Category Archives: Gardening Tips

Garden Tools

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Gardening Tools used and recommended by Ashland Garden Club Members

Japanese Hori Hori Knife: For weeding, digging, cutting roots, dividing perennials, removing plants from pots.  Unbelievably versatile!

Nejiri Gama Garden Hoe (Japanese garden hand tool):  Narrow end pushes deep into the soil helps with weeding, planting seedlings, aerating the soil, making seed trenches, and breaking up clods & soil.

Hand Plow Ho-Mi Digger (short-handled):  A Korean tool that’s an all-around hand-digging tool, useful for planting, weeding, rock-removal and finding irrigation lines.

Kneelon Knee Pads – Flexible, Waterproof, durable, machine washable.

Sheep Shearing Tool: Large long blades are useful for clipping & trimming small shrubs .

Garden Bucket Caddy:  Slips into a plastic bucket and holds garden tools.

Long Handle Spading Fork (48″ Handle):  Dividing perennials, digging out trees, shrubs & perennials – Easier on the back when using long handle as leverage.

Flexible Buckets: Great for  hauling weeds, plants, hand tools around the garden.

Felco Pruners, 2 sizes: Pruning, quality pruner, replaceable blades & parts, easy to sharpen. Right or Left handed offered.  

Felco Pruner 7: Ergonomic heavy duty pruner with spinning handle – great for arthritic thumb joint issues.

Florian Ratchet Pruner: Ratchet-cut mechanism increases hand strength, prunes branches up to ¾ Inches in diameter, has a Lifetime Warranty.  Right or Left handed offered.

CircleHoe  –  For weeding & cultivating close to plants. 

Hoop Hoe, Stirrup Hoe, Action Hoe  – All Similar hoes for weeding around plants.

Winged Weeder, Scuffle Hoe, Triangle Hoe: For weeding, cultivating, edging, aerating and making furrows.  

Balling Spade: Ideal for cutting deep and slicing through roots. 

Potlifter: Lifts 200 lb – Saves your back when lift pots or rocks. 

Pro Potlifter lifts 350 lbs

Leaf Luster Digital Soil Thermometer: to measure Soil temperature for germination and transplanting.

Leaf Luster Soil Tester: Contains tests for ph, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels.

Rapitest PH Meter: Easily checks the pH level of your garden soil and potted plants.

Mico-tip Pruners, aka Floral Pruners: For deadheading & pruning smaller plants & flowers. Fiskar Softough Mico-Tip Pruners: Recommended by Arthritis Foundation – Easy-to-use for people with arthritis or limited hand strength.

Roto Digger Auger: For planting bulbs, bedding plants, seedlings, deep water aeration, fertilizing trees & shrubs.

Corona AC 8300 Sharpening Tool: 5-Inch super carbide file for sharpening straight edge tools.

Fiskars Softouch Weeder (7060) – Ergonomic weeder with forked tip cuts deep to remove weeds by the root.

Yard Butler RKT-1000 Rocket Weeder or Grandpa’s Weeder: Pull weeds from the roots, organic weed control, ergonomic handle,  ejector button pops off the weed-keeping your hands clean.

Leaf Rake with longer “York-style” bent tines: Good for scooping leaves, great for cleaning leaves out of ponds.

Tru Temper Narrow Garden Fork D-handle: For digging and mulching.

Tru Temper  Miniature Shovel: [Size 27 x 6 x 8.5 inches] For planting bulbs and weeding.

Leaf Scoops: Multi-purpose hand-held leaf scoops.

Corona Clipper Folding Pruning Saw: Sturdy, easy to use, easy to store. Lifetime warranty.  

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Click the link below to check if your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone assignment has changed; search by zip code. Half of the USA has been reclassified. In 1990 Ashland Oregon was Zone 7b: 5°F to 10°F, but in 2023 Ashland is now Zone 8a 10°F to 15°F. Knowing your zone is important for plant survival in your area.

