Farmers Market first weekend

Opening weekend for the Boone County Farmers Market

It has become a tradition for me to work the first couple of Saturdays at the Boone County Farmers Market and answer questions as a master gardener to earn my volunteer hours for the year.. I’m not very sharp when it come to the vegetable questions, but I have no problems when it comes to ornamental trees and shrubs. I enjoy seeing all the annuals and the vegetable seedlings, the hanging baskets and begonia planters for sale. I bought a sweet potato vine and several coleus for my front garden beds. In the past I had the opinion that I wouldn’t waste my time on a plant that was only good for one season. I have changed my opinions, and gained a new respect for a plant that can go through all of the stages of plant life in a single season. I now enjoy all of the beauty that many of these plants offer us, and gladly offer many of them a place to share their full potential in my landscape.

The Boone County Farmers Market is open 7 days a week May through October, 10am – 5pm Spring hours and Summer hours are 9am – 6pm (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Market re-opens the day after Thanksgiving: 7 days a week, 10am – 8pm (weather permitting). I will be at the market one more time this year to answer question in the booth at the canter of the market, I’d love to meet you and answer any question you might have.

Not Pretty, But Effective

The forcast for the morning is a balmy 25 degrees F ! My Japanese Maple is in a Southern exposure and has begun putting on tender new leaves. The only option to protect this new vegetation is to cover it which creates an insulation barrier. It’s not exactly a good fashion statement, but I’m giving my fancy little tree the best chance to avoid damage and possible a costly setback this season.

The Beauty Of Nature

This is what I saw this morning as I left my home. Two forces coexisting in a beautiful battle, Winter desiring to continue on and on the other side Spring trying to usher in new beginnings. I’m more than ready to leave the cold behind, the Winter snow has worn out its welcome. Beautiful or not I’m ready for Spring.

The Glory Of The Lenten Rose

I was on a property in Wyoming, Ohio this week and noticed a spectacular Early Spring sight, the Lenten Rose (Hellebore) in bloom.

This is probably my most favorite of the Late Winter and Early Spring flowers, which blooms as early as February.

There is a property in Amberly Village, Ohio that I have found the Hellebore still blooming in August.

The latin name for this Early bloomer is Helleborus Orientalis and is known to be hardy from USDA zone 4 to 9.

I hope these pictures have inspired you to get outside and plant something beautiful. The Lenten Rose does well in partial shade to full Shade. They enjoy rich organic soils that are well drained. Another consideration is to plant the Lenten Rose in a protected area that shields it from Winter winds.

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Landscape Watch March 17th 2014

 

 

 

We have had a few sneak previews of Spring weather over the last couple of weeks, but Winter seems to refuse to give up. Even though we seem to be stuck in this up and down trend we have picked up some growing degree days in the Greater Cincinnati area. As of this writing on March 14, 2014 we have accumulated 37 degree days so far. I guess an explanation of growing degree days would help, this is the definition given by OSU OARDC and Extension.

Growing Degree Days are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. Development does not occur at this time unless the temperature is above a minimum threshold value (base temperature). The base temperature varies for different organisms.  It is determined through research and experimentation.  The actual temperature experienced by an organism is influenced by several factors.  These factors affect growth and development.  For instance, depending on the weather, an organism’s temperature may be a few degrees more or less than that recorded. An organism may spend its time in the shade or under direct sunlight. The fertility and nutrient content of the soil directly affect the growth rate of insects and plants.  The presence of weeds and precipitation may indirectly influence development. Due to these factors and some other scientific considerations, a base temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit is considered acceptable for all plants and insects.

Here is what to expect in the upcoming several weeks from 37 to 100 growing degree days as we accumulate them.

