Gardening and Your Greater Environment

My daughter at a local park in the fall. 
Knowing your seasons and local plant life
can be beneficial to how you garden. 

 This year I had the enjoyment of listening to an audio book called "My Garden World" by Monty Don. He goes into great detail (in a very amusing and easy to listen to way) about the natural world surrounding and invading his garden. If you have a garden, then there are many aspects you can control but also many, many influences from outside your garden that you can't do anything about. The more you understand these natural forces, the more you can work with them and experience greater success. 

First, and probably the one we're most familiar with is temperature and length of growing season. Everyone should know their climate zone. (If you don't, you can find it here). This will tell you when average last and first frost dates are and also how hot it gets in the summer and how cold it gets in the winter. You can't begin to chose good plants for your garden if you don't know your zone. I could try to grow oranges and avocadoes but it would not go well for me. 

Second, know what your soil is like. The easiest way is to get a soil test from the local Extension Office. This can tell you how much clay or sand you have as well as nutrients. Soil can be amended and improved of course but it helps to know what your starting out wi
th. My soil is hard clay so I know if I put in shrubs that need really good drainage, then I'm gonna be in trouble. 

Third, what kind of rain fall do you get? If you live in a wet environment then your climate will be different than those in the south west even if the temperature is the same. Were I live, we tend to get plenty of rain in the spring and early summer before a dry July, August and September. Not that 2021 has been that way. You can find information on that here. 

Fourth, what kind of wildlife do you have around you? Squirrels, hawks, insects, deer, rabbits, and so much more can and will end up in your yard and garden. Be observant! Fortunately, we don't have too much trouble with rodents in our garden partly because we've seen lots of hawks in the area. We've found 2 dead rabbits in our back yard that were obviously eaten by hawks. Wild life does impact your garden but it's also nice for it's own enjoyment as well. 

Finally, (at least for this post) know what kinds of garden pests are in your area. Your can tell you what insects and diseases they struggle with the most so you can be prepared. Powdery Mildew is a given where I live. The only question is how early and how strongly it will come on. I know this so I can look for powdery mildew resistant varieties of plants and take other steps to minimize it. 

So you see, knowing the bigger picture of the natural world around you can really make you a better gardener. What have your learned about your particular corner of the world? Feel free to post in the comments below. 

Water

As I write this post, we're in the middle of the hot, dry season here in south, central Pennsylvania. It's a time of year when all of us gardeners are very conscience of the necessity of water and making sure our plants are getting enough. Although some need it more than others and may get it in different ways, there is no plant on this Earth that can live without water. Understanding how water effects your garden is essential to garden success.

Idea for a future water feature? Just kidding, this is the Italian water
feature at Longwood Gardens. 

Those of us east of the Mississippi River tend to have plenty of water (July and August excepted) while those on the western side struggle greatly with drought issues. I only have experience gardening here in the east so things like Xeriscaping (landscaping for dessert and low water climates) is not my forte.

Here are some gardening hacks to help you with water in your garden.

First, as a rule of thumb, people tend to over water plants indoors and under water plants outdoors so be aware of your natural tendencies.

Second, few plants enjoy standing water so be sure all your plants have good drainage. You can do this by making sure there are holes in the bottom of any pots your are using and not placing your garden in an area where water tends to puddle up after a rain. If all of your property tends to be water logged, then you'll need to put in raised beds to encourage drainage. Standing water will rot roots and there isn't any way to fix a plant after that has happened.

Third, in hot weather like this, regular watering is essential. I water my window boxes every morning.  It helps to build your garden near your outdoor spigot to make hose watering easier.  A lot of professionals will encourage you to use soaker hoses or special watering systems to minimize water usage. It's a great idea if you want to invest the money into it. I haven't done so.

Fourth, your garden plants actually don't want to get their leaves wet as this can encourage mold and mildew. When you water plants, try your best to avoid the leaves and just soak the soil. 

Fifth, small trees and shrubs do best when watered deeply about once a week. If it hasn't rained in some time, I will take a 5 gallon bucket of water for each new tree or bush I have. After a few years, your plants will be well enough established that you shouldn't need to worry about it.

