Savvygardener.com

 
Visit Our Website
Previous Issues
Buyer's Guide  
Tell A Friend  

Bookstore  
Magazines 
Gardening Catalogs

Site Search
Contact Us
Submit A Tip

Feature Articles

~ Houseplant Care
~ When to Start
Seeds Indoors
~ Seed Starting Indoors
~ Vegetable Garden Calendar
~ Seed Starting Tomatoes

~

Shrub Pruning Calendar
~ Pruning Clematis 
~ Gardening in the Shade
~ Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~ Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~ Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~ Growing Herbs
~ All About Composting
~ All About Mulch
~ Worm Composting
~ When to Harvest Vegetables
~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~ Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Overseeding A Lawn
~ More...

Rose Tips
What's Hot... 
Turf Tips...
Winter Wisdom
Gardener's Glossary 

SavvyChat
~ On-Line Gardening Forum

Books We Love
Great Products
Web Resources
Event Calendar

Local Sponsors

~ Bradfield Industries
~ Earl May
~ Family Tree Nursery
~ The Kelly Gallery
~ Moncrief's Greenhouse
~ Missouri Organic Recycling
~ The Sweet Onion

 

Subscribe
Unsubscribe 
Address Change
Tell A Friend

Privacy Pledge

 

 

 

Click Here for Great Soil and Compost!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Here for The Kelly Gallery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Here for Bradfield Industries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click Here for Moncrief's Greenhouse

 

 

 

 

 

May 22, 2002

The Battle Has Begun...
I have my weapons out and I am prepared to fight to the end.  The slug population has moved in and they are eating everything in sight.  What do they think this is?  The salad bar at Shoney's?   So die I say.  I have been using the old "beer in a shallow pan method" (actually a Tupperware lid) because it gives me great satisfaction to walk out into the garden in the morning to see how many I've eliminated!  They will not discourage me.  I was raised to be tough and a few slimy slugs are not going to eat away my beautiful garden.  I will prevail! 

The slugs are just the icing on the cake.  Throw in a couple of persistent chipmunks and my pal Sam Parker and I basically need to stand on the deck all day with weapons in hand.  Sam Parker is totally into digging.  So, as I was taught in puppy school, "off" is the magic word.  Get this - I am also supposed to put his toys in a predetermined area and begin to dig (as though I am the dog) and then he is supposed to get the idea that he should only dig in that particular spot.  Right.  I wonder how many times I am going to have to do that to make him stop.  The neighbors are going to think that I am out of my mind!  Oh the lengths we go to protect our flowers!

We have some exciting news!  No, there is not going to be another Marsh running around the house but instead we are working with some local landscape and gardening supply companies to show you the step by step process of a front yard makeover.  Keep reading in the next few weeks.  We will have pictures from beginning to end.  It is going to be great!

~ Shelly  

Perfect Peonies...
Our peonies are in full bloom right now.  What a sight!  But it just doesn't last long enough.  If you were hoping to have some cut for Memorial Day or a June wedding read on...

According to Karen Gast at the Kansas State University Research & Extension gardeners should pick peonies when the buds are showing color and are soft like a marshmallow.  Red cultivars should exhibit a soft center when pressed down too.  Bunch the flowers in no more than ten stems to a bunch making sure the flowers are dry before you place them in a large bag.  Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator or cold storage at a temperature below 40°F.  If you want to store them longer than Memorial Day, say for a wedding in June or July, you can give the flowers a drink of 10% sugar water before cold storage.  Let the flowers sit for about 30 minutes after harvest and re-cut the stems just before you put them in the 10% sugar water solution.  Keep the flowers in the sugar water for two hours at room temperature.  When done, dry the stems and place in plastic bags and then into the refrigerator.

When you are ready to use the flowers, take them out of cold storage or the refrigerator the day before, re-cut the stems underwater and place in water.  If harvested at the right stage the flowers should be open the next day (if not before).  Not all peony cultivars store well.  For long term storage, store at least 25% to 50% more than you think you need.

Source

Rain Drain...
All that rain we've had over the last few weeks?  Great, right?  Well, mostly yes.  But it may have leached fertilizers from the root zone of many cool-season vegetable plants.  These crops are growing rapidly now and require adequate fertilizer to complete their growth cycle early.  If you notice that foliage color is slightly pale and plants are not growing as fast as you'd expect, a side-dressing of fertilizer may be in order.  

Use a general-use fertilizer or one high in nitrogen.  Organic fertilizers such as blood meal contain good levels of nitrogen and work well as a side-dressing.  Apply fertilizers along the crop row and lightly cultivate or hoe to make sure the fertilizer is incorporated lightly to quickly dissolve.  With rainfall, the fertilizer nitrogen dissolves and is carried into the plant root zone.

Source

For the Birds...
Unlike my children whose daily requirements seem endless, birds have only five basic needs: food, water, shelter (from hot and cold weather), nesting sites, and protection from predators.  Supply these and you will have many birds around your home to entertain you and control insect pests.  Be sure feeders and nesting boxes are located where they cannot be reached by cats.  A smooth, metal cylinder or cone at least 12 inches long attached to the pole or tree will cat-proof most locations.  Bird feeders aren't just for winter either.  Keep them filled all year long!

Source

 


In support of the local gardening community Savvygardener.com is pleased to offer 
special rates on web sites for your garden club 
or other non-profit organization!

Click Here For Details!

 

 

Vine Crop Vigilantes...
Savvygardeners need to be vigilant for the two most destructive insect foes of vine crops - the cucumber beetle and the squash bug.  Cucumber beetles, like most vegetable insects must be controlled early to prevent damage to the seedling and transmission of diseases like bacterial wilt.  Planting a trap crop, applying neem oil soap and using row covers are effective non-chemical methods to manage this insect pest.  Squash bugs can be repelled with insecticidal soap in addition to garlic and pepper sprays.

Source

Thin Is In...
A bountiful vegetable patch requires thinning when crops are grown from seed.  Be aware that vegetables behave like weeds when they are overabundant and overcrowding among root crops causes poorly formed roots.  A good thinning program will:

  • Reduce the competition among seedlings for soil nutrients and water.
  • Promote better air circulation around the plants thereby reducing the chances of disease development.
  • Ultimately make higher yields possible.

For a list of common garden vegetables and recommendations for their spacing click here.

 


Tell Your Friends About Savvygardener.com!

You Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate

Click Here For Details...

 

 

What's Hot On The Hotline...
April showers bring may flowers... and insects!  Whether they are leaf eaters, turf damaging grubs or both you'll want to be on guard and prepared to deal with them.  Find out what's lurking in your garden in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Zoysia Tips...
Zoysia lawns are finally looking good all around the metro.  Now that they are greening up and growing you will want to make sure you do the following:

  • Reduce thatch layers from zoysia by verticutting or core aerating. 
  • Sod or sprig zoysia lawns to fill in bare areas.
  • Fertilize zoysia lawns with high nitrogen to promote green up and summer growth. 
  • Mow zoysia to 2 to 2½ inches tall.

Finally...
"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."

~ Abram L. Urban, Author

 

 

Click For Earl May Garden Centers

© 1999-2002 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved.  If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first.  Thank you.o