Beyond the Garden Basics

Today’s “Beyond the Garden Basics” podcast takes a closer look at a very popular organic fertilizer: chicken manure. As retired organic landscape consultant Steve Zien of Living Resources Company points out, manures are an excellent soil amendment, especially their contribution to the soil biology. In this day and age, however, should chicken manure still be considered organic? Up to 90% of the corn produced in America is from Genetically Engineered seed. A major part of a chicken’s diet is corn, along with soybeans, of which a substantial portion is also grown with GE seed. Can we trust that what comes out of the other end of those chickens is organic? It depends who you ask.

One chicken manure fertilizer supplier, who specializes in organic fertilizers, danced around that topic…anonymously.

“I occasionally get this same question from home gardeners.  Usually the person asking prefers a more “purist” definition of organic so it’s unlikely that I am going to change their opinion.

Dictionary.com:  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/organic

Organic is:

* derived from a living organism

* a substance, as a fertilizer or pesticide, of animal or vegetable origin.

Chicken manure meets both of these definitions.

In addition, the National Organic Program (NOP) is responsible for the regulatory program that is part of the USDA agricultural marketing services that determine crops that can receive the USDA Organic Seal.  The NOP clearly indicates that animal manure is an approved input for organic crop production:  https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-205/subpart-C/section-205.203

Most likely the “purist” will not accept that the kale they purchased with the USDA Organic Seal grown with poultry manure is truly organic but that is what the USDA has decided.  I usually like to ask; what then is your definition of an organic input?  Feather meal, blood meal, meat & bone meal are common organic fertilizer products and are all produced and processed from conventionally raised poultry, swine, or bovine.   If the position is that only an organically raised livestock manure can be considered “organic” then the consumer needs to recognize that the organic feed that those organically raised chickens are eating is likely grown with conventionally raised chicken manure or conventionally raised feather meal, etc…

Often what I’ve found is the person questioning “is your chicken manure really organic” is more concerned about the about the use of steroids, hormones, and/or antibiotics fed to the conventionally raised livestock.  Steroids & hormones are a complete myth with modern farming practices – they are banned by the USDA and not used: 

https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/nationwide-survey-reveals-nearly-80-percent-americans-mistakenly-belive-chicken-contains-added-hormones-steroids/#:~:text=hormones%20or%20steroids.-,No%20chicken%20sold%20or%20raised%20in%20the%20U.S.%20is%20given,the%20healthier%20growth%20of%20birds.

Antibiotics are occasionally used in broiler operations and rarely used in layer operations.  Still, I would argue that even if antibiotics have been used, residual levels do not exist in the manure.  The composting process exponentially grows beneficial bacteria and fungus to break down the organic matter in the manure.  If antibiotics were present, how would the beneficial bacteria grow?

I guess this doesn’t necessarily directly answer the corn GMO question but it’s in the same ballpark.” 

GMO vs GE

If you listened to the podcast, you know we delved into the difference between GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) and GE (Genetically Engineered). University of Vermont Public Radio has an easy-to-understand, mud-filled primer on this topic.

Basically, “GMO” has a very broad definition. It’s a plant breeding process that has been around since the dawn of agriculture: plant pollen, being transferred from one plant variety to another plant variety, usually creating a slightly different plant within the same species. Think about the pollen of sweet corn being wind blown (or insect carried) to an adjoining field where popcorn is planted. The result: kernels that won’t pop, they’ll just burn when heated. Every tomato or pepper variety in your garden may be an heirloom variety, but it, too, had a beginning, 50, 100, or hundreds of years ago, when the wind or a bee moved pollen between two different tomato varieties, creating a new variety: a Genetically Modified Organism. Genetic Engineered food, on the other hand, is considered by the FDA as introduced in the 1990’s. One of the first GE foods available to the public? The Flavr-Savr tomato, developed by several UC Davis professors at Calgene in 1994. The tomato was taken off the market in 1998 for a variety of reasons.

Unfortunately, language is a virus. And the term, “GMO” is still used in some circles when “GE” is what they are really upset about. Will the “non-GMO” label you read on many food products ever be changed to the more accurate, “non-GE” label?

There are no easy answers to the questions raised in this podcast. More research is necessary. And, more gardeners need to be asking the question: what’s really in this bag of fertilizer or soil amendments?

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

The conversation started innocently enough. Penny Pawl, Napa County (CA) Master Gardener, was chatting with me about soldier flies: ominous-looking, wasp-like creatures who, along with their grubby larvae, might be populating your worm bin or composting bin. You can listen to what she had to say about that in Episode 214 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast.

Or, read a previous edition (July 1, 2022) of the “Beyond Garden Basics” newsletter where we talked in depth with Sacramento County Master Gardener Susan Muckey about her take on soldier flies.

My chat with Pawl then veered into the worm bins that she uses on her property. The collection, she said, included four African Keyhole Gardens, with worm bins. What??? My ears perked up. And we were off to the races!

Penny Pawl is certainly a very inquisitive gardener. When she heard about the African Keyhole gardening method, she had to try it for herself. And as you heard in today’s newsletter podcast, hers are a roaring success. So much so, she now teaches classes in African Keyhole Gardens in Napa County.

So, what is the history of African Keyhole gardens? Pawl explained them in a column for the Napa County Master Gardeners, entitled “African Keyhole Garden - Great Garden Idea.”

“A so-called keyhole garden bed has a dead end opposite the opening. At the dead end is a compost bin. More than 20,000 of these have been built in Africa.

The Texas Master Gardener Association has held a number of workshops to promote this type of garden. There are also standardized plans. Their version is a six-foot-wide garden bed with a twelve-inch-wide bin made of chicken wire in the middle. The gardener fills the bin with compostable material such as moistened newsprint, cardboard, dead plants, kitchen waste and red wiggler worms, the same components of a worm bed. The concept is that the worms will gradually decompose the material and their castings will nourish the soil and plants around the bin.

For mine, I decided to use an old garbage can with holes drilled in it. The garbage-can lid keeps out pests and any creature looking for a warm nest. I created the planting bed with building blocks set three high and cemented in place.  

Alas, I had a big problem with gophers, and I needed to win that battle. So this fall, when it was time to rework the soil, I put a layer of hardware cloth on the bottom. The hardware cloth helps to keep the gophers out. It won't last forever, but it will foil the varmints for a few years. Then a mixture of clean cardboard and soil was placed over the hardware cloth. Since the bed was already in a square keyhole shape, I added the garbage can and put soil around it to hold it in place.  

I fill this garbage can with the same things I put in my worm compost beds, including red wiggler worms. I have been watering it and feeding it for a few weeks to try to get it working. Eventually, the liquid and castings from the worms and other insects will work its way into the new bed areas and fertilize the soil from below rather than from on top.”  

Hunt County (TX) Master Gardener John Sanger explained more about the nuts and bolts of building an African Keyhole Garden for gardeners in hot, dry climates in the Hunt County Master Gardener Newsletter, “On the Grow”:

“The keyhole garden was developed in sub-Saharan Africa to help people grow food in hot, dry conditions – much like we have here in Texas during the Summer months. It is very efficient at holding moisture and retaining nutrients. The keyhole garden is essentially a round raised bed garden built on a compost pile with a central compost basket. The keyhole is a small aisle on one side of the circular garden that enables the gardener to reach the compost basket to add to it or turn it. It also brings the gardener closer to the center of the bed to reach plants more easily. Keyhole gardens get their name from the appearance of the garden as viewed from above.

The keyhole garden can be made of anything that can contain the soil. The ideal size for maintaining moisture is about 6 feet in diameter. I like the garden walls to be about two feet tall, as I like to tend the garden from a standing position. People use wood beams, cinder blocks, stacked stones, fencing material, even wine bottles and concrete for their garden walls.

