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March 2003 News |
Spring Time Favorites To view our new Spring Specials please visit the following link: http://www.countryrosesoap.com/storefront.htm What's happening in our garden for March: After one of the mildest and driest winters on record for our area it looks as if we have made it through the winter. As I am writing this we are enjoying incredibly warm sunny spring-like days. I have gotten a late start on my seed sowing this year as we have been doing some major home renovations. As we also plan on painting the outside of our home this spring I am now frantically trying to get caught up sowing onions, leeks, tomatoes, impatiens and petunias. Next are a variety of cool weather vegetables and summer annuals for pots and hanging basket display. We are also cleaning up the flowerbeds and lawns from all the winter debris. Weeds have already started growing so the beds are getting a good going over with my hoe. It's best to catch them early before they get a good foothold and spread. March "To Do" List: -prune clematis vines - I cut these back to the first healthy live buds. I then take a garden hose and give them a good blast of water to dislodge the dead over wintered leaves. Giving the vine a good shaking also helps to dislodge them - these are then raked up and thrown in the compost pile. -sift compost and spread a 2 to 4 inch layer on all flower, vegetable and herb beds. (compost is one of the best organic additions you can add to your gardens for rich, healthy soil.) -Prune Rose Bushes: -prune just as the buds begin to swell. -there are 3 main reasons for spring rose pruning: to remove dead or diseased wood, shape the bush and to stimulate growth. 1) To remove dead or diseased wood - look for healthy white pith (inner plant tissue); remove growth until healthy pith is found. 2) Shape bush - remove crossing branches and prune wild growth. Try to keep center open for healthy air circulation. 3) Stimulate growth - make pruning cuts just above a bud - lateral branches will then develop from this bud. General Notes: -Use curved pruners sterilized by dipping into a bucket of clean water with a little bleach added. -Make pruning cuts ¼ inch above outward facing buds to develop an open bush form. -Always cut on a 45 - degree angle. -weed and hoe flowerbeds. -divide and transplant perennials. -rototill rye grass planted in vegetable garden in the previous fall season for "green manure". -at end of the month as long as soil is workable (stay off wet soil) direct seed sweet peas and larkspur. -direct seed mustard greens, leaf lettuce, leeks, radishes, spinach and peas. Broad beans also need an early start. -keep a vigilant watch for slugs - natural remedies include grapefruit, beer, yeast, and copper wire. -this is a good time to plant new trees and shrubs. -finish up pruning chores before new growth starts. Greenhouse Gardening for March: (for a cool greenhouse kept at 40 - 45F (5 - 7C) This is the busiest month in the greenhouse as most of our seed sowing is done now. -plants in bloom - pelargonium, jasmine, Xmas cactus, cyclamen. -sow summer annuals such as amaranthus, celosia, night-scented stocks, brachycome - the following need light to germinate so don't cover with soil - alyssum, ageratum, lobelia, nicotiana & petunias. Germinate all at 70F with the exception of night-scented stocks, which need 55F to germinate. -prick out seedlings sown last month. -by the middle of the month sow eggplant, gaillardia, scabiosa, cleome (pre-chill seed for 5 days), liatris, rudbeckia, gomphrena (soak seed for 24 hours) & shasta daisy. -at end of March sow helichrysum, mirabilis (needs light to germinate), ricinus and marigolds. -start cool weather vegetable crops such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi & mesculin. I grow 2 kinds of mesculin - hot varieties and mild. Both are delicious in stir-fries and salads and are very nutritious. -start begonia tubers into growth by placing over heating cables and watering very slightly. -repot and fertilize over wintered plants, removing dead and twiggy growth - cut back roots if needed - I use a mix of perlite, compost and Sunshine Mix #4. -dampen down greenhouse if it gets too warm on sunny days. -watch out for aphids - at first sign of trouble use Safer's Insecticidal Soap or try a little liquid detergent in warm water. Indoor Sunroom or Conservatory: A list of plants presently blooming in our sunroom: -Phalaenopsis Orchids -Paphiopedilum Orchids -Cymbidium Orchids -Oxalis -Gardenia -Jasmine -African Violets Presently our sunroom is filed with gorgeous orchid blooms of all types and colours. Some are fragrant and along with the blooming jasmine creates a gorgeously scented home. Care: -repot houseplants - trim back and remove dead or diseased leaves. -start watering and fertilizing more frequently. -on a warm day I move all of my houseplants outdoors and hose them off with a gentle spray from the garden hose to clean off the dust, which accumulates on the leaves over the winter months. Let them air dry before bringing them back inside. Herbal Hints: -remove winter mulch around outdoor herbs - add new compost. -trim back dead or twiggy growth - reshape plant. -sow chives, anise, lavandula, thyme, echinacea & parsley in greenhouse. A trick to growing parsley is to germinate the seeds between damp pieces of paper towel enclosed in a plastic bag. As soon as the seed cases split and send out embryonic roots transfer carefully to a seed flat. (As many herbs dislike transplanting sow seeds in peat pots to direct plant into the garden when all danger of frost has passed). Herbal Honey: Place a fresh, washed leaf of rose geranium in a small, sterilized glass jar. Warm good quality honey and pour it over the herb leaf. (Caution: watch honey carefully and just "warm" it - do not heat too hot as it will bubble out of the pot creating a fantastic sticky mess on your stove.) Cap the jar tightly and let sit about 24 hours. Serve as a sweetener for tea. Experiment with other herbs such as lavender or rose petals. (Pesticide free only) Natural Herbal Cleaning Products: Fresh sorrel leaves are good for restoring shine to copper pots; just wet the pots and a handful of leaves and scrub. Health and Wellness: Starting a Tea Garden: Tea herbs include the various mints, chamomile, lemon balm, bergamot, anise hyssop, lavender, lemon verbena and lemongrass. There are many more but these are the most common. Each of these has a distinctive flavour and can be blended with one or more of the others. -purchase a half-barrel from a nursery or hardware store. -drill 4 holes in bottom for drainage and line the bottom 2" with gravel or broken clay pot pieces. -fill with a mix of good garden compost, sphagnum peat and sand or perlite. (mix together in a wheelbarrow before filling barrel nearly to the top.) -plant taller plants in the back, medium growers in the middle and shortest plants in front. Tip: Plant mints, lemon balm and bergamot in individual pots and bury them in the half-barrel leaving the rim of pot above soil level. These herbs are extremely invasive and their roots will quickly take over the entire barrel if not kept in check. I constantly nip off their running roots jumping over the pot rim. I also bury these herbs in pots into our herb garden to keep them within bounds. -never cut back by more than 1/3. Pinching tips encourages bushiness. -place in warm sunny spot and enjoy. Some highlights for next month's newsletter! -growing great potatoes -sprouting edible seeds Thanks for visiting! Susan |
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