11

There is so much hubbub about raised

gardens and the advice given to place the

vegetable garden as close to the house as

possible. All this makes sense to everyone

but just how is it possible to do both?

There are warnings and rulings regarding

water usage that can limit vegetable gar-

den production at exactly the wrong time

for crops. Then there are the pundits who

recommend container or square foot gar-

dening. What to do?

All of these concepts put together are pos-

sible; a raised garden, close to the house,

spot watering as needed by the individual

plant, and the reduction and destruction

of both air and soil borne pests.

Use of the deck or patio accommodates

most of the vegetables an individual fami-

ly needs. Granted, some crops need a bit

of ingenuity on the part of the gardener.

Pole Beans need climbing support;

planting tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets has

been beneficial to many gardeners for

years, but the roots truly need more room

to flourish. Lettuce must be sheltered

from the sun in order to produce a little

longer; peppers, okra, and eggplant need

all the sun they can get. Direct sun for

newly purchased transplants can prove

deadly and defeat early efforts just as the

impact of a late frost will do. Contd. Page 5

OUT OF THE BOX Shari Farrell

insects.

There are three species of

yellowjackets commonly

found in Florida—the East-

ern Yellowjacket, Southern

Yellowjacket and the Bald-

faced Hornet. Contd. Page 3

After a

recent

and

unfor-

tunate

encounter with yellowjack-

ets in my yard, I decided

learning more about these

stinging insects was long

overdue. Summer and fall,

when we‟re active in our

gardens, and enjoying

other outdoor activities, is

also when we will most

likely come across these

potentially dangerous

A Stinging Lesson Linda Meyers

NEW

CLASS

ANNOUNCED

There will be a six

unit Floral Design

class starting in Sep-

tember!

Class size is limited

so contact Marie Har-

rison for registration,

list of dates, times

and fees.

marieharrison@valp.net

Inside this

issue:

Dog Days 2

Walk on the Wild

Side

2

Help Wanted! 2

Fractals 3

Calendar of

Events

4

Bits and Bytes 4

Fantastically

Frugal

4

Ideal Tree 5

Book Review 6

Last Word 6

...for discerning weeders August, 2011

22

A Walk on the Wild Side

Linda Meyers

Courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension

August—hot, sticky....but our local critters don‟t

seem to mind a bit. If you venture out, there are

some great things to see!

Birds:

The first flocks of blue-winged and green-winged

teal arrive to winter on Florida lakes and wet-

lands. The yellow warbler migration begins.

Mammals:

Two-year old black bear cubs will wean from their

mothers and short-tailed shrews will begin a se-

cond round of breeding for the year.

Reptiles:

Sea turtles are hatching so watch where you walk

when you are at the beach!

Insects:

Great southern white butterflies are migrating

through coastal areas.

Dog Days Karen Harper Courtesy of wilstar.com

The “dog days of summer” are from July 3rd until August

11th. Webster defines “dog days” as...1. the period be-

tween early July and early September when the hot sultry

weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemi-

sphere and 2. a period of stagnation or inactivity.

But where did we get the term from to begin with? Blame

the ancient astronomers. It seems that the brightest of the

stars in the night sky is Sirius. Ancient Romans believed

that the earth received heat from it. During the summer,

the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. Romans be-

lieved that because of this conjunction, Sirius‟ heat was

added to the sun and caused the stretch of hot and sultry

weather. So they named this period “dog days” after the

dog star.

HELP WANTED!

Help is needed at the Extension Annex in

order to make our plant sale a success!

Volunteers are needed for up-potting, root

pruning, dead heading and other mainte-

nance chores. If you don‟t think you‟re up

to working outside, volunteer to work in

the office so that other folks will be freed

up to work on the plants!

This sale is to replenish our funds so that

we‟ll be able to participate in community

functions, improve our displays and keep

our organization functioning. Without

your help we won‟t have a successful sale!

Contact Andy or Jenny and join in!

