--Home Gardening Guides--Winter houseplant care--Home Gardening Blog --

Dracaenas are one of the easiest-care houseplants you can grow.

Even though our outdoor chores have ended for the season, that doesn't mean we don't have plants to care for.

It's time to turn our attention to the houseplants we share our homes with. If you're wondering how to care for them over the winter months, here are some handy tips:

• If some of your houseplants were outdoors for the summer and early fall, keep an eye out for any insects that hitched a ride indoors with them. It's better to nip a problem in the bud as early as possible so the problem doesn't become overwhelming for you and the plant. Also, if you suspect insect problems, don't put plants close to each other because the bugs will easily be able to spread to other plants.
• Water plants lightly and only when they need water, not just because it's your houseplant-watering day! It's easy to get into a ritual of watering -- and I can't blame you because that way you won't forget to do it -- but houseplants don't need a ton of water this time of year. Overwatering them is the quickest way to kill houseplants. If the pot size is manageable, lift it to see if it feels lightweight (dry soil) or heavy (wet soil). Or poke your finger into the potting soil up to the second knuckle to see how much moisture is in the soil. Let one of those two methods be your watering guide.
• If possible, water the plants with lukewarm water rather than freezing cold tap water. The latter will shock the poor plants, just like it would shock us to take a cold shower! Brrr.
• Don't fertilize the plants during the winter. They won't need it until springtime.
• Also wait until spring to re-pot your plants, as needed. It's best just to let them veg out during the winter and not disturb the roots.
• Remember that the sun is now lower in the southern sky. If you grow plants that prefer bright areas, you might need to move them to a sunnier location to accommodate them.
• If the plants' leaves are dusty, gently wipe the dust off with a moistened paper towel. This will allow plants to more easily take advantage of the light in their indoor environment. 
• Keep them out of drafts and, conversely, away from heat sources such as woodstoves, fireplaces and heater vents.
• Don't let a plant's leaves touch your window panes. The glass will be very cold, especially during our bitterly cold nights, which is another way to shock the plants and possibly freeze the leaves.
• Remember how dry it is in your house this time of year. If you're growing plants that require increased humidity, consider placing them in a tray filled with pebbles. Add water to the tray every so often... but don't let the plants' roots sit in the water -- that's another quick way to kill them off!

As a gardener, I appreciate my houseplants because they bring life to the indoors, particularly when it's so bleak outdoors. And the little care they need satisfies my desire to be surrounded by growing things.

November 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title November 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Winter houseplant care--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Winter houseplant care--Home Gardening Blog --

November 2015

Dracaenas are one of the easiest-care houseplants you can grow.

Even though our outdoor chores have ended for the season, that doesn't mean we don't have plants to care for.

It's time to turn our attention to the houseplants we share our homes with. If you're wondering how to care for them over the winter months, here are some handy tips:

• If some of your houseplants were outdoors for the summer and early fall, keep an eye out for any insects that hitched a ride indoors with them. It's better to nip a problem in the bud as early as possible so the problem doesn't become overwhelming for you and the plant. Also, if you suspect insect problems, don't put plants close to each other because the bugs will easily be able to spread to other plants.
• Water plants lightly and only when they need water, not just because it's your houseplant-watering day! It's easy to get into a ritual of watering -- and I can't blame you because that way you won't forget to do it -- but houseplants don't need a ton of water this time of year. Overwatering them is the quickest way to kill houseplants. If the pot size is manageable, lift it to see if it feels lightweight (dry soil) or heavy (wet soil). Or poke your finger into the potting soil up to the second knuckle to see how much moisture is in the soil. Let one of those two methods be your watering guide.
• If possible, water the plants with lukewarm water rather than freezing cold tap water. The latter will shock the poor plants, just like it would shock us to take a cold shower! Brrr.
• Don't fertilize the plants during the winter. They won't need it until springtime.
• Also wait until spring to re-pot your plants, as needed. It's best just to let them veg out during the winter and not disturb the roots.
• Remember that the sun is now lower in the southern sky. If you grow plants that prefer bright areas, you might need to move them to a sunnier location to accommodate them.
• If the plants' leaves are dusty, gently wipe the dust off with a moistened paper towel. This will allow plants to more easily take advantage of the light in their indoor environment. 
• Keep them out of drafts and, conversely, away from heat sources such as woodstoves, fireplaces and heater vents.
• Don't let a plant's leaves touch your window panes. The glass will be very cold, especially during our bitterly cold nights, which is another way to shock the plants and possibly freeze the leaves.
• Remember how dry it is in your house this time of year. If you're growing plants that require increased humidity, consider placing them in a tray filled with pebbles. Add water to the tray every so often... but don't let the plants' roots sit in the water -- that's another quick way to kill them off!

