Clinton News-Record, 1978-04-13, Page 37Tired of stooping to plant, weed, and water your garden? You can grow
in boxes at fingertip level like John O'Neill of California. The National
Garden Bureau sent us the details in Mr. ONeill's own words:
Safety still needed
With summer just around
corner, people will be so
planting gardens, opening c
tages, launching boats a
generally getting ready to enj
outdoor recreational activit
during the warm weather.
St. John Ambulance sugge
that for a happy, healthy summ
you should make sure you a
your family avoid accidents th
can cause serious injuries a
affect the whole family's e
joyment of this pleasant season
Here are some safety tips fro
St. John Ambulance:
+ Keep areas around t
cottage or house clean and tid
Make sure there are no sha
objects or broken glass to cau
injuries.
+ Make sure your garden -
cottage is free from potholes th
can cause falls.
+ Rake the lawn to remove any
objects hidden in the grass before
operating a lawn mower.- Such
objects could seriously injure
someone if they should fly out of
the machine.
+ Keep children a safe
distance away from your work
area.
+ Don't wear loose clothing or
jewelry when operating power
tools. Never operate a lawn
mower in bare feet.
+ Keep your appliances sharp
and clean for best and safest
performance. Disconnect an
appliance before servicing,
changing accessories or
lubricating. Follow the
manufacturer's directions for
servicing the appliance.
+ Don't use electrical ap-
pliances in a wet or damp area,
+ Store your power garden
.00ls in a high and dry place.
the mouth resuscitation. (St. John
on Ambulance teaches this free of
ot- charge.)
nd + Never swim alone. Par -
0Y titularly never let children swim
ies in a pool or at the cottage without
supervision.
sts + Don't run on
er surroundings where
nd cause serious injuries.
at + Make sure that everyone in
nd your motor vehicle wears seat
n" belts.
+ When boating make sure
wet pool
falls can
m everyone is wearingapproved
pproved
lifejackets.
he + Don't let s. ia11 children play
Y. in a boat.
rp
se + If you drive an outboard
motor boat, observe the rules of
or courtesy to smaller crafts and
at avoid causing an accident.
+ Take a First Aid course from
St. John Ambulance and b
prepared for emergencies.
+ Be able to recognize poiso
ivy and avoid it. If you do come in
contact with it wash the affected
area as soon as possible with
strong laundry soap and water.
+ Be sure you know what
plants are poisonous, not only in
the woods but also in your gar-
den.
+ Take precautions to avoid
food poisoning. Heat causes foods
to spoil quickly.
+ Avoid prolonged exposure to
the sun. If you do get sunburned,
don't break the blisters. Cool
water relieves the pain.
+ Take precautions to avoid
when removing it from a
receptacle: grasp the plug, not
the wire. Keep the cord away
from sharp edges, oil and heat.
+ Use equipment with the
stamp of approval of the
Canadian Standards Association.
+ Keep driveways, walks and
stairs free from clutter.
+ Lcarn how to give mouth -to -
Table top gardens nifty
"For the past six years, I have been
'farming' approximately 40 square
ft. of my front driveway. With no
garden space available in the
bock, front, or side yards of my
home, I decided to build a raised
container garden next to the gar-
age door (it had been years since
the garage was used to house an
automobile).
"The foundation of my garden
consists of a two-level frame of
2 x 6 and 2 x 4 lumber. Upon
this framework sit 12 redwood con-
tainers 24 in. long, varying in
width from 12 in. to 24 in. and all
either 8 in. or 12 in. deep.
"For a growing medium, I ini-
tially used soil excavated from the
front yard during a building proj-
ect. This soil produced excellent
vegetables the first year with little
or no enrichment. Several types of
lettuce, tomatoes, pleppers, green
onions, Swiss chard, and herbs did
well with an occasional feeding of
fish emulsion. Being only 8 in. or
12 in. deep, the containers needed
frequent watering (twice a day
during the hottest part of the
summer).
"The second year, to restore the
fertility of the soil, the contents of
each container was emptied into a
wheelbarrowmixed with generous
amounts of organic material for-
est compost, steamed steer ma
inTh-e, bone and blood meal and
returned to the container. This
procedure worked so well that 1
have followed it ever since.
"After planting only a summer
garden the first two or three years,
I made the happy discovery that in
northern California a winter gar-
den is not only possible, but also
usually requires far less attention
because of the long rainy season.
Fall -planted lettuce, Swiss chard,
celery, onions, carrots, and beets
did remarkably well in containers
and required practically no water-
ing except during dry winters.
