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Five essentials to gardening with confidence

January 7, 2011 By 12 Comments

Some 600 years ago Before Christ, Lao Tzu was doing a lot of thinking on our behalf. I admire a person who can succulently present small words into life’s biggest challenges, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Each day, week, year, or any of the number of life’s change of events begins a new journey. Isn’t this wonderful? At any time, we can begin again in our journey of a thousand miles.

When my first child came along, for a tiny moment in time, lasting about a year, I figured I would have to put gardening on a back burner. At the time of her arrival in 1996, we lived in a 1905 cottage in Oakwood, in one of the Raleigh’s historic districts. This is a home my husband and I renovated on weekends. During the week, we lead life in the fast lane, each working exciting careers, but on the weekends, we worked at a comfortable pace renovating our home, one room at a time.    It was the perfect home for the two of us and we figured when the children came along, we would find a bigger place to live.

The garden was renovated along with the house itself.  When I think of home, whether mine or yours, I naturally think of the garden gracing the grounds as much as the place where you tuck in your loved ones in at night.   Rarely can separate the two. I loved that garden; no doubt she was my surrogate child.

As timing would have it, Hurricane Fran arrived a month before the arrival of our first child. Fran was nature’s way of telling me to slow down. At the time, I wasn’t sure of her reasons, and clearly a hurricane didn’t hit Raleigh just to send me a message, but I took Fran as a first step of what would become a thousand miles.

Before Fran, my little garden in Oakwood was in full shade; after Fran, she was in full sun. I looked into the future, one month down the road, and decided to let the garden be. I have a child coming and with that child, we will need to soon move. This was a defining moment. I spent that first year looking for our next home, with my little Bud in tow.

On Bud’s one year birthday, we closed on a 25 year-old home in Raleigh. I can vividly remember looking at the new garden before me realizing, ironically, this was also transformed by Fran from full shade to full sun. It was obvious, too, the previous owners did nothing with their garden as they planned the next journey in their lives. When I looked out at what was to be my garden, I realized for the first time, this was no longer my space, but rather a place where my kids would run and play. This would be the place my kids will share stories to their kids about how they played in the garden. My kids would need a place to explore, to kick a ball, and to chase fireflies, and not having me fretting over my beds and borders.

It was then I decided that if ever there was a time to build a garden, it was now. Now, when the kids could build along with me. For the next 2.5 years, Bud and I hung out in the garden together. With her running around wildly, while I wiled away the hours digging in the dirt and learning where my sun laid. Then came number two, quickly followed by number three. We were family; one who planned to spend hours everyday in the garden. And of course, for us, a garden is really just a metaphor for enjoying the out of doors and all it has to offer. Today, 14 years later, my kids know where to find me on Sundays, my day in the garden. All time leading up to this day and the day itself, I know where my kids are – in the garden, running, playing, exploring and chasing fireflies.

Because time was precious and money was tight, I wanted to get the garden right the first time. During this time, I gained a lot of confidence in the garden and learned many lessons. Here are five essentials I learned early on so I could garden with confidence. Why not begin today with a new or renewed mindset:  right plant for the right place?  Understanding these five essential elements will help you garden with confidence.  

FIVE ESSENTIALS TO GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE

Zone

There is a lot of talk about zonal denial, micro-climates, and changes in our zones due to global warming.  If you are a risk taker and know your garden well, then by all means push the limits with your gardening zone.  In my garden, Helen’s Haven, Zone 7b in Raleigh, North Carolina, I no longer take these risks.  I’m perfectly happy in the zone I own.  I know plenty of gardeners that plant zone 8 and even zone 9 plants in our zone 7b gardens and are thrilled with their success, even if it may be short lived.  I use too, but don’t anymore. I find it even risky planting plants on the zone’s edge. Ideally, I like to wrap a zone around a plant. There is no doubt, I’ve missed out on a lot of fun this way, but I don’t loose as many plants either.

Soil

We need to accept the soil we’re dealt or be prepared to amend.  I have yet to garden in perfect soil, and still, I find gardening success. I’m a heavy amend-er and believe in the power of mulch.  In our area of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, there is clay and sand. In the heart of Raleigh, where I am, it is all clay.  As you move outside of Raleigh, you’ll find sandy soil.  So when I read a plant label that recommends planting in well drained soils, I know they’re not talking to me.  But planting these plants in my garden is a risk I’m willing to take.  Why?  Because here I have some control; december-25-2008-090I can amend my soil. And I do. I have amended all my garden beds, one planting hole at a time.  Adding composted leaf mulch or other organic matter to the hole and blending it with the clay with some added insurance of a permanent clay buster such as PermaTill or Clay Busters, I can make my sticky clay soil friable.  In any garden soil type, you cannot go wrong adding more organic matter. Then top dress the garden beds with a lush, thick layer of mulch each year to moderate the soil temperature, suppress weeds, retain water and generally tiding up the garden.  By doing so, you’ll have a happy garden; happy gardens give gardener’s confidence.

Sun

Full sun, part sun, part shade, dappled shade, full shade, afternoon sun, morning sun, winter sun, more sun.  Know your sun. If the plant tag says full sun (6 hours or more a day) then that means it needs full sun.  Anything less and the plant will not perform at its best.  However, having said that, you can use the sun requirements to tame plants as well.  As an example, I like Akebia quinata commonly know as five-leaf Chocolate vine.  This is an vigorous vine.  However, I grow this sun lover in the shade where it is well behaved. Remember this:  The north side will have the least sun, the south side the most.  The eastern side will have cool light, the western side hot.  Of course all this depends on what’s above and if it is deciduous.  There is nothing mysterious about this.  Take the time to identify areas in your garden and track each hour. To see the effects of the sun’s angle, track around March 21, June 21, September 21 and December 21. The results may surprise you. This is also good advice to repeat every few years as your plants (and your neighbor’s plants) mature.

