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Suspicious Seeds

Posted by admin on July 31, 2020

We often speak of using local wood to avoid transporting potentially-infested oak firewood within, to, or from the San Bernardino Mountains. Now we have something new to be aware of; mysterious seeds appearing to be from China.

San Bernardino County issued a warning that if you received unsolicited mailings of seeds that appear to be from China DO NOT plant them because they could be an invasive plant species.

“USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in a statement. They are working closely with federal and state partners, including Customs and Border Protection, to investigate. State officials said some packages were labeled as jewelry and many have contained Chinese writing. According to checks done by China’s postal service, records on the packages appear to have been falsified.

As we are well aware, invasive species wreak havoc on the environment, displace or destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops. Taking steps to prevent their introduction is the most effective method of reducing both the risk of invasive species infestations and the cost to control and mitigate those infestations. So until they figure out what is going on, it is best to follow the suggestions of the USDA and San Bernardino County.

According to Snopes.com people are reporting that they are receiving unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail with return addresses indicating they were sent from China. What’s undetermined is the motive behind these mailings, and whether or not it is a malicious one or not.

Posted in: Community, Garden, gardening, The Garden

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Have you seen any monarch butterflies this season?

Posted by admin on July 24, 2020

I recently read an article in The San Diego Union-Tribute dated July 13, 2020 that said butterfly plants are in short supply. They cited the pandemic-fueled gardening boom as well as public’s awareness of shrinking monarch population and wanting to help increase it. The Center for Biological Diversity put a release out on March 13, 2020 that stated the yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico shows a decrease of 53% from last year’s count and is well below the threshold at which government scientists predict the migration could collapse. They attribute the decrease of Monarchs to milkweed being devastated by increased herbicide spraying in conjunction with corn and soybean crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate direct spraying with herbicides. Additionally, they are being threatened by other herbicides and by neonicotinoid insecticides that are toxic to young caterpillars and decrease the health of adult butterflies.

At the Pine Cove Water District, we were lucky enough to procure several new narrow-leaf milkweed as well as tropical milkweed for our butterfly garden. We’ve even seen a couple of visitors and look forward to seeing more as we come to the end of the season.

There’s a little guy hanging upside down

What can you do to help?

Plant the right milkweed.
According to The Laid-back Gardener, Monarchs seem to like common milkweed best but also fed happily on swamp milkweed. Apparently, butterfly weed isn’t too well liked in the caterpillar community.

Cut your milkweeds back.
Prior to blooming, cutting back the plants make them more attractive hosts for caterpillar larvae. Research at Michigan State University shows that female monarchs prefer to lay their eggs on fresh young stems that haven’t flowered yet. Heavy pruning doesn’t harm the milkweed plants and they quickly rebound.

Know your sources and avoid pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides.
When purchasing flower starts or seed, know the source. Make sure they are all natural and have no pesticides. Additionally, keep that same mind set when amending your soil and use natural compost like the compost we supply at the Water District to Pine Cove residents.

Plant additional flowers to feed adults.
Although the female monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweeds and their caterpillars only feed on those same plants, adult monarchs feed on nectar of additional flowers like Wild Bergamont, Mountain Mint, Pale Purple Coneflower, and more. Try to provide a wide range of flowers that bloom through the entire growing season. It is also suggested that you grow single plants isolated from others by mulch or wood chips (which the Water District also can supply to Pine Cove residents) instead of mixing them as the butterflies rely on seeing the plant shapes to know where their food is.

