Bee Hotels 

Most gardeners I know are very aware of the decline of pollinators, and many have made an effort to increase the nectar sources in their gardens available to these insects. However, some of my gardener friends are less aware how the loss of available habitat compounds the environmental challenges these bees face. In fact,  the  compulsiveness of gardeners to tidy  up their beds every years adds to this problem.

Loss of habitat particularly affects  native bee species. Most of these bees are vey small and live solitary lives. Seventy percent (70%) of them burrow into the ground and thirty percent (30%) tunnel  into the stems of herbaceous plants to lay their eggs for next year's generation while a few choose to bore into soft woods. 

Here are a few ways backyard gardeners can make the lives of these little critters  that are looking to make a homestead a little easier  by: 

Bee hotel awaiting guests.

Planting more native plants (although nectar is nectar, native bees really need the native plants  with which they evolved in order to leave a posterity); 

Delaying cleanup of native plants at the end of the season until later next spring (e.g. leave that milkweed, goldenrod or blackeyed-Susan stalk alone); 

Installing a few bee hotels around your gardens. These can be made from scrape wood. The hotels I make combine soft woods and the stems of herbaceous plants.  The bees don't mind living shoulder to shoulder with different bee species; and, most importantly, they are not aggressive either to their neighbors or to you.

Reducing the expanse of lawns by utilizing more native plantings, especially ground covers, and increasing areas for  leaf litter and other detritus.

For more information about bee hotels, see this document from Michigan State University.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea (Lingonberry or cowberry)

Recently I've been thinking  about how I can reduce the size of my  small lawn and make our landscaping  more environmentally friendly. In deference to my neighbors, I don't feel compelled (yet)  to create another vegetable patch in my front yard, but adding native plants that might also provide something edible   would be ideal. 

After exploring various options, I've determined  that  Vaccinium vitis-idaea (Lingonberries) might be the answer. It occurs naturally in northern parts of North America and Scandinavia; and as an evergreen growing only to 12 - 18 " in height,  lingonberry  would compliment the rhododendrons and mountain laurels  already thriving in front of the house. 

I considered its cousins, Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry) and Vaccinium crassifoliuim (Creeping blueberry), but these are unsuited for my location.  American cranberry needs a bog environment that ideally has layers of sand and peat to survive, and creeping blueberry seems relegated to the milder climes of the southeastern states.  The Albany Pinebush might be for it suitable, but our winters are still too severe.

As a member of the genus Vaccinium, like blueberries, lingonberries need well drained acidic soil. A check of soil pH showed that my laurels are now growing in moderately acidic soil (pH 5.6 - 5.8)  while and the immediately adjacent  lawn area is slightly acidic (pH 6.4 - 6.5). Given these values, I plan to increase the acidity in the lawn area simply by adding peat moss  into the soil along with  sand to improve soil drainage. In the long haul, I will continue to add coffee grounds and Christmas tree needles as part of my mulching regime.  As for being edible, although lingonberries are part of Scandinavian cuisine,  I'm just hoping that some native fauna will take a liking to them.   For more information about growing lingonberries, see this  website by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Grey Water & Rain Water

I grew up in a rural area that now  is totally suburban; the farms and dairies  I knew as a child are long gone and replaced by seemingly innumerable condos, apartments and McMansions.   But when I was growing up,  my family depended on a well for water and we always worried during summer dry spells if its supply would hold up. Our house was situated on a hillside, and there was a ditch along the up side of our lot to channel runoff away from the house. Except for the spring, this ditch was usually dry; and during these times I remember my mother frequently taking the dish water from the kitchen and pouring it into one area of the ditch.  This was done, as she said, "to feed the worms."  

Keeping this section of ditch moist seemed to work because it was where my father and I would dig for bait when we wanted to go fishing.  The dish water, however, was never used in the vegetable garden or in the several concrete and cobblestone urns that sported flowers - usually geraniums and petunias.  For the vegetable garden and those urns we used rain water collected in large wooden barrels placed under the down spouts of gutters.  One of my jobs was to use this rain water to keep the flowers   and certain vegetables, mostly tomatoes, moist.  The watering cans I used  held 3 gals (24 lbs) of water. I didn't mind lugging them around, but I did not like reaching down into those barrels when the water level got low because clouds of mosquitos seem magically to ascend from the water and chase me.

Why, you might be wondering, am I writing about this? Because recently someone asked me if they should use their dish water on their vegetable garden instead of just pouring it down the drain.  

The short answer is no.  Dish water is grey water. It is not considered sewage. It does not come from the toilet, but grey water does contain very dilute amounts of some of the same contaminants.  

Dish water can include  fats, meat scraps and other organic wastes that can feed very unfriendly bacteria or even attract larger unwanted pests.  Household grey water typically  includes waste water from kitchens, laundries, bathroom sinks and showers and/or bath tubs; and that is why household grey water  ideally requires its own filtration system if it is to be distributed to a garden.  That distribution system, however, should be  either an underground or surface soaker network to avoid the grey water from contacting the edible parts of plants.   Now,  I doubt if my mother ever thought about dish water as grey water; probably she dumped the dish water  in the ditch simply because  the ditch was close to our back door.  For a little more information about grey water and how to use it, consult the  Greywater Action Organization .  