To build the garden, lay out a 6-foot diameter circle on the ground. Keep in mind that if you plan to angle your materials inward for strength, you may want to start with a wider base to allow for that angle so that the top of your garden is about 6 feet across. The central compost basket can be a 1-foot diameter cylinder of hardware cloth that will extend about one foot above the final soil level. On my gardens, a 48” wide roll of hardware cloth was the perfect height. Secure the basket with wire and cover the exterior with weed block, burlap, or other permeable fabric. Lay out where you want your keyhole and move your garden wall materials to create an aisle that will allow you to stand near the center of the bed to reach the compost basket.

The keyhole garden should be lined with wet cardboard, and then filled with alternating layers of brown and green compost. Browns include lots more cardboard and dry leaves, and greens can include green, leafy material or manure. Alternate layers until the bed is almost full, then top with a rich planting mix. Plant the bed densely so that the canopy of foliage will shade the soil and then add several inches of mulch around plantings. Put compostable materials into the compost basket regularly. When watering the plants, also water the compost basket so that the water will leach nutrients into the surrounding soil. During the hottest months, some gardeners build a frame so that shade cloth can be hung over the garden.

If you want to maximize crop output in your vegetable garden even during the hottest and driest months, try a keyhole garden. It is a versatile and efficient design which is easy to maintain and can provide a family with a year-round abundance of vegetables.”

As Pawl mentioned in today’s newsletter podcast, ready-to-use, African-style Keyhole Gardens are available from many retail sources, including Amazon.

However, the whole original concept of the African Keyhole Garden was to implement a productive garden for those who couldn’t afford much and wanted to use easily obtainable materials. For more information about building one yourself, check out the “Field Guide to How to Build a Keyhole Garden” with Dr. Debbie Tolman. Do an internet search for “African Keyhole Gardens” pictures. And you may find an image of one that appeals to your senses…and budget.

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

Back in Episode 212 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, we chatted with Sacramento County (CA) Master Gardener Pam Bone - an expert caneberry grower - about summertime problems with backyard blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries and other caneberries.

The question arose: “So Pam, what do you do with all those berries?” She marched us into her kitchen to show us a freezer filled with jam, especially the jars and jars of her specialty, raspberry jam. She shared her favorite recipes and tips here, in the newsletter podcast. Below are the details of three of her favorite recipes using homegrown berries. Best of all, Pam says these are all easy to make.

Pam is justifiably proud of the popularity of her raspberry freezer jam. “I’m known far and wide for my raspberry freezer jam,” she told us. “People are always begging for it.” The popularity could be due to its simplicity. She says: “It’s just fresh fruit and sugar.” And if you listened to the above podcast, she freely admits it’s a recipe straight from the box of Sure Jell:

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Pam also freezes raspberries whole, for two of her other favorite concoctions, one of which is a raspberry Jello recipe, named after a long time friend and day care provider, Alba:

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The final recipe Pam shares with us is one that can utilize all the berries in the garden, Berry Crisp.

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

GARDEN SHOWS FOR THE NOSE

Looking for a garden show for your nose? There are a wide variety of fragrant plants that do well in various USDA zones, providing olfactory pleasure at various times of the year. Besides such sensory stalwarts as gardenias and roses, there are many other aromatic perennials and shrubs that can add a welcome scent to your evening stroll through the yard.

• Brugmansia versicolor ‘Charles Grimaldi’ (pictured above, USDA Zones 9, 10). Also known as “Angel’s Trumpet”, this is a fast-growing, flowering shrub that can get 10 feet tall in two or three years. The show-stopper part of this plant is the nearly non-stop bloom in mild areas. This Brugmansia features huge (over a foot long), yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. An added bonus in late spring and early summer is the warm evening aroma of those blooms, when the air is still: a perfume-like scent that hits your nose as soon as you step into the yard. It does best with some afternoon shade and regular watering. A word of warning about this plant: all parts are considered poisonous, so it may not be right for the gardener living with indiscriminate munchers, either pets or children. However, there are plenty of other plants available that give off a warm-weather show for the nose in the evening:

• Nocturnal daylilies (Hemerocallis). Most USDA zones. Nocturnal daylily flowers open late in the afternoon and stay open throughout the evening until the morning. Many named hybrids are available, including the fragrant Arctic Ruffles, Nathan Carroll, Full Moon Rising and Winds of Tide.

• Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa). Most USDA Zones. The blooms of this perennial tuber, a native of Mexico, will fill your backyard with a heady scent during summer evenings. The grass-like leaves can get to three feet tall, with white, tubular flowers clustered at the top. A good choice for containers, the tuberose needs regular water to look its best. If your winter temperatures stay above 20 degrees, the rhizomes can stay in the ground all year. Otherwise, lift and store in a protected area.

• Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris). Most USDA zones. The fragrant, tubular flowers of this tender perennial (usually planted as an annual) are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant itself gets about four to five feet tall and two feet wide. Another flowering tobacco variety with great nighttime aroma is the ‘Grandiflora’ (Nicotiana alata).

• Four O' Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa). (Most USDA zones; treat as an annual in colder regions.) This tuberous rooted perennial grows quickly to three feet high and wide, with trumpet-like flowers in white, red or yellow that open at about the time you get home from work. Although the top will die back from a freeze, it will usually sprout the following spring.

• Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). (USDA zones 7-10) A popular evergreen twining vine. It is most noted for the fragrance of its small, white flowers this time of year. Can be used against a trellis, or as a spreading ground cover. Does well with afternoon shade and regular water. 

• Moonflower (Ipomoea alba). (USDA zones 9-10, treat as a summer annual elsewhere). A relative of the morning glory, the moonflower is a perennial vine that shoots up 20 feet or more in one season, perfect for a fence or trellis. The six-inch white flowers are quite fragrant, and open in the evenings or cloudy days. 

• White Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa). (Most USDA zones). Grows about a foot tall and wide. This perennial has fragrant, three-inch white flowers that put on their profuse blooming show during summer evenings.

Other fragrant shrubs for daytime aroma

• Banana shrub (Magnolia figo, formerly Michelia figo). (USDA Zones 8-10). This evergreen shrub has small, yet very fragrant pink/cream flowers during April and May. The late afternoon aroma may remind you of Juicy Fruit gum. Grows slowly to 8 feet. Prefers partial shade.

• Sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans). (USDA zones 8-10). The scent of the flowers of this 10-foot tall evergreen shrub in spring and early summer will conjure up images of apricots. Heavy bloom in late spring through early summer, but will bloom sporadically throughout the year in mild winter areas.

• Sweetbox (Sarcococca ruscifolia). (USDA zones 8-10). An evergreen shrub for shady areas, sweetbox is at its most fragrant during late winter and early spring.

• Winter Daphne (Daphne odora). (USDA zones 8-10). This evergreen shrub solves two vexing garden problems: a plant that thrives in full shade (part shade in cooler areas); and, produces fragrant blooms in December and January. One of the best for New Year’s aroma, it can be a fussy plant, it needs good drainage, and it does better with less water during dry periods. Just give it enough to keep from wilting. And good luck.

• Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox). (USDA Zones 8-9) This rangy (10-15 feet high) shrub produces spice-like yellow flowers before it leafs out each winter. It prefers the colder areas in those zones. Put it in a protected area to avoid frost damage, ideally near a door or window.

• Sages (Salvia). (Zones vary by species. Salvia officinalis is one of the hardiest). The California Native Plant Society says the state’s many native sages are all fragrant, but Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) is in a class by itself. Most sage varieties prefer full sun; natives such as the Cleveland sage can get by with little water. This evergreen small shrub has gray foliage is aromatic, and its lavender flower spikes are perfumed, attracting hummingbirds and bees, as well as your nose.

• Gardenia. (USDA zones 8-10, hardy down to 20 degrees). Of the many gardenia varieties that do well, the “Mystery”, “Kleim’s Hardy”, “Summer Snow”, “Veitchii” and “White Gem” are noted for their fragrance. Wherever azaleas and rhododendrons thrive in your yard is where a gardenia would like to be: in part shade, acid soil, regular watering. Feed with an acid based fertilizer.

