Organic Fertilizers:
Don*t use *mushroom manure* as it will contain fungicides used to grow the mushrooms and the manure is not organic. Don*t use package bloodmeal or bonemeal either as it will not be organic and you cannot guarantee what was put into those animals before they died. And never NEVER use sewage sludge as it contains toxins, pathogens and heavy metals (our sewage system is NOT set up for recycling!!!) Also packaged steer manure is often high in salts and contains weed seeds. Do use:
Organic Chicken Manure: very high in N, generally alkaline, retains water. Add fresh to activate a compost pile, or to make a N rich tea, never use fresh on soils with plants in them already as it will burn, use only well rotted if applying directly. Also try rabbit manure.
Compost -rich in all vital nutrients, builds soil, if pile got hot enough it won*t contain weed seeds or pathogens. Feed as soil amendment, side dressing, mulch, tea or foliar feed. Note, compost left on surface of soil will lose some Nitrogen due to volatilization (as will all Nitrogen containing fertilizers, synthetic and organic), thus to maximize N availability it should be worked into the soil for Nitrogen loving plants especially. See Composting below for more info on composting.
Sawdust- rich in N, acidic, loosens heavy soils, Use as mulch then work it into soil with chicken manure for N so rotting of sawdust doesn*t deplete the N. Important: Use only well aged sawdust to prevent a nitrogen-deficiency period which can severely damage plants.
Wood Ashes - no N but high in P and K, very alkaline, can also be used to increase pH. Helps bind sandy soil, don*t use on clay soils. Don*t use on acid loving plants or on seeds or seedlings, apply to bed several weeks prior to planting or wait until plants have grown.
Teas: Use old pillow case or burlap sack, and a large bucket or a garbage can. Add compost or seaweed for good all purpose tea, manure for spring or higher N tea.
Manure tea it should be fresh, try horse, cow, chicken, rabbit or pig. Poultry is good for heavy feeders and rabbit is a good tonic for trees and shrubs. Seaweed tea supplies NPK and is loaded with micronutrients, has been known to increase strawberry yields by over 100%, great for tomatoes and corn too, I feed it to all of my plants every spring to help encourage new growth, also anytime a plant looks unhealthy or has been subject to unusual stress as well as at critical stages of growth like setting buds and fruit. Also makes a great foliar feeding spray.
Herbal teas: stinging nettle (cold infusion) is rich in Fe, N and most other nutrients and gives plants vigor and is said to help repel aphids, as will rhubarb or wormwood teas, it also promotes deep green foliage, resists rot and increases essential oils in herbs. Horsetail tea protects plants from mildew, fungus and rust, boil this for 20 minutes first, spray on plants. Comfrey tea is rich in potash, Ca, P, Mg, and others and also boasts a NPK combo, great for tomatoes and potatoes. Leaves may also be used as mulch. Chamomile tea discourages damping off in seedlings, spray before and after they emerge. It also concentrates Ca, potash and S, while making the soil more alkaline. Chamomile and garlic tea soaked for 12 hours is an excellent tonic that helps plants fight pests and disease. Cabbage teas add S to the soil. Yarrow tea enhances growth and wards off pests. Ginger tea is a natural botanical insecticide. Weeds even make a good feed tea, providing they contain no tiny seeds, young weeds best.
Organic Mulches
Apply mulch after a rain when the soil is moist and after the soil has warmed up, unless your aim is to keep the soil cool in which case you would apply the mulch in early spring. Apply in late fall for winter protection and remove in early spring just before the plants begin to grow to allow the soil to warm up. When mulching trees leave ~ 6-12* of mulch free area in a ring around the trunk and mulch all around this covering the area underneath the tree*s canopy, (prevents trunk from rotting) mulch 2-3* deep, less with finer mulches as you want the tree to be able to breath and get water. Tip: run over dry mulch material like leaves, ferns, etc with your lawnmower for an easy shred. Also can leave in single layer on ground in the sun to dry out then they will crumble easily.