Posted in: Animals, Around the District, Compost, Garden, gardening, Monarch Butterflies, Mulch, Pine Cove Water District, Raised Bed Gardens, The Garden, Uncategorized, Wood chips

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Self Watering Raised Bed Gardens

Posted by admin on June 5, 2014

In an effort to reduce water usage out of doors, but still be able to garden, one option is a self watering container. They are an excellent choice because the water is contained under the plant and therefore does not evaporate and is available to the plant 24/7, which makes over or under watering impossible. As long as the water reserve has water in it, the plant takes what it needs when it needs us and pretty much cuts the human out of the equation all together. Which brings me to my next point. Self watering containers free up your time. Instead of being a slave to watering the garden, you just make sure the containers are kept full and that is all you have to do. While you can use a drip or soaker system on a timer, these methods take more effort to install and the squirrels love to reek havoc on drip system parts. Luckily, they cannot do much damage to a self watering container.

So if these self watering containers are so fabulous, why isn’t everyone using them? Well, price is a big obstacle. They are fairly expense when compared to other types of containers of a similar size. Plus, what if you want to make a raised bed veggie garden for instance? The amount of containers you would have to buy would be extensive. So what is the solution?

A self watering raised be garden of course. I found this video over at mylittlehomestead.com, where they show how they made a self watering raised bed garden using a 55 gallon drum cut in half. Genius! Why didn’t I think of that? Here is the video.

I think this is a fabulous way to have your cake and eat it too. All the benefits of a raised bed garden combined with the benefits of a self watering container. What could be better? If you try this in your garden, let us know! Send us pictures or video and we will post it here on the blog. Also if you discover how to make any improvements to this design, let us know. I will be trying this in my own garden. I think it would be great.

Tags: drip systems, gardening, raised beds, soaker hoses, water conservation

Posted in: Edible Landscaping, From the Office, Garden, gardening, Raised Bed Gardens, Re-purposing, Recycling, The Garden, Water Conservation

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Frugal Friday

Posted by admin on April 18, 2014

The cleverness and imagination of some people never ceases to amaze me. I just love when someone finds a new use for an item that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Take automobile or truck tires for instance. We all have the odd friend, neighbor or relative that plunks an old tractor tire in their yard and plants flowers in it. Some even go so far as to paint the tire first, and while there is nothing wrong with this as a tire is essentially a raised be garden, you have to admit that they just aren’t that attractive. To me, if I am going to upcycle something into my garden, it has to not only have a useful purpose, but it has to look good and add to the overall aesthetic of my garden. After all, the whole point of upcycling is to give a new purpose and life to old items and create a unique and useful garden space. Making your garden look like the neighborhood dump isn’t part of the plan!

With that in mind I set out in search of new uses for old tires. I chose tires because they are easily available and most everyone has them or can get their hands on them and usually for free or very cheaply. Plus unlike wooden items, they last for a very long time, so you don’t have to keep redoing them as they rot out.

One word of caution. The jury is still out on whether or not it is safe to use old tires to grow edibles. Here is an article about it and then you can do your own research and decide for yourself if you want to use them to grow edible crops or not. However, there are plenty of other things you can do with them and you can always plant other types of plants in them, such as annuals, should you decide to use them for planters.

I thought these were adorable, although I am not sure if you can actually sit on them since the sign says “Please do not sit”. But with a little imagination you could make them so that you can sit on them and I think they would be great for kids.

Of course, there is always the traditional tire swing.

How about a sandbox?

A vinyl shower curtain or table cloth would be the perfect cover for this when it is not in use.

This is very clever. Stair treads made from old tires.

And of course, you can always make a hanging planter.

Hopefully, this will give you some ideas to get your own creative juices flowing! There are many more ideas and a quick Google search will yield lots more than I can put into a post. If you do decide to use tires for growing edibles, there are some great tutorials on line for growing potatoes in tires, making raised bed gardens, planters and retaining walls. The sky seems to be the limit with what you can do with old tires! If you decide to give them a try, drop us an email and a picture of your project. Send it to Vicki at pcwd . org. Have fun!

Tags: gardening, planter, recycle, sandbox, swing, tires, upcycle

Posted in: Frugal Friday, Garden, Raised Bed Gardens, Re-purposing, Recycling, The Garden, Upcycling

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Rain Barrels

Posted by admin on March 12, 2014

If you missed out on our rain barrel purchase program last year, fear not.

