Preventing Bumblebee Deaths

If you care about our natural world that is under assault by climate change and the proliferation of chemicals used in agriculture then you should read this post!

Several times after a nice, soaking rain in warmer weather I have found dead bumblebees at the bottom of my rain gauge.  I figured they were after the water.  Apparently I was wrong because I have been much better lately about keeping the water dumped out.  Last week I went out in the garden I heard a buzzing sound.  When I looked at the rain gauge there was a live bumblebee inside along with 7 DEAD ONES!  This was despite the fact that it was dry in the gauge.   I was devastated by this.

The solution was to glue some mesh (I chose mesh from an onion bag but a piece of window screen would work as well)  to the top of the gauge so they cannot get in.  I can still pour out the rain water as I did this morning.  Until the manufacturers start attaching some sort of screen then out native bumblebees, that are so important for pollination, continue to be in danger from this other threat.

If anybody knows why bumblebees do this please respond or write to me.

Seed Planting

More on seed planting depth and timing!

The basic rule for seed depth is 3 times the diameter of the seed.  Now if you have ever planted any of the brassica family you know that the seeds are tiny. Carrot seeds are a bit bigger. Here are a few tricks to get good germination with these tiny seeds.  Place the seeds on top of your worked soil. Cover them with sand or fine soil using the above rule.  You can also place a few radish seeds in the row.  They will sprout first and help break up the soil which may get compacted from the watering you will be doing.  

In terms of timing, the basic rule is to plant the early season seeds when a)your soil can be worked and b) a fist full of sqeezed soil breaks apart easily.

There are a lot of adages floating around but my favorite one that actually works is "wait to plant corn until oak leaves are the size of squirrels ears". I think it is a Native American saying. It works because oaks leaf out later than most trees and that means warmer weather. I wait until then to plant all my squash and cukes too. Melons are the most sensitive to cool weather so go in very last. That is why black plastic mulching helps those.

Feel free to post comments and/or copy to repost! Happy Green Thumbing!!

On Onions

On onions:

There are 4 ways to get your onions in the ground; direct seed, start seeds indoors, onion sets and onion plants. With direct seed the temperature in the soil needs to be fairly warm, warmer than now.  Starting seeds indoors is easy and you get the best, consistent results. I use potting soil in Cool Whip containers. Poke a few holes in the bottom, place on a plate, water well and place it on top of your fridge for a constant temperature. I usually start them 5-8 weeks before I plant them outside (2-4  weeks before expected last frost).  My favorite variety to grow is called Ailsa Craig and produces monster onions that are fairly good keepers. They happen to be named after a Scottish isle. Next up are onion sets that are easy to purchase at your local garden center. Just poke them in the ground as deep as 2-3 times their diameter.  They will emerge in a couple weeks. You can use them young as green onions and the ones you leave after they are thinned you can let grow big.   However sometimes they go to seed. With purchasing bundled plants you have to be careful.  Make sure they are fresh!  A few times, and probably this time, I have  purchased them when  the roots have started to rot. Have any of you had this same experience?

 

 

When To Start a Garden- NOT All at Once!

With the changes wrought by the Covid19 virus many more people are thinking about starting or getting more serious about gardening. I want to do my part by dispelling some gardening misinformation and sharing my knowledge and experience. I have been gardening since I was, as my mother used to say, "knee high to a grasshopper". There is always more to learn in this most rewarding of hobbies! Many people here in the Spokane area of the Inland Northwest say that you shouldn't plant your garden until the snow is melted off Mount Spokane. So wrong on so many levels (unless you have low lying, poor draining soil). First of all there is a essentially 5 different times that are appropriate to plant different types of seeds or starts. The earliest planting time is several weeks before the last frost (May 1-15th here in Spokane) when the ground can first be worked. Things that sprout easily are spinach, radishes, beets and lastly potatoes (because they are planted so deeply). I did all this a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday I transplanted by broccoli starts with collars made of half of a yogurt container to block those pesky cut worms. In between I planted onion sets that I will harvest young as green onions. Broccoli (and all its relatives) make excellent companion planting with anything in the onion family. More on onions next post.

So get out there and let's get gardening!