"About three years ago, I ex-
panded my garden by adding three
at to build?
The National Garden Bureau
comments that Mr. O'Neill's
dilemma regarding pest control is
shared by many organic garden-
ers. Quick knock -down, low resi-
due insecticides are available( for
aphids,. but organic gardening
concepts exclude their use. Simi-
larly, metaldehyde snail and slug
bait is effective and does not have
to touch the soil. It can be placed
in a .small open can, turned on its
side. The bait is activated by
moistening it slightly. The can
keeps the chemical off the soil and
pets can't eat the bait.
Rough pine, cedar or used lum-
ber of any sort can be substituted
for redwood. Dig a trench,p line it
with plastic and use it to hold a
copper napthenate dip. This rs an
e excellent wood preservative and
won't harm plants. Do not use cop -
n per sulphate.
Wooden half -barrels, usually
old whisky casks, will last for years
if treated with copper napthenate
and if the hoops are painted to
Ward off rust. About a dozen rn
holes should be drilled in the bot-
tom for drainage. Comer the bot
tom with used aluminum or plastic
screening to prevent soil from
drrbblrng out Set the barrels on
2 x 4 blocks to improve drainage
and to prevent the formation of
mold under the barrels Never let
hall barrels dry out or they may
tall abart
Seeds: which side is up?
Beginners have been known to
worry over which side of"seeds
should face up when planting.
Their concern probably comes
from the fact that bulbs and
corms need to be oriented with
the root end down to sprout
and grow properly.
Only one kind of garden seed
benefits from your turning it a
certain way when planting.
Large seeded lima or butter -
bean seeds are so broad that
they have to struggle to force
their cotyledons (seed leaves)
—70
through crusted clay soil.
Old time gardeners always
plant lima bean seeds on edge.
It doesn't seem to matter
whether the eye is up or down
because in this position the seed
can rotate easily once it sends
down a root and gains leverage.
If your soil is sandy, or mel-
low and crumbly from the addi-
tion of compost, edge planting
of limas is of dubious value be
cause such soil offers little resis
tance to sprouts.
4 -cis
. �9i2_ � ♦ 1.
SI BILLION LOST. About 180 million acres of land
lose precious topsoil through erosion every year. That
amounts to about a 51 billion annual loss, says the
American Association of Nurserymen. On any slop-
ing land, the planting of shrubs, vines and ground
covers protect and beautify.
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Page 13
half -barrels. Filled with a rich soil
mix — plenty of manure — these
barrels have produced beautiful
summer squash, huge lettuce, and
excellent celery.
"Some observations made after
watching plants grow in the bar-
rels: large vegetables such 'as
tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard,
and squash respond well to the
deep containers. However, the
small vegetables such as lettuce
and green onions grow quite well
in the 8 in. deep containers.
"My most conspicuous failure so
far has been with cabbage family
members. I have had no luck con-
trolling aphids with organic
methods and even a 'desperation'
try with chemicals didn't solve the
problem. Another frustration,
particularly during the rainy
season is the horde of snails and
slugs that march in a seemingly
endless procession from the front
yard ivy, across the sidewalk and
driveway to munch on my..lettuce
and chard. I have tried the tradi-
tional organic methods on these
critters — lime sprinkled around
the vegetables (no results) and con-
tainers of beer placed at strategic
locations.
Just a word about container
construction: rough redwood is by
far the best material to use; it
resists rot, is less expensive than
finished lumber and measures
greater than finished lumber (a
'12 in. board is a full foot wide, not
11 in.). The use of galvanized nails
or wood screws will prevent rust
and prolong the life of the con-
tainer."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
NOW OPEN'
IN CLINTON
"THE OLD PRO"
SMALL ENGINE CLINIC
HWY. NO. 4 SOUTH,
OPPOSITE CLINTON CONSERVATION PARK
PHONE 482-9600 OR 482-3512
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4-rs
OPENING SPECIAL
NOW TO APRIL 29
We will tune-up your small
engine (up to 5 h.p.) For the in-
troductory sum of
16.
Includes....
PARTS
EXTRA
Oil change - Clean gas tank & filter - Re -set car-
buretor - Clean air element - Clean spark plug -
Compression test - Sharpen blade - Balance
blade. Offer does not include marine products.
• • • • • •...• • • • • •
Ire are experts at Chain Saw Repairs.
"Automatic Chain Saw Sharpening'' Chain
made up while you wait.
Also repairs to Lawn Mowers, Roto -Tillers,
Riding Mowers.
Frederick H. Jackson
MANAGER ("DOC")
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