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What is Perennial Gardening?

This garden has been a continued effort on the part of my partner and me. All of the plants pictured here are perennial. Our style is a bit chaotic, but every plant here is bursting and happy.

June was perennial gardening month, so I’m here (behind the curve) to tell you about it. You may have heard the term ‘perennial gardening’ or ‘edible perennial gardening’ before. But what is it, you ask? It’s pretty simple! Perennial gardening involves designing your garden around those plants that live through at least three or more growing seasons. 

So, what are we talking about here? Natives? What about food crops, herbs, and non-native plants? Well, perennial gardening involves all of these things… and more. Of course, I’m not going to recommend growing plants that aren’t native or adapted to your zone. But if exotics and tropicals are your thing don’t worry. You won’t be left out.

Creeping cucumber is one of the only cucurbits I grow. These fruits ripen, fall to the ground, and implant themselves for next season.

Most perennial garden guides only discuss gardening perennial flowering plants. But there’s so much more than that. Here are the types of plants you can include in a perennial garden. Spoiler alert. it’s most of them:

  • Food crops (asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, watercress, garlic)
  • Herbaceous flowering plants (coneflower, salvias, phlox)
  • Medicinal herbs (yarrow, sage, lavender, bee balm)
  • Shrubs (wormwoods, evergreens, hydrangea, lantana)
  • Trees (fruit trees are great if you want to combine edible gardening with gardening for design)

Heartleaf Skullcap is a Texas Native I’ve enjoyed growing year after year. A drought tolerant shade lover, this plant will spread and take over.

Tips for Perennial Gardeners

Since you’re dealing with plants with a life cycle longer than just one growing season, there’s a bit more maintenance involved. Follow these basics of perennial gardening and you’ll have perennial garden plants and perennial flowers that bloom all summer long. 

Fertilizing

Because your perennials subsist in one area over time, you’ll need to add nutrients in temperate growing seasons to support overall soil health. Use a dry, slow release, full spectrum fertilizer for this purpose. If you compost, add a little compost to those plants that appreciate a nutrient boost. 

Add bone meal to flowering plants to help things pop off. Fruiting plants like bone meal as well, and greens enjoy high nitrogen fertilizers. Perennial vegetable gardening requires consistent applications of fertilizer to support plants that may have taken time to establish themselves. Asparagus, a beloved edible perennial, really enjoys a balanced, full spectrum fertilizer in early spring just as spears poke through the soil surface. Fruit trees need some assistance just before they flower with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Blood meal is a great option for perennial fruit trees. 

Do some research when you’re planning to determine the best perennials for your zone and growing habits. If you’re working directly in the soil, you’ll have most success with natives and adapted plants. If you’re growing in containers, go crazy! But remember you may have to move containers around when the weather gets extreme. This is especially so for tropicals grown in areas with cold winters. 

Dividing

To keep your perennial garden plants healthy, move them around and transplant them in spring and fall. Dividing plants has multiple benefits:

  1. Pests are easier to control in plants that are contained. However, remember that if your plants are being eaten, they aren’t part of the ecosystem.
  2. Diseases are less likely to spread in areas where plants aren’t overcrowded. 
  3. Share the love. Either with other parts of your garden, or with friends and family. If you don’t have a place to put a plant you’ve divided, you can save it in a pot for later. 
  4. It helps you save space if you use perennials for container gardening. Dividing is essential to prevent root binding. 

Deadheading

Deadheading is one of the most fundamental parts of perennial flower gardening and edible perennial gardening. When a flower is spent, snip off the bloom. Many flowers reproduce via seeds that remain after the flower has bloomed and died. These seeds will scatter in the area the perennial flowers are growing, unless you deadhead them. This helps contain plants that can take over, and allows you to collect perennial seeds. You can save them or give them away. 

Deadheading also maintains the health of your garden. Too much matter in the process of decay can attract pests and disease. If you have a large space you’d like to fill up with one kind of perennial flower or vegetable, you can deadhead, and scatter seeds therein yourself. 

Pruning

I’ll admit, I suck at this. I love to see the way perennial garden plants grow and I’m a tad shear shy, as they say. They do say that, don’t they? 

But especially with fruit trees, pruning perennials is so important. This helps your plants grow happily and easily, and keeps your garden manageable. Clipping off dead or overgrown leaves and branches prompts thicker growth in a lot of plants. When you prune edibles, you can take that snipped piece right into your kitchen. This is part of the reason perennial gardening is so rewarding. 

One of the biggest benefits to perennial gardening is that it helps you maintain soil health. You don’t spend a lot of time pulling plants out from the soil or tilling the soil to plant anew. By practicing low tilling, you support the microbiome of your soil. So why not try perennial gardening yourself? 

Bachelor’s Buttons are a vibrant addition to your summer garden that die away in winter only to return again in spring.

