HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-05-07, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 7,1997
Home & Garden 199
Environmental gardening, minimal impact
By David W. Sams
University of Tennessee
Extension garden, small fruit
and vegetable specialist
Gardeners are generally
ecologically oriented people who
believe in recycling and minimum
environmental impact. Here are
some suggestions as to how you
can improve your garden, recycle
common household items and
control several pests without using
agricultural chemicals.
Milk jugs and large soda bottles
constitute bulky waste in landfills.
Cut the bottom 1/2 to one inch off
them, remove their tops and use
them for hot caps in the garden.
They’ll protect plants from cool
night temperatures, cold winds and
even cutworms.
Don’t throw the bottoms of these
milk jugs or soda bottles away.
Turn them upside down and place
them under growing pumpkins,
winter squash, cantaioupe or
watermelon. Fewer of these fruits
will rot if they’re held off of the
wet ground.
Do you have trouble with milk
jug hot caps blowing away? Make
a long “hairpin” from a length of
old wire and pin them to the
ground.
Better yet, use six-inch pieces of
thin wall sewer pipe in place of
milk jugs. Sewer pipe is heavy
enough not to blow away. Paint it
black and it’ll warm the air around
the plants even more. String the
pipe sections on a piece of twine
when they’re no longer needed and
save them for next year.
Everyone knows cucumber,
cantaloupe, squash and watermelon
transplants grow poorly if their
roots are disturbed at transplanting.
What’s needed is a large,
economical container in which to
grow these plants. The container
must hold germinating media yet
allow plant roots to grow through.
Pint berry baskets are perfect.
Use a single layer of newspaper to
hold growing media in if necessary.
Plant the entire container, media
and small plant and there will be no
transplanting shock. The small
plants will grow much more
vigorously than if started in the
usual tiny pots.
Nearly everyone has a 35 mm
camera and purchases film for it.
What do you do with the containers
the film comes in? These small
containers hold up for many years
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and have lids that fit so tightly they
are nearly airtight
They’re perfect to store seed in.
They can be used both for leftover
seed and for seed collected from
your garden. Simply place a strip of
masking tape on each container and
label it with the kind of seed,
variety and the year it was
collected.
Place the seed containers in a
small box and store the box in a
refrigerator. Seed will remain
viable for several years if stored
where it’s cool and dry.
Do you have trouble with the
fruit flies on tomatoes, peaches,
apples or other produce which
remains in the house for several
days before processing? Trap them.
Simply begin with a quart jar.
Drop a bit of peach, cantaloupe or
even banana peel in the jar. Roll a
sheet of paper into a funnel shape
and use a piece of tape to keep it
from unrolling. Insert the funnel
partially into the jar. The paper
funnel must fit tightly against the
rim of the jar and should have a
Continued on page 16
Fowl require water Receive a draw ticket for a gas FFQ
when you purchase any of the following:
furnace
Don’t make or buy a birdbath
that’s more than three inches deep,
and make sure it has a gradual
slope. Ideally, the basin should be
24-36 inches in diameter.
It’s also a good idea to make a
small lip or edge so the birds have
some place dry to land or sit.
Place your birdbath about three
feet above the ground and in the
open away from shrubs. It’s nice if
there’s a high perch or some dense,
shrubby cover about
15 feet away. This
gives birds a place
where they can
watch for predators
or escape if there’s
danger while they’re at
the bath.
Put the bath where it’s
easy for you to see. It’s
also a good idea, for the sake of
convenience, to locate the bath near
a water source so you don’t have
far to haul water or heavy hoses.
Birds are also attracted to fine
mists of water. You can place a
hose with a spray nozzle in a tree or
suspend it from a deck or some
other high spot to create a bird
“shower.” Birds can then clean and
cool themselves on hot, summer
days.
If you haven’t tried water in your
bird-attracting program, give it a
try this year. Not many birds will
turn down the chance for a clean,
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Many of us enjoy having birds
visit our yards throughout the year.
We provide feed religiously. But
one thing that’s often overlooked is
water. Birds need water in all
seasons, including the coldest
winter days.
Besides helping the birds, a bird
bath will beautify your yard or
garden.
You can buy several
different styles of bird
baths or easily make your own.
Something as simple as a garbage
can lid supported by bricks, or a
tree stump with a chiseled-out
depression, are easy ways to
provide water.
No matter what type of
birdbath you choose, make sure to
provide plenty of clean, fresh
water. It’s important to be
consistent. Birds will continue to
come to your bath if they can count
on water being there.
Natural water sources may go
dry, become dirty or freeze, but you
can always provide a good place
for a drink or bath.
The birdbath’s surface should be
rough to provide sure footing. The
water container should be fairly
shallow. Most garden birds don’t
like water more than two to three
inches deep.
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