Organic Matter

As drought conditions continue, it's wise to consider different ways to conserve water. On average, Americans use 50 to 100 gallons of water per day for personal and household use, not counting watering lawns and outdoor plants. While the toilet, shower and bathroom sink are obvious places to start when conserving water in the home, the kitchen is also an area where water use can be reduced with a few simple and easy changes. Following are some tips and suggestions for conserving water in the kitchen.

The frost is on the pumpkin and gardeners' thoughts are turning toward getting their gardens ready for winter. There is much you can do now to ensure your plants weather the cold temperatures and perform well next year. The leaves that have tumbled down in the last few weeks are a gift. A rich source of organic matter, they make an ideal soil amendment or mulch. Use your lawnmower or a chipper to shred leaves into bits that you can scatter as mulch. Or, use leaves whole and chopped in your compost pile.

Blueberries are the hottest food-bearing plant on the market due to antioxidant content and sky-high grocery-store prices. In recent decades, breeding has resulted in dozens of varieties that extend the blueberry climate limitations to include the far north and far south. There is a huge range of sizes, from rangy shrubs to squat 2-foot-tall dwarfs. Plus, early- to late-yielding varieties extend the harvest season from weeks to months. Because blueberries are upright, long-lived shrubs, you can plant a hedge of them that is both functional and productive.

Did you know that we live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed? Everything we do in our gardens and homes affects the health of the bay and our waterways. It all matters. To improve water quality and conserve natural resources, we teach environmentally smart gardening techniques through the Bay-Wise program. Master Gardeners and I offer classes and do yard reviews to certify landscapes as Bay-Wise.   A Bay-Wise landscape is planted, watered, fertilized, mulched and mowed properly. Pests and runoff are managed responsibly.

As redbuds flash purple along our roadways and tulips blink red and yellow at our doorsteps, I am reminded that natural beauty is awe-inspiring and worth protecting.  Not just on Earth Day, but every day. Gardeners are some of the best environmentalists, choosing smart practices that help, not harm, our natural resources. Every choice you make as a gardener can tip the balance toward conservation. Healthy gardens grow healthy plants. So build healthy soil to keep your gardens productive and part of a vibrant ecosystem.

So, you want to start a vegetable garden. Good for you. Growing your own food is healthy and deliciously rewarding. Nothing, but nothing, tastes better than a tomato fresh from the vine. Let's cover the basics. The first is location, location, location. As with real estate, location is crucial. You want your vegetable garden in full sun, near a water source, and in a relatively flat, dry area. Start small. Most newbies think too big and get overwhelmed. You can grow more than 80 pounds of vegetables in an 8-foot-by-8-foot area.  What should you grow?

Q: We recently had a couple of trees planted in our yard by a company. When they were done, they did not stake the trees. My husband called them and they said that they don't stake trees anymore. We want an outside opinion and were wondering what you think they should do. And one other thing: They only put down a few inches of mulch. How much is proper? A: Well, my suspicion is that they are right. If the trees were growing in the proper-sized container or had a properly sized root ball for a balled and burlapped tree, and they were planted correctly, then they should not need to be staked.

By JEFF RUGG Creators Syndicate Q: Like so many other people, I am thinking of starting a vegetable garden. I have never done one and from what I am reading about the subject, it looks rather intimidating. I don't know exactly where in the yard it should go. I don't own a rototiller and the expense of even renting that one thing will eliminate any savings on food. There are lots of other tools and supplies listed, such as compost, that I don't know if I need or not. Can you help me figure this out?

Q: I am considering competing lawn care programs. My lawn looks OK, but I don't know if I have enough topsoil. One program seems to be more interested in the soil, and the other one has a series of products to buy. What advice do you have? A: There are several ways a healthy plant can be grown. They can be grown in good soil without much effort; they can be grown in bad soil if they are fed enough nutrients to meet their needs and are monitored for inevitable problems; and some plants can be grown without soil via a hydroponic system.

It may be the on the cold side for April, but corn-planting is on every farmer's mind here in Washington County, just like it is everywhere else in the United States. If you are one of those intending to plant corn, the ethanol boom is having a huge impact. Some folks see it as a positive trend, while others see it as a negative. Either way, there is an impact on both supply and price. Those of you in the grain production, handling or processing business can't seem to keep up with all that is happening with corn, as events and rumors combine to seemingly reshape conditions hourly.