With summer upon us, we spoke to horticulture expert Fatuma Emmad from FrontLine Farming for some gardening tips.
With temperatures soaring closer to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the first thing to worry about is heat. Emad suggests covering your garden with something breathable to allow air to pass through (she recommends straw) and using compost, which slowly releases nutrients throughout the season.
Perhaps most importantly, manage your water. Gardeners often think they should keep the hose on all the time, but Emad says that's not the case. Water young plants, which have shallow roots, relatively frequently to keep the surface moist, but as they grow, water less frequently and more deeply to mimic natural wet-dry cycles.
Garden pests come in all shapes and sizes, and our listeners have asked questions like:
Q: Mindy Mongeau of Englewood renamed her snapdragon nursery “Grubhub” after the tiny creatures that devour the plants.
Emad: Use organic control methods. Nasturtiums are a good trap crop. Try beneficial nematodes. Beneficial nematodes are tiny insects that attack the larvae by burrowing into their bodies and releasing bacteria that kill them. This strategy works best in late summer to early fall, when the larvae begin to feed near the soil surface. Beneficial nematodes are available at your local garden center.
Courtesy of Mindy Mongeau. Caterpillars nibble at a transplanted snapdragon plant by Englewood gardener Mindy Mongeau.
Question: R.B. Fast of Denver says Canada thistle is taking over his daylily field. “We need to stop it!”
Emad: Sorry, but this is a long-term solution. Go outside in the early spring and late fall and dig up the deep thistle roots. In July, pull back the weeds before they flower and start to go to seed. Use a weed whacker or lawnmower. By the third year, Emad says, you'll be “pretty much done.”
Courtesy of RB Fast Denver gardener RB Fast complains that Canada thistles are crowding out his daylilies.
Question: Rebecca Cantwell of Jefferson County is fed up with a small animal (she suspects it's a rabbit or squirrel) eating her water-intensive perennial plants.
Emad: Plant things that babies won't want to eat. “Anything that babies won't want to eat – onions, garlic, chives, chillies, anything.” Strongly scented plants like lavender, marigolds and snapdragons can scare babies away with their strong smell and less palatable leaves.
You could create a barrier using chicken wire or something, but, oh well, squirrels.
Question: Laura Guy of Boulder is “terrified” by the resurgence of Japanese beetles.
Emad: It's manual labor. “Just take a bucket of soapy water and pick off the pests.” Plant wild roses instead of the cultivated varieties that the beetles love. If you have a small plot of land, beware of pheromone traps, which can attract large numbers of pests and turn your garden into a feeding ground.
Alas, do not expect miracles: Japanese beetles can feed on 300 different types of plants, but there are no animals here that prey on them.
Nati Harnick/The Associated Press A Japanese rhinoceros beetle eats away at the leaves of a lime tree on Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Omaha, Nebraska.
