RevDoc
01-18-2009, 12:03 PM
Bags of peat moss, tree mold, compost, and sand stand ready for the first batch, heat tapes checked and laid in, watering cans located, new trowel ready to fling soil, and a hot cup of tea on the ledge.
There's a 30+ mph wind blowing snow outside...plastic and glass sashes rattling in their frames like small arms fire, bird feeders bounce like fishing bobbers on their limbs, but here... the smell of prime soil, raw wood, dry herbs, the crunch of gravel, the THUNK of a clay pot against another, the squeak of the cart wheel... an oasis in a desert of frost.
Ah, now what to plant...
I've checked my notes, lined up the seed packets in order, filled the trays, and decide to go with a maximum effort. 17 different vegetables, from as little as 25 seeds of some to 100-300 seeds broadcast in trays of leaf lettuce and spinach.
I'll be staggering the start dates all through the spring, as I have many varieties of the same vegetable, all heirloom, and they have to be kept separate to remain pure.
I hope you all have the chance to plant a smile and a meal this winter.
JANUARY GARDENING
Order your seed catalogs, if you have not received them. Add a catalog from a new vender every year.
Order your seed. The seedmen are swamped and often sold out in the spring.
Include a few novelties. Just because it isn't a perennial in your zone, doesn't mean you can't treat a plant as a annual. Perhaps YOU will be the gardener that adapts a new variety that carries your name into the future.
Order your trees, if you have not already done so. Nurserymen's shipping schedules are filled with large commercial orders...our few requests are largely a courtesy to us, as space allows. The tree salesmen that peddle to the gardener often ARE the large commercial purchaser. They make their living retailing to the casual buyer at breathtaking prices.
Cold Frames should be ventilated with caution. The biennials and perennials are dormant now, you only want to open to reduce temperature on sunny days. Do Not remove snow. It forms a good layer of insulation. If they are snow free, a mat or rug covering will help protect tender plants.
Sowing of cool season vegetables, annuals, and bulbs can begin about a month before they can be planted outdoors safely.
The Greenhouse. Improved growth is obvious in January, as longer days and better light return. Do not over water!
Space plants to prevent them becoming thin and woody. If you started Primroses last spring, they should now be ready for 6 inch pots; Primula malacoides, P. obconia, & P. kewensis, primarily. (P. sinensis will be lucky to move to a 5 incher.)
When the pots fill with roots, you can begin feeding a weak fertilizer or feeder tea. Cinerarias showing buds should be fed, as well.
Pick off dead leaves from your green house plants, and remember to stir the top of the soil from time to time. A spot of insecticide is in order at this time.
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) should show a bit of new growth. As soon as this happens, top dress or repot, move to a warmer location, and water.
Forced bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, Crocuses, snowdrops, or Scillas, should be brought in to the cooler section and be well rooted before moving indoors.
40-50 Degrees (night Temp): Sow annuals, such as Baby's Breath, Clarkia, Godetia, Chrysanthemum, Larkspur, and Nemestia. Fall sown annuals may be ready for larger containers, or beds outside in milder climates.
60-70 Degrees: Sow Gloxinias, Begonias, Lobelias, Verbenas, Vinca rosea, Carnations, sweet peas, and Pansies towards the end of the month.
In the Garden: Brush snow off evergreens when possible. The weight and wind twisting is irreparable, and can lead to death of the tree.
Keep a mulch around plants that are on the borderline of hardiness.
Protect young trees from sun damage. As the days freeze and thaw, the south side of many young trees are damaged. Yellowing, splitting and cracking is common. Sun scald can be prevented with tree wraps or burlap.
Pruning of Grape vines and Fruit trees should be completed before buds appear. Dormant spraying can begin when the night temps do not drop below 35 degrees.
Depending on location, the sowing of hardy vegetables can begin, such as:
Lettuce, Carrots, Spinach, Radishes, Onions, Cabbage, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish, and round Peas.
Perhaps the best instruction and advice I can give you, is to keep a Garden Diary.
Notes, planting days, depths, soil types and Ph, fertilizers, composts, mulches...jot them down. You will never discover and repeat your successes, or prevent a reoccurrence your disasters if you don't write them down for future review.
