Pick the Right Pots to Get Healthy Plants

Guest Author:  Mark Greene

If you started your transplants in small cells or pellets, you may have to "bump them up" into larger plant pots before they are ready to be transplanted into the garden. Large items like pumpkins and squash can be started in pots, then transferred to the garden. Jiffy peat pots or Dillen plastic pots are top choices for your garden needs.


Jiffy peat pots are excellent for starting plants like vegetables, vine crops and large growing annuals. These pots help encourage vigorous plant growth and a strong root system. When you transplant pot and plant into the garden, the roots are not disturbed and therefore the plant's growth is not stunted. Jiffy 3" pots hold enough soil to sustain large, fast growing plants like squash or pumpkins. Jiffy Pots are also extremely versatile, allowing you to sow what seeds you have without leaving unfilled seeding trays. When you only want one or two of any one variety, Jiffy Pots are a convenient choice- and what's more, they're biodegradable!

 

Dillen plastic pots are great for growing a large selection of plants. Some plants, like geraniums and most perennials, take several months to develop to a size appropriate for transplant. For these plants, plastic containers can have an advantage over peat pots. If a plant is going to be in the pot for more than a couple of months before being planted into a
container or your garden, peat pots that can start to break down. Peat pots get soft over time, letting the roots break   through and grow outwards. If you prefer a more durable pot, transplant your perennial seedlings into Dillen plastic pots in spring, and watch them grow into larger, developed plants ready for the garden.

Keep your containers from drying out by adding a few teaspoons of Soil Moist products to your soil mix. The polymers absorb the water and release it back into the soil when needed.
With the right containers for your flowers and vegetables, your deck and patio will be bursting with color and flavor.

Planting a Bee Friendly Garden

Guest Author:  Daniel Roath  

Gardeners are eager to get their plants in the ground as spring approaches. When planning your garden, consider accommodating honeybees and other beneficial pollinators. In return, the bees will pollinate your flowers, increasing your garden's annual yield. 

Here is a helpful guide as you prepare your bee-friendly garden:

• Native wildflowers: Rudbekia, Cosmos, Sunflower, Primula, Coneflower, Aster, and Goldenrod
• Herbs: Lavender, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme
• Berries: Blueberry, Winterberry, Strawberry
• Fruit: Apple, Peach, Cherry, Tomato, Avocado, Kiwi, Pear
• Vegetables: Cucumber, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Onion, Celery, Pumpkin, Squash

Choose plants that attract honey bees based on bloom shape and scent. Bees are drawn to two kinds of flowers. They like to crawl into the shelter of tubular-shaped flowers, and flatter blooms offer easy access. They draw from a variety of pollen and nectar's to satisfy their dietary needs. Plan for season-round blooms, choosing plants with successive blooms to help sustain the bees with a readily available food supply through as many seasons as possible. Grouping bee-friendly plants together will help attract bees.

Provide a fresh water source. Water is used to dilute and dissolve crystallized honey. It can also be evaporated and fanned throughout the hive to cool it during warm weather. Not to mention water is a refreshing drink for bees on a hot day. If you do not have a natural water source to draw from, consider placing a bird bath or shallow dish in your garden.

Plan your garden this year to aid these beneficial pollinators and consider becoming a beekeeper yourself. Brushy Mountain has all the resources to help you get started. Visit BrushyMountainBeeFarm.com for more details.

Farming is Hard Work

I have great respect for the farmers of America. Much like the veterans of our great nation, many Americans take their efforts for granted without second thought. Out of all the livestock, dairy, grain, vegetable, and flower farmers, none of them can acquire success without putting forth a lot of hard work and many times endure disappointment.

Americans today seem to want everything now, without wait or fuss. Grocery chains prepare food and package meats and vegetables together for an easy meal. Garden centers sell full grown tomato plants with ripening fruit for the customer to take home, place it on the deck, and start picking tomatoes within days. In my mind, the more convenient our lifestyles are, the harder it is to appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to create and serve the food and products we consume every day. On the other hand, if businesses do not capitalize on the emerging trends, they just might be left behind.

 

With that said, success doesn't come easily for farmers. Dedication and a "roll-up-your-sleeves and get-it-done" attitude is the recipe for success. Perhaps the best and most humbling reward is simply the pride and satisfaction in providing food for American families. Farming is a profession that should be honored with high regard in the USA.

A trend or a lifestyle?

It is quite difficult to have a day pass in our lives without bumping into something organic. The “green culture” surrounds us on a daily basis from food consumables to recyclables to social habits and practices. Although the hula-hoop was in and out of our lives years back, this direction towards organic lifestyles is here to stay.

A few weeks ago, we surveyed our home garden newsletter subscribers to find out what types of products they might be interested in going forward. Much to my surprise was the fact that over 60% of the 2500 responses are organic gardeners. I would never have guessed that.

The general public is much more aware and better educated about the quality of the food that they put on the family table. The public is also keenly aware of lifestyle logistics that make the earth a better place to live. That’s a good thing…saving Mother Earth!

Gifts from the Garden!

Within days I will be harvesting home grown radishes from my garden, and salad greens will follow thereafter. Everything has been planted, and my transplanted sweet corn is also doing well. My garden peas are half grown and before long they will be on my dinner table too.

In my ornamental beds I had a few surprises. I planted some cutting snapdragons in a full sun bed out behind my home and to my surprise, they all over-wintered. They are now about two feet tall and are loaded with blooms. I had some dwarf snapdragons in front of my house last year, and they also over-wintered and are in full bloom already, and have been since June 1^st.

Dusty Miller is another plant that is commonly sold as an annual, but mine made it through the winter and the plants have bushed out nicely so early in the season.

One of my favorite flowers for cutting is the peony. It ranks right up there with gladiolus. The booms are very striking and quite fragrant. Too bad they don’t last longer.

As late spring progresses and summer about to begin, we all shall have many gifts from the garden to make our lives just splendid.