Water

The last thing I want to do is deny myself is a plant based on watering needs.  But, I’m also prudent. I garden water wisely.  By that I mean, I have my gardens grouped into three watering zones:  Oasis, Transitional, and Xeric.   I’m also fortunate in that I have most sun types covered in each of my helenyoestgarden-1watering zones.  When I garden shop, the plant’s watering needs are a high priority for me.   But because my garden is designed in zones, it narrows down where I will plant it in the garden.   This also makes my garden purchases easy.   I wont waste money on a thirsty plant requiring shade if the only area I can plant in is in my Oasis zone, in full sun.  Also, it allows me to have a mental map of my garden with me at all times.  I don’t want to spend any more time than I have watering. The thought of dragging a hose around, past 10 drought tolerant plants to reach one thirsty plant is not part of my makeup.  I’m way smarter than that.

Critters

We all have our critter challenges.  For some it’s deer, others moles, voles, and armadillos.  For me its rabbits.  Bunnies are my nemesis!  I have voles and moles too and once when a new development was going in two miles away, I saw evidence of displaced deer.   Then I actually saw the critter.   A sight common to many, but not to me.  That deer was so out of character in my garden, it might as well have been a kangaroo.

I’ve given up worrying about critters.  If I don’t have a chance at winning, I’m not going to play.   I do what and where I can, but I will not be a bound to sprays either.  I don’t have the time or the where-with-all that requires of an exact spray schedule.  I get no pleasure from it either.  These critter repellent sprays work fine, but need to be kept up.   When I look back at what I had to give up, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I first thought.  I can only have a few Hosta, because the voles love them.  I have voles.  But I also love Hellebores, so I grow Hellebores – the voles don’t bother them. The bunnies will have to go elsewhere to Echinacea because I will no longer provide these favorites of mine as a favorite for them.  As for the Rudbeckia, I’m trying them in a tall pot this year.   I may try to put some Echinacea in a pot as well.

So you see, following these five essential elements will soon have you gardening with confidence.  With the selection of the right plant for the right place, do what you can and accept what you can’t and you will be good to go!

COLLECTING CONFIDENCE

Hmm, let’s see where to begin with all my acts of silliness regarding right plant, right place.  There was the time I planted 7 gorgeous Hostas in a new bed only to wake up to find them nearly gone.  Every one was chomped off at the root level and much of the foliage was dragged down under and finish off.  Voles! Voles are herbivores and find the roots of Hostas, Camellias, roses, and Aspidistra elatior (cast iron plant) much to their liking.

Would you believe I replanted?  I did do some research and followed some very good sound advice.  As advised, I planted with the Hosta still in the pot, wrapped in landscape fabric the top, sides, and drainage hole and for good measure, I heavily sprinkled the area with PermiTill.   I planted my 7 new Hostas; but when I checked on them the next morning, they were gone.  At about this time, I was out of time, patients and money.  I gave up and planted Hellebores instead and haven’t had a problem since.  Voles don’t like Hellebores.

I wasn’t so lucky the time the voles went after my Aspidistra elatior.   Thank goodness, these cast iron plants were only a rather pedestrian solid green variety. I had 5 planted one day and as per my usual customary habit, I went to check on them the next day. Three were gone.  I was outraged, mostly because I knew there were voles in this area, but I didn’t know voles liked cast iron plants.  So what did I do?  I did something that put me into the “Don’t that beat all” category.  I moved the remaining two cast iron plants into a location; a location where I knew there were no voles.  The next morning when I went to check on these two plants, they were down on the ground.  There was only on explanation – I transplanted a vole with a plant.  If this ever happens to you, you have two choices – laugh or cry.  I chose to laugh.
Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™

Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.

AND

Helen is the founder, publisher and editor of:
Tarheel Gardening – your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

You can follow Tarheel Gardener.com on Twitter @TarheelGardenin and on facebook at Tarheel Gardening.com.

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability, Gardening With Confidence Tagged With: , ,

Earth Day April 22, 2010 – Lessons to Lessen Your Footprint through Sustainable Gardening

April 10, 2010 By 6 Comments

ggo

It is Earth Day, once again.

Thanks to Jan at

Thanks For 2day for hosting this Earth Day, April 22, 2010,  educational event.

Please visit Jan’s site to see what others are doing to make the earth more sustainable, one garden at a time.

Lessen Your Footprint

through Sustainable Gardening

IMG_3233

INTRODUCTION

The term “Sustainable” gardening seems to have become the buzz word in the gardening community encompassing “green”, “organic”, and “waterwise” gardening practices. Simply put, sustainable gardening is the gardening practice of conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Gardening sustainably is not and does not need to be an all or nothing proposition.  You can begin with one practice and build from there.  What’s key is to be aware of what practices you perform and think about them before continuing on with business as usual.  It is also good to understand the available options and grow from there.

Most sustainable gardening practices can be delved into deeper, but a good place to begin is with these lessons:  growing the right plant in the right place, practicing water conservation, bed preparation and maintenance, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM.)

Right Plant, Right Place

Red Bed 026

Putting the right plant in the right place will save you and your resources.  Many plants can be grown outside their recommend growing range with regards to sunlight and water requirements.  In doing so, however, more time and energy is wasted – water, human energy, time.

Planting a moisture loving plant in dry bed is counter-productive.  Study and know your site.  Plant moisture loving plants in a moist area or be prepared to provide.  Plant drought tolerant plants in a dry area, and so on.  Many gardeners like to push hardiness zones, but it is not advisable to push plant needs.  While you can nurse a shade loving plant planted in the sun with water, it’s not sustainable.

Planting native plants and trees is the ultimate example of the right plant in the right place dictum.  Planting these helps to re-establish the local ecosystem. Native plantings have already adapted to this climate, and the native wildlife have adapted to these plants.

WATER CONSERVATION

What not to do!
What not to do!

Water conservation can be achieved from many aspects of garden design and harvesting.  The goal for water conservation is to keep as much of the water on your property as possible.  This can be done so by reducing impervious surfaces, slowing falling rainwater enough so as it doesn’t go to the storm drains, building rain gardens, and to water less and smartly.

Waterwise

Most of us don’t want to be denied a plant based on watering needs. But be prudent. Garden water wisely. Understand your garden’s watering zones.  Dragging a hose past 10 drought tolerant plants to water a thirsty one is neither sustainable nor practical.

