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Garden Basics with Farmer Fred
Tips for beginning and experienced gardeners. New episodes arrive every Friday. Fred Hoffman has been a U.C. Certified Master Gardener since 1982 and writes a weekly garden column for the Lodi News-Sentinel in Lodi, CA. A four-decade fixture in Sacramento radio, he hosted three radio shows for Northern California gardeners and farmers: The KFBK Garden Show, Get Growing with Farmer Fred, and the KSTE Farm Hour. Episode Website: https://gardenbasics.net
Garden Basics with Farmer Fred
058 Backyard Tractor Basics. Less Toxic Weed Killers. Control SAD with Gardening.
Maybe you’ve got a large lot. Maybe you’ve got a few acres. Maybe you’ve been hankering to get yourself a tractor. Before you spend your children’s inheritance on a piece of machinery, you need to ask yourself some questions. We talk backyard tractor basics on today’s show. Also we discuss less toxic weed killers. And, how the change of seasons - and the change of the clock this weekend - may not be particularly healthy for you (Seasonal Affective Disorder)…unless you’re a gardener. And how your garden can brighten the gloomy days ahead for the people you care about, as well. It’s Episode 58 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes.
Links:
Smart Pots
Kubota Tractor
Natria Herbicide
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
How To Smile with a Mask On
Social Distancing vs Physical Distancing (last article)
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Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is brought to you by Smart Pots, the original lightweight, long lasting fabric plant container. it's made in the USA. Visit SmartPots.com slash Fred for more information and a special discount, that's SmartPots.com/Fred.
Farmer Fred 2:Welcome to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. If you're just a beginning gardener or you want good gardening information, well, you've come to the right spot.
Farmer Fred:Maybe you've got a large lot, maybe you've got a few acres, and maybe you've been hankering to get yourself a tractor. Well, before you spend your children's inheritance on a piece of machinery, you need to ask yourself some questions. We talk backyard tractor basics on today's show, and we'll discuss less toxic weed killers. Plus, how the change of the seasons and the change of the clock this weekend may not be particularly healthy for you, unless you're a gardener, and how your garden can brighten up the gloomy days ahead for the people you care about. It's Episode 58 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots, and we're gonna do it all in under 30 minutes. Let's go.
Farmer Fred 2:Maybe you own a big lot. Maybe you have a bit of acreage, maybe you've been thinking about getting yourself a small tractor. You may want to listen to this segment recorded back when there used to be conventions in person. We're talking backyard tractor basics here on Garden Basics with Farmer Fred.
Farmer Fred:We're talking with Dave Bennett of Mission Valley tractor and equipment in San Jose. He's at the Kubota booth here at the NorCal show in San Mateo. And Dave, I can see gardeners walking by the equipment you have on display here and drooling. There is a lot of things here that people with a little bit of acreage or maybe not so much acreage would would love to have.
Dave Bennett:Yeah, Kubota is the company that really kind of invented the subcompact tractor category for homeowners. They started it 40 years ago for those that don't know; 40 plus years ago. And so you can start with a tractor with 18 horsepower that's relatively small, doesn't look much different, quite honestly, than a riding mower that you would see out in front of one of the large hardware stores. But they are in fact a legitimate tractor. So homeowners, anybody that has a half acre on up, can own a tractor and use it for a number of different purposes, whether it's mowing their lawn, mowing wild grass, rototilling, post hole digging, and even in some slightly larger applications with backhoes. So they can do a lot of trenching and digging up ponds and things of that nature as well.
Farmer Fred:Now, for those who are just entering the world of Big Boy power equipment here, they may hear the term PTO. And that's a very important term to know if you're in the market for buying a tractor. Right,
Dave Bennett:Right, right. PTO stands for power takeoff. So basically, you're using the power that the engine produces to run the implement that you're using. And maybe the most common application would be a rototiller, something has to turn those tines, and you use the power of the engine to turn those tines. So that's what you're not gonna find on a riding mower. A riding mower will not have a power take off. You need a tractor for that. And that's where Kubota comes in.