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The Science Behind the Dust Bowl

Areas affected by the Dust Bowl
Soil Science and Resource Assessment, Resource Assessment Division (NRCS SSRA-RAD) (Division of the U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In my most recent blog post, I discussed a few of the factors behind the cause of the Dust Bowl, and ways human folly combined with natural cycles to create one of the worst man-made natural disasters in our recent history. In this post, we will discuss the scientific technicalities of those cycles, and examine how we can work with the earth responsibly and (hopefully) prevent future Dust Bowls from ever coming to fruition.

Looking Back through a Scientific Lens

Contemporary scientific studies that aim to examine the Dust Bowl look to surface sea temperatures (SSTs), General Circulation Models (GCMs), and soil degradation as the three main causes of the Dust Bowl. Two of these (SSTs and GCMs) are analyzed by looking at earth cycles combined with man-made impacts. The final (soil degradation) is known to have originated from new landowners who were called by governmental authorities to plow up all the buffalo grass in the Great Plains. This resulted in a complete depletion of nutrients from the soil that would sustain farm life.

Today, SSTs are employed to understand how the earth’s atmosphere and oceans interact. They are also used to determine the annual weather cycle we are in – whether we are in an ‘El Niño’ and ‘La Niña’ year. In the Dust Bowl, SSTs were unusually elevated, and combined with the man-made desert microclimate in the US Central Plains. This created a negative feedback loop, which had a much larger impact. Effects of the Dust Bowl were experienced as far away as New York, as huge dust clouds rolled around skyscrapers and clouded visibility on May 11th, 1934.

Recently, scientists have also looked to Global Circulation Models (GCMs) to see how macroclimates interact with microclimates. GCMs are determined by using the following criteria:

  • The atmospheric component, which simulates clouds and aerosols, and plays a large role in transport of heat and water around the globe.
  • The land surface component, which simulates surface characteristics such as vegetation, snow cover, soil water, rivers, and carbon storing.
  • The ocean component, which simulates current movement and mixing, and biogeochemistry, since the ocean is the dominant reservoir of heat and carbon in the climate system.
  • The sea ice component, which modulates solar radiation absorption and air-sea heat and water exchanges.

By examining these factors today, and simulating previous global circulations, scientists can determine what environmental factors combined and became the cause of the Dust Bowl.

What did Buffalo Grass actually do?

Up close with Buffalo Grass
John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Farming by machined tilling has proven time and time again to be detrimental to the land and the people inhabiting it. In the events leading up to the Dust Bowl, topsoil and native prairie grass were removed, and nothing but dust and drought existed in parts of the Central Plains. So, how did the native grasses on the Great Plains actually support a health microclimate?

In general, native grasses provide soil with biomolecular organisms that help the earth retain biomass. Biomass is the carbon content of stored energy in plants. In interactions with the atmosphere, higher carbon content in the earth offsets the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is not bad on its own, but excesses are not desirable and cause catastrophes like the one we are currently facing – global warming. Without carbon content in the soil, there is no carbon content in crops, which leads to little to no nutrition in the food grown. Minimal vitamins and nutrients can be consumed from crops of this kind. After a season or two of machined tilling a large percentage of that high biomass topsoil is lost. Without topsoil, we get desertification, which further exacerbates the problem of no biomass, and gives us dust – tons of dust. Without diverse prairie grasses, the negative feedback loop of man-made disaster drones on.

What can we do?

One way we can prevent massive amounts of desertification is to minimize the amount of tilling we do in our gardens and on our farms. The microbiome present in soils where the ecosystem is healthy is heavily disturbed when tilling is the prime method of soil prep for a growing season. There are numerous well-established methods that do not involve tilling at all or are minimal in prescriptions for tilling. There is sheet-mulching, Hugelkultur, and other hybrid methods that will not tamp the health of your soil. Low to no till practices will also prevent desertification of the microclimate you are establishing when you plant.

The official solution to the topsoil problem occurring in the Dust Bowl was to plant large swaths of wheatgrass that could survive in a desertified climate. However, in this solution one of the most important aspects of any thriving ecosystem was ignored – biodiversity. The truth about monoculture (or one large geographical area of a single species of plant growth) is that it will not provide adequate ecosystem support to wildlife. For instance, certain species of bird might be dependent upon one species of insect for survival, and that insect might need more than one species of grass to survive. There is a whole system at play here. Therefore, maintaining biodiversity in an ecosystem is ever important.

Think about the accepted systemic methods of growing fruits and vegetables. When we plant our food crops, we focus on providing each plant a wide variety of supportive plant species. We need flowering plants to give bees, beetles, flies, bats, and other pollinators what they need to do their job and survive. Pollination of those flowers results in fruits and vegetables, as well as more flowers. The best possible way to maintain biodiversity is to focus on planting natives. Natives support the established microbiome and the flora and fauna of the ecosystem.