A waterwise garden design is comprised of three gardening zones:  oasis, transitional, and xeric.

The “oasis zone” is still the area closest to the water source. Traditionally, this was the spigot or the hose at the end of it.  But now these sources can be drain spouts, rain barrels, the outlet of a French drain, and the area around the front door to easily water your container plants with say, the “wasted” water used indoors.

The “transitional zone” is the area away from the house about midway from the home and the end of the property. Plantings here should be sustainable requiring only occasional supplemental water. Typically, these areas are island beds, driveway beds, or raised beds.

The “xeric zone” is at the property’s perimeter. These plants should be tough requiring no supplemental water. This area can be filled with dependable drought-resistant plants.

The key is to select plants that don’t require supplemental watering or if they do, they can be watered with water collected from nature or clean water from inside the home that would otherwise be wasted.

HarvesterRaleighYoest 004

Water Smart

Water plants directly to the root zone by hand or using soaker or drip irrigation.  Overhead sprinklers are not sustainable due to the water lost through evaporation and wind. Water according to plant needs, not a rigid schedule. Water infrequently, but deeply.

BED PREPARATION/MAINTENANCE

Soil

We need to accept the soil we’re dealt or be prepared to amend.  In our area of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, there is clay and sand. In the heart of Raleigh, it’s all clay. As you move outside of Raleigh, you’ll find sandy soil. It is important to read plant labels.  If the label recommends planting in well drained soils, and you have clay, just know some amending will need to occur.  In any garden soil type, you cannot go wrong adding more organic matter.

Fertilizer

Reduce or eliminate fertilizer use. If you must use chemical fertilizers, be sure to closely follow the directions on the bag.  Using more fertilizer than directed will not help your plants grow any more.  Over fertilizing also increases the risk of not working its way into the ground becoming available as runoff to pollute local waterways.  Begin a compost pile to create your own organic fertilizer.

Mulching

December 25, 2008 102

Covering garden beds with mulch is one of the best things you can do for your garden. Used generously, mulch breaks down to add nutrients to the soil, helps retain moisture, moderates the soil temperature, improves soil texture, suppresses weeds, and looks great; and it really makes the garden look tidy.  Mulch all uncovered soil for water retention, weed control, and to improve the soil’s structure.

Weeding

Weeds compete for water with your desirable plants.  Even if the sight of weeds is acceptable in your garden, removing them will help stop the spread of environmental weeds. Find out what plants have become weeds in your area and, if you have them, weed them out or safely kill or contain them.

Composting

Compost garden and kitchen waste. In Raleigh, we have separate yard waste pick up.  If yard waste is rid properly, it won’t end up in the landfill.  But if you have the room to compost, then you don’t have to buy it back to use in your own garden.  If more fertilizer is needed, using organic sources only, like aged manure, compost tea, and those that are fish- or seaweed-based can be used.

There a few approaches to building a compost.  Choose whatever type suits your garden — a three-bay heap for a large property, a classic upside-down-bin style to place in an average garden, a tumble-type bin that neatly sits on a paved area or a bucket to keep in your kitchen.

Compost systems can be either hot or cold.  Hot requires regular a turning maintenance.  Cold takes longer to break down, but if you have the room, it is the easiest way to compost.  In cold composting, the kitchen and yard waste only needs to be piled.  After it reaches a certain height, start another.  When that one is full, go back to the other.  Hopefully it will be ready to use when you are.

Mature compost ends up as a delightful humus to use as a soil conditioner in your sustainable garden.

IPM

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective approach to pest management using the most economical means with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment.

IPM is not a single pest control method, but rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls. It’s the judicious use of pesticides.

IPM follows a four-tiered approach:

Dwarf Loblolly larvae

  1. Determine action threshold.  Sighting a single pest doesn’t necessarily mean control is needed.
  2. Monitor and Identify Pests. Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are innocuous and even beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds.
  3. Prevention.  Rotating between different crops, selecting pest-resistant varieties, and planting pest-free rootstock. Also planting in areas to provide good air circulation prevents problems with pests.
  4. Control.  Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would and could be used, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.

As individual gardeners, we can each use these lessons to do a small part to help lessen our footprint on the environment with our gardening practices.  We gardeners make up large numbers including more than 7 million new gardeners each year.  Each of us can make a difference by avoiding the depletion of our natural resources.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lessen Your Footprint through Sustainable Gardening

March 8, 2010 By 8 Comments

Lessen Your Footprint

through Sustainable Gardening

IMG_3233

INTRODUCTION

The term “Sustainable” gardening seems to have become the buzz word in the gardening community encompassing “green”, “organic”, and “waterwise” gardening practices. Simply put, sustainable gardening is the gardening practice of conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Gardening sustainably is not and does not need to be an all or nothing proposition.  You can begin with one practice and build form there.  What’s key is to be aware of what practices you perform and think about them before continuing on with business as usual.  It is also good to understand the available options and grow from there.

Most sustainable gardening practices can be delved into deeper, but a good place to begin is with these lessons:  growing the right plant in the right place, practicing water conservation, bed preparation and maintenance, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM.)

Right Plant, Right Place

Red Bed 026

Putting the right plant in the right place will save you and your resources.  Many plants can be grown outside their recommend growing range with regards to sunlight and water requirements.  In doing so, however, more time and energy is wasted – water, human energy, time.

Planting a moisture loving plant in dry bed is counter-productive.  Study and know your site.  Plant moisture loving plants in a moist area or be prepared to provide.  Plant drought tolerant plants in a dry area, and so on.  Many gardeners like to push hardiness zones, but it is not advisable to push plant needs.  While you can nurse a shade loving plant planted in the sun with water, it’s not sustainable.

Planting native plants and trees is the ultimate example of the right plant in the right place dictum.  Planting these helps to re-establish the local ecosystem. Native plantings have already adapted to this climate, and the native wildlife have adapted to these plants.

WATER CONSERVATION

What not to do!

What not to do!

Water conservation can be achieved from many aspects of garden design and harvesting.  The goal for water conservation is to keep as much of the water on your property as possible.  This can be done so by reducing impervious surfaces, slowing falling rainwater enough so as it doesn’t go to the storm drains, building rain gardens, and to water less and smartly.

