A Year in Gardening April

Gardening in April

"That God once loved a garden we learn in Holy writ.And seeing gardens in the Spring I well can credit it." -  Winifred Mary Letts

Here are some ideas for gardening in April:

·        It's the ideal time to sow cool-season crops( these are your half-hardy plants that can tolerate a little frost). Most half-hardy vegetable can be sown outside in April.  The wet April helps with some of the root crop germination (carrot, beet, parsnip, turnip, radish).

·        Put out your onion sets and seed potatoes

·        Put out seedlings: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower

·        Anytime in April-you will want to start your tomatoes, peppers, eggplants under grow lights, to be put out in the cold frames by Mid-May and then out in the garden when it is warm enough.

·        Late in April-you can plant squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and gourds under a cloche.  You can plant them under grow lights if you use peat pots and do not disturb the roots when you transplant them in late May-early June.  If you do not have grow lights then they need to be covered(cloched) until the weather is warm enough(soil temperatures of 70).

·        You can start your basil indoors and put it out in June or when the weather is warm enough-basil also likes the warm soil temperatures and does not handle frost at all.

Organic Fertilizers

·        Fish Emulsion(aka fish fertilizer)- it is high in water soluble nitrogen.

·        Manure Tea(made from fresh manure)- use one grocery size sack of manure to a 20 gallons of water.  Make sure you dilute it down before using on plants.

Manure Teas are used in the spring for heavy feeding.  You can apply once a week once the plants reach full growth.  Manure tea and liquid fertilizers are also useful to transplants to compensate for shock.  For transplants apply teas twice a week till plants are set and appear to flourish.

A Year in Gardening March

Gardening in March

When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.

-          Benjamin Franklin

Here are some ideas for gardening in March:

·        March is a fickle month with one day bright and wonderful and the next dark and brooding or just plain rain, rain, and more rain.  So you will still be working on the tilling and beds, in between the weather. 

·        You can plant some of the hardiest leafy greens and spring peas.  They will germinate slowly this time of year and you need to watch out for slugs.

·        In late March you can sow potatoes, so you should be preparing the beds the first part of the month.

·        You can get a jump on spring and plant half-hardy vegetables under the protection of a cloche, this will speed up the germination and growth.  This would be your carrots, brocolli, cabbage, oriental greens, beets, lettuce  or you may start these inside under grow lights to be transplanted out in April.

General Vegetable Fertilizer Recipe

4 parts fish or seed meal

1 part sweet lime(dolomite)

1 part bone meal

1 part kelp meal

Apply 4 pounds per 100 square feet.

A Year in Gardening February

Gardening in February

“A Garden is a Friend You Can Visit Anytime”

Here are some ideas for gardening in February:

·        February is a good month to finish planning your garden and cleaning up beds and garden when the weather permits.

·        Deciduous shrubs and trees are still dormant enough to transplant this month, once the buds have begun to swell, it will be to late.

·        Mid-to-late February is the time to fertilize shrubs and evergreens. Use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.  Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed roses and other deciduous trees and shrub

·        Canes (raspberries and blackberries), with the exception of ever bearing, should have all the canes, which produced fruit last year removed.

·        The vegetable garden should get its first tilling (if weather permits) to allow the weather to aid you in breaking up the dirt clods. Exposed weeds and seeds hopefully will perish.

·        You should finish up any seed orders and have all your seeds gathered up. 

What can be planted in February:

·        Start indoors(anytime in February): Artichokes, Leeks, Sweet Onions, and Oriental Greens

·        Start indoors(towards the end of February): Asparagus and Parsley

·        Direct seed:  Radishes at the end of February when the ground isn’t frozen

·        Strawberries can be planted as soon as they become available.

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BE READY TO PLANT YOUR EARLIEST PEAS THE 1^st PART OF MARCH

A Year in Gardening January

Gardening in January

“Whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward” (D&C 6:33).

Here are ideas of what you can do for gardening in January:

·        Add a layer of compost to your beds.

·        Now is a perfect time for dormant spraying your roses and fruit trees. Deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned this month.

·        You can plant bare root trees.

·        Now is the perfect time to take inventory of all your gardening equipment and make sure it is in good condition for spring.  Clean oil and repair garden tools

·        Go through your seeds and see what you have, what may be old, and what you need.

·        Brows seed catalogues and making orders.

·        Read gardening books and plan your garden.

·        You can build fences, put up trellises or put in walkways-which you should do before any vines or plants are in the way.

Here is an idea for extending your growing time for strawberries-that you can do now.

·        Bring a few strawberry plants into a cool green house or cover them with a cloche. 

·        Put plants into large containers and keep them in the middle of your greenhouse or cloche to keep away from drafts or possible frost. 

·        Since the plants will be in something be sure to remember to water them.  Also, cut off any runners to promote blossoms and fruiting.

·        Keep them in this warmer environment and you will  have strawberries about 4 weeks earlier then usual.  Also keep some strawberries in their original habitat and have 2 different harvests.

"To cultivate a garden is to walk with God" -Christian Bovee