Park Seed Garden Journal

Directly Sowing Seeds Saves Time & Money

Direct sowing is the shortest path to growing bounds of ripe tasty veggies and layers of bright blooming flowers. Direct sowing is easy: as soon as the danger of frost has passed, just plant the seeds directly into the ground and water regularly. Save a little money on seed-starting this year by getting a few of these hardy varieties, perfect for planting the old-fashioned way.

Park Seed is now offering a few varieties perfect for directly sowing into the ground. We have vegetables: Beans, cucumbers, corn, carrots, and more! And we have flowers: perennials and annuals!

Colorful Annuals for an Ever-Evolving Beautiful Garden

Planting annuals is the fastest way to dramatically change the look of your garden. Brilliant annuals in every color of the rainbow will grow and flower quickly, and many of them with last until frost.

Give your annual flower beds dynamic quality throughout the planting season by planning properly. You can look at bloom times and try to time your annuals so that your garden so that there isn't a moment between spring and fall when you aren't knee-deep in beautiful flowers.

Park seed is selling a huge selection of live annual plants right now, and you can order them online. If you go to our site, all of the planting information is available for each plant. You can see the size of the plant, when it blooms, what kind of soil and how much sunlight it needs to grow. All of these things will help you know which plants are right for your garden.

Click Here for more Information: Park Seed's Annual Plants

Live Plant Shipping and New Items for 2009

Park Seed has started shipping plants to most zones. The last two shipping zones are expected to open within the next few weeks barring any inclement weather. [Zone 4, Apr. 20 & Zones 3-1, May 11]

Current Shipping Schedule

Shipping live plants is much trickier than shipping seeds. It requires precise planning and care to ensure that the plants arrive quickly and in good condition. We have to watch for late freezes and other unseasonal weather all over the country. It is our goal to ship plants so that they arrive just as the ground warms and winter has moved along, hopefully on a warm, sunny, spring day perfect for a little gardening.

While we're on the subject of spring plants, along with the proven, classic varieties, Park Seed has added a few new varieties for 2009 that I am personally excited about. No matter how technically perfect and classically beautiful a garden is, even the most seasoned gardener is drawn to novel beauty like a fish to a shiny spinnerbait. The eyes love surprises.

If you are looking for something to catch the eye you can start with the designer daylily 'Fire King', a blaze of bright orange ruffled petals that blooms all summer long. Another flower that just jumps right out of the garden is the 8-inch double-bloomed gerber daisy 'Giant Spinner', and this one comes in a variety of brilliant colors. And, my personal favorite, a really beautiful flower, the Japanese Iris 'August Emperor' really steals the show with its large billowy petals in high-contrast purple and yellow. Those are my three favorites, but be sure to check out all of the Park Seed's new plants.

Moving your seedling into the garden

If it seems like all of the frosty weather has moved on and made room for spring, and your seedlings are no longer too young and soft, it may be time to transplant to the garden.

Be Patient!

There is no reason to get in any rush -- make sure all danger of frost has passed, and start preparing your seedlings about two weeks ahead of time. Water them less and expose them to slightly cooler temperatures, allowing the cell walls to toughen up a little before they are exposed to the elements.

Hardening Off

When you finally do move them outdoors, do so gradually; the sudden shock may damage them and set you back a few days. For the first couple of days sit them out in the shade, then if they seem to be holding up, go ahead and move them to their permanent home.

If you experience any surprise cold snaps, just cover your plants with some clear plastic from your local home improvement store. They'll usually have some in the gardening section and in the painting section.

Good luck with the new seedlings!

Count the Corn Kernels Contest!

In case you missed yesterdays newsletter, I just wanted to share our newest contest with you. Each contest lasts about a week. You can still participate in the count the corn kernels contest for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, even if you don't subscribe to the newsletter, just follow this link for more information: Count The Corn Kernels Contest!

Just guess how many seeds are in the jar, the closest gets the prize--if their is a tie, the winner will be randomly selected from all of the correct answers.

Our team-leaders felt inspired and we had a little holiday-themed contest of our own this morning- We had to guess how many peeps were in the jar.

White House Vegetable Garden: The First Garden?

Gardening with the First Family

 

First Lady Michelle Obama (with help from local schoolchildren) broke ground on a new vegetable garden on the South lawn on Friday, March 20 as photographers, reporters, and White House kitchen staff looked on.  So, maybe the sod was a little tougher to get through than they expected, and the kitchen staff all jumped in to help.  (A lovely photo op, but if you're starting from scratch this year too, you should know there are easier ways to start a garden from sod!)

