This spring has come quickly and with widely varying temperatures. Yesterday it got up to 80 degrees, today it was raining and cool at 50 degrees.
With this in mind, it's finally time to start planting!
This week we will go into how to install and plant your vegetable garden.
In the last few posts I went over how to start seedlings inside. I'm going to assume that you had some success with the seedlings and are ready to plant them. If they all ended up dried and shriveled up, do not despair! It's probably warm enough to plant the seeds directly in the ground OR you can head out to a locally owned garden center to purchase nice sized plants in a few weeks.
Regardless of how they start in your garden, vegetables are easy to grow and are very rewarding when they are ready to be harvested. The most important requirements are sunshine and watering. Beyond that all you need is soil, some fertilizer, a bit of weeding and a container if you choose to do a container garden. If you have an area in your yard that gets sunshine most of the day (6-8 hours) then you can have a vegetable garden, even if it is mostly concrete. Your first year requires the most amount of work, but don’t get discouraged, the work you do in the beginning does not have to be done again each year. I recommend that you start slow. Do you really need a 30'x30' garden? Can you start small and expand next year?
If you are starting a container garden, please make sure it's large enough for the mature plant! A tomato will die if you put it into a 3 gallon sized container, it's just not big enough. Aside from the container, you need soil. Unless you are a chemist and enjoy balancing the pH of your soil, head out to a local garden center and purchase GOOD quality garden soil (make sure you ask someone at the gardening center if you are unsure about whether the soil is appropriate for your vegetables. bring the soil home, add the appropriate amount of fertilizer and mix it together. Plant your seedlings and you are DONE! Congratulations, go make yourself a cosmo and relax.
If you are planting your garden in the traditional way,before you plant, do yourself a favor and create a planting plan making sure you allow enough room for the plants at their mature size. All you need is a pencil, paper and maybe a ruler (if you like straight lines) to draw the garden plan out. Be aware of where the sun rises, sets and hangs in the midday sky so the tallest plants do not shade the shorter ones. Plants generally get larger then most gardeners realize! READ YOUR PACKETS! THEY AREN'T LYING! When you purchased your seeds, the packet had information on how much room they will need when fully grown, if you are purchasing plants, the tag should give you this information. When it says plant every 18" and you are looking a teeny tiny little seedling, you may be tempted to plant them every 8", DON'T DO IT! Your little seedling will grow and quickly. If they don't have enough sun and air circulation they get stressed (very much like humans) and they won't produce quality vegetables, and that's why you are doing this right? So allow enough space for each one.
Next, readying the planting area: Some gardeners believe that the ground that the plants will grow in needs to be loosened up so that the roots of the tender vegetable plants can grow into your soil and make strong, healthy plants. The argument is that the roots are the only way the plant takes up water and nutrients so you want to make their job easy. I disagree. I believe that it disturbs the environment that has already been developed! If you kill the weeds by smothering them with soil or compost, not only do you eliminate most of the work involved with starting a garden, but you add compost automatically! All you need to do is cover the area with cardboard or layers of wet newspaper (anything that will decompose quickly), followed by several inches of grass clippings, shredded leaves or weed-free hay, straw or compost. Add fertilizer now and amend in the top 4-6" of soil. Use a hand trowel to pull back the mulch, cut away sod, and open up planting holes for your seedlings! Pop in your seedling, plant or seeds (if you are ABSOLUTELY confident that the chance of frost has passed). You should water gently after planting until the soil is moist at 1" below the surface. Water again when the soil appears dry on the top.
Make sure you have enough compost down and that will help retain some of the moisture. If the summer comes and rain is plentiful, don't worry about watering all the time. If it doesn't rain for three days, make sure you go out to check on everything. I've seen some beautiful gardens that have died due to lack of water.
Now, brush off your hands and go inside for a tall glass of water. After all of that work you may need to rehydrate yourself!
Next week: Shrub and perennial planting
Friday, April 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Spring is almost here....
This time of the year is the most frustrating for most gardeners. It's almost spring, it's ALMOST time to start digging and planting, but not yet. As the weather in the Northeast has taught me, you have to wait. If you plant your new seedlings to early a late frost will kill them. If you plant annuals to early a frost will kill them.