Waterwise

Most of us don’t want to be denied a plant based on watering needs. But be prudent. Garden water wisely. Understand your garden’s watering zones.  Dragging a hose past 10 drought tolerant plants to water a thirsty one is neither sustainable nor practical.

A waterwise garden design is comprised of three gardening zones:  oasis, transitional, and xeric.

The “oasis zone” is still the area closest to the water source. Traditionally, this was the spigot or the hose at the end of it.  But now these sources can be drain spouts, rain barrels, the outlet of a French drain, and the area around the front door to easily water your container plants with say, the “wasted” water used indoors.

The “transitional zone” is the area away from the house about midway from the home and the end of the property. Plantings here should be sustainable requiring only occasional supplemental water. Typically, these areas are island beds, driveway beds, or raised beds.

The “xeric zone” is at the property’s perimeter. These plants should be tough requiring no supplemental water. This area can be filled with dependable drought-resistant plants.

The key is to select plants that don’t require supplemental watering or if they do, they can be watered with water collected from nature or clean water from inside the home that would otherwise be wasted.

HarvesterRaleighYoest 004

Water Smart

Water plants directly to the root zone by hand or using soaker or drip irrigation.  Overhead sprinklers are not sustainable due to the water lost through evaporation and wind. Water according to plant needs, not a rigid schedule. Water infrequently, but deeply.

BED PREPARATION/MAINTENANCE

Soil

We need to accept the soil we’re dealt or be prepared to amend.  In our area of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, there is clay and sand. In the heart of Raleigh, it’s all clay. As you move outside of Raleigh, you’ll find sandy soil. It is important to read plant labels.  If the label recommends planting in well drained soils, and you have clay, just know some amending will need to occur.  In any garden soil type, you cannot go wrong adding more organic matter.

Fertilizer

Reduce or eliminate fertilizer use. If you must use chemical fertilizers, be sure to closely follow the directions on the bag.  Using more fertilizer than directed will not help your plants grow any more.  Over fertilizing also increases the risk of not working its way into the ground becoming available as runoff to pollute local waterways.  Begin a compost pile to create your own organic fertilizer.

Mulching

December 25, 2008 102

Covering garden beds with mulch is one of the best things you can do for your garden. Used generously, mulch breaks down to add nutrients to the soil, helps retain moisture, moderates the soil temperature, improves soil texture, suppresses weeds, and looks great; and it really makes the garden look tidy.  Mulch all uncovered soil for water retention, weed control, and to improve the soil’s structure.

Weeding

Weeds compete for water with your desirable plants.  Even if the sight of weeds is acceptable in your garden, removing them will help stop the spread of environmental weeds. Find out what plants have become weeds in your area and, if you have them, weed them out or safely kill or contain them.

Composting

Compost garden and kitchen waste. In Raleigh, we have separate yard waste pick up.  If yard waste is rid properly, it won’t end up in the landfill.  But if you have the room to compost, then you don’t have to buy it back to use in your own garden.  If more fertilizer is needed, using organic sources only, like aged manure, compost tea, and those that are fish- or seaweed-based can be used.

There a few approaches to building a compost.  Choose whatever type suits your garden — a three-bay heap for a large property, a classic upside-down-bin style to place in an average garden, a tumble-type bin that neatly sits on a paved area or a bucket to keep in your kitchen.

Compost systems can be either hot or cold.  Hot requires regular a turning maintenance.  Cold takes longer to break down, but if you have the room, it is the easiest way to compost.  In cold composting, the kitchen and yard waste only needs to be piled.  After it reaches a certain height, start another.  When that one is full, go back to the other.  Hopefully it will be ready to use when you are.

Mature compost ends up as a delightful humus to use as a soil conditioner in your sustainable garden.

IPM

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective approach to pest management using the most economical means with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment.

IPM is not a single pest control method, but rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls. It’s the judicious use of pesticides.

IPM follows a four-tiered approach:

Dwarf Loblolly larvae

  1. Determine action threshold.  Sighting a single pest doesn’t necessarily mean control is needed.
  2. Monitor and Identify Pests. Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are innocuous and even beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds.
  3. Prevention.  Rotating between different crops, selecting pest-resistant varieties, and planting pest-free rootstock. Also planting in areas to provide good air circulation prevents problems with pests.

  1. Control.  Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would and could be used, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.

As individual gardeners, we can each use these lessons to do a small part to help lessen our footprint on the environment with our gardening practices.  We gardeners make up large numbers including more than 7 million new gardeners each year.  Each of us can make a difference by avoiding the depletion of our natural resources.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With: , , , ,

Five Essential Elements to Gardening With Confidence™

February 17, 2010 By 7 Comments

april-27-2008-062 Gardening with confidence can be achieved with one simple mantra: Right plant for the right place. Seems simple enough. Yet, not following this mantra is often times why gardening goals are not met. Here’s my take on right plant, right place. Understanding these five essential elements will help you garden with confidence.

Zone
There is a lot of talk about zonal denial, micro-climates, and changes in our zones due to global warming. If you are a risk taker and know your garden well, then by all means push the limits with your gardening zone. In my garden, Helen’s Haven, Zone 7b in Raleigh, North Carolina, I no longer take these risks. I’m perfectly happy in the zone I own. I know plenty of folks that plant zone 8 and even zone 9 plants in our zone 7b gardens and are thrilled with their philbrookraleighyoest-13success, even if it may be short lived. I use to, but don’t anymore. I find it is even risky planting plants on the zone’s edge. Ideally, I like to wrap a zone around a plant, putting me into choosing plants for zone 7a, but not always. This year, I will be replacing a Clematis armandii, zoned for our 7b gardens. But, alas, we had a particularly hard winter.