• Pelargoniums. (USDA zones 8-10, grown as an annual elsewhere.) Commonly referred to as geraniums, they are not a true geranium. Many scented geraniums are available, noted for their aromatic foliage. According to the Sunset National Garden book, scented varieties usually have names that include the words, “apple” (Pelargonium odorartissimum), “lemon” (P. crispum), “lime” (P. nervosum), “peppermint” (P. tomentosum) or “rose” (P. capitatum or graveolens). Tolerant of heat and humidity.

Why Do Certain Aromas Trigger Long-Ago Memories?

From Discovery Magazine, Nov. 27, 2019:

Our nose can evoke powerful, vivid memories if it catches a familiar scent. The smell of pine needles may take you back to summer camp, a roasting turkey transports you decades in time to grandma’s house for the holidays. This powerful connection between scent and memory is sometimes called the Proust phenomenon, a nod to French author Marcel Proust, who eloquently described a potent memory of childhood evoked by the smell of a madeleine biscuit dipped in tea. 

But the link is more than literary. Smell is the only sense that doesn’t pass through the thalamus before reaching the forebrain. The thalamus functions as an operator switchboard of sorts, connecting sensory inputs from our eyes, ears, tongue and touch to the right parts of the brain so we can register and make sense of them. But scent bypasses this switchboard entirely, in favor of a direct line. What’s more, the bundle of nerves that detects scent molecules, the olfactory bulb, has a high density of connections near the amygdala and hippocampus, which are involved in emotional response and memory formation, respectively. 

That's why smells make our brains form strong, emotionally salient memories and at a subconscious level. 

And Finally, Repurposing Garden Tools

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, retired college horticulture professor Debbie Flower explains about the use of rooting hormones and fertilizers for newly-installed plants. You’ll find out:

How rooting hormones work.

How auxins (the rooting stimulant in root hormones) can either inhibit or promote growth.

Why you don’t want to use rooting hormones on an established plant or transplant.

Why you want to cut the roots of a tree or shrub before planting.

Why you don’t want to add fertilizer at planting time.

The benefits of “paper hats” on new plantings.

And if you are using kelp or seaweed products as a root stimulator, you’d be better off spending your money on water and mulch. According to the Washington State University study, “The Efficacy and Environmental Consequences of Kelp-Based Garden Products” :

“• There is no documented benefit to applying plant hormones to newly planted or established plants in gardens and landscapes. Hormones are produced naturally by the plant and transported to the tissues that require them. The two most important additions new transplants require are water and mulch.

• Good quality research on kelp- containing biostimulants has been performed by several researchers in different climatic regions using different species of woody plants in natural settings. None of them reported success:

• Roots of newly planted trees treated with biostimulants showed no improved growth compared to control trees. (Barnes and Percival 2006; Gilman 2004; Popenoe et al. 2017).

• The best performing trees and shrubs were those that were irrigated frequently for 38 weeks post installation (Gilman 2004) or received a simple topdressing of pine bark mulch immediately after planting (Figure 3; Abbey and Rathier 2005).

* Trees treated with biostimulants and assessed two years after planting were not significantly different than those receiving only water (Kelting et al. 1998).

* No biostimulant was able to confer increased protection to shrubs and trees against drought or salt damage compared to plants treated with water (Banks and Percival 2014).

* Researchers who tested biostimulants that were reported by local growers to be highly effective could find no evidence to support that belief (Popenoe et al. 2017). In fact, some of the products were worse than the controls. “

Click Here for the Farmer Fred Smart Pot Discount!

Here’s a transcript of today’s newsletter podcast:

Farmer Fred  0:00

Ray sent us an email, to Fred at farmerfred.com. He says, "I recently bought some fruit trees, and the label mentioned using a rooting stimulant for transplanting. In further research I found that certain root stimulants are illegal in California. Do you know why?" I bet it's because there's something else in that stimulant, Ray. The stimulants themselves may not be the problem. But with more information on that, we bring in America's favorite retired college horticultural Professor, Debbie Flower, who is probably going to snuff your dreams, right?

Debbie Flower  0:35

Root stimulants typically contain, not all of them, but typically contain synthetic auxin. Auxin is a plant hormone, it's produced by the plants, produced in the buds, which is why you don't always want to remove the buds at the tip of the stem. It's produced in the buds and it controls the growth of the plant. At certain concentrations, synthetic hormones will prevent growth. At other concentrations, it will promote growth. When it's applied externally to roots, it has different and fewer effects on the plant. It's not stimulating root growth per se. It's actually subduing above ground growth in favor of the roots growing.

Farmer Fred  1:15

Yeah, that sounds like the purpose of phosphorus.

Debbie Flower  1:18

Well, no. The auxin stimulators, IBA and NAA, are two of the auxin stimulants. If you put it on a broken stem or root, and there will be broken roots on a transplant, then it can be absorbed into the vascular system and do its job at the right concentration, stimulating cell growth. And so there is some of that going on. And that's why they're used in cuttings. But when you're just buying an already rooted plant, a healthy plant, applying the stimulant to the roots doesn't directly cause them to grow better. So that's one thing. Another is that root stimulants often contain fertilizer. And the ones that I found that were illegal in California, they don't say illegal, they just say 'Not for use in California", or, "Not registered for use in California". They have fertilizer in them, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. And excess fertilizer is a pollutant. It's the reason we get overgrowth of algae in streams and rivers. That overgrowth kills the life, the animal life, fish, frogs, whatever, in the water body, and we upset the ecosystem. And so the stimulants in California that have the fertilizer in them are not labeled for use in California. Growth regulators, which root stimulants are, are lumped in with pesticides as far as licensing is concerned. So they have to first be licensed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. And then at least in California, and in other states. I know New York, Maryland, Virginia, for sure. I'm sure there are lots of other states that go through this process as well. In California, it is the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. They have to then look at the product again, and decide whether it will be legal in the state. So different growth regulators are available in different states because the states have decided to allow them to be or to not allow them to be part of the product.

Farmer Fred  3:16

Ray mentioned  one that has a lot of phosphorus in it. It was a 4-10-3, which means 4% nitrogen, 10% phosphate, 3% potash. Phosphate is not illegal in California yet.  So I think the reason that it wasn't for use in California had to do with the instructions. And this goes back to what we always say, read and follow all label directions. This particular root stimulant said that you could not apply it on food crops. It was okay for ornamental plants, but not for food crops.

Debbie Flower  3:31

I read some items that also discussed grain and grass production, because those are done in big fields. So I think it was prohibited there as well.

Farmer Fred  4:00

Yeah, we're gonna see a lot less phosphorus on the shelves, I think. That big middle number is going to disappear, right?

Debbie Flower  4:07

We seen it disappear in laundry detergents, because of its ability to cause pollution in runoff. It's been a while now, but there was a worldwide shortage of phosphorus for a while. And we in horticulture and agriculture, at least some of us figured out, we don't need near as much as we thought we did to produce the plants. It cost money to buy fertilizers, so there was some natural cutback there. But yes, we need to take care of our planet. And unfortunately, Americans believe if a little is good, a lot is better. And that ends up as runoff and pollution.

Farmer Fred  4:49

So how can you naturally encourage roots to grow?

Debbie Flower  4:52

Have the proper soil. So that means it has the ability to hold moisture and nutrients and it drains well. Then water it appropriately. And that's gonna vary on your soil, your location, your sun-shade location, whether you're on a slope or not, you don't want it to dry out so completely that the roots can't grow and they die; and you don't want it to absorb so much moisture that they drown. So having the right media for your situation, and using the correct cultural practices,

Farmer Fred  5:22

We are fond of also saying on the show, "right plant in the right place" And we should point out, "right plant, right place, right time". You don't want to do any transplanting in the heat of the summer, or in very cold , wet wintry conditions. So consider that, too, to encourage roots to grow. Keep them relatively moist and let them get established. The other thing you've pointed out in past episodes, too, that bears repeating here is: when you are transplanting into the ground, discourage the use of fertilizer.

