Recent Articles
Irrigating with Plastic Bottles
13.5 years ago cheap, guest post, recycle, water 3 Comments
When standing with the hose in hand watering the garden this growing season here’s something to contemplate:
The point of watering is feeding roots but in most cases excess water is wasted falling between and around plants. A watering can is better suited for the task but still lacks precision.
One way to ensure water reaches its target is through a delivery mechanism that takes into consideration low water usage. True, in the realm of eco-friendly gardening there are many types of specialized irrigations systems that direct water but most aren’t feasible devices for the general homeowner.
However, one that could be made at home with little cost involves reusing plastic bottles from water, soda, and other drinks. Any size will work but the 1.5 liter or 1 liter is the easiest to experiment with. All that’s needed besides the bottles are two to three foot thin but sturdy sticks that can fit through the spouts.
Now, there are different ways of setting up the watering system but the basic idea remains the same and can be adapted to fit any situation.
For example, a simple approach may go something like this:
Simple Method
1. Cut off the bottom of the bottle about an inch up.
2. Making sure not to disturb the plant itself place and the bottle near the base of the plant with the spout down almost completely vertical. Then push the stick through the bottle into the ground so it’s holding the bottle upward. If it leans a bit that’s ok.
3. Pour water into the top (the cut off bottom) and see if it reaches the base of the plant. Adjust if necessary.
Advanced Method
1. From the spout use a marker to draw two lines 5 or 6 inches down each side (at a 180 degree angle) essentially dividing the bottle if you continued all the way around.
2. Connect the ends of the lines by circling around the bottle’s width creating two halves.
3. Carefully cut out one of the halves and remove the spout so you end up with a scoop-like shape.
4. If necessary spend some time trimming it so it has a pointy or shovel-like tip capable of sliding into the ground and resting in place.
5. Cut off the end (the bottom) of the bottle about an inch up.
6. Place the scoop side in the ground.
7. Test with some water and adjust the placement if necessary.
Either way you choose regulate water usage to less than a cup for each plant when possible and in the end this contraption will save on next month’s water bill.
Finally remember the bottles along with any scraps should be recycled when no longer in use or at the end of the season. They’ll probably be worn from the elements so don’t hesitate to toss them out and use new ones the following year.
Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com, a growing community of homeowners and contractors sharing and monitoring home improvement projects together. He covers various home improvement topics including lawn irrigations tips and grounds maintenance
10 Tips for growing tomatoes in the Northwest
13.5 years ago alfalfa pellets, blight, blossom end rot, disease, fertilizer, indoor growbox, Pacific Northwest, tomato 2 Comments
Unfortunately we do not have no where near the preferred climate to grow tomatoes. We have extremely mild temperatures with summer maximum average high of 78°F and maximum average lows of 59°F. Take that with our very short window of consistent rain (bringing blight) tomato plants are lucky to even be surviving when planted in our area let alone have a tremendous yield, though with a little planning and care you can be eating delicious tomatoes from your garden.
1. Pick the right variety. You want to choose a plant that has has a low number of days to maturity. Given we have a very short growing season this can significantly improve your chances of growing some ripe red tomatoes. Some good examples of tomato varieties to try followed by the average days to maturity Early Girl (52), Goliath (60), Juliet (60), Oregon Spring (58), Sugary (62), or Sunsugar (62). You may also want to consider growing smaller tomato varieties such as cherry or globe which can be beneficial given the smaller the fruit the shorter amount of time is takes to ripen which could allow you to harvest your tomatoes before the rains along with the diseases.
2. Start with big plants. Paying a couple dollars more on your tomato plants can shave off a 2-3 weeks off your “days to maturity” number so go for the largest plant you can afford. On a budget (or just cheap like myself) plant your seeds early and make use of a greenhouse or grow box to make your own more mature tomato plants and save yourself a considerable amount of money. If you do purchase a larger plant, don’t be in a hurry to get it into the ground…let they nursery keep it alive for you until you have optimum environment to plant it in your garden.
