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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

April 14, 2020 a fickle month


Hi Gardeners


Well the fickle weather of April is back.  It’s partly sunny here today but cold and blustery. There was ice on the water outside this morning. We had high winds yesterday that blew over our mailbox but at least we didn’t lose power. I saw some pictures of frozen gardens online today, poor little plants put out way too early by inexperienced gardeners. In the eastern half of the country it’s going to be a cold week, so hold off planting all but a few hardy things.  I’ll discuss what to plant now later in this blog.

Last Tuesday evening, after I had put this blog online, we had an incredible hailstorm. The hail was only pea sized but it came down in buckets, about 3 inches piled up. It looked like a blizzard had struck. It was 55 degrees outside, and lightening was flashing every few seconds. My poor crocus that were open turned to mush, buried under ice. There was damage to the tulip and other emerging plants leaves.  I was just glad most plants were barely out of the ground. Even in the morning, when it neared 60 degrees there were still pockets of hail on the ground.

Today there are daffodils and hyacinths blooming in the garden. They do survive the cold. The barberry, honeysuckle, and honeyberry have leaves already. Green is showing on the lilacs. The tree willows are blooming, pollen season has started.

Hail on the deck
Last week I did get my lettuce and kale planted (seed). I am having a hard time getting salad greens from the grocery, so I hope those plants grow quickly. This week won’t favor quick growth but by the weekend it’s supposed to be warmer. I worked some high nitrogen fertilizer into the soil before I planted, which gives greens a good boost.

Inside the house the pace of bloom has picked up with the longer days. The geraniums are blooming well and growing like crazy. The streptocarpus are blooming and 2 of the hibiscuses. My gerbera daisy has another bloom. The holiday cacti are blooming again and there’s even a bloom on the big lemon tree. Bulbs I planted on the porch in pots are popping up now. I’ll be getting more planted this week. My jasmines are putting out new growth too.

I live in the country and my neighborhood hasn’t changed a whole lot from the CV19 shut down. But there are more people walking and riding their horses and bikes down the road. I’m getting to see neighbors I don’t know, those whose houses are hidden back in the woods, well off the road. I’m seeing dogs and horses I didn’t know existed. As I am working outside many are stopping to talk from the road, commenting on my gardens. (Some see me sitting on the ground and want to know if I’m all right too.) So, there are some advantages to this stay at home order, you get to see your neighbors more.

For all of you across the country that must stay home, please try to get outside every day for a few minutes anyway.  An hour or so would be even better. Even if you just sit in the sun, even if it’s chilly, get outside.  Being out in the sun makes you feel happier. The smell of soil also has a proven ability to ease depression.  Get out there and enjoy spring. Things will get better.

Finding seeds and plants

People are so worried about growing their own food this year that they are panicking when they hear garden stores are closed. They think they can’t get supplies and seeds. First, let me say this. It’s still early. There is still time. Don’t panic.  Second, you can find seeds and plants if you just calm down and do some work looking for them.

If your state is on a lock down that includes closing independent garden stores and garden areas of big stores, you may still find seeds in smaller hardware stores and in grocery stores. Farm stores like Tractor Supply are open in most states and they carry seeds.  And then there are numerous sources for seeds and plants online.

At this time of the year it is normal for some seed catalogs to be out of some types /varieties of seeds and plants. This year there has been an increase in sales that is further depleting stock. Some companies have had to close depending on the state they are in and their own personal feelings about CV19. But that DOES NOT mean you can’t find seeds and supplies.

You may have to look a bit harder, and you may not get your first choice of some varieties but there are seeds and supplies available. I surveyed some online sources this weekend and many still have a good supply of seeds, and you can even order vegetable plants like tomatoes from some of them, when the time is right for your area.  You can see a list of online garden stores with links on this page:


If everyone does their part and obeys their states stay at home orders, then garden stores will be able to open sooner.


Beware of scams involving seeds and plants

When there’s a scarcity, or perceived scarcity of something, there are always going to be people who take advantage of the situation. It’s the same with garden supplies, seeds and plants. I’m seeing and hearing these scams already.

