“To
be interested in the changing seasons is a
happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in
love with spring.”
George Santayana
"There
is no season such delight can bring
As
summer, autumn, winter, and the
spring."
William Browne
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Hello Fellow Gardeners,
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I
am a lover of the change of seasons and would never want to live in a
climate that is the same year-round. I planted my fall garden last
week. I put in beets, spinach, radishes and two kinds of lettuce. The
radishes have already sprouted. As soon as my beans are done
producing, I'll put in some peas. The beans have been sooooooo
delicious but I'm sure that the peas will taste just as good. My
husband is building a new cold frame. We'll send photos and a
description of how he put it together within the next few weeks.
While
we anticipate the pleasures of fall gardening, nevertheless, it is
still summer. August is often the hottest month of the year and that
can mean some big challenges for our vegetable plants. Fluctuations in
watering can cause tomato cracking and blossom end rot. Blossom end
rot can also affect peppers and summer squash. The tips or ends of the
plants will turn brown or black. Try to keep the soil as consistently
moist as possible.
Beware,
however, that too much water, i.e., over-irrigation that produces
standing water around the plants, may result in root rot. Root rot can
affect almost any kind of plant. It's a particular type of fungus that
will result in a generally unhealthy looking plant, often with yellow,
wilting leaves. If you suspect that one of your plants have root rot,
remove it (brown decaying roots will confirm the diagnosis), deposit
the diseased plant somewhere far from your garden and thoroughly wash
the garden tools used on that plant as the root rot fungus is highly
contagious.
Practicing
garden “housekeeping” will help to keep some almost inevitable
problems in check. Powdery mildew, for example, a very common problem
which can bring an early end to your squash and cucumber harvests can
be controlled by pruning the affected leaves and using an organic
fungicide spray. Here's a recipe for an organic spray:
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Mix
4 teaspoons (about 1 rounded
tablespoon) of baking soda and
1 tablespoon of citrus oil or
molasses into one gallon of
water. Spray lightly on
foliage of plants afflicted
with black spot, powdery
mildew, brown patch and other
fungal diseases. Avoid
over-using or pouring on the
soil.
It's
a good idea to know about
these common plant diseases
but don't let this information
destroy the pleasure that you
take in your garden. Treat
your plants like the living
things that they are and don't
discount your intuition
regarding how to care for them
and protect them from
potential problems. Someone
once asked what kind of
gardener I am. After
briefly contemplating, my
response was, “I'm an
intuitive gardener.” I
recently came across this
beautiful website that
confirmed my suspicion that
I'm not the only one. http://www.intuitivegardening.com/intuitive_gardening/definition.html.
This
weeks reflection offers
this description of
“Intuitive Gardening” from
their homepage.
“Intuitive
gardening is based on the
principle that the Life Force
or Nature can guide the
gardener in creating and
sustaining a garden. A garden
can be the co-creation of both
the gardener and of Nature.
An
Intuitive Gardener
communicates with the essence
of the plants and the
landscape to work in the
garden from a deeper, even
spiritual perspective. They
rely on their intuition when
doing garden duties.
The
respect for Nature is of
utmost importance. No longer
is it “just a plant”,
“just a pond” or “just a
bug”. Instead they are
living creatures, friends that
you learn from and work with.
You are connecting with other
living beings and connecting
with your own inner wisdom to
uncover how to care for and
interact with them. All humans
have intuition and it is part
of our constitution to be able
to work with and communicate
with Nature and her beings.”
Until
next week,
Peace be with you,
Rose
Mirabai Lord
In
case you missed any of
the previous entries,
go to www.makegardensnotwar.com,
click onto Angels
in My Garden
in
the left side bar and
scroll down to the
bottom .
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