Garden Talks January 23, 2008

Hello again,

I am checking in with some more gardening tips for this time of year!

Here are a few tips from our friends at Home and Garden Showplace (www.gardenplace.com). Home and Garden Showplace is a nationwide cooperative of high quality independent garden centers and Skillin's has been a member of Home and Garden Showplace since 1988.


From Ashes to Bloom

"Recycling is good for the environment...and it's great for plants, too. In fact, did you know that recycled wood ashes are a great source of nutrients for plants? So don't toss away the ashes at the bottom of your fireplace. Instead, after enjoying a warm winter fire, collect the ashes and store them in a sealed container to use in the spring. When your plants are in full bloom in the spring sprinkle the ashes over flowers and vegetables. These fireplace ashes are an excellent source of minerals that keep plants healthy all season long. "

I certainly agree with this point; I actually let my ashes go cold for a few days in a metal bucket safely away from the house and then I just incorporate my ashes into my compost pile.

Put Some Blooms in Your Rooms

"It may be snowy and cold outside, but you can still enjoy the fresh smell of spring indoors right now. Cut Forsythia branches and other shrubs, bring them in doors, and arrange in vases filled with water. It will take around 2 weeks (during this time of the year), for the blooms to appear. Their fresh aroma will help subside your longing for spring."

This is just super advice and forsythia is the best plant for this project. Flowering crab and other plants may be used as well. At the Falmouth store, I just noticed that we have some very bright yellow forsythia in for sale right now!

Repotting Can Cure Your Winter Blues

" If you're eager to get your hands back into the soil, now's a great time to get your fingernails dirty! Mid winter is perfect for repotting your indoor plants since many plants need to be transplanted into larger containers every two to three years. Here are a few signs that tell you that it's time to move your plants into new digs:

Roots begin to creep out from the bottom of the pot around drainage holes or they peek through the top soil.

Whitish or off-colored deposits appear on the soil's surface. These are a sign of "tired," or nutrient stripped soil, that's begging to be changed. They may also indicate that you are fertilizing the soil too much.

If your plant appears especially listless, if it's not producing buds or new leaves (and your routine care of water and sunlight hasn't changed), this could be a sign that it's time to expand your plant's living conditions. When repotting, make sure you buy potting soil that is appropriate for the specific plant type and place the plant into a container that is one size bigger than it's current size. If you use a clay pot, soak it in water for 45 minutes to keep the clay from absorbing the soil's moisture."

Lots of good advice here. In most cases, we recommend cutting back on plant food in the winter time unless you are using a wonderful natural fertilizer like Neptune's Harvest Fish Emulsion.
We absolutely recommend Coast of Maine's Bar Harbor Blend Potting Soil for most plants. It is a wonderful organic blend that is the highest quality soil that we know. And the price is right in line with all other soils.

Also, the advice about moving up your plant "one pot size" higher is critical; this is often only 1 to 2" in diameter around the top.

Lastly, we have some great deals on pots right now! We are in the midst of our year end inventories and are picking out some "old friends" that need to find a "new home" as part of our Drop and Shop Sale. We have so MUCH Spring inventory coming that we want to emphasize that we are passing on some good deals to you!


Transplant operations

"Depending on how far south you live, late January will be a good time to start laying plans for the annual flowers and vegetables you'll start growing indoors for transplanting once the spring frosts have passed. To avoid the common problem of "damping off" in which seemingly healthy seedlings or buds suddenly keel over--make sure to sterilize the soil by microwaving it briefly, then keep the soil warm and avoid overwatering the new seedlings. Merely mist them until they start showing significant growth. "

Some real good advice here. Although we live pretty far north, planning for your annual color and for your vegetable gardens is always a good idea. If you can, remember to rotate those vegetable crops even if you have a small garden. This rotation also "evens out" the different nutrient draws that vegetable plants may have and also can fool soil residing insects who might prey on your vine vegetable plants. So switch those tomatos and cucumbers and squashes around!

Actual seed starting for most annuals and vegetables is still weeks and weeks away although woody and perennial flowering plants can be started NOW!

We also have heat mats to help keep the soil warm!


Thanks for reading the Skillin's Garden Log!

If you have any comments or questions we would love to hear them!

Simply post a comment by clicking on "comments" at the end of this posting OR drop us your question with an email at info@skillins.com!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
January 23, 2008