I strongly recommend you do not purchase seeds and plants on Ebay or Amazon right now. The scammers are working overtime. There’s always been fraud on these platforms for seeds and plants but it’s worse now. I saw seeds for purple strawberries, roses, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes offered this morning on Amazon. All these things do not grow well from seeds and purple strawberries don’t exist. 

Buy seeds from established online sites that have an address, a phone number and a good reputation. Or buy them from local store racks- and yes you can still find them. 

Beware of price gouging. I am seeing this on several online sites. When looking for seeds and plants look at many different places, even if they are out of stock. Check sizes of seed packets and pot sizes of plants so you can do a good comparison. All seed packets should give you an approximate number of seeds. And all sellers should state this information. This gives you an idea of the price range seeds and plants should sell for.

One common trick I am seeing is to offer very small amounts of seed for the price of a normal packet. Sellers are taking a regular pack of seed and dividing it into 2 or 3 packs. That may be all you need but it should be priced accordingly.

Also make sure seed packets say the seed is for 2020. Old seed is also being pawned off on unsuspecting gardeners. Some of this seed will germinate just fine but it should be priced lower than fresh seed. And seed companies often donate the previous years seed to charities and youth groups.  If someone is selling those seeds, they are committing fraud.

Never, ever give out your credit card information or bank information to someone who claims they will find seed for you or that they have access to seeds no one else has. Sometimes they say they will grow plants for you and ship them later. Reputable companies have catalogs, websites, and secure payment options. Look for the little locked padlock symbol in the address bar online.

Also make sure the packing and handling and shipping costs are plainly given before you give payment information. Make sure you can get a refund and that the company can tell you when the product will be shipped. Most reputable companies do not charge your credit card until they ship an item, although they will ask for the info when you order. Just be very skeptical and careful anytime prepayment is required. I would certainly avoid sellers advertising on local swap sites or on garden pages who are asking for prepayment with a credit card.

I’d also be very skeptical of people wanting to sell you seed that they saved themselves unless you are knowledgeable about seeds and growing heirlooms and landraces. I recently saw seeds someone had bought that were supposed to be “special” tomato seeds. They were not tomato seeds, they were probably carrot seeds. Could it be an honest error? Maybe, but it wasn’t in this case.

If you don’t know what seeds, plants, or supplies should cost ask an experienced gardener. While there is some truth in the saying that the price depends on how badly you want something, the shortage of normal garden varieties of seeds and plants is not so acute that you need to pay exorbitant prices for them.

If you get scammed, let the police and other gardeners know about the scam. Even if you lost just a small amount of money turn these people in. If you suspect price gouging, especially on supplies, let authorities know.  (Plants are trickier to prove gouging on since quality has to be figured in.) Some states have a designated department and phone number for reporting price gouging, but in any state, you can also call the state attorney general’s office.

Should you start your vegetable garden from the grocery store?

So now let’s explore the idea that’s circulating online that you can just go to the grocery store, buy produce and start a garden from cuttings and seeds taken from the fruits and vegetables you buy. This is NOT a good way to start a garden. I hate to see people new to gardening trying this and failing, because it discourages them from gardening in the future.  Even with seeds and plants being hard to find this is not the way to grow food.

There are a very few things that you can get to grow from grocery produce that might be productive. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, dry beans and celery are the only feasible crops to grow from something you buy at the grocery meant to be eaten. And I say celery only because most households only need a small amount of it. There are other things that you can grow as a novelty, but they really aren’t productive, or they won’t be what you expect when you grow from seeds.

Potatoes are the most valuable and productive thing you can get in the grocery to grow more food. Some grocery potatoes have been treated to prevent sprouting, however, and may take a long time to sprout. It is not advisable to use eating potatoes for growing new crops though. This is because late blight, a serious fungal disease, can be present on them. Once it starts this disease could ruin your crop in a few days and spread to any commercial potato fields nearby, ruining those crops. Instead try to use certified seed potatoes, which are blight free. To see how to grow potatoes read this article:


You can take a sweet potato suspend it in a glass of water and it will grow sprouts. You can then root these sprouts and once they are growing, plant them in the garden. This is a long, slow, laborious process, especially if you are trying to start enough plants to harvest a decent crop. Northern gardeners, those in zone 6 and lower, probably won’t get a crop at all. If you want to try sweet potatoes look for companies that sell cuttings, called “slips”.

