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April 7, 2004 |
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Lovin' This Weather...
It is Tuesday at 4:00 PM and the thermometer reads 73°F.
Wow - What a beautiful day! Let's hope that this beautiful spring-like
weather hangs around a bit longer. I am not quite ready for
summer-like temperatures. When working
in the garden today I noticed that the ground is on the dry side.
These windy conditions we have been experiencing are really
drying things out. I am really keeping
a watchful eye on my potted pansies. Seems a bit premature for me
to start preaching about keeping things watered but after
checking the 10-day forecast the
chances of a good soaking rain are slim. I did notice that
the lows for this weekend may reach a chilly 29°F.
Be prepared to cover tender plants as well as tulips and
daffodils in bloom. If it does get that cold the chances of the
flowers dying due to the frost are very high so get out the old
sheets and cover them up.
Mark
Bartlow with
Ryan Lawn & Tree was by our house last Friday to prune some
of our trees
(photos).
The kids loved watching him climb. With tools positioned around
his waist (not to mention a chain saw) up, up, up
he went making it look so easy. What an
amazing display of talent. I guess that's why it pays to hire a
professional for those hard to reach places. Not only does Ryan
Lawn & Tree take care of our trees, they also care for our lawn.
Mark Richet is our savvy turf specialist. He is courteous,
knowledgeable and professional. What a pleasure it is doing
business with these guys! If your grass
needs some help, or your shrubs and trees need a little TLC, give
Ryan Lawn & Tree a call. You'll be glad you did!
Have a
Happy Easter!
~
Shelly
Are You A Good Host?
Sometimes gardening is a lot like hosting a party. Plants, like
party guests, need to be steered toward others that will enjoy
their company. The practice of companion planting, growing
vegetables in proximity to helpful plants, has become quite
popular over the years. Here are some of our favorite matchmaker
tips:
Vegetable |
Group With |
Keep Distance From |
Tomatoes |
Carrots, peppers, basil,
marigold |
Mature dill, kohlrabi,
potatoes |
Beans |
Carrots, cucumber, pea,
potatoes, radish, marigold, nasturtium, rosemary |
Garlic, onion, shallots,
fennel, gladiolus |
Peas |
Radish, carrots,
cucumbers, celery, turnip |
Garlic, onion, gladiolus |
Carrots |
Beans, radish, tomatoes,
peppers, onion, sage |
Dill, celery |
Cucumbers |
Corn, tomatoes, cabbage,
radishes, dill, nasturtium |
Aromatic herbs, potatoes |
Elbow Room...
It is easy to sow too many seeds in a row of beets or
carrots. Carrot seeds are small and angular making it difficult
to scatter seeds without inadvertently dropping several of them
together. Beets emerge from a capsule containing several seeds
and often come up too thick. Do your best not to overseed either
of these popular vegetables. Both of these crops need room for
roots to expand and grow.
Carrots
should be spaced about 2 to 3 inches apart, and beets 3 to 4
inches apart. Once they begin growing you can remove some of the
plants in the row to attain these desirable plant spacings.
Source
Dig This, Or Don't...
Here's some advice - "Don't cultivate your garden." This may
sound kind of crazy, but the truth is cultivating and deep hoeing
can cause considerable damage to the shallow roots of flowers and
vegetables. Also, every time you cultivate, you stir the soil
and bring weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate. A
two-inch layer of mulch will stop annual weeds, otherwise, cut
off weeds at the surface of the soil with a sharp scuffle hoe, so
in a week or 10 days, you won't have another batch to destroy.
If you do not have a scuffle hoe, pull the weeds by hand. If you
start early in the season and keep them pulled regularly, it is
not too big a job in a small to medium-sized garden.
Source
Tines For Transplanting...
One of the trickiest parts of raising seedlings indoors is
the delicate process of transplanting up to a larger peat pot.
All too often the soil surrounding the roots just falls apart.
Try using an ordinary table fork next time. You can loosen the
plants in the seed flat without damaging the roots. Then you can
open a hole for the new transplant in the new flat or pot by
rocking it sideways. Finally, by sliding the tines around the
delicate stem and pressing down, the transplant can be firmed in
the growing medium.
Befuddled By Bulbs...
Every year about this time we start
getting e-mails asking about all the bulbs currently
offered by retailers and garden centers. "Isn't fall the correct
time to plant bulbs?" is the common
question. Well, fall is the correct time to plant
spring flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc...)
But there's another group of "bulbs" that can be planted soon for
floral displays this summer. They include begonias, dahlias,
daylilies, and so many more! If you're ready to give them a try
take a moment to read our Guide to Summer Flowering Bulbs in Kansas City.
Tell Your Friends About
Savvygardener.com!
You
Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate
Details...
|
What's Hot On The Hotline...
As you may have noticed, spring, or at least its first
visitation, seems to have arrived and departed again in a period
of a few short days. We were left with many questions about
dealing with a drop of 40 degrees, in a 24-hour time frame. The
fact is, this is not a particularly rare phenomenon in our part
of the country that prides itself upon its variety of weather
offerings. A discussion on frosts and
temperature swings is in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Ready, Set, Mow...
If you haven't started mowing your lawn
yet, get ready to. Start by walking your property and
picking up everything that shouldn't be there when mowing - toys,
sticks, golf balls, whatever. Also, make sure your mower
blade is sharp.
Don't wait
until the entire lawn needs mowing. This time of year many
lawns grow in a patchy manner and there will be spots that are
several inches taller than others.
Finally... "Let the rain kiss
you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with
silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby." ~
Langston Hughes, April Rain Song |
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