A few more weeks and we will be able to plant to our hearts content. We just have to be patient.
A few more weeks and we will be able to plant to our hearts content. We just have to be patient.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
What to do - March
March in New York is still pretty cold. We often get snow and as I read my favorite website I noticed that a large majority of the country starts to plant and garden in March. At the end of a wet fall and a very cold winter, I'm jealous. But there are still a few things to be done to get me through to April.
- Finish pruning deciduous plants, like fruit trees, flowering shrubs, grapes and cane berries before they leaf out. Pruning keeps older hedges and shrubs looking good. There is no other way to keep a shrub lush and flowering for a decade or more then to prune. Check your shrubs, are the branches densely packed with only a few leaves within the center? If so, you need to do some thinning. Thinning out the canes on the shrub can lengthen it's life span and improve it's appearance. In the early, early spring you can take out as many as 1/3 of the oldest, thickest canes to ground level without stressing the shrub. Don't go beyond a 1/3 of the canes, though, or you will stress the plant. If your shrub has very little new growth consider removing 1/4 of the old wood to ground level. If there are water sprouts, cut them back. If you notice suckers, remove them. If branches are crossing and rubbing again each other, remove one of the branches. Always remove deadwood as soon as you see it.
(image from Mike Zins and Deborah Brown's "Pruning Trees and Shrubs" Item # 00628, 1997, All rights reserved)
- If your garden soil is thawed, plant summer bulbs (begonias, gladiolus, dahlias and lilies).
- Place beer traps or slug pellets around plants for slug control. Be sure to keep away from pets, children etc. Better yet, if you live near a pond, fill it with natures crack team of slug exterminators: frogs.
- Start your vegetable garden! This is my favorite part of March. I start by sending in my seed order. Then I head to a local hardware store (or Agway) to purchase trays. Personally I think containers vary as personalities vary. Try a variety to see what works for you, but be sure they have adequate drainage. Be sure to clean them out. If you are using peat pots, make sure to soak them before adding the soil. The dry fiber pots will draw moisture away from the soil, leaving the soil and seeds dry as a bone. This year I'm going to try and make my own using newspaper and a cool gadget that I found in a catalog.
Find a sunny window with southern exposure. If you don't have a window that will do, consider purchasing cool-white florescent bulbs. Check the back of your seed packet for lighting requirements. Once germinated, all seedlings need light to develop into strong, healthy plants, so make sure you don't scrimp on the light.
When your seeds** arrive, either by catalog or a stop at the store, get out the containers/tray and soil. When planting the seeds, I've had the best luck with a commercial peat moss mixture. I've tried making my own, using compost and the gardening soil, but I've always had more luck when I've broken down and purchased a bag from the local Agway.
Fill pots or flats 3/4 full with your soil of choice. Water, letting the excess drain away. Make a little hole in the center, the eraser end of a pencil is the perfect size. Make sure you don't plant them too deep, fine seeds just need a coating of soil, where larger seeds need to be planted 4 times as deep as the seed is wide (plus or minus).
Make sure you check your seeds at least every other day, the soil needs to be kept moist (not soaking wet, the seeds will rot). I use a sprayer that I picked up from the pharmacy. If you decided to go with a tray as your container, consider purchasing a topper for it, it will keep humidity high and reduce the times you have to water.
Once you see at least three leaves on your little seedling, you can fertilize. I generally wait until I plant them outside for this step. If you do fertilize now, use an organic fertilizer that has been diluted significantly, don't burn the roots.
Depending on where you live, this step will vary from one week to two or three. When you are about ready to plant your seeds outdoors you need to start bringing them outside during the day. This is called "hardening off". This gets the soft plants ready for the elements. Move the plants to a shady outdoor area of the first few days, bring them indoors for the night. In the following days, place them in a slightly more bright area of your yard, the idea is to get them exposed to longer periods of light each day, don't forget to bring them inside at night. Spring nights can be cold and the new plants will die. Keep them well hydrated and check often for insect damage.