As a gardener, I appreciate my houseplants because they bring life to the indoors, particularly when it's so bleak outdoors. And the little care they need satisfies my desire to be surrounded by growing things.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Root crop harvest--Home Gardening Blog --

Today was a good day in the garden. Bill and I decided it was time to harvest the last of the crops: carrots, parsnips, potatoes and leeks.

Here's the rundown on how the varieties of each performed this year:

'Red Core Chantenay'

'Mokum hybrid'

Carrots: I grew 'Red Core Chantenay', 'King Midas' and 'Mokum hybrid'. As you can see by each of the three photos (remember that you can click on each of them to view a larger image), 'Red Core Chantenay' had huge roots and won the prize for their heft. I've cooked with them over the past couple of weeks and, even though they're large, the roots are tender and delicious.

'King Midas'

'King Midas' came in second, with mid-sized, attractive roots. They were very productive in the bed and I think the root-size is perfect for most purposes.

'Mokum hybrid' has more slender roots but the yield was respectable.






Parsnips: I had a very disappointing harvest for the first time in all of the years I've been growing it. Darn! The main problem was poor seed germination. I had forgotten that the viability of parsnip seeds drops steeply after the first year, so it's my own fault. Next year, I will definitely use fresh seeds. Aside from that, the variety I grew was 'Andover', which produces very white roots. They were pretty slender this year and some of the roots were quite small. I always plant them in the same bed as the carrots because they're in the same family. Since the carrots produced magnificently, I'm not sure what to attribute the poor parsnip growth to.

My oh-so-helpful potato digger, Bill!

Potatoes: This year, in addition to the raised bed that I planted seed potatoes in, I also tried my hand at growing them in a 15-gallon potato grow bag.

First, the raised bed results: I'm embarrassed to admit that I forgot to take a photo of the whole harvest before we put them into storage! However, they produced quite well and I'm pleased with the harvest. I planted 'Viking Purple' and 'German Butterball' this year. The 'Viking Purple' was more productive and had larger potatoes. I grew them last year and was really impressed with them, along with the bright purple skins and white flesh. The size of the 'German Butterball' potatoes was smaller and we got a smaller harvest from them. We may replace them next year with 'Yukon Gold' -- a tried-and-true favorite for us.

Now, the grow bag results: We filled the bag with organic potting soil this spring and then planted a few small leftover potatoes from last year. You can see the total haul in the photo. Since I've never used a grow bag before, I wasn't sure how much of a harvest to expect. What do you think? Have you had better harvests than this from a grow bag? If so, maybe we didn't give them enough water. I know potatoes don't like a lot of water so we just used a single drip-irrigation tube to deliver the water to the bag.

Leeks: If you saw my recent video on growing and harvesting leeks, you know I was pleased with how the plants performed this year. I planted 'King Richard' seeds in January and am always amazed at how such tiny seeds -- and seedlings that look like a blade of grass -- can yield such big roots! As we harvested them today, we cut off the green leaves and the roots, to make it easier to store them in the fridge.

How am I storing everything for the next few months? Well, the carrots, parsnips and leeks are being stored in plastic bread sacks or grocery bags in the vegetable drawers of our refrigerator. The potatoes are a different story: Bill tried a method last year that I was sure wouldn't work. It turns out, he knew better than I and proved me wrong! He puts slightly damp straw into a plastic bin that has a lid. Then he puts the potatoes into the straw, covers the bin and stores it in our unheated (but insulated) garage. By the way, we don't wash off the potatoes before storing them because that can accelerate spoilage. We just dig them up and let them dry off a bit in the shade before storing them.

Now obviously I have way more produce than we can eat so I'm donating lots of carrots (and winter squash, too) to the food bank. I would have also donated some of the parsnips but the harvest was rather underwhelming to say the least!

I hope your root crops grew great this year and would love to hear which varieties you are pleased with. Just drop me a line at inthegarden@live.com.

November 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title November 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Root crop harvest--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Root crop harvest--Home Gardening Blog --

November 2015

Today was a good day in the garden. Bill and I decided it was time to harvest the last of the crops: carrots, parsnips, potatoes and leeks.

