gardening on the edge newsletter, winter 2010 ~ monterey bay master gardeners

8/9/2019 Gardening on the Edge Newsletter, Winter 2010 ~ Monterey Bay Master Gardeners

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MONTEREY BAY MASTER GARDENERS WINTER 2010

The Art of Composting 1 Firesafe Demonstration Garden5

The Edible Garden: Apples6 IPM: Horticultural Oils7

New Zealand Flora9 How Master Gardeners Do It12

Book Review: Simply Quince14

Confessions of a Reluctant Gardener15 Relevant Internet Miscellany18

CULTIVATE KNOWLEDGE

Winter 2010 #13

GARDENING ON THE EDGEJOURNAL OF THE MONTEREY BAY MASTER GARDENER

The concept of makingcompost strikes me as ratherfunny in that I really dont do much at all to makeorganicmaterial and turn it into what some call black gold orbrown gold. What I do is make certain that the condi-tions are optimum for the breakdown of the raw organicmatter. With that in mind, be aware that composting or-ganic materials can be as simple or as relatively complexas we want to make it.

The simplest way to create compost is to place allyour organic material into a pile and let it sit outside inthe elements. Rain will provide the moisture and thenatural occurring bacteria, fungi, and insects will do the

rest. Then in anywhere from eight months to a year thematerial in the bottom half or so of the pile will be bro-ken-down enough to be used in the garden. The primarydisadvantage of this method is that little or none of theweed seed is destroyed and you might end up with a lot ofunwanted plants sprouting. You could also spread thematerial on top of the soil and till it in or dig a hole andbury the material. If you think about, it you can mostlikely come up with several other ways of accomplishingthe same goal. One of the best ways I know to createquality compost, however, is the focus of this article.

So, Ill start with one of my cardinal rules: Nothing

green leaves the property! I impact the landfill as little possible, at least in regard to all my organic matter, anthat includes most paper and newspaper. I realize its dficult for some to do this and it does require a commment to make it happen.

My methodcanbe broken down into a few basic step

1. Gather the materials: browns for carbon and gree

for nitrogen.2. Break the material down by shredding, cutting, mo

ing, chopping or any method that creates a high levof surface area for each component of the pile.

3. Place the material in a pile or container about 1 cubyard in size (3x3x3). There are many commercial cotainers on the market or you can make your own uing any number of materials.

4. Mix all the materials together. Nothing else needs be added to start the process, but a few cups of blomeal or other natural (not chemical) nitrogen produmay be of benefit and is good insurance.

The Art of CompostinPaul McCollum, MG0


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2 WINTER 2010 MONTEREY BAY MASTER GARDENE

Gather the materials: browns for carbon and greens fornitrogen.

Break the material down by shredding, cutting, mow-

ing, chopping or any method that creates a high level ofsurface area for each component of the pile. The origi-nal pile of rough material is reduced in size by 1/2 to2/3 by shredding.

Teach others so the skills and knowledge get passedalong. In the photo above you can see my 14 year oldgrandson Austin McCollum helping me with theshredding.

5. Provide adequate moisture; it should be 70-80%wet. Soak a sponge, squeeze it out and feel itthatsabout right.

6. Monitor the temperature of the pile. It should heatup to 125-160F within 1 to 2 days and remainthere for minimum of 4 days and up to a week.

7. Turn the pile every day or two for the first twoweeks in order to mix the material, add oxygen, andso that you can monitor the moisture.

8. Thereafter, turn the pile every week until the sixthweek and then let it rest for a month or more if pos-sible before using it in the garden.

9. The product can be run back through the shedderor 1/8 screen to make it of a fine consistency foruse in a homemade potting soil mix.

The containers I use for holding the compost arethe Earth Machine and Bio Stack. I also use two com-mercial tumblers, the original 18 bushel Compost Tum-bler and the one made by Mantis that holds 20 bushelsThe Mantis ComposT-Twin is a two compartment unitwith each one holding 10 bushels. If anyone would likemy opinion as to which one is best please write me or

call and Ill share my experience with both of theseunits. The only advice I would give on tumblers is tomake sure you get one large enough; many of the smallones do not hold enough material to generate the re-quired heat.

Using this method works well in a short period oftime. Ive made compost in as little as 14 days using theCompost Tumbler and by carefully monitoring the tem-perature and moisture and turning the tumbler everyday at least 5 full revolutions.

Composting in Pictures

RoT Reduce

Recycle

Reuse


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Mix all the materials together. Nothing else needs to beadded to start the process but a few cups of blood meal

or other natural (not chemical) nitrogen product may bebeneficial and is good insurance.

Provide adequate moisture; it should be 70-80% wet.Soak a sponge, squeeze it out and feel itthats aboutright.

Place the material in a pile or container about 1 cubicyard in size (3x3x3). There are many commercial con-tainers on the market or you can make your own usingany number of materials.

I fill nine Earth Machines and one Bio Stack with theshredded raw material.

Monitor the temperature of the pile. It should heat upto 125-160F within 1 to 2 days and should remainthere for at least 4 days and preferably up to a week.

Wikipedia, www.apartmenttherapy.com/.../042308_compost.jpg


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Turn the pile every day or two for the first two weeksin order to mix the material, add oxygen, and so thatyou can monitor the moisture. Thereafter, turn the pileevery week until the sixth week and then let it rest for amonth or more if possible before using it in the garden.

The product can be run back through the shedder or1/8 screen to make it of a fine consistency for use in ahomemade potting soil mix.

Placing compost around plants makes them stand outfeeds the soil, saves water, makes weeding much easierand helps produce an outstanding specimen.

