Weather Hypochondriacs

 Oh dear, here we go again. The Chronicle Journal spent Monday contradicting itself from one page to another. A regular victim of the 'global warming alarmist syndrome', our local newspaper should spend a little more time researching their trivia, and possibly do a little bit of unbiased investigative research.

On page A2:

"Today's Trivia

1932: A day of Muggy heat

(28.3C) spawned an electrical storm with heavy rain in

the Chaplin area of Saskatchewan. It flung utility poles across roads, blew down barns, coal sheds, and chicken coops (oh no!)...and overturned wagons. In Chaplin, the Alberta Pacific Elevator Company'soil house was lifted and carried several metres, and a building filled with barrels was left in the middle of the road.

World Environmental Day

Courtesy of the David Phillips, 2012 Weather Trivia Calendar"

...must have been "climate change" that caused that storm in 1932 - they just didn't have a fashionable name for it yet.

Two pages over, the CJ tells us that "climate change is very much upon us" because the East End flooded after some heavy rain. Obviously my heart goes out to all those who lost so much, but flooding shouldn't be unexpected in a place that was once, not long ago - geologically speaking, at the bottom of a Great Lake.

Our house here in Port Arthur was also once at the bottom of our Lake. Maybe someday it will be again. My first UofG hort course years ago had me running all over town tasting testing soil (yeah, I ate some...in the name of science!)... anyway, it gave me a great appreciation for our geological history from a garden soil perspective - most of which was once under water. This should be the perspective we view our City in, and respect that.

The alarmist perspective doesn't help. "Weather over the northwest is getting more erratic all the time." No it's not. It's always been erratic, changing - for about 4.5 billion years. Locally, I can point directly to the thoughtless and environmentally careless clear cutting around the Dog Lake area for changing the wind patterns in the City. ...just an observation from an observant gardener and greenhouse worker. It broke my heart when I saw what they did out there, just as it is over that ridiculous clover leaf at Hodder Avenue and 11/17. Do you not think that by changing that landscape we're not going to notice a change in the City of some sort? Some gardener somewhere will notice - or a cyclist riding along a bike lane - a new wind, a different water run-off...
This is not "global warming" that's changing anything in Thunder Bay - it's us. Stupid humans who think that they know more that mother nature, that a few trees here, and a little bit of the oldest rock on the planet won't be noticed if taken away and destroyed.

Winter and summer have been noticeably warmer and cooler many other times in the long & changing climate history here on the Canadian Shield. This is not something new and alarming CJ.., this is poorly researched, incorrect "journalism." It's interesting: I've been reading more and more about Medieval gardens - after my mother gave me a great historical gardening book for my birthday (Even from palliative care, she's still ordering books from Amazon using her iPad - which is hilarious, and so her. Love.) We are growing very similar gardens these days to those found in medieval England for similar social and cultural reasons (backyard veggies & self sustainability), and in a very similar climate. For years I've been intrigued by Shakespeare's flowers - all the same plant name I read on tags in greenhouses, in seed catalogues. It was some time last summer, we were driving - and on the radio they were talking about how so many medieval & renaissance still life paintings - or any painting that included vegetables, or meals featured this crazy looking purple carrots - just like we're seeing again now ...on the radio they were marvelling at this as if we should all be surprised. That surprised us, as we drove around.

Hannah's reading 1984 & Animal Farm and she thinks they're weird. (My mother ordered those books also - in a sweet hardcover that includes both books.) We've been trying to tell her that there are some good lessons in history - even more interesting when that history is looking into a future we've already passed. (Hey, where's my Tardis?!) If Thunder Bay is Manor Farm, I'd like to know when the pigs are going to take over...because maybe that's what it will have to take to stop the human's poor behaviour. Call it an environmental revolution, and look at it through eyes that have read how damaging ignorance and indifference can be.

If you want to know why our Lake is warming, infested, filthy, becoming increasingly unhealthy - take a look at your street, look at the run off water - and the cigarette butts that are in it. Even with our early spring, snow free roads, it took our Stupid Human City too long to get around to cleaning the streets this year - so much garbage everywhere, so much that could have been swept, ran off into our urban streams, into our Lake, on to cause problems that someday will be reported as shockingly alarming "climate change."

