12 min
Meet the Garden Beneficials (and Bats, Too!) Beyond the Garden Basics Podcast
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- Home & Garden
The podcast included with this newsletter features an interview with Rachael Long, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Emeritus, and one of the nation’s best sources of information on the benefits of having bats, which are flying mammals (not rodents), in your neighborhood. Originally aired in Episode 180 of the Garden Basics podcast in March of 2022.
Before we begin bug hunting, here’s what has happened this week on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast:
Ep. 328 Q&A - Should you add fertilizer to a compost pile? Can planting late-ripening peaches thwart peach leaf curl disease?
In this episode of the Garden Basics Podcast, Fred Hoffman and Master Gardener Susan Muckey discuss composting and answer a listener's question about adding nitrogen to a compost pile. They explain that adding nitrogen is not necessary for most compost piles and discuss the ideal carbon-nitrogen ratio. They also provide tips for turning a compost pile and maintaining the right temperature. In the second part of the episode, Quentyn Young, Master Gardener and orchard specialist, joins the conversation to discuss strategies for dealing with peach leaf curl, including planting late ripening peach varieties.
• Adding nitrogen to a compost pile is not necessary for most composting methods.
• The ideal carbon-nitrogen ratio for a compost pile is 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen.
• Turning a compost pile helps to introduce air and maintain the right temperature.
• Late ripening peach varieties can be a good strategy for preventing peach leaf curl.
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Ep. 329 How to Water
In this conversation, Farmer Fred and America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor (and former nurseryperson), Debbie Flower, discuss various methods of watering plants, including watering seeds, young plants in containers, mature plants in containers, and lawns. They also touch on the use of sprinklers versus drip irrigation, the benefits of rainwater, and the ancient practice of using Oyas for irrigation. The conversation emphasizes the importance of finding a watering system that works best for each individual and regularly checking plants for signs of distress.
• Watering seeds requires keeping the seed bed evenly moist, and watering from the bottom can be an effective method.
• When watering young plants in containers, it's important to water each container individually and ensure that the entire column of soil is wet.
• For mature plants in containers, using a watering wand with a fine breaker can provide a gentle and effective watering method.
• Lawns can be watered using sprinklers or more efficient methods like MP Rotators, and it's important to turn off the water when runoff occurs.
• Drip irrigation is a cost-effective method for irrigating crops, but it requires monitoring for breaks and securing the drip tape to the ground.
• Oyas, an ancient irrigation method, can be used to slowly release water to plants, but their effectiveness depends on soil type and plant needs.
• Regularly checking plants for signs of distress and maintaining irrigation systems is crucial for healthy plant growth.
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Meet the Garden Good Guys and Gals
Nature wants to make your job as a gardener as easy as possible; but you have to help.
We've talked about putting in plants that attract insects whose primary job is to pollinate your garden, helping to insure a bountiful harvest of food and flowers.
But what about attracting those other "good bugs", the crawling and flying creatures whose diet includes pests that are ravaging your garden plants? These beneficial predatory insects do not live on aphid steaks alone. They need other natural sources of food and shelter for their entire life cycle before they call your backyard a permanent home. What are these "Welcome Mat" plants and the beneficial insects they attract?
The podcast included with this newsletter features an interview with Rachael Long, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Emeritus, and one of the nation’s best sources of information on the benefits of having bats, which are flying mammals (not rodents), in your neighborhood. Originally aired in Episode 180 of the Garden Basics podcast in March of 2022.
Before we begin bug hunting, here’s what has happened this week on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast:
Ep. 328 Q&A - Should you add fertilizer to a compost pile? Can planting late-ripening peaches thwart peach leaf curl disease?
In this episode of the Garden Basics Podcast, Fred Hoffman and Master Gardener Susan Muckey discuss composting and answer a listener's question about adding nitrogen to a compost pile. They explain that adding nitrogen is not necessary for most compost piles and discuss the ideal carbon-nitrogen ratio. They also provide tips for turning a compost pile and maintaining the right temperature. In the second part of the episode, Quentyn Young, Master Gardener and orchard specialist, joins the conversation to discuss strategies for dealing with peach leaf curl, including planting late ripening peach varieties.
• Adding nitrogen to a compost pile is not necessary for most composting methods.
• The ideal carbon-nitrogen ratio for a compost pile is 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen.
• Turning a compost pile helps to introduce air and maintain the right temperature.
• Late ripening peach varieties can be a good strategy for preventing peach leaf curl.
=======================================================
Ep. 329 How to Water
In this conversation, Farmer Fred and America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor (and former nurseryperson), Debbie Flower, discuss various methods of watering plants, including watering seeds, young plants in containers, mature plants in containers, and lawns. They also touch on the use of sprinklers versus drip irrigation, the benefits of rainwater, and the ancient practice of using Oyas for irrigation. The conversation emphasizes the importance of finding a watering system that works best for each individual and regularly checking plants for signs of distress.
• Watering seeds requires keeping the seed bed evenly moist, and watering from the bottom can be an effective method.
• When watering young plants in containers, it's important to water each container individually and ensure that the entire column of soil is wet.
• For mature plants in containers, using a watering wand with a fine breaker can provide a gentle and effective watering method.
• Lawns can be watered using sprinklers or more efficient methods like MP Rotators, and it's important to turn off the water when runoff occurs.
• Drip irrigation is a cost-effective method for irrigating crops, but it requires monitoring for breaks and securing the drip tape to the ground.
• Oyas, an ancient irrigation method, can be used to slowly release water to plants, but their effectiveness depends on soil type and plant needs.
• Regularly checking plants for signs of distress and maintaining irrigation systems is crucial for healthy plant growth.
===============================================================
Meet the Garden Good Guys and Gals
Nature wants to make your job as a gardener as easy as possible; but you have to help.
We've talked about putting in plants that attract insects whose primary job is to pollinate your garden, helping to insure a bountiful harvest of food and flowers.
But what about attracting those other "good bugs", the crawling and flying creatures whose diet includes pests that are ravaging your garden plants? These beneficial predatory insects do not live on aphid steaks alone. They need other natural sources of food and shelter for their entire life cycle before they call your backyard a permanent home. What are these "Welcome Mat" plants and the beneficial insects they attract?
12 min