Debbie Flower  5:53

Yes, because it can burn. Whenever you transplant from a container, or if you're buying a ball and burlap, or if you're buying a bare root. In all cases, the roots have been or will be damaged in the process of planting them. The roots are also probably damaged when the commercial growers are getting the transplants out of the growing field. And you can't avoid that. That's just part of the game. In fact, it's encouraged that you at least cut the roots so that you don't have any circling, girdling, roots over time. So you're doing damage, then you put the plant in the ground. Now you've got open wounds in the root system, which can be burned by fertilizers when they're in the form that can be absorbed by the plant or in the salt form. It's not exactly the same thing, but think about if you pour salt in an open wound on your body. Okay, you don't want to do that to your plant. The part of the root system that absorbs the water and nutrients is the root hairs. They are the most delicate parts of the root. They're typically at the ends of the root, or the root branches. And they're right there and they get harmed in this process. So the plant kind of can't do anything for a few days. It takes a few days for them to produce new root hairs. You don't want anything to impede that. You don't want to burn those broken root parts. So, plant the plant, water it well, and then walk away. Or if it's possible, shade the plant for a few days. I've been known to make little caps out of newspaper and lay them on the plant and then hold them down with something just a rock. Sure, they blow away. I just go collect them. But it's just about three to five days that you need to shade, give the plant a little more shade, so it can produce new root hairs and be able to absorb the water.

Farmer Fred  7:41

When you were sick, as a youngster, I imagine that if you came home from school, and you didn't feel good, and you just sort of plopped down on the couch, mom or dad might throw a blanket over you. Not a bad idea after you've transplanted a plant, too, is maybe to add some mulch on top.

Debbie Flower  7:56

Yes, mulching the soil is always a good thing. Make sure it doesn't touch the trunk or where the stems of the plant go into the ground, because you don't want to trap moisture there and cause other problems. But mulch controls moisture loss. It prevents compaction from water hitting the soil from above. Because water can actually cause soil compaction. It breaks down if it's organic mulch, it breaks down and makes nutrition that the plant can use at a quantity that the plant can use. It's a very desirable thing to have organic mulch over your root systems.

Farmer Fred  8:31

And it helped keep weeds away, too.

Debbie Flower  8:32

Yes, it does.

Farmer Fred  8:34

All right. So there you go. Well, we hope that helps you as far as figuring out what you need to really get your plant off to a good start after you've transplanted that fruit tree into its new home. And you probably don't need to buy some sort of rooting hormone. So there you go. Debbie Flower, thanks so much for your help on this. You're welcome Fred.

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 206 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, we did a deep dive into worm bins (Oops. That sounds like a new, bad reality sports competition TV program). Sacramento County Master Gardener Susan Muckey told us everything we need to know to start vermicomposting, the end result being raising worms to create excellent quality compost for your garden. One thing she warned us about is mentioned in the short podcast segment, above. And it may be a critter that might have initially shocked you when you opened up your worm bin or turned your compost pile: the soldier fly.

The adults look like inch-long black wasps and do a fair share of loud buzzing when disturbed. But the soldier fly is harmless...to you. They do not bite, they only live a couple of days, usually die soon after having sex and laying eggs on the tops of partially composted kitchen scraps. Some critters have a nice life.

The soldier fly larvae - the maggots - are also about an inch long, gray-white, and segmented. When exposed to light, they will scurry deeper into the compost bin, where they are voracious feeders on decaying, nitrogen-rich foods.

Those maggots are very good decomposers of organic material, helping along the process in your compost bin. According to Oregon State University, the soldier fly also inoculates the compost with beneficial bacteria from other sources. Because they are such efficient feeders of manures, their presence can limit the growth of nuisance fly species in that same manure pile.

Soldier flies can be found throughout the U.S., wherever there is moist, rotting food. Depending on the composting system, soldier flies and their larvae may be either good guys... or a major detriment.  

In a regular composting bin, the soldier fly larvae are a welcome addition, speeding along the decomposition. Soldier flies do such a good job digesting your garbage, there are websites that will be glad to show you how to build a system to raise soldier flies.

It is their appetite that is a double edged sword for home composters, especially vermicomposters.

In a vermicomposting system - a worm bin such as the Can O' Worms - soldier fly larvae are competing with the worms for food. Plus, they consume so much material, they generate a lot of heat. And in the summer, that may be more heat than your composting worms would be willing to tolerate. Temperatures over 90 degrees will bring worm work to a near halt in a worm bin, or worse, unless you work to keep them cooler.

For worm aficianados, several university studies offer these tips if you want to remove the soldier flies and their larvae from your vermicomposting system and attempt to keep them out:

• Make sure you have enough leaves, dry grass, shredded paper and other organic "brown" material in the pile to cover the nitrogen food sources by at least two to four inches. 

• Be sure to bury food scraps deeply in the pile and cover them well.  

• Put window screen over any holes in the bin and glue it down with a waterproof caulking (like an exterior household caulk) on the inside of the bin to help exclude the flies in their egg laying stage.

• Birds love soldier fly larvae so you can remove them and feed them to chickens. Or just toss them on the ground and other birds may find them.

Or, remove the maggots and put them into another compost bin or pile. Of my composting systems, my favorite is the Tumbleweed, which produces usable compost quicker than the Can O' Worms...but the Can O' Worms is more fun! Even with the maggots. If you can’t find the Tumbleweed, there are plenty of other tumbling compost bins. And if the Can O’ Worms is unavailable, there are lots of stacking worm tray vermicomposting systems, too.

More information about small scale vermicomposting from the University of Hawaii .

A good book about vermicomposting: "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Appelhof.

And if you want to get into the business of raising soldier flies to control manure piles in stalls, coops, barns and corrals, (or as chicken or tropical fish feed or exotic animal feed) you’ll need to feed the young maggots. And yes, someone (the University of Georgia) actually studied what’s the best food for soldier fly larvae. Here’s that study. One interesting factoid from that study: one of the food recipes used in their experiments was developed by Purina (insert your “Chow” joke here).

More reading about Soldier Flies:

Black Soldier Flies: Mostly Beneficial

Black Soldier Fly Larvae in Worm Bins

The Good Soldier

Finally, don’t confuse the Soldier Fly with the Soldier Beetle.

The soldier beetle is a garden good guy. The adult (pictured above) feeds mostly on nectar and pollen (hence, a pollinator), but some adult species also enjoy aphids and other plant sucking insects. But, its larvae (pictured below), which can spend three years in the soil or organic litter, feed on, according to North Carolina State University, “caterpillars and other hapless insects they encounter as they crawl about.”

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. Come visit the composting displays and worm bins on Harvest Day, Aug. 6, 2022 at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s newsletter podcast segment, Cherie Sintes-Glover, Urban Chicken Consultant and proprietor of the website ChickensForEggs.com, has egg care tips for backyard chicken flock hobbyists: should eggs be stored in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter (it depends)? Should you wash the eggs, and what temperature should that water be? (It’s important!). Which eggs make the best hard boiled eggs? How can you determine if an egg is past its prime? How many eggs will a hen lay in its lifetime? How do you get your chickens to lay more eggs in the winter? And why you don’t want a heat lamp near your chickens.

More chicken care tips, including how to take care of your backyard flock during a summer heatwave, on the Get Growing with Farmer Fred podcast, Episode 204 .

Also on Episode 204 of the Garden Basics podcast: why you might want this chicken breed as part of your flock:

For those who would rather read than listen, here is the transcript of the full conversation about backyard chicken care with Cherie Sintes-Glover on Episode 204 of the Garden Basics podcast. It includes information about thwarting avian flu, dietary supplements to use (and the ones to avoid) for your chickens in heat waves, and how chickens adjust their body temperature in the heat. You’ll still have to listen to the egg tips presented in the podcast at the top of the page. No transcript for that.

From Episode 204 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast:

Farmer Fred

If you've been in a supermarket lately, you may have seen the prices of eggs you may have seen the prices of chickens, maybe some of you are thinking maybe it's time we get ourselves a chicken and have our own eggs. Well before you do that you want to hear what my next guest has to say. Cherie Sintes-Glover is an urban chicken consultant. She is a certified poultry health inspector as well, and runs a wonderful website, chickensforeggs.com. Plus she does seminars as well Zoom classes. Cherie, the rising prices of eggs and chicken. This isn't because of the war in Ukraine? I think it's the avian flu, isn't it?

