Happy Garden - April 16, 2009

This week we have an article about Growing Vegetables in the Shade. If you have any gardening tips or photos to share, feel free to submit them on one of the contest pages.

Thanks for reading,

The ThriftyFun Team

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Photos:

• Garden: Peony Photos
• Craft Project: Birdbath Recycled With Love
• Baby Animals Are a Sign of Spring
• Garden: Photos from Elaine's Garden
• Garden: Growing Peas for Winter

Tips and Articles:

• Growing Vegetables in the Shade
• Starting a Garden Journal
• Make Your Own Weed Killer Recipe
• Alternate Fence Pickets to Look Good from Both Sides
• Use Citronella Oil Spray to Stop Dog Digging
• Crab Apples for Pest Repellent

New Requests:

• Planting Crops on Earth Day
• Plant Ideas for a New Gardener
• Small Eucalyptus Trees
• Removing Weeds Between Pavers
• Alberta Spruce Tree Turning Brown
• Aphids on Strawberries
• Getting Rid of Goutweed
• Ground Cover Advice
• Making Weatherproof Garden Markers
• Buying Amaryllis Bulbs
• Can I Still Start Seeds?
• Growing Plants in Clay Soil
• Getting Rid of Sweet Gum Balls
• Growing Stargazer Lilies in Pots
• Getting Rid of Bermuda Grass
• Strawberries are Being Over Watered

Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

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Garden: Peony Photos

By Deb H. from East Brunswick, NJ

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Craft Project: Birdbath Recycled With Love

Don't throw out that leaking bird bath! Make it into your own work of art. And that old chipped plate, you didn't know what to do with, can adorn your masterpiece. My piece is in memory of my Irish grandmother, Kay. I had a few of her old yellow rose plates which I fondly remember having meals on as a child, which also brings back memories of staying with her on summer vacation.

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Baby Animals Are a Sign of Spring

By Beth from Ft. Blackmore, VA

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Garden: Photos from Elaine's Garden

By Elaine from York, PA

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Garden: Growing Peas for Winter

By Beth from Ft. Blackmore, VA

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Growing Vegetables in the Shade
By Ellen Brown

A site receiving full sun is premium real estate in the vegetable garden. If sunny spots are in short supply in your garden, an easy way to free up space, expand your garden (and your yields) is to use the shady spots in your garden to your advantage. A wide range of delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs can all be grown in partial shade.

How Shady is Partial Shade?

In horticulture, partial shade is described as any site that receives 3 to 6 hours of sun per day. Flowering edibles (tomatoes, melons, squash and peppers) need the most amount of sun. They prefer 8 to 10 hours a day. Leafy vegetables, like spinach and lettuce, need only 6 hours of sun a day and tolerate partial shade quite well because they can be picked at any stage of maturity. Partial shade is also good for planting early and late crops (while trees are without leaves) and for crops conducive to succession plantings.

Best Choices for Partial Shade

While production and performance will be better in full sun, the following edibles need a minimum of 6 hours of sun a day and are considered tolerant of partial shade. This list is by no means extensive. Experiment and find out what works best for your site.

• Vegetables: broccoli, beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, leafy greens (including collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale), onions, peas, radishes, salad greens (including leaf lettuce, arugula, endive, cress, and radicchio), and Swiss chard.

• Fruits: blackberries, blueberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

• Herbs: cardamon, chives, garlic, and mint.

Utilizing Available Light

Plant your partial shade crops in rows from east to west. This will maximize the amount of light they receive by allowing plants of different heights to follow the sun as it passes overhead during the day. Don't cut down whole trees to create more sun, but consider thinning out some of its lower branches to open up some more light.

Providing Adequate Moisture

Keep a careful eye on the moisture levels of your shady crops. You may find you need to water them more often. Shady sites are often more dry than sites receiving full sun, because the roots of trees tend steal all of the moisture from surrounding plants. Trees make a great shelter to stand under when it is raining, unless of course, you are a plant. Plants growing underneath them receive less water because branches divert falling rain toward the outer perimeter of the canopy, where it drips from the branches onto the thirsty roots below.

Ensuring Soil Fertility

In partial shade, the roots of hungry trees often gobble soil nutrients up as fast as they become available. Give edibles a boost above their competition by applying a balanced fertilizer in the spring, and one or two more applications as the growing season progresses. An alternative is to consider growing edibles in containers so they don't have to compete at all with neighboring trees and shrubs.

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Starting a Garden Journal

Start a vegetable garden journal now so you can begin planning for next year. Use a notebook of any sort and notate things you think would be helpful in future planning.

These are the things I'm including in mine:

• Dollars spent on seeds, fertilizer, soil and such.

• Names of the seeds planted, date planted, and dates of first harvest.

• Cost of vegetable plants to track savings from starting from seed. At $3.50 per plant versus $1 per seed packet, I saved $96.This will motivate me to start seeds on time.

• Names and types of fertilizers along with how often applied.

• Number of each vegetable planted.

• Map of garden so I'll remember what was planted where.

• General notations about diseases, problems, what worked and what didn't.

• Log the weight of the produce as it comes in to track real grocery store savings.

Happy gardening!

By Traceyi from Jacksonville, FL

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Make Your Own Weed Killer Recipe

Here are two homemade recipes to try. Both should be used only on plants that you want to get rid of, taking care not to spray any on surrounding plants. These are most effective when used on emerging weeds.