Conclusion

I’ll give you the good news first: we are on the other side of this tragedy that devastated families, livestock, and most of all the earth. The bad news is that we are not out of the weeds. In a recent article, NPR reported the Midwest is now devoid of top soil. This is directly related to tilling, and more specifically machined tilling of the topsoil to produce crops. Tilled crops like the ones that have wiped out topsoil in the US Midwest require intensive applications of toxic pesticides to produce adequate amounts to support farmers living on government subsidized lands and growing government subsidized seed. Pesticides leach into the soil and eliminate not only the microbes that bolster entire ecosystems, but also into the food produced. No microbes in farmed food means no microbes in our gut. And that means most of our bodies (made of bacteria – microbes) are not receiving the support needed to function properly. Acutely this is no problem. The human body is strong and resilient in the face of immediate and short-lived pressures. It cannot, however, withstand constant onslaught which leads to chronic ailments.

It is obvious that we as growers have a duty to the soil. Making sure we are not a part of the huge problems we currently face is also imperative. Permacultural solutions and a native focus allow us to do what we need to do and support the biome of our locality. It is worth looking into and observing the ecology of your locality too. And most of all, do not lament so much about the state of the earth that you cannot see the forest for the trees. We need you, and we need your help!

The featured image for this post was sourced from Arthur Rothstein, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Soil Health and the Dust Bowl

Healthy soil makes healthy ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems are beautiful.
Katy Prairie Conservancy, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Maintaining soil health is one of the most important parts of working with the earth. It acts as not only a medium to get from point a (planting) to point b (production and yield), but it also has a direct relationship with the climate in an area. That direct relationship changes the environment in the planting area so drastically, it results in what is known as a microclimate, a term referring to the aggregate conditions of an area based on a combination of factors including soil, vegetation, and surrounding structures – both man-made and earthen.

As discussed in other posts on this blog, planting invasive species leads to ecological degradation which thwarts wildlife efforts to thrive in an environment that was suited to them previously. Conservation projects involved in habitat restoration work to restore this balance.

In light of these efforts, and to really drive home the importance of cultivating sensitivity to the needs of ecosystems this post looks at the problems (man-made and environmental) that arose in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In a perfect storm of national interests, human hubris, and normal earth cycles, farmers in the central US plains experienced hardship for a decade. The effects of the Dust Bowl linger today.

Dust storm during the 1930s Dust Bowl, Arthur Rothstein, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What is the Dust Bowl?

The Dust Bowl was not an event that occurred based on the acute actions of a set of individuals. It is something that built up over 40-50 years and originated in a relatively small area. Acute consequences of the Dust bowl, such as consistent and persistent dust storms, loss of topsoil, and in turn loss of crops added intense strain to residents of the Central Plains. But at its worst, dust storms reached all the way to New York, almost 2000 miles away. Dirt from dust storms ruined fields, homes, and bodies, and caused famine and death.

So, how did this happen? It started all the way back in 1862 with the US Homestead Act, which widened US ownership of land (land that was previously inhabited by Native peoples or occupied by other colonial presences) and gave settlers license to move westward from the eastern US coast. Many people who wanted to make a living took the opportunity to farm the Central Plains, but not until they prepped their fields in one of the worst mistakes in all history.

Rain Follows the Plow

New farmers who moved to the land did not know the importance of the buffalo grass in what would later be deemed “No Man’s Land” – a small strip of land in Oklahoma – so they plowed it up to grow wheat, corn, and other monocrops. The resulting drought and extreme weather that followed was based in great part in the plowing of that extremely important grass. The expansion of the Homestead Act in 1909 on exacerbated the problem.

Experts encouraging people to move to the area had explicit interests. These interests were not grounded in systems thinking. They were rooted in the desire for prosperity and based in the idea that “Rain follows the plow”, which was true, but not in the way they thought. This is the greatest sin of the Dust Bowl. By misunderstanding the Great Plains ecosystem through a combination of innocent ignorance and neglect of long-term thinking, experts encouraged one of the worst man-made natural disasters in all history.

What to Take from the Dust Bowl?

In short, there is so much to take away from this historical example. One of the most important things gleaned from this event is that systems thinking is incredibly important when we are working with the So what can we take from this event? Paramount to working with the earth is reorienting our thinking toward understanding ecosystems. Before we till, we observe the local ecology. We look at sun, drainage, inclines in the earth, and most importantly, we look to see what flora and fauna subsist in that ecosystem. This touches on the very important interaction between earth and sky, a topic covered by many stories in many cultures. Ancient Egypt saw the earth and sky as two deities who joined together in an ecstatic union. And indigenous lifeways also see the animistic interactions of the atmosphere and the ocean in the formation of the earth. These lifeways were not born of some random fancy. They are what we know now as scientific principles.

So, before you decide to plant, lay sod, or plow up the earth for the purposes of farming or gardening give yourself some time to observe and understand what is going on in the land. Give the earth and its inhabitants the respect and humility they deserve. They will respond with bountiful abundance if proper care is taken.