Here's the rundown on how the varieties of each performed this year:

'Red Core Chantenay'

'Mokum hybrid'

Carrots: I grew 'Red Core Chantenay', 'King Midas' and 'Mokum hybrid'. As you can see by each of the three photos (remember that you can click on each of them to view a larger image), 'Red Core Chantenay' had huge roots and won the prize for their heft. I've cooked with them over the past couple of weeks and, even though they're large, the roots are tender and delicious.

'King Midas'

'King Midas' came in second, with mid-sized, attractive roots. They were very productive in the bed and I think the root-size is perfect for most purposes.

'Mokum hybrid' has more slender roots but the yield was respectable.






Parsnips: I had a very disappointing harvest for the first time in all of the years I've been growing it. Darn! The main problem was poor seed germination. I had forgotten that the viability of parsnip seeds drops steeply after the first year, so it's my own fault. Next year, I will definitely use fresh seeds. Aside from that, the variety I grew was 'Andover', which produces very white roots. They were pretty slender this year and some of the roots were quite small. I always plant them in the same bed as the carrots because they're in the same family. Since the carrots produced magnificently, I'm not sure what to attribute the poor parsnip growth to.

My oh-so-helpful potato digger, Bill!

Potatoes: This year, in addition to the raised bed that I planted seed potatoes in, I also tried my hand at growing them in a 15-gallon potato grow bag.

First, the raised bed results: I'm embarrassed to admit that I forgot to take a photo of the whole harvest before we put them into storage! However, they produced quite well and I'm pleased with the harvest. I planted 'Viking Purple' and 'German Butterball' this year. The 'Viking Purple' was more productive and had larger potatoes. I grew them last year and was really impressed with them, along with the bright purple skins and white flesh. The size of the 'German Butterball' potatoes was smaller and we got a smaller harvest from them. We may replace them next year with 'Yukon Gold' -- a tried-and-true favorite for us.

Now, the grow bag results: We filled the bag with organic potting soil this spring and then planted a few small leftover potatoes from last year. You can see the total haul in the photo. Since I've never used a grow bag before, I wasn't sure how much of a harvest to expect. What do you think? Have you had better harvests than this from a grow bag? If so, maybe we didn't give them enough water. I know potatoes don't like a lot of water so we just used a single drip-irrigation tube to deliver the water to the bag.

Leeks: If you saw my recent video on growing and harvesting leeks, you know I was pleased with how the plants performed this year. I planted 'King Richard' seeds in January and am always amazed at how such tiny seeds -- and seedlings that look like a blade of grass -- can yield such big roots! As we harvested them today, we cut off the green leaves and the roots, to make it easier to store them in the fridge.

How am I storing everything for the next few months? Well, the carrots, parsnips and leeks are being stored in plastic bread sacks or grocery bags in the vegetable drawers of our refrigerator. The potatoes are a different story: Bill tried a method last year that I was sure wouldn't work. It turns out, he knew better than I and proved me wrong! He puts slightly damp straw into a plastic bin that has a lid. Then he puts the potatoes into the straw, covers the bin and stores it in our unheated (but insulated) garage. By the way, we don't wash off the potatoes before storing them because that can accelerate spoilage. We just dig them up and let them dry off a bit in the shade before storing them.

Now obviously I have way more produce than we can eat so I'm donating lots of carrots (and winter squash, too) to the food bank. I would have also donated some of the parsnips but the harvest was rather underwhelming to say the least!

I hope your root crops grew great this year and would love to hear which varieties you are pleased with. Just drop me a line at inthegarden@live.com.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Winter Gardening Q&A--Home Gardening Blog --

As you have no doubt heard me say, I love growing veggies through the winter months in our cold climate! I live in Spokane, Wash., in USDA zone 4b/5. It gets very cold here each winter. I found I was really missing having fresh salad greens so I began researching and experimenting with doing this. And, of course, as a gardener, I really wanted to see if I could fool Mother Nature!

I've shot three videos on this topic so far this fall, which you can find on my YouTube channel (#1, #2 and #3).

However, I often am asked questions about what it involves so thought it would be helpful to do a quick Q&A on growing a winter garden. Here's what folks are asking me:

"By the end of the regular gardening season, I'm ready for a break. Why would I want to do even more work for months after my garden is put to bed?"

I completely understand how you feel, but the main task of growing a winter garden is harvesting your produce during the fall and winter months. You don't have to weed, water, prune or mulch.

