Small Space Broccoli

Hello again,

I found a quick neat post discussing the growing of broccoli--which in my adult life has become one of my favorite vegetables.

Many of us have small spaces to grow vegetables. DON'T let that deter you. This post by the folks at www.gardenhelp.org tells about how to grow broccoli in a small space.

This picture and great information on growing broccoli in small spaces can be found at www.gardenhelp.org

One key is that you need to realize you will still get plentiful broccoli but smaller heads. Still tasty though--very tasty!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 16, 2012

April (Mid April) Garden Talks

Hello again,

Since my last Garden Talk post at the Garden Log, the weather has stayed mostly dry in Skillin's Country--which has afforded many gardeners great conditions to get out there and "do their thing". But the temperatures have moderated and we have had nice weather but relatively cool. That is okay as a relative sense of normal seems to be settling in amongst us. That is good I do believe!

Skillin Grown Pansies and Violas are Available and Can be Planted Now!

*Now is an excellent time to give your lawn a thorough raking. Most of my lawn has dried to the point where I can rake (my mostly shaded areas JUST lost their snow cover so I am going to wait a few days). I believe a thorough, intense raking is so valuable to a lawn. It is hard work so do small piece over a few days. But the debris and dead grass that you can pull out really helps to open up air pockets for valuable light and air circulation in your lawn. I will say it right now: if you rake well and consistently ORGANICALLY feed your lawn, you will not have thatch or even aeration issues. So that takes away the need for expensive rentals and time consuming lawn repair activities. (There! I said it and I feel much better!)

I will soon be overseeding some thin areas of my lawn with Heat and Drought grass seed by Bonide.
Heat and Drought contains 3 very hardy blends of Tall Fescue and has a rich green look. Tall Fescue roots grow very deep which means your lawn will look great with less water, show more insect and disease resistance, and endure the cold winter temperatures better.

I often overseed parts of my lawn that are getting a little thin. This is easily accomplished by scratching the soil, laying the seed down, scratching the seed in and covering the seed with compressed paper pellets such as Grass Seed Acclerator or Penn Mulch. These pellets expand and provide a nice thin cover to the seed. Water daily and you will have thick grass soon!

For a good year round lawn program click HERE for Skillin's Lawn Program!

*Go ahead and plant some pansies and violas--especially if they are Skillin Grown. We have gorgeous varieties, they have been "hardened off" and should be all set to withstand any wild Skillin Country weather. I have planted some pansies in what will be a shady area this summer once the trees leaf out. In a couple of months, I will probably replace the pansies with some impatiens to take me through the summer and well into the fall but in the meantime I am going to enjoy those pansies! Pansies also make great window box and container plants! And the flowers are edible!

Pansies are a Skillin trademark. My father Dave Skillin often tells of choosing pansies for people back in the days of World War II and just afterward. These pansies were all grown by Pa Skillin--his grandfather!

*Go ahead and plant peas, carrots, spinach, swiss chard and other cool weather crop seeds in the ground now! If you have a spot that is not sopping wet still and will get lots of sun those crops will love it now!

Click HERE for a post by Paul Parent about Direct Seeding Vegetables in the Ground. Also click HERE for another Paul Parent piece about Home Grown Lettuce!

Good gardening friend Paul Tukey brings us the following two pieces of gardening advice:

"Dig and transplant many perennials before new growth advances too far. These re-bloomers need to be divided and transplanted every few years to help keep the plantsvital. It is, however, best to wait to divide early flowering varieties such as bleeding heart, oriental poppy, columbine, heuchera, iris or pyrethrum until after bloom." So much material is "popping" through the ground; it is or will soon be a great time to identify transplanting candidates. Perennials can be divided and transplanted when growth is 3 to 4 inches high. If growth has gotten any larger, plants may benefit from cutting back by one-third to one-half.

"Fertilize your trees, shrubs and perennials. As these plants emerge from the dormant state, their need for nutrients is great. Transplant all deciduous trees except magnolias now before the new leaf buds expand." Any new transplants should be watered frequently throughout this gardening season. As far as the fertilizing goes, we offer many great choices here at Skillin's BUT here are two great suggestions: for your evergreens, now is a great time to apply Holly-Tone by Espoma (an old favorite here with a new and improved organic formulation). For deciduous material (that is plant material that sprouts out new leaves each year) we often recommend Holly-Tone's first cousin: Plant Tone, another old favorite with a new and improved organic formulation! Check out the exciting Espoma "family" of products at http://www.espoma.com/ and of course Skillin's Greenhouses!

A great technique to use for feeding established trees and shrubs is to punch holes a few inches deep in the ground around the drip line of your trees and shrubs. (These holes can be 2 to 3 feet apart). Fill each hole with Plant Tone or Holly Tone. This method gets the natural fertilizer a little closer to the roots. Apply the fertilizer at the drip line because that is where the roots of the plant are pulling most of the moisture and nutrients!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 10, 2012

Growing Under Cover

Hello again,

Good gardener Margaret of A Way to Garden has a great website that focuses often on some neat aspects of gardening.

Recently she interviewed Paul Gallione of Johnnys Select Seeds and they talked about many ways and reasons to grow certain vegetables under cover (such as row covers). Here is the post.

There are many benefits: Protecting plants from insects, also cold and extreme heat. I have read the post and the techniques seem to be both science and art. All in all, there seem to be some very interesting thoughts there.

Enjoy the read!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 9, 2012

Lawn Care Program from Skillin's!

Hello again,

Following are some steps any of us can take to help ensure a good quality lawn as part of your home and garden.

We believe in natural solutions to lawn care as we do for all gardening. Natural solutions are best for our planet, our homes and our gardens.

Lawn care is relatively easy to do and does not cost a great deal of time and money. Let us go over some steps through the year that YOU CAN DO!

*Late March, early April--give your lawn a good vigorous raking. As soon as the snow has retreated and your lawn is dry, rake the old debris, sand, twigs and other foreign matter off. This will help remove thatch and debris that might restrain grass growth as well as aerate the lawn. Air and light will also trigger lush growth. All of this helps to get your lawn greening and growing.

*Concerned about crabgrass? Had dandelion issues in the past? Apply corn gluten based natural fertilizers to your lawn when the forsythia is ablaze in yellow. This often occurs in mid April. Corn gluten will work for a few weeks to smother weed seed that has wintered over between your blades of grass. Crabgrass and early dandelion seeds are some of the more well known weeds that germinate from seed. Not concerned about such weeds? Go to the next step!

*Apply zero phosphorus Espoma Lawn Food (18-0-3) or Organic Espoma Lawn Food (7-2-2) to your lawn using a broadcast spreader. This can be done in April if you do not apply corn gluten products as described above. If you do apply corn gluten then plan on applying the Espoma product in May. We recommend twice yearly applications of this product. This Lawn Food has many natural ingredients that if it is consistently applied twice per year the soil in your lawn will show good steady improvement each year. Better quality soil means the roots of your lawn will grow deeper and stronger. Roots that are "deeper and stronger" will help your lawn to much better survive our cold winters and dry summers. Stronger healthier lawns will also help crowd out weeds. In place of this product we often recommend Plant Booster Plus by Organica, Kelp Booster by Organica, Nature's Turf by North Country Organics or Pro Gro by North Country Organics.

*Mow properly. Recycling your grass clippings by leaving them on the lawn will provide a great deal of your lawn's nutrient needs for the season. Keep your mower blades sharp. In most cases, lawns should be mowed no lower than 2.5 inches and even higher in the summer. The last mowing or two of the season should be short as better air circulation in colder and wetter weather is a good thing.

*Summer weeds bugging you badly? Let us help you with some good common sense solutions to your situation. In most cases weeds can be controlled sensibly and this does not have to take much time or money.

*Time for that second application of  zero phosphorus Espoma Lawn Food (18-0-3) or Espoma Organic Lawn Food (7-2-2) to your lawn using a broadcast spreader around Labor Day. Some years the time really flies by and it has been Thanksgiving before I get that second application down. That is okay! To repeat: We recommend twice yearly applications of this product. This Lawn Food has many natural ingredients that if consistently applied twice per year the soil in your lawn will show good steady improvement each year. Better quality soil means the roots of your lawn will grow deeper and stronger. Roots that are "deeper and stronger" will help your lawn to much better survive our cold winters and dry summers. Stronger healthier lawns will also help crowd out weeds.

Many experts advocate applying Corn Gluten for a second time around Labor Day as this time of year brings much weed seed. If you are greatly concerned about crabgrass and dandelions then Labor Day indeed is a good time to apply Corn Gluten. We then recommend your second application of Espoma Lawn Food later in September.

*Lawns do best with a neutral pH. Most of our soils tend to be acidic. We do recommend you conduct a pH test of your lawn at least every other year. If lime is needed to "sweeten the soil" or raise the pH then we recommend a calcium based lime such as Fast Acting Lime by Encap. Let us help you with your soil test and the proper amount of lime. Again lime can be easily spread with a broadcast spreader.

*Grow the Right Grass! We offer the Bonide grass seed series as a good balanced offering for northeastern lawns. More and more of us have tried and really like Bonide's Heat and Drough Tall Fescue grass seed mix. 'Heat and Drought" contains 3 very hardy blends of Tall Fescue and has a rich green look. Tall Fescue roots grow very deep which means your lawn will look great with less water, show more insect and disease resistance, and endure the cold winter temperatures better.

I often over seed parts of my lawn that are getting a little thin. This is easily accomplished by scratching the soil, laying the seed down, scratching the seed in and covering the seed with compressed paper pellets such as Grass Seed Accelerator or Penn Mulch. These pellets expand and provide a nice thin cover to the seed. Water daily and you will have thick grass soon!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 6, 2010
(updated 4/04/2012)

More (Early) April Garden Talks

Hello again,

We have written about (Early) April Garden Talks but I did want to add some more pointers!

*Go ahead and take the mulch off the base of your rose bushes. Late last fall I put a heavy dose of compost and soil around the base or graft of my bushes. The graft was covered by several inches. Then I placed some balsam fir boughs around the compost/soil to hold it in place in case of heavy winter rain. Yesterday I took that mulch and fir off. The fir I placed in the compost heap. The needles will soon fall off the branches into the compost. I will then throw the branches into the woods. I use some of the compost/soil as a new cover for my rose bed--the remainder will go back into the compost heap.

*I then pruned my rose bushes HEAVILY. I left only about 6" or more of stems near the base. A good heavy pruning NOW will enable some nice fresh, compact and productive rose bush growth as the weather warms,  I have no climbing roses but Paul Parent gives good advice here:
* "Climbing roses should also be cleaned and cut back to get ready for a more productive year. Remove all winter damage branches to the nearest crotch or dormant bud. Tie all branches to your fence or arbor and be sure that part of that branch is tied down and growing in a horizontal position. Horizontal-growing branches will encourage more branches to develop and that means more flowers."

*I also cleaned out one perennial bed of old growth and gently raked out any mulch and debris. This bed has great sun exposure so I was able to work in it. I have a shade bed that is next! The first bed then got a good dosage of corn gluten--this will help to naturally suppress weed seed from germinating!

*Soon my roses and the perennial beds will get a good dose of all natural food like Flower Tone by Espoma (sold right here at Skillin's) to give the plants a good natural boost for the first part of the year. Organic fertilizers like Flower Tone are all about improving the soil. A good quality garden soil will mean deeper roots for your plants. Deeper roots mean more resilient and productive plants--the natural way!

*Are your bulb plants looking nice and green? What a great time of year isn't it! So neat to see..but help those bulbs get bigger and stronger for next year. How? Now is a great time to get some all natural food into the ground so the bulbs will get some nutrients and use those nutrients to get bigger and stronger for next year. This is the time of year when your bulbs are the most active and are expending the most energy. Use Bulb Tone by Espoma or give a liquid drench or two with Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed Food.

*Got lots of sand and salt on the side of the road? Give the area a good raking and then get some all natural gypsum down on the ground. The gypsum will help naturally aerate the soil and will also help neutralize the salt.

*This is a good time to prune Paniculata Hydrangeas (like Pee Gee Hydrangeas) as well as Annabelle Hydrangeas. DO NOT prune blue hydrangeas such as Nikko Blue or Endless Summer now). This is NOT a good time to prune lilacs or rhododendrons. Wait until JUST AFTER they flower.

*Great gardener Margaret of A Way to Garden asks: "Looking for a good groundcover to tie things together?" Check out this slideshow called 10 Groundcovers to Rely On.

Thanks again to Paul Parent for his help with climbing roses!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 4, 2012

April (Early April) Garden Talks

Hello again,

Last year as I wrote Early April Garden Talks there was still much snow on the ground with more to follow in April. There is NO snow in Skillin's Country right now-not even in the northern reaches.

 Following are a few good garden tips for this time of year. As always shoot us any garden questions to skillins@maine.rr.com or also contact us via phone or, of course, come in to see us! Contact information can be found at http://www.skillins.com/!

*Many lawn areas have dried well enough to give your lawn a solid raking. Some shady and low areas may still be wet and squishy. IF that is the case then do not rake yet. But The first step toward a healthy lawn every Spring is to give your lawn a vigorous raking. Much dead grass will be pulled out--this allows precious sun and air into your ground and between your remaining grass blades. Your lawn will love this warm sun and air and will soon begin to push out new healthy growth to fill in where you raked out!

*If you have not done so yet,  get out and pick up fallen branches and other debris on the lawn. Bend and stretch!

*Mostly because of my schedule I still have not pulled all my mulch off my perennials and from around my roses. That is okay. It is still early in the game. I normally have this task of pulling a little mulch off one day and then some more soon after well under way. I am hoping to pull my perennial mulch or cover of fir boughs (many people use straw) in a few more days.

I just LOVE seeing my perennials starting to peek back at me as they begin to emerge from the soil and their winter slumber. Truth be told, seeing my old friends on their early Spring rebound may be my favorite time of the whole year!

*My Dad, David Skillin has his peas started in the ground. April 1 is when he does this! The last two years at this time I had peas started in some old pots full of Bar Harbor Blend by Coast of Maine. I think I will be doing this again soon as well as plunking some pea seeds down in front of my rose bushes facing the southeast. This becomes a hot spot starting in about June but maybe I can get some fast pea production early in the season and then fill in with some hot weather lovers like basil later this year! Peas, spinach, swiss chard and celery are all good early season candidates in the ground. Speaking of vegetable garden ponderings....

*Years ago, Barbara Damrosch in her gardening classic, "The Garden Planner", (sold right here at Skillin's) made several fundamental points about Vegetable Gardening that we all should heed, whether we are newcomers to Vegetable Gardening or not. And here they are:

**What type of vegetables to grow? The first criterion should be your appetite and that of the people you live with. But do keep in mind a vegetable garden is a golden opportunity to try the new and unfamiliar.

**Take our climate into account.In the northeastern USA, we have no problems with cool-weather crops such as broccoli, peas, lettuce and cabbage. Ask your neighbors what grows well for them or check with us here at Skillin's!

**How big a garden? The most common mistake made by new and old gardeners is that they plant too much. Either the upkeep overwhelms them and much of the garden succumbs to weeds, bugs or drought or the harvest is too bountiful, and they cannot keep up with the picking, let alone the eating and preserving. You will probably find it more fun and rewarding to start small. Remember less can often be more!

*Choose a site that receives lots of sun and drains well. Trees can be cut to let in more sun and we at Skillin's have plenty of natural products to help your soil!

**Try to start with a sketch of your vegetable garden plot to make the buying of seeds and starter crops and the ultimate planting more efficient.

*One of my favorite beautiful flowering plants is the dahlia. Dahlias grow from tubers and their color combinations can be stunning! Dahlias are a slow starter. Well, now is the time to start dahlias in peat pots or the new Cow Pots! Peat or cow pots can then be plunged into the ground or into a larger container outdoors around June 1 without harming the roots of your growing plant. The peat pot will eventually decompose and the root system of your plant will reach easily into the new soil. A word of warning: many chain stores sell paper (not peat) pots to start plants. Such paper pots do not decompose and therefore your plants root system may not be able to expand properly! For a few weeks we have been selling tuberous begonias. Just like dahlias it is also time to start tuberous begonias in peat pots. (If you have not started your tuberous begonias yet you are not alone; I have not started mine either. Do not fear! It is not too late!)

*Later this month (think mid month) after you have your lawn and perennial garden raked out and cleaned of debris, is a great time to apply all natural Corn Gluten both to your open areas between your established perennials and also as a natural fertilizer for your lawn. Corn Gluten will help block weed seed from germinating in your perennial bed and your lawn. The gardening time saved by suppressing weed seed early in the season is just invaluable later on. We sell corn gluten right here at Skillin's.


Finally after the perennial garden is cleaned up is a great time to cast some all natural Flower Tone by Espoma or Plant Booster Plus by Organica around your perennial garden. I recommend twice yearly feedings of such good natural fertilizers and right after the garden is cleaned up is a great time for Application #1.

*Speaking of feeding established plants, April is a great time to get some fertilizer down around your bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocus and alliums that are active and pushing out all that growth. Use a thin stake and make some holes just a few inches from your growing bulbs. Fill those holes with a good natural fertilizer like Bulb Tone by Espoma. The growing bulbs will soon grab the nutrients supplied by the Bulb Tone and use those nutrients to build strength for better performance in the coming years.


Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 3, 2012

Planting a Hedge

Hello again,

Meghan Shinn at Horticulture Magazine posted a quick and to the point article late last week called Planting a Hedge.

Ms. Shinn concisely gave some good pointers about how to easily and quickly give your yard a good screen of privacy with a hedge.

I recommend giving the article a quick read!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 1, 2012