The Garden - Tips and Tricks
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WebSite by Designs by Ron
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This awesome image of a “Coneflower” was submitted by artist Kathleen Marie Reagan of Reagan’s Renderings
- A Bulb Primer - (all about bulbs)
- The History of Bulbs - where did they come from and some interesting tales of legend
- Sun-loving Perennials - a listing of perennials that do well in our area
- Mock Orange - “Grandmother’s shrub”
While browsing the internet the other night, I came across some really nice E-books that were extremely well done and very informative with regards to gardening. They are available for download by following this link............
” If you seek God - look in a garden,
you can dig for Him there”
George Bernard Shaw
- What to do now that Spring has come -
- Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crabapples and shrubs such as euonymus to control scale insects and other overwintering pests. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven't opened yet. Apply when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees F (4-21 degrees C).
- Freeze and thaw cycles over the winter may given some of your plants the heave-ho. Replant any perennials that the frost has heaved out of the ground as soon as you can.
- Resist the urge to start digging in your landscaping or flower beds too early. You may damage the soil’s structure. If you pick up a handful of soil, it should fall apart, not stick together like glue. When it is dry enough, you can start to dig beds and add compost, manures and fertilizers.
- Start your garden vegetable crops indoors from seed -
- Cool loving crops such as broccoli and cabbage can be started indoors about 12 weeks before the last frost date, then transplanted outdoors about 5 weeks before the frost date. Lettuce and chard can be started about 7 weeks before the last frost date, and then planted outside about 3 weeks before the frost date.
- Warm season crops can be started indoors, but you need to wait until after the last frost date to move them outdoors. Tomatoes can be started about 6 weeks before the frost date and put outside after the frost date. Eggplants, peppers and the squash family are real heat-lovers. Eggplants and peppers can be started 7 weeks before the frost date and planted outside 2 weeks after the frost date.
- Squash, cucumbers and melons and pumpkins can be started indoors about 3-4 weeks before the last frost date and planted outside 2 weeks after the frost date, or just sown directly into the garden soil 2 weeks after frost.
- Remove mulch from around the crown of your perennials.
- When perennials are about 4 to 5 inches tall, you can start dividing them...
- Prune back your shrubs before the new growth begins. Do Not prune any early blooming shrubs such as azaleas, rhododendrons or magnolia, or they may not bloom at all. Add some peat around the base of these shrubs in the spring. This will keep the ground moist and make the soil more acidic in nature, which these shrubs love.
- Seed bare spots in the lawn. Dig up the soil slightly and add a starter fertilizer, sprinkle on some good seed mix of bluegrass and fescues. Rake this lightly to mix the seed and tamp to assure soil-seed compacting. Keep these areas watered for 2 to 3 weeks until the seed has germinated.
Send us your tips and we shall include them within these pages
E-mail us at gardentips@almostperfectnj.com
Visit our Gardening and Landscaping Information Site full of resources relative to gardening
in the Northern New Jersey area (zone 6)
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