Brown lawns, unwieldy ground cover prompt readers to take issue with gardening advice
The third week of August is when signs of fall announce the growing season is about to change. This is your chance to plant a late-summer garden for fall harvest. Cool season crops such as beets, lettuce, spinach, Swiss Chard and radishes can be planted now if you empty space from harvested crops.
Be sure to add compost, dairy manure or other soil amendments to your soil if you have already harvested one crop before you plant the area again for a fall harvest.
Succession planting is the art of sowing seeds like lettuce every few weeks so you’ll have a continuous supply of leaf greens instead of a one-crop harvest that can be overwhelming.
Now here are some questions from readers that don’t sound too happy with my advice:
Q. My neighbor has not been watering his lawn. He claims you said his brown lawn is not dead. It looks dead to me. Did you tell everyone to stop watering their lawns? — A.T., Tacoma
A. I better ‘fess up. Yes, I have written and spoken about allowing lawns in Western Washington to “Go Golden” or dormant in the summer if you want or need to conserve water. Saving money on the water bill is important to many homeowners — this year especially when many are without work. Your neighbor’s lawn is not dead. In the fall when the rains return, dormant grasses will green up again.
Q. I used recycled water from cooking vegetables on my hanging fuchsia basket. I remember you suggested this a few years ago when I heard you speak at an event. Well I just want you to know that almost immediately after I poured the water from boiling corn onto my fuchsias, the plants started to wilt and look terrible. I wanted you to know you gave bad advice. — P.G., Kent
A. Yikes! I may be an assessory to plant murder. It sounds like with such instant wilting you used cooking water that had not been allowed to cool first or that had been salted. Plants do not like hot water or salt. My apologies if you did not hear that bit of advice about cooling the water first.
You can safely recycle kitchen water that is salt- and soap-free and use it on your plants. Water that has been used to boil eggs had added calcium which is especially good for African violets and tomatoes, and water from cooking veggies contains nutrients that leach into the water and can be fed back to plants. Just be sure when you recycle that the water is cool and salt-free.
Q. I have a bone to pick with you about a plant you recommended. I wrote asking for advice on a ground cover for the shade. One of the plants you suggested was vinca minor. Well only a few years have gone by and that horrible vinca is taking over the entire bed! Now I have to rip it all out. Nobody should be told to plant vinca. Thought you should know. — R.G., Sumner
A. So sorry. Ground covers do cover the ground and in some cases if you have good soil they are just too ambitious. Your soil in the Sumner valley is exceptional and many ground covers including ivy, ajuga, bishop’s weed, and pachysandra will grow much too well.
Just up the hill from you in Bonney Lake, the soil is rocky and dry. In dry shade, your same vinca minor plant might just be the perfect weed-blocking ground cover under trees where nothing else wants to grow. One gardener’s weed is another gardener’s work-saving wonder.
Q. I just wanted to write to tell you how much I enjoy seeing pictures of your garden on Facebook and Instagram. Your daily posts have taught me a lot. I also love reading your weekly column. I do have a complaint. You have inspired me with so many great plant ideas and local growing knowledge that I now have an overabundance of vegetables and flowers! I shall keep growing. — S.W., Auburn
A. How wonderful. Your local food bank would be happy to help with all that produce – and they might like some cut flowers to share as well.
Marianne Binetti is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and eight other gardening books. She has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and will answer questions from her website at www.binettigarden.com.