February Gardening Jobs

Sunny but still bitterly cold, garden is at work getting ready for spring. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

February Gardening Chores

The ground where I live in USDA Hardiness zone 5 till hasn’t frozen this winter so I may sneak some trees still in their pots into the ground on a warm day.

Some of our big box stores have seed offerings and seed starting kits for sale, something I try to stay away from so that I’m not tempted to bring every single one of them home.

Still time to sneak tulip bulbs into the ground for late spring blooming. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The following are my typical February gardening chores:

• Locate downed tree trunks and use them to border flower beds. As the tree trunks decompose, they will improve soil. I tend to wait until the tree trunks dry out, much lighter and easier to move.

• Pressure is on so if you haven’t made a dent in your reading pile, get a start, spring is only 47 days away.

•  If you haven’t ordered your favorite gardening catalogs, get them ordered. Look for catalogs with detailed plant descriptions and good photographs so you can use them for reference.  Missouri Wildflowers Catalog has lovely pictures, even old catalogs are still good references. www.mowildflowers.net. For heirloom seeds, try Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at www.rareseeds.com, both are Missouri nurseries.

• Update garden diary entries. If you’ve missed a few entries, add them now. Underline items you wanted to get done this year. I make a list, then decide which projects I want to tackle. I also carry over the ones I didn’t get to last year, or drop them off the master list. This is a good time to plan, and to dream.

• Focus on adding native plants. Once established, they will be low care and tend to require less water than other plants. They also have an established relationship with hey native pollinators. They are connected. Check out George O. White State Forest Nursery, they may still have some seedlings left. Order even if they say sold out, you may still get the seedlings if the previous person didn’t pay for their order.

• On warm days, remember to water mums planted this past year. New mums need a gallon a month to keep their roots moist their first year. Once established, mums will become perennials and deter bugs from around where they are planted.

• Pile mulch and leaves on garden beds if they’ve been blown off by winter winds.

• Check inside plants for any hitchhiking bugs and remove. Make sure they are getting their sunlight needs met. If not, move them. Water with diluted fertilizer. Prune as necessary.

• Drop your garden pruners and other garden tools off to get sharpened, this is a slow time of year and this will give you a head start on the season.

• When feeding birds, add a little sand in the bird feeder mix. Birds need sand to help them digest seeds. Also ensure they have an available water source. Feed suet on cold days.

• If you have fish in an outside pond, make sure it has a hole in the ice so fish will get oxygen.

Charlotte

January Gardening Jobs

Keep newly-planted mums, right, mulched and watered through winter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins

January Gardening Jobs

I know, on paper mid-Missouri is listed as the new US Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 6A. I’m not convinced so I garden to Hardiness Zone 5.

According to US Department of Agriculture, the Hardiness Zones are based on the average annual minimum winter temperature divided into 10-degree F zones, which give a range of temperatures for a certain plant or tree. The hardiness zones for the Midwest fluctuate more than other zones but average Zones 4, 5 and 6. The zones for Missouri can be found here.

These zones are averaged over 13 years and adjusted accordingly. There may be major adjustments in a couple of years due to our rapidly changing climate. Predictions for the Midwest have included longer springs and falls, shorter winters and summers; and higher summer temperatures. These changes are occurring very fast, challenging nature to adjust.

Those temperature swings mean we can still have winters that need hardier plants to survive.

The following are some of my January gardening jobs:

1.  Does dreaming count as a job? It does if you’re a gardener and beekeeper in January. It’s downtime to review last year’s diaries and plan for this year.

2. An order of spring bulbs came in last year; something I forgot I ordered so I’m slowly getting those bulbs into the ground since our soil has not frozen over again this year.

3. I also mulch roses, new seedlings, newly-planted mums and my nursery stash to protect them from changing temperatures.

4. Identify what plants you want to add this year and note what soil and sun requirements they will need. Focus on adding native plants. Once established, native plants will be low care and excel in local soil and weather conditions. Natives also have a relationship with local insects, pollinators and birds.

5. Plan on expanding flowerbeds to start removing grass from your property. Expanding flowerbeds will give you areas to plant vegetables as well as flowers and provide more food for pollinators. One way to start expanding flowerbeds is to place cardboard along the existing flowerbed edge and then move the flower bed border early spring. Mulch on the cardboard will keep the garden looking nice and help restore healthy soil conditions.

 6. Order catalogs you have used in the past and share catalogs you don’t need or use. One of my favorites is the Missouri Wildflowers Nursery Native Plants catalog, it has lovely pictures with a quick guide on what growing conditions native plants require and they offer great plant starts.

7. Order locally-adapted seed catalogs. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is a favorite seed catalog from Mansfield, Missouri.

