Park Seed Garden Journal

Planning Before Planting: It's Time to get Our Hands Dirty!

So, how do we continue to grow such a beautiful garden here at Park Seed? The answer is planning! Right now is the time when we are brainstorming and planning how to arrange the layout of the Park Seed Trial Garden. We start over with a clean slate every season, making changes to things we have added or taken away. This process includes figuring out which annuals and perennials will be planted where and making sure each variety fits where it is planted. For instance, all of the annuals planted in the Butterfly and Hummingbird garden will unquestionably attract butterflies and hummingbirds. This means we are giving our best to get the newest and most popular varieties here to Greenwood, SC. As the planning stage comes to an end, all trial items and lists are finalized. And what does that mean? That spring is here and it is time to get our hands dirty and start planting!

The month of February marks the perfect time for sowing annuals and perennials that take longer to develop. Begonia, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Vinca, and Rudbeckia are a few of these examples. In March, we begin sowing plants like Dianthus, Salvia, and Gazania. As many of these seedlings break the surface, the time for transplanting gets closer and closer. After all have grown and been hardened off, the plants are prepared to make their way to the Park Seed Trial Garden!

February Dates to Remember

Daily Observances:

February 1 – Superbowl XLIII – The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Arizona Cardinals in the most anticipated football game of the year! So grab some pizza and hot wings, and enjoy!

February 2 – Groundhog Day – Today, Punxsutawney Phil, that most famous of groundhogs, will emerge from his burrow to let us know if we can expect more cold weather or if spring is at hand! If he fails to see his shadow, winter's almost over, but if our furry woodchuck friend does see his shadow, it's six more weeks of winter!

February 11 – National Shut-In Visitation Day – If you know anyone who can't get out of the house for whatever reason, go visit them – bring groceries, grab a paper, bring him or her a houseplant, or just have a sit-down and a chat!

February 13 – Blame Someone Else Day – You have a whole day to pass the buck! Go ahead, say it – "It's not my fault!" or "Not my job, not my problem!" Enjoy it today, because tomorrow you have to take responsibility again!

February 13 – Friday the 13^th – The fear of this day is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. Say that 5 times fast! Lots of people think this day is unlucky! Go out there and prove them wrong…but don't walk under that ladder!

February 14 – Valentine's Day – Say through flowers, chocolate, poetry, or whatever means you find appropriate or romantic, just how much those you love mean to you!

February 16 – President's Day – Say Happy Birthday to Presidents Washington and Lincoln!

February 24 – Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras – This festive season occurs immediately before Lent and involves a parade, a street party, and people masquerading during the celebrations. New Orleans is the most well-known city for this event.

February 25 – Ash Wednesday – The first day of Lent, this Christian holiday gets its name from the practice of tracing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of their repentance.

February 28 – Floral Design Day – This day is dedicated to simply creating and appreciating floral arrangements! Make your own or delight in the beauty of someone else's!

Weekly Observances:

1-7 – National Women's Heart Week – The Women's Heart Foundation partners with local organizations to help women come together and encourage fitness, learn about heart-healthy eating and gender specifics on women's heart disease, and promote stress reduction activities.

1-7 – Children's Authors and Illustrators Week – Acclaimed authors and illustrators from Children's Authors Network (CAN!) participate in storytelling, presentations, and hands-on writing workshops at schools, libraries, and children's shelters.

10-12 – World AG Expo – The world's biggest agricultural exposition, it provides exhibitors an organized way to display their products, services and equipment to interested farmers, allowing them to view the latest technology.

11-17 – Random Acts of Kindness – It doesn't matter whether it's opening a door for someone or paying for a stranger's lunch, do something nice for someone who doesn't expect it. Pay it forward!

13-16 – Great Backyard Bird Count – An annual four-day event that involves bird watchers of all ages and levels in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the continent.

Monthly Observances:

Bake for Family Fun – Share the delights of baking with your family – make memories, create traditions, and pass on recipes and family heritage through delicious treats!

Festival of Camellias – Massee Lane Gardens in Fort Valley, GA hosts this celebration. The festival is kicked off February 7^th, with free admission for all visitors on that day.

National Black History – This month is dedicated to exploring the historical issues of importance that relate to people of African descent, as well as focusing on race relations in America.

National Bird Feeding – Wintertime is one of the most difficult periods for North American birds. Providing food, water, and shelter helps them survive and benefits the environment.

National Cherry Pie – Baking with the beautiful and tantalizingly delicious cherry is especially appropriate during the month of George Washington's birth – cherries have become a symbol of his birthday! Say Happy Birthday with a sweet treat!

