April Gardening - Top Ten Growing Tips
Gardening Tip #1: Heirlooms seeds are among the most popular seeds available. They are "Tried and True", proven winners over decade, if not hundreds of years. More on Heirloom Seeds......
Gardening Tip #2: Spring is a time for...love. It's also the best time for pest control...before the critters fall in love. More on Pest Control......
Gardening Tip #3: Are you ready to attract returning birds to your yard? Growing flowers to attract them, is a great way to make them feel "at home". One of the most frequently asked questions, is: "What plants can I grow to attract Hummingbirds?' The list is long. See Flowers that attract Hummingbirds.
Gardening Tip #4: As soon as you can get out into your yard, prune your rose bushes. First, remove any dead stems. Keep 3-6 stems, with 2 -3 buds per stem. Give them a good dose of general purpose fertilizer. More on Growing Roses.
Gardening Tip #5: Seed planting depth is important. Planting them too deep, makes it difficult, for the seedling to emerge. For tiny seeds, try planting them on top of loose soil. Then, gently water them in. More Seed Starting Tips.......
Gardening Tip #6: Chances are, you've got compost from last year's Fall clean-up that is not finished. Kick start your compost pile. Mix in the first cuttings of grass. Toss in any green kitchen scraps. More on Composting
Gardening Tip #7: Onions are one of the cold hardiest plants in your garden. Plant onion sets (bulbs) as soon as the ground can be worked. Even if there is no action above ground, the bulbs will begin to grow roots. Young onion plants can be planted into the ground, when the nights do not go below 30 degrees. More on Onions.......
Gardening Tip # 8: Most plants do best in full sunlight. Ditto with your indoor starts. Grow-lights are a great tool for providing the needed light for your young starts. Cold frames are another great tool. Cold frames also allow you to Harden Off your plants, prior to transplanting. See more on Cold Frames and Hardening off Plants
Gardening Tip #9: Grow Asparagus! It is the first vegetable harvest of the spring. This easy to grow perennial, requires little maintenance, and has almost no disease or pest problems. More on Asparagus.........
Gardening Tip #10: Raised Bed gardens help to eliminate two problems of early spring gardens... cold and wet soils. The soil in a raised bed warms faster. The elevated soil drains away excess water, keeping seeds from rotting and roots from drowning. See More on Raised Beds and Raised Bed Frames
Places to get more tips:
https://www.ufseeds.com/learning/planting-schedules/massachusetts-vegetable-planting-calendar/
UMASS EXTENSION CENTER—Amherst—landscaping, Fact sheets on gardening and fruit and vegetables:
https://ag.umass.edu/resources/home-lawn-garden/fact-sheets
Number of places with webinars—many free
https://garden.org/learn/
DIY Tick Tubes
It is time to think about getting back into the yard to do some gardening, but its also time to think about ticks! Below is a link to a website that will show you how to make "DIY Tick Tubes" and why you should make them.
As the website explains, "When ticks first hatch, they’re too small to latch on to deer, humans and other large animals, so they usually latch onto mice. A single mouse may play host to 100 ticks! If you’re serious about eliminating the ticks on your property, it’s smart to go after them at this phase, and that means finding a way to kill the ticks while they’re still on the mice. An easy way to do that is with tick tubes".
The website has a wonderful video tutorial of the process.
As the website explains, "When ticks first hatch, they’re too small to latch on to deer, humans and other large animals, so they usually latch onto mice. A single mouse may play host to 100 ticks! If you’re serious about eliminating the ticks on your property, it’s smart to go after them at this phase, and that means finding a way to kill the ticks while they’re still on the mice. An easy way to do that is with tick tubes".
The website has a wonderful video tutorial of the process.
Make your own terrarium at home!!
Click here to download the terrarium file:
| 2019.10.09_terrariums_how_to-1.docx |