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Peppermint Propagation

I was visiting my sister the other day and found in her herb and food garden a very large planter of peppermint and lemon balm, which had managed to stave off several half weeks of frosty winter weather here in North Texas. It was thriving, so I immediately took the liberty of wafting in the aromas, rubbing the leaves between fingers and inhaling the oils left behind.

She offered me clippings, which I graciously took thinking I would use them in teas and culinary affairs. But when I got them home, I realized I could propagate them, and plant them in spring – in a very well-lit and easy to get to space, as peppermint can be invasive in our region. Peppermint has been known to jump beds and grow in separate areas from where it was planted.

I know this blog is adamant in its stance on growing natives. I stand by that stance. But sometimes gardeners should grow things they like, to grow for fun. I find this good for the soul. We can always keep native plants as the backbone of our gardens and in the soil but manage to maintain a bed or planter of closely watched and controlled non-natives.

Plus, the smell of a thriving bed of peppermint is incomparable in the hot, sweltering Texas heat of the summer. I will need a place to take a breather, so that is the foundation of my decision to propagate. Dreams of sweet mint teas and marinated meats have been floating through my mind since.

Clipping

I began by selecting snips that had only a few leaves at the top. Clipping these allows the plant to divert energy elsewhere, to other leaves and stems that need it for growth. It also gives me options in terms of which container in which to root clippings. I can always trim down if necessary, but I cannot go back from there.

Choosing a Receptacle

You can propagate mint by rooting in water or soil. For the purposes of this post, we are rooting in water. Beginners may enjoy this process more than rooting in soil, as they can see the roots forming as time goes on. It also allows more access to maintenance should there be any issues in the process. I chose this glass.

When propagating in water, you must choose a clear receptacle. This allows sun rays to get through the container and help those roots grow. Watching this occur is a kind of miraculous process. Roots pop right out of the stem, ready to be planted in soil. The container you choose should also be the right size for your propagating adventure. Add about an inch of water at the bottom. Remove any dead leaves, or leaves that might be submerged in water. Give the clippings a clip at the bottom of the stem just to keep them fresh and place them in the water.

Let the Sun In and Wait

Place the rooting container in a window that is south-facing, preferably. This allows for maximum sun exposure, as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Sunlight the whole time the sun is out! Plants excrete ureic acid, so the water needs changing daily. It will take about two weeks for cuttings to grow roots. Then they can be planted in soil.

Since I just started to propagate my mint cuttings, I am including the result of my propagation adventure with Purple Queen (one of the easiest plants to propagate) here. The process for rooting Purple Queen is basically the same, and the roots of mint or any other herb will have a look that is specific to the plant. But expect roots to look a bit like this.

The most important part of this process is having fun! So have fun! And grow on.

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Let’s Make Lasagna!

North Texas is notorious for its heavy clay, acidic soil. That makes working and planting in the ground difficult. One of the basic tenets of gardening here, is soil amendment, and soil building. So, is it any wonder sheet-mulching is the preferred method of prepping soil among many gardeners here?

More lovingly referred to as lasagna gardening, sheet-mulching is the process of creating a bed to garden in from the ground up via layering brown and green matter in strata on top of cardboard or layers of newspaper. As time goes on, the layers break down much like a compost pile, and become very rich soil that can then be used for planting. I just made a bed with my partner, so this post will detail that process. Keep reading to learn how to make lasagna!

The Basics

This image was taken from the Laid Back Gardener blog, which is mentioned in the references section of this post. One edit was made to this image.

As you can see in the diagram above the lasagna garden consists of two layers each of green and brown matter stacked alternately on top of a layer of cardboard or several sheets of newspaper. The newspaper or cardboard is placed to smother grass and weeds that exist underneath and prevent weed growth in your garden. Green matter consists of “living” materials, like kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and broken-down plant matter from around your yard, or sourced externally. Brown matter is generally dead leaves, dried straw, or brown paper bags that have been shredded. The green matter becomes nitrogen as it decomposes, and the brown matter becomes carbon. The two work together to create a lively and healthy soil that can act as a medium to grow many different plants.

The process

Locate the space
Find a space with adequate conditions for what you plan to grow. Think about all the things you would normally consider for any garden bed. What is the incline like? How close is this bed to wildlife that may find what you are growing very tasty? Is there enough sun or shade? How big should the bed be? Of course, if you want to decide what to plant after your bed is ready, take these things into consideration before planting.

Remove the extraneous
Once you have decided where to put the bed, decide whether to use cardboard or newspaper. This is one of the essential parts of lasagna gardening. A good foundation here has minimal to no toxic bleed into the ground below. So, if you decide to use newspaper, use paper that has only black ink. If you decide to use cardboard, spend time removing stickers, adhesives, and staples. Often boxes sent by certain large overarching corporations will be heavily chemically treated. So, if all you have are Amazon boxes, you may want to find another source for cardboard. Ask you friends if they have boxes to get rid of. Ask your local grocer. Options are all around. If you decide to use newspaper, you’ll need a good seven or eight layers.

