World 080421

WORLD GARDENING & OUTDOORS
New Guide Details How
to Create a Rain
Garden
As public awareness of stormwater issues increases, so
does interest in finding ways to protect local waterways.
For many homeowners, schools, businesses and municipalities,
the answer may be installing a rain garden.
Rain gardens capture, soak up and filter stormwater
runoff from roofs and paved surfaces, protecting lakes,
ponds and rivers from pollutants such as fertilizers, pet
waste and oil leaks from cars. They also can add beauty to
an area or serve as a food source for bees, butterflies and
other pollinators.
The Lake Champlain Sea Grant program and University
of Vermont (UVM) Extension recently released an updated
guide to rain garden design and installation for landowners.
Rain Garden Manual for Vermont and Lake
Champlain Basin can be downloaded at https://go.uvm.
edu/raingarden.
Free, printed copies will be available later this summer.
To reserve a copy, email seagrant@uvm.edu.
The 28-page manual outlines the benefits of rain gardens
and provides step-by-step instructions for planning,
design and installation, including factors to consider such
as location, size, slope, soil type, costs, labor and maintenance.
It also explains why rain gardens are a cost-effective
green stormwater infrastructure practice and how they
can be incorporated into a number of different landscapes.
Another section looks at plant selection and criteria
including sun exposure, salt and drought tolerance, bloom
time, color and seasonal interest with a focus on using
species native to Vermont or the Lake Champlain basin.
These plants require less watering, fertilizing and overall
care as they have both adapted to and thrive in this climate.
A list of recommended plants, including pollinatorfriendly
species, and U.S. Department of Agriculture plant
hardiness zone maps for Vermont and northern New York
are included.
This third edition is based on the original manual that
was created by the Winooski Natural Resources
Conservation District in 2009 in collaboration with UVM
Extension, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, the Vermont
Agency of Natural Resources and other partners.
UVM Extension Course
Teaches Composting
Basics
Backyard composting is a cost-efficient, natural way to
dispose of food scraps and yard waste that benefits lawns
and gardens by providing a source of nutrient-rich matter.
You can learn about this process through the University
of Vermont (UVM) Extension’s Master Composter Course,
which starts Sept. 10. In addition to providing “recipes”
for making compost, the course covers the biology of
composting, site and bin selection, troubleshooting and
Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law, among other topics.
Two tracks will be offered, a self-paced option and one
for certification as a Vermont Master Composter volunteer.
Vermonters pay $50 for either track although if seeking
volunteer certification, an application and Zoom
interview are required before acceptance into the program.
Out-of-state residents may only register for the self-paced
course for a fee of $150.
The volunteer application and registration information
can be found at http://go.uvm.edu/vtmastercompostercourse.
To request a disability-related accommodation to
participate, call Beret Halverson at (802) 656-1777 by
Aug. 20.
If accepted for the volunteer certification program, you
must participate in online sessions, offered on consecutive
Thursdays, Sept. 16 - Oct. 28, from 6-7 p.m. You also will
need to complete weekly assignments and attend an inperson
composting workshop.
Volunteer certification will require a commitment of 10
hours on an approved composting project within two years
of completing the course. To maintain status, you will
need a minimum of five hours annually in future years.
If you register for the self-paced track, you will have
access to the same course materials and pre-recorded lectures.
You can work at your own pace, but you must finish
the course by Dec. 15. No volunteer commitment is
required. Upon successful completion of the course, you
will receive a Vermont Home Composter certificate.
The course is sponsored by the UVM Extension
Community Horticulture Program with financial support
from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. If you
have questions, call (802) 656-9562 or email master.gardener@uvm.edu.
HUNTER EDUCATION
COURSE OFFERED
Registration Monday,
August 9, 6-7:30 PM at the
Barre Fish & Game Club
Gun Club Road
Barre Town
Classifi ed
Deadline Is
MONDAY
Before 10AM
522-2499
page 22 The WORLD August 4, 2021
Rain Gardens for Stormwater Management
By Bonnie Kirn Donahue
Extension Master Gardener
University of Vermont
Water plays a significant role in the health of our landscapes
in more ways than meets the eye.
Stormwater is water that collects on the surface during and
after a rainstorm or from melting snow. Depending on the
permeability and slope of the surface it hits, stormwater can
slowly infiltrate into the earth or wash over impermeable surfaces
picking up oils, debris and pollutants along the way.
Without sustainable mitigation strategies in place, this
warm, polluted water can end up in our local rivers, ponds and
lakes, adding silt and pollution directly into our beautiful
natural resources, lowering water and habitat quality.
While stormwater management requires collaboration at
many levels, including state, community and private landowner,
there are strategies each of us can implement to help
manage stormwater runoff.
Utilizing plants in your landscape is an excellent way to
help treat stormwater runoff. In addition to adding beauty and
food for wildlife and insects, plants prevent soil erosion, slow
down water speeds and soak up water and nutrients.