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

That's a great question. I think it's a little bit of everything right? It's anytime there's an opportunity for prices to go up. They seem to be going up. But yeah, chicken, gosh, chicken eggs are going for? I think I've seen them as high as six or $7 a dozen in some stores. And it depends on which ones you get. If you get the quote unquote, “organic farm fresh raised eggs” versus the regular, just old-fashioned white ones from Costco. But yeah, the prices have just been skyrocketing.

Farmer Fred   

I have not seen $2 a dozen eggs in quite a while now.

Cherie Sintes-Glover  

No, no. And even the people on your average farm that are selling eggs at a roadside stand, they're raising their prices as well. I think it's because chicken feed costs have gone up a little bit. But anytime there's a rise, we have to kind of keep up with that. And right now, because of that, more people are actually thinking about raising their own chickens. And especially with the uncertainty  for a long time, we weren't sure what would be available in the stores or what would be running low. There's still times when I go into Costco and there's no paper towels. So people are trying to think outside of the box or maybe in the box if they haven't already taken that dive into backyard chicken-keeping, like during COVID times. Now they're really considering it, because of the expense and the cost. They want a backup plan. 

Farmer Fred 

And one nice thing too, when you raise your own chickens, is the quality of the eggs. They're colorful, they have a nice, deep, rich yellow yolk, and they're much more tasty than what you're gonna find at a grocery store.

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

They're very different. In fact, people are often just kind of shocked and surprised at how flavorful their eggs are. The ones that they have in their own backyard. Chickens that they've raised themselves compared to the ones that they can buy in the supermarket. And the reason for that is just really comes down to that chicken’s diet. So backyard chicken keepers, their flocks are typically searching around in the backyard for bugs and all those wonderful grass weed nuggets out there that they can grab. So because of that they're nutritionally increasing their diet with all of those great nutrients. And that's what makes that yolk just a bit more orange. But what's funny too, is that sometimes even the breeds will make a little bit of a difference. And there is for instance,  in our laying flock that we have, I’ll crack open three or four different types of eggs and each of those yolks will be a different color. So it lets me know who's maybe foraging more than the others, perhaps.

Farmer Fred 

Let's talk a little bit about avian flu. It is decimating flocks throughout the country. I know up in the northwest and back east, something like 35 million chickens have been culled, which, by the way is a euphemism, because of the avian flu.

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

There are so many different types of avian flu, people typically don't realize that the one that's circulating right now is the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which is known as the HP A1. In this one, they actually feel it's the worst one since 2015. And back then, in 2015, they had about 50 million birds that were euthanized. So we're getting close to that number, but we're watching it closely because throughout the United States it is beginning to spread. It hasn't luckily, knock on wood, has not reached California. But it has gotten as close as Oregon and Washington. So we are keeping an eye on it. And people need to realize that this is mostly inhabiting wild fowl,  and we're talking about wild birds such as ducks and geese that are migrating out there. Although there have been cases within backyard flocks there. They've been minimal, but they are asking people to take certain precautions, especially if they happen to live by large waterways. So waterways or it's funny, the USDA on their website, it talks about lagoons. Luckily, I don't think we have a lot of lagoons here in Northern California. But as we know, the way that the Pacific Flyway goes, all of those migrating ducks and geese are going to be flowing down through California to get to Mexico (this fall). And I think that's what they're trying to be preemptive with. And they want to make sure that people are not only educated but just informed about the flu, this avian flu, and what they can do to protect their own backyard flocks.

Farmer Fred   

Well, give us some quick tips on protecting backyard flocks from avian flu. 

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

Oh, sure. So there's a couple of things that backyard chicken keepers can do. And one of them is just use really good biosecurity. And we've heard this before, right. It's things like limiting access to your property to where your chickens are, you want to make sure, too, that you don't have waterfowl, wild ducks and geese, that can actually get into where your coop is located. That's a big one. So having an enclosed coop is always a good thing. We had neighbors that had a duck flock out in their yard. And as it turned out, they have a little pond. Well guess what, one day they walked out and they actually had some wild ducks visit them. Something like that can be definitely a sensitive area and are in or risk for a lot of backyard chicken keepers as well. So doing things like keeping that biosecurity, maybe having a foot bath, limiting that access, those are going to be the key things that most will be able to do to keep their flock safe.

Farmer Fred 

Right . You mentioned foot bath and during the last avian flu outbreak, I remember the emphasis that was placed upon basically wiping off your shoes, cleaning your car tires, and not tracking any of the detritus from an infected flock to someplace else.

Cherie Sintes-Glover  

It's amazing how we as the human person, as the chicken keeper, can actually be the vector, which is basically the module of movement for viruses, we can track things into our own coop without even realizing it. So the easiest footbath to do is to get one of those basins from say, Home Depot, or one of those hardware stores. What you do is you take one of those rubber or plastic mats, you lay that on the bottom, and you basically do a bleach and water solution, it needs to just be super simple, it doesn't have to have a lot of bleach in it, I believe it's a tablespoon for every gallon. And then what you'll do is you can literally just put your shoes in, it doesn't even have to be that deep, you do a quick wipe of your shoes or your special chicken boots on that mat in the water. And that will do the trick. Another thing that's super easy is to basically have a chicken sprayer, or just a regular backyard garden sprayer, where you have the bleach solution. And you can use that sprayer to actually spray your shoes or your boots before you go in or out of your chicken area. And I would do the same thing with visitors. For instance, I had a delivery from our local feed store and that's what we did. I actually sprayed the delivery person's shoes and boots so that he could deliver the feed that we needed.

Farmer Fred   

All right. So this is important if you're thinking of starting up a little backyard chicken operation of your own to get some eggs, for example. Practice biosecurity when there is an avian flu outbreak, and it does happen every few years or so. And so you may want to invest in rubber boots.

Cherie Sintes-Glover

Yes. Basic rubber boots for work or shoes that you can easily clean. You know, for us our regular tennis shoes are just a little tougher to clean.  But something else that was interesting that I read was something we might not always think about: duck hunters, right? So duck season is coming up in the fall. And if you happen to have your own backyard flock and you go out on Saturday to go duck hunting, you're going to be in that environment with waterfowl. And the recommendation was actually to make sure that you don't walk with your hunting gear, your clothing, your boots that you were out in the duck fields and blind walking, don’t go into where your chicken coop is. And I wouldn't even have thought of that. Except that my son is a duck hunter. And so that means that if he happens to bring  some ducks back home, I need to make sure he doesn't walk through our chicken coop area.

Farmer Fred   

All right, well, that was a good scenic bypass. Now for those who are thinking of getting a backyard flock, how many chickens do they need? How big of a space do the chickens need? What are some of the basics when it comes to implementing a backyard chicken operation?

Cherie Sintes-Glover 

So I'm so glad you asked this because this is one of the top questions I get when I teach the chicken classes. People  want to know how many chickens do I need,  what are the best breeds to have if I want to have fresh eggs every morning. So we're really fortunate that we have a lot to choose from when it comes to the breeds. And there are so many different hatcheries available. There's so many different breeds of chickens available. So first thing you have to really decide, though, is how many you need. And really that depends on how many eggs you eat per week. So your normal average chicken will lay about half a dozen eggs per week. So that's about six per week. So you figure if you eat a dozen eggs a week, which actually sounds like quite a few, that will factor into how many chickens you have. The other factor, especially if you live in an urban environment, happens to be: do you have neighbors? If you have neighbors, I would actually get another chicken just to supply your neighbor with some fresh eggs, too. And that just helps them buy into the idea that you might have some backyard hens for fresh eggs. Who's going to turn down fresh eggs? So plan on figuring out how many eggs you eat per week. How many do you want, and then figure one chicken for every half dozen? That's the easiest way to think about it. So as far as breeds go, the breed of the chicken.  First thing is size. Luckily we have we have so many different ones to choose from. So we have both standard size chickens which are your typical chicken size, or you have Bantam. And Bantam refers to it's kind of like a miniature chicken, so they don't always have the same breeds or varieties between the bantams and the standard size. But that'll at least tell you what you have to choose from. Now bantams do lay a smaller egg and typically Bantam size birds will have usually one to two to three eggs equal one of the standards. So two or three Bantam eggs will equal one standard sized chicken egg, so just bear that in mind. But from the standard breeds versus the Bantam breeds, you can get everything from feather-footed which means they have feathers on their legs to all different colors and varieties. Some of the breeds are good dual breeds, which means that they not only lay great eggs, but you can also, if you're interested, harvest them for your freezer, for chicken dinner, you can do that. But you really have a variety to choose from, especially if you order from a hatchery, that's what's going to give you probably the best options. But you don't always have to raise chickens from the baby chicks stage. If you really don't want to raise baby chicks and be that Mama hen until they they get fully feathered, an option is to look at your local feed stores, maybe even look at local chicken breeders, and see if they have maybe young pullets that you can purchase where they're already past that stage where they need like warmth or a brooder.