"When do you start planting?"

I start most of my cold-tolerant veggies from seed indoors in late July or the first of August. Those are crops like kale that need a bit of a head start before planting them outdoors about 4-6 weeks later. Some cold-tolerant veggies need to be direct-sowed because they don't like to be transplanted; I do this in mid- to late August. The seed packets will indicate which sowing method is best.

"Which are the most cold-tolerant crops I can grow in a cold climate such as Spokane?"

Kale ('Vates', 'Winterbor', 'Starbor', 'Ripbor' and 'Redbor'), Claytonia (miner's lettuce), corn salad (mache) and Minutina. If you're not familiar with the last 3 -- and most folks aren't -- they are easy to grow and really add a lot to salads. I love trying new things and this is the perfect opportunity to do that. Other veggies that will grow until about December include 'Bordeaux' spinach, arugula and mizuna.

"Why don't you have to water the plants? Won't they get too dry?"

You would think so, but once it starts getting chilly, the soil will retain its moisture and whatever you covered the plants with (floating row cover or plastic) will also help keep the plants hydrated by holding in the water that has been transpired by the plants. I stopped watering my plants in about mid-October this year.

"How do you protect the plants from the cold?"

You can keep this as simple as you want, or get fancy!

Simple method first: I've had success with just covering the plants with a sheet of floating row cover at the time we start getting frosts and then as it starts getting a lot colder, I place a sheet of heavy-duty clear plastic over that and it works well. It's important to use hoops over the bed to hold the plastic and/or floating row cover over the plants. And it's really important to clip the cover(s) to the hoops so the covers won't rest directly on the plants which could cause them to become frosted.

This is a photo of another gardener's set-up.

I should also mention that the hoops should be sturdy and/or tied together with twine so they won't collapse during heavy snow. (see photo to right)

The fancy method: Cover the bed(s) with a simple plastic-covered hoop house or use grow beds inside an unheated greenhouse.

If you're going the plastic sheeting route, make sure it is anchored down so it doesn't blow off during strong winter winds.

"What types of problems do you encounter? Are there any insects?"

You would think it'd be too cold to have insect problems but I've encountered three types of insects over the past two winters. Fortunately, I know how to thwart them!

The first type of insect is slugs (technically gastropods), which can do a lot of damage to plant foliage. Refer to my method for organically eliminating them.

The second type is cabbage worms, which are the larvae of the cabbage butterfly. I know members of the cole or Brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale) are susceptible to them. As soon as I plant my kale outdoors in the fall, I cover the bed with a sheet of floating row cover to prevent cabbage butterflies from laying their eggs on the foliage. It works great.

The last type of insect is the leaf miner. The adults are flies. They lay eggs on the leaves of spinach, Swiss chard or beets. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae tunnel through the leaves, ruining the crop very quickly. Covering the bed with a sheet of floating row cover as soon as you plant any of these crops will also resolve this problem.

"What else is involved in growing vegetable crops through the winter?"

I recommend checking on your plants once a week, although if you're harvesting them regularly, that will suffice. You're mainly just looking to see if there is any insect activity.

"Anything you've learned the hard way, that I should know about?"

Yes! Do NOT underestimate the importance of daylight! Make sure your winter veggie bed is in as open an area as possible. Avoid locating it next to a building or under a big tree. Plants need all the light they can get, in order to be successful.

"What references would you recommend, so I can read more about this?"

There are three excellent references that you will find very helpful:

• Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 1999, 243 pp.)
• The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009, 248 pp.)
• Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour (Storey Publishing, 2011, 248 pp.)

Good luck! Remember you can always email me if you have any more questions.

November 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title November 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Winter Gardening Q&A--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Winter Gardening Q&A--Home Gardening Blog --

November 2015

As you have no doubt heard me say, I love growing veggies through the winter months in our cold climate! I live in Spokane, Wash., in USDA zone 4b/5. It gets very cold here each winter. I found I was really missing having fresh salad greens so I began researching and experimenting with doing this. And, of course, as a gardener, I really wanted to see if I could fool Mother Nature!

I've shot three videos on this topic so far this fall, which you can find on my YouTube channel (#1, #2 and #3).

However, I often am asked questions about what it involves so thought it would be helpful to do a quick Q&A on growing a winter garden. Here's what folks are asking me:

"By the end of the regular gardening season, I'm ready for a break. Why would I want to do even more work for months after my garden is put to bed?"