Before moving them to their permanent homes make sure the danger of frost has passed. It would be a shame for all your hard work to wither at a chance frost. I suggest having a planting plan in place well before you are planting your seedlings. Before planting water your new garden and the seedlings. Dig a hole twice as wide as your seedling pod. Place in your seedling and back fill. Make sure your plant doesn't stick above the level of the ground. Press the soil around the plant down firmly and water again. This is when I choose to fertilize, even though the plants are a bit larger, I still dilute the fertilizer for a few weeks.
To help your plants develop a deep rooting system, water deeply (for a length of time)and check on your new plants at least every other day for the first few weeks.
**Keep in mind that it's a good idea to use seeds that are "fresh" (purchased this year), if you do have seeds from last year, plant them! See what happens but I won't get your hopes up for a lush vegetable garden. There is no harm in using old seeds, the worse that can happen is that you don't get a sprout. The vegetables that come from out of date seeds are the same as those that are grown from fresh seeds. It's not a question of "waste not want not", but rather your chances of germinating old seeds. Keep in mind that there are three major things affect a seed’s viability, Their age (After the first year, the germination rates for out of date seeds will start to fall), the type of seed (depending on how mother nature packaged them to begin with. For example, pepper seeds probably won't germinate after two years. Beans, tomatoes, carrots and peas keep for about four years. And cucumber or lettuce can stay viable up to 6 years.) Of course this all depends on how they are stored. They have a greater chance of lasting into the following year of they are kept in a cool, dark place. Garages and storage sheds because of the varying temperatures from summer to winter, are not the ideal place to store seeds. A weather controlled house in a dark corner is better.
Happy Gardening!
- Finish pruning deciduous plants, like fruit trees, flowering shrubs, grapes and cane berries before they leaf out. Pruning keeps older hedges and shrubs looking good. There is no other way to keep a shrub lush and flowering for a decade or more then to prune. Check your shrubs, are the branches densely packed with only a few leaves within the center? If so, you need to do some thinning. Thinning out the canes on the shrub can lengthen it's life span and improve it's appearance. In the early, early spring you can take out as many as 1/3 of the oldest, thickest canes to ground level without stressing the shrub. Don't go beyond a 1/3 of the canes, though, or you will stress the plant. If your shrub has very little new growth consider removing 1/4 of the old wood to ground level. If there are water sprouts, cut them back. If you notice suckers, remove them. If branches are crossing and rubbing again each other, remove one of the branches. Always remove deadwood as soon as you see it.
(image from Mike Zins and Deborah Brown's "Pruning Trees and Shrubs" Item # 00628, 1997, All rights reserved)
- If your garden soil is thawed, plant summer bulbs (begonias, gladiolus, dahlias and lilies).
- Place beer traps or slug pellets around plants for slug control. Be sure to keep away from pets, children etc. Better yet, if you live near a pond, fill it with natures crack team of slug exterminators: frogs.
- Start your vegetable garden! This is my favorite part of March. I start by sending in my seed order. Then I head to a local hardware store (or Agway) to purchase trays. Personally I think containers vary as personalities vary. Try a variety to see what works for you, but be sure they have adequate drainage. Be sure to clean them out. If you are using peat pots, make sure to soak them before adding the soil. The dry fiber pots will draw moisture away from the soil, leaving the soil and seeds dry as a bone. This year I'm going to try and make my own using newspaper and a cool gadget that I found in a catalog.
Find a sunny window with southern exposure. If you don't have a window that will do, consider purchasing cool-white florescent bulbs. Check the back of your seed packet for lighting requirements. Once germinated, all seedlings need light to develop into strong, healthy plants, so make sure you don't scrimp on the light.
When your seeds** arrive, either by catalog or a stop at the store, get out the containers/tray and soil. When planting the seeds, I've had the best luck with a commercial peat moss mixture. I've tried making my own, using compost and the gardening soil, but I've always had more luck when I've broken down and purchased a bag from the local Agway.
Fill pots or flats 3/4 full with your soil of choice. Water, letting the excess drain away. Make a little hole in the center, the eraser end of a pencil is the perfect size. Make sure you don't plant them too deep, fine seeds just need a coating of soil, where larger seeds need to be planted 4 times as deep as the seed is wide (plus or minus).
Make sure you check your seeds at least every other day, the soil needs to be kept moist (not soaking wet, the seeds will rot). I use a sprayer that I picked up from the pharmacy. If you decided to go with a tray as your container, consider purchasing a topper for it, it will keep humidity high and reduce the times you have to water.