Soil
We need to accept the soil we’re dealt or be prepared to amend. I have yet to garden in perfect soil, and still, I find gardening success. I’m a heavy amend-er and believe in the power of mulch. In our area of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, there is clay and sand. In the heart of Raleigh, where I am, it is all clay. As you move outside of Raleigh, you’ll find sandy soil. So when I read a plant label that recommends planting in well drained soils, I know they are not talking to me. But planting these plants in my garden is a risk I’m willing to take. Why? Because here I have some control; I can amend my soil. I have amended all my garden beds, one planting hole at a time. Adding composted leaf mulch or other organic matter to the hole and blending it with the clay with some added insurance of a permanent clay buster such as PermiTil, I can make my sticky clay soil friable. In any garden soil type, you cannot go wrong adding more organic matter. Then top dress the garden beds with a lush, thick layer of mulch each year to moderate the soil temperature, suppress weeds, retain water and generally tiding up the garden. By doing so, you’ll have a happy garden.

Sun
Full sun, part sun, part shade, dappled shade, full shade, afternoon sun, morning sun, winter sun, more sun. Know your sun. If the plant tag says full sun (6 hours or more a day) then that means it needs full sun. Anything less, and the plant will not perform at its best. However, having said that, you can use the sun requirements to “tame” plants as well. As an example, I like Akebia quinata commonly know as five-leaf Chocolate vine. This is an invasive vine. However, I grow this sun lover in the shade where it is well behaved. Remember this: The north side will have the least sun, the south side the most. The eastern side will have cool light, the western side hot. Of course all this depends on what’s above and if it is deciduous. There is nothing mysterious about this. Take the time to identify areas in your garden and track each hour. To see the effects of the suns angle, track around March 21, June 21, September 21 and December 21. The results may surprise you. Also good to repeat every few years as your plants (and your neighbor’s plants) mature.


Water
The last thing I want to do is deny myself is a plant based on watering needs. But I’m also prudent. I garden water wisely. By that I mean, I have my gardens grouped into three watering zones: Oasis, Transitional, and Xeric. I’m also fortunate in that I have most sun types covered in each of my helenyoestgarden-1watering zones. When I garden shop, the plants watering needs are a high priority for me. But because my garden is designed in zones, it narrows down where I will plant it in the garden. This also makes my garden purchases easy. I won’t waste money on a thirsty plant requiring shade if the only area in my Oasis zone is sun. Also, it allows me to have a mental map of my garden with me at all times.  I do not want to spend any more time than I have to on watering. The thought of dragging a hose around, past 10 drought tolerant plants to reach one thirsty plant is not part of my makeup. I’m way smarter than that.

Critters
We all have our critter challenges. For some it’s deer, others moles, voles, and armadillos. For me its rabbits. Bunnies are my nemesis! I have voles and moles too and once when a new development was going in two miles away, I saw evidence of displaced deer. Then I actually saw the critter. A sight common to many, but not to me. That deer was so out of character in my garden, it might as well have been a kangaroo. I’ve given up worrying about critters. If I don’t have a chance at winning, I’m not going to play. I do what and where I can, but I will not be a slave to sprays. I don’t have the time or the where-with-all that requires an exact spray schedule. I get no pleasure from it either. These critter repellent sprays work fine, but need to be kept up. When I look back at what I had to give up, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I first thought. I can only have a few Hosta, because the voles love them. I have voles. But I also love Hellebores, so I grow Hellebores – the voles don’t bother them. The bunnies will have to go elsewhere to Echinacea because I will no longer provide these favorites of mine as a favorite for them. As for the Rudbeckia, I’m trying them in a tall pot this year. I may try to put some Echinacea in a pot as well.

So you see, understanding these five essential elements will give you what you need to Garden with Confidence. Follow the mantra of the right plant for the right place, do what you can and except what you can’t and you’re good to go!

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™

Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.

AND

Helen is the founder, publisher and editor of:
Tarheel Gardening – your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

You can follow Tarheel Gardener.com on Twitter @TarheelGardenin and on facebook at Tarheel Gardening.com.

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability, Gardening With Confidence Tagged With: , ,

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener – Part 4 Right Plant, Right Place

June 17, 2009 By 3 Comments

LESSON YOUR FOOTPRINT

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener

Part 4 – Right Plant, Right Place

Lavendar April 27, 2008 062

BACKGROUND

Right plant, right place is Part 4 in the Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener journey. The order is not significant. I started with pest (Part 1 – Pest) because this was where I started my journey to become a sustainable Gardener; or rather, where I stopped; I stopped using pesticides, organic or otherwise.

The rest of the series of posts is somewhat in a logical order. Part 2 Soil, was second because gardens are only as good as its soil.  Part 3, is to express my madness for mulch.

Gardening with confidence can be achieved with one simple mantra: Right plant for the right place. Seems simple enough. Yet, not following this mantra is often times why gardening goals are not met. Here’s my take on right plant, right place. Understanding these five essential elements will help you garden with confidence.

Zone

philbrookraleighyoest-13There is a lot of talk about zonal denial, micro-climates, and changes in our zones due to global warming. If you are a risk taker and know your garden well, then by all means push the limits with your gardening zone. In my garden, Helen’s Haven, Zone 7b in Raleigh, North Carolina, I no longer take these risks. I’m perfectly happy in the zone I own. I know plenty of folks that plant zone 8 and even zone 9 plants in our zone 7b gardens and are thrilled with their success, even if it may be short lived. I use to, but don’t anymore. I find it is even risky planting plants on the zone’s edge. Ideally, I like to wrap a zone around a plant, putting me into choosing plants for zone 7a, but not always. This year, I will be replacing a Clematis armandii, zoned for our 7b gardens. But, alas, we had a particularly hard winter.

Soil

december-25-2008-090We need to accept the soil we’re dealt or be prepared to amend. I have yet to garden in perfect soil, and still, I find gardening success. I’m a heavy amend-er and believe in the power of mulch. In our area of the Piedmont region of North Carolina, there is clay and sand. In the heart of Raleigh, where I am, it is all clay. As you move outside of Raleigh, you’ll find sandy soil. So when I read a plant label that recommends planting in well drained soils, I know they are not talking to me. But planting these plants in my garden is a risk I’m willing to take. Why? Because here I have some control; I can amend my soil. I have amended all my garden beds, one planting hole at a time. Adding composted leaf mulch or other organic matter to the hole and blending it with the clay with some added insurance of a permanent clay buster such as PermiTil, I can make my sticky clay soil friable. In any garden soil type, you cannot go wrong adding more organic matter. Then top dress the garden beds with a lush, thick layer of mulch each year to moderate the soil temperature, suppress weeds, retain water and generally tiding up the garden. By doing so, you’ll have a happy garden.

