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Talking Dirt By Cynthia Brian

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Empowerment
Talking Dirt By Cynthia Brian

You’re not a realist
unless you believe in miracles.
~Anwar Sadat

“Forgive me! I’m recovering from the holiday weekend but I need your help for the summer!” wrote a gardening client. The singular American summer festivity of Independence Day is a time for people to gather, celebrate, travel, and spend treasured moments with family and friends. Picnics, barbecues, swim parties, parades, concerts, and, of course, fireworks are the highlights of the 4th. As homeowners prepare their patios, porches, and backyards for the forthcoming celebrations of the summer season, I’ve been busy consulting with clients on how to improve their landscaping.

The number one problem in the gardens that I visit is the quality of the soil. Long ago my Daddy told me there is a difference between dirt and soil. We can be dirt rich and soil poor. Unfortunately, many gardens are filled with lots of dirt and very poor soil.

Mother Nature is a miracle worker, yet, it’s up to those of us who till to create the vision and set the groundwork for her to do her real work. In order to grow a healthy and beautiful garden, the richness of our soil is paramount.  Just as we wouldn’t build a house without first constructing a solid foundation, we can’t plant a garden unless healthy soil is in place. Over the years, times of droughts or seasons of heavy rainfall deplete the nutrients in our soil. When our fruit trees are not producing or our flowers aren’t blooming we question why this is happening. My first response is to gaze at the ground. When was the last time you added compost? Do you mulch regularly and fertilize when needed? Have you had your soil tested? Do you need to purchase clean soil?

I am a big proponent of having new, fresh, enriched soil delivered every few years to enhance the condition of the dirt. Home gardeners can have their dirt tested for a fee from a variety of labs across the United States to find out about the physical contents, contaminants, and chemicals. With this information, you’ll be able to optimize the growth of your plants and diagnosis any soil-related issues. Here is a sampling of places in California that you can contact. Visit their websites for more information or call to find out what is required.

A & L Western Laboratories, Inc.
Modesto, Ca. 95351
www.al-labs-west.com
209-529-4080

Control Laboratories
Watsonville, Ca. 95076
www.compostlab.com
831-724-5422

Dellavalle Laboratory, Inc.
Fresno, Ca. 93728
www.dellavallelab.com
800-228-9896

Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.
Stockton, Ca. 95215
www.fglinc.com
209-942-0182

Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery
Sebastapol, Ca. 95472
www.harmonyfarm.com
707-823-9125

Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply
Grass Valley, Ca. 95945
www.groworganic.com/soil-health.html

Soil and Plant Laboratory, Inc.
San Jose, Ca. 95128
www.soilandplantlaboratory.com
408-727-0330

Test results of soil samples may indicate an excess of salts, improper nutrient levels, too high or low PH, or problems with the soil itself. With the guidance provided by soil testing, gardeners will be able to fertilize properly and amend your dirt, creating the soil for optimum growing.

Dig in the dirt! Amend the soil. Miracles will appear.


Cynthia Brian’s Mid Month Gardening Guide

HARVEST garlic. Dig the heads out with a spade. Don’t just pull on the stems. Move the garlic out of sunlight immediately to a shady, dry area such as a porch or a garage where circulation is good.  (My garage smells like a delicious Italian kitchen!) Garlic cures best with the leaves on. Don’t wash your garlic or scrape the dirt off of the bulb. .  Either lay flat or gather the stems into bunches to hang upside down to dry.  Braiding works with softneck garlic. Curing will allow you to enjoy your garlic into winter. You can eat the garlic immediately as well.  Save a few of your biggest heads to use as seed garlic for planting in the fall.

PLAY a lawn game that is new to you. How about the beanbag toss game, Cornhole, or the ring toss similar to horseshoes called Quoit? If you are not too adventurous, stick to croquet and bocce!

PROLONG the life of lemons by filling a jar with water, adding the citrus, and covering tightly. The fruit will last longer than in the refrigerator and the jar makes a pretty counter display. Limes work the same except they require refrigeration.