Two examples of compost tumblers: Compost Tumbleron the left holds 18 bushels. Mantis Tumbler on theright has two 10-bushel compartments.

Any questions about composting can be directed to meat [email protected].

Paul McCollum is a Master Gardener, Master Composter

and Consulting RosarianAll photos by Paul McCollum.

A large compost pilecan spontaneously

combust if notproperly managed.

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

File:Bomberos2.jpg


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Firesafe Demonstration

GardenLeora Worthington, MG03Master Gardener Patty Nicely arranged for the

Monterey Bay Master Gardeners to tour the Demon-stration Firesafe Garden located at the Pebble Beach

Fire Station in the Del Monte Forest. We were re-warded with a superb guide, Dr. Jeff Froke, who notonly knew the plantings but their interrelationship withwildlife. He is a wildlife and wilderness ecologist andthe current president of the Pebble Beach CommunityServices District (PBCSD).

The District decided to create the garden using fire-resistant plants (determined by actually burning plantsand timing their burn rate) and further chose to limit it

to native plants of Central California. Visitors can seehow attractive certain native species can be in a gardensetting while realizing they can acquire desirable fire-resistant and drought-tolerant plants.

Since the recent fires in San Diego County, the statehas mandated that 100 feet of defensible space be main-tained around a home in wildland areas. Some localregulations may further determine what may beplanted. The general scheme is to have low-growing

plants in the first 30 feet surrounding the home withshrubs in the next 30 feet and trees in the areas beyondthat. The Demonstration Garden is laid out in this wayThey also removed the lower branches of trees to avoidthe fire ladder effect. As the plantings were made inMay of this year, the shrubs and trees, nearly all ever-

green, have yet to reach full size.

The following is a list of the Phase One Species thatare already in the ground. It is to be followed this falland winter with Phase Two which will add to the diver-sity. Some Phase Two plants are already in, such as na-tive red fescue, California strawberry, Ceanothus, Berke-ley sedge and seaside daisy.

The PBCSD, the Pebble Beach Fire Departmentand the local volunteers plus the California Conserva-tion Corps, who put in the plantings and landscapingare to be thanked for their excellent presentation. Thepublic is invited to visit during daylight hours. Be sureto visit on your next trip to 17 Mile Drive(All photos by Leora Worthington.)

Trees and ShrubsCalifornia buckeye

Pacific wax myrtle

Pacific madrone

western redbud

California hazelnut

flannelbush

toyon

holly-leafed cherry

California coffeeberry

pink-flowering

gooseberry

bush anemonelemonade berry

western spicebush

Low Shrubs, Grasses,Groundcovers

& Ferns

Douglas iris

blue-eyed grass

creeping wild rye

(spreads rapidly)

western swordfern

California fuschia

creeping mahonia

evergreen huckleberry

white yarrow

redwood sorrel

(See page 15 for botanical names)


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The Edible GardenGood Eats and Gardening Tips

Tammy Tahara, MG06

Apples

Ive never grown an apple tree in my life but I didvisit Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville with my grand-daughters class this past fall. She and her classmatesgot to learn a little about the process of making applejuice before they were let loose into the orchard to pickapples. Each child was allowed to keep one apple foreating and the rest were put into a big tub for use bythe farm. Dani and I went into the farm store and weredelighted by the varieties of apples available for sale.They had Pippins, Macintosh, Gravensteins, Red andGolden Delicious, Honeycrisp and Winter Banana ap-

ples among many others. We chose some for eating outof hand and some for making apple jelly.

A wonderful science/gardening project for childrenwould be to grow apple trees from seed. This is defi-nitely a project to start at a young age since it will take7 10 years for the tree to bear fruit! You can sproutapple seeds by drying them on a paper towel until theouter seed covering loses its sheen and then placingthem on wet paper towels in a container or sealed plas-tic baggie in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks tostratify them. Open the bag or container every few daysto let in fresh air and then reseal. You should start tosee the seeds sprouting after a week or two. You canthen plant the seedlings into small pots of regular pot-ting soil, remembering to watch carefully that the soildoes not dry out. As they mature, transplant to a biggerpot, keeping the soil moist. Once a sapling reaches twofeet tall, you may transplant your tree into a sunny gar-den spot after the danger of frost has passed. Give thetree plenty of space to grow because if you are success-ful, your tree may reach 20 - 25 feet at maturity. Again,do not expect your tree to bear fruit for about 10 years and when it does, do not expect that fruit to be any-

thing like the delicious apple it came from oh so manyyears before! According to Growing Apples from Seedon Gardenspace The Gardening Pages, many seedswill actually produce crab apples, since they are excel-lent pollinators often planted in orchards to producegood harvest. So be sure to warn your little scientistthat the apples their tree produces may not be to theirliking and may not be edible at all. The reward is in thegrowing!

Wild Malus sieversii apple in Kazakhstan. Wikipedia, http://www.ars.usda.gov/Aboutus/docs.htm?docid=6310

Here is a recipe for the apple jelly that I made fromthe apples Dani and I bought at Gizdich Ranch:

Apple Ginger Jelly4 lbs apples3 cups water cup lemon juicesugar 1 cup to each cup juicesugar ginger to taste (I used Dynasty), diced

Do not peel or core fruit, just wash and cut it intopieces, seeds, skin and all. The seeds and skin contain

the most pectin and should be cooked along with thepulp. This will assure a firm jelly. Cover the fruit withthe water; add more if needed add lemon juice and boiluntil tender. Remove from the heat and mash. Strainthe fruit through a sterilized jelly bag. Do not attempt torush the juice by squeezing the bag or mashing the fruit downas this will cause the jelly to be cloudy!Let the fruit stand inthe jelly bag 4 to 6 hours or overnight. The followingmorning add sugar: 1 cup to every 1 cup juice. Place ina pan large enough so that the jelly can rise up to a roll-ing boil. This is a boil that cannot be stirred down. Jellymust achieve a rolling boil or it will not set. Boil over

high heat until a candy thermometer reads 220 degreesF and the jelly sheets off a wooden spoon. Stir in dicedsugar ginger to taste. Turn off the heat and skim thefroth, ladle into hot, sterilized jelly jars and cap.

