Tips for Keeping your Vegetable Garden Thriving.
        So What Does Organic Gardening Really Mean?
        Water Efficient Landscapes
        Recycle & Reuse!
        Water Harvesting

Green Tip: Tips for Keeping your Vegetable Garden Thriving.

It's vegetable time! Hopefully your starts are tucked in their beds with blossoms bursting forth with the promise of summer harvest. The tricky part? Watering the little guys! Read on to see what can make your vegetable garden watering schedule less demanding...

For hand watering, the Dramm 16" or 30" Touch N Flow can't be beat. It gets the right amount of water where you need it. Redesigned for ultimate flow, Touch N Flow makes quick work of watering your veggies with a gentle rain-type application that doesn't burst your berms. The ergonomic insulated grip makes watering easy on your hands, plus it's available in a range of bright colors.

Tomatoes, a gardener's favorite, can be confusing to newbies. Tomatoes want deep watering every 5 to 7 days. Water right with a Tomato Round, a 16 inch water retaining ring that connects to your 3 or 4 legged tomato cages. Tomato Rounds provide deep water saturation for enhanced root systems. Sturdy enough for use many seasons, they anchor securely to standard tomato cages, putting an end to the make-shift cage staking.

For a more hands-off approach, Bond Soaker Hoses attach to existing irrigation set-ups or directly to your hose bib, allowing slow release of water to plant root zones. Above ground and easy to relocate, Bond Soaker Hoses are a convenient and inexpensive way to get your plants the deep watering they need. 50 feet of half-inch hose coils easily for use around shrubs and throughout the garden, plus with a ten-year warranty, you'll be assured use through many seasons.

Similar to soaker hoses, drip irrigation provides another hands-off solution. Drip irrigation uses thin individual irrigation lines to target water at the root zone of plants where they need it most. Water releases slowly, penetrating the ground and soaking deeply, rather than running off. Because the water is directed only at desired plants, you'll find fewer weeds in your landscape, reducing time spent on maintenance and maximizing your garden enjoyment.

And speaking of weeds, an easy, chemical-free way to further prevent them is by placing landscape fabric on the soil surface topped by a layer of mulch. You won't have weeds competing for the water your precious veggies need and with the addition of mulch, the soil will be insulated from the sun's heat and retain all that moisture for your thirsty vegetables. SummerWinds Nursery carries landscape fabric and an array of mulches from shredded redwood to bark mulch of various types, sizes and shades.
Choose SummerWinds Nursery for any garden irrigation project; we guarantee success!

Green Tip: So What Does Organic Gardening Really Mean?

The Lingo:
For SummerWinds, our organic seeds or starts are propagated without the use of synthetic chemicals, meaning they come into creation as they would in nature with organic animal- and plant-based fertilizers and the additional benefit of human care and greenhouse incubation. By participating in the cycle of organic farming, you are preventing further bioaccumulation of synthetic and petro-chemicals in plants, wildlife, children and the elderly, who are especially sensitive to industrial agricultural pollutants.

The Soil:
Organic gardening means starting with healthy soils that have not been treated with synthetic chemicals. Based on texture, structure, moisture content and permeability, soil tilth refers to the ability of soil to raise a crop.
 
Conventional soil treatment, especially tilling wet soil or plowing in clay soils, causes soil to break down and become compacted. Mechanized tilling of clay soils over time creates a water-tight pan at the point where the blades continually scrape making water penetration impossible and resulting in boggy conditions where most plants’ roots cannot survive. In time, the soil becomes anaerobic and unable to support plants. Tilling also disrupts the delicate system of mycorrhizal fungi, an underground network of fibrous fungi that shares water and nutrients between the root systems of plants over extensive geographic areas and is essential to successful organic gardening.
 
The process of amending soils is generally most effective by adding organic matter to the soil surface that over time will break down and become incorporated, adding nutrients and providing air and water pores within the native soil.

The Plants:
Organic plants are grown in soils that have not had the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers or additives for times specified by local agricultural codes. The soils have generally been amended by the addition of organic matter and other means described above. Plants grown in this type of medium have a greater chance of surviving when transplanted into a similarly treated soil in your garden.