REHYDRATE wilted vegetables by placing them for fifteen minutes in a large bowl of cold water.

PICK carrots at their prime when they are still young, thin, and sweet. The bigger they get, the stringier and tougher. Carrots don’t need to be peeled. Scrub and go.

GATHER seeds from faded nasturtiums and four o’clocks to replant wherever you want more plants. Nasturtiums are beautiful cascading over a retaining wall or climbing a trellis while four o’clocks open their blooms in the afternoon at…surprise…4pm daily.

CUT rose rosettes to dry for a fragrant and elegant potpourri display.

WATCH for butterflies, especially yellow swallowtails. They are so intent on the flowers that they appear unafraid of the camera lens.

PICK plums and prunes.  Large crops may cause branches to break. Food banks welcome fresh fruit when you have extras.

ENJOY the bounty of fruits and flowering trees and shrubs of July.

SWIM and have fun in the sun this summer. Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!

Read more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1110/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian-Talking-Dirt.html

Cynthia Brian

Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, is a New York Times best selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3.
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com
Available for hire for any project.
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR

Hang Time! by Cynthia Brian

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Empowerment
Hang Time! by Cynthia Brian

“Flowers and fruit are only the beginning. In the seed lies the life and the future.”
  — Marion Zimmer Bradley,
greens of hostas
Fruit, luscious, juicy, tantalizing ripe fruit! There is no better nor satisfying delicacy than the fruit you grow in your own backyard. Whether it’s a pot or a plot, growing your own is the way the rock it! With our long warm summer days at their height, fruit and vegetables are ripening quickly awaiting plucking for our feasts. Apricots, plums, prunes, mulberries, loquats, tangelos, and tangerines are just a few of the gems hanging from my trees right now. Soon there will be mouth-watering peaches, pears, apples, guavas, nectarines, and figs. Tomatoes have taken up the space left by harvested greens, while beans, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatillos are racing to the finish line. It’s a virtual Farmer’s Market in my garden and this is exactly the way I like to eat. Every day I walk into my potager to fill baskets with crunchy deliciousness for our supper. I never know what I’ll be creating in the kitchen until I see what’s ready to harvest.

I continue to sprinkle lettuce and arugula seeds in the empty spaces to extend my summer, fall and winter crops. My recommendation is to sow rows of bush beans, carrots, and radishes or any other vegetable every three weeks to satisfy your cravings for freshness. Remember to continue to replenish the soil with nutrient rich compost to keep productivity high.
delivering wood chips
Did you know that that average home gardener only spends $359 per year on gardening supplies and plants as reported in a study conducted by Money.com? That seems ridiculously low when you consider that growing your own tomatoes will save you an average $9.50, cucumbers $8.00, peppers $3.60, green beans $2.50, and carrots $3.50.  And that doesn’t include the spectacular taste, increased vitamins, and the fact that you actually know what you put into your soil!  When it comes to homegrown fruits and vegetables, I am a garden to table snob. The finest, healthiest, most cost efficient source of nutrients is waiting for you in the garden. Dig in!

With the barbeque season in full swing, delight guests with grilled stone fruit. Cut peaches, nectarines, or apricots in half, remove the pit, brush with olive oil and drizzle a bit of honey. Grill for a minute or two on each side. Serve with goat cheese, arugula, or as a side dish. Fresh, surprising, and oh, so delicious…a burst of sweetness with your 4th of July fare. About those pits…if you want another fruit tree, plant in potting soil in a container and watch the new life grow. It’s hang time.

nectarines on flatbread
Cynthia Brian’s Fresh Ideas for July

MULCH before the heat of summer begins. If you can use an entire truck-load of wood chips, tree service companies are happy to give you free chips. Mulching keeps the soil cooler while decreasing the weed population.

COMBINE arugula, mint, and sage in a food processor with a splash of olive oil and pepper for a mouth-watering variation on traditional pesto. Add the grated cheese of your choice to use over pastas, in soups, or whirled in an omelet.

HYDRATE yourself with fruits from the garden including watermelon, peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and corn. A slice of watermelon provides you with at least ten ounces of water while a medium peach will give you five ounces of H20.

