Pesticides

At the recognition dinner this fall we heard from Catherine Daniels, the person at WSU who sets and enforces the pesticide policy for the MGs around WA state.  In the intervening year and a half, I’ve done a bit of reading about environmental causes of cancer, seen some documentaries on the chemical industry, and witnessed friends and acquaintances on their own cancer journeys, all with mysterious origin, some ending in death.  The issues are complex to say the least, and challenge who we are as gardeners in King County.  The implications are always worth reconsidering.

In conversations I’ve had about MG pesticide policy, I’ve always said our best asset in public outreach is our broad training on multiple topics.  Although we all have personal beliefs about the use of household chemicals, the policy we signed as MGs in training demands that we talk to people at whatever level they come to us.  Naturally, we try to steer the public to the least harmful method for control of whatever problem they bring.  I feel lucky to have worked these years at the Washington Park Arboretum clinic, since we seldom field chemical questions.  Only once have I been asked directly about the use of Roundup, to which I replied what I believe to be the WSU position.  I admit I did go on to explain how chemical safety is determined, or not, and encouraged the questioner to do his own research not only on glyphosate, the active component in Roundup, but also on the other ingredients in the bottle he would actually purchase.  Since the public is unable to buy straight glyphosate, it’s always seemed a bit dishonest to base our recommendations on tests that isolate it, especially when research is continuing to show that the other ingredients in a bottle of Roundup are highly mobile in soil, detrimental to marine environments, possible endocrine disruptors, breed pesticide resistant weeds, ruin soil through mineral chelation, and, like many or most lawn chemicals, don’t degrade once they’re tracked into our houses on our shoes and, so, remain in our carpets indefinitely.  For me, the risks don’t outweigh the benefits of a weed free lawn, but I’ve argued before with MGs who hold differing opinions and I’m sure I will again.

I was deeply moved at the recognition dinner by the seriousness with which so many of us take these issues.  Many of us were horrified to learn that WSU doesn’t run toxicology studies on pesticides, there is no toxicologist on staff, so the possible links between lawn and garden pesticides and cancer aren’t considered when setting policy.  This is reflective of our national regulatory process and counter to many other countries’ positions that are drawn using the precautionary principle.  Time and our bodies will show the results of our choices.  For now, I believe that the choices I make matter:  whether I contribute pesticides to our common water supply does actually have an effect beyond my yard.  The garden I’m tending now will be the same earth in which one of my children will, perhaps, one day grow food.  The obligation to consider what we’re doing and how we’re approaching our work as MGs is real.  Let’s keep learning so we can continue the conversation.

Resources

Finally, summer has arrived, just when everyone insists it’s time to close things down.  Many of the clinics will end their seasons in the next month.  I’ve personally served at the Washington Park Arboretum clinic since I went through training.  As it’s a year-round clinic, it surprises me each year to talk about the end of the clinic season.  It’s also time to start ripening tomatoes, another signal of fall.  Since I don’t grow much food, that deadline doesn’t really apply to me, either.  In the midst of so many things cycling again into winter, and with the new school year, the deadline I’m thinking about is the Foundation budget for 2012. The MGFKC board’s primary responsibility is to act as the fiduciary body for the membership of the Foundation.  Each autumn we go through a budgeting process, and we’ll begin one this month.  We hope to have a final budget approved by November, although in recent years, the upheaval in state and county budgets has slowed us down and we’ve not approved a final budget until December.  The process of building a budget is relatively straightforward and sometimes fascinatingly contentious, naturally, given the enormity of the county in which we do public outreach and the diversity of our perspectives and goals.

