Time to Plant Spring Garlic

Traditionally, garlic is planted in the fall, but it can also be planted in the spring and now's the time. Garlic is a member of the allium family, which includes leeks, shallots and onions. There are many different varieties of garlic, all of which fall into three general categories: Softneck, Hardneck and Elephant garlic.

While softneck, hardneck and elephant garlic can all be planted now, generally you're going to find softneck garlic seed is most readily available this time of year. Softneck garlic is the kind you will generally find in the grocery store. The two common types of softneck garlic are artichoke and silverskin. Artichoke varieties include Inchelium Red and Italian Purple. Silverskin varieties include Italian Late, Silver Rose and Nootka Rose. Another advantage of planting softneck garlic in the spring is softneck tends to mature faster than hardneck garlics.

Garlic likes sun and well-drained soils, so begin by choosing a site in your garden which will receive full sun. Next, incorporate a good soil amendment such as Sheep, Peat and Compost into the planting site.

Working some bone meal into the soil at this point, will help your garlic develops strong roots, once you plant the individual cloves. Now that the soil is ready, it's time to prepare the garlic seed bulb for planting.

Begin by separating the individual cloves from the bulb, known as "cracking" the bulb. Start by removing the outer skin, then gently pull the cloves away from each other.  

You should end up with a number of cloves. Plant each of these cloves flat side down, pointy side up.  Spring planted garlic won't mature as large as fall planted garlic, so it can be planted closer together; 2"-3" apart and about 2" deep.

Garlic will do fine planted in rows, in containers or to fill in that odd shaped spot in the garden.

Because garlic is one of the best companion crops you can grow, you might also consider planting some near your tomatoes or your roses and perennials to help deter insects.

You'll start harvesting spring planted garlic about 12 to 15 weeks from planting. Generally, you’ll find spring planted garlic will not divide into cloves, but the single bulb will still afford you a unique garlic flavor.  

Spring Lawn Care Tips

As your lawn begins to wake up this spring, there are four things you need to do to get it started right. At the top of your list should be a spring lawn aeration. Aeration is one of the most important steps in maintaining a healthy lawn. The most effective aeration involves removing plugs or "cores" of soil from the lawn.

Core aeration reduces soil compaction and allows air, water and nutrients to reach the root area of your grass. We do not recommend "dethatching" a lawn. Once the lawn has been aerated, the next step is to work on improving the soil your grass is growing in.

Start out with an application of ferti-lome HuMic, a highly concentrated soil conditioner. HuMic helps improve our clay soil structure, enhances nutrient uptake and encourages soil microbial activity.

Next, put down some granular Revive®. Organically-based Revive® allows water to penetrate our clay soils more effectively. Once you've aerated your lawn and conditioned the soil, it's time to feed the grass. 

Ferti-lome's For All Seasons II fertilizes your lawn and acts against any seed that may have wintered over in your grass. This includes broadleaf and annual weed seeds as well as turf seed  you may have sown earlier this spring. Check with us if you're planning to re-seed your lawn. Timing is important when applying For All Seasons II. Pre-emergents need to be down before the ground temperatures get warm enough for seeds to start sprouting. Typically, this is before mid-April. Use a rotary or drop spreader to apply For All Seasons II evenly across your lawn. Next, you must water the lawn in order to activate the pre-emergent. Finally, know what you're dealing with.

These are 2 examples of grasses you may see in your lawn right now. Neither one is "Crabgrass", so crabgrass controls won't work on them. Whether it's weeds, lawn diseases or insect damage, correctly identifying your lawn's problem is key to picking the right solution. Bring a sample of your lawn into our Diagnostic Center for an analysis. Lawn samples should be about as big as a sheet of typing paper with 2" to 3" of soil and include a portion of healthy lawn along with the problem area. After a thorough examination of your lawn sample, we'll be able to recommend solutions to your particular problem. We do not charge a fee for our diagnostic services.   

3 Keys to Growing Your Own Potatoes

 The 3 keys to growing your own potatoes: Seed, Soil, Sun.

While it’s tradition to plant potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day, your potatoes will do best when the soil temperature is in the mid 40°'s and the soil is dry enough to be worked.

You can test the soil temperature with a digital or an analog thermometer. You want to measure the soil temperatures about 4" to 5" deep. 

A simple test to see if your soil is workable is to squeeze a handful. If it stays together like modeling clay it’s too wet. If it crumbles like a cupcake, it’s ready to dig in and plant.

This is a good time to amend your soil with organic material, such as Sheep, Peat and Compost. Ideally, you’ll be able to plant by the end of March.

Begin by buying certified keys to seed potatoes. Potatoes purchased at the grocery store are often treated to keep them from sprouting. You can choose from Early season Red Norland, Yukon Gold or Red Pontiac. Early season potatoes generally mature within 75 to 90 days. Mid-season varieties include Russet Burbank, Kennebec White and Viking Red. Mid-season takes 95 to 110 days to mature.

Small seed potatoes can be planted whole.  Larger seed potatoes can be cut in half. Cut the potato so that each piece has at least 2 eyes. Dusting sulfur can be applied to the cut side to reduce disease and insect problems. Set the cut pieces aside overnight, to allow it to cure. Potatoes need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily, in order to produce the best crop. Once you've selected the site and added amendments to improve your soil, it's time to plant.Traditionally, potatoes are grown in rows.

Dig straight trenches about 2 feet apart, add Steamed Bone Meal or Super Phosphate to the bottom of the trench and cover slightly. This will allow the potato roots to grow into the fertilizer. Plant your potatoes about 12 inches apart in the trench and cover with 4" to 5" of soil.

As your potato plant grows use a hoe or shovel to scoop the dirt from between the rows and mound it against the plant, always keeping at least half the stem buried. This is done to protect the potato from the sun. The best way to water your potatoes is to irrigate every 3 or 4 days, enough to keep the soil around your plants moist. If you’re not sure, probe around the plants and see how moist it is just below the surface. If it feels dry, water. You may feed your plants through the growing season by laying additional fertilizer along the side of the side of the row (called side dressing) and water in.

You can begin to harvest your potatoes about two weeks after it finishes flowering. At this time, you’ll find “new” potatoes or baby potatoes, small but very good to eat. If you want late potatoes, wait 2 or 3 weeks after the foliage dies back, then dig carefully around each plant to harvest your potatoes. Store your potatoes in a dark, cool location. Potatoes should keep well for 3 to 6 months.