Dry beans, the kind you find in packages in stores, will probably grow. (Whole dried peas, not split peas, could also grow.)  These beans need to stay on the plant until the plant and the bean/pea pod is very dry, they are not “green beans”. Soak them for a few hours before planting and plant after all danger of frost has passed.

You can’t grow “green beans” or snap peas from beans/peas you buy in the supermarket. That’s because the seeds in these will not be mature. We pick these beans and peas before the pods are mature for best eating quality.

If you get a bunch of celery from the store and cut off the bottom “root plate” and stick it in a shallow dish of water you can sometimes get new roots to form and eventually new stalks will form too, if you get lucky. You must find a bunch that a good deal of the root base has been left on. You can’t root pieces of celery stalk, even if leaves are still on them. 

If you only need a little celery for flavoring or tossing in the occasional salad this may work for you. If you like a lot of celery for munching on you need to buy seeds or started plants from a nursery.

Yes, you can root sprouting onions. If you are lucky you will occasionally get an onion bulb from them. Usually what you will get will be similar to green onions, a little thickened stalk and some green tops.  If you cut the bottom off a large onion and get it to root in water you will never get another onion bulb from it, you may get some leaves for seasoning.  It’s better to buy onion seeds, onion sets, or onion plants from a nursery.

You can grow a carrot or beet from the tops you cut off and put in water. At least you can grow the tops. They will never produce another edible root for you. Most of the tops that you manage to grow will quickly flower and die. If the flowers were pollinated at least you might get seeds for next year.

Cucumbers, green peppers, eggplants, summer squash and zucchini are all picked for eating before the seeds inside are mature.  If you save seeds from these items that you bought from the grocery they won’t grow. You need to purchase seeds of these or started plants.

Summer squash are picked before the seeds inside are mature


Tomatoes, hot peppers, red, orange, yellow bell peppers, winter squash, pumpkins and melons may have mature seeds inside. If you plant them you may get a plant to grow.  However, you probably won’t get what you expect.  These items are almost always from hybrid plants. Seeds from hybrid plants have a wide range of variability in what kind of plant and eventually fruit, that they will produce.

You may get cherry type tomatoes from that big red slicer you took seeds from. Your melon may take 140 days to mature, long past your growing season. Your squash may look and taste like nothing you have ever seen or tasted.  Most of these plants won’t be as disease resistant or as vigorous as the parent plant that produced them. Still you may get some food from them. But it’s better to use seeds you purchase specifically for growing or purchase started plants.

As far as things like strawberries, cherries and apples planted from seed the same thing applies. Many of the purchased fruits will be hybrids. The seeds from them produce all kinds of fruits, good and bad. It will take a year of growing for strawberries and maybe 10 years of growing for an apple or cherry, to see what kind of fruit you get.

Some people are also rooting things like sprigs of herbs they purchase in stores or pieces of ginger root.  Sometimes it works. It’s better to buy herb plants already growing in pots or grow them from seed meant for planting. That way you can pick the right varieties for your area.  Some things like black pepper seeds, avocado pits, ginger or coffee beans may grow but they aren’t hardy in most of the US and take years to produce a crop. You’d have to winter them inside a greenhouse.

In short growing things from grocery store or farmers market produce is just for fun. Outside of potatoes you’ll produce very little food. Times are not so desperate that you need to do this either. For the best results in a food garden buy your seeds from a reputable source or starter plants from a reliable nursery.


What to plant outside in April

I just saw online a new gardener who had planted all the things she had started inside outside a few days ago. She was asking other gardeners to tell her why everything was limp and yellow. Basically, she had put those tender plants outside way too early and without any kind of acclimation. They were dead.

There are lots of new gardeners out there.  April weather can be tricky – it may look and feel like warm weather has arrived one day and the next day it snows. But you must use patience and good judgement with gardening. Learning from experience is hard- and expensive. So, here’s some advice from an old hand at gardening. If you are new to gardening please read it and spare yourself some time and money.