References:http://gardenspace.newarchaeology.com/apples_from_seed.phphttp://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-grow-apple-trees-from-seed-473689.htmlhttp://www.wikihow.com/Grow-an-Apple-Tree-from-a-Seedhttp://www.yumyum.com/printrecipe.htm?ID=12001&yield=1


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IPM: Horticultural OilsPatricia Nicely, MG99

Winter is upon us, so I thought I would write abouthorticultural oils, which are often used in the dormantseason for pest and disease control.

The term horticultural oil usually refers to highlyrefined petroleum oil that is specifically formulated foruse on plants. Other names for horticultural oil includeinsecticidal oil, narrow-range oil, summer oil, mineraloil, supreme oil, superior oil, dormant oil, ultrafine oil,and paraffinic oil. These oils have relatively low toxic-ity to people, plants, and most wildlife, and evaporaterapidly, so are less likely to damage plants or benefi-cials, or enter waterways via runoff. These features al-low some oil sprays to be allowed in organic farming.

The primary mode of action of horticultural oils isto smother insects and mites at various susceptible lifestages, including eggs, larvae, pupae, and soft-bodiedadults. The oils also cause some cell disruption, andprobably have other toxic effects as well. Susceptiblepests include scales, mealybugs, aphids, leafhoppers,whiteflies, mites, caterpillars, thrips, and psyllids. Oilscan also smother fungal spores and inhibit many fungaldiseases. Some oils may reduce transmission of plantviruses by killing their insect vectors. No pests areknown to have developed resistance to horticulturaloils, probably because their primary mode of action isphysical, not chemical.

Horticultural oils are often used in the dormant sea-son (winter) to kill eggs, overwintering adults, andfungi on deciduous fruits, nuts, roses, and other orna-mentals. For deciduous fruit trees, the dormant periodon the Central Coast occurs approximately in Decemberand January (depending on microclimate and species).

There is also a developmental period called delayed-dormant, approximately in February, from when budsstart to swell until the green tip bud stage. There areseveral benefits to using oils in the dormant season. Inthe absence of foliage, less spray is needed, better cover-age can be achieved, and plants are less susceptible todamage. Also, there is less of a chance of killing benefi-

cial insects.Some dormant-season sprays can also be used for

in-season (spring and summer) control of soft-bodiedinsects and mites, eggs, and fungi on fruits, nuts, orna-mentals, and some vegetables. These are sometimesreferred to as summer oils, and are of a lighter weightthan some of their dormant-only counterparts. Summeroils are usually used on perennials, but some effective-ness has been demonstrated on selected annuals (e.g.for corn earworm and whiteflies). It is thought thasome succulent annuals may be more susceptible todamage from oils than their woody counterparts.

There are many botanically-derived horticulturaloils available for use in gardens. These include oils oneem, cottonseed, jojoba, soybean, and mint. Neem oi(as opposed to neem extract, or azadiractin), is com-monly used year-round as a fungicide, miticide, and in-secticide on various plants, depending on the formula-tion. Neem oil is very toxic to bees, so it is importantto avoid spraying when bees are present. Jojoba oil isused for powdery mildew control. Soybean oil is an ad-juvant, meaning that it is used primarily as an additiveto pesticides and fertilizers. Mint oil is used in low con-

centrations along with citric acid as a broad-spectrumfungicide. Sesame oil is also a broad-spectrum fungi-cide. Some sources indicate that botanically derived oilsare more likely to be phytotoxic (toxic to plants) thanpetroleum oils, so I would recommend using extra cau-tion when applying these oils.

When considering whether to use horticultural oilsin your garden, follow an IPM approach, including pestidentification, tolerance, monitoring, sanitation, andgood cultural practices, and choose the best chemicalcontrol (which may or may not be oil) only as a last re-sort. Some gardeners will regularly spray their or-

chards with dormant oil, but, as it turns out, the use ofdormant oil is not usually recommended in home or-chards unless a serious, uncontrolled pest infestationwas present in the preceding season. For example, iyour fruit trees had a severe summer infestation of scalethat was not mitigated with beneficials or other IPMmethods, you might consider applying an oil spray inthe dormant season following the infestation.

If you decide that you should use horticultural oilsin your garden, read the label before you purchase aparticular product to make sure that it is safe and ap-propriate for your intended use (plant, pest, and season)


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Choose formulations designed for the home gardener (asopposed to commercial products) because these are usu-ally safer, easier to use, and available in smaller quanti-ties. For petroleum-based oils, look for an unsulfonatedresidue (UR) of at least 92%, and a paraffin content of atleast 60% (higher in the summer). These are indicatorsof phytotoxicity. Also check the label for additional ac-

tive ingredients, since some oils are formulated withother pesticides that you might not want or need. If youchoose the wrong product, you will probably not get thedesired result, and you may do more harm than good.

