Clean
up those perennial beds and cut down all Liriope and Ornamental Grasses to
about 3-5” above the ground. Once this has been done, it is time to re-mulch
your shrub and flower beds. Top-dress these areas with a slow release fertilizer
as well, such as Osmocote. Do not put mulch or fertilizer too close to the
crowns of plants. You could cause either rot or burning of the plant crown.
Nesting
boxes for Bluebirds and Purple Martin houses should be put out early this
month. Purple Martins return to our area between St. Patrick’s Day and the end
of the month. So now is the time to be prepared. Are you considering doing some
vegetable gardening this year? Well there is no better time than now to start
those preparations. You can start seed in the house for plants such as
tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant or sow seed for peas, lettuce, radish,
kohlrabi, collards, turnips, potatoes, spinach, onion sets, beets, carrots, and
parsley outside this month. Set out broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts,
cauliflower and pansy transplants now. This month is also good to set out
strawberries, blueberries, blackberries grapes and other fruiting plants. It is
likely we will see an influx of home gardening this year. It can be done in
containers on the patio, as square foot gardens, or large plot gardening. There
is nothing better than a home grown tomato!! Check out our website for
instructions on these items, www/hillermann.com.
Here
is a fun project for the family to try --‘Taters in a Basket’. Have you ever
tried growing potatoes in tough clay soil? The results are usually less than
bad. However, here is the perfect solution for growing great potatoes. Grow
them in a pot. Now, whether you’ve got clay soil, live in an apartment, or
don’t have a garden at all, you can grow potatoes the ole’ yard boy way. And
that’s in a container. Here is what you will need:
1.
The container, I
like to use bushel baskets. They breathe well, allow for good drainage, and
they look great! However, any container, plastic, wood or clay will work as
long as it has good drainage and is at least 14-18 inches wide and at least
10-12 inches deep.
2.
Soil, soil-less
potting mix works best. Use the good
stuff for better results. If you have a compost pile, good compost will work
too. Finely shredded is best. People have even used straw and ground leaves.
3.
Fertilizer, an
all purpose garden food such as Osmocote is great.
4.
Seed potatoes, these
aren’t the ones you buy from the grocery store. They can be found at the garden
center and are used specifically for growing potatoes. Do not use potatoes from
the produce department at the grocery store; they have been treated with a
growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting.
Now
fill the bottom of your pot with 2-3 inches of soil-less mix or compost. Take a
large seed potato, or a couple medium sized, cut up into pieces that contain
the eyes, and evenly distribute those on top of the soil-less mix. You can
plant 6-8-10 pieces with eyes per basket. If you’re not sure about the ‘eyes’,
you can plant whole potatoes, or cut them in half and plant the halves. Cover
with another 3-4 inches of soil-less mix, add the fertilizer and water in thoroughly,
and place in the sun. Water as needed, thoroughly moistening the soil, then
letting it dry before watering again. Once your potatoes start to grow, water
regularly, being careful not to over water, which can cause the tubers to rot.
When
your potatoes are growing, you have a couple options: 1) As the potatoes grow,
keep adding soil-less mix or compost to the container, keeping about 4 inches
of foliage showing. Continue this process until the container is filled to within
1 inch of the top of the basket. 2) Let
the foliage grow until it’s approximately 3-4 inches above the basket, and then
fill in around the foliage with your soil-less mix or compost unit the basket
is full. Now you’re set for growing potatoes! Let your potatoes grow all
summer. Don’t forget to keep them fed too. Come late summer or fall when the
foliage starts to yellow, cut the foliage off, dump out your soil, and you’ll
have a basket full of taters! It is that easy. Good Luck!!
Now
it is time to go, so we will “See you in the garden!”
Sandi Hillermann McDonald
