Is there an easier, and healthy, way to control weeds other than the old-fashioned pull each weed?

The best way to control weeds is to maintain good cultural practices. The early spring weather is when the first flush pushes out. The BEST way to eradicate is good old fashioned hand pulling or hoeing, these friendly approaches are better for the planet all the way around. Pre – emergent herbicides effect the storm sewers & bake the good organisms in your garden soil. Corn Gluten Meal is a green bi – product that can be employed but it has been found to be only 50-60% effective in controlling weeds. It should be applied in April/May and then again in August. Effectiveness increases over time. It requires moisture to be active but can wash away in a heavy rain and excessive moisture reduces its effectiveness. Hand pulling provides good exercise for the gardener and gives them an opportunity to view up close and personal all that is going on in their garden! :)

What should I be doing now to control weeds in my garden?

Once the soils warm up in June and after your gardens are hand weeded, or cultivated/hoed, that is the time to apply a summer mulch. Summer mulch (not to be confused with a winter mulch of hay/leaves that keeps plants dormant if there is no snow cover) retains moisture, suppresses weeds, looks nice & can improve soil quality. One year mulches (coco bean, rice hulls, compost) should be applied every season. They can then be turned into the soils that fall or the next spring to improve the soil structure. Wood chip mulch needs only be applied every couple of years otherwise plants can be buried too deeply & “volcano mounds” around trees invite stem girdling roots which can spell demise to a tree.

A little note on bulbs

My Crown Imperial - Fritillaria imperalis is gorgeous and stately. This bulb does not always winter here, but it is amazing this season. This bulb does smell kind of skunky tho.

What are your thoughts? Do you have bulbs blooming in your garden?

Tell Me About Your Shrubs

In my yard, the native Elderberry – Sambucus has a wonderful white flower on it as does my Regent Serviceberry – Amelanchier. I love this small hedging serviceberry as it next develops purple berries then has red foliage in the fall. Three bangs for your buck! I sure hope my dogs don’t eat the berries of the serviceberry this year! J My forsythia is just starting to fade but the lilacs are beginning to swell! My friend Douglas described it as all “this abundance as the earth wakes up and so much life comes spilling out, so much like an explosion, yet so artfully orchestrated”. I do not have the correct site for rhododendron, so I am not even going to try anymore. They really want to be.

What shrubs do you have in your yard/garden? What do you like about them?

Keeping Thumper & Bambi Out of the Garden

I don't know about you, but I am seeing a lot of Thumper and Bambi's friends around my gardens this time of year. The most important issue is to begin the control early in the season before they have developed their browsing pattern. We always apply our "triple threat".

First, spread Milorganite like chicken feed throughout susceptible gardens. It is a fertilizer made from sludge and the animals don't like the smell of a human predator.

Second, use coyote urine, or other animal urine, as a perimeter control of the whole property. We spray this on the wood of trees, fence post, decking, every 10 feet or so, to mark the territory.

Third, apply a topical spray on the foliage of the susceptible plants as a taste deterrent. We apply any and all of the products readily available on the market, Treeguard, Deer Off, Deer Away, Liquid Fence, Hot Pepper Wax, etc. The biggest key to this application is to rotate products every other week so that the pests do not build up a tolerance for the product.

At HLG have yet another control that is systemic. The manufacturer suggests that the repellant lasts for up to two seasons in the plant. Repellex tablets are "planted" in the soil around the base of the plant where the roots take in the deterrent and emit it through the leaves. The real benefit of this product is that rains do not wash it off.

I'm interested in what you use to keep the critters from eating your hard work and garden beauty. Post your comments!

What to Plant When

I know it's hard to remember what fruits and vegetables go in the ground when. That's why I created this handy guide. I hope you find it helpful.

To see a full screen view, please visit our web site at: http://bloomonmn.com/what-to-plant-when.html