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March 10, 2004 |
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Caught
In A
Whirlwind...
With so much going on this time of year it is hard to know
where to start. Kevin and I had the opportunity to attend the
Wichita Garden Show this past weekend and what a show it was! For
those of you who have not made the trip I highly recommend
putting it on the calendar for next year. Incredible landscapes
filled with flowers, shrubs and trees. Amazingly constructed to
stimulate all of the senses. A garden show that the people of
Wichita are quite proud of. Next on the agenda is the
Philadelphia Flower Show. We can hardly wait to see this one.
We have heard so much about it so to say we are excited is a bit
of an understatement. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to
travel so far to enjoy a really great garden show?
Without
sponsors, this newsletter would not be possible.
Missouri Organic has been a sponsor of Savvygardener.com from
the beginning. A provider of many
products, one of my favorites being their topsoil/compost
blend. If you are installing new beds or just need to top dress
your present gardens this is a must. Not only is it a great
product but you can have it delivered straight to your door. The
days of lifting heavy bags are gone. It's the only way to go!
I encourage
all of you to visit
WaterOne's website for information on free seminars they are
offering. What a terrific way to learn
about watering. When to, when not to, how much is too much or how
much is too little. What time of the day to water etc... Watering
smart is so important, not only for the
garden but for us as consumers. Thanks for your support
WaterOne!
How about
this weather? It is nice to see the neighbors again. Winter has
taken its toll on all of us and everyone is ready to spend some
time outside. Streets and yards are filled with people, walking,
raking or just sitting around taking in
the fresh air. Can you feel it? Spring has sprung! The moment we
have so patiently (or impatiently)
awaited is here. Let the gardening
season begin!
~
Shelly
Number
Three and Counting...
Last Sunday's
Kansas City Star confirmed what we already knew:
Gardening is important to Kansas Citians. In the Star's "KC
Sliced and Diced, Statistically" article we learn that gardening
is the third most popular spare time activity. Gardening
falls behind home repairs and reading for entertainment, but
fares much better than hunting, gambling, and sewing to name a
few.
Armed And Ready...
As you walk through your gardens take
along a hand pruner and cut out the
dead branches from your shrubs. The
living branches should be
recognizable by the appearance of leaf
or flower buds. The dead ones are the
"dead-looking" ones with no green visible underneath the brown
outer bark layer.
For more assistance check out
Pruning Shrubs
in our Features section.
A Day For Potato Heads?
While it's traditional to plant potatoes on St. Patrick's Day
Savvygardeners should be aware of two assumptions made in setting
this date. First, that your soil is consistently 45º
or higher. The recent warm-up means sunny locations
may be ready.
The second
assumption is that the soil is dry enough to be worked. Working
in overly moist soil can make a mess that will be hard to correct
later. How can you tell? Grab a handful of soil and squeeze.
If it holds together like clay it's too wet. If it crumbles like
a cupcake it's ready for planting.
Watch the
weather and your soil closely. You really want to get those
'taters planted between now and the end of March.
Don't Miss Family Tree's
9th Annual Open House
and Spring Flower Show:
"Gardening
Through the Ages"
March 19 through
21, 2004
Overland Park Family Tree Nursery
913-642-6503
Special
Keynote Speaker
Jim Wilson from The Victory Garden
Details...
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Staggered Start...
Getting the
timing right on seed starting is pretty important. Start too
early and your plants will get leggy before it's time to put them
outside. Start too late and you miss out on valuable growing
time (especially if you want the first tomatoes on the block).
Seeds are cheap, time is unrecoverable. Instead of starting all
of your similar seeds (tomato for instance) at the same time, try
starting 1/3 of them each week for three weeks. If warm weather
is early, you'll be ahead. If cold weather lingers you'll still
have seedlings at the appropriate transplant time.
Time For Tomatoes?
A quick check of our
Seed Starting Calendar reveals that it's time to start seeds
for those warm-weather vegetables like tomatoes and peppers.
Tomatoes can be found in many, many gardens. Why not yours? If
you need some help getting started just read
Seed Starting Tomatoes in our Features section.
Tell Your Friends About
Savvygardener.com!
You
Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate
Details...
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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Questions about early vegetable crops like
onions and green peas are hot topics right now and keeping the
hotline staffers very busy. For good measure they've also
thrown in some advice about reducing crabapple and sweet gum
fruit production. Good stuff! Don't miss this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Now Cut That Out...
So, you think it's too early to cut the grass? Not the
ornamental grass! In early spring before new growth begins
you should remove the previous year's foliage to promote earlier
and more healthy growth. Use hand clippers, a
pruning saw, or sharp shears to cut your grasses back to
within 3 to 5 inches of the ground. To
minimize the mess try tying the grass into a standing bundle
before cutting.
While
you're at it take a look at the centers of the plant clumps. If
the center of the clump shows little or no growth, it should be
divided. Separate and replant the vigorous growth on the outer
edge of the clump. Stand back and watch them grow!
Finally... "The trouble with
weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore
it and wrong too often for us to rely on it." ~
Patrick Young, Writer |