Gardeners Almanac
(Page 2 of 3)
April/May 2005
Edited by Carol Mack
— Lori Hardee, Karen Park Jennings, Park Seed Co., Greenwood, S.C
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Gulf Coast
The fight is on in the orchard. Leaf-footed stink bugs, plum curculios and brown rot fungus seem bent on consuming or befouling the fruits of your labor. Passive gardening is disappointment gardening — a block of fruit trees is not a natural system, and pest buildups are to be expected. Fight back by enriching the soil with compost and releasing beneficial insects. If populations rise beyond your tolerance point, the local Extension office can recommend organic controls. In the garden, plant some okra, southern peas, peppers and a few additional rows of green beans. Your plants should be growing actively and look vigorous and dark green. If not, perk them up with a soluble fertilizer for the short term. Then, take a break and order a load of compost or build your own compost pile
— Bill Adams, Burton, Texas
Central/Midwest
It’s April — and everything seems to be bursting out of the ground! Divide perennials now. Temperatures are not yet hot and there is occasional rain, so plants can grow without added stress. Sow spring crops such as lettuces, peas and early flowers (cosmos, Centaurea, poppies and Nigella to name a few). Harden off transplants by placing them outdoors for several hours a day. Pick a cloudy day at first, or set them in semishade in an area protected from wind. Gradually move them to a more open, sunny location, but bring them in at night unless temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees. Plants such as peppers, squash, tomatoes and basil won’t grow well without protection until soil and weather warm up. Until that happens, keep them well fertilized and in a sunny spot during the day.
— Connie Dam-Byl, William Dam Seeds Ltd., Dundas, Ontario
North Central & Rockies
Spring is a great time to admit we don’t really know all that much about what is going on in our gardens. Scientists now tell us there might be as many living organisms in a single tablespoon of rich garden soil as there are humans on the planet. We don’t know all their names or relationships, but we do know that if we feed our soil friends organic matter, our garden vegetables will thrive. This is extremely important in the higher-elevation gardens because of the stress caused by increased ultraviolet sunlight. This year, experiment with different mulches and soil additives, including leaves, grass clippings, even leftover cabbage. Place these in strips in one direction, and plant rows of vegetables the other direction to discover what crops grow best with each mulch.