We put asphalt at the bottom of a Great Lake, buried the mineral rich soil beneath, we let garbage blow around on it, oil spill on it, waste fuel on it; we've taken away trees who have the roots to hold it all together - more than we stupid humans will ever have - real roots, a real connection from the sky to the soil. We've been so greedy in north-western Ontario - and continue to be, then we cry "climate change," rally, plant new trees, a garden, and think we're making a difference. But are we? Really? How can we justify that stupid clover leaf or what they're doing to the Lake Superior landscape with that highway expansion? This is not a global issue or the El Nino, or because we used too much aerosol hairspray in the eighties damaging the ozone - this is local - local stupidity and greed. Ignorance is bliss, isn't it.

How about a change in leadership. A new pig. Maybe we don't need councillors who doesn't think bike lanes are dangerous, waste time & money at the cost of our environment, and destroy our history (buildings, parks & landscape) for the sake of a parking lot for lazy people who think four blocks is the Boston Marathon.

::::deep breath::::

I wish we would see more informed articles like this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2012/05/29/global-warming-alarmism-when-science-is-fiction/ 

Dear Garden Diary,

iGarden
8 November 2011

Yeah, I took this photo using my iPhone, dangling it over the balcony's railing. Dangerous. Earlier yesterday I dangled it over a bridge on May Street. This is why I have to return to using my Nikon for photos, with it's sturdy strap - less likely to slip through my fingers to a watery or pottery death. I've been so distracted with the iPhone photo apps lately that I haven't bothered updating about the garden. These things happen.

Well, we cleaned (R did most all of the gross work) and tucked away pots, preparing for winter the best we can. If we weren't basement hoarders we might have more space to store things. hmm.
R also did all of the digging, creating additional vegetable garden space. There is now three times the space and half the grass lawn. We're definitely putting a yellow brick path in to boarder the grass and perennial garden because we are corny like that. grin. Beyond the mugo pine the potentilla will be taken out and a gate will be put in its place.

This is exactly what happened with my first garden. Over eight years I slowly turned sod into garden. This is only my third season with this yard. Heh heh... We'll always have to have sod in the dog run - and the dogs will have have the run of the "dog forest" to the west of the existing path. It used to be a lovely, kept formal garden with lush grass that could only be manufactured. It was beautiful.
But it wasn't my kind of garden, and I think R feels the same (he grew up with orchards and bees, and did the dogging after all). It's fun to have a productive yard, and we both want to use this new space wisely. We now have the space to properly plant after our over-zealous seedling shopping sprees, we vow not to screw this up. We had more tomatoes than we could handle this year, giving them away from a box on our door step in the end...

I've said it before: our most challenging hurdle (more even than having a Gromit) is leaving the garden at the peek of the season. That's a toughy.., summer vacation time is summer vacation time - and family beckons. In the real world family trumps gardens, so the gardener has to adapt. I'm thinking there has got to be a way of planting around our three week adventure away.

I am so excited to have space for root vegetables in our own backyard. So excited. I think a couple fine brussel sprout plants would fit too. grin.
There's still a heap of triple mix waiting in the dog run to be put into the new garden, some lime, meal, and whatever compost I can come up with. It looks good and wormy already, so we're off to a good start.

Now that it's November, it's time for doodling gardens not digging in them..., taking long baths, settling in for winter. I can't help looking forward to next year, feeling so much better after feeling so off for so long. I didn't even realize how ill I've been until I started feeling better - things like balance: just in the last two weeks, while walking downtown noticing that I feel more steady than I have in years, and my body moves more cooperatively (if that makes any sense). I can breathe a little deeper, sleep a little deeper, think ahead again. It's actually quite remarkable, and a little scary.
Whatever infection that started this all - back in 2009, I'll probably never know..., and honestly I don't even care about knowing anymore. It all makes sense, the culmination of an infection (undoubtedly starting in my kidneys, as per my initial complaint, spreading, finding equilibrium with my immune system, reacting autoimmune: "lingering pathogen") combined with a toxic overload - mold most likely, and god only knows whatever else (Ryan Building). Stress. Miscarriage. Depression.
I won't disregard gardens and greenhouses either, sadly. There's a reason why products get pulled from shelves and tests are run on soil. It could happen to anyone, really, for so many reasons - making it hard to fuss about - unless you plan on living in a bubble, or worse: in fear.

It took two very different approaches to medicine: Western and Eastern, two hemispheres, an acupuncturist from the picturesque Leura Mall, and four local female doctors practicing in four unique healing directions to bring me back. The last month has been like an awakening.

I believe that by the time next spring arrives I'll be back to where I was, maybe even better.


