Now’s the Time to Plant Potatoes

Late April into May is the time to plant potatoes. While it may be tradition to plant potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day, potatoes do best if you plant them when the soil temperature is in the mid to upper 40°'s and the soil is dry enough to be worked. Begin by buying certified 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. For best harvest, choose seed potatoes from each category so they’ll mature through the growing season. At this point, some gardeners prefer to pre-sprout their seed potatoes. This process is called “chitting” and can encourage faster growth, once the seed potatoes are planted.  Pre-sprouting is not necessary. 

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. Set the cut pieces aside for a day, to allow them to cure. Next, pick a planting site in the garden.  An appropriate spot should receive six to eight hours of sun each day. It’s important to avoid planting in the same area you grew potatoes or tomatoes last season.  Take time to amend the planting site with Earth Essential’s Sheep, Peat and Compost. This product is produced locally and will help improve soil texture and structure. Traditionally, potatoes are grown in rows. 

Dig straight trenches about 2 feet apart, add Steamed Bone Meal 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 plants begin to sprout, it’s important to keep all but the top four or five inches of stem covered with dirt. This process is called hilling. Hilling can lead to greater yields because more of the potato plant stem is in contact with the soil. Hilling also protects the developing potatoes from sunlight. Exposure to sunlight will turn the potatoes green and cause them to be bitter. You can use any excess dirt from between the rows or simply add more Sheep, Peat and Compost to cover each plant.  Potatoes like to be kept moist and the best way to water your potatoes is to irrigate frequently enough to keep the soil around your plants moist. It’s important to water potato plants at the base, not overhead. Don't have a lot of space? Potatoes may also be grown in pots, five gallon buckets or soft-sided containers called Smart Pots. These are  great ways to grow potatoes on the balcony or patio.

Plan to feed your plants through the growing season by laying additional Potash fertilizer along the side of the side of the row (called side dressing), then water in. You can begin to harvest your potatoes about two weeks after the plant 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, if you don’t plan to eat them right away. 

April Lawn Care Advice

 

Winter can take its toll on your lawn. As your grass begins to break dormancy, you may notice brown spots or bare patches in places where the lawn was healthy last fall. Many of these problems can be traced back to poor soil conditions including compacted, heavy clay content, poor water penetration and shallow root systems. One of the best ways to fix these issues with your lawn is to aerate. Aeration helps break up heavy clay soils and allows water, air and nutrients to get down to the roots, which in turn helps build stronger root systems and makes your lawn more disease resistant and better able to take up the fertilizers you apply.    Core aeration or “plugging” as it’s often called, uses a machine to extract a plug from your lawn, leaving the remains on top of the grass as it goes. You can leave these cores in place. They will break down over time. If they bother you, rake them up and toss them in the compost pile. Core aeration should not be confused with power raking. Sometimes called dethatching, power raking removes the material that builds up on top of the soil. It does nothing to help build the soil your grass is growing in. Power raking can be destructive and should not be employed; aerate instead. Once the lawn has been aerated, the next step is to work on improving the soil your grass is growing in. 

You can do this by adding a humate-based soil conditioner, found in ferti-lome's HuMic. Humates improve soil structure and strengthen fertilizer utilization.    In addition, top dressing your lawn with Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost two to three times a season will add organic material and build soil quality. Animals, both domestic and wild can cause considerable damage during the winter. 

Applying Dog Spot Treatment will often restore the damaged turf. If after a couple of treatments, the turf has not started to green up, then it’s time to consider reseeding. Now is a good time to apply grass seed.  Whether you're spot seeding or re-seeding the whole lawn, there are two important factors to consider. First, you need to know the type of grass you have, so you can select the right seed. Second, you need to know when’s the best time to apply your grass seed. Turf grasses are divided into two categories: cool season grasses and warm season grasses. Cool season grasses include Kentucky Blue Grass, Perennial Rye Grass and Turf Type Tall Fescue.  Cool season grass seed can be sown now and will begin to germinate as soon as the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees While Kentucky Blue grass is the predominate turf grass in our area, many lawns are combinations of blue grass, Perennial Rye grass and Turf Type Tall Fescue. Choosing the right grass seed is the first step to getting your lawn in shape for the coming season. We carry a variety of turf grass seed and we can help you select the right seed for your particular lawn situation. 