8. Read. Whether it is gardening books, gardening catalogs and beekeeping magazines, catch up on what you couldn’t get to last year.

9. Remove broken limbs in pathways to keep walkways clear and safe.

10. On warm days, pile mulch and leaves on garden beds if they’ve been blown off by winter winds. Mulch will help keep the soil temperature even and reduce the thawing and heaving that causes plant damage.

11. Check inside plants for any hitchhiking bugs and remove. Make sure they are getting their sunlight needs met. If not, move them. Water with diluted fertilizer. Prune as necessary, I use metal sewing thread snips. The thread snips make it easy to trim plants and keep them bushy.

12. Drop your garden pruners and other garden tools to get sharpened. Home and garden centers with service departments can usually sharpen tools.

13.  Start scouting where you can install rain barrels and totes to collect rain water off your gutter system. Observe what happens to rain and photograph so you can refer to the rain pattern later.

14. Enjoy the lower winter activity; even gardeners need time to rejuvenate.

Charlotte

Spring Pots Garden

This was my 2020 pot garden with peas, lettuce and spinach. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photos)

Spring Pots Garden

Planting in pots is a very easy way to get a handy garden growing without having to set up raised beds and new garden spots. And you can easily move them to capture better sunny spots, rain or get them out of the way. I also like moving some of my pots with herbs inside over winter.

I have been using pots for a couple of decades now so some of my pots look well-loved. I added compost last fall so that melting snow and rain could help keep the soil hydrated and invigorated.

If you are just starting, start with a basic potting soil without added fertilizer if you can find it. That way you can supplement as needed and better control what you are providing your plants. You don’t need fertilizer for seedlings.

This year I once again planted a personal favorite, radishes, and used cut up blinds with Garden Markers to note what was in the pot.

Radish seedlings are getting a good start in my 2021 pot garden. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

I also enjoy fresh grown greens so I have lettuce and spinach in other pots.

I collect good castors so that I can easily move the pots when I need to relocate them.

Punctured plastic bottles help keep my pot garden hydrated. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The other curiosity about my pots are the plastic bottles sitting in the middle. Those have holes around the sides and bottom to help keep the soil hydrated. When watering, I place the water in the plastic bottle and let it slowly trickle into the soil.

So far the radishes are starting to come up and I see some teeny tiny lettuce plants. Other people herald spring with interesting traditions. Getting my deck pots garden is mine!

Charlotte

March Gardening Jobs

Time to level bird baths and garden decor that fell over during winter. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins phot

March Gardening Jobs

March is the beginning of spring and daffodil days in my garden; one of my former neighbors used to refer to my garden as “Daffodilland.” The weather can also be a little challenging in USDA Hardiness zone 5 so March can be a hit and miss month in terms of getting a lot done.

1. The forecast for March 2022 is a late winter.

2. Time to get birdhouses repaired and hanging in my garden. Attracting birds is a great way to manage unwanted bugs without using insecticides and pesticides.

The birdhouses also serve as homes for paper wasps, a wonderful pollinator we often find on porches and other unwanted areas. By giving them an alternative home, they can still pollinate gardens without getting in the way.

3.     Prune and fertilize roses. On the first warm day, I remove all dead branches so the new growth will have room. I also add coffee grounds, banana peels, Epsom salts and crushed egg shells mixed into the soil around the base of the plants. Gently, you don’t want to tear up the roots. Also a good time to mulch.

4.     Plant onion sets around roses to keep bugs at bay. Three for miniature roses, 5-6 for the larger roses.

5. Prune fruit trees. Nothing elaborate, I make sure the branches don’t cross and are open in the center. Also mulch. Make a tire around the base leaving the space up at the tree trunk open.

6.     My hellebores and ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum get the old greenery cut off so any new growth gets to shine. The Sedum starts look like tiny green roses close to the ground.

This is a good time to remodel your birdhouses to keep your natural pest control happy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

7.     Mulch. My over-wintering mulch pile is ready to spread over new areas that need cover for the season and areas that lost cover over winter. Good time to load up the wheelbarrow and keep a supply at hand.

8.     If you didn’t get your lettuce and spinach out in February, get them planted this month.

9.     March and St. Patrick’s Day is also the time to plant potatoes, radishes and carrots.

10.     The last frost day for this zone is Mother’s Day in May so it’s a little too early to get much else planted and much too early to move tropical plants outside, even if you are ready to toss them out on their aggravating dropping leaves by now. Give them a little rainwater and that will help tide them over for another month or so.

11.  Also check inside plants for bugs. Look under leaves and if you see white bugs, clean off with a damp cloth wet with water and dishwashing liquid. Spray soil with a few drops of dishwashing liquid in water in a spray bottle to get rid of eggs. Start watering with ¼ strength fertilizer since days are getting longer.