CURRENT MUSIC: Watching the Wheels - John Lennon

Soil Sampling Demonstration

"Joel from the Lakehead University Forest Laboratory demonstrates how to properly collect soil and get it ready for submission."

To have your soil tested by the LU soils lab for $35.00 (+taxes),
call (807) 343-8639 or email soilslab@lakeheadu.ca
For more information:
Web: http://www.forestlab.ca

Resources - Horticulture Certificate Program (University of Guelph)

American Nursery & Landscape Association
ANLA provides education, research, public relations, and representation services to members. This support enables them to operate more effectively and to provide the public with quality plants, landscape design and installations, and related products and services. www.anla.org/about/index.htm

Canadian Nursery Landscape Association
CNLA provides education, research, public relations, and representation services to members. www.canadanursery.com

Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone
The Plant Hardiness Zones map outlines the different zones in Canada where various types of trees, shrubs and flowers will most likely survive. It is based on the average climatic conditions of each area. sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/climate/hardiness/intro.html

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
The CANADIAN POISONOUS PLANTS INFORMATION SYSTEM presents data on plants that cause poisoning in livestock, pets, and humans. The plants include native, introduced, and cultivated outdoor plants as well as indoor plants that are found in Canada. Some food and herbal plants are also included that may cause potential poison problems. www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/poison?p_x=px

Canadian Rose Society
A Non-Profit Organization dedicated to furthering the study of Roses and to promoting their cultivation throughout Canada. http://www.canadianrosesociety.org/
American Rose Society - http://www.ars.org/

Canadian Soil Information System
The Canadian Soil Information System (CanSIS) has supported the research activities of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada by building the National Soil DataBase (NSDB). The NSDB is the set of computer readable files that contain soil, landscape, and climatic data for all of Canada. It serves as the national archive for land resources information that was collected by federal and provincial field surveys, or created by land data analysis projects. http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/intro.html

Composting Council of Canada
The Composting Council of Canada is a national non-profit, member-driven organization with a charter to advocate and advance composting and compost usage. It serves as the central resource and network for the composting industry in Canada and, through its members, contributes to the environmental sustainability of the communities in which they operate. http://www.compost.org/

Hedge Plants for New Brunswick Gardens
The choice of hedge plants should be determined by the location, soil conditions, size of garden and the effect to be created by the hedge.
http://www.gnb.ca/0171/30/0171300011-e.asp

International Society of Arboriculture
Arborists around the world share their experience and knowledge for the benefit of society through the ISA. The ISA works to foster a better understanding of trees and tree care through research and the education of professionals as well as global efforts to inform tree care consumers. http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/

Ontario Noxious Weeds
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/noxious_weeds.htm

Ontario Pesticide Education Program
The Ontario Pesticide Education Program has been providing pesticide safety and application training to Ontario farmers and pesticide vendors. http://www.ridgetownc.on.ca/opep/
Ontario Pollutants

Ontario ’s Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has been protecting Ontario’s air quality for over 30 years. Using stringent regulations, targeted enforcement and a variety of innovative air quality initiatives, the ministry continues to address air pollution that has local, regional and/or global effects. http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/air.htm

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

Weed Science Society of America, Plant Photo Library
The photo herbarium contains pictures of many plants that are common to North America. Some of the plant species listed are not generally considered weeds but may have toxic or poisonous properties, or are otherwise of general interest as wildflowers or herbs. http://www.wssa.net/photo&info/weedframe3.htm

searching for: soil composition plant growth

nerd
Google Books

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Google Scholar

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Thunder Bay Public Library

nerdiest
Chancellor Paterson Library (times out)

(horticulture course prep)

soiled entry II

completely random facts from notes

Light or Sandy soils
Add organic matter
Use fertilisers which are slow acting and long lasting to avoid them leaching out. Keep an eye on the acidity level. It can change quickly in light soils. Don’t overdo the use of lime. Small frequent dressings are the best bet.

Heavy or Clay soils
Dig in autumn and leave over winter to weather - making them much easier to break down in spring.
Use organic matter.

Chalk or alkaline soils
Add as much acid making organic matter as you can. Peat and manure are ideal. Use frequently as a mulch on the surface.
Do not dig them in.

Lime and chalk always move downwards in the soil, so cultivate as shallowly and infrequently as possible. Avoid digging.

