Pam Stewart talks worms and compost at August SGC meeting

Maggie hosted another informative meeting at her home tonight, this time featuring veteran gardener Pam Stewart. Pam, a middle school science teacher who spearheaded a massive gardening and composting effort at Manlius Pebble Hill, shared composting wisdom with us. Neighbors Simone, Robin, Martha, Ellen, Tina, and Maggie gathered garden intelligence on everything from indoor vermicomposting to backyard composting.

To produce "garden gold" (worm castings) you need 1,000 to 2,000 capellini-like red wigglers, a worm bin (homemade is fine), a boot tray (to catch the valuable "worm tea") and a bedding layer (Pam prefers coconut fiber). To keep them happy, feed your worms veggie and fruit food scraps. These are vegan worms so no dairy or meat! Worms love food scrap smoothies so you can blend your food scraps with a little water, too. Watch how much fruit you feed them because too much may draw fruit flies. These little wigglers are photophobic and will die if exposed to light for more than 15 minutes so unless you're gathering your castings, keep the lid on. As long as you keep your worms above freezing, you may store them in your garage, under a sink, in your basement. In 3-4 months, expect some wonderfully rich compost to add to your houseplants and garden.

Pam spoke at length about backyard composting, too, answering questions from members--some of whom also shared their experience with composting. Tips for success in backyard composting include maintaining a ratio of 30 parts brown (fallen leaves, spent stalks, saw dust) to 1 part green (grass clippings, food scraps), watering, and rotating to help maintain a good core temperature (110 to 140 degrees is optimal). The end result? A dark and nutrient rich soil amendment. You can add vines, ivy, myrtle, vinca, coffee, eggshells, tea bags, saw dust, dirt, twigs. The "do not add list" includes anything that is diseased, seedy,has rust or fungus, pet waste, peonies, iris. By the way, Simone adds torn yarrow leaves to her backyard bin because they act as a compost activator, and uses an iron rod to stir and agitate her compost.

Finally, Robin posed a question to the group about pruning her gigantic rose bush. It was recommended that she trim it, from the top down, to a manageable height. Also, Ellen added that Rose of Sharon fixes a multitude of garden sins...and plenty of members have some to share!

Great cart for hauling mulch and compost .

I just got this wonderful cart at City Hardware on Geddes.  It is the perfect size.

Master Gardener candidate Jane Janis at July SGC meeting

The Strathmore Garden Club met on Monday, July 23rd at Maggie's home. Our guest speaker was Jane Janis who recently completed coursework toward her Master Gardening credential. Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Onondaga County sponsors the Master Gardener Volunteer program which “provides training to individuals, who, in turn, use their knowledge to educate others and help to beautify the community’s public areas” (website). Jane was one of thirty participants who attended classes for three hours every Tuesday night from February to June. Once participants finish the class work, they have three years to complete 150 hrs of volunteering in order to receive their Master Gardening credentials. Coursework addresses topics such as basic botany, soils, insects, disease control, organic lawn and gardening, pruning trees and shrubs, vegetables, perennials, composting, plant pathology, house plants, annual bedding plants, wild life control, and volunteering opportunities.

Thank you Jane, for taking the time to share your gardening wisdom with us!

Save the date: Monday, August 6th at 7:00 p.m. Pam Stewart will join us to discuss composting. Bring your compost and gardening questions.

Meeting highlights:

CCE has a staffed hotline you can consult if you have questions or concerns about your garden.

Pests: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a wonderful resource for problems that drive you buggy (beneficial bugs, too).

Mulch + Compost: For $15, households can purchase a membership with the Amboy Recycling Center and get up to 6 cubic yards of compost and mulch for your garden.

Mowing: Never cut your lawn shorter than 3”. Keep your lawn mower blade sharp! Sharpen your blade at least once a season so as not to shred your grass and to use less gas.

“Drought:” If you water your lawn water at least 1” to get to the roots (about one hour of watering…you can measure by placing a cup on the grass as you water). Otherwise, too little watering produces moisture that sits on top and can promote mold growth. Watering in the morning is best.

Hydrangeas: The warm spell in March cause the plants to leaf out but was followed by cold/frost which, for some, promoted the growth of woody spikes without buds. Hydrangeas will bloom on old wood and new wood. You can remove this year’s old wood. Hydrangeas love acidic soil and adapt well.

Roses love nutrients so feed them! If you are experiencing problems with your roses you can purchase a fertilizer-pesticide combo to add to the soil rather than spray.

Ground hogs: There’s a woodchuck invasion in Strathmore! Members are exasperated by these garden devils. Find information about rules and regulations governing removal here.
Find another resource on these furry beasts here:


OCRRA

Plants from my Crazy Daisies excursion.

Does anyone have a garden with an assortment of flowers so you have constant bloom. I'm looking for a list of flowers for each month.

Garden Tour and Plant Sale

CNY Land Trust Garden Tour and Plant Sale: Tour over 25 acres of extraordinary landscaped gardens and ponds on Saturday, June 23rd from 11:00am - 4:00 pm. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free. Group rates available! All proceeds benefit the Central New York Land Trust. Enjoy live music, entertainment, buy food or bring a picnic. Call Steve Kulick at 476-0695 for tickets and information.

