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March 19, 2003

Clouds On The Horizon...
It is hard to think about writing a typical editorial tonight with the thought of war looming over our heads.  We are in Florida enjoying the Sunshine State and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy which, until this evening, has been fairly easy.  It is hard not to be glued to the TV, hanging on every word that is spoken, waiting for the President to give the word to commence firing on Iraq.  This will be the third war of my lifetime and the first for my children.  Morgan seems especially caught up in what this war means and what its consequences are.  I am not always sure what to say but I do try to reassure her that everything is going to be alright.

This newsletter is about gardening.  Gardening is about life and living.  War is altogether different and infinitely more complicated.  I am not interested in diving into the politics of where we are and where we are going.  I do know one thing for certain is that we will keep those who are protecting us and their families in our thoughts and prayers.

We understand that rain is plentiful back home.  Just in time for the first day of spring on Friday.  Spring always means hope to me.  Here's hoping our men and women in uniform come home safe, healthy and soon.

~ Shelly  

Vegetable Gardening Without A Garden...
If your outdoor space is limited, consider gardening without a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and many other vegetables do well when grown in containers. Barrels, window boxes, cut-off milk jugs, almost any container that provides good drainage will do as long as it is deep enough to support the plant. Minimum depths for some container-grown vegetables:

  • 4 inches - lettuce, radishes, beets, low-growing herbs 
  • 6 inches - chard, turnips, short-rooted carrots 
  • 8 inches - eggplant, peppers, bush cucumbers 
  • 10 inches - cauliflower, broccoli 
  • 12 inches - tomatoes, long-rooted carrots

Source

Special Delivery...
Most catalogs don't deliver your plant orders until it's time to plant them.  Unfortunately sometimes local conditions are different than "usual" and your plants arrive a bit early for planting.  Don't panic, but don't ignore them either!  Your mail-order plants do need some care in the time between their arrival and your ability to plant them.  Unwrap them immediately and check for specific directions on early care.  Lacking this just keep them cool and moist in a protected area until you can safely get them in the ground.

The Old Heave Ho...
How about last weekend's weather?  Bee-yoo-tee-ful!  Temperatures are generally on the rise and a well deserved thaw in the soil will be a permanent thing pretty soon.  Scout around your garden for signs of recent heaving -  the forcing of shallow-rooted plants out of the soil due to the freezing and thawing of the ground.  Don't tamp the plants or the surrounding soil as this may overly compact the soil.  Simply give them a gentle push back into place.

 


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Spring Lawns: To Seed or Not to Seed...
As spring approaches you will no doubt start inspecting your lawn only to re-discover that it is less than perfect.  Most of us have bare spots or entire areas that are begging for new seed.  Reliable sources will tell you that spring is the second best time of year to plant grass seed (the best time being fall).  What they don't tell you is that in this case second best may not be good enough at all.  We'll try to explain...

Fall is the best time to plant because seeds get the double benefit of warm soil and cooler air temperatures.  Fall planted grass also establishes a strong root system even after the grass blades have stopped growing for the season.  By contrast spring sown grass seed gets cool air temperatures but not warm soil - making it tougher to germinate.  In many cases the grass is not established well enough to take the heat imposed on it by the typical Kansas City summer.  More often than not, your new grass is toast by mid-July.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't plant new grass in the spring.  You just need to be aware of the risks.  At our house we try to limit spring grass seeding to small bare patches and hope for the best.  For bigger jobs consider contacting a professional lawn care company (we use Ryan Lawn & Tree) to improve your chances.

Shining Prairie Stars...
Each year K-State Research & Extension performs exhaustive trails on a wide variety of flowers.  The tests are performed
at sites encompassing two USDA cold hardiness zones, 5 and 6 and two AHS heat zones, 7 and 8.  The result is a select group of flowers that earn the designation Prairie Star.  These flowers are great looking and will grow well in your garden.  This years winners along with links to photos are here.

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
After making a presentation last week at the Overland Park Arboretum our hotline staffers felt it was a good time to acknowledge the importance of all of this area's fine public gardens.  That, plus a good bunch of timely gardening tips are in this week's What's Hot On the Hotline...

Healthy Diet...
Though advertising for lawn fertilizers is at its yearly high, most lawns don’t really need fertilizer now.  Do not apply high rates of nitrogen (more than 0.75 lbs N/1000 sq. ft.) to your lawn from March through early May.  Too much nitrogen at this time of the year will lead to problems later this summer such as poor root growth and disease.  Additionally, since spring rains play havoc with mowing schedules, nitrogen fertilization can further complicate your mowing schedule by causing grass plants to grow too fast.  Instead of applying fertilizer now, it is better to wait until mid-to late-May and apply up to ¾ lbs N/1000 sq. ft. with a fertilizer that contains mostly slow-release nitrogen.

Source

Finally...
"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another."

~ Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman's Luck, 1899

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