Once you see at least three leaves on your little seedling, you can fertilize. I generally wait until I plant them outside for this step. If you do fertilize now, use an organic fertilizer that has been diluted significantly, don't burn the roots.
Depending on where you live, this step will vary from one week to two or three. When you are about ready to plant your seeds outdoors you need to start bringing them outside during the day. This is called "hardening off". This gets the soft plants ready for the elements. Move the plants to a shady outdoor area of the first few days, bring them indoors for the night. In the following days, place them in a slightly more bright area of your yard, the idea is to get them exposed to longer periods of light each day, don't forget to bring them inside at night. Spring nights can be cold and the new plants will die. Keep them well hydrated and check often for insect damage.
Before moving them to their permanent homes make sure the danger of frost has passed. It would be a shame for all your hard work to wither at a chance frost. I suggest having a planting plan in place well before you are planting your seedlings. Before planting water your new garden and the seedlings. Dig a hole twice as wide as your seedling pod. Place in your seedling and back fill. Make sure your plant doesn't stick above the level of the ground. Press the soil around the plant down firmly and water again. This is when I choose to fertilize, even though the plants are a bit larger, I still dilute the fertilizer for a few weeks.
To help your plants develop a deep rooting system, water deeply (for a length of time)and check on your new plants at least every other day for the first few weeks.
**Keep in mind that it's a good idea to use seeds that are "fresh" (purchased this year), if you do have seeds from last year, plant them! See what happens but I won't get your hopes up for a lush vegetable garden. There is no harm in using old seeds, the worse that can happen is that you don't get a sprout. The vegetables that come from out of date seeds are the same as those that are grown from fresh seeds. It's not a question of "waste not want not", but rather your chances of germinating old seeds. Keep in mind that there are three major things affect a seed’s viability, Their age (After the first year, the germination rates for out of date seeds will start to fall), the type of seed (depending on how mother nature packaged them to begin with. For example, pepper seeds probably won't germinate after two years. Beans, tomatoes, carrots and peas keep for about four years. And cucumber or lettuce can stay viable up to 6 years.) Of course this all depends on how they are stored. They have a greater chance of lasting into the following year of they are kept in a cool, dark place. Garages and storage sheds because of the varying temperatures from summer to winter, are not the ideal place to store seeds. A weather controlled house in a dark corner is better.
Happy Gardening!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
What to do - February
Most people think that the winter is the perfect time to do nothing in their yard and garden. Not so! The following is a list of the maintenance issues that can be addressed in the winter, as well as guidance in planning for the year to come.
1. Take a walk through your yard and garden. Take a look at the woody plants that surround you. Make notes regarding the need for fertilizer (best applied in early spring before foliage emerges), any insect infestations (limbs that look abnormally thick may be holding an egg mass) or a fungus that's taken a hold on your woody plants. The healthier the tree is the less likely it will become infested, so maintaining the strength and vitality of your tree. By properly pruning, watering, mulching and fertilizing them. "Fertilizing trees and shrubs in your landscape is not necessarily an annual ritual. Many gardeners have the false impression that the more fertilizer they apply the more the plant will grow. Fertilizer is not plant food. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, elements from fertilizer, and energy from the sun to produce their own food...Addition of the correct amount of fertilizer can promote healthy flower production and foliage growth while an excessive fertilizer application can decrease plant health and can lead to decline and death." (www.na.fs.fed.us) If you are not sure if fertilizer is needed, please call a professional.
2. Prune! Trees and shrubs are dormant and bleeding (loss of sap) is minimal. IN A FEW CASES IT'S BEST TO WAIT (SEE BELOW), but for the most part, it's best to prune while they are dormant. By pruning during the dormant season you are minimizing sap and resin flow from cut branches reducing the changes of insect infestation and/or disease, you can also see the structure of the tree and thus make more precise cuts. Prune trees and shrubs without showy flowers during the dormant season. You can also prune flowering trees and shrubs during the dormant season for the reasons stated above. However, to help preserve the flowers for the coming season prune trees and shrubs that flower in early spring (redbud, dogwood, etc.) immediately AFTER FLOWERING. The exceptions are many varieties of crabapple, hawthorn, pear, mountain ash,flowering quince and pyracantha which should be pruned during the winter. Trees and shrubs that flower in the summer or fall always should be pruned during the winter. Dead branches should, and can, be removed any time of the year. If you have questions, always check with your counties extension office or a horticulturist for more specific information.
