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Going Once,
Going Twice...
There just isn't enough time in the day. When choosing this
week's inspirational
quote the one I chose seemed appropriate. These past few
days have been exhilarating! Let's start with the weather - could
it be any better? The urge to be in the garden 24/7 is
overwhelming. I am continuing to train for the Breast Cancer
3-Day, preparing myself physically and mentally for the challenge
ahead. So many things to do but the reality is that not
everything can be accomplished in a day or two. I guess it is a
good time to remind myself to stop and smell the roses.
All of our
friends at garden centers and nurseries
in the Kansas City-area are gearing up for a great spring season.
Clearfield Farms, located in Baldwin, Kansas is celebrating
10 years in business and is holding a Plant and Garden Art
Auction on April 17, at 1:00 PM. Larry Limberg, proprietor of
Clearfield Farms, is excited to have a
little fun with his customers. Who doesn't love a live auction?
They have hired a professional auctioneer who will auction off
over 60 varieties of shrubs and trees, 50 pieces of art and
decorative containers, dozens of roses and herbaceous perennials.
Bargains galore! An event you won't want to miss.
Don't
forget about your chance to win a $500 gift certificate from
Family
Tree Nursery by donating $50 to help support me in
the fight against breast
cancer. Together we can help make a
difference.
~
Shelly
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
Longer Life for Lilies...
I hope some thoughtful friends brought you a lily for
Easter. Unfortunately the lily doesn't survive as a houseplant,
but it can be transplanted outdoors where it may bloom
again this year.
Find a
sunny spot in the garden to plant the bulb. Remove the plant
from its container and loosen the roots. Plant the bulb a few
inches deeper than it was in the container and cover it with
soil. Water thoroughly and fertilize with an all-purpose garden
fertilizer. For the remainder of the season water and fertilize
as you would your other garden plantings. Don't be alarmed when
the top withers and dies. New shoots will emerge and may flower
in July or August.
Understand
that lilies are not normally winter-hardy in the greater Kansas
City area. To improve your chances for success, mulch them with
4 inches of straw or leaves in the fall. With luck you will have
new flowers again next June!
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.
Randy's Lakeview Nursery & Bulk Supercenter
Dirt * Rock * Mulch *
Pavers * Retaining Wall
GOT MULCH?
WE DO! NINE VARIETIES. WE
DELIVER!
Nursery stock now available
(816) 515-1111 * (816) 554-DIRT
1¼ mile East of 291 Hwy.
on Colbern Rd. in Lee's Summit
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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 |
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... "So many years in
one yesterday." ~
Carla Phelps Wert |
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