First time Gardners Session II!

Sometimes when someone speaks they make you think about the world in a different way. Pete has such a wealth of information about gardening and we are lucky that he sharing it with the Root-Riot Regulars.

Pete’s constant council throughout his talk was to “listen to the plant”. While we may think we know better, best bet is to let the plant tell you what is wrong. We just have to sharpen our listening, or in this case, observation skills,  so we know what to look for.

Pete’s gift of knowledge to the new gardeners had a wide range of information including, avoiding stress for both the gardener and the plants, some tips on planning and taking casre of your garden, as well as a pretty through getting started list.

One of the Root-Riot Regulars shared her “take-a-way” points from Peter’s talk.

The back page of the Sun Times contains:

• The number of minutes that it takes of being outside before a person could get sunburn
• How much rain has occurred in the last 24 hours.

Water carefully

On the average your garden needs about 3 ounces of water a week.  The amount should be adjusted depending on the conditions. A small container (like a tuna can) placed in your garden will let you gauge how much rain has fallen during the week.  You can water to make up the difference.

Don’t over water your plants! It causes root rot.  If you suspect that you have plants with unhappy roots, there are natural ways to take care of root rot.  (Send an email to learn@root-riot.com and we will forward it to Peter.)

Too much of a good thing
Don’t respond to a wilted plant that has been growing by giving it too much fertilizer.  The plant may be temporarily protecting itself during extreme hot weather conditions.

Books, Books, it is!

Pete has quite a collection of books and if possible we will find some room for them on the site. Some of the key resources he spoke about included.

• Encyclopedia of Natural Insects and Disease Control
• Some web sites
• www.storey.com
• www.veggieharvest.com
• wikipedia

• John Jeavons: Bio-intensive methods web site:
  And the name of the book info:
  • How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine (Paperback)
  • John Jeavons
  • A link to the book on Amazon.com

This Jeavons book may be a good book to read as a group over the winter. If a Root-Riot Regular is interested in putting a book-club session together, let us know.  It could be a start of something great!

An outline of all that Pete spoke of  is included here…