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July News 2003 |
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and Updates for July 2003 Welcome to our monthly "Newsletter". This is where we announce the most recent additions to our website along with "what's happening in our gardens", helpful hints, herbal tips, etc. Please check back often as we will be updating regularly. To view our Gardener's Gifts specials please visit the following link: http://www.countryrosesoap.com/storefront.htm What's happening in our garden for July: As I am writing this our weather is absolutely gorgeous. June turned out to be a month full of extreme weather changes. We had a short heat wave that literally burned my plants followed by very cool wet weather. These weather patterns were extremely hard on our gardens. We were trying to keep up with manual watering during the heat wave followed by more than enough rain. Thank goodness we finished painting the house before the rains struck. I have been busily making 18 new products to add to our product line including 8 new soaps. After receiving so many requests for Bay Rum Soap I finally decided to produce our own version. I am very pleased with the result and in my opinion it is one of the best soaps that I have made. My initial intention was to make it for men but I liked it so much that I'm sure many women will also enjoy it. I have also been busily staking tall perennials before they topple over especially the delphiniums and bloom laden rose bushes. All in all everything looks quite beautiful at present - possibly the best our gardens have ever looked since we moved here over 7 years ago. July is the month for our roses, astilbes, daylilies, summer annuals, lavender and much more. One of my favourites is the gorgeous fragrance nicotiana sends out each evening. Our younger son and his wife have been living in a suite we built for them on our property. This week they will be moving to their first new home that they have just purchased. We are going to miss them terribly but are also very happy for them as it is extremely exiting for them with a new baby coming and purchasing their first new home. Keith is a professional photographer and just shot all of my new product photos. It was great fun working with him. Our older son is a firefighter and also resides nearby with his lovely wife. My husband and I consider ourselves very fortunate. The weatherman is now calling for better weather so I am looking forward to a sun filled July. We have also been taking new garden photos to add to our online garden tour in the near future. July "To Do" List: -sow bush beans, peas, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, late cauliflower, lettuce and turnips. -sow over wintering vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, parsnips, spinach and Swiss chard. -water gardens 1" per week - more if on sandy soil. -water containers and baskets daily during hot weather - some may need twice a day watering - fertilize weekly with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer or compost tea. -deadhead spent blooms regularly, cut back straggly growth. -if petunias have become straggly cut back by 1/2, fertilize and water well and they will regrow much bushier. -moisten and turn compost bin - adding a layer of soil will help to break it down. -prune wisterias and kiwi vines - I cut them back lightly and save my severe pruning for late winter. -cover blueberry bushes with netting to keep birds from eating your crop - we have lost an entire blueberry crop overnight to these voracious birds. -pick and freeze raspberries on a steady basis while they are producing. -harvest peas every 2 to 3 days to extend their production time - if you quit picking the peas your bushes will stop producing thinking that their job is now done by setting seed. -harvest broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, kohlrabi, new potatoes, baby carrots, fava beans, beets, cabbage, scallions, and young onions. -watch for white flies on eggplant - spray with Safer's Insecticidal Soap or use our following homemade version - I had to use this spray on our eggplants for a few days to deter the white fly infestation on these plants growing in our greenhouse during the hot spell we had - a daily gentle spraying with the garden hose also helps. Natural Organic Insecticidal Soap Recipe -1 bar grated handmade soap -2 cups water -1/4 cup light vegetable oil (canola, safflower, corn) Boil water in saucepan. Add grated soap and allow to simmer until all or most of the soap has melted. Strain and pour into spray bottle. Add vegetable oils and shake well. Uses: to get rid of aphids, white flies, mealy bugs and other soft bodied insects. How to Use: Spray indoor or outdoor infected plants covering top and bottom of leaves to runoff. For light infestation single application should suffice. For heavier infestation apply every day for 3 days until controlled. CAUTION: test on small area first to make sure spray does not damage leaves. For beetles, caterpillars, etc. Make a stronger spray by adding a small amount of ground hot chili peppers. Infuse for a few days then strain. Test on small area of plant first to make sure the hot peppers do not damage the leaves. Optional ingredients: citrus essential oils, teatree essential oil, geranium essential oil. Other Optional ingredients: herbs - chamomile, chives, garlic, thyme, rosemary, catnip and garlic is particularly popular. To make a garlic solution, bring to boil 1 quart water, add several crushed garlic cloves, cool and strain. (deters insects and helps control fungus). Both garlic and chamomile teas are known to help prevent powdery mildew and damping off of