New neighborhood gardens are growing in a Richmond city park, in a project that could lead to adopt-a-park opportunities around the city. The new community garden at Humphrey Calder Park, next to Patterson Avenue between Thompson Street and Interstate 195, was constructed the last week in April, planted the first week in May and already is bringing neighbors closer to neighbors.

Q:Because of unfortunate circumstances, my yard has been neglected for the past three years. I would like to know what I need to do to get it back to looking nice. I have lots of weeds and sparse grass in some places. The yard has been taken over by moles or voles. Anything that you can suggest will be appreciated. Answer: Fall is normally the best time to re-establish a lawn. A good place to start your renovation would be to have your soil tested this spring. That will tell you whether you need lime and how much. Lime is one of the most important things you can add to your lawn. You can add it anytime this spring and summer. If you need several applications you can make them a month apart. The goal would be to have the soil ready by the middle of August. You can aerate the soil and plant new grass seed as close to Labor Day as possible.

Vegetable gardens are making a comeback in popularity - from the White House to perhaps your house. Along with this trend comes renewed interest in “Plant a Row for the Hungry,“ a national initiative of the Garden Writers Association that encourages gardeners to plant extra rows of vegetables to share with hungry families in their region.

United Methodist Urban Ministries United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond has begun turning 1 acre at a church-owned camp into a source of nourishment and hands-on lessons for residents of the city.

GARDENING Q&A
Q:Do you know anything about Canada green grass? It says “No preparation; just scatter thickly and water.“ My yard is nothing but weeds, and I wonder if using weed and feed in March would result in some sort of a green yard? Answer: According to its Web site, Canada green is a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass, annual rye, and red fescue. Bluegrass has a very difficult time in central Virginia because of our hot, humid summers. Annual rye is truly an annual and dies when we get the first hot June temperatures. The red fescue is a shade grass. My guess is that the rye would come up fast and act as a nurse grass for the other two. However, it will die in late May or June. That leaves the bluegrass to contend with our hot, humid weather in August. The red fescue does fine here, but only in shade with about 4 hours of sunlight per day.

GARDENING Q&A
Q:I cleared my lot nine years ago to situate my new home. The original lot was densely wooded and I have planted grass right to the border of the wooded area. Over the years I have attempted to plant wildflowers and Marigolds along this border between the grass and the trees. The border is under the tree canopy and I augmented the soil and fertilized the beds. The beds are on a slope and drain well. I do not water the beds regularly and the flowers do not grow. How can I grow flowers along the border? More water?

Q:Several weeks ago you responded to a question about dealing with voles. We have had a bad infestation in our neighborhood this past year, losing an untold number of hostas, dogwoods, iris, azaleas and other shrubs. As I watch a lot of hard work and plants go to waste, do you have any recommendations for plants that tend to be vole resistant?

Q:Last summer, we had a terrible problem with crabgrass. We reseeded in the fall and now have a nice, healthy lawn. I understand we can prevent the crabgrass from coming back by treating with something this spring. What should we use and when should we use it? Answer: Crabgrass can certainly detract from a healthy lawn, but the major reason to control it is because it is an annual plant that leaves the soil bare during the winter. As a result, when it dies back in the fall, it dies completely. There are no live roots to help hold the soil to prevent erosion. As soil erodes, the resulting sediment is a potential threat to our sensitive water areas.

Gardening should not be work, Armitage says GARDENING Allan Armitage, a professor at the University of Georgia and renowned horticulture writer and speaker, says gardening is becoming a four-letter word. “Gardening is now considered work—a four-letter word. It’s become way too complicated,“ Armitage said, citing the popularity of HGTV shows featuring instant landscapes. “They make [the landscape] in 24 hours, but the plants are dead in 24 days.“ The result is unrealistic expectations. He said gardening is a lifestyle, not an activity, and we need to make it fun again.

Q:What is the difference between Bermuda grass and wiregrass? I think I have wiregrass, but I’m not sure. I have a good looking fescue lawn but when it gets hot the wiregrass shows up. Answer: There is no difference. Wiregrass is a colloquial term for common Bermuda grass. I usually tell people it’s called Bermuda grass if you’re growing it on purpose and wiregrass if you aren’t.

Q:I usually avoid spring seeding of my lawn, but I have some bare spots in my backyard that did not take with last fall’s over-seeding. My questions are: What is the earliest I can start reseeding? And what is the best variety of fescue to use? Answer: If you need to re seed bare places, my suggestion is to do it as close to March 1 as possible. It will probably be too cold for germination at that time, but your seeds will be starting to absorb moisture so they will be ready to sprout as soon as the temperature is right.

Q:My friends and I have noticed that the holly trees and even the nandinas seem to have many more berries than in past years. Did something unusual happen this year? Answer: Plants tend to produce more berries when they are under stress. Perhaps it’s the plants way of producing offspring in case it dies. I suspect the drought last summer had something to do with the heavy berry production. I live in Chester and we have experienced the same thing.

Q:I started a compost pile in September with leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Now I’m just adding leaves and a few kitchen scraps. What do I need to add to keep the pile working this winter? Answer: The grass clippings were your best natural source of nitrogen. However, there is a little nitrogen in your vegetable scraps. You can supplement with a handful of 10-10-10 or any other source of nitrogen, such as blood meal.

Erica Gilliam says winter is a gardener’s time to dream. “Winter is absolutely the most ideal time to sit down with a blanket, cuddle up in the sunlight by a window and enjoy those plant and seed catalogs,“ said Gilliam, a master gardener in Henrico County. It’s also a time to ready your garden for spring. There are plants to prune, tools to clean, seeds to buy, structures to repair, compost heaps to turn and vegetable and flower beds to plan.

Q:I planted sweet corn for two years and both years not a single piece came up. I had the soil tested and the results said it was fine. I planted a few seeds in a pot and they came up fine. This place in my garden has always done well in the past. Do you know what might be wrong? Answer: If the soil is OK and the seeds are OK, something is going wrong where the two come together. If the soil was too wet or too dry, your seeds could have decayed before they germinated. Of course, you’d still expect a few to pop up somewhere along the row. If seeds are planted too shallow, birds have been known to walk along the row and feast on freshly planted seed. But you’d think they’d miss one every now and then.