National Senior Independence – Dedicated to celebrating and increasing the independence of older Americans, this month of awareness promotes resources that provide seniors self respect, self esteem, and the morale that enables them to make informed decisions and age with dignity.

Plant the Seeds of Greatness – Grow the seeds of a healthy new career or of new life objectives, for yourself, your family, your business, or your community. As gardeners, we can plant the seeds of a great new harvest!

Sweet Potato – Commonly called yams in the US, the sweet potato is a healthy and versatile veggie, delicious baked, fried, or boiled!

Calling All Captions! Cold behinds edition.

Tink here.

Seriously.  Any excuse for a goofy photo.  You can't always predict what may take place when creative-types are around, and happily, the camera is there to capture the madness. 

What would YOU caption this photo?  Let us know (post to "Comments" for this blog)! 

Park Seed employees are welcome to play, this is not a contest, it's just for fun.

Did you miss our previous Caption Jams?  Check it out.

Park Seed Newsletter New Years Resolution Contest!

If you subscribe to our wonderful gardening newsletters, you may have participated in this particular contest. We wanted to know what you were never, ever going to do in your garden again. I was lucky enough to be among the elite few selected to judge this particular contest. I based my choices on: 1. Helpfulness to other gardeners, and 2. Quality of the submission. I am partial to funny entries.

Below, I will list a few of my personal favorites - votes won't be tallied until this weekend, and my vote is only one of many, so I can't promise that any of the ones I list will win. But, I will announce the official results next week.

Top 3 Gardening Resolutions, According to Thomas, Whatever That's Worth:
I was not given any Identifying information, only the submission.

#3
Resolve to Always Read Instructions Carefully

Many years ago I decided to apply weed and feed to the first big lawn that I had ever owned. I neglected to read the application instructions and used a rotary spreader instead of the Scott's kind. I had soon engulfed myself, my yard, and half the block in billowy clouds of powder. I didn't have any weeds in my yard that year but I didn't have any grass either. I read instructions carefully now.

#2
Resolve to Handle Small Seeds Carefully (This one just made me laugh)

My New Year Resolution for gardening is To Never Sneeze Again With Seeds In My Hands.

And My #1
I resolve to keep the bird feeder away from the flower bed (I have personal experience with this one, but I did manage to get a few nice-sized sunflowers out of it)

I'll never allow my husband to keep his bird-feeder in the middle of the perennial bed along the dry stream bed. It wreaks havoc for spring cleaning and sprouts sunflowers on a daily basis!

Quick tips: Sowing Tomato Seeds Indoors

Tomatoes are the most popular plants among fruit and vegetable gardeners: they produce lots of fruit per plant; the seeds are inexpensive; and, they are easy to grow from seed. You will need to sow your seeds indoors about 6 weeks before the last frost of the spring to maximize their growing potential.

Moisten your planting medium to prepare it for your tomato seeds, a store-bought seed-starting mix is perfect, but many veteran gardeners will have their own recipe of vermiculite, clay, and sphagnum. It's up to you, just don't use soil from your garden for seed-starting - it may be contaminates with all kind of fungi, disease, and bests that will make life harder for your seedling.

Steps To Germinating Tomatoes Indoors

1. Sow directly on top of the medium
   
2. Cover lightly (about ¼ inch) with the planting medium.
3. Place your seeds in a warm place - approximately 75 degrees F.
4. Keep the seeds moist (but not wet) until your seedlings are mature.

Your seedlings should emerge in just over a week, and in 5 more weeks, they will be ready for your garden. Don't forget to harden them off - give them a couple of days outside for just a couple of hours to allow them to acclimate to the wind and sunlight. This prevents damage from shocking them with a sudden climate change.

Check out our full Growing Tomatoes Guide for more information.

Yet another reason to love honeybees!

Apparently, the noble honeybee is not only a master pollinator, but also a consummate intimidator!  According to a study performed by German scientists, the buzz of nearby honeybees can cause plant-munching caterpillars to cease and desist.  Apparently the caterpillars can’t tell the difference between pollen seeking bees and caterpillar-hunting wasps.  Read more about it here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222143511.htm

If you want a fun way to learn about honeybees visit helpthehoneybees.com.  There’s even a spot where you can create your own personalized bee.  I think the likeness of mine is unmistakable!

If you want to entice honeybees to your garden try planting blueberries, bee balm, coneflowers, herbs or sunflowers.

Seed ya later!
Stephanie

Raised Bed Gardening: The First Step to a Healthy Garden

Raised beds are a great way to have a healthy garden. Think container gardening on a much larger scale. You build a box and you control everything that goes in. This is a great method for controlling pests and disease, especially if you are an organic gardener and other means of controlling pests are limited.

