outdoors
N A T U R A L G A R D E N
Learning
to Grow
You can cut back on chemicals and still get
a great garden, says this Master Gardener.
BY SU SA N A P P L E G E T H U R ST PHOTOS A N D Y LYONS
n
1984
, when Omaha gardener Bob Elkins
first bought a house, he learned to garden
by following the example of his neighbors.
“They seemed so sure about what they
did that it didn’t occur to me to ask
questions,” Bob says. As he became more
interested in gardening, he took Master Gardener
classes and discovered different, more earth-
friendly, ways. “In training, I learned about IPM
PLANTING SEEDS Bob Elkins,
left,
teaches his grandsons (top to bottom)
Sebastian, Gabriel, and Julian to garden.
(integrated pest management),” he says. “The
concept of IPM includes being as conservative
as you can with chemicals.” That was especially
important when the first of his three grandsons
arrived. “I realized that he could be exposed to
this stuff while playing in the yard.” Bob
explains how his new approach is working.
S
» How do you
• control weeds?
ng is one of the most important things
I do. If I mulch well, and pull a few weeds by
hand, I seldom need to use weed killers. In the
past, I would use herbicide to kill the grass
around the trunks of trees. Now I mulch
around the trees, and that takes care of it.
Q
» How do you handle
• pests and diseases?
I treat the cause of the problem, not just the
symptom. I have problems with brown patch
on my lawn, and in the past I would have used
a fungicide. But I learned that the real problem
is the heavy clay soil that doesn’t drain well.
So, I spread compost on the problem areas to
build the soil so that it breaks up the clay. It will
take time, but that’s OK.
Do you still
use fertilizer?
I top my beds off with organic mulch every
spring. The mulch feeds the plants, so I really
don’t need more fertilizer. The big change is
how I treat my lawn. I no longer rely on a lawn
service to make all the decisions. I take a soil
sample every year, send it to the extension
service labs, and see what they recommend.
Then I tell my lawn service what I want done.
I don’t want to pay for unneeded fertilizer.
Folks really ought to take advantage of their
extension service more. It’s a great resource,
including advice for using chemicals correctly,
if they’re needed. ®
To locate the extension office nearest you,
visit
csrees.usda.gov.
120 APRIL 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