In each year’s budget, some of our projects propose their own budgets:  the demonstration gardens, for example, all propose budgets to the current treasurer who, then, takes them through a review process of the finance committee.  Ultimately the demo garden budgets are rolled into the Foundation budget as approved by the board, although typically after changes and questions have gone back and forth.  It’s appropriate for the demo gardens to propose their own budgets, since the folks involved are far more knowledgeable about the needs of the gardens than the board could be (with the few exceptions of board members who also serve as garden leaders).  Clinics, on the other hand, have budgets predetermined by the board.  While this may seem arbitrary, or worth examining, any and all MG Foundation members have access to additional funding through the Request For Funds process.  (RFF funds are built into the Foundation budget each year for unforeseen expenses such as clinic canopies or other supplies that need replacing, or occasional large purchases.)  It’s a challenge to find an appropriate amount of money for supplies for clinics as various as the Federal Way, who reported 2,608 public contacts in 2010, and the zoo, who reported 564.  I’m sure we can deploy our resources better, more efficiently, but not without your input.  What priorities are we missing?  Let your liaison know.  Contact a board member.  Contact Elaine.

The issue of resources is complex for the Foundation.  In some ways we are still living in a luxurious world of financial surplus.  The bequeath of Ellen A’Key to the Foundation several years ago, as well as several years of banking money from successful plant sales, combine to give us financial breathing room each year.  2011, however, saw a plant sale that was less profitable than we’d planned at the same time we’d added some large expenses.  We will certainly run a deficit in 2011 and the board will continue to discuss new revenue streams.  I’ve noticed, though, that when the issue of resources comes up, the limitation of MGFKC is never money, but people.  Volunteers are, for me, the real limiting factor of our public outreach efforts.  Ideas abound regarding ways to, perhaps, more effectively reach more of King County.  Every time I’ve asked clinic and garden leaders, however, each of them says they need 4 more people, or 6 more, or 10 more.  In the same way we can’t indefinitely add additional expenses to our budget, we can’t add projects that pull volunteers from existing work without considering whether we should move or close clinics, gardens, etc.  I hear often how much more dynamic MGs could be if only we’d put our energies into_________ (fill in the blank).  These ideas are typically great ones that would likely achieve just what we imagine we want.  But, I believe there’s a delicate balance to be found between maintaining our current outreach commitments and finding new, more inspiring opportunities.   For me, this is the framework for the upcoming budget season.  Where are we spending our resources:  our money and our volunteer hours?  Are we achieving what we hope?  How can we put our resources to better use to meet the demands of a growing county?  Perhaps most important, how can we deploy our resources to offer the public good information and our volunteers meaningful, inspiring work?  Thoughts?  Reactions?  Talk to a board member, or better yet, join us the second Thursday of the month.  Sep, Oct, and Nov meetings will all be at CUH beginning at 6:30.

May is plant sale time.  After months of planning meetings, somehow in one day of set up, CUH goes from business as usual to a fully fledged sale and party with its own momentum.  The sale is always fun (thank you, Horst, for that).  There are so few opportunities to gather as a community of Master Gardeners to talk plants with each other and with a hungry, curious public.  The sale is one weekend in which I see folks I don’t see at any other time of year.  Like clockwork, exhausting, heavy, dirty clockwork, Dick and Ed and the natives crew are there looking as ready as ever to share their enthusiasm for our native flora.  And there are Darryl and Donna and the tally crew working hard every year to make the sale go smoother, faster, better.  There are CJ and Suzanne and the edibles folks planning for next year, smiling the whole time. And there’s our own crew in ornamentals, or bushes as Horst likes to call us, surrounded by perennials volunteers, many of whom are interns just beginning to find their home in our county wide efforts.  Every year I’m impressed with the work of new MGs and inspired by their enthusiasm (thank you, Pete, Valerie, David, Penny, and so many others).  It’s such a pleasure to work with people who come fresh to the sale, without preconceptions, who are able to say what they observe and offer suggestions for improvement.