The Foundation
Begin by blocking out your garden area with your layer of cardboard with all toxic elements removed or layer your newspaper. Ensure it is properly placed and wet the layer thoroughly. Keep that hose handy because each layer gets a good soak from here on out.

First Green Layer
Top your water-logged cardboard with your first layer of green matter. I used peat humus, and clippings from junk trees that were blocking areas of the yard perimeter and needed to be prune back. If the green matter contains large chunks of branch or kitchen scrap, spend some time breaking that down before spreading evenly. This will ensure you do not have large chunks of matter that plants find it difficult to grow in once the bed is ready for planting. Once this layer is complete, spray it down.

First Brown Layer
Using an amount that will total twice the height of the previous, cover your green layer with brown matter. I used the immense number of leaves that remain in my yard from the fall. I tried to source from areas outside my garden beds, as the leaves are a great source of temperature and moisture control for my plants that are working their way through winter. Then

Second Green and Brown Layers
Repeat the last two steps again once more. Remember to keep those green layers one half the height of the brown layers. The brown layers will break down more quickly than the green, and as they do they create heat that quickens the green decomposition process. We are doing a form of alchemy here, where the balance of the elements is important.

Cover
This is not completely necessary, though it will speed the process of decomposition you need for the garden bed to be ready. It will also keep out rodents that may find your green matter tasty, and useful for sustenance. If you cover your bed, use ecoplastic that has been UV treated as other plastics will break down more quickly and leach into your soil. If you are covering this part is important. I sourced my ecoplastic from a distributor online. 150 feet cost me about $50.

Wait
Now all you must do is let the bed do its work and leave it well alone. The waiting time is at least two months, and at most four months. Once the alchemical process of decomposition is complete get to planting. Have fun!

References

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/lasagna-gardening-zmaz99amztak

https://laidbackgardener.blog/tag/lasagna-gardening/

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Intentional Hiking

This post is not simply an instruction. It is also a reminder for both of us to stay focused and do the work that keeps us sane in a world that seems to be going very insane. Political views aside, if we all took more time to actively relax, maybe there would not be as much turmoil? I would like to think this, but I digress. Here are a few ways we can all get our heads right by getting out of the boxes we are often subscribed to for most of the day, and in turn most of our lives. Not all of us have the luxury of doing all these things whenever we want to. But if we do not take the time when we can… well, I think you saw what happened last week. Again, regardless of your political belief, stress hurts the body. There are levels of stress we can control, and those we cannot. Let us take charge where we can!

Get Outside

A TIME magazine article from 2018 examined what is known as “forest bathing”, indicating the term was coined based on a Japanese phrase, shirin-yoku which literally translates to “forest bath”. It is the activity of just being in the forest. Scientists studying forest bathing have found that forest bathing can lead to the following:

“significantly reduced pulse rate and significantly increased the score for vigor and decreased the scores for depression, fatigue, anxiety, and confusion. Urinary adrenaline after forest bathing showed a tendency toward decrease. Urinary dopamine after forest bathing was significantly lower… Serum adiponectin after the forest bathing was significantly greater…”

This means there is a very real effect on the body when it is in nature. It is great if there is a space near you that you can escape into. Suburban areas usually host some form of park that can be accessed by nearby residents. Urban areas may not have as much access, but even a botanical garden or nursery is better than no exposure. So, get out there!

Note that while you are outside, social distancing is still recommended. Six feet, masks. You know the drill.

Hike

Assuming you are one of those people who has access to a public park or nature reserve, check out your local options for hiking. One of the most accessible forms of exercise is walking. Hiking allows you to apply that skill that many of us possess to terrain, giving you an opportunity to not only get out, but survey the land. See what it has to offer. If you hike in the same space once per season, the wonders the ecosystem will present you with are manifold. Lots of local and state parks should have hiking trails of varying degrees. If you can get out numerous times in a season, you can try out varying trail difficulties over time.

If you are going to hike, make sure you bring adequate water, follow the trail and/or a trail map, and plan your trip ahead of time. The last thing you want is to get on a 7-mile trail with no water or understanding of where you are when you signed up for an hour of forest bathing. If you do plan to hike for 7 miles, note that one mile takes the average person about 20 minutes to walk. So, 7 miles would be about two and a half hours. That is the amount of time you need to dedicate in that instance.

Walk Intentionally

When you are out on the trail, there are several Leave No Trace guidelines that if followed help you be more intentional in your visit to what many consider a sacred space. The tenets of the Leave No Trace ethos follow below.

