Just a few weeks ago, there wasn’t much you could do in the garden because of the short days and dim light. Now, all of a sudden, there are a number of things you can do. Since the Winter Solstice (December 21st), we have gained about an hour and a half of sunlight! Plants, which depend on sunlight to live, have noticed and are waking up, ready to grow. This makes it the perfect time to start feeding them again, because they now have the energy to grow.
Feeding Your Plants
If you haven’t already done your homework and found out what to feed your specific plant, now is the time to find out. Most of the plants we grow for the beauty of their foliage, need a fertilizer with either even numbers (like 20-20-20 or 10-10-10) or a fertilizer with higher nitrogen (the first number on your fertilizer label, which encourages foliage growth).
Most plants grown for the beauty of their flowers (like African violets and outdoor plants like marigolds, geraniums, etc.) need a plant food with high phosphorus (the middle number in your fertilizer—like 12-36-14). The exception would be orchids, which have their own preference (because orchids live IN TREES) they need to be fed lightly (1/2 strength) and with even numbers (like 20-20-20). Feed your plants according to the label on the fertilizer container until Thanksgiving and then stop feeding until late winter (like now).
Pruning Your Plants
The next thing you can do is to prune your SUMMER blooming shrubs outside like roses, butterfly bushes, crepe myrtles, and fruits. Do not prune early spring bloomers like forsythia, azaleas, and rhododendrons. They have already formed their flower spikes and if you prune early, you’ll be cutting their flowers off. Prune them AFTER they finish blooming.
Starting Seeds
And the next thing you can do is to start the seeds for your long season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. They need the extra time to grow before you move them outside at the end of April or first of May. You can also start certain cool season veggies (like broccoli, cabbage, lettuces, etc.) inside, then move them outside at the end of March). Remember, root veggies like carrots, beets, turnips, etc.) do not transplant well, so direct sow them according to the packet directions.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get my hands dirty again!
Happy Gardening!