12. Time to get lettuce seeds and onion starts in pots. They don’t mind the cold spring weather.

13. Take time to enjoy the sunshine and look for spring-blooming plants!

 Charlotte

Time to Test Soil

Getting soil samples is as easy as scooping up soil from around your garden. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Time to Test Soil

As spring fever hits, this is the perfect time to get your soil tested. Of all of the things we can do to make our gardens better, knowing what kind of soil we have, and what will grow best in it, is by far the most important step we can take. And it tends to cure black thumbs!

A sil test will help assess the current state of your soil and make recommendations of how to improve it for what you want to plant.

I did my first soil test through the University of Missouri Extension a couple of decades ago and repeat it every 2-3 years. Working a Missouri limestone hillside into a garden, it’s helpful to monitor how the soil amendments I have added change the soil composition.

Soil is assessed on a scale of 1-14. A middle seven is neutral. The chart extremes are sweet, higher than 7+ , and bitter, lower than 7. That’s what the Ph designation tells you. To successfully grow most plants, you want a good solid seven. On either end, blueberries and hydrangeas prefer a little more acid growing conditions; butterfly bushes and lilacs prefer sweeter soil.

How to Collect Soil for Sampling

Using a freezer bag, collect 1 1/2 cups of soil from 6-8 spots around the garden from about 6 inches deep - if you can dig that deep.

Seal it up and take it to your local University of Missouri Extension office with $15. You will need to tell them what kind of plants you want to raise to get the most out of your soil test results.

Within a couple of weeks, the soil test report will be emailed to you with the results and recommendations, as appropriate.

The following are a couple of soil test examples, starting with a home garden.

Example Home Garden Soil Test

This home garden soil test shows recommendations at bottom. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The soil test results are a little different for a field soil test.

Example Field Soil Test

A field test soil example covers more elements. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

My One Acre Limestone Hillside Soil Test April 2019

Over the years, friends have asked how I grow what I grow on a limestone hillside garden, where my first neighbors said “nothing would grow.” For 35 years i have concentrated on adding organic matter to existing soil and being kind to the soil I do have.

My limestone hillside garden soil test from April 2019. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

How to Improve Soil

At first blush, my Missouri limestone hillside garden should be acidic because I let the oak leaves fall on garden beds and only rake those that get in my way. Leaves, by the way, are excellent mulch and provide winter cover for a number of beneficial insects.

To improve my soil - well, actually to create soil - I added wood chips from our local recycling center along with compost. In addition, shredded leaves with grass clippings were also incorporated. These were added after the wood chips and shredded leaves sit for a few months as a mulch cover.

And to naturally enrich soil, I have wildlife branch piles that have encouraged rabbits, which add to enriching the soil. And they’re big. I snuck out into my apiary at 4 a.m. to close up a hive a couple of years ago and was astounded at the wildlife moving around, including one very large (and quite surprised as I was) rabbit. Maybe it was because I was standing down hill and the rabbit was uphill but that was one big “bun bun.”

Regardless of your soil test results, the best way to improve soil is to compost. Compost helps to feed the microorganisms in soil that keep plants healthy. You can start by composting kitchen scraps and gradually move to composters and composting bins. It really is the best thing you can do for your soil and plants and not hard to do once you establish the habit.

Did you know soil is not replaceable? Let’s take good cre of the soil we have!

Charlotte

Checking Dead Mum Tops

Fun to find signs of life in the leaf mulch. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Checking Dead Mum Tops

I confess, one of the things I enjoy doing mid winter is checking my chrysanthemums for new growth. It’s easy to do because I water these garden additions after planting them in the fall. They need their roots to be kept moist through winter so they can get themselves established. About 1-2 gallons a month, on the average, assuming you aren’t getting natural rain and melted snow.

See the little green down the center? (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Besides being hardy and long-lasting cut flowers, mums are also natural bug deterrents.

Now I know it’s tempting to cut off that ugly dry top but don’t, those dry branches are protecting the brand new growth underneath and usually in the protected center.

The new growth is protected in the plant center. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Without damaging the dry top of the plants, I move the dried branches gently aside to see if there is anything green in the bottom. Sometimes it seems impossible that anything is growing and then out of the corner of my eye I catch a little sprig of green.

Another sign of new growth, this time off to the side. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Once you become familiar with what beginning mum growth looks like you can’t miss it.

Sometimes the growth won’t be in the plant center but off to a side. That will work, that just means the plant roots developed there.

Once you’ve peeked, move everything back. If you can, protect the young green starts with mulch, leaves, branches, anything you have handy to keep the starts warm.