The plant sale is also a good reminder that we’re a diverse group of people with different goals.  After a shift change in the tomato tent, Katie and Heather stopped by to chat before shopping and heading home.  They assured me selling tomatoes was perfect for them since they got to talk to a lot of people about a limited range of plants.  The feeling of being expert was a good fit for them and something they enjoy together each year.  It might be useful to remember this as we move on into our regular work:  clinics, gardens, speaking, etc.  We’re a broad enough group in a big enough county that we can use all the talents we each bring.  If clinics aren’t for you, maybe working on the raffle, or publicizing the sale, are.  If those seem like too much, how about organizing the donations of leftover plants to area non-profits, or coordinating some continuing education at the plant sale or beyond?  If you’re not able to dig in our demo gardens, maybe offering your expertise as a garden consultant through the Growing Groceries program, or answering calls from Elaine for community garden consultants.  If not those jobs, how about giving a few hours a month to help Elaine in the office, helping to keep track of the hundreds of us doing work all over King County?  You get the idea.   There’s a place for each of us and plenty of work.

The Soos Creek Botanical Garden Open House: The Soos Creek Botanical Garden in Auburn recently opened its gates to the public with a 2-day open house (July 16th & July 17th) which included access to 6 gardens, its history center, and a plant sale.

The garden, developed to be a stroll garden, is set on 22 acres and is the vision of a family who helped settle the Soos Creek Plateau area.

Soos Creek Garden Borders J. Twitty

I was most impressed with two 500 foot long opposing borders with an expanse of lawn between them, the variety of the plantings especially those with sunny gold tones, the overall design including the garden room which allows visitors to sit in the peaceful setting, & the lily pond which could serve as inspiration for an impressionist painting.

The history center gives Kent/Covington residents the opportunity to learn how the area has developed since the 1880’s. While visiting the history center I learned that the land I’m currently living on was part of the John Matson dairy farm in the 1930’s.
This site would make a perfect field trip for Master Gardeners.

Soos Creek Garden Lily Pond D. Twitty

Contact information:
Soos Creek Botanical Garden
29308 132nd Avenue SE
Auburn, WA 98092
253.639.0949
SoosCreekBotanicalGarden.org
sooscreekbotanicalgarden@gmail.com

Apparently every time her 2 1/2 year old son, Charlie, sees it covered in bees he thanks them for doing their job. I happen to know Katie also built a huge vegetable bed this spring and that in the past year she planted the ornamental foundations of the yard she and her husband bought a few years ago. I was happy to observe her taking her time to really see where the light and rain were in her yard, as well as what things outside her yard she wanted to hide from her view, before she rushed into planting. It’s a pleasure to see her yard beginning to take shape, and to see the birds and bees find their own homes there. Katie comes from a food growing background so I wasn’t surprised to see how much space she’d given to food in her yard. I know it’s important to her to allow her kids access to real food and the ways it’s grown. She alone offers plenty of examples of the reasons we garden.

Unlike Katie, I’m not a food gardener, although I have been over the years. Mostly my yard is a collection of ornamental plants and I’m enough of a plant snob that I don’t grow too many things that are in most of the yards I see. I’m curious to see what plants are being overlooked by the general gardening public, and to see how we might broaden our scope beyond rhododendrons, iris, and lilacs to create gardens that offer interest throughout the year. I often use the pulpit of my MG volunteer work to encourage people to discover as they plant their yards.  For me, the joy of exploring city-sized ornamentals that accommodate our weather and my own micro-climate is enough reward, although this year I’m determined to make a pie from the purple berries of Luma chequen.

Saturday August 20th is the Neely Homestead Demonstration Garden 10^th Anniversary open house from 10-2. The Neely garden is a jewel in Kent highlighting various MG gardening techniques, and perfectly marrying the reasons both Katie and I garden. To me, its most fascinating mission is to grow plants appropriate to the period in which the Neely family settled the Kent Valley. The ornamentals at the Neely Homestead were all grown in Northwest gardens in the early 1900s–its own interesting history lesson–including the Araucaria araucana, which were given out as part of the South American exhibition at the 1905 world’s fair in Portland. Go check it out and see if you’re not inspired by the beauty of the garden, as well as the dedication of the MGs who work there.

