All I Want....

December 2019

Pickaway to Garden

By Paul J. Hang

All I want ….

As the 120^th column this makes 10 years of Pickaway to Garden. (You can read all ten years of Pickaway to Garden at pickawaygardener.blogspot.com.)

I guess it is about time, seeing how it’s December, that I recommend some gardening gifts. If you have a new gardener in mind, there are three essential tools that I think a gardener needs.

First, is a shovel or spade, with a long handle with a rounded or pointed end used to dig in the soil. This can be used to spade up soil for a garden, to move soil, to dig a hole to plant a tree or bush, to transplant or divide a plant or to chop up big clods of soil. Look for a place to put your foot on the top of the shovel for pushing the spade into the material to be moved. It should be steel and the first foot or so of the handle nearest the “blade” should be clad in metal. Prepare to spend more than $50.00 and more like a $100. If you buy a new gardener one gardening gift, this is the one to start with. I have had mine for who knows how many years.

Second, is a soil knife. Some people call it a Hori Hori Knife. It resembles a cross between a trowel and a Bowie Knife. They cost about $25-$50. Handles can be composite, or wood and blades can be stainless steel. One edge is serrated the other sharp. This is a very handy tool. It can be used to dig a hole for a transplant, score the raked smooth bed for planting a line of seeds, sawing a root, cutting the roots of a pot-bound root ball and, in a pinch, opening a container of your favorite adult beverage. This is a newly popular tool. I’ve had mine a few years. If you want to get really fancy you can buy a scabbard for it and a pink handle.

Third, is a Hula Hoe or scuffle hoe. They come by different names. It has a long handle ending in a “loop” of metal in the shape of a stirrup. By pushing and pulling the metal “stirrup” back and forth across the surface of soil you can cut or uproot weeds. It’s a real time saver and easy to use. No more the chopping motion of the ole’ days hoeing the corn or beans. I’ve had mine for years. It is self-sharpening because of the shape of the metal band that contacts the ground. Prices range from just under $20 to $40.

If you already possess these, other tools, gloves, boots, books and a myriad of devices are available with varying degrees of usefulness and longevity. Happy shopping!

Things to do in the garden:

Thankfully, there are not too many things to do IN the garden as much as there are things to do ABOUT the garden. If you haven’t already, clean up crop debris. Get the vegetable garden ready for spring.

On nice days wander about your place and notice how some plants continue to develop. If the local temperature reaches 50 degrees they grow, only to cease when the temperature falls. Those bitter cress weeds are small now. I find them in between the bricks of my walk. They and ground ivy in the beds and in the lawn are trying to gain a foothold now while they have little competition. The biennial mullein with its fuzzy lamb's ear-like leaves is growing flat against the earth. Rosettes of poison hemlock and teasel continue to grow. Pull them up while you have the chance or spray with an herbicide according to the directions on the label. Get them before the weather turns warm and they turn tougher.

If the ground remains open it’s still not too late to plant lilies, tulips and daffodils. You may find some bargains. Avoid the soft and shriveled ones. Check houseplants for insects. Move clay pots inside to prevent breaking. Plant native seeds directly over snow or frozen ground. Go to www.backyardhabitat.info.

Wrap young tree trunks with hardware cloth or the plastic wrap made for that purpose. Protect them from ground level to about 18 inches.  This also goes for newly planted shrubs. Place fencing around them. This prevents mice, voles and rabbits from using the bark as lunch. If they girdle the plants, they will die. a little light pruning of trees and shrubs while they are dormant won’t hurt. Damaged, rubbing or simply inconvenient small branches can be removed. Never top trees in any season. When harvesting or buying firewood use only local sources less than 50 miles. This helps prevent the spread of bugs and diseases harmful to trees.

In the vegetable garden, write down and/or map where you planted what this year. This will aid in crop rotation. Bugs lay their eggs near the crops they “enjoy.” By not planting the same crops in the same place next year you will foil the destructive insects and disease. Use ice melt, not rock salt, on your walks, it is harmful to plants including grass.