How do you deal with weather changes? 

In my Zone 5 climate, spring in particular can be a real challenge. It used to be you never planted in my area until May 31^st if you wanted to make sure your crops were safe from frost.In the last few years out climate has changed, plus I get impatient to plant and cheat the weather by using row covers, cold frames, hot beds and other creative garden covers.

This spring we had a beautiful early spring with temperatures above normal and many people planted early. Well today we had a cold front move in and anyone who doesn’t have row covers or other “garden cheaters” may loose a few plants or have them slow down in growth. Many people don’t realize cold weather may not kill a plant but it may shock it so bad that it will produce poorly or not at all.

In the last few years I have switched primarily to raised bed gardens.  I use frames on the beds so that I can put small holders on the insides of the frame to put PVC pipe. If I bend PVC pipe from one side of the frame to the other I can cover any garden area from cold wind sin a matter of minutes by simply covering the frame with plastic and pinning into place. I can extend my gardening season and have saved early crops using this method.

Two other simple and fast methods to protect plants are terra cotta plants or buckets placed over top of plants and one gallon milk jugs with the bottom of the jugs cut out. These jugs act as mini greenhouses. (Stake them in place so that the wind does not blow them away.)

If you have a weather tips please let me know. Mother Nature can be a challenge at times.

Tags: starting plants early, garden cheating, Mother Nature is a challenge, rwo covers, cold frames, raised beds, protecting tender plants

Gardening sounds so easy and most of the time it is, but once in a while strange things happen.

I call this Elmer Fudd Gardening. Why? Well, poor Elmer had his hands full tackling that rabbit named Bugs and it seems other little things popped up that made life interesting. Gardening can be a lot like this at times.

I remember my second year gardening. For some reason I could not get my cucumber plants to grow. I went through five seed packets, followed the directions on the back of the package but I had no plants. It was a little early in the spring and I thought I might be pushing the cucumber season. They do like warmer weather to start growing.

I read a few gardening books and then I realized, my tender plants were being snipped off at night by bugs. They come out after dusk and chew the plants off right at the soil line. Sure enough, after checking, I had little cucumber plant stems in my garden.

I solved this problem by covering my seedlings as soon as they were staring to pop out of the ground with terra cotta pots. The pots protected my plants and even kept them a little warmer at night, just in case my zone 5 climate decided to have a cool night.
Since I started using terra cotta pots in my garden I have not lost one plant. I also think the pots scare away rabbits and over small wild animals.

What garden challenges have you had?

Tags: Elmer Fudd gardening, problems when gardening,

Roses are beautiful and add elegance to any yard or garden area. With the multiple colors they now have rose bushes can fit into any garden theme. With proper garden soil preparation roses will bloom for years.

One problem rose have are “Blackspot” and “Leafspot” These disease are primarily caused from water sprayed directly on the rose bushes. Symptoms of direct watering stress can include yellowing leaves with black spots, extensive leaf drop, poor blooming, and lack of vigor.

Roses prefer “frequent” light feedings of a “complete” slow release granular fertilizer whereas the Nitrogen is lower than the Phosphorus, and Potassium i.e…8-10-10 analysis. Micronutrients are also a “must.” These include Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Copper, and Zinc etc…  “Lesco” brand 8-10-10 Ornamental Granular Fertilizer includes all the needed nutrients for your roses. . Follow label directions when applying any fertilizer product as described.

To correct “overhead” watering stress simply run “drip hoses” in your Rose Garden areas, and adjust sprinkler heads from spraying directly on Roses. Drip hoses are readily found at any local garden center. Once you have properly fertilized, and eliminated overhead watering, your Roses will recover form Blackspot and leafspot in about six to eight weeks.

Tags: blackspot, leafspot, correcting blackspot and leafspot, proper watering for roses, drip irrigation for roses, drip irrigation