AN EVENT!!!!!!!

All ya'll out in the blogosphere should be there!! In real life!

Food Not Bombs!!!


8-10 pm in MG 2001

Also, feel free to stop by the table in MC from 12-4.  It'll be sweet.

Meeting Minutez 10-14-10

• John Messina (jjm860) came to talk to us 
• the Bike Co-op will have a new shed with a green roof 
• need people next year to water as needed and fertilize 3x/year
• more info to come
• Frank Vorhees
• Kirksville Juvenile Center might like to start a garden this spring
• We could help get started, do some workshops
• Get other service groups involved
• Money
• as usual we talked about money and funding 
• Caroline talked to John Nolan
• some fundraising projects are available
• T-Shirts
• Probably can start printing sometime after midterm break
• Picked a design 
• No meeting next week because of break
• Some changes will occur after break

One Straw's Guide to Sheet Mulching

Found another great resource for us! Rob of OneStraw.wordpress.com writes informative essays and guides to all things related to sustainable food production. Here's a link to his description of sheet mulching, complete with pictures of each step...

http://onestraw.wordpress.com/sub-acre-ag/sheet-mulch/

PREPARING YOUR GARDEN FOR WINTER

(This article was written by Missouri Horticulture Specialist Jennifer Schutter of the MU Extension Office in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of Ag Beat)

Putting the garden to bed each fall not only marks the end of the growing season but also presents an opportunity to get a head start on the next season.

Start with a clean up. Cut down and remove the past season’s annuals and vegetables, and if not diseased or insect infested, add them to the compost pile. Cut back faded or dead foliage on perennials after the first hard frost, and compost, unless they add color to your garden in winter. I leave my coneflowers and black-eyed susans for winter interest and for the birds.  You should leave the dead foliage on chrysanthemums. Research has proven that mums not cut back over-winter better than those that were cut. You should apply a layer of mulch around your perennials. Apply a two to four inch layer of mulch on top of perennial, shrub and bulb beds. It will protect the beds from weeds and the elements and hold in moisture. You can use chopped-up leaves from your lawn or other loose materials like pine needles, wood chips, chunk bark or coarse gravel for the perennials and shrubs. Don’t put down un-shredded leaves or other matter that compact easily because it will mat down and suffocate the plants. Cover bulb beds with evergreen boughs.

Modern, bush-type roses (hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras) require protection during the winter months. Exposure to low temperatures and rapid temperature changes can severely injure and often kill unprotected roses.  Hilling or mounding soil around the base of each plant is an excellent way to protect bush- type roses. Mound the soil 10 to 12 inches high around the base of the canes. Place additional material, such as straw or leaves, over the mound of soil. A small amount of soil placed over the straw or leaves should hold these materials in place. Prepare modern roses for winter after plants have been hardened by several nights of temperatures in the low to mid-twenties.

Strawberries are also susceptible to winter injury. Temperatures below +20 F may kill flower buds and damage the roots and crowns of unprotected plants. Repeated freezing and thawing of the soil through the winter months can heave unprotected plants out of the soil and also cause considerable damage.  The application of mulch in the fall is the best way to protect strawberries. Excellent mulching materials include clean, weed-free straw and chopped cornstalks. Leaves are not a good mulch for strawberries. Leaves tend to mat together and do not provide adequate protection. Apply 3 to 5 inches of mulch over the plants. Allow the strawberry plants to harden or acclimate to the cool fall temperatures before mulching the bed. 

Rake up and compost fallen leaves on the lawn. Before the ground freezes, water evergreens, especially broad-leaved ones deeply, and spray them with anti-desiccants if they are planted in exposed, windy areas. If necessary, protect them with burlap screens to minimize heaving, desiccation, scalding from intense sun, and other winter damage.

Wrap trees, especially recently planted trees or sensitive varieties like Honey Locust or Japanese Maple. Wrap in burlap from the base of the trunk to the second or third branch, allowing some overlap to allow water to escape, then secure at the crown. If your evergreens brown over the winter, it’s because the wind has sucked out their moisture. You have two options to protect your trees: a chemical anti-desiccant spray or windshields. Windshields are easy to erect: simply place wooden stakes in the ground and wrap burlap around them.

During the winter months, rabbits often gnaw on the bark of many woody plants. Heavy browsing can result in the complete girdling of small trees and small branches clipped off at snow level. Apple, pear, crabapple, and serviceberry are frequent targets of rabbits. Small trees with smooth, thin bark are the most vulnerable. The best way to prevent rabbit damage to young trees is to place a cylinder of hardware cloth (1/4 inch mesh wire fencing) around the tree trunk. The hardware cloth cylinder should stand about 1 to 2 inches from the tree trunk and 20 inches above the ground. The bottom 2 to 3 inches should be buried beneath the soil. Small shrubs, roses, and raspberries can be protected with chicken wire fencing.