3. Plan, plan, plan! If you are lucky you are starting to see the tops of stone walls, tree stumps and maybe a bit of grass under the snow. There many even be a short thaw. Animals start to become much more active. This is the time to start drawing out diagrams and planting beds for the coming year. Hopefully you have kept notes, ideas and comments from the previous year. (If not, try and keep a record this coming year, it cuts down on impulse buys that are later regretted). Take out any documentation from last year. Pull out the catalogs, I keep mine stashed in a quiet corner from when they start arriving (December and January) until I'm ready to sit down and plan for the upcoming year. Take your time in creating a landscape that you are excited about caring for. Remember to consider maintenance for the year, there is nothing more depressing then seeing a beautiful garden taken over by weeds.
1. Take a walk through your yard and garden. Take a look at the woody plants that surround you. Make notes regarding the need for fertilizer (best applied in early spring before foliage emerges), any insect infestations (limbs that look abnormally thick may be holding an egg mass) or a fungus that's taken a hold on your woody plants. The healthier the tree is the less likely it will become infested, so maintaining the strength and vitality of your tree. By properly pruning, watering, mulching and fertilizing them. "Fertilizing trees and shrubs in your landscape is not necessarily an annual ritual. Many gardeners have the false impression that the more fertilizer they apply the more the plant will grow. Fertilizer is not plant food. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, elements from fertilizer, and energy from the sun to produce their own food...Addition of the correct amount of fertilizer can promote healthy flower production and foliage growth while an excessive fertilizer application can decrease plant health and can lead to decline and death." (www.na.fs.fed.us) If you are not sure if fertilizer is needed, please call a professional.
2. Prune! Trees and shrubs are dormant and bleeding (loss of sap) is minimal. IN A FEW CASES IT'S BEST TO WAIT (SEE BELOW), but for the most part, it's best to prune while they are dormant. By pruning during the dormant season you are minimizing sap and resin flow from cut branches reducing the changes of insect infestation and/or disease, you can also see the structure of the tree and thus make more precise cuts. Prune trees and shrubs without showy flowers during the dormant season. You can also prune flowering trees and shrubs during the dormant season for the reasons stated above. However, to help preserve the flowers for the coming season prune trees and shrubs that flower in early spring (redbud, dogwood, etc.) immediately AFTER FLOWERING. The exceptions are many varieties of crabapple, hawthorn, pear, mountain ash,flowering quince and pyracantha which should be pruned during the winter. Trees and shrubs that flower in the summer or fall always should be pruned during the winter. Dead branches should, and can, be removed any time of the year. If you have questions, always check with your counties extension office or a horticulturist for more specific information.
3. Plan, plan, plan! If you are lucky you are starting to see the tops of stone walls, tree stumps and maybe a bit of grass under the snow. There many even be a short thaw. Animals start to become much more active. This is the time to start drawing out diagrams and planting beds for the coming year. Hopefully you have kept notes, ideas and comments from the previous year. (If not, try and keep a record this coming year, it cuts down on impulse buys that are later regretted). Take out any documentation from last year. Pull out the catalogs, I keep mine stashed in a quiet corner from when they start arriving (December and January) until I'm ready to sit down and plan for the upcoming year. Take your time in creating a landscape that you are excited about caring for. Remember to consider maintenance for the year, there is nothing more depressing then seeing a beautiful garden taken over by weeds.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Plan now for spring
The winter is the best time to plan for the upcoming year or design an existing garden. Whether you are planning on planting vegetables, perennials, shrubs or trees, here are a few steps to follow anytime you are planning to install plants.
The first step is to layout the area that you are planting. Ideally you should have the layout to scale. Use graph paper if needed.
Next choose what colors, textures and size of plants you would like. This will keep you focused and help to eliminate being overwhelmed. When you are flipping through catalogs and doing research online to not the mature size for the plant in question.