Hydrated Lime is very effective in producing a fast change in pH level, and suitable for all types of heavier soil.
It is the “strongest” form of lime generally available, *sensible precautions*

Ground Limestone natural limestone which has been ground to a powder. It’s speed of effect and persistence in the soil will depend on how finely it has been ground less strong than hydrated lime, needing about 30% more to raise the pH by the same amount works more slowly and lasts longer than the hydrated lime suitable for use on light sandy soils.

Mixed Lime contains a variety of particle sizes so it will give some immediate effect then go on for a long period

Any plant suffering from a deficiency of lime (pH is too low) will show stunting symptoms
and the growing tips of the plant are yellow and deformed while the lower parts of the plant remain unaffected. This is often accompanied by short and stubby root growth instead of long fibrous ones.
At very low pH levels, aluminum and manganese are dissolved by acids and escape into the soil. These are poisonous to some plants.

*Plants growing in a lime soil (where the pH is too high) can also be adversely affected because of an excess of Calcium. Symptoms of high pH levels in soil usually show as deficiencies of Iron, Boron, or Manganese.
Unfortunately, these also result in yellowing of the leaves which makes detection a bit more difficult.

Iron Deficiency
With Iron deficiency, the leaf veins usually remain a deep green. Boron deficiency shows up as twisted, distorted growth and often the terminal bud dies. In turnip and beetroot, hollow, brown areas develop.

ManganeseDeficiency
With a Manganese deficiency the terminal bud stays alive, but the older leaves show yellow patches between the veins, and often dead spots appear on the leaves. If these deficiencies are induced because your soil has too much lime present, they cannot be corrected by applying the appropriate element, because no matter how much is applied, the presence of the excess lime in the soil “locks up” the elements and makes them unavailable to plant roots. The way to unlock them is to modify the pH level. This frees the elements in the soil eliminating the need to add "extra" amounts of those that were deficient.

• Increase your pH to around 6.5, and more Phosphate is available.
• pH 6.5 is often quoted as being the best general pH level for most soils.

Lime helps to improve soil drainage, aeration and workability of clay soils by making them less sticky and more open by creating sand sized multi-particles.
*encourages worm activity which itself significantly increases the organic content of the soil as “food” pulled into the soil by worms decomposes.
*helps to prevent some diseases.
Nitrogen is important for the production of green tissue. It gives the plant a healthy deep green color. It promotes stem and leaf growth and increases the protein content of edible plants. It is essential therefore for plants which need their leaf development encouraged. Such plants would include Cabbage, lettuce. lawns and so on, but all growing plants need some nitrogen.
Nitrogen Deficiency
*plants become stunted and yellow looking
*the leaves at the bottom of the plant begin to dry up and wither
An excess of nitrogen is also undesirable because stem and leaf growth will be produced at the expense of fruit and flowers. The growth will become far too luxuriant and sappy, which means that it is weaker, more susceptible to damage by frost, and disease resistance is lowered.
Phosphate
*essential for the development of a strong healthy root system. young plants require phosphorous, so it is important that seed beds and composts have a plentiful supply
*root crops such as Carrot, Potato and Parsnip will all decrease in yield if there is insufficient Phosphate available
*vital for the movement and storage of food reserves within the plant, and the main nutrient concerned with the proper development of seed production

Phosphate Deficiency
*indicated in plants when the foliage becomes a blue/grey shade of green, gradually turning to a bronzy shade of green as the deficiency worsens
*growth slows and the plant gives a poor yield of fruit and seeds
Potash develops fruit and flowers, brighter colours, and improved keeping qualitiestoughens up plants making them more resistant to disease
*can help to counterbalance any excess of Nitrogen

Potash plays an important part in the formation of sugars and starches which can be stored by the plant in swollen roots e.g. Dahlia, Turnip.

A deficiency of Potash shows first as yellowing of the leaf margins, later turning brown and scorched looking. Sometimes scorch shows up as leaf spotting and often starts at the base of the plant.
An excess of Potash can cause too much water to be absorbed by the plant, giving reduced frost resistance.
Peat
*makes the soil more acid.
*rich in nitrogen and other plant foods (not much phosphate)
*does not contain many weed seeds, and the coarse grades are best for soil composition improvement.
Spent Mushroom Compost
*one of the few types of organic matter to have a slightly alkaline effect on the soil
*good for soils that need both composition improvement and raising of the pH level, or soils at the right pH level that would become too acid if peat or manure were to be used.
*makes an ideal mulch, andcan be dug in at any time

Straw
*good for composition improvement, but it makes the soil short of nitrogen for a while when first added - add some extra nitrogen to compensate plants for the loss

Leafmould
*the value of this depends on the sort of leaves that have been used
soft, fleshy leaves are not very good at improving the soil composition - tough, fibrous leaves are best

• Oak leaves will make the soil more acid
• Beech leaves will make it more alkaline

Bark or woodchips are slow to decompose and take effect
*itrogen deficiency may occur when first used

Lwn mowings must be composted down before using and require help to compost down on their own so should be mixed with other materials in the compost heap – or add some soil in layers with the mowings.