RELIEVE anxiety and stress by cutting a bouquet of lavender, then crushing the flowers in your palms. Inhale the healing fragrance before bed for a restful slumber.
king snake in garden2
WATCH for snakes! Gopher snakes and King snakes have been slithering through my grass. Don’t be alarmed, snakes eradicate rodents including gophers, moles, rats, and mice.

SHOWCASE your horticultural talents by mixing textures, colors, and sizes in your garden, always being away of water, sunlight, and soil PH needs. A lemon-lime nandina paired with a black adder phormium and a purple salvia are spectacular bedmates.

PEPPER your garden by throwing seeds of Love in a Mist and California poppies. The colors look smashing together and both re-seed. Plus Love in a Mist seedpods make fantastic dried flowers.

WANT a lush landscape? Embrace the beauty of leaves. Foliage plants have dramatic impact, especially when grouped together. Hosta, heuchera, coleus, and variegated plants are showstoppers, specifically in shaded areas.

PLANT gladioli bulbs for summer drama with long stalks of trumpet shaped florets that are considered hummingbird heaven.
gladiola
COVER an unsightly fence with clematis. Read the tags to learn the correct sun exposure, then let the explosion of blooms blow your mind. Clematis make great cut flowers too.

TUCK succulents in between other plantings. Most succulents shoot up spires of blooms as an added bonus. Of course, succulents are very drought tolerant and an excellent choice for our gardens. To get a better idea of the variety of succulents that fare well in our area, visit The Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek.

GRILL vegetables (as well as stone fruit) on the barbecue. A variety of zucchini, peppers, and corn are always excellent choices. Don’t shuck the husks on the corn to keep the nutrients and flavor inside. Slip basil or cilantro inside for added flavor.

THINK about what bulbs and rhizomes you will want to buy to plant in the fall. Do you want more daffodils, tulips, Dutch iris, anemones, or something more exotic? Catalogues are a great way to get your lists started.

THANKS to everyone who has emailed me with positive notes about these columsn. I do appreciate all of my readers and want you to be the best gardeners ever!

CELEBRATE the Fourth of July by dressing up in your sparkly red, white, and blue to HANG out in your personal paradise.

Let the fireworks fly! Happy 240th Independence Day.
purple clematis
Happy gardening. Happy growing!

See more

©2016
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
Starstyle® Productions, llc
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
www.GoddessGardener.com
925-377-STAR
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show at www.StarStyleRadio.com
Garden and plant consultations by appointment.

Digging Deep with Cynthia Brian – Salute the Season

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Variety
Digging Deep with Cynthia Brian – Salute the Season
hydrangea
“The law of living is giving
The nature of nature is giving
The clouds are giving rain
Trees are giving fruit
Earth is giving grain
Moon and stars are giving light
With gifts of nature’s giving, we are living to complete the cycle of living, and giving
Let us give from our mind, hands, and heart to the world.” Chitrabhanu
 
Like a middle child, July emerges with a bang, fireworks, parades, and the celebration of our American independence. Sandwiched between the end of school, graduation, and Father’s Day month of June and the vacation, travel, back-to-school month of August, July must grab our attention swiftly, less it be lost between it’s frenzied siblings. And capture our interest it does with an abundance of luscious fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs to nurture our bellies, and a profusion of sizzling hot hued plants to seduce our spirits.
 
Summer is in full swing in the garden.  This is the season of plenty.  For a gardener, the shed becomes a playhouse, and shears the tool of choice as we trim, cut, prune, and fill our baskets with food and flowers to share. Containers are overflowing with pretty petunias and spilling lobelia as we welcome our visitors to a party on the patio.
 
We witness the bud burst of agapanthus into brilliant blue blooms within days. Gladioli spires shoot for the stars, their cherry throats contrasting spectacularly with the grays of the dusty miller.  Honeybees dance on the magnolias, hollyhocks, penstemons, and flowering succulents, sucking the nectar and pollinating surrounding specimens. Fences of scarlet trumpet vine herald the arrival of butterflies and hummingbirds. Asiatic lilies in colors of the rainbow poke their heads above the crowd making sure they are recognized. Hydrangea blooms are as big as beachballs, mandevilla and pink bower vine enliven arbors and pergolas. The garden is alive, vibrant, and waiting to be enjoyed.
 