Here’s a planting zone map.  Look at it first.


Planting zones 4-6.

If you start your tomatoes, peppers and other warm crops from seed now is the time to plant them inside. They’ll be just about the right size for planting after the last frost. You can also start annual and perennial flowers that take a long time to bloom now inside. These seedlings can be moved to a coldframe, or unheated greenhouse as long as temperatures are above freezing.  

In the vegetable garden you can plant peas, kale and lettuce in early April, as soon as the soil can be worked.  Frost and even light snow won’t hurt them. You may want to get the seeds germinated in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse and then move them to the garden, especially if early April remains very cool.

By mid to late April you can also plant spinach, radishes, beets, onion sets and plants, carrots, turnips, cabbage, broccoli and Brussel’s sprouts as seeds or plants. You can plant asparagus and rhubarb roots also. Strawberries, raspberries and other brambles, and grapes in a dormant stage can be planted in mid to late April.

Wait until May to plant green beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn and most herbs.  You need to plant these after the danger of frost has passed and the ground is warm. This will vary depending on what zone you are in and your local conditions. There are some natural indications you can use to judge the right time.  It’s usually safe to plant frost tender things if the lilacs in your area have bloomed and are starting to drop their petals.

If you are unsure when the last frost generally occurs, ask an experienced local gardener or ask at your local county Extension office. Planting a little late is better than planting too early. Late planted crops generally catch up quickly but plants that get too cold or are planted in cold soil may never do well the entire season.

Flowers

Pot up your dahlias, canna’s and glads now in a warm place if you want to have early flowers. (If your tuberous begonias haven’t already been planted, you should get them planted too.) You should have a good sunny spot that stays above 45 degrees if you do this. Otherwise wait until later in the month or early in May for planting inside an unheated greenhouse – or until after the last frost when they can be planted directly in the garden. 

If you are holding plants like horticultural geraniums, semi-tender bulbs in pots, brugmansias, herbs and so on in a dormant state, now is the time to get them growing.  Move them to a bright, warm spot and water with warm water. When new growth appears give them some liquid fertilizer or work some slow release fertilizer into the soil in the pot. You’ll need to gradually acclimate them to outside conditions when the weather warms up outside.  Some can go out before the last frost, but most semi-tender plants should wait until late May in zone 5-6.

Dormant perennials can be planted now, the bare root plants you mail order and plants you get from local nurseries that have been kept in open, natural conditions and don’t have much new growth. Don’t hold dormant plants too long in the house after buying them. If they begin new growth inside because of the warmth they may have a hard time adjusting to chilly spring temps outside. If dormant plants are supposed to be hardy in zone 5-6 then they can be planted in a dormant state as soon as the ground is thawed.

Be more careful with greenhouse grown perennials which have lots of new growth or that may even be in bloom. An April snow or heavy frost may damage or kill these. Use established garden plants growing nearby to make your decisions. If the new plant has the same amount of growth as older established plants of the same species growing outside you can probably plant it safely. For example, hostas that are just furled shoots peeking above ground are probably safe to plant in the garden in early April, plants with a few small leaves in late April. But wait until May to plant large, fully leafed out hostas in the garden in zones 5-6.

The greenhouses will be filled with flowering annual plants in April but only a few bedding plants are ready for outside planting in April, even if we have a really warm stretch of weather. Frosts and freezes are common in April.  Some plants that will survive light frost in the fall won’t survive it in spring if they have come from nice warm greenhouses. However, pansies and violas can be planted in containers and beds in early April. Calendula, diascia, and snapdragons can probably be planted from mid to late April. Be patient and wait until mid-May for the rest of the container and bedding plants.

Planting zones 7-9

April is prime planting season for many things in these zones. All of the early crops should be planted in the garden by now, this includes lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, radishes, carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Most frost tender crops can be planted in these zones by the end of the month, depending on your zone and local conditions. This includes tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, eggplant, sweet corn and most herbs.

Annual bedding plants and baskets should be safe to plant outside now. Summer bulbs like cannas, glads and dahlias can be planted. Any dormant plants should be put in the ground as soon as possible, the best time for them has passed. Any potted perennials and shrubs /trees should be planted now.