seedlings. -summer prune fruit trees lightly. -shear broom and heather lightly. -trim hedges. -divide spring perennials. -sow biennials and early flowering perennials for next year. -cut down delphiniums after blooming and they will regrow and bloom again. -Roses - deadhead regularly - remove diseased leaves. (do not compost them) - apply fertilizer. They will also benefit from a liquid foliar spray such as a seaweed spray, compost tea, or fish fertilizer. Remove aphids from roses with a blast of water from your garden hose. This also helps to deter white flies. Greenhouse Gardening for July: (for a cool greenhouse kept at 40 - 45F (5 - 7C) -plants in bloom for this month - bougainvillea, oleander, gerbera, pelargonium, jasmine, begonias, hibiscus. -I now dampen down the greenhouse several times a day during hot sunny days to keep the humidity up - also prevents white fly and spider mite infestation. -sow lettuce and over wintering vegetables. -take cutting as roots form quickly in July's warm conditions. -fertilize potted plants and tie up climbing varieties. -many houseplants enjoy the warm tropical greenhouse environment during the summer months - do not place in full sun right away or you will burn their leaves - acclimatize gradually. -I found a great mister at our local Home and Garden Centre that works perfectly to keep the humidity up in the greenhouse and it only cost $14.00. It's marketed for sunbathers but has proven to be very effective for my bougainvilleas, which enjoy high humidity. Indoor Sunroom or Conservatory: A list of plants presently blooming in our sunroom for July: -Phalaenopsis Orchids. -Odontoglossum Orchids -Oncidium Orchids -Miltoniopsis Orchid -African Violets -Bromeliad Care: -houseplants generally need watering twice a week now with the exception of some orchids - depends on the humidity and temperature of your home. -keep humidity up by placing pot over a gravel filled tray filled with a little water - do not let bottom of pot sit in the water. -fertilize regularly and clean dust off leaves. -plants growing in my Gro Lite cart have trays that I filled with lava rock and add water to keep the humidity up. This is where I keep my low light orchids such as my phalaenopsis, miltonopsis and phaphiopedilum orchids. -move cymbidium and odontoglossum orchids outside for the summer if not already done so - acclimatize first to sun's rays. I keep mine in a partially shaded area. Herbal Hints: -Lavender is now blooming profusely and creating a beautiful show - I planted mine 7 years ago and they are quite large and bushy now - pick blossoms before fully opened for drying - easiest to cut entire stem, bundle and hang to dry. Once dry just strip the blossoms from the stem - they will keep their fragrance for a very long time. -harvest cilantro, dill, fennel and parsley - these herbs lose their flavour when dried so are best frozen for culinary purposes. Here is an excellent method I use to easily freeze these herbs: -once I harvest mine I lay large piles on my cutting board and roughly chop them into pieces. I then stuff them into small sandwich bags, roll them up tightly "jelly roll" fashion and wrap 2 elastic bands around each roll. To keep them organized in my freezer I place them into grocery bags and label the bag. To Use: - remove from freezer and slice off a chunk of the roll, remove plastic and add to soups, stews, etc. Natural Cleaning Products: Disinfecting Kitchen & Bath Soap 2 1/2 cups grated soap 3 cups hot peppermint tea (made with 3 Tbsp fresh peppermint or 3 peppermint tea bags) 1/4 cup baking soda 1/2 tsp borax 1/2 tsp eucalyptus or eucalyptus lemon essential oil Grate leftover soap pieces with a kitchen grater. Measure out 2 1/2 cups. Pour hot peppermint tea into stainless steel saucepan. Bring to boil. Add the grated soap and simmer until soap is dissolved. Stir in baking soda, borax and essential oil. Cool. Store in labeled plastic jug. Shake before using. Use full strength for tough cleaning jobs or dilute 3 Tbsp to 1 quart water for general cleaning. Uses: for dishes, floors, stoves, fridges, sinks and hands. -eucalyptus and mint are powerful natural disinfectants, provide a fresh scent and make any area washed with this soap inhospitable to insects. New! - Organic Gardening Tips: Tomato & Potato Blight:-Our area is plagued by tomato and potato blight. In recent years the only way that I can grow these crops organically is as follows: -plant tomatoes under cover - I plant all tomatoes inside a large greenhouse. -potatoes - spray with copper spray every 10 days until plants bloom. I do not spray after this. -tomatoes - spray with copper spray every 10 days - pick off diseased leaves and put in the trash. -never compost diseased leaves from either of these plants. -severe blight will totally destroy your plants in a matter of a couple of days once started - for 3 years in a row I watched as literally 100's of tomatoes had to be thrown into the trash and potato plants totally destroyed. This is usually "late" blight. -we now grow beautiful tomatoes of all types and dry the extra in our dehydrator. Health and Wellness Barbequed New Potatoes: - these are very quick, easy and delicious. -pick and scrub new potatoes. -slice in sections 3/4 of the way through - (do not slice right through the sections) -sprinkle with olive oil, fresh dill and a little crushed garlic - I also sprinkle with a little freshly ground coarse Dead Sea Salt which I am fortunate to be able to purchase from a good friend. -wrap in foil and place on barbeque - cook until tender. -variations - can use rosemary, Italian or regular parsley, cilantro. Thanks for visiting! Susan |
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