Like all celebrations, there are always a few inconveniences that need to be addressed.  Here are my favorite ways of eliminating the pests.
 
Yellow Jackets:  If you have yellow jackets plaguing your summer barbecues, you need to follow the yellow flyers back to their nest. Yellow jackets live and hatch in holes in the ground. While it is advised to hang a trap only on the day of your event, contrary to popular belief, the more yellow jacket traps you set, the more yellow jackets you’ll have to contend with because when a soldier dies, the Queen doubles her duty to produce more warriors for the colony. The hard part is finding the nest. Once you’ve located it, instead of buying a spray, call Vector Control.  A professional will come free of charge, dress in a bee keepers suit, and go to work spraying the nest with long hoses to kill the queen. The problem with commercial repellents is that they can’t get far enough into the tunnels. When my yellow jacket issue arose, Vector informed me that the underground nest was probably at least thirty feet of winding chambers filled with thousands of yellow jackets. 
 
Mosquitoes: Plant lemongrass, the main repellent ingredient in citronella candles. Crush or dry the leaves, mix with alcohol or oil and apply to your body, clothing, or make a spray for outdoor areas as a deterrent. Set out citronella candles and torches. Buy Dunks for your fountains, which don’t hurt wildlife but kill the mosquito larvae, and call Vector Control again to get mosquito fish if you have a pond.  The ThermaCell Mosquito Repellent Patio Lantern sold at hardware  and home stores is another great resource. 
 
Snails and Slugs: If snails and slugs are munching your seedlings, handpick at night when they are feeding, wrap copper strips around perimeters of the problem area, or trap in pans of beer. Coffee grinds and wood ash are also deterrents.  Make sure to remove garden debris and look under rocks and flowerpots.  Since they are hermaphroditic, they will fertilize themselves producing thirty to 120 offspring that begin eating the moment they hatch.
 
With the irritants under control, focus your attention on pleasant summer guests. Quail, robins, finches, and orioles brighten the landscape with their song and their antics. Provide birdbaths, fountains, and feeders to keep them frolicking in your yard.  Fill a clay saucer with water for the butterflies and if you have a swimming pool, rescue the bees that attempt a drink but are doomed to drown.  Don’t confuse bees with yellow jackets. Bees don’t hover around food, only yellow jackets do.
 
The feast begins in the orchards, potagers, vegetable, and herb gardens. Plums, apricots, peaches, apples, nectarines, and cumquats are at their peak.  Berries of many varieties ripen this month including blackberries, elderberries, blueberries, raspberries, fuchsia berries, and strawberries.  With the exception of the elderberry, pick and eat straight from the vine or tree or make heavenly pies, smoothies, jams, jellies, and sorbets.  Bulb fennel boasts sprays of yellow flowers, tomatoes, peppers zucchini, and cucumbers are sweet and prolific.  Home gardener’s are privy to their own customized produce aisle.
 
The season of plenty is upon us. Stand, salute, and raise the flag. The greatest reward is sharing the treasures from our own soil. A garden is to give. A garden is to grow. 
Happy gardening and happy growing to you!
 
 
©2013
Cynthia Brian
The Goddess Gardener
 
Cynthia Brian and Heather Brittany are excited to announce that their long running radio show, StarStyle®Be the Star You Are!® is moving to the Voice America Network. Live broadcasts begin Wednesday, July 3 from 4-5pm Pt/7-8pm ET at http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2206/be-the-star-you-are.  You will still be able to access all our previous shows through June 2013 at our World Talk Radio site as well here http://www.voiceamerica.com/worldtalkradio/vshow.aspx?sid=764.  All shows are archived with photos, descriptions, links and more at http://www.StarStyleRadio.com. Come join our power party on Voice America.

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