Grass clippings - make sure the lawn was not chemically treated in any way for at least one year. Let the clippings dry out before using them. Good for warm - loving crops like peppers, tomatoes and eggplants when applied after the soil warms up.
Compost: Mulch with compost to feed plants and inhibit disease as the beneficial microbes suppress the pathogenic ones. Also will control but not prevent weeds. Note: this will result in volatilization of Nitrogen from the compost, if using to fertilize as well you will need to work some into soil before putting layer on top as mulch.
Newspaper: All newspaper these days are supposed to be safe. Use several sheets for very effective weed prevention. Plants showed no evidence of N deficiency. Or use kraft paper - brown paper or cardboard. Corn and tomatoes will have increased yields as will raspberries.
Bark: Lasts longer than wood mulch because it doesn*t hold the water in. Keeps soil cool. Don*t use around tomatoes though. Great for blueberries, shrubs and trees.
Wood Chips: Keeps soil moderately cool, suppresses weeds. Should be aged for 6 months at least before use. Do NOT use it if it smells like vinegar - the acetic acid smell means they have decomposed without enough oxygen, can kill plants, spread them out and let them air out a few days, when smell gone its safe. Perennial beds, garden paths. Note: Turning it in will tie up N.
Leaves: should be dried, aged, and cut up. Use as winter protection and turn into soil in the spring before you plant. Also apply in spring to cool crops like peas and spinach to keep cool when the sun warms up the soil. Beans mulched when they emerge yielded 40% more than unmulched. And mulching your vegetable patch in the fall increases yields of peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. One drawback - slugs love to hide in leaf mulch! Well dried leaves can be used as a storage material for fall dug bulbs.
Pine Needles: Will not change the pH of your soil if used as a mulch. (If worked into the soil it will then acidify which is good for Rhodos and azaleas.) Also boughs of spruce, pine or fir make excellent winter protection in the flower garden.
Straw: Excellent for tomatoes - prevents anthracnose, leaf spot and early blight as it provides a physical barrier to protect from soil borne diseases, and can prevent blossom end rot by keeping moisture levels even. Prevents potato beetle infestation. Great insulator for cold frame *root cellars* and winter carrot beds. Place over fall planted garlic for winter protection. Light colored mulch like straw doesn*t absorb as much heat as dark mulches keeping soil cooler.
Composting:
Using compost is a means of recycling and it promotes healthier plants providing vital micronutrients not found in chemical fertilizers and it offers all natural pest and disease prevention. Add all healthy plant material, grass clippings (N), rinsed seaweed(N P K micronutrients), wood ashes(P K , highly alkaline) and kitchen wastes. Do NOT add pet feces, infected plants, pernicious weeds and seeds, coniferous needles, wood branches, hardy leaves (Rhodo etc) oil, fat grease, dairy or meat bones. Chop up large materials to speed decomposition. Note- coffee grounds(N P) are great but keep in mind they are acidic. Also add dryer lint, eggshells, pine cones (C acidic, decompose slowly), shredded newspaper (C)
Size: pile: 1-3 cubic meters. Enclose in wood or wire mesh to make it rodent and dog proof.
Temperature should be quite warm in middle of pile - if not then add more nitrogen in form of green leaves - grass clippings work good.
Moisture - 50-60% for proper decomposition, compost should glisten, if less pile may overheat, slowing decomposition, and the worms will leave.
C/N : a high C/N ratio slows decomposition - ie: too much leaves or sawdust - add grass or kitchen wastes. A C/N ratio leads to loss of N through formation of ammonia gas - you will smell it. Add more leaves or sawdust. Should be roughly 2 parts N (green stuff) to 1 part C ie brown stuff (sawdust, fallen leaves) Be sure to add some finished compost or soil to provide the organisms necessary for decomposition.
Oxygen: Mix regularly to enhance oxygen in pile to speed decomposition and to destroy pathogens and weed seeds by getting them all into the heat in the center.