33

STINGING continued from Page 1

Do you know what a fractal is? Well according to Web-

ster a fractal is “a rough or fragmented geometric shape

that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-

size copy of the whole, a property called self-similarity.

Most of us have seen the Mandelbrot set before but did-

n‟t know what it was. Now, what does this have to do

with gardening? Thanks to Ed Smith sending

me a unique link on Youtube, we can all share

in this unique and innovative way of applying

this geometric principle to our environment.

The program itself takes a bit of time to watch.

You get the background on fractals. You can

always skip towards the end which is where the

garden tie in comes. A group of re-

FASCINATING FRACTALS Marg Stewart

Yellowjackets are venomous wasps. They have a stinger

that can inject a very painful venom into the skin and the

ability to sting multiple times. They are also able to sting

through thinner clothing. It is recommended not to swat

at them, because if injured they will release an alarm

pheromone which will alert other members of the colony

to act aggressively. Florida yellowjackets commonly

build underground nests although they can also be found

above ground (the Baldfaced Hornet), in walls of homes,

under house siding, under logs or in shrubs and trees.

Colonies are founded in the spring by a single queen and

rapidly grow in size during the summer and fall. The sol-

itary queen constructs the brood cells, forages for food,

lays eggs, feeds her progeny, and defends the nest. As the

offspring emerge as adults they assume all duties except

egg laying. The nests are surrounded by a paper envelope

and inside are combs with cells similar to bee cells. Most

colonies will range in size from 75-5,000 workers.

Yellowjackets can be beneficial and help to control many

insects that attack cultivated and ornamental plants. Un-

fortunately larger nests can be potentially dangerous to

people and pets. These insects are capable of inflicting

hundreds or even thousands of painful stings to an un-

suspecting victim who accidently steps on or nears a ma-

ture nest.

The yellowjacket‟s sting typically causes swelling, red-

ness, and itching which usually lasts a couple of hours. A

large number of stings can also cause severe headache,

vomiting, diarrhea and shock. Allergic reactions to the

venom can cause symptoms to persist for days or in se-

vere cases one sting can be fatal.

Safety suggestions:

Play it safe! Call a professional pest control operator

to eliminate a problem nest.

Caution children to be on the alert when playing in

wooded or overgrown areas.

Try not to swat or injure a yellowjacket. They will

become aggressive and like to invite their friends!

Wear heavier clothing when working or walking in

areas where nests are more commonly found.

Look before you eat or drink when outside. Yellow-

jackets are attracted to rip-

ened fruits and sugary drinks.

Keep lids on trash cans. Dis-

carded food will attract yel-

lowjackets and other wasps.

Sources from UFL links. Search

yellowjackets for even more information.

searchers demonstrate that by taking the measurements

of a single tree, they are then able to predict not just the

location of the other trees nearby but also their sizes!

They use this information to estimate how much carbon

dioxide the entire forest area would process. Instead of

surveying the entire forest, they are able to do their re-

search based on one single individual. It is quite

a fascinating program and even if you aren‟t into

math, the images are amazing. I hope you won‟t

skip through the beginning of the program be-

cause that information is informative as well.

You can view this program at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ZbK92bRW21Q

44

Ma rk y ou r

ca len d a r

August 3rd

General Membership

Meeting

August 10th

BMP Course

August 16th

Field Trip

August 18th

Plant Clinic

September 24th

BIA Home Show

October 15th

Plant Sale

October 24th-26th

State Conference

BITS AND BYTES Marg Stewart

We‟ve had a lot of questions regarding technology. This will be the place we will gather to try and

make sense out of our electronic lives. One question was: Where can I find a good program for

designing a garden? After doing some searching I found several programs but all of them re-

quired being a bit more computer savvy than I thought necessary. Well I finally found a pro-

gram that I think will appeal to a wide range of folks. Go to www.motherearthnews.com and on their home page,

lower left hand side you‟ll see their vegetable garden planner. You may read about all the features that this program

comes with before you even try it. If you think it might be something you‟d like to try, they offer a free 30 day trial

period. It did appear to be more user friendly than most of the other programs I checked on. Any other ideas out

there? Send your tech questions to mgstewart2008@yahoo.com. We‟ll do our best to get you answers.

