April Showers

Today, we had a break in the rain...hooray! I sure hope the water table is making a comeback with all this moisture falling from the skies.

The 2015 Garden begins to give!

Here's the wrap up on the Way Back Gardens from April (look below for upcoming May activities...:):


Things have been rolling right along, with lots of progress in all the gardens.  I got a nice cool season garden planted in the raised beds of the Box Garden, and then eagerly tackled the warm-season planting checklist for the Kitchen Garden, following the average last frost date for our area (typically quoted as being April 15). Since the first two weeks of April have been warmer than usual, I took a chance on getting many of the tender transplants and seeds in the ground, although I am prepared to still have to make a mad dash to cover some tender tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, along with the boxwood basil (in the photo, right) should the weather forecast turn chilly.

I'm happy to report that I got fifteen tomato transplants in Row #1 of the Row garden, along with ten pepper plants and two eggplants...in spite of all the help I received from Abbie and Winston (pictured, below). I planted three each of Park's Improved Whoppers, Juliets, Beefsteaks, and Celebrities; and one each of German Queen, Red Beefsteak, and Better Boy. I've also planted a Bush Goliath in a container on the deck. I remembered that when setting out tomato plants, to set up stakes and cages so as not to disturb the roots later. I also reused the landscape fabric I used last year, having already cut the X-shaped holes in the fabric at just the right distance for planting tomatoes and peppers.

I planted two each (sweet) green bell, yellow bell,  red bell, and purple bell peppers; and one each of Tabasco and Dragon (hot) peppers. I still have seedlings of Better Boys, Park's Improved Whoppers, Cherokee Purple, and Black from Tula, along with Orange Blaze, Mariachi, and Fish Peppers. These will all be ready to go into containers in a couple of weeks, about the same time I plant lima beans, sweet potatoes, okra, and cotton.

Although I missed the April 15th date ("pay your taxes, plant your corn"), I did get four rows of Silver Queen corn into the (muddy, sloppy) rows in the caged Block Garden. Fingers crossed the seeds germinate! I also got seeds planted for pole beans and bush beans in a couple of the raised beds in the Box Garden, joining two kinds of broccoli (pictured below), red cabbage, carrots, spinach, beets, several varieties of lettuce (pictured below), and (for the first time) potatoes. I had a few seed potatoes left over after I planted the grow bags, so I thought I'd trial them in a raised bed "just to see how that would work."

 

 

This year, Mr. T built me a raised bed to dedicate as an herb garden, next to the area dedicated to the asparagus raised bed. While I include herbs here and there all around the Way Back, I think they are pretty enough to be stars of their own show.

We have been enjoying our asparagus, harvesting a few stalks on nearly a daily basis, since just after Easter. I didn't get into the garden for a couple of days during the rains, and a few stalks grew too tall and tough. But, it's nice to be realizing the fruits of our labors several years ago.

First asparagus shoots 2015

Rounding out the report from the Kitchen Garden, I'm happy to see that the garlic (planted in the former home to the sweet potatoes and the onions (planted at the ends of all the raised beds in the Box Garden) are all growing and looking great.

The blueberries have already flowered and are fruiting up nicely in the Berry Patch. We also are seeing lots of strawberries, even though we probably should have been more diligent about weeding and mulching the bed; but honestly I don't remember seeing this number of potential fruit before. I pruned the grape vines and the blackberries rather lightly this Spring, and they are all greening up grandly.

I'm proud to report that all the trees in the Orchard flowered this year...no frost or freeze damage! Hooray. I need to spray the trees after the last of the apple trees finish flowering to ensure some protection against the summer onslaught of pests.

And we finally got the last of the roses we'd planned to move from the back yard to the Way Back planted in the Rose Garden: Mister Lincoln, JFK, and a Chrysler Imperial. We had to remove an Abraham Darby due to suspected RRD, making a total of four roses we have lost to this disease (of which there is no cure...only removal). We planted two more hybrid teas (Pink Peace and Chicago Peace...both from Home Depot) and a Duchesse de Brabant (from Antique Rose Emporium...in memory of our departed Duchess) in containers, and that should do it for planting for this year...except for the perennials and annuals for accents, of course. There is ALWAYS an "except for...," isn't there?