Sun

Full sun, part sun, part shade, dappled shade, full shade, afternoon sun, morning sun, winter sun, more sun. Know your sun. If the plant tag says full sun (6 hours or more a day) then that means it needs full sun. Anything less, and the plant will not perform at its best. However, having said that, you can use the sun requirements to “tame” plants as well. As an example, I like Akebia quinata commonly know as five-leaf Chocolate vine. This is an invasive vine. However, I grow this sun lover in the shade where it is well behaved. Remember this: The north side will have the least sun, the south side the most. The eastern side will have cool light, the western side hot. Of course all this depends on what’s above and if it is deciduous. There is nothing mysterious about this. Take the time to identify areas in your garden and track each hour. To see the effects of the suns angle, track around March 21, June 21, September 21 and December 21. The results may surprise you. Also good to repeat every few years as your plants (and your neighbor’s plants) mature.
Water

helenyoestgarden-1The last thing I want to do is deny myself is a plant based on watering needs. But I’m also prudent. I garden water wisely. By that I mean, I have my gardens grouped into three watering zones: Oasis, Transitional, and Xeric. I’m also fortunate in that I have most sun types covered in each of my watering zones. When I garden shop, the plants watering needs are a high priority for me. But because my garden is designed in zones, it narrows down where I will plant it in the garden. This also makes my garden purchases easy. I wont waste money on a thirsty plant requiring shade if the only area in my Oasis zone is sun. Also, it allows me to have a mental map of my garden with me at all times. I do not want to spend any more time than I have to on watering. The thought of dragging a hose around, past 10 drought tolerant plants to reach one thirsty plant is not part of my makeup. I’m way smarter than that.

Critters

We all have our critter challenges. For some it’s deer, others moles, voles, and armadillos. For me its rabbits. Bunnies are my nemesis! I have voles and moles too and once when a new development was going in two miles away, I saw evidence of displaced deer. Then I actually saw the critter. A sight common to many, but not to me. That deer was so out of character in my garden, it might as well have been a kangaroo. I’ve given up worrying about critters. If I don’t have a chance at winning, I’m not going to play. I do what and where I can, but I will not be a slave to sprays. I don’t have the time or the where-with-all that requires an exact spray schedule. I get no pleasure from it either. These critter repellent sprays work fine, but need to be kept up. When I look back at what I had to give up, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I first thought. I can only have a few Hosta, because the voles love them. I have voles. But I also love Hellebores, so I grow Hellebores – the voles don’t bother them. The bunnies will have to go elsewhere to Echinacea because I will no longer provide these favorites of mine as a favorite for them. As for the Rudbeckia, I’m trying them in a tall pot this year. I may try to put some Echinacea in a pot as well.

So you see, understanding these five essential elements will give you what you need to Garden with Confidence. Follow the mantra of the right plant for the right place, do what you can and except what you can’t and you’re good to go!

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With: ,

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener – Part 3 Mulch

April 8, 2009 By 8 Comments

LESSON YOUR FOOTPRINT

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener

Part 3 – Mulch
december-25-2008-090

BACKGROUND

Mulch is Part 3 in the Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener journey. The order is not significant. I started with pest (Part 1 – Pest) because this was where I started my journey to become a sustainable Gardener; or rather, where I stopped; I stopped using pesticides, organic or otherwise.

The rest of the series of posts is somewhat in a logical order. Part 2 Soil, was second because gardens are only as good as its soil. This post, Part 3, is to express my madness for mulch. I believe in the power of mulch!

The Power of Mulch

Covering garden beds with mulch is one of the best things you can do for your garden. Used generously, mulch breaks down to add nutrients to the soil, helps retain moisture, moderates the soil temperature, improves soil texture, suppresses weeds, and looks great; it really makes the garden look tidy.

I would like to say that I began adding mulch to my gardens for all the right reasons, but like everything else that led me to become a sustainable gardener, I backed into this.

Mulch makes a garden look tidy. I’m a tidy gardener. Decades ago, before I really knew why and what I was doing, my goal was a pretty garden; I did what I did solely because it looked good.

Sure, I figured it added nutrients to the soil as it broke down, but I was fertilizing back then, so this didn’t matter to me. Ok, so it retains moisture. So what? If the plant was thirsty I watered it. Besides, I was looking for a reason to be in the garden.

Mulch Varieties

Over the years, I have used a variety of mulch types  pine straw, various sized pine bark nuggets, shredded hardwoods, compost, gravel.

Pine straw is easy to apply and widely available in North Carolina, the pine state. Nuggets have their place in my garden still. They make great mulch in the rose garden; their size and color are the perfect 250-gallon-water-harvester-001complement to the rose bushes. Mini nuggets also make a nice path, giving a visual direction on top of another mulch.

Shredded hardwood (I like triple better than double) is what is used primarily in this area. Until your garden fills out, shredded mulches need a little care to improve their appearance.

It would sadden me to see gardens newly installed, looking grand, and apparently left to fend for itself. At first everything looked perfect and the mulch, usually a triple shredded soft or hardwood, had a nice brown color lying warmly over the dirt.

Not long after installation, the worst looking part of the new garden was the old mulch. The water washed all the smaller particles away leaving large chunks in the mulch that get bleached out by the sun and look like old bones in a dessert. Or if it is in the shade, just big chunks with some other weed invading the mulch.

The biggy for me though was when I scratched the surface; I would often find crusty, compacted mulch covering DRY ground. The shredded mulches knit together keeping it in place, but also reducing the about of water penetration.

About 10 years ago, I stared to use composted leaf mulch. Black chunky (albeit trashy) gold. Whenever anyone visits my garden, the first question they ask enthusiastically is, What kind of mulch do you use?

Raleigh has a great yard waste operation, including composting the leaves collected in the fall. The leaf suckers work the neighborhoods in the fall, taking the leaves to the city yard waste center and compost them.

