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Re: SqFt Planting Spaces

>Doesn't your lawn die from lack of water in the summer?


Yes, but we don't place high value on grass. We feel that grass lawns
are incredible resource hogs -- i.e. lawns take more water per square
foot than any other garden crop, homeowners use more pesticide,
fertilizer and herbicides on lawns than in the rest of their gardens.
Besides we just don't find expanses of green lawn natural or
beautiful.


>How often do you spray the baking soda/water solution and what are

>the proportions.  I've never know what to use for mildew on veggies

>since you can't use the sulphur spray that I use for my roses on

>edibles.  Does anyone have any other suggestions for mildew on

>veggies?  I will unfortunately have to use the sprinklers unless I

>water by hand.  Would that work?  I really don't want to invest in

>soaker hoses right now since this area will unfortunately become a

>lawn next year.  I'd prefer to keep it a veggie garden, but my hubby

>thinks we have to have a lawn.  Hmmmph!


<bigger>Black spot/mildew spray: Mix four teaspoons of baking soda and
one teaspoon of liquid soap into one gallon of water</bigger>. Use
spray bottle for application.


Natalie's Natural Pest Spray: mix 2 T hot cayenne, 2 T baking soda, 1
head crushed garlic, 4 T vegetable or summer oil, 1 t biodegradable
dish soap, into a gallon of water. Steep this for a week, shake up
every other day. Strain and put in a spray bottle, store in the
refrigerator.


I don't use anything else on my garden except for a damp off spray I
just learned about that is made of chamomile tea. I use these on my
roses and perennials as well as my vegetable garden. I spray once a
week if needed, but often, with my roses I only have to spray every
other week to keep aphids/black spot/mildew away.  Spray in the morning
after the dew has dried but before the weather is scorching or if too
hot spray in the early evening. I cannot spray safely in the evenings
and I always spray right after it has rained if possible.


The soda in these sprays gently changes the pH of the plant surface
thuse blackspot/mildew have a hard time getting a foothold. The cayenne
and garlic repel pests, the soap dissolves the protective coating on
soft bodied insects like aphids, spider mites, etc. The oil acts as an
emulsifier and also aids in the soft bodied insect destruction.


Do test this on tender plants and if you have especially pungent garlic
you may want to adjust the amount as too much can burn plants.


You may also want to think about planting chives or garlic around your
roses as this repels a lot of the nasties (especially aphids). However,
if you continue to spray non-organic pesticides or use non-organic rose
fertilizers I would not recommend you use these for food purposes.


If you cannot do soaker hoses -- which are not permanent and only cost
about $4.00 around here at Costco -- I would hand water since you
increase the chance of contracting mildew/blackspot.


>Does this cover the whole 4x4 square?  I'm a little confused trying

>to picture this, but it sounds like it might work well, depending on

>how hard it is to build it.  I'm really rather construction

>illiterate.


No, it covers only one square


    / \

  /__\

/          \  base is only 12" wide, need to plant beans on outer edges
of square rather than down center.


As for the beans, no you don't need poles, you could use a simple pea
string trellis, we use jute cord for our string and the beans climb
right up. Do make sure the string is tied securely ;-).


I hope you can convince your husband that grass is just something that
takes a lot of work and doesn't return a lot of value like your
vegetable garden. Why does he think you need a lawn -- is it to keep up
with the Jones's? We actually dig up our front yard in order to have
garden space...


Good Luck,

Natalie


P.S. It occasionally gets that hot and hotter here -- we just hide from
it though, we like the rain ;-).  I'd give 2 C water twice a week to
melons when it is that hot -- at least until the fruit is read to
ripen. 1 C twice a week to corn, 1/2 C twice weekly to beans and about
1-2 qts twice/week to tomatoes -- remember to keep level of water to
tomatoes consistent especially after fruit sets to avoid blossom end
rot. We don't follow these guidelines this closely since we use the
soaker hoses. We water every other day with the soaker hoses so our
plants get a consistent supply of cooling water straight to the roots.
We augment this with hand watering to the tomatoes and cucumbers.



Natalie McNair-Huff

Happily Gardening in Tacoma, WA Sunset zone 5; USDA Zone 7/8

Publisher/Editor Mac Net Journal http://www.blol.com/web_mnj/
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