So, here's what's on our 'To Do' List for May*:

Kitchen Garden:

·         May 1^st is the beginning of the recommended planting time for bush lima beans (through July 1^st), okra (through May 31^st), and both sweet and hot peppers (through May 31^st ).  May 15^th marks the date to begin planting sweet potatoes (through June 15^th).  I've got a good start on this one.

·         Continue planting pole beans (through July 1^st), cantaloupe/muskmelons (through June 1^st), sweet corn (through June 1^st), cucumbers (through May 15^th), pumpkins (through June 15^th), summer and winter squash (through May 15^th), tomato plants (through July 15^th), and watermelons (through June 1^st). I currently have transplants-from-seeds almost ready to go in my Bio Dome seed starter in the kitchen.

·         Be sure to remove any suckers on tomatoes to encourage the plant’s energy be used for larger fruit rather than side shoots. (I always attempt to root the suckers; many times I'm lucky and get a freebie tomato!). And, take the precaution I learned while in the Seeds of Change at EPCOT: remove the lower branches on tomato plants to help prevent diseases such as blights that are transferred from water splattering off soil onto leaves.

·         When planting beans (pole and/or bush) and corn, make successive plantings every two weeks to ensure a longer harvest.

·         Plant basil and dill directly in the garden this month.

Orchard and Berry Patch:

·         Fertilize blueberries, blackberries, and grapes this month.  Read more about it in the NC Cooperative Extension publication Grapes and Berries for the Garden.

Rose Garden (and perennials and annuals):

·         To prevent black spot on roses, continue a weekly fungicidal spray regimen, if you don't use the 6-week systemic variety.   The latest research says NOT to remove black spot infected leaves UNTIL you don't see anymore green...thereby giving your rose bush all the help it needs in continuing to produce chlorophyll.

·         Prepare beds for summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds, and zinnias; a location with 6 or more hours of sun each day is ideal.

 

Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in the Front and Backyard gardens:

Azaleas blooming in the back yard

 

·         May is time to plant summer-flowering bulbs, especially caladiums and gladioli. I already have some glads coming up inside a "protected" area, so they seem to have made it through the mild winter we had.



·         Prune and fertilize Spring-flowering shrubs such as azalea (pictured, left) and rhododendron after they have bloomed. We NEED to make this a hard-prune year, as ours are all rather wild looking.

 

·         Remove broadleaf weeds from all landscape planting areas. If left to grow, they will rob water and nutrients from your plants. We have brought nearly 200 bags of hardwood mulch onto our property, spreading yards and yards by cubic yards of the stuff.  We still have lots to spread in the Rose Garden.

Lawns and Grasses

·         According to the Home Lawn Calendar for May from the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education at NC State, mow tall fescue lawns at 3 to 3 ½”, and at least once each week.  This article also encourages grasscycling, which is the practice of leaving grass clippings on the lawn.  “Grass clippings decompose quickly and can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn's fertilizer needs.”  We actually use the clippings from the Way Back (around the Orchard and the Berry Patch) to "feed" the compost piles.  Good as gold!

·         Lawns need 1 to 1 ¼ inches of water per week.

Other             

• Take some time to enjoy the butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds!  We have a small raised bed Pollinator Garden in the Orchard, with a bird bath; I see that the bee balm, lavender, and pineapple lilies are returning this year...yeah! Soon, I will direct-seed zinnias to fill out the spaces.
• Move houseplants out-of-doors when the nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees. We are waiting to move the lemon trees out of the plasticized screen porch...just for their protection, since we are still getting some 45-49 degree nights.
• Be sure to incorporate finished compost into the garden,  and then begin a new compost pile. We have a wonderful barrel-type composter that Mr. T rolled out to the Row that will host the sweet potatoes and okra, so we are ready to begin the process again. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the subject from the NC Cooperative Extension publication:  Composting: A Guide to Managing Organic Yard Wastes.

Remember, May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Awareness Month.  Before you dash outside to your May gardening activities, put on a hat, sunglasses, and adequate sunscreen protection. It's also a good time to visit your dermatologist for a skin check. I'm getting a jump on that this Friday!

Happy hoeing!


==================================
* This May To Do List is updated and revised from an article I had published on GoGreenTriad.com in 2011.

Goodbye February, Hello March

What does a Piedmont/Zone 7b garden look like as the month of February comes to a close? More white than green, as the photos (taken 2/26/15) show!

