radio podcast: getting ready to shop for seeds

radio podcast: getting ready to shop for seeds

may can be mayhem!

make a raised bed naturally

direct-sow vegetables

keep picking asparagus

prep beds, feed and mulch

heat-loving vegetable tips

nothing like a clean edge!

garlic care

care of hardy flower bulbs

container-garden time

compost care

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December 20, 2010 By margaret 1 Comment

ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR I GET FED UP with holiday to-do’s, and need a solid dose of horticulture instead. What better task to treat myself to than getting ready for seed-catalog shopping season: making an inventory of leftover things, testing for germination, writing a wishlist—and ordering a few new catalogs to widen my winter world. That’s what I am doing today, ho ho ho. The details, in today’s WHDD podcast.

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terryk says:

December 20, 2010 at 10:35 pm

Another great podcast filled with information. Enjoy your Christmas and enjoy your day planning your New Year seed list.

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1 May 1, 2013 may can be mayhem! MAYDAY–OR SHOULD I SAY ‘MAYHEM,’ as in: Somebody rescue me by helping with the edging, weeding, mulching required to get ready for the first Open Days of the season (May 11 this year—you coming?). Most important, though, of course, is not to get too swept away by the to-do list, since May is also one of the garden’s most extraordinary months here in Zone 5B and elsewhere, with lots to sit back and savor. read all the may chores ⇒

2 May 2, 2013 make a raised bed naturally MAKING NEW BEDS? A nature-inspired method for raised-bed building, using fallen branches and logs, is called hugelkultur—and it’s fascinating, and effective, if you’re expanding your growing area. read all the may chores ⇒

5 May 5, 2013 direct-sow vegetables CONTINUE SOWING CARROTS, beets, radishes, salad greens, dill. With salad greens, select heat-resistant varieties now for best results. Direct-sow more kale and chard, too. IF YOU LIKE CILANTRO, plant a short row every couple of weeks for a constant supply because most varieties bolt pretty fast (eventually yielding coriander seeds). Or try one of the substitutes in this story. DIRECT-SOW BEANS at mid-month and beyond; sow a short row every two weeks, and also sow pole beans. read all the may chores ⇒

7 May 7, 2013 keep picking asparagus KEEP ASPARAGUS PICKED to keep it producing; don’t harvest from new plantings the first year or two in the ground. Need some asparagus recipes? (Current favorite here: Easy Asparagus-Parmesan Bake.) Another food-garden early-bird: Rhubarb is nicest when tender stems are used. read all the may chores ⇒

11 May 11, 2013 prep beds, feed and mulch PREPARE NEW BEDS by smothering grass or weeds with recycled corrugated cardboard or layers of newspaper, then put mulch on top. ONCE EXISTING BEDS ARE CLEANED UP, topdress with an all-natural organic fertilizer and a layer of finished compost. Wait to apply mulch until the soil warms thoroughly. ORDER MULCH in bulk this year from a local source that ages it properly first; forget the bagged stuff for use on beds. My mulch mantra. read all the may chores ⇒

15 May 15, 2013 heat-loving vegetable tips HOW ARE THE MELONS? Follow these tips. WHEN SHOPPING FOR SEEDLINGS of tomatoes (or really anything), pick stocky young plants about 4 inches high and wide. Having trouble with homegrown transplants? Why seedlings stretch out and get spindly. HEAT-LOVERS LIKE tomatoes and basil, eggplants and peppers go out after frost danger. Use my tomato tips and tricks, and follow these tomato-hygiene steps for best disease prevention. read all the may chores ⇒

19 May 19, 2013 nothing like a clean edge! EDGE 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. My Mulch FAQs. read all the may chores ⇒

20 May 20, 2013 garlic care WATER GARLIC during dry spells for biggest bulbs (and did you feed it?). Though many people wonder all spring about when to harvest, typically that’s in high summer sometime, around July here. Not now! read all the may chores ⇒

21 May 21, 2013 care of hardy flower bulbs DEADHEAD 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). DAFFODILS NOT BLOOMING? Here’s why bulbs fail to flower well. read all the may chores ⇒

26 May 26, 2013 container-garden time CONTAINER GARDENS can provide seasonal color, but don’t just use annuals. Hosta pot? Why not? All my container-garden ideas are here. WITH FLOWER SEEDLINGS in 6-packs, I like to “buy green,” as in not worrying if I’m buying annuals that aren’t flowering madly in their tiny cells. Younger, fresher plants are less stressed. WORRIED ABOUT IMPATIENS DISEASE? Here’s the lowdown on downy mildew risk this year. read all the may chores ⇒

28 May 28, 2013 compost care 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. read all the may chores ⇒