Troubleshooting: pile smells- not enough air - aerate by mixing. Pile dries out - too much air, too hot pack pile tighter and add water. Pile stops working/won*t heat up - decay is slow, pile may smell sweet, may be too wet, add N and protect from heavy rains.
Indoor/outdoor Worm Composting: Use Lumbricus rubellus (or Eisenia foetida for indoor) worms which 1000 of them can convert 2kg of garbage (8X their body weight) in just one week. Find the Redworms or banded Red Wigglers in old compost or manure piles or phone compost hotline for local source : 736-2250 in Vancouver. To build: weigh one week*s worth of scraps, for each pound of waste you need 2lbs or 2000 worms and one square foot of boxed surface area. If you don*t have enough worms just reduce the wastes and let them increase gradually. The box should be about 1* deepand made of wood with a wooden or burlap lid to maintain a level of darkness and moisture. Drill drainage holes in bottom and place tray underneath - use tea as fertilizer. Fill * full and spray lightly with water. To empty finished compost move all to one side, add fresh wastes in other side and remove finished compost when worms have moved over.
Plant Propagation
Air Layering- Use greater than 1/8* diameter stem, cover area with plastic stuffed with peat moss for 2* of stem, slit stem carefully and dust with rooting hormone. Water moss and depending on plant will root in 1-10 weeks. Also can bend a branch over and stake it into the soil with pegs, paperclips or sticks and cover with soil and roots will form, then sever branch and transplant. This works good for raspberries and vines.
Annuals: My preferred method is au natural ie; just let them go to seed in situ, a more natural garden. Or simply collect the seeds as they ripen,dry them in paper bags, clean them by placing heavy seeds in a large bowl and shaking it out in the wind, lighter seeds can be attempted this way with some practice. Then store in a cool dry place until needed.
Bulbs: Just dig and divide when removing for the fall or those that remain in the ground just dig them up and divide them in the fall or spring.
Ferns - divide the sod or sprinkle spores over sterile potting soil, mist with water and cover with plastic, takes about a month to germinate.
Cloning - Take from mother plant at 2months or older, stem cuttings root best in low N soil. Use rigid branches that break - not bend, but are not woody. Use rooting hormone, leave 2 sets of leaves above the soil and 1-2 nodes buried in the soil. Cut halfway between nodes, not too close or may get stress resulting in hermaphrodites. Leave cuttings in tepid water overnight then plant in sterile mix. Place under fluorescence or halide but under a mesh screen. Use a humidity tent (plastic bag will do) T around 80F. Small cuttings can be rooted in water by floating in styrofoam chips. Large leafed houseplants - cut leaves in sections and lay down in damp soil, mist and keep moist until rooted.
Division: Standard perennial method - simply divide the plant, best done in early fall after blooms are spent, but before first hard frost so roots can develop before winter sets in.
Root cuttings:cut off pieces of root that have some stem attached and plant elsewhere, similar to division. For smaller pieces some use hormone and plant in a cold frame until next spring.
Stem cuttings: Cuttings are generally taken in the late spring and early summer, woody cuttings in the fall and buried in sand for winter and stored in a cool frost free place to be planted out in spring. Cut from base of stem, (using greenwood from woody cuttings like roses taken during growing season just before the flowers are about to bloom, remove the buds), getting at least 4* of stem, beneath the soil, try to get some root, dip cut end in rooting hormone, being sure to get a node in their as this is where roots will grow out of, and place in loose soil (add perlite), being sure to have at least one node below the soil and remove all leaves that touch or will be below the soil, plant will be ready early next spring. Fresh cuttings must not dry out, if not putting in soil immediately place in plastic bag to keep moist, being careful not to leave bag in the sun or the cuttings will *cook*. Set up a moisture tent (cover with plastic bag) to prevent drying and increase humidity before rooting takes place. But be careful where it is place as it needs light but can*t be in full sun in a sealed bag or you will *cook* them. For geraniums cuttings need to be overwintered indoors with supplemental light. Most other cuttings can be placed in a greenhouse or coldframe to overwinter. Many houseplants, vines, mints, geraniums and others can be rooted in water, and will root faster if place under fluorescence. Try adding a piece of charcoal to the water to prevent rot, change water often.