Farmer Fred   

I'm looking at an article on the website, Successful Farming, and actually the website is called agriculture.com. But they had an article about “10 Chicken Breeds for your Farm”. And I was just amazed at the descriptions about the personalities of these chickens. And that some sound like they're very aggressive, while others sound like they're they would be very good in cold climates. And others are very docile.

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

See. that's what's interesting. You really can pick the kind of chicken that's going to suit your lifestyle, or maybe even where you live. Really, your chickens are always going to be able to survive the colder months especially if you live in areas like mine here in the San Joaquin valley where we really don't get much of a winter. We have pretty mild winters. The chickens are mostly going to be affected by actual heat, they are more likely to suffer heat stress. But when it comes to their personalities, and I'll actually say that even though they're a chicken, they will have personalities and different temperaments. One of the most popular chickens, at least chicken breeds, back in the day, used to be one called a Rhode Island Red, and everybody had Rhode Island Reds, that was just what you had, if you wanted eggs, they all look the same. They were kind of that brick red kind of color. They had like a lighter under color for their feathering. But they were kind of mean, right? They were the ones that would chase you even if they were hens and they were just more likely to just not be as friendly. And so what's kind of cool is that these days you can choose some of the breeds that are a little more colorful, that are a  little more friendly as far as human interaction goes. So one of my all time favorites is actually called the Red Star.

And it's a breed that one of the hatcheries produces and what's so awesome about the Red Stars is that they're actually a cross between the White Leghorn and the Rhode Island reds. And they are the most fabulous chicken  for just hanging around with you in the yard. They're the one that when I've raised them in the past if I'm out in the yard working on something or working out in the garden, first thing I'm going to do is, I'm going to feel something watching me. And then I turn to look and it's always the Red Star. They just for whatever reason they are just a very friendly, personable, very relaxed, easygoing chickens. So if you're looking for eggs, they lay a nice bright orange, red kind of colored egg, nice and large. And if you have kids, they're a great chicken because they'll easily get used to being handled  by children. So Red Stars always kind of my favorite.

Another really great one is the Silver Lace Wyandotte, and then also the Buff Orpingtons. They tend to be the heavier breeds and they're just so much fun. I don't know if you remember the movie “Chicken Run” but  those chickens are the ones that remind me of “chicken run”, it's just their way that their body is shaped and their plumage, but that's the cool thing about chickens: is that if you get a chance to visit a chicken show or you know poultry show, you’ll get to see all the different types of chickens that are female. Oh my gosh, all of them lay eggs. So have fun with it. Choose a chicken breed that you're interested in and that you'll enjoy.

Farmer Fred   

What about roosters? Do you need roosters? Do you need a rooster in order to get eggs?

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

No, you do not. It's funny how many people still think that you have to have a rooster in order to have good egg production. And the truth is you really don’t. Your female hens are going to lay eggs whether there's a rooster there or not. And they're going to lay them consistently. So no, there is no rooster needed. And what's kind of interesting is that a lot of the city ordinances for people that are in an urban environment, the city ordinances will typically outline that no roosters are allowed. So  the good thing is that you can still have your chickens, your hens, without having to have a rooster. 

Farmer Fred   

You do a lot of classes, in person classes and consulting, of course, and Zoom classes on raising chickens. I know that where you are near Lodi, California, you've got some classes coming up in June and July. We'll have some links to that information at our website,  gardenbasics.net , and on the show notes as well. You can find the info at chickensforeggs.com. And you do have some great information there on your homepage about keeping your chickens cool. And with summer on the way, those are some good points there to consider for those who currently have chickens.

Cherie Sintes-Glover 

Oh my gosh, yes. And you know, it's funny because we tend to worry about our chickens in the winter, right? We think  it's gonna be freezing, the poor chickens. But the truth is, chickens are like any any bird, right? You think of all the wild birds that are out in the trees and that are there, you know, surviving cold winter, they're doing just fine, your chickens will do just fine. And we always warn: do not use heat lamps, do not use heaters in your chicken coops in the winter. They truly do not need them. And they cause more fires and more damage than you can imagine. But when it comes to summer heat, that's what affects chickens more than anything. And that's because of a couple things. The first one is that chickens actually have a higher body temperature. So for them, when  it gets to be in the 70s, that's probably  the absolute perfect temperature range for them. That's when they're the happiest. The daylight hours are enough for them to generate those eggs, and they're doing great. But once that temperature begins to rise and increase, and especially here in the Central valley of California, we get temperatures over 100 to 110, sometimes even 115, if you're up near the Chico area. And that is brutal. That's when you're actually going to have a chicken death on your hands. So the best way to prevent heat stress in chickens is you can do a couple things. Number one is avoid feeding treats like chicken scratch, that means like corn, scratch, anything like that. And those carbohydrates are going to actually increase that chicken’s body temperature. So I have a strict rule in my backyard flock, which is no scratch, new corn scratch, during the summer months, when it's basically over 85 degrees. Then another thing you can do is have good airflow. You want there to be good ventilation. And chickens tend to reset their body temperature at night when the temperature is lower. So I actually have large box fans that are set up on a timer. And what that does is they switch on and off during the cooler hours of the early morning. And that allows that chicken to kind of reset and be able to handle it, especially if we go into day after day after day with those 100 degrees or more temperatures outside. You also want to make sure your chickens have good, fresh, cold water and use electrolytes. They actually have  basically its powder Gatorade for your chickens, that are called poultry electrolytes. You can find them at any poultry store or even on Amazon, and pick those up. Add those to the water but don't wait until it's 100 degrees. What you're going to do is be able to add in a few days before. So watch your weather reports. When you know that a heatwave is coming, don't wait . Go ahead and start the birds on the electrolytes before that. You just add them to the water, which makes it super simple. And one last trick and actually I learned this from someone who used to show rabbits. What you do is you take a two liter bottle or any kind of plastic bottle. You fill it up with water and you freeze it. Then what you can do is place those frozen water bottles inside your chicken coop. What's cool about that: not only will it provide a little bit of coolness when it evaporates and starts to melt, but you'll find that your chickens will snuggle up next to that frozen two liter water bottle just to help them cool off during the hottest parts of the day. And what's super great is that it doesn't create a mess. A lot of people want to go with misters, but I find that those end up creating pools of water that really aren't healthy for the birds to drink out of and they tend to clog up right there more more work than they're worth so those will be my my biggest tips when it comes to eliminating or at least help preventing heat stress in your chicken.

Farmer Fred   

Probably some shade too. 

Cherie Sintes-Glover   

Oh yes. I forgot about the shade. It's funny because to me I'm like shade is automatic and that's partly for me as the chicken keeper because I would not want to work with my chickens in the hot sun but oh my gosh yes make sure they have a good shaded area to go to. It still gets really hot, even in the shade but at least that will provide them some protection from the sun. So a nice tree, a shade cloth you can set that up, anything you can do to help those chickens, especially in the late afternoon sun.

