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June News 2003 |
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and Updates for June 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 Father's Day Gift specials please visit the following link: http://www.countryrosesoap.com/storefront.htm What's happening in our garden for June: With May being my favourite month of the year the weather certainly hasn't cooperated. It was a pretty cool wet month with only 1 day that I can say was truly warm. I have held off planting our warm weather crops and moving our hanging baskets and containers out to their summer home. Hopefully June will be a better month. The rest of our veggies have been planted and growing along nicely. We just finished our first crop of radishes, spinach, mustard greens, lettuce and baby bok choi. I have to admit that these had been planted in our unheated greenhouse so they got an early start. They certainly were a treat though. The outside of our house is now half painted which is a huge job trying to get done between making soap and all the gardening work to be done. (in between rain showers.) Our wisterias are exceptionally beautiful this year and their fragrance mingling with the lilac blooms are gorgeous. We have several varieties of wisteria vines from pale white to pale lavender and pink plus multi tones. The hostas also look beautiful right now with their fresh vibrant green leaves alongside blooms of rhododendrons, bleeding heart and columbine. With everything so fresh and new the colours this time of year are fantastic. June "To Do" List: -plant out summer annuals. -sow cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, bush and pole beans, eggplant and peppers. -move out hanging baskets and containers. -successive sow corn, bush beans, beets, carrots, lettuce and spinach - as you harvest vegetables tuck in lettuce seedlings, radishes, etc. -sow for winter crop Brussels sprouts, late cauliflower, kale, parsnips, Swiss chard, over wintering broccoli and rutabagas. -if cabbage moths are a problem, for organic control, spray with BT. -weed and deadhead spent blooms. -water 1" per week - more on sandy soil. -prune lilacs, coniferous hedges and deciduous shrubs after blooming such as mock orange, spirea and deutzia. -hanging baskets and containers need to be watered regularly and fertilized once a week with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer - alternate with compost tea, fish or seaweed. Growing roses organically: 1) Choose disease resistant varieties - I researched all of my roses before purchasing. 2) Plant in a sunny, well drained area - need minimum of 6 hours of sun per day. (This is the ideal situation but almost impossible in our wet climate.) 3) Water deeply and slowly - 1" per week - more on sandy soil. 4) Avoid wetting foliage - water in the morning to allow foliage to dry off before evening. 5) Fertilizer - compost is an absolute must for growing roses organically as it provides beneficial nutrients. Add compost before planting and apply a thin layer each year in the spring. - alfalfa meal is also one of the best organic rose fertilizers. Sprinkle 1/2 cup around each rose bush in spring. - Liquid organic fertilizers are also excellent such as kelp extract. - I also like to foliar feed several times each season - this allows the plant to absorb nutrients quickly and keep them healthy. I do this by spraying the leaves with either my diluted compost tea or liquid fish fertilizer with a liquid foliar sprayer. (This works well on vegetables too). 6) Provide good air circulation. 7) Good sanitation - most important preventative measure against disease & pests - remove diseased foliage immediately and rake up fallen leaves - do not compost. 8) Deadhead spent blooms regularly. 9) At end of growing season strip remaining foliage off your bushes and dispose of the debris - do not compost it. 10) Put down fresh mulch. 11) Fungal diseases - organic preventions: (Tends to work best to prevent black spot before it starts - hard to eradicate once started) Mix 1 Tbsp baking soda per gallon of water along with 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and a few drops Ivory dishwashing liquid soap (to help solution stick to the leaves). NOTE: A few sources warn that some roses do not like baking soda or soap as it could damage the leaves. Mine were fine but be wary and test a small area first. 12) To attract beneficial insects plant lots of asters, coreopsis, sunflowers, yarrow, herbs, wildflowers, etc. In this way you attract the beneficial insects such as ladybugs that devour aphids. 13) Place bird feeders and birdbaths around your garden to attract birds that feed on insects and larvae. 14) If pests do threaten your roses you can try: Safers Insecticidal Soap, clippings from strongly scented herbs as mulch, strong jet of water for aphids and spider mites. 