What Fertilizer Do You Use?

Do you use the same fertilizer for everything?  Do you use different fertilizers for different types of plants, i.e., perennials, annuals, vegetables, shrubs, evergreens, trees, containers,etc.?  I do not have room for a compost pile or container so I use an organic granular (Espoma) 5-3-3 and an organic granular for acid loving plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, dogwoods and evergreens.  I am sure there are some I am missing, but these are the varieties in my garden.

I do use super bloom liquid formulas in my containers which are produced by Peter's and Schultz's with a high middle number.  When you have containers that are really putting out blooms, you need to pinch and cut back every once in awhile to keep them going until fall.

Carolyn Gail of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago had some very good advice in regard to fertilizer.  Her first recommendation is to do a soil test.  I must admit I am negligent in this area having purchased a kit many years ago that I believe is still in my garage.  Carolyn also informed me that I can purchase some very good compost mixes, "Nature's Finest," and "Back to Nature," are two of the brands on the market.

I have heard from some bloggers regarding their favorites (many like the time-release products).  Let me know if you have something that works well for you because we all seem to spend a lot of money and time on fertilizers.

Vegetable Garden Memories

My vegetable garden is doing great.  It has really loved all of the rain we have had, and just about everything is up except the parsley.  It is not time yet to put in the tomatoes or peppers so I am sure the cold crops will be lush by May 1.

The radishes need to be thinned and this is always traumatic to have to throw away living plants.  But, if you do not thin them out you will not get useable radishes.  I am growing Red Emperor this year - can't remember if I have grown this variety before.  I am not always successful with radishes, sometimes pithy, eaten by insects, etc.  But, I keep trying because they are so quick to germinate and so tasty when a success.

All of my weird lettuces are up and it is a good thing that I have put down markers or I would never remember their names.  My set onions are up, no seed onions yet, spinach looks great and carrots are peeking through the soil.  It is such a small garden but it still gives me a thrill every year to see the seeds sprouting. 

Plant a garden with your children or grandchildren even if they seem disinterested.  It will make a lifetime impression!

A Quick Game of Pick Up Around The Garden

I always seem to be picking up twigs, grass, leaves, etc., around the garden.  It does give me a chance to see what is going on and fertilize as I make my rounds.

As I spoke with one of my garden center gurus last week, he explained to me that the liquids are fine but they last only two weeks.  They are not as effective as a granular which goes into the soil over a much long period of time.  This made sense to me, so I am going to try a different approach this year, granular and a quick shot of liquid fertilizer mostly for my acid loving plants.  I have already done the granular around my Magnolia, Hydrangeas, Rhododendrums, Dogwood. and Yews.  I will also mix up a potion of the liquid acid fertilizer and give them a shot of this.  I hope I am not over medicating!

I think my soil is pretty good, being over 100 years old, I am still seeing old bulbs pop up every so often.  In fact I just saw a plant that I cannot identify.  My neighbor tells me that a real gardener used to live on this property.  I feel her presence when one of these unplanted specimens appears. 

I have a newer home that was built on this old property.  It's is kind of spooky isn't it?  Every so often I pull violets out of the front garden, but I don't think much about it since my old old house had thousands of violets.  My former neighbor and I would put out garbage cans of violets and actually sell them at a garage sale.  We were always surprised that people would buy something that would take over their life!

Instamatic Spring

Many of us will remember that was the name of a camera not "Spring."  However, in many areas, it seems to have come on instantly following frost and snow.  We are happy, our mood is on the upswing and we are giddy at the sight of all of the beautiful flowers.  Our gardens have exploded with color, so fast in many cases, that we go to bed in the evening and plants we didn't even notice the day before are blooming.

My daughter-in-law asked me yesterday how she could have all of her tulips blooming behind the daffodils for Easter.  They are all early tulips, Monte Carlo and Emperor but normally not quite ready to bloom with the early daffodils.  However, with all of the heat we have had it might work - how?  Water, water, water, not something you think about this time of year.  But, if you have high temperatures, your early spring flowers are going to need water.  We are getting some rain today so I won't have to water again this morning.

I looked like a crazy gardener out yesterday morning with my hose.  You would have thought it was the middle of summer, but to me it was with 84 degrees Thursday and 82 degrees yesterday.  We are supposed to get rain and cooler temperatures, but with the heat give your little blooms a drink and they will stay around a little bit longer

A Magazine Worth Owning

I just received my new issue of GardenMaking.  I know, you are saying, "I never heard of that one!"  Well, it was a recommendation from my blogging friend Allan Becker from the gardenguru a couple of months ago.  It is published in Canada, and as Allan said, it is all gardening information, not advertisements.

I am so thrilled with the article Allan Armitage wrote saying phooy to all of those people who worry about how to pronounce all of the latin names and making the garden perfect - it is always a work in progress.  He loves the idea of sticking plants in that we like even though they may not go with the "design."  How can you try new plants if you don't experiment?

Another article that impressed me with it's ease of understanding was Six Steps To A Beautiful New Border by Stephen Westcott-Gratton.  He tells us that a new border should blend in with the overall garden design i.e., if curved beds already exist, it should be a more casual border rather than structural and geometric as in straight bed borders.  He goes on to stress mapping out dimensions, improving soil, adding a focal point, choosing plants and planting.  This is a great article for beginners or seasoned gardeners who need reminders.

GardenMaking has article after article (I counted twenty-one), with a minimum of advertising pages.  You might find it here in the States at a major book store like Barnes & Noble or Borders, or look it up on line.  In the United States, it is $29.95 for six issues and reads like a gardening book each time you receive it..         http://www.gardenmaking.com/