Other Workshops/Speakers
Hort Speaker - Rita Riehle - "Herb Gardening: Yesterday and Today" - March '10
Horticulture program with Kent Russell - April '11   "Candy in the Garden"
Terrarium workshop - June 2011
"Stampin Up" Workshop with workshop leader - Beth Horan- January 2012
Upcoming workshops, etc.:
Topiary workshop - March '12 Trip to HighLine - May '12 Day trip to Chanticleer Gardens - summer '12

"Hort" Tips from our Experts Advice for the garden this spring:

No Rototilling!

As I mentioned in my 2011 Shirley Meinice report in the last issue of ROOTS, our bi-monthly newsletter, one of the emphases of the conference was no roto-tilling! As I was doing my research, I found an article that said exactly what I wanted, so I have quoted the author, Marion Owen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul, pretty much directly.

Why is deep tilling a bad thing?

Understand that deep tilling doesn't apply to hoeing a row or using a pitchfork to turn over the first few inches of soil. Nor does it apply to tilling in, say, prairie sod to establish a new garden. Deep tilling means repeatedly cutting up soil with a roto-tiller.

What can I say? Healthy worms are happy worms!

You see, soil is alive. In fact, it's like the New York City of the plant world -- a complex mix of fine rock particles, organic matter, water, air, microorganisms and other small critters. In fact, healthy soil is chock-a-block FULL of living things such as plant roots, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi and other organisms. It's a jungle down there. "Managing your soils to keep this living system thriving can make the difference between gardening success and failure," says Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening -- An excellent reference. What makes good soil? Texture and structure are as important as the foundation of your home. You need it to enjoy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Soil is more than dirt!

Soil is more than dirt. In fact, it's 50 percent minerals and 50 percent water and air. Let that sink in for a moment. Half of soil is minerals, and the rest is water and air. The spaces between the minerals (made of tiny rock fragments) are the holding areas for soil water and air, the super highways by which nutrients travel and connect everything in the soil. Ideal soil is friable, which means the various particles form little clusters with air pockets between them. Having said that, try this simple soil test, which happens to be the same sort of test that early pioneers used to sample the land as they moved west across the United States in search of good land. Squeeze a handful of your garden soil. Now loosen your grip and study what's in your hand. Does it stick to your fingers like clay, all wet and soggy-like? Or does it spring back a little, have some give and fluff to it? Now take a sniff. How does it smell? Sour, like old cheese, or earthy and sweet?

Follow your nose!

Fluffy and earthy smelling is what you want. To get there, you can choose from numerous gardening practices that support healthy soil. Raised beds Topping with mulch Turning compost in the top 4-6 inches What NOT to do: things that actually harm the soil: Walking on the soil - a big no-no. Place stones or boards where you walk! Using chemical fertilizers (they kill friendly organisms and acidify soil after time) Deep tilling or roto-tilling

Roto-tilling destroys the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil structure. This includes the mychorrhizal network that is so important to plants. Mycorrhizal (MY-coh-RIZE-ul) fungi are multi-celled organisms that form special "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine" relationships with plant roots. As recent electron microscope images have shown, these organisms develop into long chains called hyphae (HIGH-fee) and get energy from the plant and help supply nutrients to the plant. In other words, they depend on each other for survival. Roto-tilling dislocates and chops up small invertebrate animals (such as insects, worms and spiders), and bacteria, and it kills worms and destroys aeration and drainage. "The soil looks nice and smooth, but it quickly looses structure

According to Lowenfels, whose company Alaska Humus is all about healthy soil, rototilling is an addiction, like lawns and coffee. "We till because early American's fell under the spell of an English country lawyer, Jethro Tull, who thought that roots eat soil particles and the smaller you pulverize soil, the easier it is for roots to eat it."??This was back in the days of Thomas Jefferson. "No one knew about the need for fungi to provide soil structure or about the soil foodweb and how rototilling completely disrupts it. We've come a long way!"??For more information about the soil foodweb, a term coined by Dr. Elaine Ingham, visit her informative www.soilfoodweb.com web site. Her business mission statement sums it all up: "To grow healthy, productive plants you need healthy, productive soil. It is the organisms in the soil that provide the food plants need, in the form they need, when they need it."

"All plants--grass, trees, shrubs, agricultural crops--depend on the food web for their nutrition."----Soil and Water Conservation Society

The idea is to avoid compacting and deep-tilling the soil, which harms the structure. It would be trying to survive after tearing down the walls of houses, damaging the streets and other transportation networks, destroying water lines and other utilities, and limiting access to food. Living would be tough. Some people would get sick and die. Plus, it would take a long time to rebuild. See what I mean???Supporting soil structure "is just good science that couldn't be explained before," says Lowenfels. "Roto-tilling is definitely out. Source: http://www.plantea.com/no-tilling.htm Additional information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ0iJwk00Vk

2011-12 PGC Horticulture Co-Chairs: JoAnn Brown and Beverly Leardi Committee members: Clair Ruckel, Anne Endler, Margaret O'Sullivan, Marilyn Palefsky, Mary Tomassio, Miriam Wagner, Rosemary Ward, Carolyn Fadden, Elise LaRocco, April Aguayo, Catherine Treuter, Judy Walsh

At last our Blueberry bush is mature enough to bear abundant blueberries. It has taken about ten years to reach this point. We are now picking a pint of berries everyday. They are quite large and have a wild blueberry flavor. To prevent birds from getting all the blueberries before we do, I covered the bush with three 3-yard pieces of nylon tulle. The sun can shine in on the berries, but the birds don't pick first! (M. Wagner)
Epsom Salts--oft times an antidote for sad-looking indoor and outdoor plants! Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate and can work wonders. Add 1 Tb./gallon of water and use to water plants on a weekly basis; or, sprinkle a few granules around the base of the plant. Especially recommended for roses, gardenias and tomatoes--indeed for most plants. (C. Cohen)	On gathering and saving seeds: Autumn is the time to gather seeds of your favorite plants. Stroll through your garden and collect annual seeds such as Nasturtium, Zinnia, Cosmos, Bachelor Buttons, Morning Glory, Sunflower, Impatiens, Sweet Pea and Four O'Clocks. Collect them on a sunny, dry day and store in labelled envelopes. (Do not store them in plastic bags.) Hollyhocks, Day-lily and Clematis seeds may be collected and sown now in a seed starting mix. Rose and Magnolia seeds may be collected now also. The secret to successful growing of Rose and Magnolias is to remove the fruity covering on the seeds and to chill them in bags of damp sand and peat for 2 months in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) Then start the seed as usual in a seed starting mix. (M. Wagner)
Regarding the drought conditions....try to keep an adequate level of moisture around plant roots by watering in the morning and/or evening. Dahlias, roses, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and corn all love sunshine but need sufficient water to develop their best flavors and fruit. Also, mulch plants with grass clippings to retain moisture. (M. Wagner)

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