Some gardeners in these zones should be getting their first harvests of early crops like peas and lettuce.

Star of Bethlehem- weed or flower?

Star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum, is not a native plant. It is an escapee from gardens and is sometimes still sold in bulb catalogs.  It is however, a pesky weed in many lawns and also finds its way into ditches and woodland edges. It is also called wild onion for its great resemblance to the onion family.  Other names include star flower and summer snowflakes.


The leaves of Star of Bethlehem resemble onion leaves as they emerge in the spring, with rounded, narrow leaves.  As plants mature the leaf blade broadens and looks more like a grass leaf. It has a groove in the middle of each leaf that sometimes appears as a white line. Plants form clumps and by midsummer the foliage has dried and disappeared.

Star of Bethlehem has bulbous roots that resemble small onions attached to a thick fibrous root system. In the north the plants most often multiply through their bulb like roots, which divide into numerous bulblets. Although the Star of Bethlehem roots may look like onions they should never be eaten, all parts of the plant are poisonous.

The flowers of Star of Bethlehem are quite pretty. There are florist varieties of Ornithogalum, grown for cut flowers and gift pots. The flowers arise on long naked stems that divide into smaller stems each with a shiny white flower about an inch across. The flowers appear to have 6 petals, 3 of the “petals”, however are actually sepals. There are some double flowered varieties now. The flowers may retain a faint green line across the back. The airy flower clusters appear in spring.

There are 6 stamens in the center of each star of Bethlehem flower, each with a broad white base and a yellow anther on the end. These surround a greenish pistil with a star shaped top. It’s almost as if there was a tiny crown in the center of each flower. If fertilized the flowers turn into little seed pods with 3 segments, containing hard black seeds.  In zones lower than 6 the plants don’t often set seed.

If Star of Bethlehem is left in the landscape for its ornamental nature make sure that children and pets don’t eat it. It would be wise to avoid using the name wild onion. If ingested the plant causes severe pain, vomiting and diarrhea and irregular heartbeats which can cause death. Grazing animals eating the plants have died quite rapidly and this plant should always be removed from pastures.

Five best annual flowers to grow from seed

Annual flowers live for one year.  Many modern gardeners don’t want to bother with the ones that generally are started from seed, but instead buy things like petunias to fill in spots in the garden that need color.  You can buy some of the annual flowers on this list in garden stores in the spring too, but these plants are easy to start from seed and provide an economical way to fill up those bare garden areas. 

All these plants in the list can be sown directly in the garden where you want them to grow. They grow quickly and will bloom in only a few weeks.  All these plants prefer full sun locations.

Calendula

This lovely flower will get you started in the spring as it can be sown outside very early and likes to bloom when things are still cool.  If you are lucky, you’ll also get an encore performance in the fall.


Calendula comes in shades of yellow, orange, and sometimes pink.  The flowers are daisy-like. Plants grow about 18 inches tall, with a sprawling habit. Calendula flowers are edible and were once used to color butter as the petals lend a yellow dye to food products. Cheerful and pretty they are liked by bees and butterflies also.

You can plant the seeds of calendula where they are to grow as soon as the soil is thawed and workable. Or you can start the seeds inside about 8 weeks before your average last frost and put the plants out when the soil is thawed and workable, and only light frosts are predicted – about a month from your predicted last frost chance.

Calendula may go dormant and stop blooming if the weather gets hot and dry. You can either remove the plants to make way for summer bloomers or let them sulk until fall when they will spring back and keep blooming until a hard freeze.

Cleome

Cleome is often called spider flower. This tall and graceful flower looks good in masses at the back of flower beds.  It lends an airy elegance to large pots also. The foliage is attractive, and the flowers are arranged in circular clusters.  Each flower has a long slender tendril sticking out, which accounts for the spider name. Cleome comes in white, lavender, purple and pink shades.

Sow cleome seeds where they are to grow after the soil has warmed – about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost. Or start plants inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Cleome shoots up quickly and in good soil can get 4 feet high or more. (There are now dwarf varieties.) The plants begin blooming about 6 weeks after they sprout and will bloom continuously until frost.

