I hope the following information helps to get you off to a productive spring and summer.
If you are into planting by moon phases, The Farmer's Almanac Planting Guide suggests that above ground crops be planted during the light of the moon (new to full). Below ground crops should be planted during the dark of the moon (from the day after it's full to the day before it's new). More or less gravitational pull is the idea behind it.
Here are the Farmer's Almanac's suggestions for planting in March in generally good climate areas. I'm assuming that means us:
March 19th-20th are favorable for planting seeds which yield above the ground. From the 21st to the 23rd seeds will tend to rot. The 24th and the 25th are the best days for planting above ground crops, especially peas. But also beans and cucumbers. Plant seedbeds during this time. The 26th through 29th is a barren period, and the 30th to the 31st are good days for planting root vegetables and flowers.
In March, in the Florence area, one can plant early peas and broccoli, early beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage starts, early carrots, early cauliflower starts, early celery, early collards, early kale, leeks, lettuce, onion sets, parsley, parsnips, radishes, swiss chard, and early turnips. Our climate is fairly favorable.
But if you put in tender starts or have small seedlings emerging, you may want to be safe and use crop covers on cold nights until the end of April, at which time we should be done with frosts. There are light (not plastic) crop covers available at all the nurseries. I think each package will cover at least one, and probably two beds. They let in the light and the rain, but keep your soil a bit warmer. I used them last winter on a bed in another location and had greens all winter.
To plant by the Moon Calendar for areas where the climate is favorable, the following list can be useful for April, if you have not already planted these in March:
"April 20101st-3rd. Good days for planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, and other root crops. Also good for Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, and other leafy vegetables. Start seedbeds. 4th-5th. Barren days. Do no planting. 6th-8th. Favorable days for planting Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Radishes, Onions, and other root crops. 9th-10th. Excellent time to kill weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, and other plant pests. 11th-13th. Favorable days for planting root crops, extra good for vine crops. Set strawberry plants. 14th-15th. Poor planting days. Break ground or cultivate. 16th-17th. Favorable for planting Beans, Corn, Tomato starts, Peppers, and other above ground crops. 18th-19th. Poor days for planting, seeds tend to rot. 20th-21st. Plant tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn, and other above ground crops on these most fruitful days. Plant seedbeds. Start flower gardens. 22nd-25th. Grub out weeds, briars, and other plant pests. 26th-28th. First two days good for planting corn, melons, squash, tomatoes, and other above ground crops. Last day favorable for planting root crops. All days favorable for planting flowers 29th-30th. Good says for planting beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, and other root crops. Also good for cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, celery, and other leafy vegetables. Start seedbeds."
I would love to find out how this works for our gardeners who use this guide. Feedback would be helpful and interesting.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Garden Help
The Community Garden needs gardeners to help with pulling grass and covering the remaining ground with bark mulch. Five or ten minutes of your time when you're in the garden would be wonderful.
Fwd: Specials from Honeyman Nursery & Landscaping!
Honeyman Nursery & Landscaping March 20th & 21st 2010
Well it's that time of Spring that we have our annual sale. On March 20th & 21st all Trees, Shrubs, Annuals, Perennials, Pots, and Home Decor will be on sale. The savings will be from 10 to 75% off.
" What to do to get ready for Spring"
SEMINAR
Saturday March 27th 10 to 11amWe will focus on pruning, fertilizing, planting, what amendments to use for preparing the ground for planting, spring & summer bulb care & lawn care. No cost, but please call and and sign up for the Seminar. We want to make sure we have enough chairs, so no one has to stand this time.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Free Plants
Attention all gardeners,
Free plants will be placed on the sidewalk under Rev. Ruth's porch roof. This is a temporary site for exchange of plants. We are looking for a better solution. In the meantime, if all those strawberries are there, PLEASE help yourself. Some things will be given to Food Share if not used by us, and anything left beyond a reasonable time will be composted. Thank you!
Free plants will be placed on the sidewalk under Rev. Ruth's porch roof. This is a temporary site for exchange of plants. We are looking for a better solution. In the meantime, if all those strawberries are there, PLEASE help yourself. Some things will be given to Food Share if not used by us, and anything left beyond a reasonable time will be composted. Thank you!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
COMMUNITY GARDEN GUIDELINES
To view the guidelines and cut-off dates for the 2nd Street Community Garden, please go to the Blog Archive at the lower left of the page. Scroll to 2009>October>Guidelines.
PLANTING PEAS
by LaSabra Caldwell
•
GARDENING FRESH PEAS
From “Helium” Home and Garden
There are so many types of peas that you can grow in your own garden. All types from Shelling Peas to Snow Peas. They are a cool season vegetable which takes little effort to grow and harvest. Having these fresh from your garden is a great reward. Peas need full exposure or even just partial shade along with cooler temperatures to grow well.
