Pansies, pollination and perennials: What to do in the garden this week

5 things to do in the garden this week:

1 Germinate pansy seeds now. It takes around three weeks for the seeds to germinate and another 40 days for the seedlings to be strong enough to be moved into the garden as fall arrives. Pansy seeds sprout quickest in the dark so, ascertaining that the soil remains moist, they can be kept in the garage until germination. You can remove the concern about moistening the soil through use of a capillary mat. This is a mat made of felt to which water is applied. Through capillary action, the water then moves up into the dry soil of the cell packs in which seeds are planted; as long as the mat is wet, the water in it will move into the cell packs the moment their soil is dry. The water in the mat rises to a height of four inches, which is the uppermost height of cell pack cells. You can find capillary mats through online vendors for around $20. Search “propagation cell packs” online for your cell pack cells.

2 If you are looking towards cultivating a spring vegetable garden in a hard patch of earth, seed winter rye (Secale cerale) in that area any time from now through September. The deep roots of winter rye break up hard soil and the winter rye itself – growing to a height of five feet – adds considerable organic matter to the soil when cut down and dug into the earth. Amy Goldman, considered by some to be the pre-eminent vegetable gardener in America – evidenced by her scholarly and award-winning books on growing tomatoes, squash, and melons – plants winter rye each fall to replenish her soil prior to spring planting. Throughout the growing season, she does not need to fertilize her crops due to the soil enrichment provided by the decomposing rye. An advantage of rye is its allelopathic quality. Allelopathy refers to the ability of some plants, due to chemicals exuded by their roots, to deter other plants from growing in their vicinity. Thus, you will not have to worry about weeds growing in your stand of winter rye.

3 We all know bees are necessary for pollination of the flowers on our vegetable plants and fruit trees in order to get a crop. While the classic honeybee – an import from Europe – can do this job, there are 1,600 bee species native to California that can achieve the same result, only more efficiently. The advantage of native bees is that they do not live in hives and thus nearly all the pollen that they pick up is deposited on flowers as opposed to honeybees that bring most of the pollen they harvest back to their colony. To invite and keep native bees – typcially smaller than honeybees – in the garden, introduce plants that flower over a long period of time such as lavender, rosemary, oregano, buckwheat (Eriogonum species), and sunflowers. Such long-flowering species will encourage native bees to nest on your premises. You can facilitate their taking up residence by the construction of a bee hotel or nesting block. This is nothing more than a two-foot long, 4 x 4 piece of wood into which holes from 1/8 -3/8 inch in diameter have been drilled, taking care that the holes do not go through the wood. Make sure it is protected from afternoon sun and rain by attaching it to a garage wall, for example, under an eave. All the holes in Greg Alder’s nesting blocks of this description (gregalder.com) were soon occupied by native bees.

4 When it comes to squelching perennial weeds – those with rhizomes or wiry taproots – there is no better control measure than a thick mulch of wood chips from a tree trimmer’s truck. (Find a tree trimmer working in your neighborhood and odds are that he will gladly, at no charge, dump a pile of wood chips on your driveway.) Any plant starved of sunlight will eventually die off since all of its energy will be expended on stems trying to reach the light while roots will cease to grow. For those serious about weed abatement but lacking a source for mulch, the “uproot weeder” has claws that get under the weed, turning and twisting it around, even as a drill penetrates the ground in the center of the weed, extracting a core of soil along with the root. This device is available through online vendors and the cost is around $11 up to $35, depending on the length of the handle, with the easiest to manipulate (and from a standing position) being more than three feet long.

5 The website of the National Gardening Association (garden.org) provides a wealth of information at no charge and with no registration involved. Among the offerings you will find are five basic gardening courses. I highly recommend the one on growing vegetables as now is the time to plant seeds for your fall vegetable garden. You will also find a weed guide, a pest control guide, and thousands of frequently asked gardening questions as well as plenty of profiles of glorious, recently introduced flowering perennials of every description. 

Send questions to joshua@perfectplants.com.