Seeds: Choose the healthiest looking plants, or those with certain desirable characteristics for seed production. Note if choosing for color not all seed will produce the desired color (due to genetics). Cut just ready to drop seeds and place upside down in a paper bag. You can also place a bag over the plant in place to collect seeds as they fall, as long as there is no rain. If leaving seeds in a bag for a long time be sure to leave bag open slightly for air circulation. Be sure you are not collecting from hybrids. Also some herbs like lavender and thyme for example will cross pollinate when grown in the vicinity of each other, use cuttings instead.
Some plants can be left to self sow like chamomile for example. Package dried and cleaned seeds in paper/manilla envelopes. To clean seed wait for a windy day, get a shallow bowl and shake in the wind the debris will float up to the top and with a little practice it will all be carried away by the wind. This works best for medium and large sized seeds.
Planting seeds: plant in sterile light weight mix, light source close enough to prevent *leggy* seedlings, should be 6* from plants, on 12-16 hours per day. Brown leaf tips are a sign of too much light. Dilute chamomile tea helps prevent damping off, horsetail tea helps treat it. Be sure to label your seedlings! Keep moist with a humidity tent until germinate. Speed up slow to germinate seeds by soaking overnight in warm water or mist with warm water when planting. Just press tiny seeds into soil - do not bury them, planting too shallowly is better than too deep because with the latter they will not germinate. When transplanting pick up seedlings by a leaf - never by the stem.
Organic Weed, Disease
and Pest Control
Hand weed when soil is moist - weeds pull out easier. In spring allow weeds to sprout in veggie beds and then till under for green manure. Also mulch with newspaper and cover with grass clippings to suffocate weeds. Rotate crops when possible, plant a varied and layered garden to crowd them out. Also see *lawns*
Ants: repel with cayenne pepper and large marigolds. Use boric acid 1% in a 20% sugar solution, soak cottonballs in it and place in Styrofoam coffee cups or old margarine tubs with holes in led so they can get in and out, place where you see ants. For long term control reduce acid to *% and put out to ensure that all the ants eat it and die off. Some can be beneficial (except for fire ants) as they feed on many pests like termites, ticks, woodbugs, cutworms etc. and add OM to soil and aerate it. But ant nest activity in the root zone of plants may kill them.
Aphids: Symptoms: curled yellow leaves, stunted and deformed flowers, bug may be green, black, red or brown. Wash leaves with water, onion spray, lime water or insecticidal soap, don*t overfeed N to plants as aphids are attracted to new lush green growth. Clear all host plants like plantain and bindweed.
Beetles: most are beneficial esp. carnivorous ground beetles.
Baking soda, more than one teaspoon is needed for a weed, cover the leaf, good for broadleaf weeds like dandelions and plantain.
Bug Juice: Works for all pests especially aphids, woodbugs, cut and army worms, ants, grasshoppers, stink bugs, and root maggots. Protection lasts 2-3 months. It will repel the pest, spread spp. specific diseases and attract beneficials. Store unused portions in freezer. Pick as many specimens as you can find esp. dead or sick ones and mash into water to make a spray. Strain so sprayer doesn*t clog and treat both sides of leaf, reapply after a rain.
Caterpillars: Destroy all nests found, hand pick , use cayenne.
Cayenne Pepper: Protects cabbages better than chemicals from cabbage loopers, and worms and moth larvae, use on all brassicas
Cutworms: Curl up into a circle when disturbed. Feed on roots or stems toppling young tranplants. Use toilet paper tube or other suitable collar pressed at least 1* into soil around transplants, sprinkle * tsp cornmeal or bran meal around plants in a circle with a trail leading away from the plant, they eat it and it swells inside of them killing them. Or try mixing it with sawdust and molasses to make sticky little balls to be left out around the plants. Or surround plants by wood ash. Repelled by tansy. Use sunflowers as a trap crop. Predators are bats, swallows, robins, moles, shrews, snakes, black ground beetles, toads braconid wasps. Keep garden weed free several weeks before planting to starve them out.