And yes, a new mum will grow from this tiny start. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

And this is the biggest, or smallest, surprise of them all. A sliver of a green start, just a little dab, can turn into a healthy blooming plant by fall so don’t give up on those little green starts.

After this first year of winter watering, the plants should be able t take care of themselves. And I happen to think they are well worth the effort!

Charlotte

Free Milkweed Seeds

Live Monarch Foundation does indeed provide free milkweed seeds. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Free Milkweed Seeds

I don’t always believe free offers but I was curious about this one. Especially since Monarch butterflies need all of the help they can get. Milkweed is their food of choice but property development across their migrating routes have made it harder for them to find the food they need.

Enter Live Monarch.com, an organization helping to promote planting milkweed. If you send them a self-addressed, stamped envelope they will send you a few milkweed seeds appropriate to your growing area.

The free seeds include handy instructions of how to plant them. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

In addition, they include good instructions on how to grow the milkweed plants.

I am going to winter seed in milk jugs, an easy way to get these started before getting them into the garden.

Charlotte

February Gardening Chores

Sunny but still bitterly cold, garden is at work getting ready for spring. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

February Gardening Chores

The ground where I live in USDA Hardiness zone 5 till hasn’t frozen this winter so I may sneak some trees still in their pots into the ground on warm day.

Some of our big box stores have seed offerings and seed starting kits for sale, something I try to stay away from so that I’m not tempted to bring every single one of them home.

Still time to sneak tulip bulbs into the ground for late spring blooming. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

The following are my typical February gardening chores in USDA Hardiness Zone 5:

• Locate downed tree trunks and use them to border flower beds. As the tree trunks decompose, they will improve soil. I tend to wait until the tree trunks dry out, much lighter and easier to move.

• Pressure is on so if you haven’t made a dent in your reading pile, get a start, spring is only 47 days away.

•  If you haven’t ordered your favorite gardening catalogs, get them ordered. Look for catalogs with detailed plant descriptions and good photographs so you can use them for reference.  Missouri Wildflowers Catalog has lovely pictures, even old catalogs are still good references. www.mowildflowers.net. For heirloom seeds, try Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at www.rareseeds.com, both are Missouri nurseries.

• Update garden diary entries. If you’ve missed a few entries, add them now. Underline items you wanted to get done this year. I make a list, then decide which projects I want to tackle. I also carry over the ones I didn’t get to last year, or drop them off the master list. This is a good time to plan, and to dream.

• Focus on adding native plants. Once established, they will be low care and tend to require less water than other plants. They also have an established relationship with hey native pollinators. They are connected. Check out George O. White State Forest Nursery, they may still have some seedlings left. Order even if they say sold out, you may still get the seedlings if the previous person didn’t pay for their order.

• On warm days, remember to water mums planted this past year. New mums need a gallon a month to keep their roots moist their first year. Once established, mums will become perennials and deter bugs from around where they are planted.

• Pile mulch and leaves on garden beds if they’ve been blown off by winter winds.

• Check inside plants for any hitchhiking bugs and remove. Make sure they are getting their sunlight needs met. If not, move them. Water with diluted fertilizer. Prune as necessary.

• Drop your garden pruners and other garden tools off to get sharpened, this is a slow time of year and this will give you a head start on the season.

• When feeding birds, add a little sand in the bird feeder mix. Birds need sand to help them digest seeds. Also ensure they have an available water source. Feed suet on cold days.

• If you have fish in an outside pond, make sure it has a hole in the ice so fish will get oxygen.

Charlotte

Saving Rain Water

Repurpose broken garden fountains to collect gutter rain water. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Saving Rain Water

California gardening friends have been sharing their challenges of living through an extended drought. As our climate continues to rapidly change, temperatures in the Midwest will increase leaving longer springs and falls and shorter winters and summers. Less water is also part of the projections so whatever we can do to retain rain water is a good idea.

Besides water totes hooked up to my rain gutter system, I also use a repurposed garden fountain under a rain gutter at the front of my house..

Make sure to place the center hole where water can enter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This plastic container has channelled rain water into the holding container for many years. Rain fills up the top piece and, once full, water spills into the container through the center opening.

The old garden pump looks pretty at the house corner and is a handy water source for plants that live on the porch during the growing season.

Last year, the main container sprung a leak so I shopped for a liner. Frankly it wasn’t easy to find until I saw this plastic container.

This garden fountain sprung a leak so I added a plastic basket liner. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This plastic “bag” fits the container and holds several gallons of rain water.

I use a plastic coffee container to scoop out the water and move it to the nearby plants.

