It’s HOT!
It’s hot here in NE Ohio, in the 90’s. My poor plants are wilted, especially my hydrangeas (they’re not lovers of heat!).
Along with the heat, we haven’t had any rain in a while. That means it’s time to water.
I like to water by hand (no sprinklers for me unless the lawn needs a drink). It’s a great bicep & shoulder workout (no weights for me during gardening season). I have a great French watering can I ordered from Gardeners Supply Company last year. I love it!
It’s perfectly balanced so even though it holds 3 gallons it doesn’t feel heavy. It also has a removable crown for easy cleaning (I like to put the crown on upside down, personal preference). I like it so much I think I may order another one (twice the workout in half the time).
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Organic Weed & Feed
We try not to use lawn chemicals or pesticides here at Chiot’s Run, I believe that we really need to reduce our use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides before we do too much damage to the natural ecosystem. I read a book recently that streams were more polluted in residential areas than in agricultural areas because homeowners use far too many and too much product when the treat their lawns.
We live in a lake community and phosphate use has been banned, so the first year we lived here I bought phosphate-free weed & feed. I started reading about how much damage those products do to the environment and decided not to use them. For several years, I didn’t use anything on the lawn, I didn’t want to pollute the lake or any of the surrounding streams.
I finally found out about corn gluten meal, it’s a natural pre-emergent (meaning it inhibits seed germination) and it’s nitrogen rich (just what grass needs to be green and lush). So I ordered some bags of corn gluten from my local garden center. It’s actually cheaper than regular lawn chemicals if you can find a good source (I paid $29.99 for a 40lb bag – last year I paid $19.99 for a 40lb bag). It is applied just like regular fertilizer but you don’t have to worry about chemical burns on the lawn, so you can apply anytime. (In some cases you can buy it from you local farm supply store since it is also used as animal feed). Corn gluten is applied at 20 – 40 lbs per 1000sq ft and needs to be applied every 4-6 weeks depending on rain fall.
It is applied with a lawn spreader just like your normal weed and feed products. It’s also high in nitrogen so it greens up the grass beautifully!
It worked great the first year I applied it. I have also read that it starts working better and better each year. I must say, my front lawn has never looked better! I apply it 3 times per summer, once when the Forsythia is blooming, once again at the beginning of July, and then once again in early September.
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Seeing Green
Every day when I go out to check on the edible garden I hope I’ll see a hint of red on one of my tomatoes. No luck so far. I’m not sure how long it will be until I get a ripe one. I suppose if they got a few more hours of sun I would already be enjoying home-grown tomatoes. Oh well.
I do have one Lemon Boy tomato that’s starting to show some yellow! I can’t wait to have that with some fresh basil & olive oil.
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More Seeds
I ordered some more seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
They have just about anything you’re looking for. I ordered mainly lettuces for august growing and a few things for the fall & winter garden. What did I order?
Simpson Elite Lettuce
Crimson Clover (Green Manure)
Spargo Spinach
Jericho Lettuce
Napoli Carrot for Overwintering
Ruby Perfection Cabbage
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Totem Endive
VIT Mache (for Fall & Winter Growing)
Red Russian Kale (for Fall & Winter Growing)
Red Sails Lettuce
Purple Top White Globe Turnip
Bright Lights Swiss Chard
This should keep me busy for the rest of the season.
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Blooming Hens
I planted some Sempervivum (Hen & Chicks) in the rock wall on our front hillside. A few of them are starting to bloom. They truly are interesting plants!
