Friday, May 22, 2009 11:30 AM CDT
YARD & GARDEN: Tips for new vegetable growers
Marsha Overton
Memorial Day is upon us. A good reminder of this is the annual Garden Ramble at Wesley Whiteside’s Five Acre Garden. He has rare botanical species, as well as familiar well-known flowers, shrubs and trees.
Coles County Extension master gardeners will be presenting mini-seminars this afternoon and Sunday afternoon. Topics and times are: Saturday, 2 p.m., “A Rose From A Rose” (propagation), 3 p.m., “Rain Gardens”; and Sunday, 2 p.m., “Unusual Shrubs to Know and Grow.”
There will be additional seminars sponsored by the Coles County Historical Society.
The U of I Extension master gardeners of Coles County also will have a vendor booth from noon to late afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. They will be available to answer your gardening questions on flowers or vegetables.
If you are in need of gardening gloves, new or slightly used garden books, pots or magazines, be sure to stop by. In addition, we will have hanging baskets, agastachia, blue and white salvia, balloon flowers and wild petunia, to name a few.
All proceeds from the sales will assist in supporting ag and natural resources Extension programming in Coles County.
I am sure you will agree that this year has really been one for the records. It has been reported it is the third wettest spring since they started keeping track of the weather. I told some of my friends I think I know how it feels to live in the Northwest — everything is very lush — but hardly any sun. I want the sun! It is very surprising how “lush” everything looks with very cool temps.
Oh well, I am sure by the time you are reading this article it will be in the 80s. I certainly hope so. You know what they say about Illinois weather — if you don’t like it today — just wait and it will be different tomorrow. I have hardly been able to plant what I purchased at the Herb and Garden Plant sale the end of last month.
Since there are a number of new vegetable growers this year I thought I would give you some ideas for helping your plants along. A lot of the tried and true is just common sense.
Plants with strong odors — such as basil, rue, marigold, scented-leaf geraniums and garlic — repel or confuse many insects that rely on smells to find their targets. Herbs and flowers loved by bees — such as borage, thyme and bee balm — help attract these pollinators and thus improve fruit-set on many vegetables, including summer and winter squash, tomatoes, peppers and beans.
There are also many specific combinations that are famous, at least in folklore, though as the diet advertisements say, “results may vary.” Much will depend on climatic conditions, the nature of the soil, and the overall health of the plants in question.
Nevertheless, more than a few gardeners swear by rules like these: plant parsley near asparagus to improve vigor. Radishes grown near lettuce are more tender. Petunias help to repel bean beetles. Beets interplanted with onions will help stifle weeds.
Carrots will grow larger if interplanted with chives. Dill or caraway will help repel cabbage moths. Tomatoes hate fennel; keep them apart. Beans don’t do well near alliums (garlic, onions and chives).
Nasturtiums attract aphids and deter cucumber and bean beetles. Even though the previous suggestions are not “scientific,” they could be interesting to try out.
A friend and I were talking the other day. He said he did not feel it was necessary to rotate crops in his vegetable garden. Well, according to the “book,” rotation is useful for two reasons. It helps prevent buildup of pests and diseases specific to particular plants or plant families. And it maximizes the use of soil nutrients.
Although there are some equal-opportunity scourges — slugs come to mind — that will attack everything in the garden, they are in the minority. Many of the nastiest pests, for example, attack legumes (peas and beans) but have no interest in nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants).
Similarly, earworms are a real problem in corn but couldn’t care less about lettuce. By moving their favorite targets around, you make it harder for these bad actors to establish themselves.
While you are foiling the pests, you’re also managing the soil. Corn and squash require a lot of nitrogen. Peas and beans make nitrogen (or, more accurately, fix the nitrogen from the air into a form that roots can use).
By alternating one with the other, you can reduce the amount of supplemental fertilizer you’ll have to add. Unfortunately, corn will always be a lot taller than beets, so where space is at a premium and crops must be closely planted, it will always be wise to put tall crops to the north of short ones so they don’t cause shade problems — one more reason people who have larger gardens in full sun have an advantage over those who don’t.
Garden questions
for Central Illinois
Q) Are there any roses that should not be fertilized?
A) Yes, the shrub rose “Rosa hugonis” does best in poor soil; it can die if fed.
Q) How soon can I fertilize a newly seeded lawn?
A) Fertilize when the new seedlings have reached a height of 2 inches. Apply one-half a pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Water the lawn thoroughly after fertilizing.
Q) How soon should I begin mowing a newly seeded lawn?
A) The newly seeded lawn should be mowed when the foliage has grown about 50 percent higher than the height desired after mowing. For example, a lawn that is to be maintained at a height of 2 inches should be mowed by the time it reaches 3 inches.
Q) Will I need to control annual grassy weeds (example: crabgrass) in my new spring seeding?
A) Tupersan (siduron) is the only pre-emergence herbicide that can be safely applied to a new seeding to control annual grassy weeds. Any pre-emergence herbicide labeled for annual grass control can be used once the lawn is well established.
Q) Is peat moss good as mulch?
A) Peat moss is far better incorporated into the soil and not used on top. As a mulch, it cakes readily so that water flows off the bed rather than down into it.
Q) My chrysanthemums grow very tall but have weak stems and few blooms. What shall I do?
A) Divide them in the spring; pinch back (nip out tips of growing shoots with thumbnail) starting when plants are about 6 inches tall and continuing every two weeks until mid-July. This will make plants bushy with lots of blooms. Grow in full sunlight.
Q) How can I keep mums from growing out of bounds?
A) Use phosphates rather than nitrates for fertilizing. Grow in full sun and do not crowd. Pinch back vigorous shoots staring in May, June and July.
If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office at 345-7034. Volunteer Master Gardeners are in the office from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday and Friday. This column is based on information and materials at the University of Illinois Extension office, located at 707 Windsor Road, Suite A., Charleston, 61920; phone 345-7034; or Web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/coles/.
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