Links:

ChickensforEggs.com

10 Chicken Breeds For Your Farm

Chicken Eggshell Cleaning Brushes

Electrolytes and Vitamin Supplements for Chickens

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

In this Newsletter podcast, Drip Irrigation expert and garden book author Robert Kourik troubleshoots the most common drip irrigation issues for home gardeners.

Drip Irrigation: How Long Do I Water?

     90% of all plant problems are water related, either too much or too little. Compounding the problem: gardeners who are operating a drip irrigation system but using a sprinkler mentality.     Talking to gardeners, after describing a plant problem, will be asked: "How are you watering that plant?" More often than not, if the answer is, "drip irrigation", they will follow that with, "And I run it for five minutes a day, everyday."And therein lies the problem.     A drip irrigation system puts out water much slower than a sprinkler system, usually a gallon or two an hour versus a sprinkler system's output of a gallon or two A MINUTE.     In five minutes, a 1 gallon per hour (gph) drip emitter will put out about 10 ounces of water...slightly more than a cupful. Not only will that pittance of water not saturate the width of the plant's root zone (which can extend beyond the canopy of the plant), it won't penetrate more than an inch or two. And then not stay there very long.

     What happens to a plant with a shallow watering program? The roots stay very near the surface, where they are more subject to drying out quickly. This boom and bust cycle stresses the plant, opening up the possibility of disease and insect invasions.     With a drip irrigation system, don't think "minutes". Think: "hours". And water deeply, but infrequently (once or twice a week). However, that instruction can be and should be modified based on the type of soil you have. If you’re doing in-ground planting and have heavy clay soil, you may be able to get away with that formula.

Irrigating a raised bed, where the imported soil amendments may be lighter and fluffier, with a greater sand content, more frequent irrigations with drip will be necessary. More horizontal tubing will be necessary as well, perhaps 8-10 inches separating the lines of half-inch tubing. In sandier soil, the water footprint is much more narrow than in clay soil.

Listen to Robert Kourik, author of the book, Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates. In the podcast at the top of this edition of the Beyond the Garden Basics newsletter, he talks about watering with a drip system, a little bit, every day. HOWEVER…he also mentions that his preseason watering regimen includes saturating the entire soil mass in his raised bed, and then only adding enough water each day to make up for any loss. You can try this at home, but…don’t try this at home unless you are dedicated to the craft of measuring your soil moisture in the root zone on a regular basis in your raised beds. 

Your goal is to apply enough water to penetrate the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches, preferably more. The day after you water, either dig down 8 inches by hand or with a soil sampling tube; or, stick a moisture meter down to that depth to determine if the soil is moist (not dry, and not soggy). Battery-operated soil moisture meters tend to have a longer life.

In our raised bed vegetable garden, the summer watering regimen is with an inline drip irrigation system (1 gph emitters along the line, with emitters spaced 12" apart) which is run twice a week, six hours at a time. Your weather, soil type, slope and crops may need a slightly different watering schedule. In our 4'x8' raised beds, five inline emitter lines run the length of each bed. The lines are spaced about 9" apart. The big reason why I can get away with a once or twice a week application of water via drip irrigation: the soil is amended each growing season, covered with a half inch of worm castings, a couple of inches of fine compost, and finally three to four inches of shredded oak leaves as the top mulch.

No digging is necessary (digging and tilling destroys soil structure and the necessary air pockets). The end result of doing this after a few years: soil that retains moisture better, longer. And, more beneficial microbial activity, as well as more worms (worms are good).

Consider using microsprinklers or sprayers to thoroughly wet the root area for trees and shrubs. These put out more water, usually between 8 and 20 gallons per hour. We have these on our shrubs and fruit trees, and during the summer will run them for about an hour, once or twice a week, depending on how hot it is.

     The other part of the drip irrigation equation that a lot of gardeners miss: not enough emitters for the plant. Placing one emitter next to a new tree or shrub is not enough. Remember, plant roots tend to grow out horizontally. Emitters should be spaced evenly around the tree or shrub, in a spiraled circle, halfway between the trunk and the outer canopy of the newly installed plant. The spacing between the emitters will depend on your soil type: for sandy soils, use a 12" spacing; for heavy clay, 18-24" spacing. Add emitters towards the outer canopy of the plant as the plant grows.

• Soaker hoses need maintenance, too. Flush them monthly. The Dramm soaker hose, pictured here, is the most reliable, even-flowing soaker hose I have ever used.

One of my favorite aisles at the big box stores is the drip irrigation aisle (also known as “Purgatory on Earth”). It’s almost like a church in that section of the store. People are silent, staring straight ahead at the morass of bins containing strange looking drip irrigation parts…and those people are more than likely praying for guidance that they can unravel the mysteries surrounding drip irrigation installation and repair.

A great online tutorial about drip irrigation: the Dripworks website. This site has helpful tips and videos that can help beginner and pro alike solve their drip irrigation and yard watering woes.     The Dripworks catalog is also great resource for anyone tackling the problems associated with drip irritation...uh, irrigation. Just thumbing through the catalog can give you several "Aha!" moments for improving your own yard watering procedures, especially if you are looking to replace your residential sprinkler systems with a drip irrigation system, which can work with your existing automatic sprinkler system control box.

A final warning about drip irrigation systems: they will need maintenance. Lines can separate from their fittings. Emitters can clog. Micro-sprayers can jam. Shovels, trowels, weed whackers, spading forks, squirrels and rats can pierce a half-inch or quarter-inch drip feeder line. Turn the system on manually at least once a month and walk the circuit. Look for unusual wet spots, dry spots and geysers. Have the necessary repair parts handy. Know where the end caps are for each line. Remove those caps and flush the system for several minutes at the least at the beginning and end of each season, especially if you are on well water.

And to answer your question: “Is it worth it?” Yes. Because of its pinpoint accuracy, drip systems use far less water than ordinary sprinklers, and that accuracy insures the roots of the plant will get the water they need. Plus, you’ll be spending more time in “church”.

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

It's a common site this time of year: gardeners with sprayers in hand (or on their back), applying weedkiller to the unwanted greenery that has popped up around their desirable plants. 

Winter - USDA Zones 8 and 9 - would seem to be a better time to do this: cool-season weeds are easier to control when they are small and actively growing; around valuable deciduous plants, there is less danger of the spray accidentally hitting the leaves (there aren't any); and, those new, green weeds are like a flashing freeway sign in a drab, brown landscape, screaming "Nyah, Nyah, Nyah!", taunting us into action.

Below are some tips you may not be aware of, when using the most popular post-emergent weed killer, Roundup, as well as it's generic counterparts that also use glyphosate as the active ingredient. (Hint: compare prices!)

The purpose of this posting is not to rail about the dangers to the environment after using glyphosate. Check out the Wikipedia entry  for a fairly balanced report on what the scientific community is studying and debating about glyphosate, including this tidbit:

"An in vitro study indicates that glyphosate formulations could harm earthworms and beneficial insects. However, the reported effect of glyphosate on earthworms has been criticized. The results conflict with results from field studies where no effects were noted for the number of nematodes, mites, or springtails after treatment with Roundup at 2 kilograms active ingredient per hectare. Glyphosate can negatively affect nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and increase the susceptibility of plants to disease. A 2005 study concluded that certain amphibians may be at risk from glyphosate use."

Sure, you've read the instructions on how to mix it and how much to apply. And you know not to spray it on desirable foliage. The point here is to make you aware of some of the instructions on the label that you may have overlooked. 

Much of this information is taken straight from the 10-page instruction book that comes with Roundup Pro.

Of course, Rule Number One always has been, and always will be:

READ AND FOLLOW ALL LABEL DIRECTIONS.

 I know, I know...you started reading the first sentence, and by the time you got to the fourth line, it was all, "blah, blah, blah". But note a couple of items in that paragraph. It doesn't specify to avoid spraying desirable leaves; it says to avoid "desirable vegetation". And sure enough, there are enough thin-skinned trees and shrubs out there through which that wandering mist can attach itself on a windy day. 