Cover containers that will remain outdoors to prevent them from filling with water, freezing, and cracking. Clean terra-cotta pots and concrete containers, and store them in the garage or potting shed to protect them from the elements. Drain your water hose and bring it in so it doesn’t freeze. Clean and store tools, ceramic pots and birdbaths. Putting them away before the harsh weather starts will prolong the life of these garden essentials.

Water gardens cannot be ignored as winter approaches. If the pool is fairly small, the best method of winterizing it is to remove plants and drain the water. If it is a larger water garden, leaves that settle to the bottom of the pool should be removed along with any other substantial debris that has accumulated. Debris in excess of 2 inches allows the development of toxic gasses during the winter that create problems for plants and fish.  As long as the roots of hardy water lilies and other plants do not freeze, they should survive the winter well. Any pots containing plants that are elevated in the pond should have the supports under the pots removed so the containers sit on the bottom of the pool during the winter. Tropical water lilies must be taken indoors and kept constantly moist, or over-wintered in clean water placed in a well-lighted spot. Some will not over-winter well without greenhouse conditions. Tropical water lilies are best treated as annuals, and replaced every summer.

Fish that have been bred for pond use can also survive the winter well, as long as the water does not totally freeze. Their body functions are reduced considerably, and they will not require feeding. If something happens so that the water surface freezes over, the maximum time fish can survive is about 2 weeks.

Taking these steps to care for your garden over the winter helps ensure that you will enjoy a beautiful garden in the spring. 

Another Valuable Resource

Just found a great resource for gardening in Missouri. The Missouri Botanical Garden's website provides a comprehensive month by month list of what your garden needs. Check it out:

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/CalendarMenu.asp

According to September's list, we should be pinching off the tops of the Brussels Sprouts plants to plumpen up the little sprouts, taking off the tiny tomatoes that won't ripen before the first frost (roughly Oct. 10th), and sowing spinach to be harvested in spring.

Project Ideas for this semester

Here are some sketches Jonathan made this summer. The first is for the Arbor Entrance, which I think should be a priority to complete this semester.

This next sketch is a potential solution to our irrigation problem in which the rain water washes off the roof of the building and down across the concrete pad to wind up in the paths, washing away our wood chips and soaking some the beds (14 in particular). 

Finally here's an idea for a bike wheel trellis/fence that runs behind beds 1-5 and a stage in front of the shed where we could host poetry slams and musical jams.

Fall Crops

Here's some stuff we can plant now or start indoors:
Cabbage
Carrots (just put some more in, though it might be a little late)
Lettuce
Peas (we've got the beautiful Asparagus Winged Pea with its red flowers)
Radishes (don't have any seeds for it, so if someone has extras or sees some at the store, bring em)
Spinach
Leeks
Turnips (already have some going)

I left an envelope of seeds nailed to the beam to the left of the shed. The seeds need to be started indoors and if you've got space and the willingness to care for them, please take a packet or two. Other seeds that can be sown now are in another envelope in the shed in the black binder.

<3

Attack of the Squash Bug!

We've got an army of squash bugs back where the volunteer squash has been. Yesterday we pulled out the plants and put them in plastic bags to be set out in the sun for the week in order to kill the eggs on the bottoms of the leaves. The plan of action is to put down boards as a trap - the adults will gather underneath them during the night and then we'll pick them off in the morning, dropping them into soapy water, or ammonia. We can also put down compost to smother them and spray some organic insecticidal soap I purchased from Home Depot. The problem is they're headed for the cucumbers next. Hopefully these steps will help significantly. Finally, we can plant some companions to squash that will help repel the creatures - nasturtiums, radishes, tansy, and catnip.

Here's some information I found about squash bugs online:

Controlling Squash Bugs

• Keep an eye out. One of the most effective methods for controlling pests in your garden is to inspect your plants often. You can frequently eliminate eggs and remove adult pests by hand if you're diligent. This is a great organic solution that can become part of your daily routine. It will work equally well on squash bugs, Japanese beetles, tomato horn worms and bag worms, among others. For squash bugs, you can spot and destroy the eggs, nymphs (which cling to the leaves after hatching), and adults as well.
• Don't plant crops that attract squash bugs. Since squash bugs show a preference for Hubbard squash and many types of pumpkin, as opposed to melons and cucumbers, stay away from plantings that will present an attractive buffet for squash bugs. They are less likely to feed on royal acorn squash and butternut varieties too.
• Keep your vegetable patch clean and clear. Clean your vegetable garden area every season, preparing it carefully for winter. Squash bugs can overwinter in wood mulch and wood boards, so eliminating potential habitat can help rid your landscape of next year's pests. Removing or turning under dead squash vegetation will also help.
• Rotate your crops. From season to season, change the location of vegetable varieties to control recurring pest infestations. This is a good practice for replenishing your soil too.
• Install row covers. You can purchase floating row covers to protect your plants by placing them under a squash-bug proof barrier. Row covers work best when plants are young because that's the time when they're most vulnerable and easy to keep covered effectively.
• Plant companion crops. Squash bugs show an aversion to certain plants. Planting these repellent plants among your pumpkins and other vulnerable squash crops will help to keep squash bugs away. This doesn't always work by itself, but combined with one or two other measures, it will make your garden much less attractive to these pests. Try companion planting with:
  