So there's a First Family, a First Lady, a First Dog... do we have to call this the First Garden?

 

While not the first veggie garden ever at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, this is the first vegetable garden on the White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden in 1943. 

According to The New York Times, The Clintons had a small vegetable garden on the roof to have fresh herbs and veggies for the White House kitchen, but at that time it was felt that a vegetable garden on the White House lawn was not consistent with the formal, stately appearance of the property.  (Times have changed somewhat; the Obamas’ veggie garden is near the tennis courts, out of view from the White House but visible from the street.)

Having a garden on the property will just make it even easier for White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford to prepare meals using fresh, local produce, and provide healthy, fresh herbs and vegetables for meals served to the First Family, esteemed guests, state dinners and other special events. 

 

Michelle Obama has outlined her additional motives for vegetable gardening at the White House: educating children and the community about the benefits of healthful eating, nutrition, and the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in the everyday diet. Like many this year, this is the First Lady’s first vegetable garden. 

 

White House assistant chef Sam Kass will oversee the gardens.  The garden will have organic seeds and heirlooms, use organic fertilizers and organic pest-control methods, including sprays and beneficial insects.  The White House will compost kitchen scraps.  Surplus harvest will go to a local food kitchen.  The garden will be maintained by the First Family, White House staff, and local schoolchildren.  The schoolchildren are already experienced gardeners; they have a garden at their school and will help keep, harvest, and even cook the food from the White House garden.

 

The garden will contain many different types of lettuce and peas, as well as spinach, radishes, carrots, onions, shallots, broccoli, kale and collards, even rhubarb.  The plan is based on a wish list provided by White House chefs.  There is a well-stocked herb garden.  The garden walkways are lined with Marigolds, Nasturtium, and Zinnia.  Fresh fruits and berries grow nearby.  And two beehives will be maintained by White House staff carpenter Charlie Brandts, who is also a beekeeper. 

“Cristeta Comerford, the White House’s executive chef, said she was eager to plan menus around the garden, and Bill Yosses, the pastry chef, said he was looking forward to berry season.” – New York Times March 19, 2009

There has been some good-natured ribbing about the White House vegetable garden not having beets (the president doesn’t care for them) but all of us at Park are wondering – unless we missed something on the planting plan, where are all the Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans and Corn? 

March 2009 Garden Tip Contest Winners!

Ok, we've read through your top gardening tips, and I have to tell you, it was NOT easy to pick only 10! It's obvious you are all serious about your gardening and constantly learning something new. Most of all, we appreciate your willingness to share all the knowledge you have gathered over the years. If we follow these tips, we should all have gorgeous, successful gardens!

Here are the winners and their valuable tips. Each one will be receiving a $10 Park Seed Gift Certificate! Congratulations, and thank you again to everyone who sent us their number-one gardening tips!

Submitted by Sue Harris of Belize, Central America: Whenever you are gardening with bare hands (the only way to get a real feel for the plants and soil) first scratch a bar of soap with your nails, so there is soap under each nail. Then when you wash your hands, you just use a nail brush and lo and behold, perfectly mud free nails.

Submitted by Violet Smith of Roanoke, VA: This tip is called "Not For The Faint of Heart" Having a bad case of white fly infestation on my African Violet collection which was not responding to the usual pesticides, I was about to destroy all the plants when I spotted a tiny house spider. I thought, what have I got to lose. I put the spider on one plant & waited. Lo and behold, the spider was noticeably getting bigger! The infestation cleared up. I have since sought out (small) spiders on occasion to do my "green" gardening inside and out. Note: When the house spiders job is done it is relocated to the outdoors!

Submitted by Linda Richardson of Romeoville, IL I like to garden but also like to conserve water when possible. I recycle large soda bottles to water my garden plants - like tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant, etc. Use a 2-liter plastic bottle, cap on. Cut the bottom off, all but an inch and a half (this creates a flap to open the bottom of the bottle). Loosen the cap enough for it to do a slow drip; then bury the bottle, upside down up to the shoulder, next to your plants. Lift the bottom; fill each one once or twice a week - depending on the rain your area receives. This gives the plants a slow, deep watering, the 'bottom flap' keeps bugs out and you recycle the bottles. If your soil is very loose, you may need to put a few small stones or a stake in the bottle to steady it. I also catch the spring rain water and bottle it for use for watering plants during the heat of July.

