In life as well as love, it is a give and take relationship. Those who learn this early in life are the most masterful, most manipulative. Does that sound negative? It should not – unless you see the cries of your newborn baby as it communicates its hunger – manipulative. The whimper of your lovable dog as it needs an open door to the outside world to do its business – manipulative. We are naturally born with certain triggers. Our stomachs will manipulate us into thinking we are hungry due to certain –tell tale – signs. Manipulation can be wielded as a tool of war or peace.
In the past some corn crops in the United States had been manipulated with the product Bt -Bacillus thunbergii – a bacterium applied in a spray form that kills ALL caterpillars, which affect the bounty of the crops. Though, in use of this crop manipulation – there were many innocent caterpillars caught in the exposure and their populations were decreased. This is a form of BAD manipulation, in my opinion.
I speak of manipulation to start, as the most successful gardeners are the masters of manipulation. The most successful growers are masters of this act as well. You have it in you; shall you wield it for war or peace? – To tear down or to build up? – To truly harvest or to merely reap? – We are, again, all guilty of some form of it or another. We concede in life we manipulate – let us be aware of this and let us become most keenly aware of WHO – WHAT and HOW we affect the environment by these – our manipulations.
We manipulate the earth on a daily basis. Every time you walk down that same path, the same swath of land, you are literally leaving your imprint on it. You have shared the air – acknowledges your space in being there and you have changed the earth – the soil beneath of you – just a bit, with your gait.
We could not fit all of the information we needed to share with you this week in just one blog post so we have included eight links we have gathered from very reputable sources to help you to – Manipulate the Earth – and get her to give you payback for a job well done! I feel this is the Earths way of saying – You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours! – Get into your tool shed and grab some manipulation…. we are going to give your plot of earth just what it needs to help your garden grow!
What to Plant
- Plant lettuce – it will tolerate a full sun area but likes a bit of shelter. If you are planning on planting tomatoes – use your lettuce as a companion planting – lettuce likes to hang out with tomatoes, Follow the placement instructions on your seed packet. I know the seeds are small but you do not need a bunch in one spot – trust the seed. Otherwise, you will need to weed the ones out that are too close as they grow. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1610.html
- Plant seed Potatoes
- Plant onion sets http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1616.html
- Plant Peas – Short on space? If you have a full sun facing side of a garage – a little staking and netting – you have the perfect small space for them! http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1617.html
- Plant Conifers
What to Feed
Small fruits;
Blackberries – In the planting year, fertilize each plant with ½ to 1 oz. nitrogen (N), depending on soil fertility. Use a well-balanced fertilizer such as 16-16-16. To calculate how much product to apply, divide the desired amount of N you need to apply (for example, 1 oz.) by the percentage of N in the fertilizer: 1 ÷ 0.16 = 6.3 oz. of fertilizer per plant. Do not apply all of the fertilizer at once. Divide the total into thirds and apply the first one third 2 weeks after planting, the next one-third 1 month later, and the final one-third 1 month after the second application. In the above example, you would apply 2.1 oz. of 16-16-16 per application per plant (6.3 ÷ 3 = 2.1). Distribute the fertilizer evenly in a small area around the young plants.– per Oregon State – known for their blackberries.
- Raspberries http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1421.html
- Blueberries
- Strawberries http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1424.html
What to Trim
- Type C Clematis
- Remove the dead tops of Mums if you haven’t already
- Remove Rudbekia / Black eye susan, Echinacea / Coneflower & Hosta stalks if you haven’t already
- Have you cut back your ornamental grasses yet?
Just as an interior designer will manipulate the interior of your home to create something aesthetically pleasing the exterior of our homes are in the same need of manipulation. Let us take this oath today together:
We as gardeners and lovers of this green earth hereby decree & declare from this day forward we will wield our weapons of garden mass manipulation for the betterment of our lives, our gardens lives and the whole of mankind! Let us manipulate this great green earth together with proper stewardship and care; we’ll leave the nay Sayers in our dust as they – WATCH US GROW!!!
