Lawn, Begone! An Update

 

Lawns can be a soothing, oasis of green. However, lawns can be a water hog and a time usurper (mowing, fertilizing, weeding). And time is something we all could use a bit more of. And frankly, if one has a large lawn, why not remove one-third of it and put it to a better purpose, while reducing water use and increasing free time?

This was our goal for 2009. And by Memorial Day weekend of 2010, Mission Accomplished! Here's what we did, along with a 2012 recap of the successes and failures in that area:

June-July 2009: Kill off 1600 square feet of our 5000 square foot lawn, an area dominated by every gardener's perennial nemesis, bermudagrass. Because of the surrounding trees and shrubs, as well as possible adverse health effects using an herbicide weed killer such as glyphosate (Roundup), we chose to organically rid ourselves of that lawn, using soil solarization (complete instructions at that website). 

A piece of advice, learned the hard way: yes, you could purchase a clear plastic drop cloth from the paint aisle at the big box store, and it would work...for a couple of weeks. After that, it deteriorates in the sun to the point where it becomes confetti-like, ripping and flying in the slightest breeze. Choose a clear plastic that has been treated to withstand UV rays.

September 2009 (hey, I never claimed to be a fast worker): After much discussion asking ourselves the question, "now what?", we bring in the professionals for design ideas. We would choose our own plants; design, though, is not our strong suit. Landscape Designer Colleen Hamilton from Bloomin' Landscape Designs drew up the plan, along with landscape contractor Dave Rhodes from Rhodes Landscape Design, who did the installation.

November 2009: The destruction/construction process begins. The crew from Rhodes Landscaping used a sod cutter to remove the root area of the bermudagrass. The pathways, brick patio, lighting and garden fountain are installed. 

After the crews left, we wheelbarrowed in 15 yards of compost, and topped that with 10 yards of an organic mulch, walk-on bark. And then we wait to see how the area drains after a heavy rainstorm.

February 2010: Glad we waited before planting. There were a couple of puddles still standing in the area, 24 hours after several days of heavy rain. Digging a sump (a deep hole, lined and filled with river rock) in those two small areas solved that dilemma.

March-April 2010: Retrofit the sprinkler irrigation system, and convert it to a drip irrigation system. Cap off three of the five sprinkler heads in the area; convert the remaining two with drip irrigation adapters. Lay half-inch drip line in the area where we plan to plant.

April-May 2010: Choose plants! Mostly edible ornamentals. An excellent resource for this information is Rosalind Creasy, who has written several books on the topic. For the blueberries, which required excellent drainage and very acidic soil, we brought in three cattle watering troughs, with large holes drilled in the bottoms of the containers. Several varieties of citrus were planted directly into the ground. Ground cover along the pool walkway included varieties of oregano.

June 2010: We watch it grow, while using a lot less water! Best of all, the bermudagrass hasn't showed its ugly head...yet.  Now, about that patio furniture...

June 2012 Update: Impressive.This soil solarization project , in combination with the addition  of compost and mulch, has mostly thwarted the return of the bermudagrass. On the rare occasion some slinks through to the surface, it pulls up easily.

Biggest mistake of this project...Forgetting to install a drainage system. Oops. The wet winter of 2010-2011 turned the area into a shallow lake, with the mulch threatening to float into the pool. The addition of a sump pump, resting on plywood, kept the mulch in place during rainstorms later in that winter.

So....Rhodes Landscaping returned in December 2011 and installed solid drain pipes that led the water far, far, away.

 This past winter? No problems!

And, of course, some plants did not take kindly to this revamped area...specifically, the citrus, which froze to death. A post mortem of the oranges, pummelos and mandarins turned up this interesting fact: that area gets four degrees colder than the garden area just 25 feet away. That was just enough extended cold (22-24 degrees, for four or more hours), to kill off most of the citrus trees.


We've replaced the dead citrus with some beautiful edible ornamentals that are dormant in the winter, including this Garden Gold miniature peach. The sole surviving citrus, a Centennial kumquat, is on the left side of the picture. Also thumbing it's nose at winter in the kumquat container: the cascading Shock Wave Coral Crush petunia, which survived the cold.

Oh, and notice the new patio furniture!

 

Grow Your Own Popcorn!

As interest in healthy eating continues to grow, May is the time for backyard gardeners to make room for a family favorite that is also good for you: popcorn. This dent corn relative is one of the best all-around snack foods, providing almost as much protein, iron and calcium as beef. A cup of popped, unbuttered popcorn contains fewer calories than half a medium-sized grapefruit, about 40. Popcorn, a whole grain, has as much fiber as bran flakes or whole wheat toast.

Unlike the drab sameness of store-bought hybrid popcorn, there are many different kinds available for the home gardener via catalogs, nurseries and seed stores. 

Robust Y128 Hybrid Popcorn

Besides the traditional big and chewy "movie-style" yellow hybrid popcorn, you can choose among several smaller, crunchier white varieties, including many heirlooms. 

 

And for fall decorations, it's hard to beat the colorful popcorns that include blue, red and black kernels.

 A word about hybrid versus heirloom popcorns: hybrid varieties are bred to produce more cobs per stalk as well as larger cobs. Hybrid popcorns tend to pop up bigger, as well. The downside: the seed you collect from your popcorn harvest will not come back true to the original if you plant it the following year. Heirloom popcorn tends to have the same problems as other heirlooms: more susceptible to insect and disease problems; a smaller harvest; smaller kernels. 

The big upside to heirlooms: better flavor! Plus, if you planted the heirloom popcorn away from other varieties of corn, the kernels you collect this year can be planted the following year...the result being the same great flavor!

Wisconsin Black, Pennsylvania Butter Corn, Cherokee Long Ear

During late May or early June, plant your own popcorn the same way you would plant sweet corn. Choose a site that gets full sun and a soil that drains easily (no standing water). Plant the kernels, two inches deep, six inches apart. For better pollination, plant in short blocks instead of a single row. Thin out the seedlings to stand 10-12 inches apart; space the rows at intervals of three feet. Don't plant popcorn within 100 feet of sweet corn; cross pollination could ruin both crops. Three fertilizations work best: at planting time; when the stalks are knee high; and again when tassels appear at the top of the stalks. Water the popcorn thoroughly, once or twice a week.

Harvesting Your Popcorn: About the time the Major League Baseball Playoffs begin (early October), your popcorn should be ready to harvest. The stalks will be mostly brown, the husks will be dry and the kernels hard. Try popping a few kernels on the stove in a pan of hot oil at this stage; if most of them pop, that's your sign to remove the ears from the stalks. Husk the ears, place them in a mesh bag or old nylon stocking to cure for two to three weeks in a warm, dry, well ventilated area. Again, pop a few kernels; if they pop, strip the kernels from the cobs and store the kernels in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Is It Popcorn Yet? 13% moisture level is ideal. Popcorn that is chewy after popping is still too wet; let the kernels dry some more, popping a few every couple of days until the popcorn is no longer chewy. If you get too many unpopped kernels, add moisture to the storage container. Pour one tablespoon of water over a quart of popcorn, shake it up a couple of times on Day 1. By Day 3, try popping another batch. Repeat this procedure until most of the kernels are popping.

A hard-to-find device to ease that process when you have lots of popcorn: the little stripper (no, we are not talking about midget lap dancers moonlighting as farm workers). A quick search found this handy tool at the on-line seed source, Jung Seed.

Store the kernels in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

More information about growing popcorn from the Universities of Wisconsin  and Minnesota.