Message #366 - THE_HERBALIST 
   Date: 03-08-96 22:37
   From: Buckmeister
     To: Corlleen Plumb
Subject: square foot gardening
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@MSGID: 93:9301/15 3140ba02
Greetings and Salutations, Lee!


Thursday February 29 1996 10:11, Corlleen Plumb wrote to Buckmeister:

 CP>         You are the most accommodating of souls. (Batting my adoring
eyes
 CP> at you)

 Now I am starting to blush!!!

 B>> What it attempts to do is to have you make the best possible use of what
 B>> you growing.  Some plants do better side-by-side with others.  Some of

 CP>         I've been reading about "companion planting" and its reverse, of
 CP> course. I intend to try out a few things, like planting borage with my
 CP> tomatoes and garlic and mints near my roses (we have a horrible Japanese
 CP> Beetle problem here.)

 The borage will draw a lot of aphids, this I have found out here, I don't
know if it is much of a problem there, but be very leery of that one.  Garlic
and Marigolds seem to be a good universal repellent for most insects, that
and yews, the japanese variety seem to work the best.

 CP> I did note that, last year, planting my herbs in
 CP> among my vegetables did cut down significantly on the bad insect
 CP> infestations, though the pollinates seemed unaffected. I am presently
 CP> studying my plans from last year and determining what I intend to repeat
 CP> or change. I did learn quite a few things, like:

 CP> 1. No matter how "pagan" it makes you feel, do not make your garden
 CP> patch round. You just can't reach the center without stepping on
 CP> something.

 That would depend upon your reach, mine are somewhat circular in areas, but
small enough that I can still reach the middle.

 CP> 2. Never grow the cucumbers so close to the tomato cages. (The cukes
 CP> tried to climb the cages and obscured the sun the tomatoes needed.)

 There are a bush type of cucumbers out one the market today that wasn't
present years ago, you might want to look into some of those varieties that
are bush types.

 CP> 3. Cucumbers and curly parsley like one another.

 This one I didn't know about.....

 CP> 4. Space the catnip and other mints more than the recommended width
 CP> apart.

 Another thing is not to allow the mints to flower, for the stronger scented
ones will over power the ones that are not as strong in scent.

 CP> 5. Put the peppermint and the spearmint FAR away from each other for
 CP> easier identification by my young "helpers".

 Also don't let them flower, for the spearmint will over power the
peppermint. This I found out with my own garden.

 CP> 6. Feed the bell peppers more. (Mine were runts and did not produce in
 CP> quantity.)

 Another thing is to water them on a regular basis, I found out this the hard
way...as usual.

 CP> 7. Don't plant the cayenne and other "hot" peppers near the sweet
 CP> peppers. The bees cross-pollinate them and you get hot-tasting bell
 CP> peppers and very mild cayenne.

 Haven't thought about that one, but then I usually did plant each in
separate places so there was no misidentifying the plants.

 CP> 8. Angelic and fennel look alike to kids. Separate them. Fish tastes
 CP> funny when wrapped in angelic instead of fennel. (YUK!)

 They are????

 CP> 9. Horehound needs FULL sun.

 And very little care, if you try too hard you'll kill the plants...

 B>> plants really do not need.  A good cover with newspapers and straw or
 B>> grass clippings will make a wonderful and recyclable mulch, and further
 B>> down the road the need for less fertilizer.

 CP>         One of my main problems last year was thorough weeding. Mulch
 CP> made this job much, much easier. (My husband went to the local landfill
 CP> and came back with a truck load full of wood mulch.) Newspaper sounds
 CP> even easier and, since I am presently working for a newspaper publisher,
 CP> practically free.

 With a bit of grass clippings you could almost have a weed free garden. ')

 CP>  þ OLX 1.52 þ Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again!

 And I always thought it was Trespassers will be violated, others shot,
survivors persecuted.  :)

May you be watched over and protected
Blessings,
Buckmeister

... "Windws is ine for bckground communiaions." -- Bll Gats, 192

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