Great Tips For The Garden!

Wow I cant believe June is almost half way done. Its been a busy spring and summer here so far. Many lawns need mowing and care for, plus my garden grew in size again this year.

Garden Tips

• Are you needing something to tie your tomatoes to stakes? Believe it or not the best thing for this we have discovered is pantyhose. Cut into strips and use to tie the plant to the stake. Do not tie to tightly because the nylon will stretch as the plant grows preventing damage. 
• Like vining vegetables, but don't have the room? Train your melons, squash, and cucumbers onto a vertical trellis or fence. Saves space and looks pretty too.
• Onions are ready to harvest when the tops have fallen over. Let the soil dry out, harvest, and store in a warm, dry, dark place until the tops dry. Cut off the foliage down to an inch, then store in a cool, dry area.
• Insects can't stand plants such as garlic, onions, chives and chrysanthemums. Grow these plants around the garden to help repel insects.
• If you're short on space, garlic, leeks and shallots make excellent container plants. They tend to have few insect or disease problems and don't require much room for roots.
• Water your garden in the early morning to conserve moisture loss and to help avoid powdery mildew and other fungal diseases that are often spread by high humidity levels.
• Garden vegetables that become over-ripe are an easy target for some pests. Remove them as soon as possible to avoid detection.
• Over watering is worse than under watering. It is easier to revive a dry plant than try to dry out drowned roots.  

• To determine the amount of water at the root level:
• A day or two after watering, dig down 8 to 10  inches with a trowel or small shovel, near the drip line (outer canopy) of the plant. Doing this in two or three spots would be more helpful.
•  At that depth, grab a handful of the soil. Squeeze that handful. If it is muddy and watery, reduce your watering for plants that require regular (but not frequent) irrigation. If it is so dry you cannot form a clod in your hand (it turns to dust instead), increase your watering (for those plants that require moderate amounts of water).
•  If you can form a dirt clod in your hand, yet break it apart with a little effort that is probably the correct soil moisture for your plant.
•  An easier, but more unreliable way to measure the water content of the soil: purchase an inexpensive (under $10) moisture meter (pictured at top). Test its accuracy by putting its probe into a glass of water. If the probe does not read "wet", choose another. Expect it to function for only a year or so.
•  Battery operated moisture meters may set you back a few more dollars, but in my experience - with proper care (clean them after each use, don't leave them outdoors) - they will last many years.

Good Friday is the perfect time to plant sugar peas.

      This weekend I will finally get my first plantings in for the year. Time to plant sugar peas! Here are a few basic steps for getting the best sugar pea crop possible:

1. Pick a area the gets plenty of sun. Since these plants are climbers plant on the northern side of your garden. 
2. Work the ground good with hand tools such as hoes and shovels or use a rototiller.
3. For best results put of some livestock fencing so the plants can climb for best production. (Also makes for easier picking.)
4. Use a edge of a hoe and make a small 1-1.5" trench to plant the seeds.
5. Place seeds in the trench spaced 1" apart.
6. Cover seeds with soil and gently pack soil down to ensure proper contact with plant is made. 
7. Water the seeds until the soil is quite moist. Water at least 1 inch per week, either in the early morning or the late evening.
8. Wait to harvest! 

I suggest planting more than you think you will need. Sugar Peas are a good veggie to freeze and your work will pay off through out the year!

Spring time is already here! Some gardening tips to help you get started.

Helpful tips to think about before starting tour garden.

• Start Small! Don't try to plant an acre of garden if you've never planted one before; you'll only get frustrated and have a sore back. A three-by-five foot plot would be ideal.
  
  
• Start with good soil. Most plants like loose, slightly sandy soil that is rich in organic nutrients. This means that if you have heavy clay soil, you'll need to loosen it up and add compost, sand, rotted manure and/or leaves. Soil should drain well. In other words, it should not hold water for long after a rain and be fairly level.
  
  
• Put the right plant in the right place. Don't try to grow full-sun plants in shady areas or vice versa; it just won't work.
  
  
• Know how hardy the plant is. For instance, plants that are labeled "Zone 7" or higher cannot survive Michigan winters and should be treated as annuals. Up until recently, most areas in Michigan were considered Zone 5, but climate changes over the last decade have resulted in warmer temperatures. At least one climate-zone map, posted by The Arbor Day Foundation, reflects the change and depicts southeast Michigan, including the Metro Detroit area, as Zone 6. What does this mean to you? That some plants labeled Zone 6 may survive, but you won't know till you try.
  
  
• Read labels. Know what you're getting. Many plants have several names, including a Latin name. For simplicity sake, the plants named in this guide are all listed by their common Michigan names.
  
  
• Ask for help! Trust your local nursery to help you out. For instance, most nurseries provide lists of plants that do well in certain areas.
  
  
• Always look for low-maintenance plants. Who wants to spend Michigan's relatively short summer deadheading, staking, pruning and digging?
  
  
• Weed consistently. Weeding a few minutes a day as you walk through your garden is much easier than spending hours catching up once a month.
  
  
• Mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulching conserves moisture, keeps weeds down, and makes the garden look nice.
  
  
• Water infrequently but deeply. Don't sprinkle daily. Instead, give a deep watering once a week or as needed.

• You can ask us anything and we will always be happy to help. We recommend liking us on Facebook and posting your answer right there on out wall. 

Look for another posting Thursday as this weekend marks the time to sow some seeds (one of my favorite crops, the Sweet Pea)  in your garden.