Another way to reduce the amount of metered water you use on your garden, consider collecting rain water, but remember to keep a mosquito proof cover over the barrel.  More information about collecting rain water is available from this Cornell University link.  Also, check your city's or town's website because many of them in the Capital District are offering discounted programs for you to buy rain barrels as part of their ongoing conservation efforts.

Book Recommendation:  Seed to Seed

Spring is upon us. Probably you are now thinking about sowing seed and maybe you're also thinking about starting to saving  seed from your favorite vegetables at the end of the season. I think that probably very gardener has been tempted to save seeds from that perfect squash, pepper or tomato at some time.

Your motivation might be to enjoy that great flavor again; maybe it's economy (I can save seed money); or maybe it's "I can help preserve heirlooms for everyone in the future even in my own little plot."

For those of us with small gardens trying to produce that flavorful vegetable again next year, however, is probably the most common motivation. Seed saving sounds easy, and it might be easy assuming that you have the right kind of seed and the right conditions. However, like most things, it's worth spending some time  trying  to find out about what  you don't know before finding out that you don't know much about it.

So if you really want to try seed saving this year, the Bible on seed saving is Suzanne Ashworth's Seed to Seed (Seed Savers Exchange, 2002).  On the most elemental level you will need plants that are not hybrid varieties and your plants will need isolation. Isolation can be achieved by not having nearby gardeners or by curtaining them from other plants in your garden that might cross pollinate with your veggie favorites.  These factors and many others are covered in Ashworth's book. The book identifies some of the most popular heirloom types that you might want to try as well as enumerating the major  organizations dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties and distributing their seeds.  I am not a seed savor, but Seed to Seed now has a prominent spot on the bookshelf.

And remember:

"Rain is good for vegetables, and for the animals who eat those vegetables,

and for the animals who eat those animals." - Samuel Johnson

GARDEN PREPARATION: APRIL

Garlic getting a head start.

SPRING - To see daffodils blooming, garlic sprouting, weeds awakening and woodchucks  roaming  does remind me that some things still seem to be mostly predictable in this world... 

I had almost become reconciled with the idea that I would not be be able to start  tomatoes and peppers under my cellar's grow lights  when three weeks ago my spouse and I decided to cancel our spring travel plans.  With our trip canceled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, I now find myself anxiously waiting for a shipment of last minute ordered seeds to arrive so that I can get back to a familiar task.

And, between a few early spring showers I have also been able to spend some of my hunker down time in the garden.  I have been able to move mulch around on planting beds to expedite the soil's warming, relocate trellises and frames for cucumbers and peas and to finish spreading compost.  Each of these activities make me realize how fortunate I am to have a vegetable garden to work in; but in case  you have a slightly neglected vegetable patch, here are a few things you can do that might make you feel slightly less squirrelly:

• Get outside! Finish spreading your compost or spading  the remains of last fall's cover crop into your planting beds.

• Check your soil's temperature and moisture level. Your soil might feel warm enough to the touch, but it's better to stick a thermometer into the ground to check it. Remember, also, that soil tends to be  quite wet in early spring. Pick up a handful; and if it slowly crumbles like a strudel topping on muffins when you open your hand, then it's okay for your precious seeds.

• Finally,  give in to that urge to plant something. Although early April is still pushing it for most spring vegetables in the Capital District, you can sow peas and spinach.  Just hold off on the radishes, lettuce and beets until at least mid April. But, gardeners beware - because although  it is true that the last frost of spring has been moving to earlier dates in May, the average date of the last frost for our area remains May 15.  Keep your row covers handy!

WANT TO BECOME A MASTER GARDENER?

A Master Gardener gives planting tips at a Demonstration Garden

Nationally, there are nearly 100,000 active Master Gardener volunteers  contributing over 5 million service hours annually throughout all 50 of the United States. If you would like to join the ranks of these happy folks, here's your chance.

The first step in becoming a Master Gardener involves your contacting the Master Gardener Coordinator for your county to schedule an interview.

The second step is completing  60 hours of classroom instruction on gardening and related subjects taught by Extension Educators and other experts.

The final step upon class graduation involves your volunteering in various ways in your communities. This  may include such activities as leading or participating in local gardening projects such as Demonstration Gardens, answering gardening questions at Extension Hotlines or making presentations to various community groups such as local garden clubs. 

Don't wait.  The  next training class will be held between September and December, 2020.  The deadline to apply for an interview is in early summer.




For more information, contact the Master Gardener Coordinator listed below for your county.

        RENSSELAER:  David Chinery, (518) 272-4210 or dhc3@cornell.edu

       ALBANY:  Carole Henry, (518) 765-3500 or ch878@cornell.edu

       SCHENECTADY: Angela Tompkins, (518 372-1622 or amj22@cornell.edu

       COLUMBIA-GREENE: Donna Peterson, (518) 828-3346 or dmp234@cornell.edu



And remember...

"Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes." - unknown