Sherry C. of Gastonia, NC My tip is featured to help keep those pesky varmints away when the plant seedlings have sprouted and are still young and tender tasting. I found this out by accident this past year when I had purchased a couple of the helium-filled foil balloons for an occasion, and when through with them we just tied them to the posts around the garden just for fun, watching them bob and circle when the wind blew. To our delight, we found that these balloons kept the rabbits, etc. away from our spinach, peas, beans, etc. I usually purchase a couple from the dollar store and they last for two to three weeks, enough time to get the plants up where they don't mess with them as much.

Submitted by Patti Mercks I grew up walking along side of my Grandpa in his garden. Often carrying in the bounty and then helping Grandma cook it! Those days bring back wonderful childhood memories so I want to carrry on those traditions with my grandkids. I used to worry that the kids would come along and destroy the plants that I had so tenderly watered and watched over for days. Then I realized that they enjoyed the garden, too and wouldn't cause damage if they were part of the gardening processes and learning about it, just like my grandpa did with me. So I bring the kids into my garden. I will point out weeds and ask them to pull them out and explain to them why. I bought some child size garden tools for my grandchildren to use to rake the leaves off the tulips in spring. They have helped to pick flower bouquets and green beans. They knew when we pulled the pumpkins from the garden it would soon be Halloween! "My" garden has become "Our" garden and the enjoyment from it is awesome! My tip is to share your garden with everyone possible... big or small!

Submitted by Angela Loomis of East Greenwich, RI This one is so obvious - and it's what you folks at Park do with your great blogs, books, even your catalog! The number one thing a Gardener can do is SHARE!!! Share plants, share tips, share stories, good and bad..... I share and swap plants with the people at work who also garden, and now we have better things than work to talk about when we're in the kitchen getting coffee at the office! I've shared roses and received phlox, shared vegetable seedlings and received perennials, shared stories of disaster and stories of success. I've shared my love of gardening with my three kids, and my youngest is REALLY into planning his garden, starting seeds, buying plants, and all of that. I've made "gardening buddies" by sharing plants, and we love to haunt local garden centers and nurseries together - it is so much more fun with a PAL!! And I got all of this by sharing. So, if you're a new gardener, the best thing to do is speak up, because you'll end up with a community of planters that share your enthusiasm - and you never know where you'll find them!

Submitted by Wanda Jundt of Eureka, SD I used to plant, then forget what I had where. The remedy is easy and inexpensive. Use plastic knives as markers. Write on them with indelible black marker. I do square-foot gardening, and each section now has a marker and I know exactly what to look for as the seedlings emerge. The knives are inexpensive because when I buy an assortment of knives, forks, and spoons for picnics, it is always the knives that are left over and not used.

Submitted by "Bumpa" I am a grandfather, and it was my grandfather who taught me this tip that really works for areas with frost. Always watch the lilacs before you plant. When the lilacs start to show bloom tips, you can direct plant onions, garlic, peas. When the lilac blossoms are open, plant potatoes, carrots, lettuce, all cole crops and turnips, etc. When the lilac blossoms begin to fade, only then can you set out tomatoes, peppers, etc. Now is the time to plant beans, corn, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, and all tender vines, either from seed or setting out plants. I have done this every year and it works. I now have a balcony garden so it changes a bit because of the micro climate on the south side of the building. I hope you find this helpful, and I hope you have lilacs.

Submitted by Adrienne DeVries of Venice, FL The best gardening tip I have ever had is for tomato plants. They like a consistant moisture supply. To accomplish this, I cut the bottoms off 2-liter bottles and push the neck up the bottle into the soil a few inches from each tomato plant. Every other day I fill the bottle with water and sometimes add water-soluable fertilizer. This way the water gets all the way to the roots where it is needed. I no longer have blossom rot. I hope this will be helpful to someone.

Submitted by Michael Savich of Fredericksburg, VA Ever leave that black garden hose filled with water out in the hot summer sun? Well, a good way to ruin a valuable bush or plant is to turn on that hot hose water and immediately begin watering a valuable plant which already is wilting for lack of water. So let the hot water run out of the hose until the water is cool, then water. This will solve many a mystery in your garden about why a garden plant suddenly browned out. But an even better idea is to use that hot hose water as a very ecological and environmentally friendly way of eradicating weeds in your driveway. Utilize that hot hose water as a very effective herbicide instead, directing the hot water on annoying weeds next to lampposts, sidewalks, and inside driveway cracks. You will be surprised at how much hot water a 50-foot hose contains and how easy this weed-whacking method truly is.