3. Plant at the right time. Even more important that the air temperature is the temperature of the soil you can actually plant tomatoes with a soil temperature of 50°F but the closer you can get to 60°F the better your plants will respond. When it comes to measuring your soil temperature you can use a standard inexpensive soil thermometer but personally I just use my handy digital grill thermometer and if you are concerned about using the same probe in your meat than your dirt you can always pickup a extra temperature probe.
4. Work in the trenches. The temperature of the soil can vary by 5-10°F as you dig deeper into the soil. By planting your tomato plants in a trench no only do you get the benefits of a larger root but also a root system much closer to the surface of the soil which can provide several additional degrees to your advantage. One disadvantage to this method is you do need to be diligent with your watering due since the ground will obviously dry out on the area closest to the surface.
The process for planting trenched tomato plants is very simple. Dig a shallow trench about an inch lower than the root ball. Lay the plant on its side removing an stems that are about to be buried. Cover with soil and pack down lightly and use some sticks to help support the plants until they get adapted to their new orientation. Unless it is pouring down rain when you plant them like I did be sure to water your plants well after planting.
Note: I intentionally took the photo of these plants a few hours after planting to show the expected shock they should encounter…this is normal don’t be alarmed they will perk up in a day or two.
5. Keep your plants warm. As mentioned before the temperatures are almost ever warm enough but fortunately there are a few products to help out a little for this:
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These Red Tomato Teepees are simply filled with water and absorb heat during the day and then slowly release it during the night and is advertised to help bring you yields up to 6 week earlier than without them. This provides more adequate temperatures for your plants and also some insurance for cold spring mornings. These are fairly inexpensive and can easily be collapsed and stored away when not needed. |
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If you have a small number of plants to provide a little shelter you may want to consider a cold frame. These provide a few extra degrees of protecting during the cold nights but also protect the plants from high winds and hard rains. You can also use this as a little hot box for your peppers once your tomatoes are more established. |
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If you really want to go all out you can also consider soil warming cable this is simply a cable you bury into the ground and plug it in and will provide heat underground where the roots need it most. Now I will be the first to admit this may be more of an extreme measure for your tomato plants but if you are considering growing crops all year round this could be a good investment. |
6. Grow your tomatoes in upside down planters. One of the advantages of growing tomatoes upside down is the planter is exposed to the heat from the sun thus increasing the soils temperature providing better temperatures for the roots of your tomato plants to grow. Now whether you opt to make your own upside down planter or use one of the commercial versions such as the TopsyTurvy, this can be a great way to sneak your plants out at least a couple of weeks earlier.
7. Don’t let your tomato plants get wet. Living in the Northwest, rain happens and there is not much we can do about it. This moisture can spread disease and promote fungal growth so the less moisture you can get on your plants leaves the better. There are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of moisture on your plants. First, when watering your plants avoid getting water on the leaves. Simply water the soil right at the surface, this can be easily done with a soaker hose, long wand spray nozzle, or even a simple watering can. If you are experiencing some hard rains at the end of your season you may be able to delay blight by installing a slight overhang over your tomato plants. By taking some rigid clear plastic and installing over your plants you can reduce the amount of rain that falls directly on your plants while not inhibiting light getting to your plants.
8. Fertilize. Providing the right nutrients to the plants as they need them can help encourage their growth and provide vigorous plants in the shorter period of time. The problem with tomatoes is if you over fertilize your plants will simply grow larger and fail to produce fruit as can be seen from this tomato plant I had growing out of my compost bin.
I provide a weak balanced fertilizer such as alfalfa pellet applied every couple weeks to the top of the soil allowing them to break down and provide nutrients on each watering.
Once the plant begins to set flowers I switch to applying about a 1/4 cup of bone meal to each of the plants about every 3 weeks to allow the plants to get the phosphorous they need during for reproductive function at this this time.
9. Many plants with less tomatoes. The less tomatoes your plants has ripening on its vines the more energy it has to get them to that nice delicious red color for picking. By pinching off all the suckers not on the main vine you will get your tomatoes to ripen more quickly while taking less space. By doing this I can plant my tomatoes 18-24” apart allowing me to get a few extra plants in to make up for some of this lost yield ending up with less green tomatoes at the end of the season.