Snow days, together with an enforced (left) 6-week wrist-resting period due to a diagnosis of de Quervain's Tenosynovitis, have conspired to limit my outdoor activities in February. I missed checking off most...if not all...of the items on the To Do list (as shown in this previous post). Instead, you will likely have found yours truly inside, in front of the fire, holding a steaming cup of coffee rather than a garden trowel. Still, I have continued to study seed catalogs and draw up plans for the 2015 gardens (in pencil...in my garden journal...:-).

Looking ahead to the ten-day weather forecast, it is easy to see that we are headed for warmer temps. Time to think in earnest about March!

Here's what my own "To Do in March" list looks like:

Soil: Bed and Row Preparation —

1. Our heavy Piedmont clay soil is very wet going into March, so we'll check the soil before digging, cultivating, or tilling in any of the gardens. [Walking on wet soil will cause it to compact, but we have gone completely to raised beds and raised rows, connected in a system of wide pathways.] We'll test the moisture level in the soil the old-fashioned way: make a small ball of it in the palm — if it wads up and sticks together it is too wet; if it is fairly crumbly — we are good to go to work the soil.
2. When we can work the soil in the row garden, we will add amendments, such as compost and leaf mold, to allow for better drainage. This will make the native clay soil more friable...to give the soil "good tilth." Tilth is the "physical condition of the soil as it relates to tillage ease, seedbed quality, easy seedling emergence, and deep root penetration." While peat moss is often recommended as an amendment, it adds to the acidity (decreasing the pH), and our soil test showed a typical Piedmont soil with a pH in the range of 5.2-5.9, which is too low to support (almost all) healthy, productive veggies. We've added line to raise the pH per our soil test report, so we won't use peat moss to negate all our efforts.
3. Raised beds provide better drainage, so they will be workable before the row garden. Each raised bed will get 1-2 bags of compost prior to planting, along with a fluffing up to decrease compaction from the snowfall.

Veggies and Herbs — 

1. St. Patrick's Day is the traditional time to plant English peas and potatoes. The peas will go on the fence surrounding the Block Garden, and the potatoes will go in the grow bags.
2. We hope to be seeing the first shoots of asparagus, which is in its 5th year of production in its own bed. Last fall, we covered the bed with the compost-rich soil from the potato grow bags to help keep the crowns in place during winter heaving. We should be able to enjoy harvesting this perennial for 4-5 weeks, beginning when soil temps reach 50 degrees. While asparagus dislike sharing their space with anything else, I might add some pansies here this spring. They'll add color, and we can use the blooms in salads.
3. Speaking of salads, it'll soon be time to seed lettuce, carrots, spinach, and beets. We will also be setting out transplants of broccoli and cabbage.
4. Since most herbs are Mediterranean natives, it is too early to think about planting them prior to the average last date of frost (typically quoted as April 15 for our area). It is time to give the rosemary a nice haircut, and I'll check on the other perennials (sage, thyme, and oregano). I will start seeds of annuals dill and parsley indoors, and I'll move my pots of chives outside on the inevitable warm days.

Orchard and Berry Patch — 

1. Since we haven't already done it, we will have to prune the fruit trees (including apples, pears, peaches, plum, crab apples, and a cherry), the grape vines, and the berry bushes such as blackberries. After pruning, we will spray fruit trees, berry bushes, and canes with Lime Sulfur Spray. It is organic and protects against scales, mites, and borers. It's a dormant spray, so we will have to apply before the plants begin to bud out.
2. I have concerns about the blueberry bushes, which have swollen buds that are exposed to the current snow and freezing conditions. We had a decreased harvest in 2014 due to a very late snow and hard freeze in April (which also eliminated all fruits in the Orchard). We shall see...