Sixth, know your soil type. Sandy soil drains much quicker than clay so if your soil is sandy, your plants may need more frequent watering. 

Finally, don't water your plants in the afternoon. The sun will just dry it out quicker. Joe Lampl, host of Growing a Greener World and the Joe Gardener Podcast, says the best time to water your garden is first thing in the morning before the dew dries off. 

I hope these tips help you understand water in your garden better. Lots has been written on the importance of water conservation but that's a whole different discussion. I could also do a post on water features or how water attracts wildlife but there isn't room here. Do you have any gardening water hacks? Feel free to share in the comments below.

When Can I Plant...

One of the most frequently asked questions I get this time of year is: When can I plant ____________? So, I'm going to answer that question. For the record, I live in York County, PA and we're right on the line between zone 6 and 7. If you live in a different part of the country, you can find out what zone you're in and when your last frost date is by clicking here. 

As a general rule of thumb, I plant cold hardy veggies starting around St. Patrick's Day, depending on the weather. I plant onions, lettuce, spinach, peas and carrots. Of course, two years ago we had a blizzard the week of St. Patrick's Day so everything got pushed back. The plants I mentioned will tolerate a light frost.

A frost is any temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

A hard freeze means it will get below 28 degrees for at least four hours. 

Cool weather crops will easily tolerate a light frost, even some snow. However, a hard freeze means you should cover them up for the night.

Generally, I plant perennial flowers and herbs in April. However, I've planted dormant trees, strawberry roots and raspberry plants in February. Perennial plants are hardier than you might think.

However, usually when people ask when they can plant something, they mean tomatoes and peppers. These are warm weather plants as are squash, beans, and most annual flowers. The bottom line is this: if you plant a tomato and the temperature hits 32 degrees, the water in the plant cells will expand and destroy the cellular structure of your plant. There is no coming back from that. Yes, you can cover the plant for a night to protect it but most people aren't paying close enough attention to the weather to do that. 

Here in the greater Harrisburg area, it is safe to plant your warm weather plants after Mother's Day. I start planting things at St. Patrick's Day (onions and such) and stop planting in mid-November (Spring bulbs).

Finally, I'm getting questions now about seed starting indoors. You should know I don't get into that myself as the equipment is expensive and we don't have a good area for that in my house. For more information on seed starting indoors, click here. 

Do you have any questions about when to put out plants? Let me know in the comments below!

A Primer on Gardening and Climate

Everyone, in nearly every part of the world, can grow a garden of some sort. There are botanical gardens in the far north of Norway and orchards down to Cape Hope in South Africa. However, the climate where you live plays a huge role in what kinds of plants you can grow and what time of year you can grow them. Since I live in Pennsylvania, I'm going to focus on North America in this post.

The first thing you need to know is your climate zone. This will be highly instrumental in helping you determine what to grow and when to plant it. Climate zones were last updated by the USDA in 2012 so if you haven't checked since then, it's good to look into. You can find your climate zone here. 

What does your climate zone tell you? First, it will tell you when your average last frost date is, which is the last time the temperatures will dip below freezing before the summer. Second, it will tell you when your average first frost date is, which is the first time the temperature dips below freezing in the fall. When you know both of those numbers, you'll know how long your growing period is.

For instance, I live in Zone 6b, so our average last frost date is around May 1 and our average first frost date is around Oct 15. So we have a growing period of approximately 165 days. Although there are a huge varieties of plants that will grow here, some things like sweet potatoes and okra are difficult and better suited to warmer climates. Other things, like citrus trees, are completely out of the question.

As I'm writing this, it's the end of March and every one wants to know, when can I plant my garden? So, you need to know if it's a cold weather plant or a hot weather plant. Some vegetables, like onions and peas, can go in the ground as soon as the ground thaws. (so get them planted now!). Other plants, like tomatoes and peppers, aren't going to tolerate any frost so they can't be set out till after the last frost date. You can find some general planting times for a variety of vegetables here.

Well, I hope this has cleared some things up for you. A basic understanding of growing conditions is essential to success in gardening. Good luck!