Charlotte

January Gardening Tips

Keep newly-planted mums, right, mulched and watered through winter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins

January Gardening Tips

January used to be the month when a gardener could sit back and do some of the most important work: planning. We’ve had record high temperatures in USDA Hardiness Zone 5, turning growing conditions into early spring rather than winter. I have roses and lilacs budding and bees looking for something to do.

According to US Department of Agriculture, the Hardiness Zones are based on the average annual minimum winter temperature divided into 10-degree F zones, which give a range of temperatures for a certain plant or tree. The hardiness zones for the Midwest fluctuate more than other zones but average Zones 4,5 and 6. The zones for Missouri can be found here.

These zones are averaged over 13 years and adjusted accordingly. There may be major adjustments in a couple of years due to our rapidly changing climate. Predictions for the Midwest have included longer springs and falls, shorter winters and summers; and higher summer temperatures. These changes are occurring very fast, challenging nature to adjust.

The following are some of my January gardening tips and chores:

1.  We have winter storms in our New Year’s forecast so I got the last of my bulbs in the still soft ground before winter makes its first appearance and freezes the ground.

2. I also mulch roses, new seedlings, newly-planted mums and my nursery stash to protect them from changing temperatures.

3. Review your garden diary from last year. Underline items you want to get done this year. I also carry over the ones I didn’t get to last year, or drop them off the master list. This is a good time to dream.

4. Identify what plants you want to add this year and note what soil and sun requirements they will need. Focus on adding native plants. Once established, native plants will be low care and excel in local soil and weather conditions. Natives also have a relationship with local insects, pollinators and birds.

5. Plan on expanding flowerbeds to start removing grass from your property. Expanding flowerbeds will give you areas to plant vegetables as well as flowers and provide more food for pollinators. One way to start expanding flowerbeds is to place cardboard along the existing flowerbed edge and then move the flower bed border early spring. Mulch on the cardboard will keep the garden looking nice and help restore healthy soil conditions.

 6. Order catalogs you have used in the past and share catalogs you don’t need or use. One of my favorites is the Missouri Wildflowers Nursery Native Plants catalog, it has lovely pictures with a quick guide on what growing conditions native plants require and they offer great plant starts.

7. Order locally-adapted seed catalogs. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is a favorite seed catalog from Mansfield, Missouri.

8. Read. Whether it is gardening books, gardening catalogs and beekeeping books, catch up on what you couldn’t get to last year.

9. Remove broken limbs in pathways to keep walkways clear and safe.

10. On warm days, pile mulch and leaves on garden beds if they’ve been blown off by winter winds. Mulch will help keep the soil temperature even and reduce the thawing and heaving that causes plant damage.

11. Check inside plants for any hitchhiking bugs and remove. Make sure they are getting their sunlight needs met. If not, move them. Water with diluted fertilizer. Prune as necessary, I use metal sewing thread snips. The thread snips make it easy to trim plants and keep them bushy.

12. Drop your garden pruners and other garden tools to get sharpened. Home and garden centers with service departments can usually sharpen tools.

13.  Start scouting where you can install rain barrels and totes to collect rain water off your gutter system. Observe what happens to rain and photograph so you can refer to the rain pattern later.

14. Enjoy the lower winter activity; even gardeners need time to rejuvenate.

Charlotte

Treating Tree Wounds

Deer have rubbed their velvet off on one of my fruit trees. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Treating Tree Wounds

Most days, I will walk around my one acre hillside garden to observe changes and developments. And this one was not a happy sight.

Deer had rubbed the velvet off their antlers on several of my fruit trees, a common practice this time of year.

Usually one can leave these gashes alone but our winter temperatures have been unseasonably warm, giving bugs a chance to do some damage as well.

I used tree sealer since the weather has been too warm. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It took me checking with 4 home and garden centers before I found this last an of tree pruning sealer. It protects the open areas until they heal so I applied this to all of the damaged trees I could find.

I usually let nature take its course but these gashes where too big to ignore. I hope this helps my trees recuperate or certainly survive.

Charlotte

Planting Coneflower Seeds

Milk jugs are perfect tiny greenhouses to start wildflower seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Planting Coneflower Seeds

I’ve had this on my to do list for some time now but never seemed to have enough empty gallon milk jugs saved up to try it.

This year, I collected several and set off to get my purple coneflower seeds started for next year.

Yes, it’s December and in USDA Hardiness zone 5, the best time to plant many wildflower seeds. Some species need the exposure to winter temperatures to germinate, and purple coneflowers are one of those species.

Now I’ve sowed seeds directly into the garden as well. The challenge with that is my stakes get moved during winter so when spring arrives, I may or may not be able to find where those seeds were scattered.

Purple coneflower starts from the end of the season. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I had two purple coneflowers with starts so I settled those into one of these milk cartoons so they could winter over with some protection.

