Timely Tips...

Spring is a busy time in the garden and the month of April is no exception. Here is a list of tasks that should be done this month, which I will be talking about in this post: 

• Dividing and transplanting hardy perennials, such as: Heuchera, Daisies, Hellebore, and Hosta

• Cleaning up dead plant debris from around plants

• Starting a compost pile

• Building and prepping raised beds for planting

• Installing supports/stakes for plants like Peonies

• Giving flowering bulbs and tubers a head start indoors, examples include: Cannas, Dahlias, Caladiums, Begonias, Lilies, etc.

• Cutting back last year's growth on Hellebores

• Installing a trellis for peas

• Planting asparagus

Divide and Transplant Hardy Perennials: This month, hardy perennials, such as Daisies, Hellebore, Hosta, and Heuchera can be divided and transplanted. The entire clump should be dug up before the next step can take place. This can be done with a sharp shovel. You can slice the plant right down the middle of the crown to cut it into half or into quarters, depending on how large the clump is. The divisions can either be transplanted into other areas of your yard or shared with neighbors, friends or family. 

Clean Up Dead Plant Debris From Around Plants: If you haven't already done this task in the fall, it should be done now, before a lot of the new growth starts to sprout and grow. Sometimes, you can just do this by pulling it away with your hands, other times this task will require scissors or pruners to trim the old, dead foliage away. This is really important to prevent diseases, pests, and fungi which can cause problems with your plants when they start to grow new growth during the growing season.

Start a Compost Pile: There are many benefits of having your own compost pile. Compost can provide your plants with nutrient rich, organic fertilizer and mulch. Another important benefit of a compost pile is that it is sustainable, since your garden waste and food scraps can be discarded in it, where they decompose and become quality soil for use in your garden. These are just a few of the many benefits of compost. You can either devote a corner or area of your yard for compost or build your own compost bin out of almost any type of material. I have seen compost bins built out of cinderblocks stacked on top of each other, wooden pallets used for shipping, lumber, chicken wire and lots of other materials found around your house or at the local hardware store. There are also ready-made metal or plastic compost bins on the market, that have cranks that make turning and mixing your compost easier, though these are not necessary. You will need to position the compost pile in a shady area of your yard, so it can heat up to the proper temperature for decomposition. You can put things like leaves, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peels, cores, and scraps, dead plant material and other forms of yard waste in the compost pile. Just don't use weeds, since weeds can start growing in a compost pile and take over. You will need to turn or mix your compost every now and then, so you may not want to make your compost pile too large. Here are some compost recipes and building plans to get you started: https://www.epa.gov/

http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Build and Prepare Raised Beds: Raised beds are an excellent idea for people who have trouble bending over or kneeling, since raised beds are simply that: garden beds that are higher than ground level. Seniors and physically challenged people can still enjoy gardening without having to bend over or kneel down. The other great benefit of raised beds is that if you have poor or contaminated soil, you can still do well with gardening or growing your own food since you can fill a raised bed with top soil or any soil mix. (or better yet, compost!) Raised beds can be made of wood or plastic. Here are some great resources with building plans and tips on raised beds to get you started: http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/ http://www.almanac.com/

Install Stakes/Supports: This time of year is also great to stick wooden or bamboo stakes or supports in the ground near plants like Peonies. You can even use sticks and branches found around your yard for a more natural look. Later on the plants will need the supports to lean on and to support them when they start growing and blooming. You can also buy special wire supports made for Peonies and other types of plants that are placed over where the plant is growing. The plant then grows up through the support.

Start Summer Flowering Bulbs Indoors: Summer flowering bulbs and tubers like Canna, Dahlias, Begonias, Caladiums, Lilies, etc. can be given a head start by starting them indoors before planting them outside in May. They will bloom sooner and have a head start. This is optional, as these can also be planted directly in the ground outside after the danger of frost has passed. You will need a good quality, well draining potting soil without moisture retention crystals or fertilizer in it. You will also need 6" pots. Plant one bulb or tuber per 6" pot, water well, but don't soak and place in a windowsill. Follow the instructions on the depth to plant the bulbs and tubers with the literature that came with them.

Cut Back Last Year's Growth: On plants like Hellebores that hold onto their leaves year around can have old growth that drops to the ground, has dead spots and looks unsightly this time of year. There will most likely be new, green growth and flowers or buds coming up from the middle, you'll want to leave those. Just cut back the old, unsightly growth of last year as close to the base of the plant as you can. 

Install a Trellis for Peas: In the vegetable garden, plants that you planted earlier this spring, like peas will grow tall and will eventually need support. To give the plants this support, they will need a trellis to lean on and grow up. These can be bought or built from wood, bamboo or metal poles. Here are some links to DIY trellis plans to get you started: http://www.bhg.com/

Plant Asparagus: Asparagus is a crop that takes 2 years before it begins to produce asparagus. It is a crop that needs its own bed as it can spread and get rather large. It can either be planted as seeds or crowns. I recommend planting crowns, as it takes a lot less time to grow then from seed. Here are some links that explain how to plant asparagus and give good tips: http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/how-grow-asparas http://www.almanac.com/

Happy Gardening and Stay Tuned for Next Month's Post!