Rain Barrel from last year’s promotion.

I now have instructions that show you how to make your own rain barrel, here at the district office that you can pick up free of charge. Or you can go to this address and look it up for yourself if you’d rather.

http://www.shelterness.com/great-diy-rain-barrel-for-those-who-want-to-go-green/

Rain water harvesting is an excellent way to collect water for outside use. If you are interested in learning more about harvesting rain water, I recommend going to Brad Lancaster’s website at http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/. He is one of the leading experts in rain water harvesting and saving and reducing water usage. I highly recommend his books, videos and website as they are a wealth of information. He also shares a lot of information on how to make your property act like a sponge and retain the rain that does fall on it. He has many tips and tricks that we can all implement in our own gardens in order to take better advantage of any moisture that we do receive, such as creating berms and swales.

You can also amend the soil in your garden so that it is more absorbent and retains more water. We have free compost available for Pine Cove water customers as well as wood chips that you can apply to help retain moisture and will gradually decompose over time and add even more nutrients to the soil.

Tags: composting, rain barrels, rain water harvesting, Wood Chips

Posted in: Around the District, Compost, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Garden, Rain, Rain Barrels, Rain Water Harvesting, The Garden, Water Conservation, Wood chips

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More Space Saving Ideas

Posted by admin on March 5, 2014

Here on the hill, gardening is challenging for many reasons. A short growing season, water restrictions and poor soil, micro climates and shade are just some of the issues we contend with. As gardeners, we are forced to come up with clever ways to overcome these challenges. Each gardener is different and has different wants and needs for his or her garden, so each person must customize solutions to fit their particular gardening needs.

One challenge many gardeners everywhere face, is space. Or lack thereof. This is why container gardening and raised bed gardens are so wonderful. They allow us to garden without acres of land to till or to fit a garden into a spot that would be unsuitable for a traditional garden. Everything from flowers to fruits and veggies to herbs, can be grown in containers or raised beds.

But now you want to branch out, literally, and grow some fruit trees. A typical 1/4 acre lot can only hold so many trees and if your property is like mine, putting in a bunch of fruit trees would eliminate most of the usable space in my yard. However, if the thought of walking outside and picking the perfect apples for a pie or a big, juicy peach is something you covet, then why not think about espalier?

Beautiful! So neat and tidy.

Espalier is the art of pruning and training trees and their branches to be on one plane. It is usually done against a fence or a wall, however, by installing posts and wires, you can espalier a fruit tree just about anywhere in your yard or garden. It is an excellent way to add fruit trees to your garden or homestead without taking up valuable real estate.

Posts and wires for espalier trees.

Plus the fruit is extremely easy to pick as compared to normal fruit trees. If you have ever attempted to pick the apples from the top of a tall apple tree, you will know what I mean and will appreciate being able to pick fruit easily and without a ladder, from an espaliered tree.

Much easier to pick apples from trees that are espaliered. Give it a try. I will be doing this in my garden!

Tags: espalier, fruit trees, gardening, raised bed gardens, small space gardening

Posted in: Around the District, Community, Customer Infomation, Edible Landscaping, From the Office, gardening, Homesteading, The Garden

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More Benefits of Raised Bed Gardens

Posted by admin on March 5, 2014

We have already discussed some of the benefits of raised bed gardening, but today I would like to add a few more that you may not have thought about. We know that a raised bed garden provides improved soil, easy access and simplified weed and pest control, but some other benefits include improved drainage and increased yields as well as all of the above mentioned benefits.

An obvious benefit of a raised bed garden is improved drainage. Since you are mixing the soil to your own specifications, you can create a fine loam regardless of the type of soil in your yard. So you never have to worry about native soil that drains either too quickly or too slowly.

Another benefit of raised beds is an increased yield. Raised beds warm up more quickly than does the surrounding soil, so that allows for planting earlier than you would in a traditional garden. It is also easier to make a cover or cold frame for a raised bed garden, than it is for an in ground garden. This allows you to create a mini greenhouse and gives you several weeks of addition garden time.