10. Get supermarket quality tomatoes from your garden. Of course tomatoes ripened on the vine will have the better taste but when your season runs out and your tomatoes are still green what can you do? One option is to take any flawless tomatoes (no bruises, no cracks) place them very gently in a cardboard box padded on bottom with newspaper and place in a cool humid location. You may also add a ripe banana to speed up the process by adding a little extra ethylene. If you are luck in a couple/few weeks you should have some red tomatoes.
First tomato appeared in the grow box
13.5 years ago cold season crops, tomato 2 Comments
I noticed a tiny tomato starting on one my plants growing in my computerized grow box under 120 watt LEDs grow lights. Given our lower than average temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest this year (lows averaging in the low 40s) not sure if these plants will ever make it outside…
Even though I was somewhat pessimistic for my seed starting times and facing the difficult decision:
1. Keep them in the grow box where they risk becoming root bound and limited vertical space to grow
2. Let them go outside and be challenged by the poor growing environments
I do have some ideas to help make this decision easier, but I have some experimenting to do and will post on that later with accompanying photos…
I forgot to plant cilantro, but mother natures got my back
13.6 years ago cilantro, coriander, outdoor seed starting 3 Comments
Being busy with work and a new baby at home, I completely forgot to plant my cilantro. Though I got a little surprise when I pulled back the shredded leaves I used on my beds…I nice blanket of cilantro seedlings, almost like mother nature knew I was going to be lacking focus this season.
I was pretty good about picking my cilantro (or coriander at this point) at the end of the season a little prior to the flowers were completely dried out to allow for crop rotation. Crop rotation is the process of moving species of plants to alternate locations to prevent build-up of specie specific diseases, fungi, or miscellaneous annoying pests. By not planting the same plants in the location for a couple years this causes these undesirables to die off making it safer to plant at that location on the third year.
In the previous years I have been lazy and just let the plants self seed but after 3 years probably a good idea to move things around…oh well maybe next year.
How to keep cats out of your garden
13.6 years ago Uncategorized 23 Comments
The Rise of the Cat
Today, cats have the distinguished honor of being the most popular pet in the world. They are extremely adaptable creatures and are found virtually everywhere on earth. Due to their rapid breeding rates, the cat population has swelled to an astonishing 60 million in the United States alone. This figure includes household cats, as well as the ever-increasing number of strays.
There are many reasons this figure has exploded. One reason is cat owners are failing to spay and neuter, resulting in unwanted litters. Another reason is abandonment. Cat owners are abandoning their pets because of relocation, not being able to afford the cat, or even downright neglect. (Cats)
Identifying Cat Damage
The sheer volume of stray cats has become an expensive nuisance to homeowners, as cats cause damage to landscaping, lawns, gardens, and ponds. Cats use gardens as their litter boxes, destroying plants and seedlings as they dig. They damage trees with their excessive clawing. And they leave a repulsive smell in yards by marking and spraying. Also, cats are instinctive hunters. Their flexible bodies, quick reflexes, acute hearing, and sharp retractable claws make them perfect predators for locating and catching prey, especially small mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish. Those with decorative ponds have problems with felines feeding on their fish.
Dangers of Strays
One in ten animal bites come from the infamous feline. Besides pain, cat bites can have dangerous ramifications. Humans can contract infections, such as cat-scratch disease, salmonellosis, tulermia, and rabies. Their feces can transmit toxoplasmosis, which can pose a serious danger to pregnant women and immunosuppressed individuals. In fact, a considerable percentage of domestic and stray cats are carriers of the Toxoplasma parasite, which can cause lasting effects and even fatality in humans. With these potential health threats, finding an effective cat repellent to keep strays out of yards has never been more important. (Toxoplasmosis)
Cat Repellents — Keep Out Cats?
To keep cats out of your yard, you need to find an effective cat repellent. There are several common strategies for keeping cats out of an area, but they are not all highly effective. For instance, some will try positioning a sandbox and catnip a distance from their home to draw them away. However, cats have a large roaming radius. A sandbox and catnip will be a welcome sign to the area, not a cat repellent for your yard.