As with all pest control products, always follow la-bel directions. It is often recommended to spot-checkyour specific plants for sensitivity to oil before treatingthe whole plant. Some plants or plant parts shouldnever be sprayed with oil, and these are usually listed onthe product label. Apply oils only to well-wateredplants, avoiding application on windy days or duringvery hot or cold temperatures. High humidity decreases

evaporation, which may increase phytotoxicity becausethe oil stays on the plant longer. Always use the recom-mended equipment for application and personal protec-tion (a pressurized sprayer is probably required). Sinceoils work by smothering, the pests or spores must bepresent and thoroughly covered in order to achieve con-trol; therefore, timing and proper application techniquesare critical. Even though oils are relatively safe, theycan still be harmful to humans and the environment ifused improperly; fish are particularly sensitive. Do notmix oils with certain sprays, especially sulfur, and donot apply oil within a month of applying sulfur. Repeat

applications may be needed to control some pests andviruses, so be prepared to make applications as often asevery 5 to 10 days, especially in summer.

In my garden, the primary above-ground pests arfungi and rose slugs on my roses, powdery mildew oveggies and a few ornamentals, and various tomato diseases that I have yet to accurately identify. So, I proba

bly wouldnt use oil sprays in my yard. If I were to usan oil, I would probably try to choose a vegetablederived oil, since I am trying to limit the number of petroleum-based products in my life.

As an aside:UC sells pocket-sized laminated pest IDcards for Tree Fruit Pest Identification and MonitoringThe set of 32 cards was listed on the ANR website for$11.25. Check out the website athttp://anrcatalog..ucdavis.edu/DiseasesDisorders/3426.asp

ReferencesPests of the Garden and Small Farm, UC ANR, 1998Sunset Western Garden Book, 2001Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver, 1998California Master Gardener Handbook, UC ANR, 2002Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs, UC ANR, 2004The Home Orchard, UC ANR, 2007UC IPM Online Information (November 2009): HorticulturalOil, Neem OilPeaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply website (November2009). www.groworganic.comHorticultural Spray Oils, Adapted by Jay W. Pscheidt from asimilar article: Walsh, D.B., F.G. Zalom, & G.G. Grove. 2000.Petroleum spray oils - an airblast from the past, with a slickfuture. Good Fruit Grower. 51(8):45-48. http://ipmnet.org/plant-

disease/articles.cfm?article_id=26

IPMis an ecologically-based approach to managingpests that tries to prevent problems through acombination of methods and uses pesticides only

as a last resort. IPM programs can be appliedagainst insects, weeds, plant diseases, rodents, orother pests.

With IPM, youll have a safer home and environ-ment and youll have fewer pest problems.

Remember these IPM steps as you try to solveyour pest problems: Correctly identify the pest Determine if it is a problem you cant tolerate. Identify the conditions in your home or gar-

den that are causing the pest to thrive or in-

vade and change them to the extent possible. If this isnt enough, consider other methods

such as cultural, mechanical, physical or bio-

logical controls, or use least-toxic pesticides

as a last resort.

Rose slugs look more like caterpillars than slugs. They are the

larvae of primitive wasps called sawflies. There are three species;

the larvae of all three are light green with brownish-orange heads,

and they range in size from 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. When fully grown,

rose slugs closely resemble butterfly or moth caterpillars.

http://www.finegardening.com/pages/g00171.asp; image:

http://www.growquest.com/rose_slug.jpg.


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New Zealand FloraDenise Weatherwax, MG06

New Zealand is at once familiar and strange. TheNorth and South islands, separated by Cook Strait,were formed by many of the same natural forces as

California earthquakes, volcanoes, wind and water.At 730 miles long, with a maximum width of 220 miles,NZ at 103,735 square miles is about 2/3 the size ofCalifornia. The far southern tip is 46 latitude, ap-proximately equivalent to southwestern Washingtonstate. The northern end is 34, approximately the samelatitude as Santa Barbara. Unlike California, however,the West coast of the South Island gets a lotof rain nearly 300 inches annually; the East side, in the rainshadow of the spectacular Southern Alps, averagesabout 13 inches. Although the Western slopes of thevolcanoes on The North Island do get more than the

East slopes, rainfall is more evenly distributed about51 inches.

Besides spectacular mountains, oceans, and a mari-time climate requiring layered clothing, a visiting Cali-fornian will also find familiar flora some native to NZcommonly used in Central Coast landscaping such asNew Zealand flax, and many, many transplants andgarden styles mainly reflecting the countrys Britishheritage. In gardens, hydrangeas are nearly ubiquitous predominantly blue, but in many other hues and va-rieties. Naturalized plants such as foxglove, lupine, anddaisies abound in the wild. One of the oddest nativetrees is the lancewood/horoeka (Pseudopanax), whichhas stiff toothed leaves growing downward from a cen-tral stem, but when mature develops wider leaves andtakes on a more typical tree shape. Unfortunately,many native species, including lancewood, are todayseriously endangered or extinct.

Last February, I traveled in New Zealand with myhusband. We were fortunate to have friends there whoshowed us around for about half the trip; the balance oftime we were on our own in a campervan, and tried tomake the most of

our time to enjoythe beautiful scen-ery, hike, kayak,and enjoy thebeach on theNorth Island. Be-ing a gardener, Icouldnt help buttake snapshots ofsome of the beau-tiful English gar-dens and the more

unusual native plants. In sharing these, I have mademy best effort to identify plants by name and also thelocation where they were photographed.

A view of the formal-style knot garden at Anzac Square, infront of the Dunedin Railway Station, South Island. Completed

in 1906, the railway station was constructed in Flemish Renais-sance style from native dark basalt and lighter Oamaru stone.