Damping off: Control excess humidity very important, use fan to encourage circulation if necessary. Water with dilute chamomile tea to prevent and treat, or use dilute horsetail tea to treat when it occurs. Also sterilize soil before use (if mixing own) in oven 200F for 30 minutes or in microwave on high for 6 minutes per ice-cream bucket full.
Deer: use fences, or human hair, some say bloodmeal may work.
Dog and cat repellent: - Fences or garlic and red &/black pepper sprays, repeat often.
Earwigs: Spray garlic and soap at sundown, lightly stuff toilet paper tube *traps* with paper and collect in AM. Earwigs beneficial except on corn, strawberries, lettuce, dahlias and potatoes.
Garlic tea: repels aphids, symphylans, millipedes, thrips and caterpillars.
Hot water: poured on weeds kills them almost instantly.
Lacewings: beneficial, brown color, weak flight, eat aphids and mealy bugs, larvae eat thrips, mites and caterpillar eggs. Oval eggs are lain on top of a delicate stock projecting from a leaf or twig and hatch in 6-14 days, 2-3 weeks later the spin yellowish pea size cocoons. Plant flowers in veggie patch to attract them also try honey and water spray.
Lady Bugs: beneficial, attract to garden by planting hosts plants like: dill and fennel, and also by spraying sugar water which can attract lady bugs, increasing their numbers by 200% as it simulates the honeydew secreted by aphids. A well fed ladybug will eat 2400 aphids during her lifespan. Larvae is a bristled alligator or lizard like thing that hatches in spring from underside of leaves grows to ** then attaches to a leaf/stem and pupates.
Lawns: Use corn gluten meal in spring before seeds germinate as it prevents seedlings from growing roots, killing them. Use only on established lawns. Reduces survival of dandelions, crabgrass, annual bluegrass, and other weeds.
Leafminers: Green or black 1/8* long, leaves show light brown or green *tunnels* and leaf areas turn yellow, brown or beige, see tiny black specks, their droppings. Remove all infested leaves and throw in garbage, spray with soap water June to late July to repel them before they become a problem. Handpick and destroy their 1/16 to 1/8* long chalky white eggs found in rows on underside of leaf. Chickadees, robins, finches and ladybugs are natural predators.
Rabbits: repelled by onions and garlic, good fences burried partway into ground.
Root Weevils: esp. a problem on Rhodos and azaleas, adult on leaves and larvae on roots. Leaf damage is distinctive- little circular notches are taken from the sides of leaves. If edges are brown it may have been last year*s damage. They are inactive in cold weather and do not feed in pupae stage, early summer and early fall is when they are a problem. Place board or cardboard under rhodo for a couple of days and the weevils will congregate there remove and destroy, or crumple up newspaper with bran inside and place under plant. Keep debris off the ground as prevention. Adults can be handpicked in early PM, they stick to you like velcro.
Sawflies: Smooth green caterpillar with black spots. Hatch from white glossy eggs deposited in rows on undersides of leaves. Especially on currants or gooseberries. Adults emerge April or early may 1/3* long and resemble wasps, start checking for eggs or worms shortly after that.
Slugs: eggshell, copper, course gravel, salt or lime barriers, diatomaceous earth. Also coffee grounds on the strawberry patch, brushing any off the leaves onto the ground. Spray susceptible plants with horsetail, wormwood or mullein tea. Use seaweed mulch around plants as it repels slugs, as does coffee grounds? Also may be repelled by cayenne, ginger, chili pepper and garlic. Predators include robins, woodpeckers, snakes, toads, salamanders, shrews, ground, soldier, and black ground beetles. Go out in evening or early AM with a pointed stick for slug patrol. Plant wormwood around susceptible perennials as it repels them. Soft leaf mulches will attract slugs. Make slug traps- dishes of water filled with yeast and sugar, or milk or beer. Turn over melon or grapefruit rind, or pie plate with dogfood underneath, or board etc. collect slugs in AM and destroy.
