GREEN AND GROW SHOW #5

July 15, 2006

Guest Host: Sandra and Earl Jonas
Sandra Jonas has been desinging landscapes for 15 years, from residential gardens
of all types to public parks. She is the designer of Penny McHenery’s garden, one
of the most photographed gardens around. She and her husband Earl Jonas recently
purchased an antebellum home in Hogansville, GA. where Earl grows heirloom
vegetables and Sandra is busy working and designing her own garden.

Our Product of the Week: Daffo-drill
We spoke with Sandra about her love of bulbs, especially daffodils, and that she
has planted thousands at her new _old’ home. How did she plant all those bulbs?
Sandra explained how she use this tool called a _Daffo-drill’ . It is an auger that attaches
to your drill. All you have to do is drill and plant! Sandra said that it really doesn’t matter
which end of the bulb is up, all though it’s best to have the tip facing up, just toss the
bulb in the hole and off you go!

Some great sources for bulbs are: www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com
www.thebulbcrate.com or www.thelilygarden.com
or The Farmers Market Bulletin.

Creature Feature: Yellow Jackets
Gretchen Petis an Entomoligist at the University of Georgia joined us to talk about
a common and painful garden pest..
Yellow Jackets are about 1/2 inch long with alternating yellow and black bands on
there abdomens. They are often mistaken for honey bees but honeybees are slightly
larger than yellow jackets and are covered with hair which yellow jackets don’t have.
Honey bees can sting only once and then die. Yellow jackets can sting over and
over. Yellow jackets live in colonies usuallu underground but can be found in buildings,
including porches and sheds. The Queen is the only one to over winter all the other
workes die in the cold. The diet of yellow jackets consists mainly of foods that are
rich in sugars and carbohydrates, such as fruits or plant nectar. They also like foods
rich in protein, such as fish, meat or other insects. That’s why at picnics they can be
quite pesty because we like all the things they do, including those sweet soft drinks.
For control, if the nest is in an out of the way place ,it’s best to leave it alone.  There
are commercial insect sprays but these aren’t always effective. One of the safest
ways Gretchen told us is to simply place a clear plastic or glass bowl over the hole
to the nest. In just a few days the colony will die due to starvation.  If you are unfortunate
enough to be stung by a yellow jacket and effective way to stop the pain is baking
soda or table salt. Mix a few drops of water making a thick paste and rub on the
effected area. Leave it on for several minutes.

Special Guest: Earl Jonas better know as _Tomato Earl’
Earl discussed with us his recipe for success with heirloom tomatoes and why soil
conditioning is the most important thing you can do. He plants in almost straight compost.
He also took questions from our listeners. Some of Tomato Earl’s favorite varieties are
_Hill Billy’ and _Carolina Gold’.