MAY 2021.VOL. 21, NO. 05. PORTLAND, MAINE.
PORTLAND’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER. FREE!
Garden Survival Guide
Thanks to climate change, even our favorite outdoor activities seem filled with risk. Here are some tips to help you survive your garden this spring. By Tony Zeli
It’s spring! Time for us to get outside and enjoy our gardens. Whether a backyard retreat, a balcony sanctuary, or a community garden getaway, our gardens are an important part of enjoying the outdoors in our urban landscapes. But we all know in this time of escalating climate catastrophe that we must be extra careful out there. Even paging through your favorite community newspaper, you read about the mounting threats. Every year the dangerous browntail moth, whose little hairs irritate the skin and eyes and can cause respiratory issues, expands its habitat over the city. Or you read that for the second year in a row many downtown Portlanders are receiving free lead soil tests thanks to contamination levels that the EPA considers an elevated risk. (If you live in Bayside, East Bayside, Parkside, or West End, sign up for a free soil test at https://tinyurl. com/FREESoilTest.)
The National Institute on Health publishes findings that support attempts to reduce exposure to pesticides, and we have done so with organic law care ordinances in Portland and South Portland. -WEN file photo by T. Zeli Now, the Maine State House is considering a bill from Representative Ben Collings of Portland to require organic lawn care statewide by banning high-risk cosmetic pesticides. In Portland, a city ordinance bans synthetic pesticides on both public and private property and requires all property owners to go organic, though it includes exemptions and an emergency waiver provision. But whether your town requires it or not, going organic in the garden is a good idea for your health and the planet’s. So here are a few tips.
TIP: USE VINEGAR
A common and well-known alternative to synthetic chemicals is vinegar. But note, everyday household vinegar is not Even stepping outside to do the gar- strong enough to do the job right. Hortidening seems fraught with threats. So, cultural vinegar is much stronger and will here’s a few tips to help you survive your be more effective. Use with care as it will gardening experience. kill whatever it touches.
THREAT: CHEMICALS Pesticides, herbicides, and other garden chemicals contaminate the ground and water. In addition to killing unwanted insects and invasive vegetation, they can be toxic to wildlife and put ecosystems out of balance. Plus, they can pose a risk to human health. Mishandling garden chemicals can cause acute health symptoms like stinging eyes, rashes, and blisters. Scarier still, the pesticides in our environment and on our food can lead to cancer, especially a risk for children and pregnant women.
TIP: MOW HIGH
doing so without harmful chemicals. Then plant native species that help the birds and A successful organic lawn begins with bees! mowing high. The longer the grass, the deeper the roots. This reduces the need TIP: TAKE A SHOWER for watering and increases access to nuGood advice is to take a shower trients. Also, longer grass can shade out within two hours after spending time outweeds. In fact, dandelions and crabgrass doors to wash off any unattached ticks. love lawns that are only 1-inch tall. But a Pay close attention to those warm areas 2- to 2.5-inch-tall lawn prevents dandeliticks love to hide, like your underarms, ons from germinating and stifles crabgrass behind the knees, in and around the ears, growth. your belly button, and of course anywhere you have hair. THREAT:TICKS Okay, the long grass suggestion above begs the question: What about ticks? Like the browntail moth, ticks are one of the most hazardous insects in Maine. They love that our environment is They are By andriano_cz / Adobe Stock warming. spreading throughout the state and are bringing high rates of tickborne diseases such as lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis.
So, when we say mow high to help the grass grow without chemicals, let’s keep in mind this other threat we face, the tick, which likes the long grass. As such, Maine CDC recommends mowing your lawn to 3 inches or less. This lowers the humidity at ground level making it difficult for ticks to survive. Putting this together with our TIP: PLANT NATIVE advice on shutting out weeds organically, Why not plant native species to at- it looks like 2.5 inches to 3 inches is the tract birds and pollinators? Attracting sweat spot for mowing. birds and helpful insects can help reduce Here are some additional tips to help pests, and pollinators are essential to a you face down the deadly tick. healthy garden. Native plants conserve biodiversity and create migration corriTIP: PLANT NATIVE dors for birds and insects. For more information on native species, visit the Wild Yes, that one again. Invasive plants Seed Project: http://wildseedproject.net. such as Japanese barberry and glossy Or ask your local lawn and garden center buckthorn provide the perfect habitat for and they will be happy to point you in the ticks. If you already have these plants in right direction. your yard, consider removing them – and
TIP: DON’T USE A MATCH Do not use a hot match, petroleum jelly, dish-soap, nail polish, or other folk remedies to remove ticks. They might not work and may increase the risk of infection. If you have an attached tick, all you need is a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal spoon. Grab the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure so you remove all the tick from under the skin.
TIP: BE MODEST Cover up with long pants and longsleeved shirts, light-colored clothing, and tuck your pant legs into your socks and your shirt into your pants. That last tip to be modest is also an excellent way to avoid exposure to the sun, bringing us to the next garden threat.
THREAT: SKIN CANCER Enjoying the spring sunshine is good. Not only is natural sunlight associated with a boost in mood, but UV rays can help provide essential nutrients (such as vitamin D). But the fact is that people who enjoy the outdoors are at risk for sunburn and skin cancer, and Maine has a higher-than-average incidence rate of skin cancer compared to the nation.
Cont'd on Pg. 4
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Fictional Gardeners Trivia
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Best Worst presents Fictional Gardeners Trivia
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1. Mr. Michael McGregor just wants to keep Peter Rabbit out of his garden in a series of books by what author and illustrator?
Bright Ideas: Complete Neigh2. A garden & of carnivorous plants,Gardens hemlock, and borhoods Community poison ivy was kept by what spooky TV wife and mother played by Carolyn Jones?
3. According to a nursery rhyme, whose garden grows with silver bells, and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row? 4. Which member of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fellowship
Mondays @ Lazzari Find out more on Facebook and Instagram: @bestworsttrivia