New England Gardener

Here Comes The Sun!

Question:

I just planted outdoors two tall – about 12-14 “- sunflower seedlings I grew from seed. The next day i saw that one of them was knocked over near the ground, the stem almost severed. I watched for a couple days, and the leaves stayed green, so I thought it might be salvageable, but then, after a couple days, I saw that all the leaves were gone! The same thing has happened to me other years with sunflowers. Other plants, right next to it were not harmed, and the other sunflower I planted at the same time, also was not harmed.
Is there some critter – bird or squirrel, or ?, that’s especially fond of sunflowers?
And, how can I protect them?
I have several more that I want to plant outdoors.
thanks.

Ann,

Thanks for your question. I’ve grown quite a few sunflowers because of my involvement in a Children’s Garden in my town, so I can offer a few thoughts. First of all, sunflowers prefer to be directly sowed from seed rather than transplanted. You don’t have to give up on your transplants, just stick some seeds in at the same time. You can also germinate your seeds for a few days indoors to get a head start. Just wrap your seed in a damp (not soaked) paper towel and seal in a plastic zip lock bag. Maintain moisture and after a few days you should see a small root curling out of the seed. Pop in the ground and watch it grow.

Now, to your question about something eating your small seedlings. This could be cut worms, slugs or some other garden pest. Start by planting more seeds than you need. The critters won’t eat everything. You can also protect your shoots by cutting the bottom out of paper cups and putting them over the seedlings. When the plants are as tall as your hand remove cups and watch your sunflowers flourish. Don’t give up. There’s really nothing more delightful than watching a mammoth sunflower sway in a late summer breeze.

–Amy

Filed under: Flowers | Just Add Water Project | Kids Garden | Uncategorized

Edible landscaping certainly isn’t a new idea, but I’ve always considered it to be a backyard pursuit, quietly tucking strawberry plants, herbs and pea structures into my ornamental beds. What exactly was I trying to hide? The fact that my family likes homegrown fresh food? Finally, this spring a light went on as I was lamenting the state of a diseased row(leaf spot) of red twig dogwood shrubs along my front fence.

My local YMCA branch in Freeport, Maine has a lovely hedge of mature high bush blueberries right next to the parking lot and I thought…I can do this at home.

I chose three high bush (cultivated) plants, 2 Bluecrop and 1 Patriot, and 5 low bush (wild) blueberries. I went with Brunswick on the low bush because they’re supposed to provide a dense ground cover. I think blueberries are a great bet in New England because they’re extremely hardy, provide delicious kid-friendly fruits, require little maintenance, and hold their own in the looks department. The leaves turn bright red in the fall which should look just great against our white fence.

The key to happy blueberries is acidic soil…requiring a ph of 4. to 5.5. A more dilgent gardener would have tested the soil before planting, but I decided the blueberries would be ok because they’re planted in the same stretch of soil as my acid loving Rhododendrons. I did, however, augment the soil with an organic compost that’s well suited for berries.

Other great options for front yard foundation plants might be gooseberries and currants. Or, if you’re hoping to keep animals (or neighbors) at bay, you might try growing a thorny hedge of blackberries or rasberries.

This latest adventure reminded me to question my preconceived ideas about gardens. Somewhere along the garden path, I decided food plants belonged in the back yard. Nonsense. Another advantage to front yard edibles…the deer are less likely to go there.

Filed under: Just Add Water Project | Sustainable Gardening | Uncategorized | Vegetables

Question:
From: Terry O

I just went out to Wal-Mart and bought $60 worth of tomatoes, basil and peppers to plant this weekend. As soon as the rain stopped and got a little warmer, I wanted to there before the weekend rush came in and picked over all the plants. Do you think the ground is warm enough this weekend to plant the tomatoes and peppers?

Answer:
Hi Terry O
You are very smart getting to the nursery ahead of the bog crowd.
Sounds like you are ready to launch.
Yes, the ground is warm enough, this is the warmest spring on record. The low this morning was 60°!
Our forecast is for summer warmth a couple days this week. But, believe it or not, we have frost potential next Monday or Tuesday. Seeing as that is after Memorial Day, the time we are suppose to plant tomatoes and peppers, go ahead and plant. You can not be held responsible for frost in June
Best, Tim

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Is it possible, soon we will get 4 pints of Blueberries (per day!) from these seedlings? That’s what the TV ad says. Latoyia and I are doing the experment, “Does it Grow?” we will let you know. See the sales pitch online at BlueBerryGiant.com.
ONE WEEK IN UPDATE
The blueberries, about 30 of them, are all planted. Mostly be me, a few by friends, including Latoyia and her family. My blueberries doubled in size the first week, from 3″ to 6″!
LOOKING GOOD, but a long way from 4 pints a day..

Filed under: Sustainable Gardening

Question:
Hi,
I live in Portland Maine. My front lawn is a mess. I have 3 arborvite trees that look healthy, and juniper that look anemic, yellowish. I probably cut them back too much year before last to get the round shape back. Also, one of the two has invaded my small lawn. The grass is 50% gone. How do I remove the invader from the lawn and bring the shrubs and lawn back to health?

Answer:
Hi Allison
You may want to hire a team, or set out with grit and determination, on your own. The lawn soil has to be weeded and softened using an iron rake. The roots of the creeping juniper need to be allowed to go where they want, or pulled out and clipped back. Once you soften the soil, grass seed may be applied. This is the highest sun angle of the year, so watering must be thorough each morning. The dead tips of the juniper may be showing signs of life, if so leave them alone, in not, clip them back. This season is much kinder on our lawns and gardens thanks to not to much rain, and plenty of warmth.

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Filed under: Ask The Garden Team

Alyson H wrote in with a great question that I’m posting here so that all may benefit.

QUESTION: “I am wondering if there is a single resource- like a big chart maybe- of when to plant different crops in New England. I am in southern NH and never know when to start things or what to put in next, etc.”

ANSWER: Hi Alyson,
Thanks for your question. For region specific information about planting windows, time to maturity, frost dates etc. you can’t do any better than your local Cooperative Extension service. The Cooperative Extensions were created to make sure the public has access (usually free!!) to information and resources from their state universities. I checked out UNH’s cooperative extension website and immediately found what you’re looking for. Just download the “Planting and Maturity Dates of Vegetables in New England.” Cooperative Extensions are also a wealth of information when it comes to pest problems too. Happy Gardening,

Amy

Filed under: Ask The Garden Team | Just Add Water Project | Vegetables