DEL.ICIO.USWALTER REEVES
Even in small garden, variety is possible
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Q: My 23-year-old daughter has adopted a vegan diet, and I’d like to garden with her. I don’t want to make it so large that it becomes a chore, or too small to have a number of varieties of food. Could you advise on how large a garden might be wise for us?
VICTORIA E., e-mail
Walter Reeves/Special
Squash are easy to grow in a small garden such as one designed by University of Georgia garden pro Wayne McLaurin.
RELATED LINKS:
- Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on NewsTalk 750 WSB-AM from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions.
- His Web site, walterreeves.com, contains thousands of answers to lawn and landscape questions. Watch "Gardening in Georgia" each week on GPB. Details at gardeningingeorgia.com.
A: University of Georgia garden expert Wayne McLaurin came up with a plan for a 25- by 50-foot garden I think you’d find enjoyable. I’ve collected several good gardening publications for you at http://xrl.us/GROWVEGETABLES. Remember that the key to success is good soil. You can get a head start now by digging the plot and adding soil conditioner or manure so it will be ready when you decide to start planting.
Q: I have heard that a weak bleach solution is a good pest control to apply to soil in the winter. I grow red currant tomatoes, which reseed each year. Will applying bleach have an adverse effect on the reappearance of my tomatoes?
NATHAN WATSON, e-mail
A: Bleach does not control soil pests. In the first place, bleach is very reactive. It breaks down every bit of organic matter it touches, causing your soil to be hard. In the same vein, it would take a lot of bleach to kill anything past the upper couple of inches of the soil. Further, bleach changes into salt as it attacks organic matter. I’m sure you know how damaging salt is to plant roots. That said, applying a weak bleach solution probably won’t harm your tomatoes — and it won’t affect soil pests, either.
Q: I am an 11-year-old gardener. I was wondering: if clementine oranges have no seeds, how do they grow more?
MONICA DAVIS, e-mail
A: Clementines are a hybrid variety of mandarin orange that originated in China. A flower of this orange will not pollinate itself, thus no seeds form inside the fruit. Clementines are named for Father Clement Rodier, a Catholic priest and botanist who ran an orphanage in Algeria.
Spain and North Africa are centers of clementine production. Clementines like hot, dry summers and warm winters. California has a moderate clementine industry but nothing like that in Spain.
Q: I took down a couple of huge Leyland cypress and have a few ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae for replacements. How far do I need to space them to make a screen?
BOB R., e-mail
A: ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae makes a nice substitute for a too-tall Leyland cypress. They grow 12 to 15 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, so I’d space them 4 feet apart. Fertilize twice each year (April and June).
Q: I have a large fern-type plant in my living room on which the edges of the leaves turn brown. What could cause this problem?
COLLEEN JACKSON, Dawsonville
A: My bet is that the plant doesn’t have enough humidity around it. Indoor air in winter is very dry; ferns are very susceptible to drying out, and damage usually develops on leaf/frond tips. Buy a plastic plant saucer that is at least as wide as the spread of your plant leaves. Fill the saucer with pea gravel and set the plant in the center. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the pot. This will raise the humidity level around the plant. Scissor off any brown tissue to make your plant look better as it recovers. Make sure the plant is not near a furnace vent.
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