 Species                                           Event             GDD

Corneliancherry Dogwood         first bloom         40

Silver Maple                                  full bloom          42

Red Maple                                      first bloom        44

Speckled Alder                              first bloom        52

Northern Lights Forsythia       first bloom           58

Red Maple                                      full bloom          75

Star Magnolia                                first bloom         83

White Pine Weevil                  adult emergence     84

Border Forsythia                          first bloom         86

Eastern Tent Caterpillar              egg hatch          92

Manchu Cherry                            first bloom         93

Northern Lights Forsythia         full bloom          94

Speckled Alder                              full bloom         97

Corneliancherry Dogwood         full bloom         98

 

I’m hoping to have to post an update real soon as the degree days add up.

~ Michael

 

 

 

 

 

Early Spring Flower Sighting

I wanted to share this sighting, it’s the first of the late Winter/early Spring wild flowers I have seen this season. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this flower, this is called a ‘Snowdrop’ or Galanthus nivalis L., which is the Latin. This flower is normally found in a deciduous or coniferous woodland, in meadows, pastures and along streams or rivers. This one I found at the base of a tree on a lightly wooded homesite in Hyde Park, Ohio. What a great find!

~Michael

Some Thoughts About Spring Clean Up

We have been blessed with some nice weather this afternoon so my wife and I decided to get out in the yard for a while and clean up some of the flower beds around the house and down by the street. I must say that it feels really good to feel the warmth of the sun once again, it’s kind of like an old friend you haven’t seen for a while. Getting down on my knees and working in the flower beds is like an old familiar place that I was happy to reconnect with. Here in Northern Kentucky we are considered a USDA Zone 6, and are seeing Early Spring flowers emerging from the ground as the soil begins to warm. Many of us are starting to get that Spring itch, especially after a more active than normal Winter. That got me to thinking about what I was doing, and what was best for the plants and having a really nice Spring show this year. So I’d like to leave you with a few thoughts before you begin your Spring clean up jobs.

First, regardless of how much you would hate to have a relapse into freezing weather. We must realize that it is possible to get some really cold temperatures until about Mothers Day here in the Greater Cincinnati area, you can check with your local extension office to find out your average last day for frost if you don’t know what it is. With this thought in mind it’s important to know that the layers of debris from last seasons leaves and stems act as a layer of insulation for the very tender and freeze sensitive new leaves you may see emerging from the ground. So regardless of how bad your Spring itch is, sometimes it’s better to wait for a while before scratching it. The results of completely exposing these sensitive shoots too early could be a total loss of flowers for this year. Sometimes patience is the best practice to gain the reward of Spring flowers.

Something else that is useful to know about is, that during this time of the year there are fluctuations in temperature, sometimes very drastic changes. One of the factors is a warmer Spring sun exposure than during the Winter. Surfaces such as brick exteriors of a home, stone garden walls, and stone landscape features can capture warmth and encourage plants to begin producing new tender vegetation sooner than if the plant were in an exposed space where it wouldn’t receive the conditions to promote premature new growth prior to the passing of freezing weather. Since this vegetation is very sensitive to freeze damage it’s important to leave any debris in place and possibly use mulch to insulate it from the possibilities of drastic temperature swings. This is especially important for plants such as Japanese Maples planted in a Southern or Western exposure. Remember to remove excess mulch from around the trunk and off of the root flare of any tree once freeze danger has passed.

If you determine that it’s safe to begin cleaning up the planted spaces then be sure to be gentle while raking and pulling on debris in the beds. More than likely your going to discover new growth directly below last years crumbled up leaves, and once again they are tender and easily broken off by rough handling of a rake tine or overly aggressive hands. Easy does it in the garden, enjoy your time working with the plants. This is also a time that applying a weed control granular would be a good idea. Most of the ones I’m familiar with offer ninety to one hundred twenty days of control of preventing weed germination. Keep in mind, most weed controllers are non selective. This means if you enjoy starting you flowers in your beds from seed, do not apply a weed controller, they stop all seed germination not just weeds.  Another thing that would be good to do now is apply an organic compost across your beds, this allows the Spring rains to work the compost into the soils and it will be below any mulch you apply later in the Spring. 

I hope you have found this useful as you prepare for a new season in the garden. If you did please help others see this information too by sharing it with them on your favorite social media by clicking the button provided below this article. Thank you for taking the time to allow me to share with you.

~ Michael