The existing garden was constructed in the 1990s.


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The Catlins area between Dunedin and Invercargill remainsrelatively untainted by the modern world. A short hike througha native Podocarp forest ends up at lovely Matai Falls, nestledin a fern grotto.

Lupine & ferns adorn the banks of Lake Manapouri, Fiordlanddistrict, South Island, New Zealands second largest lake. Lu-pine is not native, but has naturalized and is commonly seen.

The ubiquitous hydrangea Southland Museum and Art Gal-lery, Invercargill, South Island. I believe those are monkey-puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana)in the background.

This looks to me like a Watsonia, growing wild by the roadsideon the West Coast, South island. They are not native, but doexist in NZ and are considered a weed.

Apparently naturalized garden flowers, near site of 1800s goldmining town, Skippers Canyon. Many naturalized flowers, in-cluding types of daisy and foxglove were seen growing nearroads here. The road through Skippers Canyon is not for the

faint of heart, but was well worth the drive.

Unidentified littlewildflower.


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View of the Pacific from the Coromandel Peninsula, North Is-land, with New Zealand flax/harakeke (Phormium tenax) in theforeground. Although not related to the plants from which linenare made, the Maori used the fibrous leaves for weaving, and theplant was named in the early 19 th Century by a French natural-ist. Phormium, means "basket" or "wickerwork," and tenaxmeans "tenacity" or "holding fast."

Looking upward into a Hupiro (Coprosma foetidissima). Namedfor its fetid odor (which, fortunately, was not observed). Maleand female are separate plants. Hupiros flower August throughOctober. Pollen shaken from hanging stamens on the male plantdrifts onto exposed pistils of female flowers. Taken on the BluePools walk at Haast Pass, South Island.

There is a botanic garden with public art, in the Marlboroughdistrict, best known for Sauvignon Blanc. Sculpture with (top tobottom) Cabbage trees (Cordyline australis) and Waipapa orPorcupine shrub (Melicytus alpinus). The Waipapa is in gradualdecline.

The English influence is apparent in the rose garden next to theRotorua Museum of Art and History, originally constructed in1908 as a luxury spa retreat. Rotorua is NZs most active ther-mal area (imagine Yellowstones geyser basins in the middle of amid-sized city). Rotorua also is a major cultural area for the in-digenous Maori. The museum houses a large collection of Maorartifacts and crafts, as well as an exhibit on the 1886 eruption ofMt. Terawera.


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Naturalized lilies reside on a bluff above the Pacific near Hahei, Coromandel Peninsula. New Zealand has anative lily, but this is not it.

I believe this to be statice possibly Limonium sinuatum growing wild on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Yep! Pampas grass! This was taken on the CoromandelPeninsula, but it is everywhere.

How Master Gardeners Do ItCompiled by Sharon Ettinger, MG00

Maintaining Garden Records

A. Do you maintain records of your garden withnotes on what, where and when you planted?What method do you use (garden diary, blank book,loose papers, computer files, etc.)?

B. Do you maintain a garden map, showing whatand where you planted?How do you do your mapping (plain paper, draftingtable, sketch pad, computer software, etc.)?

C. Do you label your plants?

What method do you use (plant tags, handwrittenlabels, computer-generated labels, commercial la-bels, painted stones, etc.)?

Randa Solick, MG06A. No, I hardly ever do that, except sometimes withnew plants.B. Yes, many years I draw maps of my vegetable garden- on plain white paper, trying to keep track of my croprotation. I don't do that for my flowers.C. I write in pencil on those white plastic tags sold ingarden shops, with little points on the bottom: year of

seed, date I planted seed, date I transplanted seedlingcompany seed (or start) bought from, or if it's my ownseed, common name of plant, any really unusual infoneeded.

Robin Sanders, MG95A. I start and stop on this one. I have some records onExcel of my flower gardens. I have a 10-year gardendiary that I record some in.B. I always create a garden map of my veggie beds so Iknow what was planted where for several years. This iskept in my 10-year garden diary (I'm on my second

one). The only map of my flowerbeds goes back to the1999 garden tour - I did a hand-drawn map and a plantlisting for the various beds. It has changed quite a bit inthe last 10 years.C. I initially labeled all of my plants for the 1999 gardentour - it was a requirement to be on the tour at thattime. I used the metal tags and grease pens. The major-ity of them are still in my garden and still readableSince that time I have tried to keep up with the labelingbut haven't done a very good job.


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Patty Nicely, MG03

A. I maintain records of my vegetable gardening activi-ties in a bound notebook, but I plan to develop aspreadsheet that would be easier to back-reference.B. I do map my veggies also (in the notebook), and I domap some shrubs and perennials on paper (mostly forplanning purposes).

C. I don't label my plants, but I do keep informal plantlists, and try to keep the tags from certain plants.

Alicia Molina, MG 04A. I have been using this gardening organizer sinceGail Holmen, the designer, presented it at a quarterlymeeting years ago. My Green Thumb: Your Garden-ing Organizer by Gail Holmen. As I add plants I writethe date planted/location planted directly on the planttag or label and then just file the tag or label in the ap-propriate section of my binder into a plastic holder. Myrecommendation: Keep it simple or you won't do it or

you will spend too much time categorizing and notenough time gardening! I rarely refer back to them butit's great when I need to. If a plant dies (oh, that rarelyhappens too...ha, ha) or I relocate the plant then I justpull the tag and file it in the appropriate new section.No need to retype records, etc.B. I used to map, but it's a waste of my time.C. I only label bulbs until I can see what is popping upand where. Although, it would be a nice surprise if Ididn't do that.