Plan ahead and prepare

If you are walking a trail, make sure you either have a map handy, or you have looked at a map to see how long the trail is and what you are in for. You will need adequate water and then some just in case something happens. Bring a snack or two, make sure you are wearing shoes that you do not mind getting dirty. If there is threat of rain, bring a plastic poncho. Basic stuff. Part of preparing is giving yourself a moment to think about what you need and write a list or make other preparations you want to make before you go.

Travel on durable surfaces

One of the big basics of hiking trails is to always stay on the trail. This works on multiple levels, and really is not one of those dogmatic prescriptions that come with some forms of hiking and camping. Not only does staying on the trail keep you safe by keeping you on a path that is designed for humans, but it also keeps the surrounding ecosystem safe and thriving. Diverting the trail can lead to processes like erosion which leave wildlife with less options for growth and stability. Imagine a highway right outside your home that keeps widening every year creeping closer in toward your dwelling. That highway for you is akin to a hiking trail for frogs, spiders, field mice, birds, fungus, and plants (among many, many others). The image above shows a trail that is flooded. In this case, it would be best to turn back and remain on the dry parts of the trail.

Dispose of waste properly

Bring a plastic bag with you to contain your trash from snacks. And remember that just because it is biodegradable, that does not mean it is cool to leave a trail of trash everywhere. Leave no trace means just that. Beyond the footprint on the trail, we can manage to leave nothing else behind. As an aside, I have been on trails that have litter lining the sides. It is not pretty, and it totally removes me from the experience of enjoying what nature has to give us – without us! How wonderful to realize that nature goes on without us and does not need us to be there when the conditions are right. We do not need to do the opposite to her.

Leave what you find

This is a hard one for me. It is really tempting to grab a great rock or stick from the woods to take home. What can I say? My relationship with nature is childlike. There are so many cool things to see out in the woods, so many amazing fungi, plants, rocks, and animals too. But they do not need to go anywhere. In fact, if they are moved that does a similar thing that diverting the trail does. We as humans do not need to aid in the processes of erosion that can occur naturally at a regular pace. One alternative to take away something from the woods that you love to look at is to simply take a picture of it.

Minimize campfire impacts

Generally a day hike does not require lighting a fire. But if you find yourself in need of some flame, try to use previously established campfire pits. Most state and federal parks will have designated pits that can be used for camping. The reason for this directly relates to why it is best to not divert the trail, leave what you find, and dispose of waste properly. Much like the ecosystem, the process of leaving no trace is a complete system of behavior that will help you and others enjoy the outdoors.

Respect wildlife

If you see a baby animal that seems to be struggling, often a parent is nearby. There is no need to call a ranger. The animals have got it. Give them their space, as well as all plants and fungi. If you can follow all the above tenets, this should not be an issue. Look, and try not to touch. Leave everyone well alone and use your eyes and ears to listen to what the wilderness has to offer.

Be considerate of other visitors

If you are on a trail that has a lot of people on it, give them the space they need. Ensure you are allowing the proper berth between yourself and others. Elderly and differently abled people may need extra room to maneuver a trail. Give your fellow hikers a hello! This is one of the things that has kept me very grounded in the pandemic. A friendly hello from a stranger on a trail helps me realize all is not lost. Follow this and all the above, and you are set!

Breathe

By this, I mean breathe intentionally. While you walk, notice your breath. If you are like me, and you tend to mull ideas and thoughts over and over in your head, focusing on breath can make a hike a much more enjoyable experience because it keeps you present. You can even make this a game and sync your breath with the rhythm of your foot falls. Much like forest bathing, intentional measured breathing has been known to improve overall health, calm the mind, and help you get a more grounded and flexible view of the world. Why not double up by forest bathing and breathing at the same damn time?

 

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The Top 3 Organic Cannabis Pesticides for Home and Commercial Use

Good morning, readers! I’m excited to present to you a blog post I wrote for Monroe Blvd, LLC, a business that is also an excellent resource for learning about use and cultivation of cannabis. I was really excited to work for them because of their mission statement: Empowering the Cannabis community with a resource to make informed choices leading to a healthy and productive lifestyle. This is just what I’m trying to do with this blog about plants. If you have a moment, take a look at the article, and all their other exceptionally useful information and blog posts. Maybe a subscribe is in order?

Enjoy!

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How to Prepare Plants for a Freeze

In the Southern US, we can still grow in winter. But plants need extra care when the temperature dips below the freezing point of water. Here are a few essential steps you can take to ensure your plants make it through what could be one of many freezes over the season. Follow these basics, and your garden will pop in spring.

Water well

Do this because watering your plants before the freeze allows an insulation process to occur at the root-level. If rain precedes the freeze, you are good to go. No need to waterlog the plants. But if the soil is dry, they will appreciate the boost.

Bring in potted plants

Potted plants cannot manage the outside temp due to their contained nature. They do not have the benefit of an established plant in a garden bed or in the ground in that they have very little root protection. They are much better off in a more climate-controlled space. A garage for the freezing nights, or in the house are good places to put potted plants. It might be a nice way to overwinter yourself, if you have space in your house to keep the plants for the winter. A climate-controlled greenhouse is also a great place to keep potted plants.