Raised beds can be built out of all kinds of things, wooden planks, tractor tires -i've even seen boats and old bathtubs sunken into people's yards (remember, we are locating in South Carolina - People can be more than a little "resourceful" when it comes to landscape design). I personally prefer the railroad ties because there is very little actual construction involved and they are fairly inexpensive, usually around ten dollars each.

If you use Park's Space Saver Garden Corner Joints, you can easily attach 2X6 planks any way you want. They make great raised beds, and they come in pack of 4 or 6 flexible hinge joints, so you can make any design with the angles that you need. They also make it easy to follow the curve of a drive or the contours of your landscape. These corner joints are stackable and require very little construction, just two screws per joint.

Constructing a Raised Bed

It's as easy as making a child’s sand box, just hope your cat doesn't notice the resemblance.

• The depth will be the trickiest part, but you can’t really make it too deep (just keep in mind that you are going to have to fill this with soil). However, if you make it too shallow, the soil will dry out too fast and will need constant watering, so shoot for at least twelve inches.
• It’s a good idea to lay some landscaping fabric or screen in the bottom to keep out critters and unwanted growth.
• Add about an inch or two each of sand and gravel for drainage.
• Now fill with your soil of choice; if you are planning a large project you may want to order it to be delivered in bulk, especially if your vehicle is not really equipped for carrying dirt. Call around, this is usually a lot cheaper than you'd expect.

This is would be a great way to get into organic gardening, as it will reduce your need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, for more about this you should check Planning an Organic Garden - this article is part of Park Seed's Online Gardener's Handbook.

2009 AAS Winners: The Best Seeds of the Year

Since 1932, The All-American Selections (AAS) organization has helped to promote new seed varieties, educating gardeners throughout North America and keeping us all up to date on the latest trends in gardening. New plant varieties are grown every year at one of the AAS Trial Grounds set up at seed companies, botanical gardens, and university campuses. Each Trial Ground is supervised by a Judge at that location. Stephanie Turner, Director of Seed Product, is the supervisor of our trial garden. She is one of official judges who cast votes in the annual AAS process.

Every year Park Seed offers all of the the AAS winners to our customers, and for 2009 the winners were Eggplant Gretel, Melon Lambkin, Viola Rain Blue and Purple, and Squash Honey Bear. Stephanie told me that she was particulary fond of the Melon Lambkin, and she knows her stuff - so you should give it a try.

Stevia Is Now Commercially Available In North America

In October of 2007, I posted a short entry about the super-sweet herb, Stevia, and it's growing popularity. I mentioned that food giants Cargill and Coke were courting the FDA to allow them to market a form of the stevia extract as a food additive/sweeter. Last month, Rebiana (the Stevia additive's trade name) was approved for use in North America, so you may start seeing it on shelves within the next few months.

But you don't have to wait that long - you can benefit from this zero-calorie sweetener within a few weeks by growing it in your own kitchen herb garden. I grew stevia last year. It was fairly easy and the plants were impressively dense with sweet foliage. You will probably not run out even if you grow only one plant. You can dry them and save them for later. Right now you can get a pack of 10 USDA certified organic Stevia Rebaudiana seeds for $3.95 from Park Seed.

I really wish I had taken pictures, I had one stem that was almost 4 feet tall on my patio, with leaves from base to tip. Just one leaf of stevia is more than enough to sweeten a glass of tea or lemonade.

Seed Starting: Being Prepared To Grow

Growing plants from seed is easy--people have been doing it for thousands of years. Essentially, all you need seeds, soil, and water. The difference between your garden and the gardens of thousands of years ago is that you are not a tenth-generation farmer growing native plants on your ancestors' land. You are a busy, modern person working a 40+ hour work week, and you may need a few extra tricks and gadgets to coax your seeds into giving you the garden you want.

Remember these 3 things when you are starting out with a new garden:

1. Choose good quality seeds.
   To ensure good germination rates and healthy, fruitful plant growth, untreated, Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) seed, make sure that you buy from a trusted source. Park Seed is a trusted brand that guarantees the quality of their seed products.
2. Know Your USDA Hardniness Zone.
   Choose the hardiest varieties with resistances relevant to your zone. If you live in a hot dry climate, choose varieties that are drought resistant.
3. Get as much information about your plants as you can.
   At ParkSeed.com, we always list tolerances, hardiness, and specific care instructions for all of our seeds. The seed packet itself will give you planting and germination instructions.

You can read more in this extensive seed-staring guide from our Online Gardener's Handbook which feature other articles and links to helpful gardening sites..

 

Speaking of seed packets--by popular demand, Park Seed has brought back the classic gold foil seed packets. People like them because they keep your seeds safe and dry, and most of our long-time customers associate them with the Park Seed brand.