Choose plants that fit into the specifications that you have created. There are numerous catalogs and resources online that can help you choose the correct plant for your zone. (if you aren't sure what your zone is check here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). Some of my favorite places to do research is either the Cornell Cooperative Extension (http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/) or Uconn Cooperative Extension (http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/). Both sites are packed full of information about soil and site requirements for planting, invasive species, pest control solutions and infestations. All of these things are important when you are planning a garden.
After you have gathered all of your dream plants and done your research, start laying them out on the scaled drawing of your garden. This will help to make sure everything will fit. The worst thing you can do for newly established plants in crowd them, if they are not given enough space and water, they will die.
Once you have designed your garden, price it out. It's shocking how much the plants can cost once you have completed your garden. This might also be the time you have to force yourself to do some editing of your plants. Do you keep the expensive, amazingly beautiful plants for more budget friendly common varieties? Do you keep a few exotics and supplement them with cheaper perennials? Does it make sense to plan and install a 20'x20' vegetable garden if you are single? This is the largest stumbling block on the way to a dream garden. Be realistic, you can always add to it next year.
Think long and hard about maintenance. Are you planning on spending a few hours a week outside weeding? If you are, great! You may want a mostly perennial garden that you can fuss over. If weeding, deadheading and trimming are not your idea of fun, there are many many choices still out there. Choose non-flowering shrubs, plant them with the appropriate space apart and you can have an attractive tidy garden.
Once you have designed, planned and budgeted for your garden choose a time for planting. We start seedlings the weekend after Saint Patrick's Day. We keep them in a greenhouse or indoors on tables. Perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted as soon as the ground thaws, but we generally do not plant until early May. Make sure the threat of frost has passed before planting any annuals, vegetables seedlings or any tender plants.
If you follow these steps will ensure the plants thrive and grow for years to come.
Receive 20% off design services this winter
Call today to secure your place in our schedule
845.876.5198
valid 12.1.09-2.28.10
The first step is to layout the area that you are planting. Ideally you should have the layout to scale. Use graph paper if needed.
Next choose what colors, textures and size of plants you would like. This will keep you focused and help to eliminate being overwhelmed. When you are flipping through catalogs and doing research online to not the mature size for the plant in question.
Choose plants that fit into the specifications that you have created. There are numerous catalogs and resources online that can help you choose the correct plant for your zone. (if you aren't sure what your zone is check here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). Some of my favorite places to do research is either the Cornell Cooperative Extension (http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/) or Uconn Cooperative Extension (http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/). Both sites are packed full of information about soil and site requirements for planting, invasive species, pest control solutions and infestations. All of these things are important when you are planning a garden.
After you have gathered all of your dream plants and done your research, start laying them out on the scaled drawing of your garden. This will help to make sure everything will fit. The worst thing you can do for newly established plants in crowd them, if they are not given enough space and water, they will die.
Once you have designed your garden, price it out. It's shocking how much the plants can cost once you have completed your garden. This might also be the time you have to force yourself to do some editing of your plants. Do you keep the expensive, amazingly beautiful plants for more budget friendly common varieties? Do you keep a few exotics and supplement them with cheaper perennials? Does it make sense to plan and install a 20'x20' vegetable garden if you are single? This is the largest stumbling block on the way to a dream garden. Be realistic, you can always add to it next year.
Think long and hard about maintenance. Are you planning on spending a few hours a week outside weeding? If you are, great! You may want a mostly perennial garden that you can fuss over. If weeding, deadheading and trimming are not your idea of fun, there are many many choices still out there. Choose non-flowering shrubs, plant them with the appropriate space apart and you can have an attractive tidy garden.
Once you have designed, planned and budgeted for your garden choose a time for planting. We start seedlings the weekend after Saint Patrick's Day. We keep them in a greenhouse or indoors on tables. Perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted as soon as the ground thaws, but we generally do not plant until early May. Make sure the threat of frost has passed before planting any annuals, vegetables seedlings or any tender plants.
If you follow these steps will ensure the plants thrive and grow for years to come.
Receive 20% off design services this winter
Call today to secure your place in our schedule
845.876.5198
valid 12.1.09-2.28.10
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