Roses, Grasses, Perennials, and Shrubs —

1. When the forsythia blooms, it's time to prune the roses, following the 5-D plan: removing dead, diseased, damaged (trim back winter-killed rose canes to one inch below blackened area), diagonal (crossing), and dinky (any canes smaller than a pencil). Then we will prune remaining canes to about a foot or two above ground level. (This does not apply to the climbing roses, which get pruned after blooming.)We will also begin to deal with pests now by applying a dormant spray, like All Seasons Horticultural Spray Oil. We will also transplant roses at this time.
2. We will prune summer-blooming shrubs such as butterfly bushes (buddlea) and crape myrtle (although we will avoid "crape murder"!). We will wait to prune our spring-blooming shrubs (such as forsythia and azalea) until they've finished blooming so we don't cut off this year's flowers. Since we haven't pruned the azalea for 5 years and they have all grown too tall and are not blooming as well, we plan to rejuvenate them by using "severe pruning," with the electric trimmer, "whacking" the whole plant down to within 6"- 12" of the ground. It is amazing how fast shrubs will grow back following this severe pruning and they will have much better form and flowers in coming years.
3. We will cut back the dead stems of any perennials or grasses before or as the plants put out new growth. On the lamppost in the front yard, we have a jackmanii Clematis in pruning Group 3, which blooms on new wood. They can be cut nearly to the ground just before growth begins in March before new growth begins.

That should give us plenty to do, don't you think?!

Happy hoeing!

Wrap Up for April; To Do's for Zone 7 Garden in May

Here's the wrap up on the Way Back Garden from April (look below for the May activities...:):

View of Kitchen Garden with new corner fences:
Lettuces, spinach, broccoli, and cabbage in foreground;
Early corn under cover in back. Taken 4/28/12

Things have been rolling right along, with lots of progress in all the gardens.  I eagerly tackled the planting checklist for the Kitchen Garden, following the average last frost date for our area (typically quoted as being April 15). Since we had experienced a later than usual frost, I had held off on getting many of the transplants and seeds in the ground (although I still had to make a mad dash 4/22/12 to cover some tender tomatoes and boxwood basil (in the photo, right) when I heard the weather forecast).

I'm happy to report that I got eight tomato transplants in, along with seven pepper plants. In the tomato row, I planted a German Johnson, a Marglobe, a Bush Goliath, two Early Girls, a Lemon Boy, a Bonnie Select, and a Rutgers. In the pepper row, I planted four sweet green bell peppers, a yellow bell, an early bell (which matures to red), and a Cubanelle. I still have seedlings of Better Boys, Jet Stars, Romas, and Juliets under grow lamps, along with Fish Peppers. These will all be ready to go into the garden in a couple of weeks, about the same time I plant the next four rows of corn.

I also got seeds planted for pole beans, bush beans, okra, yellow and zucchini squash, cantaloupes, watermelons, and cucumbers. Following a re-read of Louise Riotte's Carrots Love Tomatoes: The Secrets of Companion Planting (a new copy of which I downloaded to my iPad's Nook ap...:), I've interplanted herbs and flowers, such as basil and marigolds in the tomato row and nasturtiums with the squash...attempting to add some natural pest control. (I already have sage and onions planted with the cabbages and the broccoli.)

The blueberries and the blackberries have already flowered and are fruiting up nicely in the Berry Patch.  We knew if we wanted to have any fruit this year, we'd better get the bird nets up, so we did.  We also are seeing lots of strawberries, even though we probably should have removed all the flowers this year (per usual instructions for a new bed) to let them take root...as this is a new bed from the runners of the old bed (formerly in the space now occupied by the Rose Garden)...but I ask you, who can remove the pretty flowers?  Not I.

And I'm proud to report Mr. T put the last three trees in the Orchard, and got the last order of the English roses planted in the Rose Garden. We have three more hybrid teas on order, and that should do it for planting for this year...except for the perennials and annuals for accents, of course. There is ALWAYS an "except for...," isn't there?

So, here's what's on our 'To Do' List for May*:

Kitchen Garden:

·         May 1^st is the beginning of the recommended planting time for bush lima beans (through July 1^st), okra (through May 31^st), and both sweet and hot peppers (through May 31^st ).  May 15^th marks the date to begin planting sweet potatoes (through June 15^th).  I've got a good start on this one.

·         Continue planting pole beans (through July 1^st), cantaloupe/muskmelons (through June 1^st), sweet corn (through June 1^st), cucumbers (through May 15^th), pumpkins (through June 15^th), summer and winter squash (through May 15^th), tomato plants (through July 15^th), and watermelons (through June 1^st).

·         When setting out tomato plants, set up stakes or cages so you won’t disturb the roots later.  Be sure to remove any suckers to encourage the plant’s energy be used for larger fruit rather than side shoots. (I always attempt to root the suckers; many times I'm lucky and get a freebie tomato!)