SGC meeting notes

The Strathmore Garden Club met at Mundy this evening. We had a wonderful turnout of familiar and new neighbors! Paige brought fascinating pictures of an unexpected garden visitor (we'll post them soon). Shawnette brought bulbs to share and as people were mingling, posed a question to Steve and Maggie. It seems that something is damaging Shawnette's bulbs, so Maggie suggested that she try sprinkling cayenne pepper near the plants. Maggie deterred some determined squirrels and a ground hog with a good dose of cayenne. Maggie also shared lovely peonies and hostas.

Tina gave a quick overview of the blog. Members suggested potential links to local nurseries and greenhouses, and creating easily accessible format for upcoming events, private gardens, public gardens and more. If you want to add content to the blog you can either send posts to Tina who will post it for you, or can become an "author" and post directly to the blog. Tina will post a tutorial on how to navigate and post to the blog by next week. In the meantime, if you need help or have ideas, send Tina an email at quellever@aol.com. We look forward to seeing member author's posts in the coming days and weeks!

Steve shared information on an upcoming garden tour and plant sale (see post in the side bar and blog archive). He's working the tour and is available to answer questions and furnish advance sale tickets.

Members brainstormed ideas for speakers, topics, and "field trips" for upcoming meetings. As soon as we confirm our next meeting date, we will update the blog and send you an email. Also, if you have an idea for a meeting topic or outing, please send it to Maggie O.

Thanks to John DeMott for advertising our meeting in the neighborhood email. We look forward to seeing John and other neighbors on June 16th at the Strathmore-by-the-Park Homes Tour and Art on the Porches. If you don't have your rain barrels yet, you can attend a workshop up at Art on the Porches!

Homemade Garden Hand Scrub

If you have dirt (and time) on your hands, here's a simple scrub you can make--and share--with your gardening friends. Thanks, Jillee!

Garden Club Meeting

The first SGC meeting of this season will take place on Wednesday, June 6th at 6:30 p.m. at Mundy Branch Library.
We will set an agenda for future meetings, share stories of our gardening adventures, and debut the new garden club blog. Dessert will be served. Please bring a friend or neighbor!

Container Workshop at Crazy Daisies

Tonight's mist cast a greyish blue tint over the evening sky but the greenhouses at Crazy Daisies greeted members of the Strathmore Garden Club with an abundant, colorful mix of plants. For $30.00 Jennifer's container workshop provides seven plants, a container, and soil. "The mess stays here!"said Jennifer. She's quite flexible and if you bring your own container, she'll knock down the price a bit--you can even split the plants between two containers. If there's a way, Jennifer has got the will to support your interests and aid you with your selection.
Members brought a variety of artful containers and window boxes, and selected from a seemingly endless array of shade and sun loving plants and edibles. See us getting our hands dirty in the Flickr photostream above.
This month's meeting will be at Mundy Branch Library where we will debut our blog, discuss plans, and greet old and new members. More information on the day and time to follow.

Gardening Tips and Hints from Cornell

Nearby Cornell has abundant resources to share. Check out this How To: Lawn, Garden, & Landscape for garden growing guides, and information on composting and beneficial insects and more.

Celebrate Spring at Crazy Daisies

Summer is just around the corner and I’m sure we are all itching to get started on our planting. Unfortunately, in fickle CNY, we still risk the threat of frost.

Is anyone interested in a trip to Crazy Daisies to get a head start on potting your plants? Last year we went up on a weekday evening, pots in hand. You get to chose flowers and plants and arrange them in your pots. Jennifer was very helpful in suggesting what plants would fit best in the containers and sunlight available at your home.

Let Maggie know if anyone is interested and we’ll schedule a date.

BC In Touch: Community Garden

SGC on Twitter

Check out @StrathmoreGC on twitter.

Planning ahead for spring? Here are a few ideas to get you cooking.

 1. Plan your container garden with help from the Crazy Container Workshop at Crazy Daisies.

 2. Clean your rain barrel.


 3. Prepare your tools.

When do I start tomatoes from seed in upstate NY?

Check out this article on starting seeds. Hover over "When do I start...NY" below and a link will appear (text to links on this blog are purple). Click on the link and enjoy.
When do I start tomatoes from seed in upstate NY?

Signs of Spring in Strathmore

Today, on Summit Ave., I saw these purple croci eagerly stretching toward the March sun. Their subtle presence whispers "Spring is coming." What will you do to prepare your garden?

Gardening Books

    Winter's dreary comeback carries with it an opportunity to settle in with a good book. Whether you prefer hardcovers or eBooks their are plenty of places to "shop" for ideas for your garden. First stop is your own bookshelf. Revisit a old tomes that have shared wisdom over the years. If you have a few titles that don't get much use, swap them with a fellow gardener to refresh your collection. A visit to local second hand bookstores and thrift shops offers a treasure trove of titles for pennies on the dollar. Whether you're an eBook fan or like kicking back with a hardcover or paperback volume in hand, check out your local library for new titles. Lastly, browse the internet for help finding the perfect book for you. Stop by Goodreads to view recommendations from fellow gardeners.
     Perhaps our first garden club meeting of the year can be centered around a garden-themed book swap. Either way, sharing books and ideas reconnects old friends and builds new relationships.

Welcome neighbors

We're only two months into 2012 and Strathmore Garden Club is preparing for Spring! One exciting new effort is to launch a SGC blog. We want your ideas for this space. Just subscribe to the blog and share.  Welcome!