Don't be discouraged from growing fruit just because the space in your garden is limited. Even if there is insufficient room for apples or pears, many container gardens can support currants or one of the unusual berries. These take up little space and are seldom found in the grocery store. And don't forget the ever-popular strawberries!

Currants - they grow well in cool temperate climates and make a good alternative for the patio gardener who lives in a colder climate. Black, red, and white currants can all be grown in containers against a wall, and can be trained as cordons or espaliers.

Hybrid Berries - some of the hybrid berries, thornless blackberries, tayberries, and loganberries can be grown in a container against a wall. They do need a framework of wire but they are easy to train.

Strawberries - the favorite fruit for the patio gardener. Strawberries are especially attractive grown in special planters or tubs, with white flowers in late spring and delicious red fruits ripening in summer. They can also be grown in growing bags, planted in late summer to bear fruit the following year.

It is possible to retain strawberry plants in growing bags for two years but it is probably best if they are replanted annually. Since they are a greedy crop, make sure you add slow-release fertilizer when you plant them.

With the weather heating up and the importance of keeping everything well watered, it's a good time to focus on our soils - especially with the spring planting season just around the corner. A good soil is critical for water retention and overall plant health.

It is a great time to think about composting. A great old saying is "Waste Not, Want Not." This principle can certainly be put to use in our gardens! We are throwing away in the trash the very material that we can utilize to improve our gardens. Healthy soil is full of all kinds of beneficial microbes and bacterias that will help our plants grow.

Homemade compost is easy and fun! It can be anything from throwing an apple core in the flower bed to utilizing one of the new tumbler type bins with thermometers, etc... Just mowing the lawn and leaving the clippings will help; there's nitrogen in that green stuff!

When we compost we are really just putting back into the earth what we've taken out of it! A few guidelines:

• Do add - any raw vegetable material such as potato peelings, eggshell, yard trimmings, grass clippings, leaves etc. (Avoid perennial weeds and diseased or insect-infested foliage.)
• Do not use cooked foods, fats or meats - you want to attract microbes, not furry visitors! Also, the addition of chemical fertilizers in the compost pile is not microbe friendly.
• Add a layer of garden soil after each addition. The more textures of material the better. The microbes need moisture and air circulation. Hint: If you see ants, the compost is too dry, and an odor would mean it's probably too wet and there's not enough air circulation.
• You don't have to turn the pile, but the more you do the faster it will work. That's why the tumbler bins are popular. Seems we're always trying to rush nature!

If you lack space for a compost pile or large bin, you might want to try some slower but less intrusive composting methods like trench composting or hole composting ('compostholing').

For trenches — dig trenches deep enough to accommodate the volume of waste to be composted. Fill with material. Next planting season, set up new beds atop the old trenches and dig new trenches where the old beds were. By alternating trenches and garden rows each season, you'll improve the soil throughout your garden. The hole composting method is similar, but uses a hole instead of a trench.

The next time you put out newspapers and cans to recycle, think about what we can recycle in our gardens as well.

Is it a bug or is it a fungus?

Telling the difference between insects and fungus or disease problems is not a simple task! Remember when giant whitefly first showed up? Many thought it was fungus because of the fuzzy filaments hanging from the undersides of the leaves and reacted by spraying fungicides, which weren't any help at all.

Actually, insecticides didn't help much either--as we soon found out--due to the many generations present (some of which were resistant) at the same time. Since the mouthparts of giant whiteflies are long and tubular, a good blast with the hose is actually one of the best methods of getting rid of them!

Many other bugs also leave damage that looks much like fungus. In some cases, such as aphids (honeydew produced by the aphids promotes the growth of sooty mold), they actually attract mold or fungus. Using a fungicide may get rid of a symptom but leave the original problem.

Another example: small holes in the leaves of plum, nectarine, almond, and apricot trees are actually symptoms of "shot hole" fungus, but if you see tiny holes in your eggplant's leaves--you probably have flea beetles!

As you can see, diagnosis is not always easy! Bring a sample in and we'll try to help diagnose problems and find the best cure for your problem.

As always, the first and best line of defense is prevention. Keep plants healthy--avoid injuries (such as hitting trees with lawnmowers, etc.). Choose varieties that do well in your area and are naturally resistant. We can help you choose resistant plants that will thrive for you.

Disease occurs when the conditions exist to allow it. It is an interaction between the pathogen (causative agent), environmental conditions, and host (plant). All these must be present. That's why prevention is so important. Consult our nursery professionals for help.

Garden Terms:

Pathogens: Microorganisms that cause disease.

Host: Plant that sustains the pathogen.

Spraying Tips

Whether you use our organic or conventional sprays, you can get the most out of your spraying by following these tips:

1. Make sure the spray is getting UNDERNEATH the leaves. Mites, whiteflies, and many others spend most or all of their time there, so spraying only on the top surfaces will not control them.
2. Don't spray a bone-dry plant, and don't spray in the middle of a very hot day. Early morning is a good time to spray because it's usually cooler and less windy, and the insects are less active--so more spray hits the pests.
3. Follow all label directions. Don't use a more concentrated spray than the label recommends--you can easily burn your plants, and usually it is no more effective on pests. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to consult our nursery professionals.