·         When planting beans (pole and/or bush) and corn, make successive plantings every two weeks to ensure a longer harvest.

·         Plant basil and dill directly in your garden this month.

Orchard and Berry Patch:

·         Fertilize blueberries, blackberries, and grapes this month.  Read more about it in the NC Cooperative Extension publication Grapes and Berries for the Garden.

Rose Garden (and perennials and annuals):

·         To prevent black spot on roses, continue a weekly fungicidal spray regimen, if you don't use the 6-week systemic variety.   The latest research says NOT to remove black spot infected leaves UNTIL you don't see anymore green...thereby giving your rose bush all the help it needs in continuing to produce chlorophyll.

·         Prepare beds for summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds, and zinnias; a location with 6 or more hours of sun each day is ideal.

• Additionally, on our list is to finish the Rose Garden Patio I wrote about in an earlier post.  We are installing three lattices that will support beautiful red mandevillas.   

Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in the Front and Back yard gardens:

·         It’s time to plant summer-flowering bulbs, especially caladiums and gladioli. I already have some glads coming up that seem to have made it through the mild winter we had.  We shall see...

Our rhodo in full bloom in April.
Time to fertilize and prune in May.

·         Prune and fertilize Spring-flowering shrubs such as azalea and rhododendron (photo, right) after they have bloomed.

·         Remove broadleaf weeds from all landscape planting areas. If left to grow, they will rob water and nutrients from your plants.

Lawns and Grasses

·         According to the Home Lawn Calendar for May from the Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education at NC State, mow tall fescue lawns at 3 to 3 ½”, and at least once each week.  This article also encourages grasscycling, which is the practice of leaving grass clippings on the lawn.  “Grass clippings decompose quickly and can provide up to 25 percent of the lawn's fertilizer needs.”  We actually use the clippings from the Way Back (around the Orchard and the Berry Patch) to "feed" the compost piles.  Good as gold!

·         Lawns need 1 to 1 ¼ inches of water per week.

Other             

• Take some time to enjoy the butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds!  Remember to use low toxicity pesticides to protect these beautiful and beneficial creatures.  And, even though Neem Oil is marketed as an Organic spray, it is still toxic to bees...so don't spray when in the morning when bees are most active.
• Move houseplants out-of-doors when the nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.  
• After incorporating finished compost into your garden, begin a new compost pile. Or, make this the year that you start composting.  Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the subject from the NC Cooperative Extension publication:  Composting: A Guide to Managing Organic Yard Wastes.

Remember, May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Awareness Month.  Before you dash outside to your May gardening activities, put on a hat, sunglasses, and adequate sunscreen protection.

Happy hoeing!


==================================
* This May To Do List is updated and revised from an article I had published on GoGreenTriad.com in 2011.

What To Do in Your Garden in February

Let's face it.  Here in Zone 7, the month of February can be such a tease.  One day (like today) it's 48 degrees.  Another day (like last weekend), it's 68 degrees.  And yet another (like our forecast for tomorrow sounds), "38 with possible snow flurries."  What's a gardener to do?

Create a checklist of things that you can do, including some indoor activities for those bitterly cold days you know are standing between you and Spring.  Before we get to the checklist for February, be sure you've done the following first:





Soil testing in the veggie garden - 2011


1. Create your plan, if you didn't do this in January, including your kitchen garden (veggies, herbs, and edible flowers), your orchard, your berry patch, your flower and speciality gardens (such as a rose bed, bog or wetland garden, and containers), and your lawn and natural areas.  Get some graph paper to make it easier to draw your plan to scale, or invest in a software application that will do this for you, if so inclined.
2. Do your soil testing (photo, right) to determine what your soil needs for optimal conditions for what you plan to plant there, if you didn't do this in January.  Here in North Carolina, soil testing is free (as of today...:); you can obtain the soil test boxes and instructions from your county extension office.  Be aware that the longer you wait to submit your soil test(s), the longer it will take to receive the results.  This is the same time of the year that farmers are submitting their tests, too, so the line will be substantially longer than if you did your soil testing in December or January.  You will need to re-test every 3-5 years.
3. Contribute to your Garden Journal on a regular basis.  Keeping a record may sound like a time-consuming chore, but it is actually a time-saving tool.  You will be able to review what you did in the past, what worked, what you would change or do differently.  You will also have access to what your garden looked like two, three, or ten years ago...without having to rely on memory alone.  Consider creating a spreadsheet to keep track of monthly chores and planting activities.  Or, use one of the one's found by an online search.  Here's a link to one by the Farmer's Almanac folks that you can adjust by entering your own zip code:  http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/NC/High%20Point

