February
7, 2001
It's
Show Time!
Kevin and I have an exciting weekend ahead. As you have
read in past issues the Metropolitan
Lawn & Garden Show starts this Friday and continues
through Sunday. We look forward to this weekend as it gives
us a chance to step away from the computer to mingle and meet
with you, the reader. Our goal will be to talk to people
who have never heard of Savvygardener.com and convince them to
give us a try. It is a special treat for both of us to get
a chance to meet new and interesting people - all of them
gardeners. The gardeners of Kansas City are always willing
to share a great gardening tip or story. I must admit
however that I am still searching through my closet for a
comfortable pair of shoes that will let my feet have as much fun
as I am! See you there!
Don't
forget to stop by a couple of our sponsors' booths! The
Sweet Onion can be found in booth #136 and Earl May in
#102. They both will have great things to buy so make sure
to stop and purchase their wares and by all means mention
Savvygardener.com!
Just when I
think the weather takes a turn for the better it gets
worse. It looks as if this brief warm up will be gone soon
and that cold wintery mix will make another appearance.
Will winter ever end? I am barely surviving.
~
Shelly
Viability
Verification...
So, you're getting ready to start some seeds indoors for
transplanting later and don't know if previous year's leftover
seeds are still good. Well, you can start by checking the viability of 20 popular
vegetable seeds in the table below:
Vegetable |
Viability
(Years) |
Vegetable |
Viability
(Years) |
Beans |
3 |
Muskmelons |
4-5 |
Broccoli |
3-5 |
Peas |
3 |
Brussels
Sprouts |
3-5 |
Peppers |
2-3 |
Cabbage |
3-4 |
Pumpkin |
4-5 |
Carrots |
3 |
Radish |
5 |
Cauliflower |
3-5 |
Spinach |
5 |
Corn,
Sweet |
2 |
Squash,
Summer |
3-4 |
Cucumbers |
5 |
Squash,
Winter |
4 |
Lettuce |
5-6 |
Tomato |
3-4 |
Lima
Beans |
3 |
Turnip |
4-5 |
To be
absolutely sure here's a trick we use to determine if seeds are
still good:
- Take
ten seeds from the package and place them on a paper towel
that you have moistened with warm water.
- Fold
the paper towel over to cover the seeds.
- Keep
the towel moist and warm (on top of the fridge usually works
for warmth) until they start to germinate.
- If
less than six seeds (60%) germinate you might as well throw
the rest away.
- If
six or more germinate it will be worthwhile to plant the
rest.
- Don't
waste your test seeds! The ones that germinate should be
carefully moved to your preferred seedling container and cared
for until ready for transplanting outdoors.
Source
Welcoming
Wet Feet...
Walking through your yard and garden you may notice
lingering puddles (or ice) where the soil doesn't drain very well. Think of these spots as good locations to place
plants that like "wet feet". Some good choices include bee balm, cardinal flower, globe flower, Japanese
iris and purple loosestrife.
Watering
Wisely...
Keep in mind that one of the reasons houseplants do so well
is the warmth they get on the inside of your house. Imagine their
surprise every time you water them with cold tap water. Brrr!
You're much better off giving them a drink of room temperature
water. Setting tap water aside to reach room temperature will
also allow any residual chlorine to completely dissipate. What
more could your plants ask for?
Precipitation
Proclamation...
January's precipitation was a real blessing.
Remember how dry we were last winter? Don't get complacent
however! Keep an eye on your evergreens as well as those
beds where you planted bulbs.
Rain is
what we really look for. While big snowfalls seem like a
lot of moisture they rarely are. It generally takes 8-10
inches of snow to equal the moisture in one inch of rain.
Appropriate
Use Of Force...
One of the great winter pleasures is forcing the stems of
certain woody plants into bloom
for indoor display. Three of the easiest are forsythia,
pussy willow and flowering quince. These plants have now
gone through enough cold weather to satisfy their chilling
requirement and should bloom if given the right conditions.
Choose a
day that is above freezing for collecting branches for
blooming. Cut the stems, keeping the stem length to 3 feet or
less and place them in a bucket of water. Once you
have all the branches you want, bring them into the house and
soak them in warm water for several hours to ensure that the stems and buds are
fully hydrated (a bathtub works
well for this). Next, place them in a container that has a
warm preservative solution and place them in an environment with
high humidity and plenty of light. Floral preservatives accomplish two functions; they
prevent bacterial growth in your water and provide nutrients and
energy for the life processes of the plants.
Normally,
forsythia will take about 9 days to flower, quince will require
between 12 to 20, and pussy willow needs from 5 to 15 days.
The time required will vary depending on your indoor conditions
and how late in the winter the branches were collected with less
time being required for later collections. Most woody
plants will
remain in flower for about a week before the blooms start to
fade.
Source
Winter
Wisdom...
Many gardeners, especially beginners, are vexed by the use of
botanical names in catalogs, books, and of course
newsletters. Considering the source of botanical names may
be either Latin, Greek, or Arabic it's understandable that some
people think botanical names are just a cruel joke. Au
contraire, these names make many aspects of gardening
easier. Find out why in this
week's Winter
Wisdom...
Finally... "We
go, in winter's biting wind,
On many a short-lived winter day,
With aching back but willing mind
To dig and double dig the clay." ~
Ruth Pitter, 1897-1992, The Diehards, 1941 |