Farmer Fred:Does Kubota also have a line of mowers for PTO's?
Dave Bennett:Kubota does they have some mowers that they brand, but they may not also be the manufacturer of that Kubota is got an association with another company name, Land Pride. And Land Pride does most of the manufacturing of the implements that you might buy when you buy a tractor for your personal property. And they have an alliance, they're not the same company, but they have an alliance. So if you buy a Kubota tractor on their zero percent financing promotion, you can buy any Land Pride implement at the same time also at zero percent.
Farmer Fred:I would think you get a lot of customers who are buying a backhoe or a tractor or an RTV type vehicle and coming back and saying, Oh man, Did I make a mistake. I should have done such and such or so and so. And so what are those such and such as and so and so's?
Dave Bennett:Well, it's interesting because most of the customers that come to me that don't have any experience with tractors, never owned one before, only know what people what they, you know, they've had conversations with people and say you need this or you need that or they've been online and they're trying to get direction from people online. I find myself most often specifically with homeowners talking them down from horsepower rather than talking them up. They have friends you know, a friend that's own three or four tractors in his life, and he tells him he needs a 75 horsepower tractor to run his three acre property. No you don't. And you can actually go too large. So I spend a lot, a lot, a lot of my time talking customers down rather than talking them up. Because it, it's generally the better fit.
Farmer Fred:It's not only horsepower size, but the width of the vehicle, I would imagine there are people who are buying tractors who didn't realize until they got it home, it doesn't fit through the back gate.
Dave Bennett:Exactly. And that the primary concern. And those are part of the questions that I have to ask is to make sure that we don't go too large, if you've got a three acre piece of property, more than likely, you've got tight spaces in that three acre property that you need to get into and out of, you buy a tractor that's too large, it's going to become clumsy, then you're going to be frustrated, and feel like you've wasted your money, we want to make sure that doesn't happen.
Farmer Fred:I would think that most of the implements you sell for home use would get through an eight foot gate, but I bet a 16 foot gate would be better.
Dave Bennett:Well, and that's true, but we go down to basically 48 inches would be the measurement for a subcompact tractor. if you're going to buy one with a front loader, they generally will come with a 48 inch front bucket. And then you always want to match the implement on the back to whatever the width of the bucket is on the front, so that you're the same dimensions front to back. So that would mean a 48 inch tiller so you can get yourself through a 48 inch gate.
Farmer Fred:Let's talk about that bucket because a lot of people think it's going to move massive amounts of compost or mulch. And in reality, a bucket for on a homeowner implement might hold, what, a third of a yard?
Dave Bennett:Probably not even that. But what we also talk about with customers, a lot of the time is that edge in a general sense, these smaller tractors will do all of the same work of any larger tractor, they just do it on a smaller scale. So instead of buying a tractor with a large bucket that's going to fit three quarters of a yard or a yard, you don't have to buy that. buy a smaller tractor with a smaller bucket. Yeah, you may have to make more trips to move that pile of dirt that you're trying to move, but it will still move that pile of dirt. And again, do it on a more cost friendly basis for you. And in a more size friendly basis for your property.
Farmer Fred:Now, you mentioned a 48 inch bucket, what is the capacity of that?
Dave Bennett:That bucket will probably be 20% of a yard. So a quarter or a quarter yard to some extent. And of course, it all depends. There's a lot of variation. But with homeowners, well with everybody, it's a time versus money. With almost everybody, it's time versus money. Homeowners typically have more time and don't want to spend as much money, if you're in business, time is more valuable. So you need that job done faster. But if it's if it's a weekend project, and instead of making, you know, six trips to that pile of dirt to get it spread out or moved, you make 12 trips. And while that kind of time you've gotten if I can do that with a tractor that's$10,000 less, I'm okay with that.
Farmer Fred:I would imagine, too, you get calls from frantic big time backyard gardeners who have one of your tractors, and they say, Dave, I just got stuck in the mud, I didn't think tractors got stuck in the mud.
Dave Bennett:It actually doesn't happen. I don't think I've ever taken that phone call.