To get the milk cartons ready, cut them in the middle but below the handle, leaving 2-inches under the handle as a hinge.

Make several holes in the bottom so excess water won’t accumulate.

Fill with fresh potting soil. Mist soil so it’s hydrated but not wet.

Scatter seeds over the soil. Add a light soil topping.

Once seeds are covered, I taped up the milk jugs with duct tape. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Gently hinge the top over the cut bottom and wrap with duct tape. Frankly this was the hardest step to do, in the first round I had more duct tape around my hand than I did the milk jugs.

With a little practice, you will get the duct tape where it needs to go, sealing the milk jug back together.

Two months later there are signs of greenery. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Place the milk jugs where they will get rain water but some protection. I have mine tucked away near a trunk seat between my bay windows.

The milk jugs are tucked into the side of the house. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you’re in a drought area you may want to add a little water. Otherwise, the regular rain and snow will take care of watering. Make sure to periodically peek to make sure there is moisture just in case.

Good seeds to start include native milkweed, purple coneflowers and asters.

Next spring, after the danger of frost is over, the new seedlings should be ready to plant into the ground, hardier and ready to grow. Can’t wait!

Charlotte

Planting Bulbs

One of the few bulbs I plant every year, crocus are a harbinger of spring, (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Planting Bulbs

Thank goodness for warm weather in USDA Hardiness zone 5. Although it is unusual, it does give me extra time to get some spring bulbs into the ground.

Bulbs collect sun energy through leaves and store it in the bulbs. A majority of bulbs are planted in the fall so they can be exposed to cold temperatures. The cold resets them so as soon as the spring warms up the ground the bulbs start to grow with first blooms, then green leaves.

This time of year you can find spring-planting bulbs on sale. Look for the signs of growth starting. Some bulbs may be dry by now and won’t grow.

When choosing bulbs on sale, make sure to see growth starting. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now in my garage I have a couple of boxes of mixed daffodils and surprise lilies that i still need to plant. They won’t winter over so they need to find a home next week.

The surprise lilies look dead but a little pawing through the bulbs finds some getting a head start. That’s why I don’t toss much out and plant them instead, they all deserve a chance to survive.

Don’t toss out brown bulbs, they are saving energy for growth. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One of the products I do add to my fall bulb planting is bone meal. Bone meal will feed the bulb roots as they start to grown and settle in getting ready for spring growth. It doesn’t have to be an organic brand; I found these on deep discount at a local farm and garden center going out of business.

Add bone meal when planting bulbs, it helps feed them as they store energy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Although I love tulips, I rarely plant those because the local wildlife like to snack on them.

Daffodils are toxic so they survive the onslaught and keep multiplying from year to year. They do need to be dug up and spread out every once in awhile but they are easy to plant and give back for many years.

Charlotte

Spring Pot Garden

This was my 2020 pot garden with peas, lettuce and spinach. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Spring Pot Garden

It’s not officially spring yet but I have a start on what I call my spring pot garden. Planting in pots is a very easy way to get a handy garden growing without having to set up raised beds and new garden spots. And you can easily move it to capture better sunny spots or get them out of the way.

I have been using pots for a couple of decades now so some of my pots look well-loved. I added compost last fall so that melting snow and rain could help keep the soil hydrated and invigorated.

If you are just starting, start with a basic potting soil without added fertilizer if you can find it. That way you can supplement as needed and better control what you are providing your plants. You don’t need fertilizer for seedlings.

This year I once again planted a personal favorite, radishes, and used cut up blinds with Garden Markers to note what was in the pot.

Radish seedlings are getting a good start in my 2021 pot garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I also enjoy fresh grown greens so I have lettuce and spinach in other pots, currently sitting on the edge of my unfinished rebuilt deck.

I collect good castors so that I can easily move the pots when I need to relocate them.

Punctured plastic bottles help keep my pot garden hydrated. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other curiosity about my pots are the plastic bottles sitting in the middle. Those have holes around the sides and bottom to help keep the soil hydrated. When watering, I place the water in the plastic bottle and let it slowly trickle into the soil.

So far the radishes are starting to come up and I see some teeny tiny lettuce plants. Other people herald spring with interesting traditions, this one is mine!

Charlotte

Compost Beer

Pour old beer into compost to help speed up the decomposition. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Compost Beer

Perhaps I should start explaining why I have old beer. Really old beer. My handyman found it in an old basement cabinet, one that used to sit in my tiny living room and was moved in home remodeling. Our best guess is the beer was at least 25 years old, vestiges of days when I entertained much more than I do now.

You should really throw this away, my handyman said as he handed me almost a dozen cans.