Spider Mites: Like hot and dry conditions so frequent misting of plants deters them. Foliage turns yellow and speckled accompanied by tiny webs, keep plants well watered and spray foliage often with soap and water
Tansy: repels fleas and mosquitoes and attracts beneficials.
Whiteflies: Brush over foliage and they will fly out - then you know you have a problem. Spray isopropyl alcohol with insecticidal soap or spray with tobacco dust or nicotine spray. Spray undersides of leaves also. A blend of ginger (botanical insecticide) and thyme (Repellant) with mild dish soap also works well when you spray entire plant thoroughly, repeat at least once to get those that flew away and came back. Predators include ladybugs, trichogramma wasps, chalcid wasps, and green lacewings. Adults attracted to yellow so yellow sticky traps may help.
Wireworm: Most damage occurs in poorly drained soils. Eggs laid in June/July and eat through two growing seasons then in Aug. of third season they pupate into light tan to dark brown clicking beetles that are poor fliers. Plow sod land once week for 4-6 weeks in preceeding fall if turning it into a garden bed. Grow annual green manure crops like clover, barley, rye etc. use crop rotation. Potato trap - use one that is very old and smelly stab it with a stick and bury it 1* under and remove in 2 days - may get as much as 15-20 pests per potato, depending on the degree of infestation. Also can control them in the adult stage - adults are attracted to corn syrup dribbled on fenceposts or wooden stakes, gather and destroy. Don*t put poison in syrup as it will also attract many beneficials such as lady bugs.
Woodbugs: Try bugjuice. Also lime water or wood ash in the soil. Overturned grapefruit or cantaloupe rinds lure them, collect and destroy in AM, also can be used for slugs and snails.
Wormwood Tea: spray for use on snails and slugs and as a repellant for them.
Specialty Gardens
Wildlife: create small honey-comb shaped rockpiles for lizards, snakes, beetles, spiders, being sure to create small cavities for them to hide in. Rotting logs are great for birds, toads, chipmunks. The less manicured your garden is the more protection it will offer for wildlife. Provide water in form of a small pond - or make a mini pond out of a barrel! Butterfly friendly herbs and flowers: Bright colored flowers, not the deeply cupped ones - open, flat flowers are best: Asters, black-eyed susan, cosmos, hollyhock, Queen Anne*s lace, salvia, zinnias, yarrow, certain poppies, oregano, rosemary, basil, dill, parsley, calamint, bergamont, thyme, butterfly bush and weed, lovage, borage, comfrey, hyssop, nettles, echinacea, catnip, lavender, sage, horehound, mint, mallows, calendula, fennel, bee balm. Bee Flowers: Mostly blues and yellows preferred: bergamont, borage, bee balm, Hummingbird Friendly: Any red/orange deeply cupped flowers are preferred. Bee balm, Calamint, Cardinal flower, red columbine, red penstemon, red sage, hardy fuchsias, bright orange daylilies.
Bog Gardens- Try filling part of an existing pond, making a rock border to separate. Also a great use for old leaky pond liners as some holes prevent soil from going sour. Allow somewhere for overflow drainage to drain off excess water. Generally sheltered somewhat shaded spots are best. Can also do same in a container without drain holes just layer gravel on bottom for some drainage. Try Myrica Gale (bog bayberry), Menyanthes trifoliata (bogbean) and pond plants for wetter spots like Iris versicolor in standing water and Iris laevigata, Calamus, and aquatic mint. BC Bog and water iris Source: Millar Mountain Nursery, 5086 McLay Rd, RR#3 Duncan, BC V9L 2X1 $2 for catalogue.