Cover your outdoor plants

Plastics are not encouraged for this. The plants’ ability to breathe will be affected negatively by non-porous plastic coverings. Furthermore, when the temperature rises, plants under plastics are under high risk of shock. The general rule of thumb for a plastic cover is that if sealed, it will keep the interior up to 50 degrees warmer than the outside in direct sunlight. It is therefore important to open plastic covered greenhouses where you are storing plants as the freezing weather warms up in the day (if it does). Going from 50 degrees to 90 degrees in a matter of hours is hard on your body, and you have a much more active internal heating system than a potted plant or even a plant in a raised bed.

Instead, use cotton  or natural fiber sheets to protect foliage in a freeze. Especially for large plants that cannot be moved inside. You can use leftover bedsheets, or you can find some very cheap sheets online and in home goods stores.

If you are overwintering in a hoop house, good for you! That is a topic and a project I would love to tackle some time in the future in a larger space. But this seems to be the best option for year-round growing in the lower USDA hardiness zones that still get freezing weather. Many people have used hoop covers for their raised beds. This is something worth considering for future winters if you haven’t already set it up.

Consider pruning and overwintering with mulch

Many plants will survive the winters in the lower regions of the US even if they die back. For some of them, like cold hardy hibiscus, you can prune them to one third the height, and remove dead leaves as they brown throughout the season. Cover with a substantial amount of mulch. About 3-5 inches. The mulch protects the roots under the soil since there isn’t as much foliage to photosynthesize and mitigate shock from the elements. It also helps regulate the amount of moisture moving from the surface of your garden bed to the roots, preventing rot.

Methods and timing of pruning vary per plant. The general rule of thumb is pruning in spring will limit growth and pruning in late fall will promote growth. But some plants in North Texas, like native lantana, do not need pruning until right before growing season begins in spring. Side note: lantana looks lovely in fall and winter. Absent of the summertime orange and yellow blooms, the leaves turn a gorgeous purple in the winter sun. Why not give your garden that autumnal color? So, on the topic of pruning, figure out which plants need specific care and follow suit!

Leave the leaves!

That’s not hard to remember, right? The reason for this has to do with your garden’s local ecology. If the leaves are removed before the winter ends, not only do you remove a natural, no-work-needed mulch that can protect your plants through winter, you also remove a place for birds to forage for insects and seeds. You remove a place for pollinators to overwinter, and you remove a free (FREE!) method of protecting your plants throughout winter.

Think of it this way: the forest oozes with health year to year and no one comes to rake the forest floor and take away the leaves. And a garden that thrives on laziness is a good garden, eh? Instead of Jesus, let nature take the wheel – or maybe if you envision Jesus as a kind of elven nature spirit let him take the wheel. You do you, but, please, don’t remove the leaves.

In conclusion, there is some work you can do ahead of a freeze that will keep your garden in good shape through the lower US winter. By watering, covering, mulching, and letting nature do its thing, you’re ahead of the game.

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Permaculture Basics: A Primer

My hope is that this article will pique your interest and give you a sense of how you can garden with a little more ease. Who was it that said, “A garden that thrives on laziness is a great garden”? Was that just me? I’m not so sure.

Here I’m going to lay out the basics of permaculture design. Permaculture is a discipline of sustainable growing that relies heavily on the idea of a closed system, or a loop of production and reproduction where all resources are used and reused. Waste is used to fertilize new growth. Growth is used to support other growth. My suspicion is that permaculture is a good metaphor for a way to live sustainably. It’s more than just composting old plants and kitchen scraps, though.  

So, what are the key elements of permaculture? To uncover this, I consulted the immanent source written by the founders of permaculture: David and Su Holmgren. Their free e-book, The Essence of Permaculture [insert link] is one of the foremost texts on the subject. They suggest there are three overarching ideas to permacultural practice:

  1. Earth care: rebuilding nature’s capital.
  2. People care: nurture self, kin, and community.
  3. Fair share: set limits to consumption and reproduction and redistribute surplus.

If we think about applying these ideas to humanity as a whole, we see how improvements could be made. But since that requires a lot of convincing and a complete shift of thinking and living for many, we can start on our own permaculture garden. Maybe someone will like what we’re doing and follow suit.

The Holmgrens identify twelve key principles in permaculture. They are as follows:

  1. Observe and interact
  2. Catch and store energy
  3. Obtain a yield
  4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
  5. Use and value renewable resources and services
  6. Produce no waste
  7. Design from patterns to details
  8. Integrate rather than segregate
  9. Use small and slow solutions
  10. Use value and diversity
  11. Use edges and value the marginal
  12. Creatively use and respond to change

One criticism of permaculture is that it is slow. Indeed, it takes time to even make it to number 3 in the list above. Permaculture requires at least one full year of observing land before planning can begin. Knowing where the sun shines through each season of the year, or how rain falls in response to trees and easements requires consistent and keen attention. So maybe that year can be accompanied by study of how to obtain a yield through the growth of ecologically sound plants, composting, and landscaping.