I completely understand how you feel, but the main task of growing a winter garden is harvesting your produce during the fall and winter months. You don't have to weed, water, prune or mulch.

"When do you start planting?"

I start most of my cold-tolerant veggies from seed indoors in late July or the first of August. Those are crops like kale that need a bit of a head start before planting them outdoors about 4-6 weeks later. Some cold-tolerant veggies need to be direct-sowed because they don't like to be transplanted; I do this in mid- to late August. The seed packets will indicate which sowing method is best.

"Which are the most cold-tolerant crops I can grow in a cold climate such as Spokane?"

Kale ('Vates', 'Winterbor', 'Starbor', 'Ripbor' and 'Redbor'), Claytonia (miner's lettuce), corn salad (mache) and Minutina. If you're not familiar with the last 3 -- and most folks aren't -- they are easy to grow and really add a lot to salads. I love trying new things and this is the perfect opportunity to do that. Other veggies that will grow until about December include 'Bordeaux' spinach, arugula and mizuna.

"Why don't you have to water the plants? Won't they get too dry?"

You would think so, but once it starts getting chilly, the soil will retain its moisture and whatever you covered the plants with (floating row cover or plastic) will also help keep the plants hydrated by holding in the water that has been transpired by the plants. I stopped watering my plants in about mid-October this year.

"How do you protect the plants from the cold?"

You can keep this as simple as you want, or get fancy!

Simple method first: I've had success with just covering the plants with a sheet of floating row cover at the time we start getting frosts and then as it starts getting a lot colder, I place a sheet of heavy-duty clear plastic over that and it works well. It's important to use hoops over the bed to hold the plastic and/or floating row cover over the plants. And it's really important to clip the cover(s) to the hoops so the covers won't rest directly on the plants which could cause them to become frosted.

This is a photo of another gardener's set-up.

I should also mention that the hoops should be sturdy and/or tied together with twine so they won't collapse during heavy snow. (see photo to right)

The fancy method: Cover the bed(s) with a simple plastic-covered hoop house or use grow beds inside an unheated greenhouse.

If you're going the plastic sheeting route, make sure it is anchored down so it doesn't blow off during strong winter winds.

"What types of problems do you encounter? Are there any insects?"

You would think it'd be too cold to have insect problems but I've encountered three types of insects over the past two winters. Fortunately, I know how to thwart them!

The first type of insect is slugs (technically gastropods), which can do a lot of damage to plant foliage. Refer to my method for organically eliminating them.

The second type is cabbage worms, which are the larvae of the cabbage butterfly. I know members of the cole or Brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale) are susceptible to them. As soon as I plant my kale outdoors in the fall, I cover the bed with a sheet of floating row cover to prevent cabbage butterflies from laying their eggs on the foliage. It works great.

The last type of insect is the leaf miner. The adults are flies. They lay eggs on the leaves of spinach, Swiss chard or beets. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae tunnel through the leaves, ruining the crop very quickly. Covering the bed with a sheet of floating row cover as soon as you plant any of these crops will also resolve this problem.

"What else is involved in growing vegetable crops through the winter?"

I recommend checking on your plants once a week, although if you're harvesting them regularly, that will suffice. You're mainly just looking to see if there is any insect activity.

"Anything you've learned the hard way, that I should know about?"

Yes! Do NOT underestimate the importance of daylight! Make sure your winter veggie bed is in as open an area as possible. Avoid locating it next to a building or under a big tree. Plants need all the light they can get, in order to be successful.

"What references would you recommend, so I can read more about this?"

There are three excellent references that you will find very helpful:

• Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 1999, 243 pp.)
• The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009, 248 pp.)
• Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour (Storey Publishing, 2011, 248 pp.)

Good luck! Remember you can always email me if you have any more questions.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Book Review: "Teaming with Microbes"--Home Gardening Blog --

Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, 220 pp., $24.95)

by Susan Mulvihill

If you�re looking for a book that will help you transform your garden, I�ve found it. I recently finished reading Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, 220 pp., $24.95) and can�t wait to change some of my longstanding gardening practices.

I�ve long maintained that we gardeners take our soil for granted. It�s just there. We buy plants or start them from seed, and just plant them into our gardens without realizing our soils need a little bit of TLC.

We also were taught long ago that we should rototill or turn over our soil at the start of each garden season. Little did we know we were disrupting the established soil structure that helps air and water to move through it. Yikes.