Choosing the Right Roses for Your Garden

 

Interested in adding roses to your garden and wondering which rose types to grow? With hundreds of varieties including hybrid teas, climbers, shrub roses, miniature roses, grandifloras and floribundas, how do you make a decision on which rose is right for your garden? Start with the basics. Roses need a minimum of six hours of full sun in order to grow and bloom properly. Roses need a bed of their own, away from trees, shrubs and perennials that compete for sunlight, space and nutrients. Roses need space. They don’t do well when crowded together.  Roses need well-amended soils in order to establish strong root systems and achieve vigorous growth and bloom potential. With these factors in mind, selecting a rose bush becomes a question of purpose. Are you looking to augment your current rose collection; start a rose garden; replace a lost or damaged rose bush; add color and fragrance to your garden; build support for local pollinators? There is a variety of rose bush that will fill some, if not all of these goals including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, climbers, shrubs and even tree roses.  When we think of roses, it’s the hybrid tea variety that most often comes to mind.

 

Hybrid tea roses represent an amazing pallet of color and fragrance, such as the rose pictured here: Touch of Class.  With the right care, hybrid tea roses will bloom consistently throughout the summer season. 

Grandiflora roses are very similar to hybrid teas. They tend to be taller and bloom in clusters rather than one rose per stem. Like all roses, grandifloras will attract pollinators. This is Strike it Rich. 

Floribunda roses such as Hot Cocoa, are valued for their ability to bloom continuously. 

If you want to cover an arbor or trellis, choose a climbing rose, such as Fourth of July. 

Thanks to The Flower Bin Perennials Manager Billie Jo’s knowledge and expertise, all of our roses are well-established and ready to plant. Stop by our Rose House. We'll be glad to help you select the right rose types for your garden. For a list of roses available for this year visit our webpage:  rose-list-2021.pdf (theflowerbin.net) 

 

 

 

 

 

Now’s the Time to Plant Cool Season Crops

There are two different types of vegetables: cool season and warm season.  Cool season crops include Arugula, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Onions, Cabbage, Peas and Kale.  Cool season crops will germinate in cold soil and mature in cooler weather and shorter periods of daylight, meaning they are perfect for planting in early spring. This means you can get an early start on your edible garden by planting cool season crops as soon as the soil is workable. Begin by adding two to three inches of organic material to your garden bed. This is called amending the soil. Our high-quality organic soil amendments are produced locally and come bagged for your convenience. For an existing garden, spread two to three inches of organic amendments on the surface of your garden bed and work it in. A single bag of Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost will cover ten square feet, two inches deep. 

This is also a good time to add some organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers will carry the OMRI seal on the bag. OMRI stands for Organic Material Review Institute. Products with the OMRI seal have gone through rigorous testing to assure the ingredients are organic. Place a small amount of organic fertilizer in the bottom of each row or planting hole. As the seeds sprout, the roots of your new plants can grow into it. Cool season crops can be planted when the soil and air temperatures are at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit. At these temperatures, lettuce, spinach, kale, radish and cabbage seeds can be sown directly in the soil and they will germinate and quickly set root. Cool season crops can also be planted from starts at this time of the year. When it comes time to plant your starts, it’s best to do so early in the morning or on a cloudy day. For an extra boost, add a handful of worm castings to the planting spot.  Remove the plant from its container and place it in the soil, being careful to plant it at the same depth it was in the seed container, then water thoroughly. Cool season crops generally don't need protection from spring temperatures, but keep some floating row cover handy just in case the weather turns extreme. While you’re at it, plant some cool season color to go along with your vegetables.