The Home Gardener:
At home, organic gardening means that you opt to continue the process using natural amendments that slowly release animal and plant derived nutrients that growing plants need at rates that they need them. Slow-release fertilizers like E.B. Stone Organics, Osmocote or more immediate applications like Fish Emulsion or Seaweed Extract help your plants thrive. In the case of all of your highly-prized edibles, organic products are safe for use in the garden and for enjoying the produce on your dinner plate. The fruits and vegetables produced by your organic garden plants are free of the harmful chemical residues found in non-organic foods.

The Bugs:
Inviting native insects adds another layer of goodness to your garden. Lacewings, spiders and a host of other creepy crawlies actually help keep your pesty insect populations under control. Native bees, butterflies, moths and birds help to pollinate plants you hope to harvest. SummerWinds can help you out with Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, Beneficial Nematodes and Red Worms that will help keep insect pests at bay. Planting herbs that attract the beneficial pollinators and predators helps them stick around once they’ve flitted about your zucchini flowers and demolished your aphids, hopefully encouraging them to colonize and make your pest management job all the easier. Planting the herbs listed below brings a host of good insects into your garden, reducing your need for chemical pest management and increasing the fresh flavors you can incorporate into all of your meals:
Parsley - Basil - Fennel - Caraway - Spearmint - Crimson Thyme - Lemon Balm - Yarrow - Lavender - Dill - Coriander - Feverfew - Bergamont

The Lowdown:
With so many organic plant choices on the market, all the organic products to help maintain them and beneficial insects to help you do the maintenance in your garden, making the choice to be healthy and go organic has never been easier. Count on your local SummerWinds associate to help you find the solutions you need. We Guarantee Success!

Green Tip: Water Efficient Landscapes

With the warm season around the corner and vegetable gardens begging to be planted, watering your yard will soon again be part of your regular routine. The minimal rains this Winter have left our reservoirs surprisingly low; demand on municipal water supplies will likely be strained over the Summer. What can you do to avoid massive water bills and save water your thirsty plants crave? Read on…

1. Hydrozone.
Hydrozoning means that plants with similar water requirements are planted together. Simple planning will save water in your garden; plants that need more water will get it and plants that need less water won’t. Hydrozoning also means that you’re left with fewer plant mishaps due to incorrect watering.

2. Drip.
Drip irrigation targets water at the root zone of plants, where they need it most. Water releases slowly, penetrating the ground and soaking deeply, rather than running off. Because the water is directed only at desired plants, you’ll find fewer weeds in your landscape, reducing time spent on maintenance and maximizing your garden enjoyment.

3. Mulch.
Cheap, easy and aesthetically appealing, mulching around your plants helps conserve soil moisture and protects the soil surface from the sun’s brutal rays, preventing the cracked, dry surface that repels water and creates runoff. Mulch types range from Redwood Compost, to Shredded Redwood to Bark Mulch of various sizes.

4. Timers.
Timers are a gardener's best friend. Not only do you have a reliable automated system, but today’s timers have great flexibility in programming that can save you water and money. You can set the valve that waters your tomatoes for once or twice a week while the rest of your veg gets watered every other day. The most significant water savings from timers comes with lawn irrigation through a practice called Cycle and Soak

     To Cycle and Soak:
     1. Determine which valve or zone waters your lawn.
     2. Select a time that avoids the heat of the day, either morning or evening,
        to water your lawn 2 times a week, 3 times in the heat of summer.
     3. Set your lawn timer to run for 5-7 minutes 3 times over the course 1 hour. For example:
        – First run: 7:00 to 7:05AM
        – Second run: 7:30 to 7:35AM
        – Third run: 8:00 to 8:05AM
     4. This programming allows the irrigation to run, then gives the water time to
        soak in for each short cycle you program, ensuring that the water
        permeates through the thatch layer and soil deep into the root zone
        without run off. Watering in this manner results in more efficient,
        less frequent watering without waste.

