Gardening with the beasties

Abandoned Robin's nest

Red Legged Frog

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, a typical backyard in Washington State houses about 25 species of birds and mammals.  This means we, as land owners, are all habitat managers.  Everything we do in our yards affects these birds and mammals as well as insects, reptiles, and amphibians.  Of course, our yards are just little square pieces that together make up the much larger habitat of our little island.  Each of our yards is managed differently, some as vast expanses of mown lawn, some fenced against the deer like Fort Knox, some so natural, you hardly notice where the yard ends and the wild environment begins.  Because of this, the natural ecosystem of Vashon and habitats within have mostly been destroyed or become fragmented.  In addition to habitat destruction and fragmentation, many other factors stress native wildlife populations.  These include: exposure to predators due to lack of cover, malnutrition due to a lack of diversity among cultivated plants, invasive species that compete for limited resources, and exposure to harmful pesticides due to conventional gardening methods.

So what is there to do?  I can tell you we're not going to do a perfect job, any of us.  Having yards, fences, cultivated/non-native plants, structures, driveways, cars all negatively effect the natural environment.  I manage my yard for wildlife as best I can, but it's fenced in like Fort Knox to keep the deer and predators out and my dogs and ducks in.  I know it's not ideal, but I'm not going to take it down because it would adversely affect our family's lifestyle.  However, my yard is small and the holes in my fence are large enough to let smaller beasties pass freely.  I am blessed with neighbors to the South and East who also feel strongly about gardening for wildlife and I have a lovely 5 acres of unoccupied forest to the West.  These factors all effect how I choose to manage the habitat on my property.  I feel sure that each one of you have your own reasons for managing your slice of habitat the way you do.  I just hope that this information helps you to make the best decisions for your habitat that you can.

Here are some great ways to manage your yard (a.k.a. habitat):

1.  Don't keep it too clean.  Leaves and debris on the ground provide homes for bumble bees and other small beasties like mice, moles or voles, frogs, and snakes.  They also provide foraging ground for insect loving birds like towhees.

2. Leave stumps and snags (dead trees) standing if it's safe.  Snags not only house and feed many species, their tenants feed others outside of the tree.  Snags provide important habitat for many species and food for the animals that feed on those housed within.

3. Plant trees and bushes together creating many useful hiding and nesting places.

4. Create additional habitat by putting up appropriate bird, bat, and insect houses.  It's important to research what kind of houses are needed by various species and also to keep them clean and safe for the animals.

5. Utilize plants that provide food for wildlife.  When you do this, it's important not to deadhead all your plants in the late summer and fall, as these dead flowers become seed heads, rose hips, and berries that help sustain wildlife through the winter months.

These photos are of my veggie garden.  You can barely see any veggie plants, but already, I am nearly harvesting more vegetables than my family of three can consume. 

6. Provide shallow water and mud.  Make sure there is a way to get out of the water in case a bird or insect gets in over it's head.  Did you know that many butterflies require mud to provide them with much needed mineral nutrients?

7. If you choose to feed with feeders, be sure to keep them clean and in areas that are safe from cat predation.

8. Speaking of cat predation, it's best to keep cats indoors as much as possible.  Please see the links below regarding cat awareness.

9. Use fewer and safer chemicals.  Man-made chemicals in the garden pose health risks to people, pets, and all wildlife.  They often destroy the soil structure which, in turn, creates more pest problems and more reliance on the chemicals.  Use mulch, manual weeding and pest picking, learn to love some of the weeds (they are often medicinal, good for the soil, or good in a salad!), plant plants in the right place, and take good care of your soil.  Healthy soil makes for healthy plants and healthy plants resist pests!

These weeds have been embraced.

10. Last, but most certainly not least, pass it on!  Talk to your neighbors.  Try to create a neighborhood wildlife corridor.  Garden with kids.  Spread the word!

Chautauqua Children's Garden with Gerie Wilson, Zea, and Buddy

Granted, my little slice of habitat (where most of these pictures are from) is not especially "cultivated" per say.  It's not as neat as I'd like it to be, but I can tell you I get a lot of beauty and enjoyment from watching it grow.  I spend very little time and money on my landscape (as I don't have much of either of those things).  What I love most about my little slice is the nature of it all.  I love watching the birds nest and rear young.  I love watching the crows and squirrels interact with my ducks and tease my dogs.  I also love watching my daughter discover her natural world as she explores the many nooks and crannies of our small yard.  And finally, I love how my neighbors react to my yard with pleasure as new plants grow, flowers bloom, and seasons change.  Every style is different.  Every family has different needs.  However, I'm sure that every one of you could make a little more room for wildlife in your little slice of habitat.  Consider it a challenge.




