Growing Vining Plants?

If you are growing vining plants - cucumbers, tall (indeterminate) tomatoes, pole beans or flowering vines, construct and install sturdy supports now. While seeing a small tomato plant inside a large cage may seem strange, training the vines to the cage while they are young is relatively easy. The plants will resent you trying to weave them through the supports as they get older and less flexible. Velcro strips are an easy way to attach the plant quickly without damaging the stems. And if you buy supermarket lettuce, they come with Velcro-like strips that can be trimmed to an appropriate length do the job for free.

 

Ready Your Vegetable Garden for Spring!

Repair any fence issues caused by winter damage. If you haven’t already done so, order seeds by phone or computer. If they are sold out of what you want, they can offer alternatives. Lay out your vegetable beds on paper to save time when the soil is ready to plant. This month, you can plant your ‘cold weather’ crops, including spinach, peas and beets.

 

Weed Out the Invasives

While the ground is soft, April is a great time to pull out invasive plants such as Japanese barberry (shown here), and burning bush, and common weeds that may have re-seeded into your garden. Make certain you get as much as the root as possible. “Painting” cut roots with weed killer will prevent them from quickly growing back and making more work later in the growing season. Replace these with garden friendly American natives such as blueberries and itea -- spring bloomers with fabulous fall color that lasts longer than burning bush.

 

The 2023 Gardening Season

We are starting the 2023 gardening season in good shape. The UMASS Agricultural Extension Service reports excellent soil moisture at the end of March, and the Drought Monitor shows no area of New England in any stage of drought. Such conditions, though, can be fleeting: the National Weather Service’s 90-day outlook is for above average temperatures.