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Below is a link to ‘A Way To Garden’ interview with Todd Rounsaville, USDA horticulturist and research scientist, where he explains this new USDA Zone map.

new usda plant hardiness zone map, with todd rounsaville

Below is a link to an Interesting 2018 article from Yale Environment 360 on how fast climate zones are shifting.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/redrawing-the-map-how-the-worlds-climate-zones-are-shifting

Wildflower Seed balls For Butterflies

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What are seed balls?

Introduced in the 70s, seed balls are a form of “guerilla gardening” whereby seeds, soil and clay are mixed together into tidy germination bombs that are said to have an 80% higher success rate than simply broadcasting seeds onto soil.  Adding red potters’ clay to the mix protects the seeds from being blown away by wind or consumed by insects or birds.  Generally, seed balls don’t require watering and you should NOT bury or plant them.  Simply toss them in a vacant lot, your front yard, or a wildscape situation like a ranch or roadside.  Wait for the rain to melt away the clay casing, and nature will do the rest.

Texas Butterfly Ranch Seed ball Recipe

3 parts local soil or potting soil

1 – 2 parts red potter’s clay powder, also known as “terracotta powder” at pottery supply stores

1 part native wildflower seeds

Water, as needed.

Newspaper and cookie sheets for drying seed balls

Stainless steel bowls or pots for mixing

  ****

1.  Assemble ingredients.

2.  Mix soil, clay and wildflower seeds together in bowl.  Mix well.

3.  Add water to attain dough-like consistency, much like tart or pie dough

4. Pinch off or use spoon to grab gumball-sized amounts of the mix.  Roll between your palms to get round form.  Drop onto newspaper covered cookie sheet to dry.

5.  Sprinkle generously with red chili pepper.  Let set for 24 hours.

6.  Once the seed balls set up, usually after 24 hours, store them in paper bags for later use or toss them right away.  Remember to use only native seeds for wildscaping situations.

SOURCE

http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2011/12/20/happy-winter-solstice-celebrate-with-seedballs-a-recipe-and-step-by-step-directions-on-how-to-make-them/

‘Lasagna’ Sheet Mulching

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Here’s how to create a lasagna bed, also called sheet mulching:

  • Start in fall so the bed has all winter to start decomposing.
  • Cut grass as low as possible. Or start a lasagna garden on top of an old planting bed.
  • Loosen soil with a digging fork to increase aeration. Even punching holes in the ground will work.
  • Remove weeds.
  • Build a raised bed frame or just mound up the layers of organic material into an unframed bed.
  • Put a layer of cardboard overlapped an inch or two and water it.
  • Cover with 2-inch layers of green organic material like grass clippings, fresh plant debris, fresh animal manure and food scraps that provide nitrogen and brown materials like dry leaves, wood chips, straw and shredded newspaper that are carbon sources. Repeat layers until the bed is about 18 inches.
  • Top off with a 2- to 6-inch brown layer; thicker if you want to plant right away.
  • Create beds only wide enough to reach into the middle and create paths lined with straw to walk on so soil doesn’t get compacted.
  • Lasagna beds will shrink as materials decompose and may need refreshed layers each year.
  • Using transplants is easier in no-till gardening systems; the mulch layer is easier to transplant directly into rather than direct seeding, especially for small-seeded crops like lettuce and broccoli. To transplant, use a trowel or other tool to make holes large enough to plant into. If directly seeding into the bed, pull back the mulch layer and smooth over the surface layer with a rake before seeding.

Instructions from OSU Extension website https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/no-till-garden

The term “Lasagna Gardening” was coined by Patricia Lanza, who wrote a book on the subject in 1998. The illustration above is from her book.

How Dirt Makes You Happy

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Gardening Know How – https://www.gardeningknowhow.com

Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy

Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are without side effects and chemical dependency potential. Learn how to harness the natural antidepressant in soil and make yourself happier and healthier. Read on to see how dirt makes you happy.

Natural remedies have been around for untold centuries. These natural remedies included cures for almost any physical ailment as well as mental and emotional afflictions. Ancient healers may not have known why something worked but simply that it did. Modern scientists have unraveled the why of many medicinal plants and practices but only recently are they finding remedies that were previously unknown and yet, still a part of the natural life cycle. Soil microbes [1] and human health now have a positive link that has been studied and found to be verifiable.

