The Seasons of the Garden

By Greg and Pat Williams

A couple of months ago, John Quinney, the executive director of the New Alchemy Institute (and the man who wrote our permaculture mini-manual in MOTHER N0. 88), wrote us to heartily recommend a little-known newsletter called HortIdeas . . . a twelve-page monthly compendium of research briefs, book reviews, and product rundowns, all written for the backyard gardener! When we got hold of a couple issues of that paper, we decided to call its editors and ask them if they like to write our Seasons of the Garden column on a regular basis.

So here are Greg and Pat Williams. We hope you'll welcome the to MOTHER as eagerly as we do!

RESEARCH BRIEFS

If you can't irrigate in that dry spell, mulch! You've got a drought and no easy way to get water to a suffering tree; can anything be done? Sure . . . mulch it! In trials with sour cherry trees over a threeyear period at Michigan State University, experimenters found no significant differences in growth between irrigated, unmulched trees and unirrigated trees mulched with black plastic, straw, or crushed corncobs. So if you can't water, at least mulch.
If you have plants outdoors in containers, beware of dark-colored pots! Investigations at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station have shown that root temperatures can reach levels causing reduced growth or even death of the root tips when plants are set in full sun in black containers.

Chile peppers cross-pollinate readily. According to geneticists at New Mexico State University, cross-pollination among chile peppers is the rule rather than—as commonly thought—the exception. Strict measures (e.g., bagging the flowers on each plant) are necessary to assure genetic purity if you're growing more than one pepper cultivar and planning to save some seeds.

"Acupuncture" for corn? Amateur researchers in the Pacific Northwest report earlier ripening and extra sweetness when a toothpick is stuck through the base of the ear stem of a sweet corn plant and on into the main stalk just above the joint. This should be done when the silk is still green. The reasoning behind corn acupuncture? Sugars concentrate near plant wounds.

Garlic sprays for powdery mildew . Experimenters in India report good control of powdery mildew fungus on pea plants that were sprayed with garlic oil immediately upon the appearance of the mildew and again 15 and 30 days later.

Calcium chloride dip can prolong apple storage life. Calcium chloride is readily available as an alternative to rock salt for winter de-icing of streets. Now researchers in India have used a solution of 4% calci um chloride in water to aid apple storage: The fruits are simply soaked in the solution for 15 minutes, then dried off. Red Delicious apples given this treatment and stored for nearly a month at 60°F showed higher quality than untreated apples stored in the same way.

Unhealthy grass may result from mowing too often. Agronomists at the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station grew Merion bluegrass in a controlled environment and clipped it either every three to four days . . . once a week . . . or once every two weeks. They found that root growth, shoot regrowth, and lateral stem formation were reduced by frequent clipping. If your grass looks sick, could it be because you're mowing it too often?

Vitamin C content of leafy vegetables declines quickly with wilting. Experimenters in Tanzania and Nigeria report that the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content of various leafy vegetables drops drastically as the leaves lose moisture. If left uncovered, some greens can lose nearly half of their initial vitamin C in only 24 hours. To safeguard the nutritional value of your greens, cover them with a wet cloth when they're out of the refrigerator.

GLEANINGS

You may not be the only creature that knows your garden's just about to reach its harvest stage. Fortunately, there are ideas aplenty for dealing with unwanted garden visitors in Wildlife Pest Control Around Gardens and Homes, a 90-page guide available for $8.00 postpaid from University of California Cooperative Extension Publications, 6701 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608. (Ask for publication 21385, and make checks payable to U.C. Regents.) . . . Before the next thunderstorm rolls through, take a look at How Water Moves in the Soil, a classic photographic study of the effects of rainfall, soil types, and mulches on soil moisture and nutrients. The guide includes practical tips on controlling erosic and is available for 5¢ postpaid from Crops and Soils, 677 South Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 . . . . If the insects in your garden have gotten out of hand, don't reach for the sprayer! Reach for the Entomology Booklist instead. The Booklis prepared by students at the University of Florida and updated annually, names the best and most current sources of practical information on insects (including how to identify them and control them with methods having minimal ecological impact). It's free with a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope sent to Annual Booklist, Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611 . . . . In dry areas, ornamentals that need a lot of water are both wasteful and bothersome. Success List of Water-Conserving Plants ($7.75 postpaid from Saratoga Horticultural Foundation, 151 85 Murphy Ave., San Martin, CA 95046) demonstrates the great diversity of drought-tolerant landscaping plants available today .... Late summer can be a good time to transplant balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs—if you know what you're doing! The definitive word on transplanting procedures can be found in the latest edition of the Tree and Shruh Transplanting Manual. This 80-page boo is $8.00 postpaid from the International Society of Arborists, P.O. Box 71, Urbana, IL 61801.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A one year subscription to HortIdeas costs $10 (sample issue $1.00) from G. & P. Williams, Rt. 1, Box 302, Gravel Switch, KY 40328.