For the first time in months my shrubs and grass are beginning to emerge from the winter snow. Because of changing temperatures it has really been a mixture of condensed snow and ice that has covered our yard, and it has taken its toll. Some of my boxwood have frost burns (I didn’t cover them because I have never had this problem before), and the grass in our paddocks looks weary. To get my garden started this spring I plan to:

For frost damaged boxwoods:
-Wait until a few inches of new, healthy growth, emerges before enriching their beds with compost because stimulating growth stresses the plant-this requires patience!
-Don’t prune-plants can take up to a year to recover from frost damage. Pruning adds stress.
-Keep injured plants watered in the spring and summer until they regain their strength.

For the lawn:
-Aerate our lawn (even though some years we only do this in the fall).
This allows oxygen to reach the roots and beneficial soil bacteria. The frost has to be melted and the yard firm, not muddy, so we can’t do this yet.
-look for bare spots and seed them before weeds get a chance to catch hold.
-Sharpen our mower blades after the first mow of the season. Despite our best efforts there are always some branches or stones on that first run.
-Overseed our lawn with a small amount of grass seed to outcompete weeds. Usually we do this in the fall, but we may do that this spring, too.
-Plant sunflowers, echinacea and other plants that will attract birds. Birds eat pests that might prey on stressed plants.

Dow expects final EPA approvals to launch Enlist seeds that are engineered to withstand the herbicide 2,4-D. The USDA expects usage to rise from 26 mill lbs to 175 mill lbs annually by 2020 if approved. Monsanto successfully marketed glyphosate resistant crops, but many weeds have become resistant to the herbicide, so Dow is hoping farmers will switch to Enlist. Farmers use resistant seed so they can blanket their fields with herbicide, and everything except the genetically engineered crop is expected to die. The problem is that the crops will have more herbicide, and so will drinking water! The herbicide runs off with storm water into streams or is absorbed into the groundwater. Good reason to support organic agriculture!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/10/us-agriculture-dow-enlist-insight-idUSBREA290HU20140310

I have never had roses because I didn’t think I could grow them without pesticides. But this spring our Garden Club had a trip to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden, and I learned that it is possible to keep roses naturally. The trick is picking the right rose, and curator Peter Kukielski is working to develop Earth-Kind roses that are easy to care for and disease resistant. Texas A&M is also working to developing Earth-Kind Roses. I am planning to plant Blanc Double De Coubert Rose, Double Scotch White Rose, and two native roses Rosa Carolina, and Rosa Virginia. All of these were raised organically in the northeast. If I am successful I will plant even more next year. Time to start planning and ordering!
http://www.nybg.org/gardens/rose-garden/earthkind.php
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkindroses/cultivars/

In an excellent article today in the Hartford Courant Gregory Hladky reveals that a review of Connecticut’s environmental records show that licensed pesticide applicators are ignoring requirements to report what chemicals and how much they are using altogether or are incompletely reporting. Worse, unlicensed applicators are common and not tracked at all and often not trained. He quotes Dr. Jerome Silbert of the Watershed Partnership said this was the tip of the iceberg because no one keeps track of the tens of thousands of homeowners using pesticides and herbicides in their gardens.
This is where The Great Healthy Yard Project can help! Not only educating homeowners about why they should stop using these chemicals to protect their water, but also educating people so there is less demand for professionals. Even if you are not applying these chemicals, you are drinking them if they are being used in your watershed.
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-pesticide-reports-0217-20140218,0,6199442.story

Today is Eaglefest on the Hudson, one hour north of New York City. Eagles were endangered because widespread use of DDT led to eggshell thinning, but after DDT was banned in 1972 they have seen a resurgence. When the Hudson freezes up north they come south to hunt for fish and we are lucky to get to see them! We saw 15 today.

My friend’s uncle who fogged the barn every morning before we got there to ride when I was younger, died last month at an early age from dementia. All of us who knew him will really miss him, and we will never know for sure why he suffered that fate. But a new study came out just a week ago in JAMA that found 4 times the level of DDT breakdown products in people with Alzheimer’s Disease than in the general population. DDT had already been banned, but pesticide exposure may well have been a factor in his disease. In retrospect with what we know now, a few flies would have been much better than any increased risk!

It’s the first day of February and there is still snow on the ground in much of the northeast, but we are turning the corner to spring. The days are getting longer and it is time to start planning for spring in the vegetable garden! I ordered my seeds yesterday. I’ll start plenty of tomatoes for my garden and also for my friends. Cherokee and Brandywine are my favorites, and this year I will also try Paul Robeson. Start your tomato seeds in flats inside 6-8 weeks before your last frost, but order them early while all the varieties are still available.

a. Aerating to relieve compaction

b. Overseeding to outcompete weeds and choosing the right seed for your area

c. Test the soil for nitrogen, phosphorus and pH with a soil testing kit or with the help of a university cooperative extension. Use compost to replete nutrients only if necessary and lyme to adjust the pH if needed

d. Leave the clippings to replace nutrients and help retain moisture

Well, almost all about soil culture. But it is also about changing our mindset so that we are happy with a few weeds because we know it is healthier for our families.

They are helping us protect it from contamination with prescription and over the counter drugs.

The EPA has developed a list of 70 priority pharmaceuticals found frequently in water.

While how and when to test for these is being studied and debated, we can prevent a large portion of this pollution from entering our water by disposing of medication responsibly. The DEA has recently implemented a National TakeBack Initiative aimed at both preventing misuse of drugs and also protecting water quality. Many police departments now have anonymous drop boxes to safely dispose of medicines.