15) Prune roses with disinfected pruners - I carry around a bucket filled with a 1% bleach and water solution to dip my pruners in after each pruning cut. 16) Remove all leaves from bottom 6" of your rose bushes. This prevents spores from splashing up on leaves. 17) Do not let rose bushes get stressed from lack of water or growing nutrition or they will be susceptible to a host of pests and diseases. 18) Enjoy your roses for their beauty, fragrance, and herbal properties by picking fresh bouquets for the home, making rose water (see recipe to follow), potpourri, or pressed and dried roses. Greenhouse Gardening for June: (for a cool greenhouse kept at 40 - 45F (5 - 7C) -plants in bloom for this month - bougainvillea, oleander, gerbera, pelargonium, jasmine. -sow fall annuals such as pansies, ornamental kale, asters and violas. -continue to sow lettuce seedlings to tuck into spaces that become available in the vegetable garden. -dampen down several times per day on hot sunny days. Ventilate. Indoor Sunroom or Conservatory: A list of plants presently blooming in our sunroom for June: -Phalaenopsis Orchids. -Phaphiopedilum Orchids -Odontoglossum Orchids -African Violets -jasmine -begonia Care: -move Cymbidium and Odontoglossum orchids outdoors for the summer months to a protected, partially shaded area. -move tropical house plants outdoors for the summer - make sure to acclimatize first to prevent sunburn which can happen within an hour or less. -water and feed house plants regularly. -inspect regularly for mealy bugs, white flies and aphids. Dip a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and dab on individual mealy bugs to control. Herbal Hints: -cut back lemon balm, oregano, mint, marjoram, and comfrey by 1/3 and hang to dry. My method for air-drying is as follows: -Using scissors I cut back each plant by 1/3 and place into a large bowl that I carry around. I lay each type of stems at right angles to each other in layers. This makes it easy to separate them when I am ready to use or dry them. -Tie small bundles by wrapping with a small elastic band. I then take a paper clip and unbend it so that I have a "hook" at both ends. I attach one hook to the elastic band and hang the other hook on my fishing line strung in my potting shed. Mark each row with felt pen on masking tape. -Dry in a dark, dry, airy place. When to harvest: -harvest above ground crops in the morning before the sun dehydrates them. Flowers should be gathered just as they break bud. The usual time to harvest crops grown for their roots like soapwort, yucca, and echinacea is in the autumn when the leaves have died back. -Seeds like anise should be gathered when fully formed but still green. Cut the stems, bundle them together with a rubber band, and hang them upside down inside a paper bag which will collect those that shatter and fall from the seed head. -to keep my herb garden looking neat and tidy I regularly trim back plants into shape. Natural Cleaning Products: Dryer Scents To scent clothes naturally put a drop of lavender, rosemary, or any citrus essential oil on a cotton handkerchief. Toss it in the dryer near the end of the cycle. New! - Organic Gardening Tips: Crop Rotation:Crop rotation is one of the best defenses against soil borne diseases and pests. By rotating crops from one area to another in your vegetable garden, no matter what the size, can make a tremendous difference in the health and productivity of your garden. -alternate legumes and corn since legumes add nitrogen to the soil and corn needs nitrogen to grow. -never plant potatoes, tomatoes or brassicas in the same spot as the previous year. Try for a 3-year crop rotation. -long-term crops like parsnips can go on the perimeter of the garden where they won't be disturbed. -corn should be located on the north or west side so that these tall plants won't shade lower plants. -plant heavy feeders like squash where legumes have grown, fertilizing the soil with their nitrogen-fixing roots. -each year make note where you planted each vegetable and rotate these in 3-year cycles to prevent pests and diseases. Health and Wellness Rosewater 3 parts witch hazel or vodka 1 part distilled water fresh, organically grown rose petals (just begun to open - the more fragrant the roses the stronger the scent of your rose water. Mix witch hazel or vodka with distilled water. Stuff a quart mason jar with rose petals. Completely cover rose petals with alcohol mixture adding enough to cover the rose petals by at least 2". Cover tightly and let sit in a warm shaded area for 2 to 3 weeks shaking daily. Strain through several layers cheesecloth and rebottle. Storing in a fridge will prolong shelf life. Uses: makes a fantastic skin tonic or splash for all skin types, body spritzers, add to creams, lotions, facial scrubs, etc. Thanks for visiting! Susan |
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