Resources:
Landscaping with deer resistant plants:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/deer.html#landscaping
Plants to attract pollinators:
http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MaritimeNorthwestPlantList_web.pdf
Living with Wildlife
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/
Creating a backyard sanctuary
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/backyard/
Cat awareness:
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
Alternatives to pesticides:
http://www.pesticide.org/
http://www.pesticide.org/resources
Wildlife corridors:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/norway-has-highway-bees-180955703/?utm_source=twitter.com&no-ist
http://conservationcorridor.org/digests/corridor-science/
Vashon Resources:
Vashon Maury Island Land Trust
http://vashonlandtrust.org/
Vashon Nature Center
http://vashonnaturecenter.org/

In honor of the dog days of summer

Let's talk a little about late summer and fall blooming plants.  It's so difficult to remember to include these in the garden.  When we all have gardening energy in the spring and early summer, they are often just nondescript blobs of greenery, some not even emerging from their winter slumber until late spring, leading us to believe they've died over the winter.  When the dog days come along, those long, hot, dry days from late July to early September, we begin to see our mistake.  The early summer blooms are fading, and there's not much coming along to take their place.  On top of that, we're tired.  We sense the coming of the fall and want to savor every last bit of summer before she goes.  I don't know about you, but to me that does not mean toiling in the hot sun, taking a mattock to the hard, dry earth, digging holes for plants that likely won't survive due to heat, or lack of time to establish before the winter cold.

So, for now, write down somewhere where you see those holes.  Make sure you keep that note around for your fall and winter planning.  And next spring, focus on those lovely fresh balls of greenery that will become glorious flowers for you to enjoy while sitting in the shade, sipping on your Arnold Palmer.

Here's a small list of fall-blooming perennials for our area:

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

http://farnhamvictoriagarden.org/images/this_month/2012_september_4.jpg

Aster

Photo source: http://www.flowerpictures.us/michaelmas_daisies_6023_picture.html

Chrysanthemums

Photo source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum

Clematis paniculata

Photo source: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/26630-product.html#

Caryopteris

http://www.thienemans.com/photos/index.php/Trees-and-Shrubs/Caryopteris_x_clandonensis_Inoveris

Helenium autumnale 'rotgold'

http://www.joycreek.com/Helenium-autumnale-Rotgold-273-001.htm

Verbascum hybrid 'Southern Charm'

Photo source: http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/search/lst.srch.asp?prodid=1098

Is this goldenrod crab spider killing all the bees?

I'm actually totally sure that this goldenrod crab spider is NOT the one who's killing all the bees, but she does take a pretty picture, doesn't she?  Actually, we’ve been hearing a lot about neonicotinoids these days.  They are one of the chemicals currently in the spotlight for harming our honeybee colonies.  It also seems as though they are harming other beneficial insects and beasties above and below the soil including earthworms, butterflies, and native birds. With the evidence stacking up, it’s a good idea to learn how to live without these chemicals now. 

Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides that combat sap sucking (like aphids) and leaf chewing insects (like beetles and caterpillars).  Neonicotinoids were introduced in the mid nineties and have quickly become a staple on farms, in nurseries, and in the home garden.  Regardless of how they are applied, they are water-soluble and infiltrate plant tissue, spreading the chemical throughout and making the plant itself toxic.  Neonicotinoids have been touted as being quite safe for humans and other mammals.  However, the chemicals do spread to all parts of the plant, including the pollen and nectar, making them dangerous to all insects that interact with the plant, not just those that eat the leaves.

Here are a few things you can do in your garden to reduce and hopefully eliminate the need for chemical insect controls.  

•  Never use chemicals prophylactically
• Interplant and use companion planting (avoid monocultures)
• Choose resistant varieties
• Rotate crops
• Keep plants happy and healthy
• Pay attention to cultural needs of plant
• Water as needed and consistently, keeping foliage dry as much as possible
• Remove any week plants
• Keep soil healthy
• Add organic matter as necessary
• Disturb soil as little as possible and only when it’s dry enough
• Keep a good layer of natural mulch (like wood chips, leaf mold, or compost) on top of your soil
• Use only organic fertilizers and pest controls
• Attract beneficial insects
•  Beneficial wasps – plant celery, parsley, and caraway
• Ladybugs – plant daisies, tansy, yarrow
• Lacewings – plant yarrow, goldenrod, black eyed susan, and asters
• Hoverflies – plant yarrow, goldenrod, black eyed susan, and asters
• Praying mantis – purchase online
• Beneficial nemetodes – keep soil healthy and can be purchased online
• Provide food and habitat by planting lots of flowering plants, offering insect hotels, bird baths, and other hidey holes
• Provide lots of habitat and natural food for native wildlife – wild birds and bats eat lots of bugs.  They can be true allies in the pest war!
• Use your poultry – ducks and chickens are voracious insect eaters (and entertaining).  Just be careful how you let them into your garden, as they’ll eat the plants as well.
• If you do have an invasion
• Mechanical controls –
• Hand-picking
• Floating row covers
• Traps – sticky traps, pheremone traps
• Pheremones (can be used to trap undesirables, or attract benneficials)
• Barrier paper (around stems to control cabbage moth)
• Barrier collars (around stems to prevent cut worms)
• Organic controls –
• To control soft bodied insects - 1T canola or vegetable oil, a few drops of dish soap in one cup of water – make sure to spray tops and bottoms of leaves
• To control mites (squirrels and deer won’t like it either) – 2T cayenne pepper, a few drops of dish soap.  Let soak overnight.  Shake frequently when spraying.
• All insects – sprinkle diatomaceous earth around gardens
• If all else fails, use organic, bee safe pesticides – look for a stamp certifying that it is organic – and use very specifically (only on infested areas) and only according to package directions.
• Neem oil, spinosad, BT, iron phosphate are all good, safe ingredients
• If, for some reason you feel you must use a synthetic pesticide, read the labels very carefully.  Look for imidacloprid, acetamiprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and avoid all products that include these. 