Checklist for February, Zone 7, Piedmont of North Carolina --



First rows tilled in 2011
Peas planted

 Kitchen Garden:

• Select seeds from catalogs as early as possible.  Some varieties do sell out rapidly, especially some of the heirlooms.  Visit websites for the most up-to-date information.   Check out the extension service for your area to find suggested varieties that do well in your climate and soil, such as the one by the North Carolina Extension Service:  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/hil-8103.pdf
• When the weather permits...and the soil is dry enough to work...till a few rows to prepare for planting early Spring crops (photo, right/above)
• According to the Wyatt-Quarles Seed Company's Seed Guide, you can plant the following, beginning February 1st:
• cabbage plants (Early Jersey Wakefield, Stonehead Hybrid, All Seasons);
• carrots (seeds of Danvers Half-Long or Imperator);
• endive (Green Curled)
• mustard (Southern Giant Curled, Tendergreen, Florida Broadleaf, Old Fashion);
• onion sets (Silver Skin, Yellow Danvers); garden ("English") peas (Super Sugar Snap for edible pods; Early Alaska, Wando);
• radish (Early Scarlet Globe, Cherry Belle, White Icicle);
• spinach (Dark Green Bloomsdale, Hybrid 7); and
• turnip (Purple Top White Globe, Seven Top for greens only, Just Right Hybrid)
• Beginning February 15th, you can plant:
• beets (Detroit Dark Red)
• broccoli plants (Italian Green Sprouting, Premium Crop)
• kale (Dwarf Curled Scotch, Early Siberian)
• kohlrabi (White Vienna)
• leaf lettuce (Salad Bowl, Buttercrunch, Black-seeded Simpson, Romaine)
• head lettuce (Great Lakes, Iceberg)
• As the end of the month approaches, you can start the following seeds indoors for transplanting later:
• tomatoes
• pepper plants
• some herbs
• If you have overwintered the plants, divide thyme and chives.

Orchard and Berry Patch:

• Plant fruit trees, blueberry and blackberry bushes, and grape vines.
• Prune established grape vines.
• Prune fruit trees.

Flowers, Scrubs, and Trees:

• Plant or transplant trees and scrubs.
• Plant bare-root roses.
• Divide perennials like day lilies and daisies.
• Prune trees and evergreen shrubs; however, wait until after blooming to prune forsythia and azaleas.
• Fertilize spring bulbs as soon as you see the leaves breaking through the ground; remember to leave the leaves on daffodils, even after the flowers bloom in order to feed the bulb for next year's growth.

Other:

• On those bitter cold days, tend to your indoor garden:  check all houseplants for pests or any signs of stress or disease; trim off any dead leaves; and make sure you are watering with room temperature water and diluted fertilizer solutions. 
• On milder days, clean up debris and downed limbs from the garden areas.
• Perform any required maintenance on mowers, tillers, and power tools to get them ready for the coming season.
• Clean and sharpen all garden tools, especially if not done at the end of the season last Fall.
• Check all garden furniture to see what needs painting or repairing.
• Check out garden catalogs, websites, and the library for new gardening titles to read on those indoor-only days.  On that note, I will be reviewing the book, "Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness," in a coming post. Watch for it!
• Be sure to keep up with your own off-season exercise program.  You do NOT want those muscles to go unused all Winter...and then feel every single one of them come the first warm day of Spring.  Let's be building our core strength in preparation of what lies ahead for us.  

See, we have plenty to do, even though we can't be in the garden every day of February.

Happy Hoeing!


======================================================
Sources for information for this post include:

• Piedmont Gardeners Almanac, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
• The Smithsonian Garden Journal, Galison Books, 1987
• Wyatt-Quarles Seed Company's Vegetable Planting Guide, available online at:  http://www.wqseeds.com/documents/WQVegPlantGuide-revised.pdf