By Hank Smith | March 2005
Spring
Garden Vegetables and Fruits
Most vegetables have “friends” with whom they grow and produce better. For example: Beans thrive when planted near beets, strawberries, corn, eggplant, squash, peas, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, potatoes and celery.
Once established, perennial plants will provide a bountiful harvest every year for many years. Three that are easy to grow are asparagus, horseradish and rhubarb.
Vegetables can be used as part of the flower garden. For example, carrots to edge a flowerbed (the foliage gives a fern-like edging); strawberries as a low-edging plant or groundcover; and cabbages backed with zinnias, with petunias in front.
Sow or plant in warm weather: beans, carrots, squash, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, melons and tomatoes. Sow or plant in cool weather: beets, peas, radishes, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, spinach, swiss chard and turnips.
Remove blooms from herbs to direct plant energy to produce foliage, not flowers.
To grow your own pineapple, twist the top off of a pineapple, plant it in a pot of fertile soil, and then wait. Place the plant outside in the sun. Give it plenty of water. If the temperature drops below 45 degrees, bring the pot indoors. It takes about two years for the plant to yield an edible pineapple.
Trees and Shrubs
The first spring is a critical time for newly-planted shrubs and trees. Water them deeply once or twice a week during dry periods.
Balled-and-burlapped plants should have the ball of soil at least one-half as wide as the shrubs’ top spread. If the ball of earth is quite small in comparison with the top, the shrub will have difficulty surviving the shock of transplanting.
Remove faded blooms when they appear on bedding plants and shrubs.
Trees like to be transplanted before the end of March. In mid-and-upper South, April is satisfactory.
Trees require good soil drainage. Poor results usually follow if water stands for a long period after a heavy rain.
Flowers
Good bedding plants for bright sunny spots: portulaca, zinnia, marigold, salvia and celosia.
The best and easiest to grow of the flowering perennial vines include: hybrid clematis, autumn clematis, silver-lace vine, honeysuckle, wisteria and trumpet creeper.
Plant masses of zinnias, marigolds and petunias. These popular annuals contribute summer-long color accents.
Close cousin of morning glory vines, moon vine (Calonyction aculeatum) produces creamy-white blooms that open at sunset and remain until daybreak. Growing 10–15 feet in height, vines need full sun and rich soil.
Lawn
Conditioners improve soil by increasing moisture and fertilizer holding capacity. They also absorb air and water. Organic materials that can be used as soil conditioners include old sawdust, cotton gin waste, peanut hulls and sewer sludge.
Fertilizer and lime should be added on the basis of a soil test. Your local county extension office offers information on the soil test and grass varieties.
No matter what type of grass you choose, successful growth depends largely on soil preparation. Level and grade the area to be planted. Fill in low places and slope lawn away from the house to prevent future moisture problems in the house’s foundation that can occur after heavy rains. After leveling, add and mix soil conditioners and fertilizers.
Make sure the mower blade is sharp before the first mowing. A sharp blade cuts clean and doesn’t tear the grass tips.
Put grass seed in the refrigerator overnight before planting. This cuts the germination time in half.
The average lawn needs about one inch of water per week to stay healthy. If there is less than an inch of rain, use sprinklers to make up the difference. Always water deeply, as a light sprinkling can do more harm than good.
Treatments
Five tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water, shaken well, will help prolong the life of cut flowers. Keep the vase full of solution.
To attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, plant bee balm in flowerbeds.
To keep mosquitoes from outdoor sitting
areas, plant marigolds nearby.
Indoors
Water-retaining polymers added to soil when planting potted plants will help hold moisture.
Spider plants are well adapted to hanging baskets in partial shade.
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