The maturity sizes differ depending on your choice. Some are tall with a height of approximately 5'. Then you have the semi-dwarf plants that are approximately 2' to 4'. Dwarf plants are the last ones which are approximately 2' or less. You harvest when the peas have enlarged in their pods. To check this you will have to lightly squeeze the pod. In exception to snow peas, which are grown for their edible pods. These are harvested when they have grown to be 3" in length and the pods have become fat.
If you don't have a lot of room for growing peas you can garden some in your flower bed or a large flower pot. There is a variety of low growing attractive plants you can garden. You will have to remember to remove the vines after harvest before they turn brown.
You will have different groups of varieties to choose from. There are shelling, snap, sugar and snow. Sugar and Snow Peas are known for their edible delicious pods. They are also categorized as tall, semi-dwarf and dwarf. You can plant in spring when the soil is able to be worked. An early planting though does not always germinate any earlier than if you were to wait for the ground to warm. Although peas are a cool weather crop they do not like soul that is cold and wet. The seeds themselves can survive a frost but the plants cannot.
A fall crop is iffy, but is not impossible. If there is about 2 months between summer heat and fall frost there is a possibility to be able to have a fall crop. Gardeners in the south can plant seeds in the fall and wait for them to germinate in the spring. When the weather cools down and temperatures stay around 70 degrees then the growing of the plants slow down and the plant dies.
All types of peas need support while growing. Trellising can be done by using fencing, mesh, a bushy cut tree and shrub branches or even other plants. Because of pea plants being trellised people plant them in rows or bands of 3 to 4 inches. You cover the seeds with 1 to 2 inches of soil and pack it down firmly. To extend your harvest season you can plant in 2 week successions. You can also plant varieties that mature at different times.
The biggest problem with pea plants is root rot. This causes the foliage to turn brown and die. Making sure the soil is well drained and by rotating the pea crop each year will help. Peas also are prone to powdery mildew in humid weather.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Winter Box Cleaning and Planting Tips
A note: The former post "Garden Guidelines" can be accessed at the bottom left of the page. Just click on 2009/October under Blog Archive. So far there are only two posts, so it shouldn't be hard to find.
Territorial Seed Company is mailing its Spring Catalogue for 2010. It's a great resource. Not all of their seeds are certified organic, but many are. And they add new things all the time. If you don't have a catalogue, you can write to them at: Box 158, Cottage Grove, Or 97424. I understand they have an outlet in Cottage Grove as well. So if you're ever down that way.....
Spring is still a promise, but there are signs that the energy is beginning to rise out of the earth. The days are getting longer and lighter. And the nurseries are sending out their seed catalogues. So this is the time to plan for spring vegetables.
And this is an excellent time to take stock of your garden. What worked for you last summer, and which of your winter greens made it through the freeze? Varieties of chard, kale, collards, cabbages, brussels sprouts and spinach were a good bet for over-wintering. I was also surprised by the vigorous growth, through the freeze, of a few Chinese greens. These are listed as "cool weather" plants. And they were flourishing, far better than their first plantings last spring and summer. The spring plants grow fast and have to be harvested before the bugs begin to look for them when the weather warms up. Summer was disappointing for that reason. But winter growth! Ooh la la. I am going to try planting more of them again for winter. And there will be no bugs to rob them of their vibrant green leafiness. Tat Soi (good for salad greens! as well as stir fries or steamed veggies) is also a good green to grow in cold weather. I didn't plant them this fall, so I don't know whether they would have gone through a freeze here on the river. I'm assuming they would. I had some all winter last year in a colder site. So make note of what made it this time and you can pretty much count on a winter garden in this climate, next year. Just look at the boxes planted for Food Share. They were planted in the Fall as a winter garden. They made it through the freezes just fine and are putting out abundant growth.
As for spring, start your tomatoes and peas indoors, beginning in February. Just about anything else that is too tender for our weather can be started indoors and then put out to harden off when the weather begins to warm up, before you transplant them. Transplants happen when the ground is warmer.
Generally, plants such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant and brussels sprouts have a longer growing season than spring greens and may not mature before the first frost. (Brussels sprouts are usually mature or beginning to mature in November. I harvest mine in December) Surprisingly, tomatoes and peppers seem to do well in our garden. We have a little micro-climate that grows tomatoes and peppers that can't be grown anywhere else. You can start them indoors as well and transplant when the soil warms. There are planting "sleeves" (available at our nurseries) that you put around the plant and fill with water. The sun warms the water and keeps the plant warm, encouraging ripening. This helps if you're in the wind or don't have the benefit of reflection off the house.
For growing indoors, it's best to use 2 inch peat pots that you can put right into the soil without disturbing the roots. If you can't find them, use any small container or seed flat, and in the spring transplant use a fork to get under the roots and gently lift the plant out and put in a hole that has had some water added to it. That's the economical way to go, but if you don't have the time, by all means buy starts at your favorite nursery. Just remember to ask for organic ones. Even if they don't have them, it may alert them to try it next time.