Farmer Fred:Oh, good.
Dave Bennett:Most of the tractors that we sell are four wheel drive. And they also have a rear differential lock. So you can get all four wheels turning at the same time. And traction is definitely something that we talk about a lot. adding weight to a tractor, making sure that you've got the right tread type. adding weight can be a huge improvement to a tractor, because the more ground pressure you have, the better bite that tire is going to have. And as long as you've got the horsepower to move it all forward, you're in good shape,
Farmer Fred:What do you call the tire that would be for that home situation? It wouldn't be a turf tire, obviously.
Dave Bennett:A turf tire is really just for mowing lawns so that you're the least disruptive to soil. The other options are typically an ag tire, which is a very aggressive paddle type tire. That's the most aggressive and then right in the middle kind of your all season tire, if you will, relative to tractor application is what we call an industrial tire or an R4 tire. So on the ends, you've got nice paddles at the end of the tire tread to get you in and out of that mud situation, but a crossover pattern in the center to give you a nicer smoother ride and less soil disruption in the center of the tire.
Farmer Fred:What sort of fuel requirements does it have?
Dave Bennett:Well, all of our tractors are diesel, and Kubotas are the most efficient diesel tractors that are out there. But the nice thing about diesel is that it doesn't, doesn't take the maintenance that gasoline does. Gasoline over time can turn to varnish or jelly. That doesn't happen with diesel. The only issue with diesel which we typically don't have to deal with here in California is condensation water gets added to that diesel, but you typically have a fuel water separator. It's an easy process to get those things separated away and you can Leave the diesel in there for six, six months, eight months a year. And as long as the battery's fresh, turn the key and it'll start.
Farmer Fred:What is the maintenance schedule on the backyard tractor?
Unknown:A brand new tractor will require the first 50 hours as a break-in period. After that 50 hours you do an oil change, there's a list of inspections that you want to do. And then after that, you're typically every hundred and 50 or 200 hours of service. And for the homeowner, that's about a year, the average use of a compact tractor for the homeowner is about 200 hours a year.
Farmer Fred:Can the homeowner do that maintenance themselves?
Dave Bennett:Yeah, it's it's really not much different than changing the oil in the car. So if you have basic mechanical aptitude and know how, you know changing oil is done on a tractor, it's effectively the same.
Farmer Fred:And finally, what are some of the implements that homeowners are craving that they're buying?
Dave Bennett:The four top implements for homeowners is box scrapers with manual Ripper Shanks. rototillers; rotary cutters are what some people refer to as a bush hog. That's a brand name but everybody understands what that means. Those are called rotary cutters. So rotary cutters. posthole diggers, rototillers. box scrapers are by far the most common.
Farmer Fred:Nobody wants a backhoe?
Dave Bennett:They do. But backhoes are probably my most requested and least purchased item because they add significant cost. So unless you have a project that's large enough to justify that cost, most of the time, people will opt to rent a backhoe if they need it for that once or twice project and then keep the tractor without the backhoe for all the all the day to day projects throughout the year.
Farmer Fred:Now, I would think that might be a good piece of advice for those potential backyard gardeners who are looking to move up because of their acreage to a tractor or a backhoe or a roto tiller might be to rent it first and try it out. See how you like it.
Dave Bennett:Yes, and Kubota actually has a program right now with Home Depot where you can rent our subcompact tractor. It's a 23 horsepower three cylinder diesel tractor with a 48 inch bucket on the front and a backhoe at the back which will dig to a depth of six feet and comes with a 12 inch bucket. So it's a great opportunity, go down to your local Home Depot and get the orange tractor that's out in front and try that out. I actually have customers that are in the process of doing that right now. So they feel like they can make the best choice. And then most dealers, tractor and equipment dealers will have their own rental fleet. So if you don't see it available at your Home Depot, ask your local dealer and they may actually have it in their fleet. You can rent it for them for a day or two and get the feel of it. I'm sure you'll be surprised because most people are.
Farmer Fred:good advice from Dave Bennett, Mission Valley tractor and equipment in San Jose. Thanks for some of your time.