A week later, August 27^th, is the 2^nd Annual Shorewood High School Culinary Arts Program and Garden Harvest Dinner.  For those of us who went last year, the anticipation for this year’s dinner is high.  The Shorewood project is a straightforward food garden supported by MGs and many other community groups. The unique feature of the garden, though, is its attachment to the culinary arts program at Shorewood HS where students learn not only to cook, but about the culinary industry in general, as well as nutrition, and now growing food.  Check it out and see if, like the MGs at Neely Homestead, the volunteers don’t inspire you to consider other reasons to garden.

The WA State MG Foundation annual continuing education conference is coming up September 22-24 in Ocean Shores.  The seminars at this year’s conference seem to perfectly reflect our varied interests in King County and around the state.  We can attend lectures on food growing, pest diagnosis and control, the role of MGs in protecting the health of our shared waterways, turf care, weather, geology, organizing plant sales and garden tours.  The conference is a handy way to pack a year’s worth of CE credits into a couple days, as well as a fun way to meet MGs from around WA state passionate about learning and sharing gardening ideas.  Check out the online registration form and class offerings.  I’m certain it will remind you of more reasons to garden.

Whatever our motivations, there’s something we share as gardeners.  Aren’t we all committed to exploring the reality of our shared planetary life?  As continuing learners, and creative people, MGs reflect this in ways constantly inspiring to me.   Bees, water, vines, dinner…so many reasons to garden.

Our lawns and gardens in King County are finally waking up after a spring that was so much cooler and wetter than normal. However, summer is usually a period of drought so it behooves us to consider water use and conservation in this beautiful region of ours. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes all of us in our village, whatever the size, to preserve the quality of the water all around us.

Water Smartly

Vegetable, annual, and perennial beds. Use soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems rather than sprinklers to deliver water deeply to the plants’ roots.  This method also keeps water off the leaves to help control fungus diseases.  Water early in the morning to minimize evaporation.

Container plants. In drought periods (which is all summer in King County), plants in containers may need to be watered as often as twice a day, so check them frequently. Decorative plastic pots conserve water better than porous terra cotta or ceramic pots.

Landscape planting (trees, shrubs). Landscape plants will still need water so use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to deliver water efficiently. Mulches help to conserve water.

Lawns. Established lawns need only 1 inch of water a week, a combination of rainwater and supplemental watering. Use an empty tuna or cat food can to measure. Here’s where you can use your sprinkler system as a more efficient way to deliver moisture to a wider area.  Aerate your lawn every few years to improve water penetration.

Circling the Drain

Groundwater and surface run-off water goes into our storm drains that flow into the streams that then flow into Puget Sound. This water doesn’t go through a water treatment process so anything we put on our lawns and gardens eventually winds up there as well.

Compost. This is the best choice of fertilizer.  Compost increases water retention and encourages healthy plants that resist disease.

Right amount, right time. Fertilizer, that is. More (and more often) isn’t better.

Mulch. Weeds don’t see the light of day so you won’t need a weed-killer.

Rifle vs shotgun. Spot-treat weeds instead of using a wide-area weed treatment.

Problem before solution. Know what the sick plant’s real problem is before applying pesticide. It may be cultural or environmental. Start with the least toxic remedy.

Garden care continues with weeding and deadheading. In August, divide early bloomers like iris and early poppies.

You can plant fall and winter crops of broccoli, cabbage, kale and onions in mid-July through early August.  Also in August, start succession planting of leaf lettuce, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard (which will over-winter). Harvest what you planted earlier in the season.

Lawn care consists mainly of watering and mowing. Mow regularly and in August, set the mower at 2 to 2.5 inches.  September is the best time to renovate an existing lawn or install a new one. The grass will have time (and the moisture from autumn rains) to establish itself before winter.

Take some time to visit a farmer’s market and sample the bounty that others have produced.  Aside from some very fresh produce, you may find the inspiration to try something new for next year.

- Marty Byrne

It’s a phone call away; just call, or go online to the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association. There you will find a list of beekeepers in your area to collect the bees.