“Some things Man was never meant to know.....For everything else there‟s Google.”

FANTASTICALLY FRUGAL

Linda Meyers and Karen Harper

Who‟s interested in saving money? A bet-

ter question would be who isn‟t thinking

about saving money? Dive on in for some

really nifty ideas for saving a few dollars

here and there. Who knows? You may

even surprise yourself with your savings.

Pick up second hand tools and pots

at yard sales and thrift stores.

Put a used child‟s wagon to work

hauling gardening tools and plants.

Empty milk jugs make great watering

cans; or crush them and use in the

bottom of large planters to help with

drainage and as filler to lighten the

weight of the pot.

Don‟t throw away those extra mouse

pads, use them for your knees in the

garden.

Put used coffee grounds in the com-

post and rinse the coffee filters to use

in the bottom of pots to help keep the

potting soil from escaping out the

drainage holes.

Wash your car on the grass.

Great seed trays—egg cartons, old ice

cube trays and individual yogurt

cups.

Use an old flour sifter to gently cover

seeds with soil.

Use dollar store pipe cleaners to tie

up plants and color co-ordinate them

for ID purposes.

Those old hanging shoe caddies are

good for storing tools, twine, garden

gloves and other garden odds and

ends in the shed or garage.

Instead of buying landscape fabric,

use newspaper or cardboard under

mulch to block weeds.

Empty plastic prescription bottles or

film containers are great for storing

seeds.

Popsicle sticks are great plant labels.

Contd. Page 5

55

FRUGAL continued from page 4

Rinse and label empty cleaner spray bottles for use for

plant fertilizer.

That covers some helpful money saving tips for your garden-

ing. Another money saving idea „RetailMeNot‟ at http://

www.retailmenot.com/ is a very useful website for those of us

who engage in online shopping (or „retail therapy‟ as some

prefer to think of it). This site has coupon codes for thou-

sands of popular vendors and one should never complete an

online purchase without checking the site first to see if there

is a code that can be used! Their database of vendors is enor-

mous and eclectic. You can even download a pop-up remind-

er that will inform you in advance as to whether the Retail-

MeNot database contains any applicable coupon codes for

the particular site you‟re browsing. Finding a code for free

shipping or a percentage-off discount is a very pleasant sur-

prise and makes „retail therapy‟ even more therapeutic.

So what are money saving ideas that you have? What are

some of your „secrets‟ to saving a few dollars?

This is a tree anyone can grow. It is not affected by any dis-

eases or weather conditions and is extremely salt-tolerant.

It keeps its colors year-round and requires no mainte-

nance, pesticides, water, or any other care. It is quite com-

mon in the Deep South, is non-invasive, and has been culti-

vated here for over 200 years. Best of all, evil spirits will

enter it and never come back out.

My particular specimen started life as a round eight-foot

fence post. After a little pruning and grafting, I awaited the

results. Flowers appeared after several adult beverages

were consumed, a few trips to the neighbors‟ recycle bins,

and a couple of stops by the road.

This tree can be mulched right up to the base, is immune to

the string trimmer, and little kids love it. Consider Bot-

tleus budlightus in your landscaping plans.

On another note, I consider my place

to be as much an experiment as it is a

landscape. Folks see the front yard,

so it‟s pretty much like everyone

else‟s, but I try stuff in the back. I

think many of you do the same. This

summer, I‟ve attempted a number of things; some worked,

some didn‟t.

I grew heirloom tomatoes in “Fred Buckets” (named after

“old Fred,” the regular Annex visitor who knows more than

any of us.) That worked. I tried everyone‟s favorite, the

“Topsy Turvy,” because I had heard too many people say it

doesn‟t work. (It didn‟t.) Lately, I‟ve been talking with Rick

about shallow-water wells. I‟m doing one now just to see if

I can, so far with mixed results,

as Rocky Bayou is different from

the rest of the area. Joe and I are

comparing water salinity from

various sources in the county.

