Our Favorite Reference Questions
Each month the staff and volunteers at the Miller Library receive hundreds of requests for reference help from library visitors and from those who contact us by phone or email. Below are a sampling of some of our favorites received in recent months with the answers found from sources within the library collection.
I recall that an old friend used to deter moles by planting something around the perimeter of her garden. It was called a "mole plant" or something like that. Can you help me identify and locate this plant?
There is an old-fashioned annual plant that is sometimes called "Mole Plant" or "Gopher Purge." The Latin name is Euphorbia lathyris. The plant exudes an irritating sap and was said to repel moles if simply planted at regular intervals around the garden. Another possibility is the Castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis) that bears extremely toxic beans. Castor oil is made from these beans and is often suggested as a repellent for moles. Some companies sell castor oil-based sprays for the purpose of repelling moles.
Is it safe to use horse manure in vegetable gardens, or is there a danger of e-coli?
To quote WSU Extension, "If you use fresh manure in the garden, there is a small risk that pathogens which cause disease may contaminate garden vegetables. The risk is greatest for root crops like radishes and carrots, and leafy vegetables such as lettuce, where the edible part touches the soil. Careful washing and/or peeling will remove most of the pathogens responsible for the disease. Thorough cooking is even more effective."
You can find further information at WSU's website, http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship/compost/manure/manure2.htm.
What is that recipe for a slug control solution using ammonia?
Slugs can be trapped under boards or flower pots positioned throughout the garden (raise them off the ground about 1 inch so the pests can crawl underneath. Scrape off the accumulated slugs daily and destroy by spraying them with a solution of one-half non-sudsing household ammonia and one-half water in a spray bottle. Keep the ammonia solution off leaf surfaces since it can damage plants; however, it will leave no toxic residues in the soil.
SOURCE: Flint, Mary Louise. PESTS OF THE GARDEN AND SMALL FARM; A GROWER'S GUIDE TO USING LESS PESTICIDE. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Publication 3332, p. 133.
My mother is taking a bus from San Francisco (nope! I couldn't talk her into flying-she wanted to see the scenery!) to go "warabi hunting." I read somewhere about edible fiddlerheads (warabi) and some carcinogenous look-a-likes. Could you shed some light on this subject before I become paranoid about my crazy mother potentially eating a deadly fiddlerhead? Thanks for humoring me!
I hope the following information will keep your mother safe (and preserve your mental health!). This is quite lengthy, but you might need the whole thing, so...
Matteuccia struthiopteris, a.k.a. Ostrich Fern, Fiddlehead Fern. All ferns have two kinds of fronds (leaves)--larger sterile (vegetative) and smaller fertile (reproductive) ones. The ostrich fern is one of the best edible species. It's easiest to recognize when mature: The large, dark-green sterile fronds grow 2 to 6 feet tall. They're featherlike, with one main stem running through the frond. Toothed leaflets arise in a curved arch from the main stem, so they do actually resemble ostrich plumes. They come out of the ground as though rising from a vase. Unlike bracken's frond, the ostrich fern is unbranched. The fertile fronds are much smaller, at most 2 feet tall--leathery and stiff, with rounded podlike sori (spore-containers). They grow surrounded by the much larger sterile fronds.
CAUTION: You eat only fern fiddleheads--they become poisonous once they've unfurled. The ostrich fern's fiddlehead has a curled head, like a violin. The stalk is firm and stout near the base, then rapidly tapers. It's covered with large, brown, papery scales. Thick rhizomes creep along and sprout the new fronds from a black, rough tangle of branches. Last year's tough, small fertile fronds persist through the winter. The cinnamon fern's fiddlehead looks similar, but its fertile frond is reddish and knobby, not feathery like the ostrich fern's. It's often difficult to identify one fiddlehead from another in the spring, and many species aren't edible. Some are bitter, others are bound in a thick, papery membrane that's nearly impossible to remove, but no fiddlehead is poisonous.
If you're uncertain of your identification, come back to confirm your ID when the fern is mature, and harvest the following spring. I had to wait more than ten years to locate ostrich ferns in my region, and another two years to pinpoint the right time to collect. Ostrich ferns grow in moist woods, and near riverbanks, where there's some sunlight. They occur....through northern Washington State. When you locate them, you'll probably find them in abundance. Remember, don't eat unfurled fronds, which are poisonous. Collect them only where they're very abundant, and take less than half of any bunch, so you don't deplete the rhizomes' energy reserves.
SOURCE: Brill, Steve. IDENTIFYING AND HARVESTING EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS IN WILD (AND NOT SO WILD) PLACES. New York: Hearst Books, 1994, p. 64.
Where are the flowers on fig trees? How are they pollinated?
Minute, petalless flowers are contained in a hollowed-out, inflated stem tip (receptacle) borne in the leaf axils, which enlarges to form the fig fruit. Home-garden figs do not need pollinating, and most varieties bear two crops a year. The first comes in early summer on last year's wood; the second, more important one comes in late summer or early fall from the current year's growth.
SOURCES: Brenzel, Kathleen N., ed. SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp., 2001, p. 352. Brickell, Christopher, ed. ROYAL HORTICULTRUAL SOCIETY A-Z ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDEN PLANTS. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1996, p. 438.
I just moved into a house with a mound septic system. What trees or shrubs can be planted on or near the mound?
Trees or large shrubs should be kept at least 30 feet away from your drainfield. If you do plan to plant trees near a drainfield, consult an expert to discuss your ideas and needs. Trees and shrubs generally have extensive root systems that seek out and grow into wet areas, such as drainfields.
Grass is the ideal cover for drainfields. Grasses can be ornamental, mowed in a traditional lawn, or in an unmowed meadow. Or, you can try groundcovers and ferns.
The key to planting over the drainfield is to select shallow-rooted, low-maintenance, low-water-use plants. When tank covers are buried, keep in mind that plantings over the tank-from inlet to outlet-will have to be removed every three or four years for inspection and pumping.
Planting your drainfield will be much different from other experiences you may have had landscaping. First, it is unwise to work the soil, which means no rototilling. Parts of the system may be only six inches under the surface. Adding 2 to 3 inches of topsoil should be fine, but more could be a problem. Second, the plants need to be relatively low-maintenance and low-water use. You will be best off if you select plants for your drainfield that, once established, will not require routine watering.
SOURCE: WSU Cooperative Extension - Clallam County
Are newspapers safe to eat? I would like to use them as a mulch in my vegetable garden.
Save all your old newspapers to use in your garden. But stick to the black and white print. The ink used by most publishers is water based. However, inks used in advertising supplements or "glossies" may contain heavy metal.
Placing a layer of newspapers over bare dirt makes a great mulch and has many organic benefits. Soil moisture is conserved by allowing rain to penetrate it. The cold is kept out and the paper protects root crops against early or late frosts. It reduces weeds, keeps vining vegetables off the ground, and helps to build soil structure.
Lay the newspapers on the ground at least four sheets thick. Overlap them so that none of the ground is exposed, and anchor them with rocks.
SOURCE: University of Minnesota's Prairie Yard & Garden http://www.mrs.umn.edu/pyg/tips/soil_planting/tip_704.shtml
Can I grow rice in a bog in the Pacific Northwest?
Probably not. White rice (Oryza sativa) grows in the tropics. American wild rice (Zizania aquatica) grows mainly in the Northeastern U.S. It needs a constant change of water, but the current must be almost imperceptible. Stagnant water is not suitable.
SOURCE: Vaughan, J.G. THE NEW OXFORD BOOK OF FOOD PLANTS. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 8.