One thing about cleome that puts some people off is the smell of the foliage, which many describe as cat pee smell.  It’s only notable if you brush or crush the foliage and you won’t smell it if you are just admiring the tall, beautiful flowers. The plants foliage resembles marihuana, which can either generate laughs or make you feel uneasy.

Cleome plants are prolific seeders and from one planting of cleome you may have plants for many years, without having to plant them again!  If you don’t want them to re-seed themselves, you can cut the narrow seed pods off as they form. Don’t cut the bloom stalk as the plant keeps getting taller and putting out more flowers at the top.

Cosmos

Cosmos is a versatile and lovely garden flower and makes a great cut flower too. The foliage of the 3-4 feet tall plants is light and ferny looking. The flowers are daisy-like and come in just about any color from white to scarlet except true blue. There are varieties with double flowers and flowers that have rolled, quill style petals. Cosmos looks good in the back of the border and coming up through other tall flowers. In good soil the plants can be a little floppy and benefit from stakes or being supported by other plants.

Cosmos is sown where it is to grow when the soil is warm, about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost. Or like the other flowers mentioned you can start them inside about 6 weeks before the last frost. They will start blooming about 6 weeks after sprouting and bloom until a hard frost. Cosmos will sometimes come back from seed in the area you planted it also.
 
Marigolds
Marigolds are common at garden centers in the spring, but this plant is so easy to grow from seed it’s often used as a children’s garden project. If you want lots of marigolds the economical way to grow them is from seed. By choosing seed, you can often grow varieties you won’t find as plants in stores.  Plant the seeds where you want them to grow around the time of your last predicted frost or inside 6 weeks earlier.  The small varieties may be in bloom only a month after planting and the larger varieties take 6-8 weeks.  Marigolds bloom all summer until a hard frost.

There are tall, short and intermediate varieties of marigolds.  There are double and single flowered varieties and small one-inch flowers and huge fluffy 6-inch flowers. Marigolds come in shades of yellow, orange and red.  There are some marigolds now that are a very pale yellow that looks white.  Marigolds are used as short border edging plants, in containers, and as tall garden plants for color.  It’s very common to plant marigolds among garden vegetables for a bit of color, to attract pollinators and some people believe the marigolds deter harmful insects, although there’s little proof of that. The roots of some of the “African” type marigolds are said to repel nematodes, little soil creatures that harm plant roots.

Like cleome, marigold foliage also has a scent that some people find unpleasant, but once again it needs to be brushed against or broken to smell.  Some people actually like the smell of marigolds. There are varieties of marigolds that have been developed to be almost scentless.

Zinnias

Every respectable gardener used to plant zinnias in the garden for garden color and to use as cut flowers. They were often exhibited at state fairs.  Now gardeners seem to have forgotten these beauties. Zinnias do have the unfortunate predilection for getting powdery mildew, a white powdery fungal disease of the foliage that makes the plants look bad.  However, many powdery mildew resistance varieties now exist.  When not crowded and grown in sunny, drier areas with good air circulation zinnias will bloom their heads off for you and make a wonderful garden plant.

Zinnias have daisy-like flowers and come in all colors and color mixtures except true blue. There are small flowered plants, and plants with 6 inch or larger blooms. There are short, sprawling type zinnias, compact uprights and tall stately zinnias. Plant zinnias where you want them to grow after the last frost or 6-8 weeks before the last frost inside. Small flowered zinnias begin blooming in about 6 weeks, larger ones start in mid-summer and bloom until frost. Keep the dead flowers picked off zinnias to encourage prolific blooming.

All of the above annual plants need to be spaced about 6-8 inches apart for small varieties and 8 -12 inches apart for larger plants. They should be watered if it’s dry for a week or so.  And they benefit from a good slow release fertilizer for flowers worked into the soil at planting time.  Annual flowers are great for kids to grow as they bloom quickly and for long periods of time. Your garden will look great this summer if you mix some of these popular annuals into it.



“Behold, my friends, the spring is home; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.” 
-Sitting Bull-

Kim Willis
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