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April 17, 2002

Be Careful What You Wish For...
Yes, I am the one who wished this warm weather upon us.  I did not ask for hot, humid summer weather however!  If my memory serves me well I remember wishing for something in the mid 70's.  Nevertheless it sure has been great to be out in the garden.  All of our tulips are in full bloom and I must admit that they are fabulous!   It is always so great to see the fruits of your hard labor.  I remember last fall when we were planting all of those tulips - painstakingly - one by one.  After seeing the results I would do it all over again.  I am such a crazy gardener!

A big thanks to all of you who came out to the Earl May Savvygardener.com party.  Kevin and I were kept busy at the Shawnee store and from what Earl May has told me, the other stores were busy also.  Your support is amazing.  We truly appreciate it and would not be able to survive without it!  For that, Kevin and I thank you.  We also have to give a huge thanks to Earl May Nursery & Garden Centers.  They continue to support our work and most importantly take care of us as gardeners.   Thanks Earl May!

We have a lot of late spring and summer events planned so make sure you keep updating your calendar.  Mark these two dates down in May:  

  • May 5th - The Sweet Onion is having a Spring Blast.  There will be prizes, flowering giveaways, food, music and of course all of the other great stuff to be found at The Sweet Onion.  
  • May 11th is "Gardens in Bloom" at The Kelly Gallery.  This will be spectacular!   For those of you who have not had a chance to visit Kelly and Mark Daniels' place you will not want to miss this.  KCTV-5 will be on hand so come on out and be a celebrity!  I will announce times and give more information soon.

Let the planting begin!  I must admit that we have had several readers asking if it is OK to go ahead and start planting.  Dig in! (though I'd wait on the peppers and tomatoes)  If the temperatures take a nosedive we will be on top of it and let you know.  I am also starting to plant - couldn't resist the temptation any longer.  This past weekend was great.  We removed all of the mulched leaves from our beds and everything looks great.  It is amazing how everything is growing so fast.  If your beds are still covered go ahead and remove the mulch.  With this warm weather the plants will start to cook if they are not uncovered.  Go for it!

~ Shelly  

Debutante Party for Transplants...
For Savvygardeners who were able to successfully start some flowers or vegetables indoors from seed it may be time to plan their "coming out" party.  Based on your plant's cold tolerance you will need to pick the date when you plan to permanently relocate it outdoors.  Tomatoes for instance are not friends with cool weather and really need soil temperatures at 60° and above to do well. 

Once you've picked the magic date (and there may be as many dates as there are plants) plan a "hardening off" schedule.  Remember these plants have had the benefit of consistent temperatures, regular light, and no wind in the comfort of your home.  It's a different world out there in the wild and wooly garden. 

About two weeks before permanent relocation you should stop fertilizing and place your plants outdoors for an hour or two.  Each day increase the time outdoors by an hour.  (I know this is impossible for working gardeners, just do your best.)  The trick is to acclimate your plants to the bright sun, wind, and varying temperatures gradually.  Don't panic if they look a little wilty during this process - they're going through a bit of shock. 

Once they're in the ground give them some starter fertilizer and begin a regular water and fertilizer routine.

Really Wild Fertilizer from the Zoo...
Our recent warm weather means lots of families are visiting the zoo.  It turns out that a number of gardeners are visiting too!  Why?  Well, to buy some "zoo manoo" - the Kansas City Zoo's special blend of animal manure.  It's apparently great for gardens!  Curious?  We were and went to the zoo to check it out last Friday.  Read about our visit and the get the scoop on zoo manoo here...

Just Like Starting Over...
At last week's Earl May party we were asked by many gardeners why their forsythia looked so bad this year.  Most complained that some of the forsythia branches looked great while other branches of the same plant had virtually no flowers at all.  This is actually a very common problem with forsythia and other flowering shrubs.  Basically they have become too "woody" and need rejuvenation.  Simply cut the tired branches to a point just above ground level.  Next year's growth will include many more flowers.  

To stay on top of this process Savvygardeners will rejuvenate a third of the shrub every year.  That way none of the branches are ever any older than three years.

 


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Circular Logic...
A popular and effective way to prevent disease in the vegetable garden is called crop rotation.  By rotating the location of vegetable plantings within the garden each season you can greatly reduce the likelihood of soil-borne disease.  This method works best when you rotate crop families from place to place and the rotation includes at least three families.  The effectiveness of crop rotation is diminished when the total gardening area is quite small.  Just do your best!  Here's a list of the most common home garden vegetables and their associated families:

Family Family Members
Alliaceae Chive, garlic, leek, onion, shallot
Apiaceae Carrot, celery, parsley, parsnip
Asteraceae Endive, lettuce
Brassicaceae Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, radish, rutabaga, turnip
Chenopodiaceae Beet, Swiss chard, spinach
Convolvulaceae Sweet potato
Curcurbitaceae Cucumber, gourd, melons, pumpkin, squash
Fabaceae Lima bean, pea, snap bean, soy bean
Malvaceae Okra
Poaceae Corn
Solanaceae Eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato

Tines For Transplanting...
One of the trickiest parts of raising seedlings indoors is the delicate process of transplanting up to a larger peat pot.  All too often the soil surrounding the roots just falls apart.  Try using an ordinary table fork next time.  You can loosen the plants in the seed flat without damaging the roots.  Then you can open a hole for the new transplant in the new flat or pot by rocking it sideways.  Finally, by sliding the tines around the delicate stem and pressing down, the transplant can be firmed in the growing medium.

Source

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Raise your hand if you love Clematis.  I thought so.  Well it turns out that our chief hotline correspondent, Bill Latimer, is quite handy with these wonderful plants.  Now is a good time to take stock of your existing Clematis and think about planting some more.  Get the inside scoop in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Organic Round-Up?
By now you know that Bradfield Industries is one of our newest sponsors.  They produce a great line of natural fertilizers which we have used well before they came on board.  Taking a fresh look at their product line we noticed something called "horticultural vinegar" (we would describe it as a natural alternative to Round-Up).  That sounded pretty cool so we picked up a bottle and gave it a try.  Read about the results...

Finally...
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."

~ William Shakespeare

 

 

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