Carol Kaplan, MG01A. I have a large loose-leaf binder that is divided bymonth (to keep track of what to do when) and the sec-ond half alphabetically (where I keep records and infor-mation). It has worked well for me.C. I have tried to label plants but found that the plasticlabels get brittle and break. Between grandchildren and

garden animals they are frequently moved or disappear!

Melita Israel, MG95A. One benefit of having your garden on a MG tour,you get all that gardening info in a folder. Over theyears it changes. I was told that a garden is reestab-lished every 5 years. For the vegetable garden and fruittree fertilizer and harvest dates I have index files andcards. I stopped spraying, as it's difficult for me to do. I

import beneficial insects and try to keep alyssum forgood bug food.B. I have a yearly map of the vegetable garden beds soI can rotate my crops. The landscape area about thehouse was once mapped. I have not kept it up to date.

Judith Hillman, MG08Let me first describe our back yard. It takes up the bulkof our 1/2-acre and is largely sunny with a gentle slopeand 15 or so fruit trees. It is well protected from deer,but we have our share of smaller marauders.A. Garden Record Keeping: I start out with gridded

paper and note the names, dates planted and size allot-ted to each crop and the location of each raised bed. Wehave 4 beds, 2 are 4' x 12' and 2 are 4' x 14'. To keepfrom being confused, I use a separate piece of griddedpaper for each bed. I do it in pencil so one piece of pa-per can address multiple plantings and there is plentyof space outside the sketch of the bed for comments andto note changes in plantings as the season goes on. Istart outmuchbetterthan howI finishwiththerecordkeeping.

Barbara Gordon, MG98A. I keep very sketchy notes. I do have a large bookpurchased from Lee Valley. I love it. I keep receipts oftools purchased, notes and other garden items. I amnot as thorough as I'd like to be. Note taking takestime and energy I don't often have. But, I love thebook. It also has spaces for notes for about 5 years.B. I don't keep a drawing or a map. It's in my head andhas to be changed at times due to tomato blight, forexample.C. I do label as many of my plants as I can. I use metalstandup labels. I love them. I can't remember all plantnames so I started this many years ago so I can identify

what I've planted. The problem is the money for labels.Unfortunately, they do not sell replacement name la-bels, only the stands you push into the ground.

At Christmas I no more desire a rose

Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;

But like of each thing that in season grows.~Love's Labour Lost

William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616


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Book ReviewSue Tarjan, MG06Simply QuinceBarbara Ghazarian2009Mayreni Publishing

I made the acquaintance ofBarbara Ghazarian and her newcookbook, Simply Quince, lastmonth at a talk she gave at theLive Oak Grange sponsored by

the California Rare Fruit Growers (www.crfg.org). It isno exaggeration to say that I was thrilled to attend be-cause most people have no idea what a quince is whileIve loved the fruit of the quince since I was a child andfound everyones ignorance both mystifying and a bit,well, lonely. I was lucky to be introduced to quince by

my mother, an adventurous cook who owned many oldfashioned cookbooks, about the only way to reliably findquince recipes for the last several decades, at least untilBarbaras book came along. Why do you suppose thatis? There are two major reasons: technological innova-tion and the rise of fast food.

Technological innovation

Native to central and western Asia and cultivatedthere for millennia (the original golden apples of thesun) and for centuries in Europe, the quince used to be

widely grown in the United States, too, despite beinghard, tart, astringent, and somewhat difficult and timeconsuming to process. It was prized, in fact, not justbecause of its intoxicating aroma and the gorgeous deepred color it acquires with cooking but because it is soextremely high in pectin, a complex carbohydrate andsoluble fiber found in the cell walls of all land plantsthat combines with acid and sugar to form a gel. Toillustrate how intrinsic an ingredient was quince pectinto jams and jellies, the term "marmalade," originallymeaning a quince jam, derives from "marmelo,"the Por-tuguese word for this fruit. Up until a few generations

ago, home canners used the pectin in quince to set their jelly. Now, most canners use commercial powdered orliquid pectin (extracted mostly from apples and citrusfruits).

Rise of fast food

To paraphrase Barbara Ghazarian , the quince is thequintessential slow food. As I admitted in the last para-graph, much as I love this fruit, converting quince intothe luscious, lovely taste sensation of ones dreams canbe a daunting task for the uninitiated. These days, who

has the time or inclination to wrestle food into submis-sion when there are plenty of restaurants and foodmanufacturers whove already done it for you? Let mebe quite frank: raw quince are utterly inedible; they wilmake your mouth pucker like its never puckered beforeMoreover, quince are coated with an unappealing fuzzdifficult to peel (Barbara recommends a potato peeler)

and challenging to cutdont even try to cut throughthe core. But her book comes to the rescue by explain-ing how to prepare the fruit using the right tools (verysharp knife, peach pitter, etc.) and proper techniquesMost important, she provides plenty of motivationher delectable recipes: appetizers, salads, side dishesstews, main courses, condiments, spreads, preservesand divine desserts. You can trust me on this one be-cause, after her talk, Barbara shared some of her quincedelicacies with us, her audienceyum!