I had a better idea. I fed it first to my composters, then diluted it and gave some of my large plants - well, a party. And why not. Beer has sugar and yeast that will keep the soil microbes happy, and they in turn will keep my plants happy.

Beer is normally recommended for slug patrol. Since I haven’t had an issue with slugs thought the plants would enjoy it.

Party on!

Charlotte

March Gardening Chores

First crocus of 2021 in bloom February 26, 2021. Come on spring! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

March Gardening Chores

March is the beginning of spring and daffodil days in my garden, so many daffodils that one of my neighbors used to refer to my garden as “Daffodilland.” The weather can also be a little challenging in USDA Hardiness zone 5 so March can be a hit and miss month in terms of getting a lot done.

1. The forecast for March 2021 is an early spring so better get a move on getting birdhouses repaired and hanging in my garden. Attracting birds is a great way to manage unwanted bugs without using insecticides and pesticides.

The birdhouses also serve as homes for paper wasps, a wonderful pollinator we often find on porches and other unwanted areas. By giving them an alternative home, they can still pollinate our gardens without getting in the way.

2.     Prune and fertilize roses. On the first warm day, I remove all dead branches so the new growth will have room. I also add coffee grounds, banana peels, Epsom salts and crushed egg shells mixed into the soil around the base of the plants. Gently, you don’t want to tear up the roots. Also a good time to mulch.

3.     Plant onion sets around roses to keep bugs at bay. Three for miniature roses, 5-6 for the larger roses.

4. Prune fruit trees. Nothing elaborate, I make sure the branches don’t cross and are open in the center. Also mulch. Make a tire around the base leaving the space up at the tree trunk open.

5.     My hellebores and ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum get the old greenery cut off so any new growth gets to shine. The Sedum starts look like tiny green roses close to the ground.

This is a good time to remodel your birdhouses to keep your natural pest control happy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

6.     Mulch. My over-wintering mulch pile is ready to spread over new areas that need cover for the season and areas that lost cover over winter. Good time to load up the wheelbarrow and keep a supply at hand.

7.     If you didn’t get your lettuce and spinach out in February, get them planted this month.

8.     March and St. Patrick’s Day is also the time to plant potatoes, radishes and carrots.

9.     The last frost day for this zone is Mother’s Day in May so it’s a little too early to get much else planted and much too early to move tropical plants outside, even if you are ready to toss them out on their aggravating dropping leaves by now. Give them a little rainwater and that will help tide them over for another month or so.

10.  Also check inside plants for bugs. Look under leaves and if you see white bugs, clean off with a damp cloth wet with water and dishwashing liquid. Spray soil with a few drops of dishwashing liquid in water in a spray bottle to get rid of eggs. Start watering with ¼ strength fertilizer since days are getting longer.

11. Take time to enjoy the sunshine and look for spring-blooming plants!

 Charlotte

Garden Markers

Garden Markers

Oh, my, where have these been all of my life??

I have to confess, I used to use black magic markers, only to find them either faded or wiped off before I did whatever I was going to do with what was supposedly labeled. And then I saw these Garden Markers, indelible black ink for writing on all sorts of garden-related items. And permanent so they should not disappear!

Old blind slats make great handy plant labels used with Garden Markers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you don’t mark your plants, it’s helpful to do so especially in seedling stage. I’ve tried a number of options over the years and keep coming back to this simple one: repurposed, cut up blinds. Not only do I like the size but they tend to last longer than popsicle sticks, paint sticks and other wood products, even after the wood has been treated.

So to make these handy, I store both the blind slats and the Garden Marker in an old glass milk bottle I used to put flowers in.

This old glass milk bottle nicely holds my Garden Marker and blind pieces for labels. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If I find something better for the Garden Marker and blind pieces, I may give the milk bottle flowers again. In the meantime, I’m ready for spring!

Charlotte

Toilet Paper Roll Pots

Toilet paper rolls cut in half make excellent seed starting pots. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Toilet Paper Roll Pots

If you haven’t already, this is a good time to start saving your toilet paper and paper towel rolls to make compostable seed pots.

The rolls are not only hardy enough to help seedlings grow but they can be buried in the ground, seedlings and pot, when they are ready to go outside.

To make these seed pots, cut the toilet paper roll in half. Then gently fold the half and make a 1/4 inch cut on each folded side. Refold and make similar cuts on the edge of the other fold.

Tuck the folds as you would a box.

Fill with new potting soil.

Before planting, I spray soil with water so the seedlings can easily settle in.

Cardboard egg cartons are a good place to start your seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For small seeds, I start them in cardboard egg cartons. When they are big enough, I can easily move them into the toilet paper roll pots.

The cardboard egg carton lid serves as a nice place to store the toilet paper rolls ready for the seedling transfer.

