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February 26, 2003

It's Like A Heat Wave...
The temperature is 35º outside today and it feels amazingly warm compared to yesterday's high of a very cold 19º.  A balmy 35º is easy to accept when single digits or the teens are staring you in the face.  Brrr!  At least the sun is out today.  After a few gray days it does the soul some good to see the sun shining.  I would like to say that this arctic weather we have been suffering through is on it's way out but that is not the case.  It looks as if we will finish the month of February and welcome the month of March still in the throws of winter maybe even getting more snow.  So for now thoughts of spring remain, just not as vivid as they were when the temperatures were in the 50's.

Since you won't be able to be in the garden this weekend, bring yourself and all of your savvy gardening friends out to the Johnson County Home & Garden Show at the new Overland Park Convention Center.  Stop by out booth 627 and introduce yourself!  We love talking with subscribers, old and new.  Kevin and I will be busily signing up new subscribers and telling them about the valuable information to be found in our newsletter as well as our website.  A great way to kick off a brand new gardening season!  Want to go for free?  We've got four tickets to give away!  Simply follow the "Update your profile" link at the bottom of this newsletter, complete the survey and you will be entered into a drawing for one of the four tickets.  We'll notify you by e-mail if you win. 

Don't forget about the Organics seminar on March 12th. Click here for more details.  See you at the show!

~ Shelly  

This One's A Cut Above...
When we started Savvygardener.com one of the things we wanted to provide was information that was truly useful to area gardeners based on our weather, our climate, our everything.  A great example of this is one of our most popular and informative articles -
The Shrub Pruning Calendar.  A Savvygardener.com exclusive, this is the Kansas City area gardener's definitive guide to when, and when not, to prune a wide variety of shrubs.  Check it out!  We'll bet it answers some questions and clears up a lot of mystery.

Seed Starting With Structure...
Starting more than three or four different varieties of seed indoors can get confusing if you're not organized.  To keep from missing the start date for any of your seeds you might try our simple procedure: 

  • Organize your seed packets in piles based on the number of weeks before "last frost" to start them indoors. This should be indicated on the seed packet and can be found in our feature When To Start Seeds Indoors.
  • Pick the date which you feel safe calling "last frost". We use the first full weekend in May (May 5th this year). 
  • In our example we are now 8½ weeks from the weekend we will transplant our seedlings. That means that by this weekend we will have already started any seeds that indicate starting dates nine weeks and higher. 
  • For the remainder of your seeds secure them together in their respective groups with a rubber band. 
  • For each group attach a sticky note with the date of the weekend they need to be started. 
  • Place the packets front-to-back, in order by starting date, in a small box. 
  • Each weekend remove the packets at the front of the box for starting. Next weekend's seeds are now at the front and awaiting your return in seven days.

 


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Paper Or Plastic?
Bagworms are evident when you see those funny little brown bags hanging from Junipers and many other trees and shrubs.  It's actually the bagworm eggs that are over-wintering in those sacks.  In late May and early June, these eggs will hatch and the very tiny caterpillars start feeding.  Start your control measures now by removing the brown bags and disposing of them.  This is a very effective, chemical-free way to reduce the damage they might otherwise cause later this year.

Begonias, By Golly...
Savvygardeners who want to have tuberous begonias for summer-long flowering in pots, beds, or hanging baskets outside should start the tubers indoors during late February or early March.  Sprout the tubers by placing them, hollow side up, fairly close together in shallow, well-drained pans.  Use a mix of equal parts perlite, sphagnum, peat moss, and vermiculite; or chopped sphagnum moss and perlite.  This should be kept damp (not soggy) in a shady window with a temperature in the lower 60s.  Transplant the tubers to pots or baskets when growth starts, normally within 3 weeks.  Place them outside only after all threat of frost has passed.

Source


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Winter Wisdom...
This sudden return to cold temperatures and snow on the ground have probably reminded most of you that it is still winter.  Only last week however there were signs all around us that spring was closing in fast.  Once the thermometer begins to flirt with the 60’s, most gardeners’ blood begins to thin, and course more quickly through their veins!  In case you want to jump the gun you might want to read about the Kansas City area's frost dates in this week's Winter Wisdom...

Zoning Out in KC...
One thing you can count on with this newsletter - we're not going to make too many assumptions about our readers' gardening expertise.  This is a resource for all gardeners.  That being said you should know a couple of basics about zones when buying seeds or plants.  The most commonly known zone is the USDA Hardiness Zone that defines a plant's ability to survive the winters presented by a particular area.  We are Zone 5.  

Less well known is American Horticultural Society's Heat Zone.  The AHS has developed a Heat Zone Map that categorizes geographic areas by the average number of days at or above 86º.  We are in Heat Zone 7 (with between 61 and 90 hot days per year).  All catalogs reference the USDA Hardiness Zones and many have adopted the AHS Heat Zone data as well.  Knowing these numbers is the first best step in growing the right plants.

Finally...
"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream."

~ Barbara Winkler, Writer

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