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Seeds Indoors
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~ All About Composting
~ All About Mulch
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~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Overseeding A Lawn
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May 14, 2003

Sensational Spring...
How long has it been since we have seen a spring like this one?  It is hard for me to remember but then as a lover of spring it could never be long enough for me.  Cool mornings, warm planting afternoons, light showers.  Do I dare go on without jinxing us?  Well for those of you who have your annuals planted, congratulations!  I have not finished (actually I haven't even started!)  Eeek!  I must admit that I am starting to worry a bit.  I better get busy or before I know it the heat of summer will be upon me and I'll be hiding inside a cool house instead of outside where the hot and humid air will be everywhere.

If you have not had a chance to get to Bannister Garden Center you'll want to go soon.  They are in the midst of their annual Peony Festival and you will not believe all the varieties to choose from.  Besides growing great peonies, Tony and Neva Mistretta also have a great garden center.  Everything imaginable for the gardener.  Family owned and operated for 36 years - a place worth the visit!

As I write this I am staring at two flats of petunias just waiting to be planted.  It is only 7:45 PM.  A good 30 minutes of daylight remains.  Enough time left in the day for me to start planting those annuals!

~ Shelly  

It's Not Too Late!
Do you feel like spring is slipping away from you?  Just a few weeks ago it seemed like we had all the time in the world to plant.  But soggy soils and hectic schedules seem to make prime planting time slip away.  Don't panic!  There's still plenty to do.  In fact if you hurry you can still sneak in the following: lettuce, onions, spinach, beets, chard, carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips, shallots, chives and parsley.

Bonus!  Now that soil temperatures are up it's also a great time to get your tomatoes and peppers in the ground if you haven't already done so.

We're Cookin' Now...
If you are a cook as well as a Savvygardener one of the great joys of summer is stepping outside to pick or cut fresh herbs for preparing a fine meal.  In addition to their obvious use in foods herbs are great additions to most gardens because they are generally pest resistant, smell great, and many are a joy to behold.

Conveniently, most herbs have similar growing habits and requirements.  Because their essential oils are much more concentrated under cool growing conditions you will want to locate them in a cool but sunny area which receives at least 4 to 6 hours of full sun each day. Areas exposed to the morning sun are better than those areas with mid-day and afternoon sun.

If you didn't start any herbs from seed buy some healthy looking plants from your favorite plant source.  However anise, coriander, dill and fennel aren't too fond of being transplanted.  Sow their seeds directly in the garden.

For a list of over 30 herbs and specific details about growing them check out "Growing Herbs" in our Feature Article section.

Tip Top Tools...
Here's a great way to keep your gardening hand tools clean and free from rust.  Fill a 5-gallon bucket with play sand.  Moisten the sand with mineral oil or even motor oil.  Plunging your tools into the sand/oil mix several times before storing them will remove the dirt and leave a protective coating of oil on the metal surface.

 


It's Time To Change
It's Time To Read
Organic Gardening

 

 

Tastier Tomatoes...
When selecting tomato transplants, choose healthy plants without any blooms. If the tomato plants have blooms or, worse, fruit before you transplant, pinch off the flowers or fruit. If tomatoes set fruit before the plant gets large enough - that is, produces enough leaves - the fruit is small and tasteless. Removing flowers or premature fruit allows the plant to produce more leaves that will make larger tomatoes throughout the growing season. The formula for successful tomato production is quite simple: Healthy leaves equal tasty fruit.

Source

Reminder!  We will be hosting our first annual Kansas City's Tastiest Tomato Contest later this summer.  Details are still in the works but if you think you might be interested please sign up to receive updates as they develop.

In? Out? It Depends...
Don't rush to move your indoor plants back outdoors during these fickle days of spring.  Wait until the weather has settled and nights are no longer cold.  While it seems warm right now nighttime temperatures below 60°F can injure some tropical plants such as philodendron, weeping fig, and palms.  We've seen those temperatures this week.

On the other hand, some indoor plants are more subtropical in nature and benefit from the chilly days of spring as long as they don't sustain a heavy frost (which isn't going to happen).  Citrus, gardenias, cyclamen, and geraniums are some of the subtropical plants that can be out earlier than truly tropical plants.

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
In last week’s article, we promised some information on the concept of IPM, Integrated Pest Management.  As we indicated, the IPM concept consists of alternative solutions to pest and disease control that is growing in acceptance with gardeners and growers.  IPM combines cultural, biological, physical and chemical control measures to prevent and control a variety of problems.  Want to know more?  Read it in this week's What's Hot On the Hotline...

A Fungus Among Us...
Don't be surprised if you head outside and find a yard full of mushrooms.  Where do these things come from?   Although wild mushrooms tend to make their appearance just about any time in woodlands they're more likely to appear in lawns following several days of wet weather which have been preceded by weeks of dry weather.  We've got plenty in our front yard
(photos).

Mushrooms are specialized types of fungi that are important as decay microorganisms, aiding in the breakdown of logs, leaves, fallen branches, and other organic debris.  This important role of mushrooms results in recycling of essential nutrients.  In the vast majority of cases mushrooms are not parasitic on lawn grass and won't cause any disease problems.  Just wait for a prolonged change in the weather and they will wither and disappear providing additional organic matter to your soil.

Finally...
"Observe this dew-drenched rose of Tyrian gardens
A rose today. But you will ask in vain
Tomorrow what it is; and yesterday
It was the dust, the sunshine, and the rains."

~ Christina Rosetti, Writer, 1830-1894

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