Homegrown: Facebook Contest

I let sunflowers grow at the city garden I lease in Cedar Rapids and always thought it was shade from the towering plants that created problems for veggies growing nearby.

Apparently, there's more to it.

According to “A Nature Lover's Almanac,” a new book by columnist Diane Olson, roots from sunflowers are similar to those of the black walnut tree. The roots release toxins that inhibit the growth of nearby plants.

Olson notes that this phenomenon, called allelopathy, is a great method of organic weed control, but can wreak havoc if you allow sunflowers to grow randomly throughout your garden.

Among other tidbits from the book: mulching strawberries with pine needles will make the berries taste better; and reflective surfaces disorient aphids, moths and thrips, preventing them from landing, so a gazing ball placed near your rose bushes will do more than just look pretty.

Olson's “Urban Almanac” column runs in Salt Lake City's Catalyst magazine.

I'd love to keep this book - sent to me by publisher Gibbs Smith - but I'm going to pass it along to one of our Homegrown Facebook friends.

Because my creativity is limited when it comes to contests, I'm going to draw a name of any new Facebook friend or any current friend who posts something on Homegrown's Facebook page during the month of June.

The Facebook page is a great place to share news about plant sales and other gardening events, post photos of your own garden and more.

I'll draw the winner on July 1 and run the name in the next week's column online and in this space. The winner will need to pick up the book at The Gazette office in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids.

Because there is more than one Homegrown on Facebook, find it by searching for the home/garden page with pink malva flowers or click

here.