Plant a smile and a meal, and receive double the joy.
Next: February, the cruelest month.
There's a 30+ mph wind blowing snow outside...plastic and glass sashes rattling in their frames like small arms fire, bird feeders bounce like fishing bobbers on their limbs, but here... the smell of prime soil, raw wood, dry herbs, the crunch of gravel, the THUNK of a clay pot against another, the squeak of the cart wheel... an oasis in a desert of frost.
Ah, now what to plant...
I've checked my notes, lined up the seed packets in order, filled the trays, and decide to go with a maximum effort. 17 different vegetables, from as little as 25 seeds of some to 100-300 seeds broadcast in trays of leaf lettuce and spinach.
I'll be staggering the start dates all through the spring, as I have many varieties of the same vegetable, all heirloom, and they have to be kept separate to remain pure.
I hope you all have the chance to plant a smile and a meal this winter.
JANUARY GARDENING
Order your seed catalogs, if you have not received them. Add a catalog from a new vender every year.
Order your seed. The seedmen are swamped and often sold out in the spring.
Include a few novelties. Just because it isn't a perennial in your zone, doesn't mean you can't treat a plant as a annual. Perhaps YOU will be the gardener that adapts a new variety that carries your name into the future.
Order your trees, if you have not already done so. Nurserymen's shipping schedules are filled with large commercial orders...our few requests are largely a courtesy to us, as space allows. The tree salesmen that peddle to the gardener often ARE the large commercial purchaser. They make their living retailing to the casual buyer at breathtaking prices.
Cold Frames should be ventilated with caution. The biennials and perennials are dormant now, you only want to open to reduce temperature on sunny days. Do Not remove snow. It forms a good layer of insulation. If they are snow free, a mat or rug covering will help protect tender plants.
Sowing of cool season vegetables, annuals, and bulbs can begin about a month before they can be planted outdoors safely.
The Greenhouse. Improved growth is obvious in January, as longer days and better light return. Do not over water!
Space plants to prevent them becoming thin and woody. If you started Primroses last spring, they should now be ready for 6 inch pots; Primula malacoides, P. obconia, & P. kewensis, primarily. (P. sinensis will be lucky to move to a 5 incher.)
When the pots fill with roots, you can begin feeding a weak fertilizer or feeder tea. Cinerarias showing buds should be fed, as well.
Pick off dead leaves from your green house plants, and remember to stir the top of the soil from time to time. A spot of insecticide is in order at this time.
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) should show a bit of new growth. As soon as this happens, top dress or repot, move to a warmer location, and water.
Forced bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, Crocuses, snowdrops, or Scillas, should be brought in to the cooler section and be well rooted before moving indoors.
40-50 Degrees (night Temp): Sow annuals, such as Baby's Breath, Clarkia, Godetia, Chrysanthemum, Larkspur, and Nemestia. Fall sown annuals may be ready for larger containers, or beds outside in milder climates.
60-70 Degrees: Sow Gloxinias, Begonias, Lobelias, Verbenas, Vinca rosea, Carnations, sweet peas, and Pansies towards the end of the month.
In the Garden: Brush snow off evergreens when possible. The weight and wind twisting is irreparable, and can lead to death of the tree.
Keep a mulch around plants that are on the borderline of hardiness.
Protect young trees from sun damage. As the days freeze and thaw, the south side of many young trees are damaged. Yellowing, splitting and cracking is common. Sun scald can be prevented with tree wraps or burlap.
Pruning of Grape vines and Fruit trees should be completed before buds appear. Dormant spraying can begin when the night temps do not drop below 35 degrees.
Depending on location, the sowing of hardy vegetables can begin, such as:
Lettuce, Carrots, Spinach, Radishes, Onions, Cabbage, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish, and round Peas.
Perhaps the best instruction and advice I can give you, is to keep a Garden Diary.
Notes, planting days, depths, soil types and Ph, fertilizers, composts, mulches...jot them down. You will never discover and repeat your successes, or prevent a reoccurrence your disasters if you don't write them down for future review.
Plant a smile and a meal, and receive double the joy.
Next: February, the cruelest month.