Spent hops have very little food value, but are useful as a soil conditioner and can be used at any time
Gypsum is an excellent improver for heavy soils
*it should be forked in well and mixed intimately with soil particles.
*works in the same way as lime, but without raising the pH and making the soil more alkaline.
Lime and Gypsum work in the same way, but lime has a profound effect on soil pH. Lime can be used at any time of year, but is best in spring on light soils.
Soot
*darkens the soil and makes it slightly earlier
*must not be used fresh - let it weather for at least six weeks before applying it to soil
Charcoal will also darken the soil, but is strongly alkaline and can raise the pH as lime does.
Grit
should be more than 2 mm in diameter, worked in with a fork, thoroughly mixed in to the top 6 to 8 inches of soil.
Coarse Sand
is good for opening up a heavy soil
a gritty sharp riverwashed sand is best, forked into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil at any time of year

• Rhododendrons and heathers will not tolerate lime in the soil
• Clematis prefers an alkaline soil

The acidity or alkalinity of the soil is measured by pH (potential Hydrogen ions), a measure of the amount of lime (calcium) contained in your soil, and the type of soil that you have.

• Generally, soils in moist climates tend to be acid and those in dry climates are alkaline.
• A soil with a pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil and one with a pH higher than 7.0 is alkaline.
  It is generally easier to make soils more alkaline (by raising the pH) than it is to make them more acid.
• Different soil types react in different ways to the application of lime you will have to add more lime to clay soils and peaty soils than you will in sandy soils to achieve the same result.

To increase your pH by 1.0 point and make your soil more alkaline: Add 4 ounces of hydrated lime per square yard in sandy soils Add 8 ounces of hydrated lime per square yard in loamy soils Add 12 ounces of hydrated lime per square yard in clay soils Add 25 ounces of hydrated lime per square yard in peaty soils
Correction of an overly acid soil should be considered a long term project, rather than trying to accomplish it in one year. It is better to test your soil each year and make your adjustments gradually. The addition of hardwood ash, bone meal, crushed marble, or crushed oyster shells will also help to raise the soil pH.
If your soil needs to be more acidic, sulfur may be used to lower the pH. To reduce the soil pH by 1.0 point, mix in 1.2 oz of ground rock sulfur per square yard if the soil is sandy, or 3.6 oz per square yard for all other soils. The sulfur should be thoroughly mixed into the soil before planting. Sawdust, composted leaves, wood chips, cottonseed meal, leaf mold and especially peat moss will lower the soil pH.

soiled entry I

some good things to know about soil:

• One group of fungi (mycorrhizae) live in association with plant roots, and improve the take-up of nutrients from the soil.
• Acid soils tend to be deficient in phosphorus and sometimes contian excess manganese and aluminum.
• Alkaline soils tend to lack manganese, boron, and phosphorus.
• Earthworms dislike acid soils, but clubworm and wireworms are common in acid conditions.
• On alkaline soils, potato scab occurs more frequently.
• The pH of soil is usually controlled by its calcium level.
• Calcium is an alkaline element, lost through leaching.
• Alkalinity can be increased by liming or adding mushroom compost.
• Loam soils have the ideal balance of mineral particle sizes, with between 8 and 25 percent clay.
• Lime binds clay soil particles together into crumbs by a process known as flocculation.

My garden thrived in thanks to deep-bed and double-digging methods that allowed me to plant densely in the small space.

• When double-digging, it is essential that the subsoil is not mixed with the top soil.
• Improve silty, compacted, and heavy clay soils with sand, gravel, and coarse organic matter.
• Clay will improve the quality of impoverished soil.
• Compost, pest, well-rotted manure are used to improve water retention in free-draining, sandy soil.
• In a well drained soil, the water is held in fine capillary pores, which are usually less than 1/160in (o.16mm) in diameter, with air in the larger pores; it is there possible for soil to be described as both moist and well-drained.

...too be continued...

information acquired from:

The American Horticultural Society
Encylopedia of Gardening
Brickell, McDonald, Cole
DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY 1993