Dave Bennett:Thank You.
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Farmer Fred 2:Well, if you grow a backyard garden, you also are growing weeds. How do you control your weeds? One theme of
this show has always been:always start with the least toxic alternatives. And when it comes to controlling weeds, probably the easiest well maybe not the easiest, but the quickest way to control the weeds is to dig them out by hand. But if you want to reach for a chemical solution to control your weeds, there is a lot available and what's nice there are less toxic chemical solutions available for controlling weeds. We're talking with Lance Walheim. He's a garden expert with Bio Advanced and Lance is a citrus grower in Central California. And Lance, I would think, too, that you've got weed issues too that you're probably taking care of mechanically I would think.
Lance Walheim:You know, definitely, if you can get after the weeds early I you know you're talking about the vegetable garden. One of the things I love to do when I'm out there as I just cultivate constantly it adds air to the soil but you can also get a lot of those troublesome weeds early on so whether in the vegetables or in the flowers, you get out there With the hoe or a trowel and just turn the soil over, let those new seedlings die out. And that's that's a very effective way to control weeds. And you know and so true when you're when it comes to growing a weed free lawn, or at least a lawn that has fewer weeds, making sure that you're really up on the cultural practices, making sure that you're watering, mowing and fertilizing at their proper rates will go a long way into preventing weeds in your lawn. That's really the first step and preventative but there are some alternatives. Bio Advanced and their sister company Natria,, we've got the Natria grass and weed control with root kill, which is a new product that came out last year. And people are really excited. And I really like it because it works very well. It's a combination of ammoniated salts of fatty acids. So it's basically ammonia and it's soaps of fatty acid. So it's basically like a soap with some salts added to it. And then it also has and that gives you the quick knockdown you'll see results almost immediately. And then it's combined with maleic hydroside. Maleic hydraside is derived from oleic acid, which is in apples and other fruit as they ripen, it's produced naturally there. But since we have to make changes to it, to produce maleic hydroside, we can't call it organic. But it is a food grade plant growth regulator it's used on to control sprouting and potatoes and onions at supermarkets. So we feel that really fits into the Natria line, which is our alternative pest control products. So it's really interesting, it's important when you're using this product. And this is true for anybody using any organic or natural or alternative Pest Control product, whether it's a weed control or insecticide, you have to follow the label. Some of these products that they're not used correctly, can do harm to you and some of your plants. So read the label, it's always the same, the label is the law. And you'll see on this product, the nature of grass and weed control with root kill that instructs you how to do it. It's not only about safety when it comes to following label instructions, it's about how to get the best results. And you'll see there on the label that it says it's very important to thoroughly soak the weed and also make sure you get the growing points. Like any herbicide, some of the tougher weeds may need repeat applications. But if you're looking for an alternative, that's a great one to look at.
Farmer Fred:Whenever you're out shopping for some sort of herbicide to control weeds, always check out the signal word on the front of the bottle or a package. And there will be one of three words. it'll either say caution, warning or danger. Caution is the least toxic; danger, obviously the most toxic. So always choose the least toxic alternative first when you're out shopping. Now I noticed that the Natria grass and weed control with root kill product has the caution label. And there are, of course, instructions on how to you know prevent damage to yourself and your surrounding plants. And that's one thing we should point out about Natria is that it is a non selective herbicide. So you only want to spray the plants you want to kill.
Lance Walheim:That's correct. And you don't want to use it on your lawn because it can damage your lawn and you want to be careful when you're using it. We have some great tips on Natria.com on how to protect plants around the weeds that you're trying to kill. So if you want some information, that's a good place to go.
Farmer Fred:Does it involve cardboard?
Lance Walheim:It does, In some cases. Yes, yes, it does.
Farmer Fred:Carry a cardboard box around with you one side of a cardboard box to shield your desired plant from the weed that you're trying to kill. Now the one thing about Natria is it is it is got that root kill function in it, which is so important. Now a lot of organic herbicides only succeed at top kill and you may see results immediately with top kill, but the root is still alive. But this is much like glyphosate, it has the root kill function. So it kills it, as they would say a weed and all.
