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Calling all bloggers! If you are a blogger, please add Earthworks blog to your list of favorites. I can tell by my 'stat' information, I get alot of traffic from folks that are also regulars to the "Watermelon Diva & The Riverbendks" blogs. THANK YOU GUYS! Spread the gardening word! Please lmk if you have added us.

What if your buds freeze?

Don't you have a back up? Your plants do! Well the woody plants that is. Tucked in the intersection of the leaf stem and branch is the auxillary bud, the back-ups. Even the plants are ready for doomsday! If the terminal buds that are producing this years leaves are ruined by storms or frost, the stem energy is diverted to the axillary buds, and then the new growth initiates. In fact, in the early spring, the terminals give off a chemical that prohibits the auxillary buds from growing, so they stay dormant until disaster. (plants are so smart!)
Sorry I can't say the same thing for flowers of woody plants ie; grapes, apples other fruit trees.

Whether or not the flowers are ruined depends not only on possible cold & freezing temps., but the duration of the temperatures. Obviously one night is different then 10. These crops also rely on insect pollination, mainly bees. The honeybee only flies in sunny weather, another thing that can be unplentiful earlier than usual in the season. Mason bees, aka Orchard bees (pictured above) are native bees and indigenous to zone 4 and fly in any weather. You can easily build homes in blocks of wood to attract them to live & winter over in your garden. They are dark blue/black in color.

Starting Seeds

 Starting seeds is rewarding......almost instant gratification as the plants quickly grow. Planting them correctly is the key. I start nearly all of my seeds in a 'seed flat' that is shown above. You can also use, plug trays, egg cartons or short 6 packs. Seedlings with stems (some grow from the crown) will benefit from being repotted once before going to the garden. Studies have shown that tomatoes benefit most from being re-potted twice before going to the garden. Yes, this is an extra step, but really benefits the plants. The stems quickly elongate as they grow. When you re-pot, you sink the stem into the new container which is deeper. So starting with a short 6-pack, you would re-pot to a deeper 6 pack.

 Lighting is critical. Sunlight the best, but unless you have a 'sunroom,' there will not be enough of it, so supplemental lights are needed. After 'repotting,' I make sure those transplants get light, no direct sun for 1-3 days, until they are recovered. How carefully you handle them, and how tangled up the roots were with their neighbors determines this.  We plant every seed separately with a bamboo skewer. Save tons of time later: dumping lots of seed and worrying about it later...doesn't work well.

Above it a basil plant. It is going from a seed flat to a 6 pack. Sorry it's blurry. Can you see the stem that I have bent into a 'u' shape. This entire stem will get set into a 6 pack just as shown, and the only visible portion will be are the green leaves above my fingers. Then a thicker stronger stem will emerge. If you want to learn how to plant seeds, I can hook you up, just lmk!

Hibiscus in March...in zone 4...REALLY?

Now, I have seen it all! One of my favorite BIG local stores, had pallets and pallets of beautiful fully leafed out hibiscus plants for sale. I asked the clerk that was arranging them, what people are supposed to do with them so early in the year? She said, "I don't know, but we are sure selling alot of them." I guess customer satisfaction or success is not a factor in the sale. It doesn't matter as long as we are 'selling alot of them.' Naturally, I spoke to the manager on my way out. Why, oh why does this happen. She claimed they have no control about what they get and when they get it. WOW. That is really a poor management strategy. "I" however, do have control over what I get and when I get it. I sell it when it's ready and the time is right! I am commited to gardener success not dissappointment. Could you have success now with a mature hibiscus, yes - if you have a sunroom. These plants are nursery grown under perfect ideal conditons, if you can replicate that - you are in luck! 

What Crazy Weather

With this early spring weather, it's hard not to get into the planting mood. Kinda like a bird trying to resist building a nest. There are many things it is okay to do and things you shouldn't do yet. We are still in climate zone 4, and can get frost up until May....2 months from now. (say it isn't so!)
OKAY stuff:
1. rake & clean-up last years debris
2. pruning
3. dividing perennials (perfect time)
4. risk planting a few peas
5. hoe around your garden plants, weed seeds are already germinating
   - disturbing them by hoeing kills them
6. moving tree & shrubs since frost is out of the ground
   - hire a tree mover for large stuff
7. draw up a plan of attack for the yard

TOO EARLY TO DO:
1. plant any annual warm weather crops in the garden
2. buy any outdoor plants with foliage that is bigger than
    what it would be in your garden. Plants from big box stores
    from California, are not going to transition well.
3. Plant tomatoes outside. Just because they may be for sale already,
    does not mean it's okay. Do not rely on store clerks to have the answers.
    Plant nurserys will have the most knowledgeable staff.

    Some of my tulips are several inches tall already. Here is 'Pink Impression.' Gorgeous!

Restrain yourself.

It's still to early to plant tomatoes outdoors......way to early. I am remembering last year in March, a big box store had them for sale. Later, I'll post all of the sweeties Earthworks will have May for sale.