If we want to get a better sense of how each element of a permaculture setup works in a closed system, we can use this image of a chicken from Permaculture News:

Sourced from Permaculture News

Notice the arrows and how they point inward, outward, or sometimes both. The chicken illustrates how we can see inputs and outputs as an integral part of a permacultural system. Some of the best outputs chickens provide involve not only eggs, but nitrogen-fixing manure that when broken down can assist our plants with the process of rooting. Chickens are also great for pest and weed control. You can loose them in an area to remove unwanted ground cover. Although a chicken coop isn’t the nicest smelling place in the world, it’s full of cute chickens. I’m partial to them, I guess. Living side-by-side and working with animals is an essential part of permaculture. Other systems are designed around different animals: goats, rabbits, and pigs are also viable options.

This post is just the first of what will be many posts on permacultural principles and practices. It’s a subject rich in layers of information. And since permaculture isn’t a dogmatic discipline in that experimentation leads to finding new closed loops, we will touch on real-life examples that work in North Texas, where I’m situated.

Happy Gardening, Plant People!

References:

https://www.permaculturenews.org/2017/09/05/permaculture-design-5-steps/#:~:text=Permaculture%20design%20is%20essentially%20a,of%20designing%20human%2Dcentred%20landscapes.&text=Permaculture%20covers%20soil%20science%2C%20hydrology,geography%20and%20so%20much%20more

https://files.holmgren.com.au/downloads/Essence_of_Pc_EN.pdf

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North Texas Natives: Native or Invasive – What’s the Difference?

It’s been a while! I’ve been busy with something I hope you’ll enjoy, and should be able to share the news with you within a week! Hang tight. For now, we’ll discuss native plants versus invasive plants.

Make your way through plant groups on social media or read a bit about them and you’ll find that there’s a distinction made by gardeners, naturalists, and conservationists (among others) between “native” plants and “invasive” plants. I remember first learning about the two categories when I began dipping my toes in the foraging pond. I remembered reading about plants that had “invaded” ecological spaces and that they needed to be aggressively controlled. At the time, coming from an anthropological background I found terms like “alien” or “invader” dubious, because of their roots in ethnocentrism and xenophobia. So, I wondered for a time, what’s so invasive about invasive species?

Since I initially came from a place of suspicion about lingering colonial methods of control in the language we speak, it’s worth defining the terms “native” and “invasive” when we talk about local fauna. A native species is something that is fully assimilated and integrated into the conditions where it lives. An invasive species is one that can change the ecology it finds itself in so that it alters the beneficial system that existed before. Invasives can prevent natives from maintaining their hold on a certain ecological niche and reduce the amount of animal species that may have traversed an area for food or shelter. This works on all levels: beneficial bacteria, insects, and fungus have a harder time remaining in their home as well. Learning this helped me realize that invasive species may actually be more “colonial” than the idea of native species as they show up in an area and proliferate, obliterating species that flourished there before via the production of disadvantageous chemistry and detritus that when broken down keep the toxic cycle going. There’s a US historical allegory that goes along with this. I think you get my drift.

American Lotus: an alternative to the invasive Swamp Morning Glory

In her book, Gardening with Native Plants of the South, Sally Wasowski attributes the continuous planting of invasive species as a result of the nursery trade adopting so many of them for their looks rather than their ecology. Some gardeners opt for color instead of proper nutrient generation. But what of plants introduced to an ecological area that aren’t technically native, but manage to integrate and do no harm? Maybe looking at safer versions of invasive plants is something nurseries should consider for the locality they are situated in. As soil erosion and health becomes more of a concern in our changing world, maybe nurseries will move in this direction. What that means, though, is a change of culture. And we all know that paradigm shifts are slow. So, it’s up to us as gardeners to ensure that we garden ethically and pay homage to the earth – the land – that exists before we plan our gardens. Just as we consider which plants thrive in areas with full or dappled sun, we can look to our local ecology to determine which plants will work best chemically and biologically, or which will support the biome that exists already. Plenty of natives are showstoppers, just as species that are more “exotic”.

References:

Shelef, Oren, Peter J. Weisberg, and Frederick D. Provenza. “The value of native plants and local production in an era of global agriculture.” Frontiers in plant science 8 (2017): 2069.

Wasowski, Sally. Gardening with native plants of the South. Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.

Zhang, Pei, et al. “Invasive plants differentially affect soil biota through litter and rhizosphere pathways: a meta‐analysis.” Ecology letters 22.1 (2019): 200-210.

Datta, Arunava, et al. “Identifying safe cultivars of invasive plants: six questions for risk assessment, management, and communication.” NeoBiota 62 (2020): 81.