GladeWinds

Teri Leigh Baird Admin says:

Sewing a Sunflower House

One of the most magical gardening projects you can share with a child is planting a “sunflower house,” especially since children adore secret hiding places where their imaginations may flourish. With twelve foot walls and a ceiling of flowers, this bright yellow, brown and green fort will be the summertime hide-a-way of choice for your young gardener. Best of all, both children and children-at-heart will savor planning and planting this naturally cheerful garden spot.

Project List:
A 10’ x 10’ area with good garden soil that receives at least six hours of sun daily, preferably in a sheltered area with little wind
Seeds for tall sunflowers reaching 12’ – “Mammoth” are a good choice as the seeds are edible
Seeds for short 4’-7’ sunflowers
Seeds for morning glories and colorful, flowering annuals like zinnias
String/twine and stakes if in a windy area

Directions:
Once the ground is warm enough and all danger of frost has passed, lay out an 8’ x 8’ square to mark the interior. Try not to butt the area up to a wall or a fence as you’ll need to be able to walk around the outside to take care of the plants. Mark a 4’ wide entryway on one side that will remain untouched. Clear and prepare an 12” wide path around the perimeter of the rest of the square, making sure to loosen the soil to a depth of at least 6”. If necessary, augment with compost, coir fiber and all purpose fertilizer to create a good growing medium.
You will be planting two rows of seeds: an inner row of sunflowers and morning glories and an outer row of flowering annuals. For the inner row, begin on one side of the entryway and plant the seeds for the tall sunflowers about 12” apart all around the square. Make sure there is a tall sunflower in each corner. Then plant the short sunflowers in between the tall ones. It is recommended to put two seeds in each hole so there are no gaps where a seed didn’t sprout. When the seedlings are 4-8” tall, snip back the weaker one.
Once the sunflowers have been thinned, plant the morning glory seeds at the base of each tall sunflower. To speed germination, nick each seed and soak overnight in Micronutrient Solution following the directions on the bottle. As they grow, train the vines to climb the tall sunflowers by directing them to the sunflower stems.
When the tall sunflowers are about four feet in height, it is time to create the roof structure. Use string or twine to weave a lattice across the open space in the middle. Go from sunflower to sunflower, from one side to the other, until you have a network of string across the top of the house. The sunflowers will raise the roof as they grow, and the morning glories will grow up the sunflowers and across the string to make a vibrant, colorful ceiling.
After the roof structure is in place, it is time to plant the outer row of flowering annuals. Zinnias are an excellent choice as they grow to be 2½ feet high and will add to the thickness of the walls. They are also superb cut flowers which the children may harvest to create beautiful bouquets.
Be sure to keep the inside of the house raked and weeded. You can also spread a layer of mulch to keep down the weeds. If you are going to grow a house year after year, you may want to plant a bed of clover as a soft ground cover. To finish off your sunflower house, add a blanket and a chair or two. You now have the perfect summer hide-a-way (or morning coffee spot) sure to enchant children and adults alike.

Plant Care:
As the plants grow, water and weed as needed. To reduce watering needs and suppress weeds, spread a 3-4” layer of mulch after the plants are established. Sunflowers need water to maintain a root system that can support their height. Micronutrient Solution contains root growth hormones, so watering once a month is recommended. Remember to keep an eye out for pests. Our Foliar Feed sprays not only nourish but are also the perfect child-friendly pest control.

Notes:
If you plant in a windy area, it is a good idea to stake the sunflowers as once the flowers form, the plants tend to be top heavy.
All plant care products are available from GladeWinds.

Thanks to Jennifer Bateman for this terrific idea!

Teri Leigh Baird Admin says:

Companion Planting for Pest Control

Summertime is a wonderful time to be outside playing in your yard and your garden! All of the pests think so too. It is amazing to think about all of the bugs and crawly things in a healthy garden. Did you know that only 3% of these creatures are actually considered “pests”. If you choose to use a chemical pest control method in your yard & garden (God forbid!) you will be taking out many of the beneficial insects, damaging your top soil layer and in the case of vegetables, feeding harmful chemicals to your family.

We are big fans of letting nature give us a bountiful lawn and garden by companion planting. Here is a list of some of the plants you may use in your garden to deter pests. Do cross reference with your planting zone for best results.
· Basil – asparagus beetles, tomato heart worms and thrips
· Green Bean – Colorado potato beetles
· Nasturtium – Colorado potato beetles and squash bugs
· Tomato – asparagus beetles
· Wormwood – slugs
· Rue – aphids, cats, dogs, Japanese beetles, onion maggots, slugs and snails
· Anise – aphids, snails and slugs
· Borage – cabbage worms and tomato heart worms
· Sage – cabbage loopers, carrot flies, flea beetles, imported cabbage worms and tomato heart worms
· Thyme – cabbage loopers and white flies
· Radish – cowpea curculio, cucumber beetles, harlequin bugs, Mexican bean leaf beetles, squash bugs and stink bugs
· Garlic – aphids, cowpea curculio, flea beetles, Japanese beetles, Mexican been leaf beetles, root maggots, spider mites and squash vine borers
· Onion – bean leaf beetle, cabbage loopers, carrot flies, flea beetles, harlequin bugs, Mexican bean leaf beetles, mice, rabbits, spider mites and squash vine borers
· Potato – bean leaf beetles
· Turnip – bean leaf beetles and harlequin bugs
· Oleander – codling moths
· Catnip – aphids, corn ear worms, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, Japanese beetles, squash bugs and mice
· Marigold – aphids, corn ear worms, leaf hoppers, Mexican bean leaf beetles, rabbits, squash bugs, thrips and tomato heart worms
· Hyssop – imported cabbage worms
· Oregano – cabbage butterflies and cucumber beetles
· Rosemary – imported cabbage worms and slugs
· Dill – aphids, cabbage moths and spider mites
· Lavender – mice, mosquitoes, moths, rabbits and ticks
· Fennel – aphids, slugs, snails and spider mites
· Pennyroyal – ants
· Mint – ants, aphids, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, imported cabbage worms, rodents, squash bugs and white flies
· Tansy – ants, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles and squash bugs
· Coriander/Cilantro – aphids, Colorado potato beetles and spider mites
· Horseradish – potato beetles
· Geranium – Japanese beetles, leaf hoppers
· Butterfly (white) Sage – asparagus beetles
· Larkspur – Japanese beetles
· Chives – aphids, Japanese beetles and spider mites
· Cloves – cowpea curculio, spider mites and squash vine borers
· Lettuce – carrot flies
· Petunia – leafhoppers, Mexican bean leaf beetles and squash bugs
· Parsley – asparagus beetles and carrot flies

If you continue to have pest control issues in your garden, we do have some terrific certified organic foliar feeds. Our most popular is the Outdoor Foliar Feed which gets rid of Japanese beetles, aphids & spider mites. Next is the Outdoor Foliar Feed Plus Garlic which is a great vegetable spray to repel grasshoppers, flies, fleas, ticks & bunnies. Simply give us a call to order 417-209-3200.