Cats won’t walk on bristly items. This cat quality has been helpful to those homeowners with areas of fallen pinecones and needles. However, spreading these all over your yard isn’t an easy cat repellent method.
Fencing alone will not keep cats out. Cats have lithe bodies that squeeze through small places and surmount tall obstacles. If you have a fence, you should combine your efforts with an effective cat repellent.
What is the best method for keeping strays and feral cats at bay? Water is nature’s very own cat repellent. Cats hate being wet, which you can use to your advantage. Based on the fact cats hate water, the motion detector sprinkler has been refined for use as a highly effective cat repellent.
Motion Detector Sprinkler — An Effective Cat Repellent
A motion detector sprinkler is similar to a water sprinkler, but instead of running continuously, it fires a burst of water to harmlessly frighten cats away. It’s a clean, harmless, and effective cat repellent that sets up quickly and easily. Simply install a standard battery, connect the sprinkler to a hose, and stake the unit into the ground. Because it runs 24 hours a day, a motion detector sprinkler is the perfect solution to these nocturnal predators.
These cat repellents should be placed in the area that has experienced cat damage. Putting a motion detector sprinkler by a decorative pond will prevent felines from feeding on the fish. Installing one in your garden will not only nourish your plants, it will also put an end to the digging and litter box smell.
You should also install these cat repellents in the pathway where they search for food and water. You’ll stop them from entering your yard and reaching your pets’ dishes, decorative ponds, bird baths, and gardens.
The Power Behind the Motion Detector Sprinkler
A motion detector sprinkler has an infrared sensor, which can sense movement up to 35 feet in front of the unit. When motion is detected, the sprinkler will eject a sudden jet of water accompanied by a “whoosh” sound. This combination works as a highly effective cat repellent by creating a negative experience for the trespassing animal. They will be conditioned to avoid the area in the future.
The most effective motion detector sprinklers feature adjustable sensitivity detectors and random spray patterns, meaning cats won’t become accustomed to the jets of water. With over 1000 square feet of coverage from one unit, these cat repellents offer widespread protection. To cover more area, simply install more than one sprinkler. Not only will you have an effective cat repellent, you’ll also be protecting your yard from other unwanted animal guests, such as deer, dogs, raccoons, groundhogs, opossum, skunks, rabbits, squirrels, and birds.
Types of Motion Detector Sprinklers
Most motion detector sprinklers are eco-friendly, using only 2-3 cups of water per activation. Infrared proximity and pivoting sensors offer 180 degrees of protection, never missing an animal that ventures within reach of the unit. High-tech systems have the added benefits of remote functionality, timer options, and a sprinkler mode. Solar-powered models utilize a refillable basin for their water supply, making them hose-less and relocatable. (Havahart Spray Away)
Works Cited
Toxoplasmosis. 2 November 2010.
Havahart Spray Away – Motion Activated Water Repellent. 19 January 2011.
Guest Post By: Havahart®
Slugs eating my lettuce
13.6 years ago lettuce, pests, slugs 8 Comments
Previously I did an entire post on deterring slugs from your garden, but I was so excited to get these romaine lettuce plants out of my grow box and into the garden I put off the slug prevention a little too long.
As you can see these guys are pretty little but they still can do some serious amount of damage in a short period of time. There are many methods to prevent slugs in your garden, but I went with methods based on materials I had on hand.
First I started with some Slug and Snail bait, this is more environmentally friendly kind which will not kill off the cats, dogs, birds in your neighborhood but when the slugs get a taste it will eliminate their appetite and/or encourage them to forage for food elsewhere.
After picking of the chewed on leaves which removed the slugs chewing on them from the garden, promotes a healthier plant, and gives the hides the evidence that this attack never happened. I also removed some of the leaf mulch around the plants to give the slugs a less optimal hiding place. I topped all of this up by sprinkling a 1/4 cup of egg shells around the plants which irritates the slugs delicate undersides to hopefully encourage them to look for lunch elsewhere.