These leaves are ready for our gardens in about 3 months. They really work this operation. I go there often and just admire the workers coming and going in their big earth moving equipment. Unfortunately, they don’t deliver. During the year when I need to supplement, I can haul about 1.5 cubic yards in Cosmo, my Ford 150 pick up truck. For my big annual application, I call Mulch Masters for delivery.

I almost feel guilty talking about it because it is not widely available. Of course, you can make your own with the leaves that fall in the fall, assuming you have them or have access to them. But I add 20 cubic yards of mulch each year in the winter with an additional 4 cubic yards during the year. That is more of an operation I want to take on in my half acre suburban lot.

Check with your city or county to see what is available to you locally.

The dark rich color makes me the envy of the gardening community. Composted leaf mulch also keeps its color. But because it’s composted, it will break down faster than other mulches. As such, it needs to be added yearly. But as it breaks down, those nutrients are going right into the soil.

Creating a New Garden Bed

Depending on my available time, I go about creating new beds in two ways. The first is with no time on my side. During these times, I mark the bed’s shape, scarify the surface with the tiller, cover with mulch and till in. Because of my horrible clay soil, writing about it is much easier than doing it. My little Mantis tiller is often taking a break while I take a forceful foot to the shovel’s ledge. Then I blend the mulch with the soil. When I have all the giant shovel sized chunks of clay broken and blended with mulch to a reasonable size, usually golf ball-sized chunks, I top dress with 3 \ 4 inches of mulch.

The slow approach is much more to my liking, but being reasonable, it doesn’t always happen this way. Let’s face it, when we got it in our minds to create, we don’t want to wait. But if you have time on your side, this is a great approach.

Mark the beds, cover with 8 to 10 layers of wet newspaper and cover with 3 \ 4 inches of mulch – ideally a composted type. Soon the earthworms will begin to move it into the existing soil. In about 6 months, the soil can easily be worked. It is moist, rich and ready. For these gardens, I just amend the holes as I need them, not the entire bed.

Winter Application

The ideal time to mulch is in the winter after a period of cold. Keeping the garden mulched all winter, doesn’t allow the ground to freeze, thus keeping some pest alive. It also easier to mulch when there is less to work around. But you don’t want the ground to freeze and thaw too much or heaving may occur.

The drawback to this winter mulching is that it can work so well that it suppresses many desirable reseeding annuals such as larkspur, impatients, and poppies. These seeds reseed best when exposed to the sun and not covered.

Supplements

I add supplemental mulch to my beds usually early summer. It is never my intention to do so, but invariable I disturb the mulch with a new planting and I need to tidy it up. In the end, I came full circle. I’m still a tidy gardener; a vein practice that lead to great things for the garden.

december-25-2008-109

Look for more posts in my collection of sustainable practices, including planting the right plant in the right place, fertilizers, water-wise design, rain harvesting, fungicides, herbicides, and per-emergences.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With: ,

Confessions of a Sustainable ardener Part 2 – Soil

April 2, 2009 By 13 Comments

LESSON YOUR FOOTPRINT

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener
Part 2 – Soil

labor-day-2008-054

BACKGROUND

As I continued my journey to become sustainable gardener, the subject of soil came up. Not as early on as one might expect.

As a child growing up in Norfolk, VA, I believed we had good soil. This was based purely on the fact that it was easy to work and produced nice tomatoes. So it must have been good stuff.We did little to it except for adding fish heads and guts, and all the good stuff that comes from dressing fish for Friday night’s dinner. That was all the amendments we used. I assumed that was what everyone did, especially at the coast where it was available and catching, cleaning, and eating fish was a lifestyle.

I knew the soil was more than a propping media. I knew it needed to provide plant nutrients, but beyond that, I just assumed everything it needed was in there. We just added a few fish heads for good measure.

My soil Ah, ha experience, and thus the confession, came years later when I lived in the historic district of Raleigh, in the quaint neighborhood of Oakwood. We had the cutest 1905 bungalow we renovated inside and out. Again, I had the BEST soil. Anything I planted did well. Very well.

In the 1800′s, the grounds of house next door was the location of the former horse stables. My garden was the place where the horses grazed, improving the soil everyday. But then as I gardened more from beyond the perimeter of the property and up against the house, I couldn’t grow a dang thing.

I had everyone scratching their heads. We added fertilizers, speculated there was too little sun for what I wanted to grow, or environmental pollution from the car exhausts. So, when all else failed, I did a soil test. Particularly interesting was the pH. It was 4. Well, in the big log rhythmic world of the pH scale as it relates to plant growth, that was low; very low.


I had read where lead in the soil can lower the pH.\’a0 I never verified that, but my husband, an agronomist, who only worked as one until he went to graduate school for environmental engineering, suspected it was lead too.\’a0 From where you ask?\’a0 The lead could have either leached from the house’s layers of century old lead-based paint or from years of exhaust emitted by passing cars that were powered with gasoline containing lead. Back then lead was added to gasoline to serve as an engine lubricant and as a means to increase octane.

Most likely the lead was leaching from the house, because the low pH was only around the foundation of the house. In any case, that low of a pH inhibits plants from taking up nutrients. As such, I added lime, lots of lime. Of course, this did nothing to rid the lead. That was there to stay. I knew then there could be no edible plants grown in this location.

From that day forth, in the spring of 1989, I started to pull a soil test of every area I gardened. I still do so today. A soil test is the best little test. The results will save you time, money and effort.  Even if the soil test didn’t measure lead directly, it did measure a symptom of it.  With a little deduction, conclusions were drawn. The soil test results also told me how much lime to add to bring the soil up to around 6.5, the desired goal.

Later on, I started gardening in clay. Sticky, gooey, ooey, robust red clay. I had to figure out this notion of friable soil. Even with my lead mess, I never realized how lucky I had it up to this point. \Soil Test

Your soil is alive. Keep it that way. Soil needs to be nurtured as well. In nature, there\’92s a lot to feed the soil. Leaves fall, creating nature\’92s mulch. These decompose, adding nutrients to the soil. In our created suburban landscapes, we need to help Mother Nature out just a bit.


