#YouShouldDoThis: Lyndon Penner's Top 3 tips for July 23rd

#YouShouldDoThis: July 23rd

1.  Don't Feed the Birds- Growing your own food is great, but wouldn't you rather feed your family than the avian marauders of your neighbourhood? If you don't invest in some bird netting, that's exactly what will happen. Everyone loves robins but the fact is that they are stupid. Like, actually stupid. A robin will land in your fruit tree and pull off a green, unripe berry. "That tastes terrible," says the robin. "I wonder if the next one is any better?" So he tries and discovers it as unpalatable as the first. He drops the unripe berry on the ground. A robin will remove every single unripe fruit from your tree in this fashion if allowed to do so. Cedar waxwings, which are beautiful and welcome in the mountain ash, are a problem with fruits you'd actually like to eat, such as saskatoons and cherries. So if you don't want to see every currant, gooseberry and small fruit get eaten or wasted by birds, go buy yourself some bird netting. The goal with netting is to allow in air, light and moisture but deter birds. Buy something quality that you can use for years. Be thorough, take your time and do a good job. Netting is useless unless it's placed carefully. 
 
2. Feed the needy.  Do you skip lunch? How about breakfast? No? So why do you expect your plants to go hungry? People often feed plants only when they are sick or ailing — as in, "my plants aren't doing very well, I should give them some fertilizer maybe." The fact is, if the plant is sick, it's already too late. Healthy plants should be fed! Water soluble fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro or Plant Prod offer an instant blast of readily available, easily absorbed nutrients that are available to plants right now. It's especially important to feed plants in containers. Follow the mixing instructions very carefully and have at 'er. Yes, it's okay to use instant fertilizers on plants you are planning to eat. 
 
3. The beets grow on. The first beets should be ready from the garden right now! Go dig them up and eat them before they start bolting and getting unhappy in the heat! They can be grilled on the BBQ, roasted like potatoes or made into some really delicious summer soups. Tip for next year: if you don't like red beets making it look like you've just slaughtered a pig in your kitchen, try the golden beets. They're just as tasty and they won't stain your hands. Also, when sliced just right, they look like peaches!

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