Spring Tidbits
Garden Clippings

Spring Tidbits

By April 23, 2022 No Comments

Spring Tidbits

Garden Clippings for April 23, 2022

The following is a quote that I learned from Cheryl.  I don’t know where she got it from.

“At one time there were people who knew stuff and there were people who didn’t know stuff.  The people who didn’t know stuff listened to those who knew stuff.  Now, everybody thinks they know stuff.”

These wise words, or reasonable facsimiles thereof, were the talk of many lunchrooms and water coolers at many workplaces in the past 2 years.  We can give credit to Facebook and Google for turning everybody into experts.

Those of us in the gardening and horticulture industry are not as firmly planted in camps as those in health care.  We are happy to learn about gardening from our grandparents or from the folks who live next door.

Here is a sampling of questions I’ve been asked in the last week or two:

  1. I had a tree taken down and they ground out the stumps. Can I use the woodchips for mulch in the garden?
  2. Not a good idea. Fresh, yellow woodchips, when spread on the garden, will pull nitrogen out of the soil.   That won’t harm established trees and shrubs but will significantly reduce the performance of vegetable and flower gardens.
  3. When can I plant crocus?
  4. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocus are fall bulbs and should be planted anytime from September to November. All are imported from Holland.  Plant in fall and the bulbs will prepare themselves to flower in spring.  The delightful crocuses will often flower weeks before the last snowfall.
  5. Can I plant lettuce now?
  6. Onions, lettuce, leek, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, potatoes, and celery can be planted 3 to 4 weeks before the frost-free date of May 24. Beans, cucumbers, squash, corn and sunflower should be direct seeded into the garden after the danger of frost is past.  For peppers and tomatoes, start seeds indoors or buy started plants to be planted outdoors after the danger of frost is past.
  7. When should I plant grass seed?
  8. The best time to plant grass seed is early fall. The second best is springtime.  But I once planted an entire front and back lawn at Christmas, and it came up thick in spring.
  9. Should I fertilize my grass in spring? Doesn’t it always grow quickly in spring anyway?
  10. Good point. Spring triggers growth and a healthy lawn may not need additional spring fertilizer.  But if you want to take advantage of spring weather, adding lawn food will serve to thicken the lawn and cause grass to make new roots and shoots.  If your lawn is in the shade, fertilize early in spring before leaves cast shade.
  11. Potting soil is so light and dries out quickly. Can I mix it with garden soil?
  12. Growing medium such as Pro-Mix is not actually soil but a mix of peat moss, perlite, nutrients, and other ingredients blended together and ready for container gardening. Adding garden soil introduces weeds and reduces control of nutrients.  But the biggest issue of using garden soil in containers is the lack of drainage.