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Q: I have a friend who digs holes approximately 30 cm deep in her backyard flower beds and deposits all her compostable scraps in them. When one fills up she starts another one. She says her father used to do that in his vegetable garden and he had a beautiful garden. Her backyard is very shady. Will this really compost? I would like your opinion on this practice before I start doing it.
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A: It most certainly will work and compost very nicely. The microbes in the soil will act quickly on the compostable material. The material will likely compost even more quickly in the ground than it would in an above-ground composter. This is actually an interesting way to do the composting because it does not require a composter and requires very little effort once you add the material. The technique is really no different than what my grandfather used to do with his compostables and that was to lay them on top of the soil after harvest and then dig or till them into the soil. Great idea and thanks for writing in. I keep telling my readers that they teach me as much as I hopefully teach them and this is another great example.
Q: I keep seeing reduced prices on trees at the garden centers at this time of year. We just moved into a new home and wondered if now is a good time to plant some trees? We’re concerned that the reduced prices are offered because you are not supposed to plant now. We’re novice gardeners so would appreciate your advice.
A: Fall is an excellent time to plant trees. Here are some reasons why:
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• Decreased water requirements. Temperatures are cooler; soils don’t dry out as quickly. Adding new plants in fall generally means you use less water. Don’t forget watering altogether. Remember to irrigate – especially new plantings if conditions are dry. Water the trees in well before freeze up.
• Hardier, healthier plants. New landscape additions are more likely to make it to adulthood if planted in the fall because they don’t have to withstand summer heat and sun for one reason. Pest population also declines in autumn, giving new transplants a fighting chance.
• Labour saving season. Spring and summer are labour-intensive seasons for gardeners. Fall is leisurely; grass and weeds aren’t growing so fast, making this a perfect time to start new garden projects.
• The plants are lower priced for the simple reason that garden centres are trying to reduce inventory for the winter.
Every week, Growing Things Outdoors runs online at edmontonjournal.com or, if you prefer an epaper format, epaper.edmontonjournal.com
Learn more by emailing your questions to [email protected], reading past columns or my book Just Ask Jerry. You can also follow me on Twitter @justaskjerry01.
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