5. Natives.
Going native doesn’t mean ripping out all of your beloved exotics, but it does mean integrating plants naturally acclimated to our local climate. Natives require virtually no water after their initial period of establishment and generally require minimal maintenance, leaving you with more resources for the rest of your garden. Take a look at California Native plants at your local SummerWinds; you’ll be surprised at the beauty and diversity available.

Your SummerWinds Associate can help you find the right combination of water efficient techniques that will work for you and your landscape. We guarantee success!

Green Tip: RECYCLE & REUSE!
with our new Recycled Jumbo 6-packs.

Green Tip: WATER HARVESTING
with Bushman Channell Rain Barrels—new item!

What is it?
The Channell Rain Barrel provides an easy way to collect, store, and irrigate with free rainwater running off of residential roofs.

Product Details
- Extra large 60-gallon capacity
- Manufactured in the USA with recycled material
- Lid with locking feature for safety
- Sealed system keeps out mosquitoes, pests and sunlight
- Quick and easy to install and winterize
- All parts for installation and use are included
- Includes spigot and garden hose adapter
- Includes connection kit for down spout
- 3 year full replacement warranty included
- Hole saw included
- Dimensions 39” Tall x 28.5” Upper Diameter

Easy to install—3 steps!
1. Drill hole in downspout with hole saw
2. Install diverter into the downspout
3. Connect hose to diverter and barrel

Stormwater Benefits
Rooftops, roads, parking lots, driveways, and even compacted soils are impervious surfaces that generate runoff; rain barrels harvest would-be runoff and naturally return significant quantities of water back into the ecosystem.
- Channell Rain Barrels help divert water from roof runoff, slowing water in the landscape and encouraging infiltration.
- Infiltration recharges groundwater supplies using a more natural water cycle path, replenishing underground aquifers and keeping municipal water cleaner.

Water Conservation Benefits
Water usage swells in the summer by roughly 30% due to increases in outdoor water use like lawn and garden watering, washing cars and cleaning pavement. Residents of Santa Clara County rely on rainfall to fill surface water reservoirs and underground aquifers (known as groundwater). The Valley experiences natural seasonal dry periods where less than 1% of the annual rainfall occurs from June to September.
- Channel Rain Barrels help conserve water supply resources and reduce reliance on municipal systems, particularly during the high demand summer months when water bills soar.
- Using a Channel Rain Barrel and reducing demand from municipal water supplies benefit the homeowner, the community and the environment.

Additional Water Harvesting Solutions
These measures do not store harvested water for future use, but they effectively slow rain water accumulating in the landscape, keep water on site and contribute to the garden’s winter lushness. The slopes referred to can be very gradual, as little as 1-2%, to conduct water downward.

Create a Bioswale
Basically a bioswale is a human-made, meandering dry creek bed constructed on a gradual slope with a widened depression at its lowest point. Rainwater is directed from a nearby downspout or paved area into the bioswale where rocks and vegetation slow its flow as it travels, allowing it to penetrate the soil below rather than sheeting off. The widened depression acts as a temporary collection pond where water can slowly infiltrate into the landscape.

Tie in Downspouts
Alternately, rainwater can be directed into the landscape by subterranean means if a homeowner chooses to tie in downspouts. Rather than having rainwater puddle next to a home’s foundation or have unsightly above-ground extensions, downspouts are connected to an underground drain line of perforated pipe allowing the water to be carried away from the home and to drain directly into the landscape below ground at appropriate volumes. Allowances can be made so that during particularly heavy rains when the soil is saturated, excess water can enter the municipal stormwater system.

Design a Rain Garden
A rain garden is a shallow depression planted with deep-rooted, water-loving native plants and grasses. The garden is positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump to capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system. The top of the sloping banks of the rain garden can be planted with bulbs to add Spring color and the basin can have drought-tolerant annuals added during the summer months when the rain-loving plants are dormant.

Build Berms
Used for centuries, berms are a simple means of slowing and controlling rainwater. A berm is a raised barrier in the landscape, akin to a parking lot speed bump. Placed in a semi circle around a plant or grouping of plants on the downhill side of a slope, a berm slows water for a small planting area. Water traveling down the slope collects around the plants within the berm and penetrates the ground while excess can spill around the berm’s sides and continue down the slope.