Back in 2002, USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Research Chemist Mendel Freedman found that herbs and spices like oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and clove have compounds in their fragrant oils that subdue food-borne disease agents. For instance, Freedman found that oregano had the greatest capacity to fight off E. coli bacteria.

This bacterium and others, which hitchhike on fresh foods, have no taste or smell. They can cause food poisoning resulting in sickness and even in some cases, death.

Some day in the near future, scientists hope to have a substance that will protect these foods from being the growing ground for such deadly food poisoning bacteria as E. coli, Salmonella, or Listeria. Scientists are using the knowledge gained from the earlier tests to develop a new edible film which can be applied to fresh fruits and vegetables.

www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul08/salads0708.htm

Aquilegia 'Clementine Salmon Rose'

You can get your garden certified, too, by doing four things: Plant bushes and trees and hang bird houses and bird feeders so that wildlings have a place to raise their young; Plant evergreens and dense shrubs to give wild ones a place to rest and take cover; put in bushes, trees, and flowers that produce seeds and nectar for the wild ones; most importantly, install a shallow place for birds and small animals to safely drink and bathe.

Here is a short list of nectar plants:

• Aquilegia 'Clementine Salmon Rose'
• Buttefly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa
• Coneflower Echinacea

Evergreen trees:

• Thuja 'Steeplechase'
• Leyland Cypress
• Cryptomeria, either ‘Black Dragon’ or ‘Radicans’

Food sources:

• Blueberries, either Vaccinium ‘Darrow’ or Vaccinium ‘Sunshine Blue’
• Mahonia
• Viburnum

This year, they have added one more requirement: Sustainable Gardening. For example, build a compost pile or a rain garden. Use chemical-free fertilizer.

The National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program has been certifying backyards for over 30 years. As our population increases and the woods and streams become subdivisions and shopping malls, it is more important than ever to make a place for wildlife in our home landscapes.

Winter poses special problems for wild animals in the city and the country. Stock suet in a feeder made especially for holding this food. It will supply calories that birds need to stay warm. Use a birdbath heater in your birdbath to keep ice at bay. Water is extremely important to wildlife in the winter.

Most birds, I have found, prefer a bathing station on the ground rather than on a pedestal or hanging from a tree. The tiny birds, like chickadees and titmice prefer to drink from the water cup above the hummingbird feeder. (The water in the cup keeps ants out of the food.)

To date, the NWF has certified over 90,000 habitat sites - special places that provide the essentials for attracting songbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife. I hope you will build in these wild features in your own garden.

---Posted by Anne K Moore, September 17, 2008---

QUESTON

Dear Coach Anne,

Good morning,

Long story short, is there any help or hope for tall, skinny seedlings? Or do I give up and throw them away?

ANSWER

Yes, there is hope. They will take some very gentle handling so that the brittle stems don't break.

Repot each seedling in a larger pot in good potting soil. Make sure they get plenty of sunlight or close-up indoor light. About a week after you move them, feed them with a fertilizer mixed according to package directions. Most will get stocky if they get root room and enough light.

You can plant some seedlings deeper than they were growing, so you could experiment with a few to see if they survive with their stems buried up to half their length.

You can bury stems of tomatoes and squash successfully.

Thanks for visiting The Plant Coach!

Coach Anne

A company whose history began in 1868 has had some good-to-tell stories through the years. So have the many gardeners who have strolled through the pages of the catalogs and built gardens to be proud of with Park seeds. Thomas, one of the bloggers here at Park Seed, describes the people who visit and tell their stories, "Long-time customers.  Current customers. Sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of customers. Old friends. New friends. Friends of friends. YOU, perhaps??"

Visit www.parkseedmemories.com a nostalgic website written and amassed by Park Seed’s own Claire Kuhl, Special Projects Director. Here you can read about the comings and growings of the people behind Park Seed along with the gardeners who have prospered with Park Seed through the years. Here, too, are some photos and revealing explanations of the schoolchildren’s’ trials with the Seeds in Space Challenge. Here the talk is all about gardeners and their gardens. Moreover, not surprisingly, many of the gardeners work at Park Seed Company.