Six Lessons from the 2017 Growing Season

It seems each year there are lessons that nature provides if I’m paying attention and this year was no different.  I gained new knowledge in five areas this year.  

Aphids do have an effect on plants:  The past few years I have used insecticidal soap to treat aphids who seem to like my Heliopsis (False Sunflower).  Last year I was delayed in getting to this task and the aphids magically disappeared.  This year I thought I would let nature take its course and not use the soap.  Well, the aphids did not disappear and remained on the plants almost the entire growing season.  While the plants survived, the insects took their toil by aborting the flowering and reducing vegetation.  This fall I will clean up all the Heliopsis down to the ground.  Next year I’ll get the insecticidal soap out at the first sign of aphids and welcome back the blooms on this plant. 

Using Milorganite as a deer repellent:  I’ve heard from friends and fellow gardeners that Milorganite works as a deer repellent.  I gave it a try by applying it to all my perennial and shrub beds in early spring using my broadcast fertilizer spreader.  With just one application, I noticed a lack of deer damage.  Now my unscientific sample may not convince you to do the same, but I have found other research as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Web site of the Cornell Waste Management Institute at Cornell University reviews research using the fertilizer as a deer repellent. Spreading Milorganite on the ground twice a month in the growing season reduced deer damage to plants in a New York study, the institute said. The fertilizer also reduced deer damage to summer flowers in research done at Berry College in Georgia.

Milorganite is a low-nitrogen fertilizer created from Milwaukee sewage sludge.  It has been found to be safe for use on ornamental plants.  I plan on using this in future years because it is so much easier than applying a liquid repellent.

Be careful about bellflowers:  I noticed an expanding patch of bellflowers along the drive and thought I should check to make sure this volunteer plant wouldn’t be a thug.  After checking my wildflower book, I discovered that there is a native (Campanula rotundifolia) and an invasive (Campanula rapunculoides).  After more research I was happy to find that I had the native and can enjoy this plant in future years.  I love volunteer native plants that I do not have to plant, fertilize, or take care of in any way. 

Creeping Jenny is invasive:  I didn’t realize that I have two cultivars of creeping jenny – the nice golden ornamental  ‘Aurea’ (also called moneywort) and the invasive green Lysimachia nummularia .   Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has restricted the sale of latter (the cultivar Aurea and yellow and gold leaf forms are exempt).  I went about trying to eradicate it from my vegetable garden.  It has made itself at home by sending runners in every direction.  After a lot of hard work pulling it out, spraying with Round-Up and covering with a heavy-duty landscape fabric it is somewhat under control.  I suspect I will be battling this plant for many years.  Meanwhile the golden moneywort is behaving nicely and is a welcome ground cover in my ornamental bed. 

Blight and tomatoes:  It seems that every few years a blight hits tomatoes and this was the year.  Almost every gardener I talked with was hit with late blight or spotted leaf virus this year.  I’ve been careful to rotate the areas where I plant tomatoes in a five-year cycle and mulch the ground under the plants to avoid soil splashing on the leaves but still failed to foil this disease on my tomatoes.  This fall I’ll do a very thorough job of clean-up and also be extra careful to wash the tomato trellis and towers with a bleach solution.  Next year I’ll put an extra layer of mulch in a brand-new spot and try again.   
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Chard and Kale:  This year I planted Rainbow Chard and Dinosaur Kale as ornamental edibles.  They have held up well in both the garden and in containers.  They are still looking beautiful even after a freeze.  I learned however that my household is not particularly fond of either so in the future I will only grow them as ornamentals.   
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Every season brings new knowledge and challenges.  We had plenty of rain this year and little extremely hot weather that favored the green beans and cucumbers.  I’ve just finished up the last meal of fresh green beans and still have enough for one cucumber salad.  We have had some wonderful late summer and early fall warmth that has favored the zinnias and dahlias for beautiful bouquets.  In spite of some troubles, there is much that worked out just fine for this gardener.