Our area is naturally acidic. Growing only plants that thrive in a low pH is one way to go. However, living on a typical suburban lot, amending this soil is doable. I do. Lime is used as a soil amender most years.


To replenish the nutrients to the soil, I mulch. Initially by adding composted leaf mulch to the planting hole of new plantings and with a nice 3  -  4 inches as a top dressing each year.  I apply this thickly because it decomposes quickly and settles down. The earthworms work this mulch into the soil. Earthworms are amazing creatures.


I add the mulch for more reasons than nutrient replenishment, though. The magic of mulch will be addressed in a later post in this series. These topics are all so interrelated, but also specific. With regards to mulch as it applies to the soil’s overall health, I add it to feed the soil. Mulch also moderates the soil temperature, helps retain water, and makes the garden look tidy. But specifically, for this subject of soil, mulch is added to add nutrients.


A soil test is a process by which elements phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper and zinc are measured. A soil test also measures pH, humic matter and exchangeable acidity. These analyses indicate whether lime is needed and how much. A common problem is adding too much lime. Many people don’t realize that you can add too much. Besides being wasteful, too much lime makes nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper, and zinc less available.


The reason to test your soil is to know what is needed.This allows for applicati

on of just what is needed reducing waste and contamination from nutrient runoff. Putting down only what is needed saves time and money. For information in NC about soil tests and their interpretation is available at Soil Test its free, don’t hesitate. Bookmark it. You may be surprised how often you visit.

Friable Soil

Our area has both sandy and clay soils as in hard baked soil that needs a pick axe to crack. Or in wet years, gooey, ooey, muck. Inside the belt line where we are, is the home of clay; just outside our boundaries, sandy soil reins supreme. Both can be made more friable with mulch  oh, yes, mulch is later. For now, we need to mention mulch to help make our soils friable. “Friable” is just a fun and fanciful term to refer to crumbly soil. Mulch will help sandy soils retain moisture and help drain clay soils.


My soil test tells me, I don’9 need to add anything. The mulch is supplying all the nutrients my gardens needs. Yours may be different. In either case, performing an annual soil test tells us what we need to add, if anything. If your soil test tells you to add nutrients, do so, but take the slow ride. Build the soil slowly by adding organic matter and other natural materials, including fertilizers, if needed. The most important thing I learned as a gardener was this:

Gardening isn’t a race – it’s a lifestyle

To determine your soils friability, take a handful and form it into a ball.\’a0 It the ball can’t hold its shape, add more organic matter,  if it leaches water, add more organic matter. The ball should be just right. While I’ve read one can have too much organic matter in their earth, I have yet to have those kinds of problems.

The mulch provides all the nutrients my garden needs with the exception to lime. Again, we tend to have a low pH. I bring it up the pH some with the addition of lime. I’m OK with that. The increase in the number of plants I can grow because of it makes it reason enough.

Oh, as you can guess, we grow the prettiest BLUE hydrangeas!

My next post in the series of my journey to becoming a sustainable garden well be on mulch – Ah, the power of the mighty mulch!


Until next time…

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With:

Confessions of a sustainable gardener Part 1- Pest

March 31, 2009 By 18 Comments

LESSON YOUR FOOTPRINT

Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener

Part 1 – PEST

dwarf-loblolly-larvae1

BACKGROUND

With my background and interests, one would think my garden became sustainable via a well thought-out, altruistic route. Heck, I spent years at university studying the environment obtaining 2 degrees in environmental engineer followed by 2 decades as a practicing environmental engineer.  More importantly, I am a life long gardener, learner and admirer of nature. In reality, I became sustainable out of need and laziness. As such, I just kind of backed into it.

PEST

It all started one day about 20 years ago when I got tired of chasing the next pest. This is important and worth repeating – I got tired of chasing the next pest. I went after one, then another, then another, and then the first one came back and it all started again. It was a viscous cycle. I no longer had the time or energy to spray or dust. I thought, what if I just stopped all this nonsense and see what happens naturally?

There was some written about organic garden and maybe even sustainable gardening, although I don’t recall that being the term used at the time. More was written about organic gardening, which for me, today, is just part of my sustainable whole. But twenty years ago, I didn’t know I would go in this “sustainable” direction. I didn’t even know what it was and I certainly didn’t have time to research it. So, I just applied logic. Logic told me if there were good bugs and bad bugs, then there were also checks and balances. As such, I just stopped interfering. I was confident nature would take care of herself, or at least that was my hope.

And she did. My first season, there were more bugs than I care to admit; there were holes in my leaves and half eaten flowers. Gaining courage, to rid them, I started to hand pick some of those bugs off the plant and into a jar of soapy water.  This was not the easiest thing I did that year, and I still get squeamish doing so today, even after all these years. But I managed to rise to the occasion when the need arises.

By the next year, there were less holes and more flowers, PLUS more birds, bees and butterflies.  It was noticeably different. This was all the encouragement I needed. When I look back on this early pest control decision, I also had to accept a level of tolerance for less than perfect plant displays. The plants themselves were perfectly happy; they just looked a little worse from the chewing. But this was traded for honeybees pollinating my cucumbers, butterflies alighting my Lantana, and birds singing in the wee morning hours.

This went on for a few years.  Yet, to label myself an organic gardener was not something I was ready to embrace. Even though this was the first step to organic gardening, I figured there had to be more to it and as such, didn’t feel I was worthy of the label. Today, I can say with confidence, I am an organic gardener. What I didn’t know then that I know now, was that my first steps toward organic gardening 20 years ago is all that is really needed to become an organic gardener. Every journey begins with the first step.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will post the rest of my journey that brought me to where I am today.  I’ll enlighten you on soil, mulch, right plant in the right place, fertilizer, water-wise design, rain harvesting, fungicides, herbicides, pre-emergences, and in general, my organic gardening philosophy.

Thanks for taking this journey with me: I hope not to disappoint you.  It is my hope you too will look at your garden just a little bit differently and feel it is OK to wear the label “organic gardener.”

Until next time…

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Filed Under: Garden Sustainability Tagged With: , ,