Garden Tools: tips, resources and reviews for gardeners

In our zeal to eradicate the destructive tent caterpillars we may be inadvertently hurting the beautiful butterflies we love to see flitting around during the summer. If at all possible, cut out the conspicuous nests instead of spraying so that butterfly larva like Western Tiger Swallowtails, Mourning Cloaks can survive to grace our gardens every summer.

Help reduce non-point source pollution, contaminants carried by storm water into streams and lakes, which harm salmon and other aquatic life by planting a rain garden. The idea is to plant a garden that will capture and filter rain runoff before it flows into our local waterways. Read about how to design a rain garden and what plants work best in the March/April 2003 issue of the American Gardener Magazine (available at the Miller Library).
An example of how Seattle Public Utilities has implemented the idea on neighborhood scale.
More information on rain gardens from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Research shows that watering container plants in the afternoon leads to healthier, stronger growing plants compared to containerized plants watered early in the morning. Warren and Bilderback, Journal of Environmental Horticulture, September 2002, Vol. 20(3), Pages 184-188. However, watering the rest of the garden in the morning reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation, which is better for the utility bill!

When, exactly, is the best time to harvest a tomato for perfect flavor? According to expert Lois Hole, "tomatoes have the best flavor when picked just before they've reached their color peak." If left on the vine until soft sugar and acid will decrease, degrading the flavor. The wonderful little book called Lois Hole's Tomato Favorites (Lone Pine, $12.95) is filled with growing information, recipes, facts and folklore with color pictures and quick reference charts.

If your cucumbers or broccoli have started turning yellow they are probably over ripe, and should be sent straight to the compost pile. To find out exactly when your home grown fruits and vegetables are at their peak check out these two detailed harvesting guides:
When to Harvest Home Grown Vegetables by WSU
When to Harvest Vegetables by Georgia Extension

Summer is the worst time of year to transplant a tree, shrub or perennial, but sometimes circumstances force us to take action during the hottest, driest time of year. An out of print booklet titled Tree and Shrub Transplanting Manual by E. B. Himelick (available at the Miller Library) gives these tips for increasing the chance for success:

• water deeply and regularly
• apply a thick organic mulch
• mist the foliage in the morning and evening
• erect a temporary shade cloth
• do not apply any fertilizer

If you grow blueberries and found shriveled gray fruit mixed in with normal plump berries your bush is infected with "Mummy Berry" disease. To lessen the severity of the disease in next year's crop, gather all the mummy berries you can find and throw them away. Add mulch in autumn to cover up the infected mummies that fell to the ground, and then cultivate around the bush in early spring to disrupt the fungal life-cycle that starts in the soil. Details and color pictures.

Mole activity increases in the summer. If you have found you simply cannot tolerate "nature's rototillar" than take a look at the book Of Moles and Men: the Battle for the Turf by Patrick H Thompson (Aardvark Avanti, $29.95). With humorous chapters like Know the Enemy and Primitive Tools for Civilized Men Thompson details the pros and cons of mole control. Additional information on WSU.

Do you want that "mature garden" look, but don't want to wait a decade to achieve it? Check out Fast Plants by Sue Fisher (Fireside, $16.00) to learn about trees, shrubs, vines and perennials that will grow up in a hurry. A few suggested plants for a near instant effect include:

• California Lilac (Ceanothus)
• Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius)
• Bluecrown Passionflower vine (Passiflora)
• Willow (Salix).