One of the most susceptible shrubs in the dormant season: your rose bushes. Sure, there are no leaves on them in winter (hopefully), but glyphosate can be absorbed through the thin bark of rose bush trunks, creating problems in the spring and summer for the new growth:

 This is what a rose looks like, months after the green stems were hit with errant glyphosate spray. At it isn't just a wintertime weed killer application that could hurt roses down the line. According to the UC Integrated Pest Management Program: "Glyphosate damage may appear at bud break the following spring after a summer or fall application that contacts leaves or stems; symptoms include a proliferation of small, whitish shoots and leaves."

And how many times have you seen gardeners in a hurry, briskly walking down a row of plants, sprayer close to the ground, or spraying while driving their ATV, attempting to decimate a line of weeds at full speed? That increases the chance for spray drift.

To it's credit, that product label repeats itself, in even clearer tones:

Here's one that surprised me: 

 How many times have you seen someone spraying weeds on a foggy or low overcast day? That's a temperature inversion! Don't spray on a foggy day, because, as the label says: "drift potential is high", due to the droplets remaining suspended in a concentrated cloud. 

Hmm, I guess you might be inhaling some of that on a foggy day...possibly?

How about all those days when you see someone spraying a post-emergent weed killer on plants that are past their prime, already half-dead or totally dead? You're wasting your time and money, according to the label:

Many gardeners know about using glyphosate as a stump killer of an unwanted woody tree or shrub. Make the cut, then immediately apply the glyphosate at a high rate of concentration. But wait a minute...what's going on underground? Possible intermingling of the roots of different plants.

The good news here: plants of different genera (a eucalyptus and pistache, for example) tend not to graft their roots together. But if you are trying to get rid of one willow stump while saving another healthy, desirable willow nearby… well, you've been warned.

The US Dept of Agriculture also offers advice on paying attention to other meteorological conditions when applying glyphosate: 

• Use when ambient air temperature is between 60 - 85 degrees F. (plants slow down their growth when it's too hot or too cold; glyphosate works best on actively growing plants).

• Do not use if rain is expected, or if foliage is wet. 

• Do not water treated areas for at least 6 hours after treatment. 

• Allow seven days for the plant to die. In cool, dark or dry climates the effects of treatment may take longer than a week because plant growth rates are slowed and the chemical requires more time to act and the plant to die.

 • Do not use in windy conditions or on water.

And, the USDA Forest Service suggests precautions when storing weed killers: “Minimum storage temperature refers to the temperature required to keep the pesticide in solution. Below that temperature, the pesticide will form crystals and freeze.” According to that publication, different weed killers have different minimum storage temperatures; glyphosate needs protection at temperatures less than 10 degrees fahrenheit.Again, your better chemical defense against weeds is to read and follow all label directions when applying any weed killer. Your best defense? A hoe, when you first spot a young weed. Or, for mature weeds…goats.

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the “Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred'“ newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe

In this interview with America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, we discuss how to stave off plant diseases and insect pests by rotating your crops. And heck, if you’re gonna rotate, it might as well resemble a wheel, right? This interview originally aired in Episode 114 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast.

I have little or no artistic sense whatsoever, especially in the garden. I tend to plant in rows, in rectangular raised beds, all designed for function, not form. With raised boxes, it's easier to rotate the vegetables each year. 

But only IF you can remember what was planted where, the year before. A circle garden, on the other hand, might be easier to rotate crops than a scattershot series of raised, rectangular beds.

The benefits to crop rotatation? Many of the plants that are in the same "family group" have diseases in common. Many of these diseases are difficult, or impossible, to control using chemicals. For example, don't plant tomatoes in the spot where you had potatoes last year, and vice versa. That could spread late blight disease. The best solution for disease control is crop rotation. Of course, choosing resistant varieties of vegetables can help thwart diseases. For example, tomatoes with a "V" "F" and/or "N" after their names indicates resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt and nematodes. However, most heirloom varieties of vegetables offer little or no disease resistance...another good argument for crop rotation. For heirlooms, choose those varieties that are meant to grow in the area you live. And, it helps to spread an inch or two of compost over all your garden beds before you plant each year.

Another advantage of having a series of garden beds in the same area: each crop can be irrigated according to its specific needs. For example, as onions and garlic mature in May, watering should be reduced. But that is also the time that summer crops such as tomato and pepper plants need regular watering. An automatic drip irrigation system, with individual lines for each bed, can customize the amount of water for each bed. In my dream circular garden, the valves can be centrally located in the “hub area” - Where all the beds come together -for ease of operation. Individual drip lines then would run to each bed, where on-off valves can be located for each bed.

Another reason for crop rotation: to replenish nutrients to the soil. Many vegetables tend to be heavy nitrogen users. Giving your soil an "off-year" every few years by planting cover crops allows it a chance to reduce pest populations while building up valuable soil nutrients, as well as beneficial fungi and bacteria. 

Annual cover crops that do well in USDA Zone 9 for the warm weather seasons: buckwheat, cowpeas, soybeans and black eye peas. 

For the cool weather seasons in USDA Zone 9: bell or fava beans, winter peas, vetch, clover. All of these can add more nitrogen to the soil.

An excellent online reference for cover crops: the Peaceful Valley Farm Supply Catalog. That publication also points out several other benefits to crop rotation:• Increases organic matter• Increases earthworms and beneficial microorganisms • Stabilizes soil to prevent erosion • Brings deep-rooted minerals to the surface• Provides habitat, nectar, and pollen for beneficial insects while choking out weeds• Improves water, root and air penetration of soil • Increases the soil’s moisture-holding capacity • Breaks up subsoil and plow-soles • Provides aesthetic value and color (artistic!)

Which brings us back to my original quandary...how to remember exactly what was planted where, each year. Garden gnomes (cleverly disguised as possums) steal the signs; leaving crop remnants in each bed could add to pest and disease problems; writing down the location of crops each year would work...if you remember to go back in the house to check your garden notebook before starting the task of planting each year (ha!). 

One solution that may work is a circular garden, consisting of six raised beds formed to look like spokes emanating from a hub, like a bicycle wheel, for example. Perhaps a pizza garden would be a more appropriate name for this wheel of edibles. There are definite benefits to having a garden in the shape of a circle: a central water source in the middle of the circle, perhaps a small tool shed in that hub area, and compacted walkways three or four feet wide (big enough for a wheelbarrow) to avoid stepping on the garden soil or squeezing between the sides of the raised beds. Make those pathways wider if you want to drive a small tractor with a bucket up those pathways. And, you’ll need room in the middle to turn around or navigate your way out. So, that middle circle at the hub - which would hold water valves, a faucet, small tool shed, a recirculating bird bath (Hey! Let me dream, will you?), and room to navigate your little orange Kubota around - might need a diameter of 12-15 feet. The length of each slice of this pizza garden should be about 20 feet, with the outer edge of each piece being about four feet wide, to easily reach the middle of each slice to pull weeds, plant, and harvest. Please, any reader with graph paper or a landscape computer program: figure out the ultimate size of this six slice pizza garden for me. I’ll start looking on Zillow for acreage.

Seems like a lot of work to just have an easier way to remember to rotate crops each season. But it would be really cool to look at from the roof of the house. Or a drone video.

Here's the general idea for the Circular Crop Rotation Garden. The crops are arranged so that every three years, the soil gets a break: either nitrogen-fixing crops such as peas and beans are planted; or, a cover crop and compost are added to replenish the soil. Also, crops that tend not to be heavy nitrogen users are situated right before the "rest year". In this case, root crops and leafy crops precede beds that are in minimal use (cover crops or peas/beans). The heavy nitrogen-using beds are directly opposite each other: tomatoes, peppers, etc. are opposite the corn and cucurbits.

More info at the Farmer Fred Rant Blog Page, “It’s Crop Rotation Time! Do You Have the Room?”

Thank you for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast! It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your garden friends.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from some of the underlined links in the newsletter. This is how I am trying to keep this a free newsletter. And as long as you buy whatever you want from Amazon using any of those links to get into the Amazon site, I get a few pennies. Thank you.

Thanks for Subscribing and Spreading the Word About the Beyond the Basics: The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, I appreciate your support. 

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe