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-As the soil dries and weather warms, begin raking and
cleaning out debris from beds, as well as fluffing the
mulch.
-Cut back ornamental grasses.
-Be sure to rake out and remove the henbit and chickweed
growing in your beds (and bare areas in the lawn) right now,
before they flower and go to seed. Don't use an herbicide,
just rake them out. Oh yeah, you can eat chickweed - very
nutritious!
-Eat those wild onions coming up as well! Don't want to eat
them? Try spot treating them (in the lawns) with Bonide's
Weed Beater Ultra - the broadleaf weed killer that works at
temperatures as low as 45 degrees! (and you can reseed 2
weeks after application)
-As the weather breaks, time to plant pansies, primrose, and
other cold hardy spring bloomers.
-Get your containers cleaned, refilled and ready to go.
Don't forget now's a great time to start planting cold hardy
greens in those containers, as well as potatoes!
-If you're thinking about starting seeds indoors this
winter, good for you! Here are a few tips to help make you
a bit more successful with your seed starting
adventure. First of all, you'll need the right seed
starting supplies:
1.) For your growing medium, use a soil-less potting mix
which is composed of sphagnum peat, perlite, and sometimes a
little vermiculite. This mix is extremely important as it
actually helps to hold moisture for the new seedlings, yet
is airy and allows them to dry properly with less chance of
getting dampening off, or rotting of the seedlings. This
one even has a slow release fertilizer to help feed the
seedlings very slowly and gently as they grow.
2.) Something to grow your seedlings in - small pots, Jiffy
Cubes, and of course these nice trays with cell packs are
wonderful for starting your seeds.
3.) Some type of shop light with regular florescent tubes
will be needed to help supplement the much needed sunlight
to keep your seedlings from stretching. Remember to keep
the lights within inches of the new seedlings.
4.) A misting bottle. This is one of the best ways to water
your new seedlings, especially when they're very young.
Misting the soil is not so invasive and is easier to control
the water flow.
5.) A small inexpensive fan, and trust me, this fan is one
of the key ingredients for starting seeds indoors. Placed
away from the seedlings, it provides constant air movement
around the plants which helps reduce disease, rotting, and
it also helps to promote stockier plants.
And here's the most important thing to remember. Read
the back of the seed packs and see how long it takes for
germination and time for transplanting outdoors. Then
count backwards from our frost free date which is around May
15. That's when you start your seeds indoors.
For tomatoes, it takes about 6-8 weeks, which means starting
time is right around late March. That's almost 2
months away! And remember, it's always better to start
them a little late, rather than way too early.
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