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April 7, 2004

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

 


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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.

 


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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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