I hope you find this information useful and that it helps to sway you or helps you to sway your friends, nurseries, retailers, parks departments, and anyone else who might use pesticides.  Please feel free to reproduce and share this info with everyone and anyone. 

If you have questions, feel free to contact me (Sue Day) at earthstwearddesigns@gmail.com or call me at 206.280.1425

Resources

·      http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NeonicotinoidsInYourGarden_Wings-Fall2012.pdf

·      http://eartheasy.com/grow_nat_pest_cntrl.htm#a

·      http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/organic-pest-control-zm0z11zsto.aspx#axzz37TlTDv2i

Watering wisely

It's wet here in the Pacific Northwest, right?  Well yes, but not all the time, and not as wet as some might think.  Many folks who don't live in the Pacific Northwest often wonder why water conservation and drought tolerance are such large issues here.  What people (both near and far) don't realize is that we actually don't get that much rain.  Seattle's average yearly rainfall is only about 38".  That's less than Boston and even Houston!  Not only do we not actually get all that much rain, but we get almost all of that rain from October through May.  June-September are notoriously dry, usually with less than 5 of those 38 inches of rain falling for the entire 4 month span.  So, how do we keep our pants alive?  See below for some smart watering tips that will help you both keep your plants alive AND conserve water.

Steps for smart watering:

• Soil - First of all, you need to figure out what kind of soil you have.  Clay and glacial till will require much less water than sand and gravel.  Once you know this you can both plan for your watering and work on building your soil.  More to come on soil building in a later post.
• Plant grouping - Group plants with similar needs together.  Think of water needs as well as sun and wind exposure 
• Mulch and/or plant thickly - Organic matter does the best job of holding water and preventing evaporation, but gravel will also do the trick in some situations.  One of the major tenets of sustainable gardening is, "there's no such thing as bare soil in nature (except on beaches and in deserts)." NOTE: If you are going to water with soaker hoses, it's best to bury them underneath the mulch if possible.
• Water only when needed - Unless it has rained more than one inch in the past week, it's important to keep an eye on your garden soil.  In gardens with plants that require moderate moisture (most vegetable gardens and annual beds as well as some perennial beds and trees), water as soon as the top few inches of soil are dry.  The rule of thumb for a lawn is it requires about 1/2"-1" of water per week in the hottest months to stay green.  However, there are more accurate assessments of water needs than that.  If the grass gets a grey or blue tint to it and footprints remain for longer than usual, it's time to water the lawn.  
• and finally, HOW to water - The main rule of watering is water as deeply and infrequently as possible.  This is very difficult to do on a steep slope or in a compressed lawn (more on special watering situations in a later post).  
• For standard garden beds with minimal slope- water for a set amount of time (15-30 minutes).  One hour after watering, check to make sure the water has penetrated 8-10 inches down.  If not, increase your watering time and try again.  Once you figure out a good watering time for that particular area, try to write it down somewhere so you can remember it later.
• For healthy lawns - Firstly, please remember that most lawns will be just fine if allowed to go dormant in the summer.  If you must have a green lawn in the dry season, put a tin can out when you turn on the sprinkler.  Make sure to position it in the place that gets the least water (usually off in the farthest corner).  Turn the water on and leave it until there's 1/2" of water in the can.  On a healthy lawn that is mowed with a mulching mower, this should be plenty of water to keep it looking green and lush.

Well, that's it for basic watering.  I hope I covered everything for you.  Future water-related blog posts will cover designing your gardens for water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and watering in tough situations.  If you still have questions, have special situations that need addressing, or would like to suggest topics for future blog posts, feel free to email me at earthstewarddesigns@gmail.com.

Happy gardening!

And here are a few garden pics for the day :)

Some work I've done

Some day soon, I hope to create a slide show with good descriptions of all of this, but for now, here are some pictures.