Shade Gardens: Most prefer rich slightly acid soil, that drains well in rainy season but retains moisture in drought. Add compost, leaf mold, adjust pH if necessary. Hostas of all kinds are excellent in shade gardens as long as slugs are not a problem or can be kept at bay. Best grown in rich well drained soil. Also bleeding hearts, impatiens, Alchemelia mollis which grows in sun or shade, Ajuga (bugleweed) varieties, Maidenhair or other (try native) ferns. Also Bergenia (Elephant*s ear) provides glossy green evergreen foliage (in most climates). Primula spp. Lungwort, Cordyalis, and Campanula (bellflowers). Also try Astilbe varieties come in pinks, reds, purples, whites. Or try evergreen Hellobores and hardy Geranium AKA Cranesbill. Dappled shade best for hydrangea, astilbes, columbine, hardy geraniums and spring bulbs. Part Shade best for Rhodos, autumn clematis, sweet woodruff, ferns, hardy fuchsia, Full shade best for hellebore, wild ginger, bloodroot, corydalis, cyclamen, hostas, Virginia bluebells, Maidenhair fern. Dense shade: Few grow here - try pepperbush, wintergreen, English ivy, bugleweed, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Solomon*s seal, Canadian mayflowers. Give all shade gardens 2* compost mulch, diatomaceous earth for slugs. Source: Rainforest Gardens 13139 224th St, RR#2 Maple Ridge, BC V2X 7E7.
Winter Gardens
In the Garden: Leave old seedheads of purple coneflowers, Ligularia stenocephala (The Rocket), plant red osier dogwood for its colourful stem, or plant firethorn for their colorful berries, and any other plant with attractive or colorful seedheads and stems. Also try fragrant shrubs like Chimonanthus praecox, Sarococca, the winter box, which is a low growing evergreen shrub with nicely scented white flowers, Hamamalis also makes a nice winter display, as does Helleborus niger and winter flowering heather.
Patio and Greenhouse: For patio pots plant in a plastic insert so that pots can be moved for protection should a severe cold spell appear. Try pansies along with *Silver Brocade* or Dusty Miller, or bulbs like tulips, narcissus, hyacinths, and crocus. Make sure bulbs are well hardened off before setting them out. Cover pots with moss in top for added cold protection. Add twisted willow or other twigs to pot for more visual display. Greenhouse: plant winter hardy crops in late July of cabbage(January King, Springtime, and First Market types), broccoli(purple and white sprouting), cauliflower, spinach(winter hardy), kale (use different colors for display - can be planted directly outdoors and tastes better after a hard frost), sorrel, leeks (start in May), Swiss chard, and winter lettuce, brussel sprouts also taste best after a frost. Feed winter crops for last time in late fall. Carrots, beets, leaf lettuce, and radishes can be planted throughout summer to harvest late in the fall, in a greenhouse. Green onions will stay green all winter here in SW BC. (To get a second harvest cut scallion so that ** of the root tip remains with roots on it and plant 6-8*deep, ready in 6-8weeks.
Cold Frame Root Cellar - dig large hole, place a box inside and fill with straw, use for beets, celeriac, potatoes, squash and cabbage for winter use. Winter carrots and radishes can be left in the ground all winter and used as needed.
For non - living displays: add evergreen boughs of cedar, fir, pine, spruce and holly along with berries, and pinecones to a spent summer hanging basket for a nice visual display. Also use colorful birdhouses and other garden accessories so they add to the winter garden.
Frost Protection: Chicken wire cages filled with leaves for tender shrubs, straw mulch with a layer of newspaper underneath, do NOT use plastic mulch, it offers no insulation and will only suffocate plants. Newspapers must be scrunched up to trap air and increase insulation value, use burlap, mounds of leaves in areas with drier winters, place boxes overtop of rosemary and other plants when severe cold winds hit. Try shade and wind cloths available at nurseries.
After Winter Care: prune off damaged tips on trees, shrubs, cut back your rosebushes. Broken branches and frost bitten tips should all be removed - cut down to an outward facing bud.