In addition, the light, un-compacted soil in a raised bed, improves the movement of both water and air allowing roots to spread out more easily to obtain nutrients and water. This makes it possible to plant a raised bed more densely than one would in the same amount of space in a traditional garden. This in turn translates into higher yields. You are also able to plant more in a raised bed garden due to the fact that no space in the garden needs to be devoted to paths.

Overall, raised bed gardens are superior. Their customized heights, shapes, sizes and the variety of materials used to build them, allow everyone to enjoy gardening, regardless of their budget, space, or physical condition. They are easy to maintain and manage and have improved production. They save space, time and money. So why not give them a try in your yard?

Tags: advantages, gardening, increased yield, raised bed gardens

Posted in: Customer Infomation, Edible Landscaping, From the Office, Raised Bed Gardens, The Garden

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Raised Bed Gardening

Posted by admin on February 25, 2014

In a previous post, I talked about container gardening. Containers are a great way to grow flowers, vegetables and herbs. But perhaps you want something bigger or more permanent. While you could buy a rototiller and start digging up your yard, a much better solution would be to install a raised bed garden.

What is a raised bed garden? Well it is very simple. It is a garden bed where the soil level is higher than that on the paths and yard around them. They can be any size, shape or height that you desire and can even be built in a way that makes them wheelchair accessible. They can be built with a wide variety of materials and can be as spartan or as decorative as you wish. You are only limited by your imagination. Here are some great examples to get you thinking about what you could do in your own garden.

Raised beds made out of beautiful stone.

Raised bed garden on top of a chicken coop! This is a great idea.

An enchanting raised bed garden.

A colorful raised bed garden! Kids would love to help you garden here.

Fitting a raised bed garden in along a fence line.

A raised bed garden with different sizes and heights.

A rustic raised bed garden that would eliminate stooping!

A round raised bed garden made out of landscaping stones. Check out the rain barrel as well!

Custom shaped raised beds.

key hole raised bed garden A keyhole style raised bed with a trellis. Great for a small space.

As you can see, there are endless ways to incorporate raised beds into your landscape, but just what exactly are the benefits of raised bed gardening you may be asking? Well, there are several.

First of all, and probably the most importing reason, is the soil. Since you will be filling the raised bed yourself, it becomes an opportunity to get high quality soil and a custom blend of fertilizer and amendments for your specific growing needs. This is especially important if you live in an area with poor or rocky soil which would make digging up a garden difficult. With a raised bed garden, there will be no digging,no rototilling or any other back breaking labor. While the initial filling will involve a little work, once your bed is filled, it will only require once a year amending with a good compost.

The second advantage to a raised bed garden is the ability to tailor it to your specific needs. If you have a problem with critters digging from underground, you can put hardware cloth under your raised bed to thwart their activities. A raised bed garden enables you to screen it in to protect it from birds, squirrels and other critters that would love to eat what you grow. You can also extend your growing season with a raised bed garden by installing row covers or even adding a cold frame on top of your raised bed. All of these things are easier to do with a raised bed garden. Here are some examples.

Lining your raised bed with hardware cloth to prevent critters from digging in from underneath.

Wire frame to set over the raised bed garden to keep critters and birds out.

Fenced in raised bed to keep animals out.

A totally enclosed raised bed garden.

Raised bed garden with screened A frame. Would be easy to throw plastic over this as well.

Plastic covered frames for raised bed garden act as a greenhouse.

Hoop covers made from PVC pipe for raised beds.

Enclosed raised bed garden.

PVC pipe frame over a raised bed ready for plastic to be added.

So I think this gives you enough to think about for one post! Next time I will discuss the drainage and yield aspects of raised bed gardens. Stay tuned!

Tags: cold frame, gardening, raised beds, soil

Posted in: Customer Infomation, From the Office, Homesteading, Raised Bed Gardens, The Garden

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