{"id":533,"date":"2012-03-20T11:27:26","date_gmt":"2012-03-20T15:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mymontys.com\/wordpress\/?p=533"},"modified":"2012-03-21T13:38:04","modified_gmt":"2012-03-21T17:38:04","slug":"planning-your-spring-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wordpress.mymontys.com\/?p=533","title":{"rendered":"Ask Monty’s – Planning Your Spring Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Scoop on Peat Moss<\/strong>
\n\u201cI have read from time to time that peat moss is really not considered that good of a soil conditioner, yet I also read articles that talk about it being so great.\u00a0 What\u2019s the real scoop on peat moss?\u201d\"\"<\/a>
\nRhonda, Mooresville, North Carolina<\/em><\/p>\n

Rhonda:
\nPeat moss is considered a common soil conditioner, but not one that can stand alone.\u00a0 While peat moss is definitely a lightweight, natural conditioner, it is used to help loosen heavy soils and improves the soil\u2019s ability to hold moisture.\u00a0 Combine it with compost, limestone, and ground wood or sawdust and you have a good combination going as a soil conditioner.
\nIf you are not into all of that work then there is a better solution. The essence of the compost and peat moss is humus. That is the substance that makes it so effective.\u00a0 With Monty\u2019s Liquid Carbon Organic Soil Conditioner<\/strong> we have separated this humus into its base components then cleaned it.\u00a0 What is left is an activated form of humic that is ready to go to work in your soil.
\nNature will eventually do the same thing with your compost and peat moss, it just takes longer and requires a lot more work on your part. By applying Monty\u2019s Liquid Carbon<\/strong> annually (at least) you can quickly remediate troubled soils. Plus this year, with our all-new ready to spray formula, \u201cbetter just got easier!\u201d\u00a0 All you have to do is attach the new container to your garden hose and apply.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Good Companion Vegetables for Tomatoes<\/strong>
\n\u201cI\u2019ve finally learned that I don\u2019t need to grow a dozen tomato plants for our small family needs, often giving a lot of them away or canning way more than we really need.\u00a0 So this spring I will have room for other plants in my garden.\u00a0 Are there certain vegetables that might do better than others around tomatoes, as I still need to plant some? \u201d
\nLiam, Downers Grove, Illinois<\/em><\/p>\n

Liam:<\/p>\n

Carrots, lettuce, radish, onions and parsley are good companion plants for tomatoes.\u00a0 Did you know that basil is even known to improve tomato growth and flavor as well when planted by them?\u00a0 Cabbage and cauliflower are NOT good tomato \u201cneighbors.\u201d\u00a0 If you are interested in planting dill, do it on the other end of the garden.<\/p>\n

Chives as Organic Solution in Rose Garden<\/strong>
\n\u201cWill chives ward off aphids and keep my roses from getting black spot disease?\u00a0 I\u2019ve read this in an organic magazine, but it\u2019s the only time I\u2019ve heard of this.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t really want to plant them by my roses, because I know they spread, but I sure would like to keep my roses as healthy as possible and having chives as a backdrop wouldn\u2019t be so bad.\u201d
\nMerrill, Iowa City, Iowa<\/em><\/p>\n

Merrill:
\nThere are a lot of natural plant repellants out there, which is great for the organic gardener, but should not to be taken as cure-alls.\u00a0 As a gardener, being proactive pays off, but daily plant attention and recognizing problems from the get-go is also important.\u00a0 Perennial chives have been known to ward off aphids, as does peppermint and garlic.
\nBlack spot disease is caused by water splashing up on your leaves, so be careful how you water roses. Since their roots are so shallow I always mulch around my roses, which also absorbs the splash from rains and watering, which helps control black spot.\u00a0 There are plenty of products on the market, some more natural than others that can be sprayed on the leaves to eradicate black spot attacks.\u00a0 They are all very effective, but you have to keep on top of it regardless.
\nThe best defense is a good offense, and with roses this means healthy rose plants.\u00a0 Most pests and diseases are opportunistic, so if you have healthy plants, there are fewer opportunities for pests and disease.\u00a0 The best way to keep rose plants healthy is to feed them with Monty\u2019s<\/strong> 8-16-8 Growth Formula<\/strong> early in the season when shoots start to show and as leaves appear, and \"\"<\/a><\/strong>then feed them with Monty\u2019s 2-15-15 Root and Bloom<\/strong> once buds appear on the rose plant and through the bloom cycle.\u00a0 Foliar feeding should help strengthen the stems and leaves, thereby helping to eliminate any \u201copportunity\u201d for a pest or disease to set in or take over.<\/p>\n

Give Gladiolus Another Chance<\/strong>
\n\u201cI planted Gladiolus bulbs and Sunflowers together last summer and got great Sunflowers but no Glads.\u00a0 Was it bad bulbs or overpowering Sunflowers?\u201d
\nLiza, Wake Forest, North Carolina<\/em><\/p>\n

Liza:
\nYour Sunflowers may have overpowered you Glads, perhaps shading them or sucking up all the Glads\u2019 needed water and nutrients.\u00a0 Sunflowers will do that.\u00a0 And Glads need just as much sun as Sunflowers.\u00a0 Sunflowers also contain a toxin that can harm other plants, although I have not had problems with planting them myself as a border in my vegetable garden, tucked in with Black-Eyed Susans and even with Zinnias and Cannas.\u00a0 Give those Glads another shot this spring, away from those Sunflowers and in the full sun they love.<\/p>\n

Marigolds as Organic Pest Control<\/strong>
\n\u201cMy grandmother always planted a border of marigolds in her vegetable garden because she said they warded off pests.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never done it, but is there any truth to it?\u00a0 I\u2019d hate to waste the marigolds on my garden space if it\u2019s just to beautify my garden, as I have limited space.\u201d
\nJeannie,\u00a0 Galena, Illinois<\/em><\/p>\n

Jeannie:\"\"<\/a><\/em>
\nSounds like Grandma knew something about \u201ccompanion planting,\u201d which is the safest, most natural way to garden organically.\u00a0 Marigolds are easy to grow and helps keep away aphids.\u00a0 And, you can dry the flowers for seeds in the fall for planting from year to year, so there\u2019s not even a financial investment involved either.\u00a0 They also say marigolds will ward off thrips, tomato hornworms, squash bugs and whiteflies.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They are also known to repel harmful root knot nematodes (soil dwelling microscopic white worms) that attack tomatoes, potatoes, roses, and strawberries. The root of the marigold produces a chemical that kills nematodes as they enter the soil. If a whole area is infested, at the end of the season, you can turn the marigolds under so the roots will decay in the soil and then safely plant there again the following spring.\u00a0 Perhaps you might want to rethink those marigolds \u2013 there\u2019s more than meets the eye with this pretty little flowers.<\/p>\n

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The Scoop on Peat Moss \u201cI have read from time to time that peat moss is really not considered that good of a soil conditioner, yet I also read articles that talk about it being so great.\u00a0 What\u2019s the real scoop on peat moss?\u201d Rhonda, Mooresville, North Carolina Rhonda: Peat moss is considered a common […]<\/p>\n

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