Get Growing
Mowers rev. Tulips bloom. Snow blowers move to the back of the shed.
These combined with a few sunny days tell us it's time to garden.
For many gardeners, the season will be well under way by Memorial Day, a traditional time for planting. And some began their calendar of tasks long before the snow began to melt.
Winter workingsKnowledge is power. And knowledge of soil is no exception. For this reason many gardeners invest in a $9 soil test kit.Sold by the Penn State Extension, the kit includes instructions for extracting soil and a bag for mailing the sample. Results, also returned by mail, recommend ratios of fertilizer and lime.According to Luke Fritz, executive director of the Pennsylvania Farm Service Agency in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties, it's better to lime in advance.“You want to apply your lime prior to planting — several months is best,” he said.The early application allows time for the ground limestone to break down, enabling it to raise the pH of acidic soil.In some cases, preseason tasks include planting seeds indoors: At commercial greenhouses like Schnur's in Summit Township, vining geraniums and fucshias were planted as early as January. According to Jim Schnur, a fourth generation owner, peppers were planted the following month, with tomatoes not far behind.
A few miles away in Prospect, Penn State master gardener Diane Walczak also planted tomatoes from seed, hoping the wide selection of varieties would help her manipulate the outcome.“This year I bought blight-resistant seed,” she said, citing a widespread problem in recent years.Walczak started her tomatoes around the first week of April, using a home greenhouse with lights to achieve optimum growth.According to Schnur, those hoping to use their window sill have run out of time for planting from seed this year.“Once the first of March comes you have to get started or things won't be ready in time,” he said of tomatoes and other plants that require more time to mature.Carolyn Glendening of Butler Township, another master gardener, also warns against sowing the seeds too early.“I don't start any earlier than April first,” she said, explaining they otherwise get “leggy.”“I probably put them out in May depending on when I think it's warm enough for that year.”Although it is still early this year for planting most flowers and vegetables outdoors, Schnur said pansies and violas are among the hardy flowers safe to set out now.Some vegetables, including spinach, broccoli, peas and lettuce, also thrive in early spring.“I have onions in,” said master gardener Alice Christy of Meridian, who manages the Succop Conservancy herb garden in Penn Township.“They can go in as early as you want, as long as it's not freezing too much.”
Some of last year's onions have returned to Christy's garden, where asparagus, a perennial, also is growing.Even though Christy and others might wait several weeks to plant annuals, the gardeners are not sitting idle. According to master gardener coordinator Sue Struthers of Connoquenessing Township, now is the perfect time to divide hostas and other perennials.“You could dig those up and divide them and plant them in new places,” said Struthers, whose plants will be among those sold May 14 at the Spring Garden Market and Home Show at the Succop Conservancy.“Divide the late bloomers — not the ones that bloom in the spring,” Struthers warned.According to Meghan Pohl, marketing director at Quality Gardens in Adams Township, the same guideline applies when pruning shrubs. A rule of thumb is to prune immediately after flowering to avoid removing emerging buds.But planting is another story.“You can start planting trees and bushes as soon as the ground thaws,” Pohl said.Although nutrient needs vary according to soil and crop, most gardeners agree fertilizer should be applied at planting time.
Fritz said some gardeners who apply ample compost or manure can often forego commercial products, especially since the concentrated fertilizers must be used so sparingly.“Over application may do more harm than not having any fertilizer,” he added, citing burned roots as a consequence.“Even if you're throwing (the fertilizer) by hand you're probably going to get more than you need.”For gardeners who do fertilize, Fritz said split applications are sometimes preferred, especially since nitrogen, one of fertilizer's three primary components, is highly soluble and doesn't linger in the soil.“I try to put on fertilizer when I'm planting my plants in the garden,” Christy agreed.“Then (I add) a little bit throughout the season — especially for some of the plants like tomatoes” that require lots of nutritients to thrive.”Though ongoing fertilizing might work for lawns and vegetables, Pohl said shrubs are exempt from the rule.“You never want to fertilize any perennial trees or shrubs in the fall because you don't want them pushing out new growth” when they're supposed to be dormant, she said.
Once gardens are planted, most of the work is over. But Pohl says “deadheading” — or trimming off spent flowers — will help plants continue to bloom and look fresh well into the summer.Come July and August, Pohl said powdery mildew becomes a common culprit for many plants.“You have to catch it early,” Pohl said, advising gardeners to spray the fungus to prevent spreading.To minimize disease and pests, Walczak suggests spacing plants to allow for adequate air flow. Weeding also plays a role.“Weeds will carry the fungus,” said Walczak, who also points to diligent feeding and watering.“A healthy plant is less likely to become infected,” she said.Although harvesting is an obvious summer chore, Walczak suggests harvesting produce when young and tender rather than striving for mammoth crops.“Harvest early: You'll get more,” she said.Young plants are more palatable and tender, she said, while oversized crops divert energy away from new growth.
By harvesting wisely and planting successively, Walczak said gardeners can sustain production well into fall.“Sometimes in October I'm still picking beans,” she said.Pohl said September is a good time to fertilize grass and bulbs and to touch up pruning on shrubs.Come November, most gardens are put to bed. To minimize erosion, many gardeners delay tilling until spring. Mulching with leaves — one of the season's last outdoor chores — also helps control erosion.“Usually I wait until everything is pretty much done and we've had a heavy frost — then I'll clean everything up,” Christy said.“I hate to see the end of the season come. I'm always wanting to get one more pepper, one more tomato, one more something,” she said.“It's usually October when I'm cleaning up my garden. ... “Then during the winter there's always those seed catalogs coming in.”