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Alternate Fence Pickets to Look Good from Both Sides

When you put up a wooden fence, you usually nail the pickets to one side, then the other side of the fence doesn't look all that great. But if you keep alternating the pickets, nailing the first to your neighbor's side and the next to your side, you will end up with a fence that looks something like basket weave and will look good on both sides.

By Amuck

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Use Citronella Oil Spray to Stop Dog Digging

To stop your dog digging in your garden beds, put citronella oil into a spray bottle and spray the area. Dogs hate it.

By Lorimay from Perth Western Australia

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Crab Apples for Pest Repellent

There are no chemicals involved so I guess it's a green tip. If you have a problem with roaches, ants, mice, or other pests inside the house, gather some crab apples and place them around your basement, crawl space, and foundation of your house. My in-laws have done this for years and haven't even seen a trace of a pest or rodent.

By Tammy from Cookeville, TN

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Planting Crops on Earth Day

Is Earth Day considered an excellent day to plant crops?

By Suzyspinkmoon from Clinton, TN

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Plant Ideas for a New Gardener

I am getting real plants for the first time. Not knowing much about what flowers do best in what regions doesn't help. I am not very good with living things other than humans and animals. I need something low maintenance, but beautiful. I live in Greensboro, NC and to give you an idea of what I like (but probably can't keep alive) I would have to say orchids, lilies, tulips, sunflowers, and a few others. Any suggestions for a 'green' gardener? Price is not too big of an issue, I just want a beautiful 'living' garden that can be potted and not grounded.

Hardiness Zone: 7a

By Kimsey813 from Greensboro, NC

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Small Eucalyptus Trees

Does anyone know where to buy small eucalyptus trees to plant in the yard? A family member bought one at Lowe's one year, but hasn't seen one since! It's grown to be 5 feet tall, by the way.

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By Vguy from Earle, AR

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Removing Weeds Between Pavers

Apart from using a sharp knife, does anyone have any tips for removing weeds growing between paving slabs without resorting to harsh, environmentally-unfriendly chemicals?

By Pie 59 from Cambridge, UK

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Alberta Spruce Tree Turning Brown

In May of last year I posted that my 5 dwarf Alberta Spruces were browning out in large areas. Yet some new growth was visible. I sprayed for spider mites and also for fungus. They appeared to improve until Fall and began to brown out again. They seem even worse after the winter, but again some green seems mixed with the brown. What can I do? They are all 10 ft. or over, mature trees.

Hardiness Zone: 7a

By Paul411 from North Branford, CT

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Aphids on Strawberries

How do I get rid of aphids on my strawberries without using anything that would be harmful to our grandson and our Yorkie?

Hardiness Zone: 8b

By Chemoangeljudie from Apple Valley, CA

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Getting Rid of Goutweed

How can I get rid of Goutweed (Ground Ivy)? It's taking over. Please help!

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By BearDreamer from Vancouver Island

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Ground Cover Advice

I am looking for suggestions for ground cover.

Hardiness Zone: 3b

By Weight Watcher from Toronto

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Making Weatherproof Garden Markers

I'm looking for some ideas to make markers for my various herbs in my garden. I would like them to be weatherproof.

By RealtorRose from Malvern, PA

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Buying Amaryllis Bulbs

I am looking for a place to get some really pretty amaryllis bulbs and a piece of a Marshall Neal rose.

Hardiness Zone: 8a

By gbk from Folkston, GA

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Can I Still Start Seeds?

We live in Baltimore City, MD. Our hardiness zone is 7. Would you kindly let me know if it is too late to plant seeds? Can I start seeds in peat pots? I put it off, and I'm worried it's too late for this year. I'd like to start a few dark red Crepe Myrtles, some ornamental grasses, tomatoes, butterfly bushes, fire thorns, cucumbers and some hot red peppers. We have potting soil, perlite and a warm place. Please let me know, and any other information as I'm pretty darn new at this! Am keeping my fingers crossed! Thank you all.

Hardiness Zone: 7a

By JoAnn from Baltimore, MD

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Growing Plants in Clay Soil

What are the easiest plants to grew in clay like dirt?

Hardiness Zone: 7b

By Mscat61 from LaVergne, TN

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Getting Rid of Sweet Gum Balls

How do I get rid of sweet gum balls?

Rwbrown

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Growing Stargazer Lilies in Pots

I planted stargazer lilies in pots for the first time last spring/summer. They did not do much. I always move all my pots into my semi-heated attached garage for winter and the stargazers are beginning to come up. They are very leggy and spindly, at least 12 inches tall. Do I let them grow and move them outside when it gets warmer or can I cut them back to get fuller growth?

Hardiness Zone: 5a

By Tarann from Greenville, OH

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Getting Rid of Bermuda Grass

Does the homemade weed killer kill Bermuda grass? I rocked my front yard and the landscaper who did it did not lay any type of ground cover before laying the rocks. Now I have Bermuda grass and weeds coming up. Most of the weed killers over the counter do get rid of the weeds, but I haven't found anything to get rid of the Bermuda grass. Thank you in advance for your help.

By Miss6853 from Chandler, AZ

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Strawberries are Being Over Watered

My strawberries start to rot when it has a lot of water. What should I do to protect them against sitting in water and rotting?

Kathy

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml