This and that in the garden

By David Wall
Guest Columnist

Trees are the number ONE way to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it long term.  White (paper) birch has sweet drinkable sap that does not need purification.  Basswood trees have Delicious edible leaves – especially in spring.  White oak acorns are edible as opposed to red oak acorns which are NOT edible, at least not without negative bodily reactions!  It takes 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.  In a bind, chew some willow tree twigs and swallow the juice to relieve headaches.

For those who hate tree roots above ground, there is little that can be done.  You can plant the tree in a hole that is a few inches below ground level, but as the roots grow out in the top few inches of soil and expand, they're going to pop up through the soil, sometimes to a height that impacts mowing the lawn.

Sunflower plants next to tomatoes act as a trash crop to protect the tomatoes.  We're growing plants that insect larva like.  Our cash crops are a larval food source, and larva eat more than adults.  If you spray to kill, they'll come right back, and spraying will probably kill beneficial insects.  Bt is a great spray for control, but must be sprayed weekly, as it breaks down in sunlight..  Spray at end of day.

Tillage radishes and purple top turnips are excellent garden winter cover crops.  Their roots penetrate deep into the soil, absorb nutrients well below the depth of many vegetable roots, and bring these nutrients up to the upper root (the actual turnip and/or radish).  As they rot, their nutrients are released and become available to your spring crops. As the roots rot, they leave behind numerous tunnels for water, air, and worms to use.