Timely Tips...

In this month's issue of Timely Tips, I will be discussing what vegetables, flowers, and herbs can be planted outside this mont and methods of protecting these plants in case it goes down to freezing at night. I will also discuss hardening off seedlings and how to prep your garden soil before planting vegetables. 

What is safe to plant outside this time of year? 

Vegetables: Any cool weather vegetable start, seedling or directly planted from seed outside in the garden are safe to plant outside now. Here is a list of examples:

• carrots

• brussels sprouts

• kale

• cabbage

• radish

• peas

• broccoli

• spinach

• lettuce

Herbs: The only type of herb that can be planted outside this time of year is Parsley. 

Flowers: There are a few types of flowers that can also withstand the colder weather that is common this time of year. Here is a list of them: 

• Pansies

• Snapdragons

• Sweet Pea

If you have seedlings already growing that you started last month, you can plant them outside now, or you can buy starts and plant them, or you can plant the seeds of the plants mentioned above outside now. 

Hardening Off: Before seedlings can be planted outside, they need to be hardened off so that they get acclimated to the outside conditions. This is done so that the seedlings don't go into shock by having their conditions changed to rapidly. Start by putting the seedlings out for an hour during the day, then every couple of days increase this time. Make sure you bring them in at night and place them in a protected area and gradually move them into sunnier areas little by little. After about a week to ten days of doing this, your seedlings will be ready to be planted in the ground. Another option for hardening off seedlings is placing them in a cold frame, which I will talk about building later on in this post. 

Preparing Raised and In-Ground Beds for Planting: Before planting seeds, seedlings, or store bought starts, the soil needs to be built up and enriched with nutrients that the plants will need as they grow. The types of plants that require this soil enrichment are fruit and vegetable plants. Herbs thrive in poor soil and therefore don't require this to be done to their growing areas every year. This needs to be done every year, regardless of whether the bed is newly dug or existing (has had plants in it before). The reason for this is because every year that plants grow in the soil, they deplete the soil of nutrients, so these nutrients need to be replenished every spring. There are a couple of different things you can use to enrich your soil with. One way is by mixing in a product called "Bumper Crop" to the existing soil. This is something that you can get at the garden center that contains organic ingredients, like: leaf mulch, cow or chicken manure, shredded bark and other natural ingredients found in nature that can add nutrients to the soil. Another item you can add to soil to enrich it is dried or fresh chicken manure. If you have your own compost pile (which I will talk about making in another post), then you can mix compost into the existing soil. You want to add enough so that there is at least a good couple of inches of whichever of those items, or a mixture of the items mentioned above added to the existing soil. You can either leave it on the surface and plant on it as is, or you can turn it under before planting. 

Cold Weather Protection: After planting seeds, seedlings or tender starts, they need to be protected when the overnight (or daily) temperature goes down to freezing or below. This can still happen this month quite a bit in this area. As long as the plants mentioned above are protected when temperatures dip, they should survive. Sometimes people prefer to keep this protection on all the time, especially if they have planted seeds directly in the ground. This helps keep the temperature more constant and a bit warmer for germinating seeds. For this purpose you can use a sheet or a white, cotton sheet called a row cover that can be purchased by the roll at your local garden center. Carefully place them over the plants and either weight them down with rocks or bricks on the edges and ends or stake them down. The great thing about row covers  is that it lets water and sunlight penetrate it, so you can leave it down even during the day or if you forget to take it up the next morning, there's no problem. 

Another option for cold weather protection is something called hoop houses. This method uses the greenhouse effect to protect young, tender plants from the cold. It typically consists of curved metal poles (about 6-12" tall) placed over the plants every foot or two along the row. Then heavy duty, clear plastic sheeting is draped over top, pulled taught and staked down around the edges. This creates a type of "hoop" over the newly planted plants that can either be open or closed at the ends. When the sun shines on the plastic covering, it soaks up the heat and light, then radiates it on the inside to the plants to raise the temperature under the hoop by a couple of degrees. Supplies to make one of these are usually sold at your local hardware store or garden center.

The last option that I would like to mention is called a cold frame. This is simply a box made of wood, straw, or metal that is placed in the ground with a clear plexiglass glass or glass pane laid over the top. This method also uses the greenhouse effect to protect newly planted plants from the elements. You can buy bales of hay from a local farm if you have access to it. Hay like salt hay works well for this purpose. Get at least 4 bales of hay and lay them out in a square shape (like a box) on the ground. All edges have to touch so there is no gaps in between. You can then either use an old storm window from your property, someone elses or a local builder/contractor. You can also use a sheet of plexiglass, too. The glass has to be clear and not frosted to allow for light to penetrate it. You can also build your own cold frame out of metal or wood, too. There are also cold frame kits that you can either order from garden supply catalogues or your local garden center that require minimal assembly and come with everything you need. Make sure that the glass tilts toward the sun slightly and that it is in a sunny area of your yard. On hot days, you will want to prop the front of the glass up somehow to prevent overheating, but remember to put it back down at night. I will provide sources for cold frame building plans below. 

Good luck and Happy Gardening!

Cold Frame Building Plans:

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/

http://www.diynetwork.com/

http://www.sunset.com/