Ensure they are “Honey bees” by putting out a plate of honey for them – if they swarm to the honey, they are honey bees – if unsure, put out a piece of raw or cooked meat and a piece of cut fresh fruit like a plum or peach; if they swarm to that, they are Yellow Jackets, and need to be dealt with in a different way!

Please check – before you spray or kill the swarm – if you are not sure what a honey bee looks like – talk to a neighbor or go online for pictures.  We need the bees!

As you may know, the Magnuson Children’s Garden is a part of a nationwide grant contest, sponsored by Organic Gardening Magazine and Deloach Organic Winery.  www.deloachcommunitygardens.com. The whole Magnuson Community Garden was chosen to be a contestant, and the grant will benefit every part of the community garden including the Children’s Garden.

The voting began a couple of weeks ago, and we are already over the 1000 mark, but need to get a lot more votes between now and July 31st in order to be one of the top 5 gardens who will each receive a $3000-4000 grant.

To learn more about the Magnuson Children’s Garden, visit their Web sites.

• http://magnusonchildrensgarden.blogspot.com
• http://www.seattle.gov/magnusongarden/default.htm

You can for them for the contest here… http://www.deloachcommunitygardens.com/

The current problem with global pollination and the Honey Bee is that it is being killed off by the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus and the Verroa mite. This disease has no cure in sight, and is responsible for a drop in U.S. Honeybee hives from over 8 million hives just ten years ago to less than 4.5 million hives today, and still falling.

There is currently one domesticated Bee that can meet part of the challenge of early season pollination needs – The Blue Orchard Bee or Mason Bee. You will be rewarded with more fruit by having Mason Bees in your garden.

The Mason Bee is a solitary insect that rears its young in existing holes.  They gather pollen and nectar from most plants, and pollinate as they do so.  The Mason Bee is extremely gentle, looks like a large black fly, cannot sting, is fairly social (they like to be next to each other) and are active only between March and early June.

In late February or early March, the Bee hatches from egg/cocoons laid the previous year.  These eggs have been laid in a small hole or nesting area, with a supply of pollen, one egg and then walled up with mud – hence the name “Mason Bee”.  Both males and females hatch and emerge from their nests, and soon after, the females are mated. After mating the males soon die, leaving the females to carry on the work of providing for the next generation.

Habitat requirements – VIP!

In nature – Mason Bee’s, lay their eggs in small holes in trees, roof shingles or any dry area they can place pollen, lay an egg, and seal with mud. The opening is ideally the size of a “fast food” straw- large enough to enter, maneuver down and exit.

It is important to have a clean environment for them, as mites and other insects can, and do use the same space to lay their eggs.  Paper straw-like tubes are the best habitat, as this paper material wicks away the moisture of the developing bee during its nine months in this environment.

Some “don’ts “

• Do not use wooden blocks with holes – “you can’t clean them” for reuse before the bees return.

• Do not use or allow the use of the old paper tubes – they may – (almost always) are filled with mites, which will kill your newly laid Mason Bee eggs.

• Do not use “Plastic tubing” material – plastic material will not allow the moisture to “wick” away – killing, drowning – you’re newly laid Mason Bees.

Some “do’s”

• Always use fresh Paper Tubes.

• Discard used tubes after the bees have hatched, replace with fresh.

• Save money by making your own paper tubes (free) – although you can always buy them for 10-25 cents each.

• Place new tubes with a supply of filled tubes – at a rate of about one filled tube to 12 fresh empty tubes – seems to be a good mix.

• Place tubes in a wooden box, with an overhang from the weather – to face west (they like heat) – avoid all chance of the tubes getting wet during their time in the garden.

Placement of 50-500 paper tubes in a shelter from the weather near flowering trees and plants in Feb, and remove by mid June.  Place in your garage or other outside, but weather proof area.  Remove the filled tubes, and refill your boxes with fresh empty tubes, and a supply of the filled tubes to make ready for the next year.  Expand your boxes or give some bees to friends with instructions on how to make the tubes and aid their garden pollination.

There is a handout on “How to make your own paper tubes”.

John Overleese, Master Gardener King County