Lance Walheim:Exactly. That's what we're really looking for. We're really trying to bring our alternative line of pest control products, including herbicides, to increase the effectiveness of them. Because gardeners get frustrated A lot of times when they're using natural organic products, they don't realize that it's really a total different ballgame. If you're going to be an organic gardener, you can do it very successfully. But you have to be a very good observer. I like to say that using organic products or natural products is a good news bad news story. The good news is that these products break down quickly in the environment. The bad news is these products break down quickly in the environment. In other words, you're going to get effective if you use the product often there isn't the residual control that you get a lot with the traditional pest control products. So you got to be out there you got to be checking your garden, the first time you see an insect pest or you've got to take care of With the with the Natria products or any natural organic product, and then you've got to repeat it. So follow again, best information is going to be on that label. If you've ever gotten aphids on your cucumbers or on your melons, you know how hard it is to control those things, if they get out of control, you just can't catch up. So get out, get on early and get on at often.
Farmer Fred:Now, when it comes to aphid control, one of the least toxic control methods is to get out there with a spray of water and spray the aphids off the plants. But you have to do it on a regular basis, perhaps every day. And you have to hit both sides of the leaf in order to get some sort of effective control. And we've talked before on this show, of course about having the good bug hotel of having desirable plants that attract beneficial insects, flowers and such that attract the beneficials as a place to live. But then while they're staying at your good bug hotel, they go after the bad bugs. And there's a lot of desirable plants to have in your yard. And we've talked about this before that can aid you in that regard. And that's why sometimes if you can tolerate a small infestation of pests, and you have the good bug hotel, and you've got the beneficials in your yard, you can let them do the job because they do love to snack on the aphids and whiteflies and scale and things like that. And that would be obviously the less toxic alternative to some sort of pest control but sometimes, and especially like white flies, they can get out of control real quick.
Lance Walheim:Yeah, and you're absolutely right, that's part of it, you have to take multiple control approaches and using beneficials, encouraging beneficials making sure that you're planting resistant varieties, if they are available. There's a lot more resistant varieties, diseases and insects out there than you might think. So you do a little bit of homework, but handpicking I mean, how many times you It's gross, but when you grab a tomato hornworm and use stomp on them, tell me you don't feel good. It's the same way with slugs and snails. So yeah. So there you have to do a number of different things and you have to accept damage. You're absolutely right.
Farmer Fred:So if people want more information about the Natria line products, where can they go,
Lance Walheim:they can go to Natria.com we've got a lot of great tools to help you identify pests and then specific recommendations on how to control them. And we also have a lot of tips on how to be a better gardener and control insects naturally kind of going after that integrated pest management which is really what we're talking about.
Farmer Fred:Yeah, exactly. A happy plant is usually a pest free plant. So if you start off with the right plant in the right place, usually success will follow.
Lance Walheim:That's right taking good care of him is one of your best steps. Lance Walheim, garden expert, with Bio Advanced, thanks for a few minutes of your time, my pleasure.
Farmer Fred:In a not very famous song of nearly 40 years ago, performance artist Laurie Anderson sang, "Language is a Virus". Before that, novelist William S. Burroughs used that line, "language is a virus from outer space". He wrote it in the book, "the ticket that exploded". It refers to the words we use in everyday conversation that mutate over the years into colloquialisms, popular slang, abbreviations, maybe new terminology based on modern technology. And one of those virus-like terms which appropriately enough is associated with the Coronavirus is social distancing. In a recent Poynter newsletter for journalism professionals, writer Debra Lynn Blumberg made a rather astute observation, she
wrote:"I was speaking with a psychologist today for a story I'm working on. I can't remember, but have you discussed the distinction between social distancing and physical distancing? I still see so many news stories talking about social distancing. While psychologists I talked to in my reporting, keep stressing that we should be saying physical distancing instead. why? Because we shouldn't be socially distant from people right now. Since that's a negative for our mental health. We need to connect with other people in safe ways. This can be something good for journalists to think about, or remember as they're writing, especially as we get into winter months, and many people grapple with SAD: seasonal affective disorder, which therapists believe may be worse for people this year."