One way to utilize plants for stormwater management is to
build rain gardens. Rain gardens temporarily collect stormwater,
allowing it to slowly infiltrate into the earth.
Rain gardens often are planted with a plant species that can
tolerate both wet and dry soils because there will be times
when the rain garden is either saturated or dry. Try to pick
plants that are native and pollinator-friendly. This will turn
your rain garden into an area that not only manages stormwater
but provides food and shelter to beneficial insects and
pollinators.
Plants such as cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), butterfly
weed (Asclepias incarnata), Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum),
blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) and red twig dogwood
(Cornus sericea) are great plants to test out in rain gardens.
Soil infiltration is incredibly important for the success of a
rain garden. Not every natural low spot will make a good
place for a rain garden. If your soil is compacted or heavy in
clay, water may not soak into the soil quickly enough, causing
your plants to struggle and water to sit too long on the surface.
The size of your rain garden should be based on the amount
of stormwater you plan to collect. First, you have to determine
where the water is coming from.
Is it from your roof or driveway, or a gutter or patio?
By Joyce Amsden
Extension Master Gardener
Intern
University of Vermont
If you raise chickens, then you
know that while they are laying
baskets of farm fresh eggs and
amusing you with their antics, they
are also generating a LOT of
manure.
Coop litter contains manure,
feathers, undigested food and bedding
material. A single chicken can
produce as much as 130 pounds of
litter per year!
Fortunately, poultry litter is a
beneficial soil amendment for vegetable
gardens, flowerbeds and
lawns. It improves soil structure,
water-holding capacity, nutrient
availability, biological activity and
overall soil nutrition.
However, raw chicken manure
contains levels of nitrogen and
salts that can be damaging to
plants. It also can contain harmful
Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. It
takes approximately 120 days for
the pathogens to die and organic
matter to break down.
You can apply and incorporate
litter in the fall after you have harvested everything in your
garden. Avoid direct application to plants that are to remain.
The most effective way is to compost the litter and work the
composted matter into your garden in the fall. If you want to
apply composted litter in spring, you must begin a second
container or pile around the first of the year, so all the compost
you apply has composted for the required 120 days.
Proper composting begins in the coop with 2-3 inches of
bedding. Remove the litter when the proportion of litter to
manure reaches about 50-50, roughly in 2-4 weeks. This nitrogen
in the manure and carbon in the litter is ideal for composting.
In winter, you can switch to the deep-litter method by adding
about an inch of bedding weekly, maintaining the 50-50
proportion. This provides tidy footing for your chickens and
maintains a healthy composting environment right under their
feet.
Smelly coop? It’s time to add more bedding. Remove it
when the weather warms to above freezing daytime temperatures
or if the buildup becomes inconvenient.
To compost your litter, construct a three-sided container
with wood pallets or other untreated materials, allowing
spaces for air flow. The ideal size is 3-ft. x 3-ft. x 3-ft. The
• • •
Measure the surface area of these sources to help determine
the overall area of the rain garden that you need.
For more details, check out the Rain Garden Manual for
Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin (https://go.uvm.edu/
raingarden) from Lake Champlain Sea Grant and University
of Vermont Extension for specific recommendations on rain
garden size, soil type, plant selection and easy-to-follow
instructions for building your own rain garden.
Looking for other ideas for how you can help mitigate
stormwater runoff?
A few simple things you can do are trying to mow your
lawn less often, cutting the grass no shorter than three inches
or even considering what areas you could leave as meadow.
If you have any open soil, plant a cover crop or add mulch
to help keep the soil from eroding in rainstorms or snow melts.
If you live close to a river or pond, make sure to leave a
large planted buffer between the water’s edge and lawn. This
will help filter stormwater runoff and pollutants from entering
the water and lowering water quality.
Every one of these small changes can make a big impact on
improving water quality, and creating a more sustainable
world. Test one out and see the difference it can make!
What to Do with All that Poo?
Chickens provide a good source of fertilizer for gardens and lawns
as poultry litter, when properly composted, is a beneficial soil
amendment, improving overall soil health and water-holding
capacity. (photo: Joyce Amsden).
open front makes for easy turning with a shovel or fork.
Turn the pile every 1-2 weeks. If it gets smelly, add carbon
(i.e., “brown” matter such as dry grass, hay or pine shavings).
Add water as needed to maintain the approximate moisture of
a squeezed-out sponge.
Finished compost has a rich brown color and an earthy
odor. The components are no longer visible in their original
form. Use only fully finished compost during the growing
season.
As a starting point, you can apply 14 pounds raw or 44
pounds composted litter to a 100-sq.-ft. garden. A five-gallon
gallon bucket holds about 25 pounds of litter.
Over time, you will need to reduce amounts applied to
prevent buildup of excessive nutrients. For best results, get a
soil test done every year or two. You can get your soil tested
through the University of Vermont Agricultural and
Environmental Testing Lab (https://pss.uvm.edu/ag_testing).
To learn more about composting and using chicken manure
in your garden, go to https://go.uvm.edu/chicken-manure.