We hope to make a spreadsheet

to hand out to folks who get their

water checked.

In a future Newsletter, I‟ll report

on those efforts. Please let us

know anything you‟ve tried,

whether successful or not. In-

quiring minds want to know! „ave

a g‟day!

AN IDEAL TREE FOR NORTHWEST FLORIDA Bill Buckellew

My green thumb came only as a result of the

mistakes I made while learning to see things

from the plant’s point of view.

H. Fred Dale

Pot planting means movability and accessibility for

the gardener. Shade and shelter can come from sev-

eral sources such as a patio roof, outdoor tables and

umbrellas, or simply a shaded corner. The use of bro-

ken personal umbrellas or even patio chairs for shel-

ter can also be beneficial. Use what is available and

think „out of the box‟.

What are some plants that you have moved into

containers and wouldn’t grow them any other way

now? How do you handle some of the challenges of

container growing? Let us know!

Box Continued from page 1

66

Have you ever really thought about where your electricity

comes from? How about where that recycling truck heads off to

as it roars away from your house? All the everyday objects and

functions that we use without even a thought from our electrici-

ty to the world wide web, where do they come from? Where do

they go? How did people figure out what to do with this stuff?

Would you ever think that banning garbage disposals is a way

to combat a drought? Scott Huler takes a unique look at all the hidden pathways

that are intertwined in our daily lives. On the Grid provides an amazing glimpse

into the unseen world that we depend on. Personally, there were times he remind-

ed me way to much of a college instructor but overall I found the book an interest-

ing read. And yes, garbage disposals were banned in Raleigh, NC during the

drought of 2008. The book is available on Amazon and is a good rainy day read.

You may never look at your plumbing the same way again.

Changing of the guard. As most of you

know, Lynn Fabian has retired as our Edi-

tor of the Compost Pile. We thank her sin-

cerely for all the time, effort and great is-

sues she provided for many years. She‟ll

still contribute now and then. As for the

newsletter, it will continue albeit with

modifications. Lynn is definitely a tough

act to follow so we‟ll give it our best shot.

So bear with us for a while until we get the

hang of this thing. Any comments, sugges-

tions (please no bonfires) are welcome

always! Likewise, articles, ideas and

thoughts are also welcome.

I discovered something after having to

deal with being „thumb-less‟ for a couple of

weeks. #1 If you are going to run into

something it will be directly on the wound-

ed area. #2 When you start to heal and are

peeling, DO NOT put you hand into hot

water with soap in it. #3 Your thumb is a

major digit—not much you can accomplish

without it. You can‟t weed with stitches

and while I can‟t say I have embraced

the weeds in my yard, I can say that the

world didn‟t come to an end because

they are there. Catching up on reading

was a blessing as well as having to slow

down for a while. Amazing what you

discover is and isn‟t all that important.

I do want to thank EVERYONE for their

wonderful support for the web-site and

for this new challenge.

A note regarding yellow jackets: after a

run in with those beasties DO NOT put

your cell phone in your back pocket and

have it set on VIBRATE! Trust me on

that one. It isn‟t pretty.

So take a few minutes, let us know what

topics you‟d be interested in being cov-

ered in future issues and on the web

site. After that, turn off the phone, the

computer, and the TV. Grab your hat,

cool beverage and go check out your

garden!

Your member site:

www.ocmgamembers.org

The Foundation for the Gator

Nation.....An equal opportunity

institution.

The Compost Pile is a publi-

cation of the Okaloosa

County Master Gardener

Association.

OCMGA is a volunteer

organization sponsored by

Okaloosa County Extension

and the University of Florida

IFAS.

Marg Stewart, Editor and

Web Master

Linda Meyers, Shari Farrell,

and Karen Harper,

Co-Editors

Submit articles and ideas to

mgstewart2008@yahoo.com LAST WORD Marg Stewart

BOOK REVIEW Marg Stewart

Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.

Michael P. Garafalo