Late Winter Gardening Tips
contributed by Allen Reed
Winter is wrapping up and the excitement of the coming spring is upon us. This is the hard time of year as you don’t want to jump the gun and plant to soon but the itch is on. So what to do, Valentine's Day is a good marker for the end of our frost season, which does not mean it can’t happen - pay attention as this March is predicted to be cooler than normal. This is the time of year to prune crape myrtles and roses, add organic matter to your garden beds, turn and/or prep your vegetable beds, get your early seed starts going, and plant fruit trees, trees, roses, summer bulbs, etc.. In the vegetable garden – now is the time to plant potatoes, carrots, cold weather root crops, peas and beans. And it is time to walk around the yard, think about what you want to see when spring and summer kick in and plant accordingly.
Here is where I want to give some garden advice, some of the biggest problems people seem to have with planting are:
1) realizing the ultimate size of the plants – as the plants will grow up, it is important to pay attention to what experts predict the final plant size will be and then allow room for the house, structure, sidewalks, driveway etc. prior to putting in the plant.
2) There are several reasons to make this determination. One is that the plant needs room and the house needs good air circulation. It is typically never a good idea to plant right up against your home and almost always better to set your beds away from the house to allow airflow and access for house and plant maintenance – you and the plants will be happier. An additional consideration is the drip line, or more likely the water dump line given our recent onslaught of deluges – plants set right in the path of a gush of roof water will suffer and look a whole lot worse for the wear – offsetting these just a bit will make you and the plants happier. Keeping this in mind as you plant about your house will make your garden look better and, most importantly, this initial work reduces the pruning and maintenance efforts later on.
3) There are several reasons to consider the ultimate height of a tree – will it hit the roofline? Or the power line, such that the “Tree Experts” will come and massacre the beautiful tree to make way for power. Setting it a few feet off the line will make the view, the tree and you a whole lot happier. Under the power lines, crepe myrtles and large shrubs are ideal as they provide both an offset from the road, a softening of the power line and a nice hedge to look at.
4) Planting trees and shrubs and bushes does not need to be complicated if you remember a couple of simple tidbits. A) dig a wide hole approximately double the pot size but only a little deeper then the root ball. When you are finished planting the plant should sit at the same soil line it had in the pot, too deep and the plants roots can suffocate, too high and their roots dry out, so again just set the plant so it is level with the where it sat in the pot and the plant will thrive. In the 4th Ward the soil is often sandy, which allows the water to run out too quickly at times and sand holds little, if any, nutrients. By adding lots of good composted soil to a large diameter hole, the plant can have a ready supply of nutrients and water – suggested composts that are awesome for this include mushroom compost, cow manure and well aged pine bark, which are all readily available in the local, family owned nurseries. As with all things, there are some exceptions when it comes to planting depth and like every rule of thumb it is a pleasant practice to inquire with a knowledgeable gardener, a good nursery, or time tried methods – all of these will assist you with intelligent and informed advice.
5) Once the tree or shrub or bush is in the ground, it is vitally important to remove the air pockets, so do diligence in this requires that you gently pack the dirt back into the hole, stick your hand in fingers deep to make sure there is dirt all the way around the plant – the goal is to eliminate all air pockets and ensure that the plants roots are in contact with dirt, the transport mechanism for nutrients and water. After the hole is filled, it is good to gently pat it with your hands or if this is a honking big tree, to press with your feet, probe with a stick or pole and remove all the air pockets that are noticeable. You and your plants will be happier. Once done, a good soaking with water will allow your newly planted plant to settle in, grow and provide you with many years of happiness.
6)Finally, as plants are living things, just remember, if you meet their basic requirements , they will be happy, your yard will be amazingly beautiful and you will be happy too. Happy planting!
Winter is wrapping up and the excitement of the coming spring is upon us. This is the hard time of year as you don’t want to jump the gun and plant to soon but the itch is on. So what to do, Valentine's Day is a good marker for the end of our frost season, which does not mean it can’t happen - pay attention as this March is predicted to be cooler than normal. This is the time of year to prune crape myrtles and roses, add organic matter to your garden beds, turn and/or prep your vegetable beds, get your early seed starts going, and plant fruit trees, trees, roses, summer bulbs, etc.. In the vegetable garden – now is the time to plant potatoes, carrots, cold weather root crops, peas and beans. And it is time to walk around the yard, think about what you want to see when spring and summer kick in and plant accordingly.
Here is where I want to give some garden advice, some of the biggest problems people seem to have with planting are:
1) realizing the ultimate size of the plants – as the plants will grow up, it is important to pay attention to what experts predict the final plant size will be and then allow room for the house, structure, sidewalks, driveway etc. prior to putting in the plant.
2) There are several reasons to make this determination. One is that the plant needs room and the house needs good air circulation. It is typically never a good idea to plant right up against your home and almost always better to set your beds away from the house to allow airflow and access for house and plant maintenance – you and the plants will be happier. An additional consideration is the drip line, or more likely the water dump line given our recent onslaught of deluges – plants set right in the path of a gush of roof water will suffer and look a whole lot worse for the wear – offsetting these just a bit will make you and the plants happier. Keeping this in mind as you plant about your house will make your garden look better and, most importantly, this initial work reduces the pruning and maintenance efforts later on.
3) There are several reasons to consider the ultimate height of a tree – will it hit the roofline? Or the power line, such that the “Tree Experts” will come and massacre the beautiful tree to make way for power. Setting it a few feet off the line will make the view, the tree and you a whole lot happier. Under the power lines, crepe myrtles and large shrubs are ideal as they provide both an offset from the road, a softening of the power line and a nice hedge to look at.
4) Planting trees and shrubs and bushes does not need to be complicated if you remember a couple of simple tidbits. A) dig a wide hole approximately double the pot size but only a little deeper then the root ball. When you are finished planting the plant should sit at the same soil line it had in the pot, too deep and the plants roots can suffocate, too high and their roots dry out, so again just set the plant so it is level with the where it sat in the pot and the plant will thrive. In the 4th Ward the soil is often sandy, which allows the water to run out too quickly at times and sand holds little, if any, nutrients. By adding lots of good composted soil to a large diameter hole, the plant can have a ready supply of nutrients and water – suggested composts that are awesome for this include mushroom compost, cow manure and well aged pine bark, which are all readily available in the local, family owned nurseries. As with all things, there are some exceptions when it comes to planting depth and like every rule of thumb it is a pleasant practice to inquire with a knowledgeable gardener, a good nursery, or time tried methods – all of these will assist you with intelligent and informed advice.
5) Once the tree or shrub or bush is in the ground, it is vitally important to remove the air pockets, so do diligence in this requires that you gently pack the dirt back into the hole, stick your hand in fingers deep to make sure there is dirt all the way around the plant – the goal is to eliminate all air pockets and ensure that the plants roots are in contact with dirt, the transport mechanism for nutrients and water. After the hole is filled, it is good to gently pat it with your hands or if this is a honking big tree, to press with your feet, probe with a stick or pole and remove all the air pockets that are noticeable. You and your plants will be happier. Once done, a good soaking with water will allow your newly planted plant to settle in, grow and provide you with many years of happiness.
6)Finally, as plants are living things, just remember, if you meet their basic requirements , they will be happy, your yard will be amazingly beautiful and you will be happy too. Happy planting!