Yum? Yes, yum. The aroma and flavor of quince hasto be experienced to be believed. No, it does not tastelike apple or pearit tastes like tropical heaven. Andheres the other thing about quince thats just so amaz-ing. Unlike any other fruit I can think of, apples andpears, for example, both of which dissolve into mush asthey cook, quince maintains its shape (all that pectinremember), becoming more and more succulent as itcooks but still therenot only there but the most en-trancing eye candy you can imagine. As you cook it, it ismagically transformed; in fact, the longer you cook itthe more beautiful it becomes. You start out with a yel-lowish, lumpy, furry, rock-hard object with sour, whit-ish flesh that rapidly browns when exposed to air, yetyou wind up with a visually stunning culinary master-piece that shimmers like the finest ruby. Id say thatwarrants tackling a learning curve, but dont worrySimply Quince guarantees that your education will beworthwhile AND fun.

Simply Quincealso provides some basic informationon quince cultivation. The quince tree, Cydonia oblongaproduces a pome fruit like the apple and pear and ournative toyon, all members of the rose family. The tree issmall (812 feet) and self pollinating, perfect for a back-yard garden, needs only 200 to 300 chill hours, and

blooms a bit later than apple or pear. The fruit are ripewhen they turn yellow and fragrant, usually in Octoberin our area. Some common varieties are ChampionOrange, Pineapple, and Smyrna. Sometimes used asa rootstock for grafted pears, the quince has the prop-erty of dwarfing the growth of the pear tree, forcing itto produce earlier with relatively more fruit-bearingbranches and hastening the maturity of the fruit. By theway, dont confuse the fruiting quince with the popularJapanese flowering quince (Chaenomelesspecies).

There is a down side, unfortunately. Quince treesare susceptible to the same pests and diseases that


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plague apples and pears and are particularly prone tofire blight, a bacterial disease that only affects plants inthe rose family. To help prevent infection, plant in soilwith good drainage, prune as little as possible, andavoid high-nitrogen fertilizer. Sadly, I can attest totheir vulnerability from personal experience: the pine-apple quince baby I planted years back succumbed to

fire blight within a year, but Im tempted to try againafter Barbaras inspirational talk. Just in case youretempted, too, buy the book and check out this UC Inte-grated Pest Management website for information onfire blight and how to cope with it:

www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7414.html

Botanical names of the plants listed on page 5

California buckeye -Aesculus californicaPacific wax myrtle - Myrica californicaPacific madrone -Arbutus menziesiiwestern redbud - Cercis occidenatlisCalifornia hazelnut - Corylus cornutavar. californicaflannelbush - Fremontodendron californicumtoyon - Heteromeles arbutifoliaholly-leafed cherry - Prunus ilicifoliaCalifornia coffeeberry - Rhamnus californica

pink-flowering gooseberry - Ribes sanguineumbush anemone - Carpenteria californica

lemonade berry - Rhus integrifoliawestern spicebush - Calycanthus occidentalisDouglas iris - Iris Douglasianablue-eyed grass - Sisyrinchium bellumcreeping wild rye - Leymus triticoideswestern swordfern - Polystichum munitumCalifornia fuschia - Zauschneria californicacreeping mahonia - Mahonia repensevergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum

white yarrow - Achillea millefoliumredwood sorrel - Oxalis oregana

Confessions of a Reluctant

GardenerChristina Kriedt, MG06

In November I enjoyed a spectacular drive fromSanta Cruz to Santa Barbara. There was major botani-

cal wonderfulness everywhere: Diplacus aurantiacus,sticky monkey flowers, in orange profu-

sion on rocky cliffs; Zauschneria, California fuschia,crimson against pale ; Monterey cypress

in all its horizontalness Hey!

doesnt belong there! The textures, colors and

silhouettes of our landscape are changing. Its startingto look a lot like Argentina.

The introduction and subsequent naturalization ofalien species is nothing new. We are all familiar withsome of the stories: Africanized killer bees were acci-

dentally released in 1957 in Brazil and have since madetheir alarming way into the US; brown rats are indige-nous to Asia minor but have certainly made themselvesright at home hereand everywhere; smallpox wasbrought to the Americas, however unintentionally, withcatastrophic consequences.

Species have been transported and transplanted allover the earth from the beginning. Some animals, suchas the red wolf of North America, are extinct in thewild; the only representatives live in zoos. Not so Corta-deria. That species seems to be doing just fine in itsSouth American homeland and in many other geo-

graphic areas too. The two species of pampas grass thathave made themselves comfortable in California, Aus-tralia, New Zealand, and Hawaii, to name a few, are C

jubataand C. selloana. Most of the plants I saw on myotherwise lovely drive along the CA coast are C. jubata jubata grass, with its purplish panicles. True pampagrass with its silvery-white panicles is C. selloana. It

was once thought that C. selloanawas unable to repro-duce by seed, but that appears to be untrue as it has infact been found growing in the wild. It is larger andmore majestic-looking than its cousin.

My parents planted fiveultimately spectacular C. sel-loanas in our front yard inSouth San Francisco when Iwas a kid just about thetime it was becoming an offi-cial pest. Mom made ar-rangements using the beau-

tiful panicles.I also recallthe wicked leaf edges, perfectwhip material for littlebrothers.

The Eucalyptus wasfirst planted in California in

about 1848 by Joseph Sexton, a nurseryman from SantaBarbara. Now it has infested Hawaii, Oregon and Cali-fornia. It is an aggressive colonizer that competes withnatural vegetation, displacing coastal dunes and othershrubs. (http://www.gazos.org/RestorationProjects/NonNativePlants/index.html) Its hugely successful, thriving

Distribution of C. jubatain CA, CIPC


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in dry soil with good drainage (but will grow in nearlyany condition, including dense shade) and it is a prolificproducer of seed. C. jubatais capable of producing over1,000,000 seeds and the germination rate is as high as4%. Yes, thats up to 40,000 seedlingseach.

