SEEDS ARE GROWING

All the seeds are prospering in my green room including these peppers which will be ready to plant in the garden around about May 15. Early cole crops, in my case broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower are beginning to be hardened-off. These cool season veggies sat out of doors for 2 hours today, basking in the sun.
I took advantage of this sunny afternoon to fertilize my Alliums, Globemasters, A. christophii with a 10-10-10 plus a sprinkling of bonemeal.
Mary Sue Colaizzi

CORRECTION

“Those aren’t green peppers!” I have always promoted adequate marking of seeds because many look alike immediately after germination. Well, peppers don’t. They have pointy little first leaves. Unfortunately, I couldn’t snap a picture of new green pepper seedlings as they have already sprouted their second leaves.

In my defense, the popsicle stick marker was marked G. P. Could it have been geraniums, pink? My system needs a little fine tuning or bigger popsicle sticks that accommodate more than initials.

Thanks you, Anna. It's good to see that this blog is getting read!

FERTILIZING DAFFODILS

Fall is the best time to fertilize daffodils. Root development takes place until the soil temperature fall below 40` and resumes in the spring. However, if you forgot to do it then or couldn’t recall their placement in the garden, this weekend is the last opportunity to fertilize daffodils. It’s been my experience that raking back the mulch and broadcasting a granular fertilizer , then replacing the mulch will boost the energy for producing foliage and flowers.

In the fall it is best to use a 5-10-12 or bone meal but now a 5-10-10 is best.

Mary Sue Colaizzi

Grow it Eat it

Below is an excerpt from an interesting site from the University of Maryland that you may want to check out. Link to the site is posted under Gardening Links. Do you want to eat fresh organic food?; get more exercise?; reduce stress?; be more self-reliant?; have fun? We can show you how to grow your own vegetables, fruits, herbs, and salad greens. The Grow It Eat It campaign is a joint venture between The Maryland Master Gardener program and the Home and Garden Information Center - to address the growing need of Marylanders to learn how to start and maintain successful food gardens. This initiative is driven by the deep recession and the public desire for locally grown food and a connection to the soil.

Growing Greens in a Salad Table

A shallow frame filled with compost and soil less potting mix.	You can grow lettuce, arugula, Asian greens and other tasty salad greens.
Cut the greens when 6-8 inches tall. The plants will re-grow for a second harvest!	Salad boxes are great for decks, porches, and balconies!

MID MARCH GARDENING CALENDER

For the second half of March:

· Plant cool-season crops (peas, lettuce, cabbage, onions, kale, broccoli, radishes, and turnips) if weather conditions permit.

· Harden off young tender plants, even hardy varieties, before transplanting in the garden to reduce the chance of frost damage. Place them outdoors in a protected spot from the cool spring winds. Gradually reduce water and temperature to allow plants to toughen up so they will be able to tolerate their new living environment.

· If a pre-emergence weed control is going to be used on the lawn, apply it now. Please read and follow all label directions.

· Leave mulch over strawberries until the plants begin to grow. At that time, the mulch must be removed to allow leaves to develop in the light.

· Prune hedges before new growth begins.

· Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons with acid-type fertilizer.

Maggie Moore-Orth
Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University

Time to Start Seeds Indoors

With all of that beautiful snow that covered the ground and now the soggy soil, you may be feeling like you are never going to be able to get out there and work in the vegetable garden. Well think again. This is the perfect time to start some of your seeds indoors and you don’t even need the light to do it. Some seeds actually prefer the darkness to germinate. A few examples are asclepias (butterfly weed), amaranthus, some asters, gazania, melampodium, verbena, vinca, zinnia, moonflower vine, eggplant, cantaloupe and cilantro.
If you want to start them indoors, place them in a dark tray and cover with a dark dome or use something that will block out the light. Once the seeds germinate remove the cover and grow as you normally would either with a sunny window or a grow light. If you are thinking of growing cantaloupe, hold off seeding until early April; it germinates quickly.

Many seeds have a very long germination rate. To name a few that can take up to 21 days to germinate are: perennial asters, ascelepias, dragon wing begonias, heliotrope, pentas, moonflower vine, hot peppers, dill, lavender, rosemary, parsley, oregano. So start them now and don’t forget to check them every couple of days to make sure that the soil has not dried out. Most of the mentioned plants are also very slow growers and you’ll want some size to them before planting outside in the garden.
Sharon Cohee

Early Spring Hydrangea Care

Our early spring weather has allowed us to get a jump on spring chores. I spent the afternoon with my hydrangeas. Cleaning out the dead leaves and winter debris that has logged around the base is very important for the health of the new shoots. Cutting out the dead wood, at the base of the plant, was next on the agenda. I pulled away all of last years mulch to prepare for fertilization.

It has been my experience that my hydrangeas (Nikko Blues) do best with 2 fertilizations a year, one at the very beginning of May and then another smaller dose following bloom, usually at the end of July. There are specific fertilizers for hydrangeas but I just use a 10-10-10 and they do fine.

Mary Sue Colaizzi

Tired of Winter

I'm tired of winter! It's suppose to be in the 60s this weekend so I will be gardening:
cutting back my beauty berry (Callicarpa), caryopteris(Caryopteris x clandonensis) ;
Reliance grapes and pulling the weeds that wintered over. How are they so successful at that?
Mary Sue Colaizzi

EARLY MARCH GARDENING CALENDAR

By Maggie L. Moor

Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University

Here’s your gardening calendar for March.

For the first half of March:

· Finish pruning shrubs and ornamental trees, except spring flowering shrubs before growth starts. Prune spring flowering shrubs (lilac, forsythia, etc.), as soon as they finish flowering.

· In addition, finish pruning home fruit trees. Do not leave stubs; they usually die and become great entry ways for fungus.

· To prevent the infection of fungal spores and bacteria into the plant as a result of fresh cuts, do not prune in damp or wet weather.

· Plan your vegetable garden on paper. Use space efficiently and rotate vegetables to reduce insect and disease problems.

· Turn your compost pile or start one.

· If soil is dry enough, begin primary soil tillage.

· Add soil nutrients based on results of soil test.

· To support newly transplanted trees from spring winds, use flexible ties between rigid stakes.

· If weeds are beginning to grow in flower bulb beds, pull them by hand to prevent disturbing the bulbs and roots.

· Spray home fruit trees (apples and pears) before buds swell with dormant oil and when temperatures are not likely to drop below 40^o for twenty-four hours.

· Spray peaches with Ferbam or Lime sulfur. No spray is needed for cherries or plums at this time.

· Fertilize trees, roses, shrubs and evergreens.