I�ve been an organic gardener for many years now but fully understand that many folks use chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides in their gardens. While I knew these products were bad for the environment, I really didn�t realize the harm they were doing to the network of microorganisms in our soil (which the authors refer to as the �soil food web�).

As an organic vegetable gardener, I often use organic fertilizers for certain veggie crops. It turns out this isn�t necessary.

In �Teaming with Microbes,� the authors divide the book into two main sections. In the first, they take the reader on a fascinating exploration of the types of �critters� that are in our soil -- most of which we are unable to see without a hand lens or fancy microscope.

I got to learn about bacteria, archaea (really cool microorganisms that often live in inhospitable environments and play a key role in the nitrogen cycle within soil), fungi, algae and slime molds, protozoa, nematodes, arthopods (critters like spiders and beetles), earthworms, gastropods (snails and slugs), and reptiles, mammals and birds -- all of which play a vital role in the health of our soils. How cool is it to learn something completely new and to see images of each of these?

The second part of the book breaks down how you can apply what you learned in the first part to make your gardens grow better than ever.

The authors first explain what compost, mulches, compost teas and mycorrhizal fungi do for the soil and plants. Then they discuss the specifics of this as it relates to maintaining your lawn,  trees, shrubs and perennials, and growing annuals and veggies.

They�ve even included a garden calendar so you know what to do when.

Lowenfels and Lewis maintain that by discontinuing the practices of turning our soil over each year and using chemicals, and by applying compost, mulch, compost tea and mycorrhizal fungi, our gardens will be healthy and productive. And, if you haven�t realized this yet, this means less work and less expense because we won�t be rototilling or shoveling our soil and we won�t be purchasing expensive fertilizers and chemicals. Wow.

I heartily recommend everyone read �Teaming with Microbes� to gain a better understanding of the amazing soil food web out there and the far-reaching implications it has to change our gardening practices. We have everythingto gain from it!

November 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title November 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Book Review: "Teaming with Microbes"--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Book Review: "Teaming with Microbes"--Home Gardening Blog --

November 2015

Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, 220 pp., $24.95)

by Susan Mulvihill

If you�re looking for a book that will help you transform your garden, I�ve found it. I recently finished reading Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, 220 pp., $24.95) and can�t wait to change some of my longstanding gardening practices.

I�ve long maintained that we gardeners take our soil for granted. It�s just there. We buy plants or start them from seed, and just plant them into our gardens without realizing our soils need a little bit of TLC.

We also were taught long ago that we should rototill or turn over our soil at the start of each garden season. Little did we know we were disrupting the established soil structure that helps air and water to move through it. Yikes.

I�ve been an organic gardener for many years now but fully understand that many folks use chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides in their gardens. While I knew these products were bad for the environment, I really didn�t realize the harm they were doing to the network of microorganisms in our soil (which the authors refer to as the �soil food web�).

As an organic vegetable gardener, I often use organic fertilizers for certain veggie crops. It turns out this isn�t necessary.

In �Teaming with Microbes,� the authors divide the book into two main sections. In the first, they take the reader on a fascinating exploration of the types of �critters� that are in our soil -- most of which we are unable to see without a hand lens or fancy microscope.

I got to learn about bacteria, archaea (really cool microorganisms that often live in inhospitable environments and play a key role in the nitrogen cycle within soil), fungi, algae and slime molds, protozoa, nematodes, arthopods (critters like spiders and beetles), earthworms, gastropods (snails and slugs), and reptiles, mammals and birds -- all of which play a vital role in the health of our soils. How cool is it to learn something completely new and to see images of each of these?

The second part of the book breaks down how you can apply what you learned in the first part to make your gardens grow better than ever.

The authors first explain what compost, mulches, compost teas and mycorrhizal fungi do for the soil and plants. Then they discuss the specifics of this as it relates to maintaining your lawn,  trees, shrubs and perennials, and growing annuals and veggies.

They�ve even included a garden calendar so you know what to do when.

Lowenfels and Lewis maintain that by discontinuing the practices of turning our soil over each year and using chemicals, and by applying compost, mulch, compost tea and mycorrhizal fungi, our gardens will be healthy and productive. And, if you haven�t realized this yet, this means less work and less expense because we won�t be rototilling or shoveling our soil and we won�t be purchasing expensive fertilizers and chemicals. Wow.

I heartily recommend everyone read �Teaming with Microbes� to gain a better understanding of the amazing soil food web out there and the far-reaching implications it has to change our gardening practices. We have everythingto gain from it!

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