Soil Microbes and Human Health

Did you know that there’s a natural antidepressant in soil? It’s true. Mycobacterium vaccae is the substance under study and has indeed been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier. Studies were conducted on cancer patients and they reported a better quality of life and less stress.

Lack of serotonin has been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and bipolar disorders. The bacterium appears to be a natural antidepressant in soil and has no adverse health effects. These antidepressant microbes in soil may be as easy to use as just playing in the dirt.

Most avid gardeners will tell you that their landscape is their “happy place” and the actual physical act of gardening is a stress reducer and mood lifter. The fact that there is some science behind it adds additional credibility to these garden addicts’ claims. The presence of a soil bacteria antidepressant is not a surprise to many of us who have experienced the phenomenon ourselves. Backing it up with science is fascinating, but not shocking, to the happy gardener.

Mycobacterium antidepressant microbes in the soil are also being investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease, and even rheumatoid arthritis.

How Dirt Makes You Happy

Antidepressant microbes in soil cause cytokine levels to rise, which results in the production of higher levels of serotonin. The bacterium was tested both by injection and ingestion on rats, and the results were increased cognitive ability, lower stress, and better concentration on tasks than a control group.

Gardeners inhale the bacteria, have topical contact with it, and get it into their bloodstream when there is a cut or other pathway for infection. The natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can be felt for up to 3 weeks if the experiments with rats are any indication.

So get out and play in the dirt and improve your mood and your life.

Resources:
“Identification of an Immune-Responsive Mesolimbocortical Serotonergic System: Potential Role in Regulation of Emotional Behavior,” by Christopher Lowry et al., published online on March 28, 2007 in Neuroscience.
http://www.sage.edu/newsevents/news/?story_id=240785 [2]

Mind & Brain/Depression and Happiness – Raw Data “Is Dirt the New Prozac?” by Josie Glausiusz, Discover Magazine, July 2007 Issue. https://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac [3]

Article printed from Gardening Know How: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com

URL to article: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/antidepressant-microbes-soil.htm

URLs in this post:

[1] Soil microbes: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/what-are-microbes-in-soil.htm

[2] http://www.sage.edu/newsevents/news/?story_id=240785: http://www.sage.edu/newsevents/news/?story_id=240785

[3] https://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac: https://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac

Providing water for birds in winter

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From the National Wildlife Federation  https://blog.nwf.org/2014/12/dont-forget-water-for-birds-in-winter/

Here are some tips for easily—and safely—providing water for wildlife during the cold months:

Dark Eyed Junco
  1. Before the cold sets in, replace delicate solar or fountain birdbaths with sturdier, winter-ready water features. Because ice can cause cracks and leaks, concrete baths should be stored or covered in winter.
  2. Place baths in a sunny area to make them more visible to birds and to help keep the water liquid.
  3. While birds are unlikely to submerge themselves in very cold weather, you can help them stay dry and drink more easily by adding several stones to the bath or placing a few sticks on top that the animals can use as perches.
  4. Even during winter, birdbaths (as well as feeders) should be cleaned regularly.
  5. To keep water from freezing, consider adding an immersion-style water heater. More recent models will turn off if the water in the bath dries up.
  6. If using a heater, add a ground-fault interrupted circuit (available at hardware stores) to prevent electric shorts. Check that cords and outlets are sheltered from snow or ice buildup.
  7. As a homemade alternative to a heater, place a light bulb in a flower pot and put a small water basin on top of the pot.
  8. A simpler option—particularly if you have no outdoor electric outlet—is to buy several heavy-duty plant saucers that will not be cracked by ice and replace frozen baths with fresh ones each morning.
  9. Avoid adding glycerin to a birdbath as antifreeze; if birds ingest too much, it can dangerously elevate their blood-sugar levels. Glycerin solutions also may mat birds feathers, decreasing insulation at a time when the animals need it most.

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas,

Photo by: Jocelyn Anderson, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons