse perspective, but nonetheless can be effective. Be careful not to choose the open flame type. Stick to ones with an infrared heater. The NatureZap example uses clean electricity to kill a specific weed without killing the surrounding plants.

The trick to controlling weeds is frequency. Eliminate the weeds as they appear and you will have an easier time keeping your yard tidy.

Jon Jackson, founder and president of Global Neighbor Inc., has an affinity for creating innovative lawn care products that are friendly to the environment. He created the NatureCut®, a battery-operated alternative to traditional fossil-fuel lawn mowers, in 2006 and in 2008 debuted the NatureZap®, an electric weed elimination tool that uses heat to kill weeds at the root. In January 2010, he introduced the next generation NatureZap model.

Gardeners have know for hundreds of years that certain plants grow better when planted along side other specific plants. Back then there wasn’t a name for this practice; they just knew it worked. Today, we call putting plants together that help each other out companion planting.

Companion planting is a rather simple gardening philosophy: put plants together that are mutually beneficial to each other, the garden as a whole, and the environment. Companion planting is becoming increasingly popular as people look for ways to use less chemicals in their gardens and be environmentally friendly. Companion planting is a large part of organic gardening. Organic gardens are generally free of commercial pesticides, chemicals and fertilizers.

Companion planting can promote the health and productivity of your garden in many ways. You can use companion plants as:

Companion Plants are Natural Pesticides

Many people have concerns about using pesticides to ward off unwanted pests in their garden; especially if they have pets or young children. In addition to the health concerns, using chemicals to rid your garden of “pests” will also rid your garden of helpful insects such as bees that are needed for pollination.

There are lots of plants that you can use as natural pest repellants. Plant some African Marigolds that release a natural chemical from their roots that deters pests. Want some more suggestions? Look at this site for a comprehensive list of plants that are known as insect repellants repellents: http://www.rexresearch.com/agro/comp1.htm .

Companion Plants as Natural Fertilizers

Companion planting can be beneficial to your garden’s soil. Certain plants feed nitrogen into the soil, a basic component that all plants need to be healthy. Legumes are a plant that produces high levels of nitrogen. Try planting a row of this bean for a healthy high-producing crop.

A Trap Crop

Companion planting can also be used in another way: as sacrificial plants to keep the desired garden healthy. Using companion plants to create a “trap crop” draws insects, slugs and other pests away from the more sought-after garden.

Nasturtiums, for instance, are very popular with moths and slugs, so gardeners use these plants to draw pests away from other more desirable plants.

Companion Plant Placement

Plant placement also plays a large role in companion gardening. Try using taller, sturdier plants to help protect smaller more vulnerable ones from the wind and affects of too much sun. Certain prickly vines (pumpkins/squash) can be inter-planted to deter animals that are attracted to your crop, such as raccoons and deer.
Use plants that grow well in your area for the best results.

Enjoying Your Companion Plants

Once you understand the principles behind companion planting, your choices are nearly limitless. Enjoy the process. You can combine plants that are not only good for your garden, help solve insect and soil problems, but also look beautiful together. Get creative and most of all: have fun!

Want to learn more about Organic gardening and companion planting? Check out these sites:

Organic Gardening magazine’s website has a detailed list of companion plants for organic gardening.

Learn how to use herbs as companion plants in your garden.

What Are Depression Gardens?

When you hear people talking about depression gardening, they’re usually referring to the type of backyard vegetable garden that many families had during the Great Depression of the 1930s. A sinking economy meant, then as now, that people were looking for ways to save money on their grocery bill, by growing their own food. In modern times, a depression garden shares some of the same purposes, to save money, grow needed food, and make the most of what you have.

Year-Round Food Budget

To really make a depression garden work for you, carefully plan your growing season and your harvesting. Look ahead: you will need canning or other preserving equipment and know-how. That way, the savings on your food budget extends all year.

Use the depression-era principles of planning what you eat based on what your garden provides, and limiting the produce you buy from stores. For instance, you may be having a lot of tomato sandwiches in August, and a lot of pea salad in June.

Plant with an eye toward bulk, and get familiar with canning, sauce and jam making. Turning a big harvest of tomatoes into spaghetti sauce provides another pantry staple for the winter, while the windfall of apples in the late fall can be sauced, sliced or jellied before canning to give your larder a sweet, nutritious boost all year. Depression gardening requires a year-round mentality.

How to Make a Depression Garden Work

The first rule is not to plant what you won’t eat. It’s no use growing a patch of cabbage or broccoli that nobody in your household wants to eat. Focus on growing produce that you regularly eat or want to eat that costs too much at the store.

