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Gardens
and Landscaping from the Inside Out
Its Spring! lets' get started...
Try to think of improving the soil first -- an experienced
gardener knows,
It's always a good idea to add organic matter to any garden soil. Organic matter
improves drainage on heavy soils, increases water-holding capacity on sandy
soils. Incorporate compost, shredded leaves, grass clippings, well-rotted
manure, or other organic matter directly into the soil when you first turn it
over in the spring. (Wait a few weeks to plant if you use non-composted
additions.) Throughout the season, use grass clippings or shredded leaves as a
mulch--it will keep down weeds and add even more organic matter.
Now is the time to start on those weeds, get them before they get too well
established.
Now is also a good time to take inventory of your gardening
supplies for this spring. Check quantities of potting soil, and
supplies of plant labels and fertilizers. Take inventory of your
pots, trays, and other seed-starting equipment, discarding any
broken or cracked pots. Disinfect pots and trays by washing
them in a 10-percent bleach solution.
Succession Planting
Succession planting is a terrific way to stretch the season and get the
most out of your vegetable garden. There are three basic planting
approaches that are typically called succession planting:
1. Making several sowings of the same crop at two-week intervals. This
works best for relatively short-season crops, such as lettuce and beans.
2. Planting a new crop in the space vacated by a harvested crop. Depending on
the length of your growing season, you may be able to harvest three crops
planted in succession. In general, you begin by planting cool-season crops in
late winter or early spring (depending on your climate) followed by warm-season
crops, followed again by cool-season crops for harvest in fall or early winter.
Some cool-season crops you might plant first include beets, broccoli,
carrots, cauliflower, chard, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, and
spinach. After harvesting these crops, plant cucumbers, peppers, snap
beans, squash, sweet corn, and tomatoes. As these crops are harvested, plant the
cool-season crops again.
3. Planting a new crop close to a crop that's soon to be harvested, so that by
the time the new plants are getting big and needing more room, the earlier crop
will have been harvested. You can take advantage of the growth habits of the
earlier crops when choosing where to plant new seeds or seedlings. For example,
since lettuce seed often germinates poorly in hot summer sun, plant the seeds
alongside a pea trellis, which will provide shade for part of the day to help
the plants get started.
Whenever you follow one crop with another, be sure to work in additional compost
or other decomposed organic matter between plantings to replenish the soil.
You can also use succession planting in the flower garden. Pansies and
primroses, which are at their best in cooler temperatures of late winter and
early spring (depending on your region), can be replaced with heat-lovers, such
as petunias and zinnias.
Starting w/seeds
If you use fluorescent lights to grow your transplants, check
your bulbs to make sure they are in good condition. Any bulbs
that are older than 3 years should be replaced because the
light intensity decreases over time and can result in leggy
seedlings.
If you are growing seedlings for only 4 weeks indoors, regular
cool white fluorescent tubes are fine. For plants grown longer
than this, use full-spectrum grow lights for best results. In the
future, we'll talk about making a seed-starting schedule
to guide you in sowing and transplanting.
A great book for beginning gardeners is "Real
Gardeners' True Confessions" by Pat Stone (Storey Publishing, Pownal VT;
ISBN# 0-88266-946-X; $12.95). It's a humorous and reassuring book because it
stresses that even the famous experts make gardening mistakes - that's how we
all learn! Have fun, and feel free to ask more questions as your adventure
unfolds. Enjoy!
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