This week's gardening tips from the Savvygardener

 

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April 6, 2005

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!

 


Clearfield Farms
Plant & Garden Art Auction

Help celebrate the last 10 years
and help us kick off the next 10!

Sunday April 17th at 1:00 PM

Click Here to Preview Select Items
from
the Auction List!

 

 

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

 

 

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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