This often includes peppers, spinach, melons, berries, peas, beans, herbs and tomatoes. Be sure to include filling, long-lasting root vegetables like potatoes, turnips, carrots and onions. You also should balance out your plantings so that you have some early season harvests, some mid-season and some late-season or even winter plants. This reduces the time pressure on you to get everything canned, frozen or dried at one time.

If you live in a climate with a long enough growing season, or if you are comfortable starting seeds indoors, plant your depression garden from seed to keep costs down. A whole packet of seed usually costs less than one seedling. If you can’t do it all, communicate with your neighbors on what each will grow and share. Perhaps one neighbor is famous for her juicy, large strawberries and would raise a few more in exchange for part of your green bean harvest.

Garden Like You’re Broke

To maximize the savings from a depression garden, don’t go out and buy a bunch of fancy gardening equipment. Use scrap wood or an old chair for trellising, borrow a neighbor’s mulch spreader, and make cold frames out of old windows and plastic sheeting.

Make a habit of saving kitchen scraps for composting, and reuse household plastic, glass and metal containers as seed pots, watering cans and miniature greenhouses for seed starts.

Use space wisely; make sure you don’t waste your own time and effort. For instance, plant a garden only as wide as you can reach it to work in it. In small spaces, rely on pots and trellises to grow things vertically.

Want to learn more about depression gardening?

Check out these Web sites chosen by us for more information on the subject.

A column on California depression gardening from the East Bay Express.

The Mother Nature Network has a personal story of Depression gardening.

Iowa State University Extension has a PDF guide to planting and harvesting times for vegetables.

Kim Slotterback-Hoyum is a Michigan-based freelance writer. She has been a proofreader, writer, reporter and editor at monthly, weekly and daily publications for five years. She has a Bachelor of Science in writing and minor in journalism from Northern Michigan University. Besides writing, her interests include gardening, traveling and reading.

Why Ground Cover?

Gardeners usually turn to ground cover plants like moneywort, ivies, clovers, vinca minor, hostas and thymes when they have tough areas of the yard to landscape. Ground covers are chosen for their hardiness, tendency to spread themselves, and tolerance for a variety of conditions.

These plants will grow where others won’t. But, once they’re established, they provide another benefit that makes them useful as a type of living mulch; they outcompete local weeds, keeping them from coming up. It may be that a ground cover plant is perfect as a border planting or a living mulch to keep weeds out of your garden or ornamental beds.

How Does Ground Cover Work?

The same properties that make these plants good ground covers make them great competitors to weeds. After all, weeds can’t come up where an established plant is already thriving, and ground covers form a mat of plant life that deters them.

Since ground covers rarely need as much sun and water as your showcase plants do, their roots slow water loss. They will prevent soil erosion as well, particularly helpful on sloping ground. This living mulch also will insulate the soil from temperature extremes and help to build up levels of organic matter in the soil.

What Kind of Ground Cover to Use?

Choose a ground cover that is appropriate for the location you want to plant it in. For shaded areas, try golden saxifrage, hosta, vinca minor, Oregon grape, or lungwort.

If you want year-round greenery, use an evergreen like cowberry, bearberry, rosemary, or harebell. Fit the height of the ground cover to the planting it is acting as mulch for; the taller shrub-like ground covers will do well under trees, while the creeping vines are better for mulching flowerbeds.

If you want to add a useful herb to your garden, any of the thymes are hardy ground covers, as is chamomile.

Ground Cover Maintenance

Plant in the spring, and remember that the weed-preventing aspects of the ground cover won’t start right away. You must plant it in a weedless location, and weed out any that pop up while the plant is establishing itself.

Add some compost and water to the ground cover in the spring as you would any plant, and water it along with your other plants. However, keep an eye on whether the groundcover spreads itself. If it has a lot of sun and water, it may become invasive and spread out beyond its original placement.

Trim it back from your main plantings, and mow it down where it’s unwanted in the yard.

Want to learn more about ground covers as mulch?

Check out these Web sites chosen by us for more information on the subject.

Plants For A Future has a leaflet exploring many species of ground cover plants as mulches.

A list of good ground covers and their attributes is available from Colorado State University Extension.

The University of Minnesota discusses ground covers in its Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series.

Kim Slotterback-Hoyum is a Michigan-based freelance writer. She has been a proofreader, writer, reporter and editor at monthly, weekly and daily publications for five years. She has a Bachelor of Science in writing and minor in journalism from Northern Michigan University. Besides writing, her interests include gardening, traveling and reading.