Adequate control of Cortaderia can be achievedwith mechanical or chemical methods or both. If there

are low densities of the weed or if the individual plantsare quite small, physical removal is effective andminimizes impact on the native plant community. In thecase of high densities or well established plants,Cortaderiais best controlled with herbicide treatments.

Every effort should be made to control Cortaderiabefore it becomes well established. Seed dispersalshould be prevented within preserves as well as fromareas adjacent to preserves. From an article worthreading: http://images.bugwood.org/mediawiki/pdf.cfm?title=Cortaderia%20jubata .

It is reported that the plant does not provide foodor shelter for any creatures in California, and large dryclumps can be a fire hazard. Dont torch it. Thankfully,several groups have dedicated themselves to its eradica-tion: Sacramento Weed Warriors, California NativePlant Society, Pescadero Conservation Alliance,Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (San MateoCounty), Nature Conservancy to name a few. Me, Imjust a complainer. I really should put my backhoe, trac-tor and winch, and glyphosate where my mouth is.

If you just love the look of a large fountain ofgrassiness, the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States

recommends:Carex spissa(San Diego sedge)Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii(Leopold's rush)Leymus condensatus(giant wildrye)Muhlenbergia lindheimeri(Lindheimer's muhly)Nolina bigelovii(Bigelow's nolina)Saccharum alopecuroides(silver plumegrass)Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum(sortbeard plume-grass)Saccharum giganteum(sugarcane plumegrass)Sorghastrum nutans(Indiangrass)

The California Invasive Plant Councils Inventory

Database: http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/inventory/weedlist.php.

Resourceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_beehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduced_specieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Rathttp://www.hear.org/species/reports/corspp_fskm_awwa_report.pdfhttp://dscholar.humboldt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/2148/361/1/Ward_Nickle.pdfhttp://www.humeseeds.com/efpamp.htmhttp://www.sacvalleycnps.org/Projects/weedFiles/invasives/PampasFactSheet.pdfhttp://www.gazos.org/RestorationProjects/NonNativePlants/index.htmlhttp://www.openspace.org/CGI-BIN/

press_releases/061215_WMA_SFB%20grant_release.pdf

Yours truly posing in my Girl Scout uniform in front of the pampasgrass that was essentially a hedge in front of our house. You cansee that the plumes have been cut off, probably used to decorate

our living room. Around 1958.

Those plants were little and cute once...1957ish

My parents removed the Cortaderia after it was decided that it wascontributing to my mothers allergies. Maybe 1959.

Bonanza premiered on NBC...


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The Farrah Fawcett of grass panicles

really beautiful plumes.

The plumes ofC. jubata are pinkish or purplish and the plants

are smaller overall than C. selloana.

Plants grow right to the waters edge. worth a thousand words.

A new silhouette?.

Some hillsides are completely covered in probably

thousands of plants..


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Relevant InternetMiscellany

Christina Kriedt, MG06

Landfills are layered deep and saturated with water. Nooxygen can penetrate. As a result, even biodegradable

waste will remain embalmed for centuries to come.Landfills produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas 21times more potent than carbon dioxide (according to theUS EPA), and leach toxic chemicals into our air anddrinking water.(http ://www.ehow.com/facts_4925956_composting-

facts.html)

Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits andseeds of Neem ( Azadirachta indica), an evergreen treewhich is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has beenintroduced to many other areas in the tropics. It isperhaps the most important of the commercially available

products of neem for organic farming and medicines.Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatmentof Acne, fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia andtuberculosis.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil)

Recycling an average-size family's yard waste canmake about 300-400 pounds of finished compost, orhumus, a year. Thirty-five million tons of yard trimmings(including grass, leaves, and tree and brush trimmings)are generated in the U.S. annually. Each year, 12% of theyard trimmings produced are composted.

(http://www.uoregon.edu/~recycle/TRIVIA.htm)

Pope Pius V's baked quinces: Wrap whole quinces inbuttered paper and bury in hot ashes for most of the day.Serve hot or cold as a side dish with roast beef, pork, orfowl or as a dessert.

(http://www.trivia-library.com/b/famous-favorite-desserts-pope-pius-v-baked-quince-recipe.htm)

Of the thousands of varieties of apples that weregrown in the early 1900s, 88% do not exist anymore. Ifyou grow 100 apple trees from the seeds of the same tree,the new apple trees would all be different. There are more

than 7,000 varieties of apples, but only about 100 aregrown commercially in the U.S. Eight varieties accountfor 80% of total U.S. production. Red Delicious, GoldenDelicious, Granny Smith, Macintosh, Rome Beauty,Jonathan, York and Stayman.

(http://www.foodreference.com/html/fapples.html)

New Zealand was the first country in the world to:give women the vote; adopt the eight hour working day;operate a tourist board; introduce the retirement pension.

(ht tp ://www.goway . com/downunder/newzealand/nz_trivia.html)

GARDENINGONTHE EDGE

Journal of the Monterey Bay Master Gardenerswww.montereybaymastergardeners.org

EDITOR Christina Kriedt

ASSISTANT EDITORS Sharon Ettinger & Kathleen Sonntag

DESIGN/LAYOUT Christina Kriedt

CONTRIBUTORS C & STAFF S

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Master Gardeners extends

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CULTIVATE KNOWLEDGEMany thanks to all the dedicated

Monterey Bay Master Gardeners who readily sha

their knowledge, expertise and advice.

Copyright 2010 MBMG. All rights reserved

Amy Savage S

Bonnie Pond S

Christina KriedtC,S

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Sierra Azul Nursery, Watsonville, http://www.sierraazul.com, 763-0939,

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