‘horticultural how-to and woo-woo’
the source for organic gardening inspiration
margaret roach, head gardener
UM, I GUESS OUR FRIEND Andre Jordan got a peek at the way we really order seeds, huh? Trouble is: I’m still stuck on Step 1, that “Bloody Brilliant Big List” thing.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
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1May 1, 2012seeds and seed potatoesTUBERS AND SLIPS TIME: Are the white potatoes in the ground? They could have gone in in April, but if not, there’s still time. Don’t miss out! CONTINUE SOWING CARROTS, beets, radishes, salad greens, dill. Sow kale, chard. With salad, select heat-resistant varieties as they’ll bump into warmer weather at harvest time. A primer on when to start what seeds. | 2 | 3 | 4May 4, 2012deadhead faded spring bulbsDEADHEAD SPRING BULBS as blooms fade, but leave foliage intact to wither and ripen the bulbs naturally. I mow my daffodil drifts around July 4th, for example. Deadhead spring-flowering perennials unless they have showy seedheads, or you want to collect seed later (non-hybrids only). | 5 | 6 | |
7May 7, 2012a clean edge on bedsEDGE BEDS to make a clean line and define them. A clean edge makes a real difference, along with an inch and a half or two of good, fine- to medium-textured organic mulch. No baked-potato-sized chips, please, and no orange-dyed mulch. Here’s my point of view on mulch. | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12May 12, 2012beans, beans and more beansDIRECT-SOW BEANS mid-month and beyond (a short row every two weeks), and sow pole beans for a later crop. This year I’m trying to grow heirloom beans for drying, too. Wait till month’s end, when the weather is settled, to sow summer and winter squash, cucumbers, melons, or start indoors at the first of month and set out at end. My 20 top seed-starting FAQs. | 13May 13, 2012shop for stocky seedlingsWHEN SHOPPING FOR SEEDLINGS of tomatoes (or really anything), pick stocky young plants about 4 inches high and wide—bigger isn’t better. WITH FLOWER SEEDLINGS in 6-packs, don’t worry about “buying green,” as in you don’t need to buy annuals that are flowering madly in tiny cells. Younger, fresher plants are best. They will catch up. Shop for overall plant health and vigor, not number of blooms. |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18May 18, 2012how’s the heap cooking?DON’T LET THE HEAP DRY out completely, or it will not “cook.” If it wasn’t turned to aerate earlier this season, do so now to hasten decomposition. Pre-shredding with your mower can also speed things along. Use finished, screened material to topdress beds. | 19 | 20May 20, 2012mow regularly, but don’t feed too muchIF LAWN GREENED UP well, no fertilizer is needed; I skip it (and spare myself the extra mowing, while helping the environment with less fuel wasted). If growth or greening was sluggish, consider applying an all-natural organic fertilizer in fall, when lawn grasses take best advantage of fertilizing to grow strong root systems. DON’T BAG OR RAKE clippings when you mow; let them lie on the lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil.
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21May 21, 2012fresh air for houseplantsHOUSEPLANTS can spend the summer outdoors starting late this month (or whenever frost danger is past or at least minimized). Set them in a sheltered location with filtered bright light (not direct sun). Pinch back and repot those that need it as you transition them, and begin regular feeding if you didn’t already in earlier spring. | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25May 25, 2012tomato time!HEAT-LOVERS LIKE tomatoes go out after frost danger is past, but many people make a ritual of it on Memorial Day weekend (technically a tad early here). Use these tomato tips and tricks for best results (or browse my whole archive of tomato topics). Eggplants and peppers can go out, too. Harden off vegetable seedlings before transplanting, bringing them in and out for a few days before setting free for good. | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |||
Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the Earth are never alone or
weary of life.
‘never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not, until I myself am back in the soil.’
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I have 45 acres. I still do it. My name is Robin and I’m a seedaholic who has no concept of reality when it comes to how many seeds I *need.*
haha! I’m with Robin, I DO live on a farm with acreage and yet I still want/need/yearn for too many seeds. It’s a universal affliction :) No cure except to order even more!
Maybe I am lucky. I am still intimidated by seeds. Instead I want to buy every plant I see at the nursery and give it a home.
I think that’s a strain of the same bug, Susan. :) I have both forms of the disease — but nowhere nearly as bad as when I first started gardening. But they do have a powerful pull on us, don’t they? See you soon, I hope.
You’ve got to over-order seeds. You are buying dreams.
I’ve already got all my garden space accounted for and I’m *still* drooling over seeds. I’m pretty sure my husband thinks the patio is slowly turning into a pot maze.
Haha! So true! I always seem to *need* more seeds…even though I never have enough space for them all!
Haha. This made me laugh. We recently sold our 43 acre farm and are living in a CONDO no less. My husband saw me pouring over my seed catalogs with list in hand and just shook his head. What’s wrong with me?!
My name is Robin and I’m a seedaholic
ha, I may have to steel that for a doodle
My name is Michele, and I’m a NEW seedaholic. This is my first attempt at gardening, and I MAY have puchased an over-abundance of seeds. Go big or go home, right? I liked Lucy’s comment – You are buying dreams….very well-put!
Vegetable seeds are a delightfully inexpensive hobby, in my opinion.
I like to buy them, and share!
Happily, I do a lot of vegetable gardening classes and donate transplants to our local growers for food banks. Woo-hooo!
Dear Andre,
are you stalking me? ;) my house is 742 sq feet, and the garden is 875 sq feet (so far).
and i skipped 4a, no revising the list!
Our Master Gardener group grows tomatoes for the annual May plant sale fundraiser. We normally start seedlings mid February. I decided to use up older seeds (3 and 4 years old), and overplanted since I figured only half would come up.
You might know it, I had nearly 100% germination and now have 125 of them in 4″ pots crammed under 2 banks of growlights in the garage (a space that normally holds 72 pots).
Most of them will find new homes but in the meantime, I’ll be rotating those trays like crazy since my husband won’t let me put grow lights in the living room.
I go seed crazy every year — so this year I limited myself to hardy annuals. No jiffy pots this year! Just in-situ.
In the last couple of days, I took a count of my seeds (present and previous orders, saved, received) and I’m proud to announce that I have more seeds than soil in the garden!
For me, unfortunately money is more of an issue than space is. The vegetable garden isn’t that bad, but now I’m starting to focus on the landscaping more. It’s a good thing our ground doesn’t dry out until May, because I may still be trickling out seed orders at that time.