Farmer Fred 2:Well, Deborah is exactly right. Social distancing can, according to researchers, even have a physical impact on people, particularly seniors. And you know what I'm talking about if you have friends or relatives in an assisted living facility or nursing home or convalescent hospital, you might have noticed a decline in their mental and physical health this year. Well, what changed? The big one, the lack of physical contact, with you. Because you're not allowed a face to face visit in person, they, as you, missed that physical contact of the touch of a hand, a hug a kiss. For many of these people, they can't even assemble with their peers in the facility's dining room because of fear of the spread of coronavirus.
Farmer Fred:And now, as daylight savings time becomes standard time this weekend. Combine that with the approaching lack of sunlight in winter. That's right, come Sunday afternoon, the sun will be setting between five and six o'clock in many places. And that kind of puts a crimp into your gardening schedule now, doesn't it? So all of us may feel that seasonal affective disorder this fall and winter, even more than usual because of Coronavirus and social distancing. For us, muddling through our daily lives right now, we do need that physical space for our own safety. That's true. But that doesn't mean you can't share a kind word with your masked compatriots, while standing on your assigned well-spaced square in that supermarket checkout line. Nor does it mean that you have to give up gardening. If anything, we need more contact with our plants, touch them, smell them. And yes, talk to them. Talk to the birds, the bees, the cabbage worms, too.
Regarding those cabbage worms:you don't have to talk nicely to them though.
Farmer Fred 2:But when it comes to people and interacting with people, you can still maintain a physical distance, but be social. So why not help out those people who are in the assisted living facilities, in the nursing homes, and maybe send them a nice bouquet of fresh flowers. You can either order it online and have it sent to them; or, drop off your own bouquet of home-grown flowers at the front desk. You may not be able to touch your friends and relatives, but at least they'll be able to touch the things that you touched.
Farmer Fred:Many psychologists have recognized what we are going through and the fact that we wear masks in public. And what you need to do is learn how to smile through a mask. The
AARP offers these tips:Use body language. Waving thumbs up, virtual hugs, or clapping are all good ways to convey emotion. Also recommended is clasping your hands high on your chest to signal pleasure. And you can also smile using your shoulders, the posture of your neck or your eyebrows to convey emotions. They can transmit subtle signals about how you feel. And yes, you can smile under your mask. Actually smile! Now, maybe people can't see your smile, but they can see the raise of your cheeks and the little lift below your eyes. Smiling sends a message to your brain, also, to release chemicals that gives you a mood boost. Also focus on articulation. Without the ability to see lips during exchanges, It's important to speak clearly and articulate. And you can always name your emotions if you're feeling sad, upset or happy. Give voice to those sentiments. People can't read it on your face now. So it's incumbent on us to describe how we feel.
Farmer Fred 2:And what about that seasonal affective disorder for the gardener? Make time for the garden. Maybe do it early in the morning. After all, it'll be light now at 6am starting Sunday morning. And spending any time in your garden is going to bring a smile to your face. And those flowers you have growing in your backyard? They could bring a smile to someone else's face who may need that smile more than you.
Farmer Fred:The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast has a lot of information posted at each episode: transcripts links to any products or books mentioned during the show, and other helpful links for even more information. Plus, you can listen to just the portions of the show that interest you. It's been divided into easily accessible chapters and you'll find more information about how to get in touch with us. We have links to all our social media outlets, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Also a link to the farmerfred.com website. That's where you can find out more information about the radio shows. You remember radio, right? Now, if the place where you access the podcast doesn't have all that information, you can find it all at our home podcaster, Buzzsprout. Buzzsprout.com. Just look for the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. You'll find a link to it in the show notes. Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday and it's available just about anywhere podcasts are handed out. And that includes Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, I Heart Radio, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune-in and hey, Alexa, play the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, would you please? Thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving comments. We appreciate it.