You can also start seeds in your toilet paper roll pots and keep them warm and moist. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you don’t have access to extra cardboard egg cartons, you can use a clear covered plastic container to start seeds in the toilet paper roll pots.

The trick is to keep the seeds warm and moist until they sprout.

Make small holes in the bottom of the clear top container so that the seeds don’t get too wet.

All of these kitchen items can be repurposed into seed starting options. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

There are several kitchen items you can repurpose for gardening. My biggest challenge is finding somewhere to put them as I save them before using!

Charlotte

Dead Shrub Pruning

Dead boxwood branches make for great color in dried wreaths. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dead Shrub Pruning

February is my month to start pruning shrubs; that’s assuming the weather cooperates to allow me out in the garden. With below zero temperatures earlier this month, pruning trees and shrubs was not high on my priority list. The key is to trim the plants while they are still dormant.

When pruning anything, I start by removing dead branches. I don’t worry about the shape just yet. if a branch is dead it needs to be removed regardless of what shape remains. Then I can trim other branches to shape the plant, if necessary.

The easiest plants to prune are those that remain green through winter, such as boxwoods. It’s easier to see what part of the shrub is not doing well and holding its color.

ThiS is a boxwood that didn’t make the transplant but the branches add yellow to dried wreaths. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Another shrub I prune in February are Autumn Joy Sedum perennials. Usually by this time of year only the dry flower stalks remain, a great addition to dried flower wreaths.

Various forms of spirea also have dried flower heads that can be pruned this time of year. I cut those shrubs back to encourage more compact growth so they don’t spill over into paths.

Yellow Forsythias get pruned and their cut limbs are brought inside to place in water. They force quite nicely and bloom after a couple of weeks.

If my dwarf fruit trees need pruning, those limbs get saved to put in water to force them to bloom inside. I’ve had mixed luck with that but I keep trying.

These yellow boxwood branches add a lovely touch of yellow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once pruned, I go back through the pile and see if there is anything I can add to my dried grapevine wreaths to update the wreaths.

This past year, I almost threw out the dried yellow boxwood branches i trimmed off one of my boxwoods. They nicely added a burst of color to my dried door wreaths.

If I add something that is edible, usually wildlife will find it and remove it out of the wreaths. I don’t mind sharing, it just gives me another opportunity to try something else.

Charlotte

Feed Ground Birds Suet

These two Blue Jays found my serving of suet for ground feeding birds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Feed Ground Birds Suet

A robin was flying into one of my suet holders on the side of a tree earlier this week. Temperatures were record low, barely above zero, and my heart went out to the bird. i’ve hand raised robins over the years and found them to be smart and engaging birds. i wasn’t sure why this one was in my garden by himself but he definitely was hungry.

Woodpeckers at the suet feeding stations tied to my oak trees. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Watching birds in my garden is one of my favorite pastimes. i maintain a bird feeding station outside my living room window with two large bird feeders, a couple of bird baths and several suet feeders. i keep them stocked more in winter than any other time of the year; winter is when the birds seem to need the help the most.

As i was watching the robin, a Bluebird joined him under where the woodpeckers were helping themselves to suet. They were waiting for suet leftovers to fall to the ground but I wasn’t seeing too many. That gave me an idea.

Kitchen grater makes quick work of cutitng up suet. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Using a kitchen grater, i turned a suet pack into smaller pieces so the ground nesting birds could get suet. Suet helps birds keep their metabolism up in cold weather.

Since we are in for record low temperatures over the next few days, I thought they would appreciate getting more ready access to suet pieces.

If you don’t have a grater, a kitchen knife will work just as well. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

if you don’t have a grater, a kitchen knife will work, too. just be careful as you shave off the suet pieces.

I tried putting a suet pack in the freezer for a few minutes; that helped make the suet shaving easier but it was harder to cut off the pieces. Now I keep the suet in the garage, which makes the suet packs hard enough to easily shave without worrying that I might lose a thumb.

Scattered suet and a little peanut butter for the ground feeding birds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To serve, i scattered the suet under the two suet holders tied to a tree where ground feeding birds would normally pick up on woodpecker leftovers.

It doesn’t take long for the word to get around that there are goodies on the ground.

The robin that inspired my feeding ground nesting birds now can get some. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Not only did I later see the robin getting a ground suet snack but an Eastern Bluebird pair were also helping themselves. Eastern Bluebirds start looking for nesting sites this time of year. Maybe the suet will encourage this new pair to settle somewhere in my garden.

Why birds? Birds collect caterpillars for baby bird food. By doing so, they help keep bug populations under control without my having to use chemicals.

Plus they are fun to watch!

Charlotte