For now, it's time to clean out the bed and begin to plan your next planting. I know it's not fun to go to the garden in our weather, but try a sunny day and check for dead plants that should go into the compost, and deal with any structures you may have lying around. If you have any compost, grass clippings, leaves, well rotted manure, green kitchen scraps, you can turn these into the soil to improve its fertility and quality. Turn the soil a foot or more deep. Then cover with black plastic and let it do its soil transformation until you plant. When it's time to sow seeds, you can add a good fertilizer to the top layer of soil, but make sure it isn't one that will burn the plants. Down To Earth has a wonderful fertilizer at our nurseries. Please use an organic one like this. Our beds are passed on to others and some don't want chemicals in their soil when they receive a bed. The soil constituents are the basis for plant health and our health. And also, please make a note of anything you put in the soil. If you opt out of gardening any time, the next tenant will want to know what makes up the soil content.
If you have questions or additions please leave a comment and we will respond. Good dreams!
Territorial Seed Company is mailing its Spring Catalogue for 2010. It's a great resource. Not all of their seeds are certified organic, but many are. And they add new things all the time. If you don't have a catalogue, you can write to them at: Box 158, Cottage Grove, Or 97424. I understand they have an outlet in Cottage Grove as well. So if you're ever down that way.....
Spring is still a promise, but there are signs that the energy is beginning to rise out of the earth. The days are getting longer and lighter. And the nurseries are sending out their seed catalogues. So this is the time to plan for spring vegetables.
And this is an excellent time to take stock of your garden. What worked for you last summer, and which of your winter greens made it through the freeze? Varieties of chard, kale, collards, cabbages, brussels sprouts and spinach were a good bet for over-wintering. I was also surprised by the vigorous growth, through the freeze, of a few Chinese greens. These are listed as "cool weather" plants. And they were flourishing, far better than their first plantings last spring and summer. The spring plants grow fast and have to be harvested before the bugs begin to look for them when the weather warms up. Summer was disappointing for that reason. But winter growth! Ooh la la. I am going to try planting more of them again for winter. And there will be no bugs to rob them of their vibrant green leafiness. Tat Soi (good for salad greens! as well as stir fries or steamed veggies) is also a good green to grow in cold weather. I didn't plant them this fall, so I don't know whether they would have gone through a freeze here on the river. I'm assuming they would. I had some all winter last year in a colder site. So make note of what made it this time and you can pretty much count on a winter garden in this climate, next year. Just look at the boxes planted for Food Share. They were planted in the Fall as a winter garden. They made it through the freezes just fine and are putting out abundant growth.
As for spring, start your tomatoes and peas indoors, beginning in February. Just about anything else that is too tender for our weather can be started indoors and then put out to harden off when the weather begins to warm up, before you transplant them. Transplants happen when the ground is warmer.
Generally, plants such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant and brussels sprouts have a longer growing season than spring greens and may not mature before the first frost. (Brussels sprouts are usually mature or beginning to mature in November. I harvest mine in December) Surprisingly, tomatoes and peppers seem to do well in our garden. We have a little micro-climate that grows tomatoes and peppers that can't be grown anywhere else. You can start them indoors as well and transplant when the soil warms. There are planting "sleeves" (available at our nurseries) that you put around the plant and fill with water. The sun warms the water and keeps the plant warm, encouraging ripening. This helps if you're in the wind or don't have the benefit of reflection off the house.
For growing indoors, it's best to use 2 inch peat pots that you can put right into the soil without disturbing the roots. If you can't find them, use any small container or seed flat, and in the spring transplant use a fork to get under the roots and gently lift the plant out and put in a hole that has had some water added to it. That's the economical way to go, but if you don't have the time, by all means buy starts at your favorite nursery. Just remember to ask for organic ones. Even if they don't have them, it may alert them to try it next time.
For now, it's time to clean out the bed and begin to plan your next planting. I know it's not fun to go to the garden in our weather, but try a sunny day and check for dead plants that should go into the compost, and deal with any structures you may have lying around. If you have any compost, grass clippings, leaves, well rotted manure, green kitchen scraps, you can turn these into the soil to improve its fertility and quality. Turn the soil a foot or more deep. Then cover with black plastic and let it do its soil transformation until you plant. When it's time to sow seeds, you can add a good fertilizer to the top layer of soil, but make sure it isn't one that will burn the plants. Down To Earth has a wonderful fertilizer at our nurseries. Please use an organic one like this. Our beds are passed on to others and some don't want chemicals in their soil when they receive a bed. The soil constituents are the basis for plant health and our health. And also, please make a note of anything you put in the soil. If you opt out of gardening any time, the next tenant will want to know what makes up the soil content.
If you have questions or additions please leave a comment and we will respond. Good dreams!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