  
  • Marigolds
  • Mint
  • Catnip
  • Radishes
  • Tansy
  • Nasturtium

When getting rid of squash bugs organically, preparation is the key to success. By using a few of the methods above in your spring garden planning, you can grow and enjoy your summer squash in peace.

Source: http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Getting_Rid_of_Squash_Bugs_Organically

Top Five Ways to Control Squash Bugs

By: Tammy BiondiSquash bugs are a garden insect pest that seem to drive many people right to the brink of insanity. They are willing to feed on any member of the cucurbit family and feel free to help themselves to your cucumbers, summer and winter squash and pumpkins. Once they have sucked the juices from these plants, the vines often turn black and die back. To add insult to injury, squash bugs will feed on the actual fruit of the plant once they have become bored with feeding on the foliage.

Squash bug fast facts

• Adult squash bugs are about 5/8'' long and 1/4'' wide. They are grey or black and have orange and brown stripes on the edges of their abdomen.
• Squash bugs' preferred food is yellow crookneck or yellow straight-neck squash.
• They usually have one generation per year, though they can have two in the Southern United States.
• Their eggs are a yellow to bronze in color and are deposited on underside of leaves along leaf veins in groups of a dozen or more.

It is possible to control squash bugs in your organic garden. Careful planning will be the key to your success. There are several modes of attack that can be incorporated into your plan. These include altering your planting dates or using certain plant varieties, mulch and tillage practices.

Squash bugs seem to prefer yellow summer squash, winter squashes such as Hubbard and some types of pumpkins to cucumbers or melons. If growing the perfect pumpkin isn't one of your garden goals, you can save yourself a lot of heartache by not planting them and spending your effort on cucumbers or melons instead. If winter squash is a must in your organic garden, try planting varieties that have shown resistance to squash bugs. These include Butternut and Royal Acorn. Squash bugs prefer yellow summer squash to zucchini or summer squashes, so if you're not particular about the types of summer squash you grow, stick with the ones that the bugs like least. Zukes is a good option,

Some studies have shown that companion planting or trap cropping (growing the bugs' favorite foods in order to lure them away from your garden crops and into the trap crop where you will catch and destroy them) can provide some control as well. Plants that are purported to repel squash bugs to some degree are catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint. These can be planted near your squash plants with the goal of keeping squash bugs from finding a home in your organic garden.

Careful variety selection (or avoidance) combined with companion planting will help with your squash bug problem but probably won't make it disappear. Planting your squash later in the season, once the majority of the squash bugs have already hatched and perished can help you gain the upper hand against these pests. If this isn't possible due to the short length of your growing season or isn't effective because you live in the South, where squash bugs have two generations a year, try using floating row cover to keep these pests off your plants. Using floating row cover (a gauzy, see-through blanket that goes over your plants) and keeping your plants watered and well-fed with compost or other organic fertilizers can help them fight off the squash bugs.

Squash bugs do have natural enemies in the form of insects that feed on them, such as spiders and ground beetles, and diseases that strike them. Tachinid flies and some parasitic wasps prey on squash bugs by laying their eggs in them. However, affected bugs often continue to feed and lay eggs for a while after being parasitized. These beneficial insects may help you have fewer squash bugs next year, but they probably won't help you very much when it comes to saving this year's crop.

Once this year's squash has finished its season, be sure to clean up after it properly. Tilling your squash patch or removing the spent squash plants and composting them will bury or kill many of the surviving adult squash bugs and eliminate the winter homes of many others.

Choosing your plant varieties and garden layout carefully, keeping your plants and soil healthy, providing a pesticide-free habitat for beneficial insects and doing a thorough garden cleanup in the fall will give you great results. Then, as you enter your beautiful pumpkins in this year's fair or enjoy a well-earned bite of sweet, organic winter squash, you can congratulate yourself for a job well-done.

Source: http://www.life123.com/home-garden/gardening-tips/garden-pests/top-five-ways-to-control-squash-bugs.shtml