Happy Know Year

 

January 2022

PICKAWAY TO GARDEN

Happy Know Year

By Paul J. Hang

 

In 2020 we hoped 2021 would be a better year. Wrong! The admonition, “It can always get worse” keeps me from saying that 2022 might be a better year. 2021 was not a better year for the pandemic nor was it any better in my garden. Francis Bacon said “Knowledge is power,” if he is correct then let’s get smarter. We all know the litany, by now, of how to defeat Covid; vax, boost, mask, distance, etc. However, I think it was St. Paul who said something like, I know the good, I don’t do the good. Maybe a little more knowledge will lead to a better year in the garden if not with the pandemic. In gardening, like most other things, we can always learn more. No one knows it all.

 

There are all kinds of gardening advice, some good, some not so much. Some advice is based on an underlying fact but is misleading or is not complete. An example is that blossom end rot in solanaceous plants, e.g. tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, is caused by a deficiency of calcium. Many people advise adding calcium to the soil to prevent it. Actually, most soils have enough calcium. The lack of calcium is caused by uneven watering, by us or rain. Plants take in minerals that are in solution. If no water is available, no calcium is available. The blossom end of the tomato is the farthest from the roots and can’t develop properly without calcium. The undeveloped flesh is brown, soon rots and turns black. No amount of egg shells or Tums (yes, I heard it) or other additional calcium will prevent blossom end rot. Consistent watering will.

 

Some hints and resources to become a more knowledgeable gardener follow. Determine your planting zone. Read the labels of purchased plants and the instructions on seed packets for site recommendations (Right Plant in the Right Place) and planting instructions. Read books, take classes, watch gardening shows (Growing a Greener World, joegardener.com is the best), listen to radio gardening programs, and don’t overlook friends and neighbors whose gardens you admire. And, as my Mom used to say, “Look it up on the Google machine.”

 

Sites to search for gardening information for Ohio and surrounding states are: www.ohioline.edu.osu, (Michigan) www.migarden.msu.edu, (Kentucky) www.uky.edu/hort, (Pennsylvania) www.extension.psu.edu, (Indiana) www.extension.purdue.edu, (West Virginia) www.ext.wvu.edu.  Youtube is full of it (advice that is). Make sure the video you’re watching is coming from a university or other trusted source. Go to the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line at http//bygl.osu.edu. There, local state experts discuss gardening issues which are in the form of a newsletter. You can even choose to have it emailed to you.

 

Have a question? Check with the OSU Extension Service. The Helpline can be reached at 740-474-7534 or www.pickaway.osu.edu where there is a link to “Ask an Expert.” This year I begin the thirteenth year of this column. How time flies! For a little more knowledge you can read prior columns at pickawaygardener.blogspot.com.

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

The list of things to do in the garden has gotten shorter. Things we can do about gardening are: Review last year's garden; draw a map while you can still remember what grew where. Plan your gardens and plantings. One of my favorite guides for this is The Ohio Gardening Guide by Jerry Minnich.

 

Check your supply of old seeds. Are they expired? Do you want to reorder that variety? Read your new seed catalogs. Want some more seed catalogs? Go to gardeningplaces.com. Order seeds and plants of new varieties that you want now. They usually sell out quickly.

 

Believe it or not, by the end of the month, you can begin to grow members of the Allium family (Onions, Leeks, Garlic and Shallots) from seed indoors. You can get ready by getting your seed starting supplies together. Make sure you provide plenty of light.

 

Cut back on watering your houseplants and don’t fertilize until March or April when growth begins as the amount of light lengthens, rinse/dust leaves, turn them every few days. When your poinsettias are looking ragged throw them on the compost heap. The same goes for paper whites. In my opinion it is not worth trying to get them to bloom again. If you like a challenge, go ahead but be prepared for disappointment. Amaryllis and Christmas cactus are exceptions and can be kept for re-blooming. Check the internet for instructions.

 

Establish a new bed by placing black plastic or several layers of newspaper, cardboard or even old carpet down over the area you’ve chosen for the new bed. Weight it down so the wind doesn’t disturb it. By late spring the vegetation under it should be dead and the space ready for planting.

 

Learn to sharpen your tools, trowels, pruners, spades and if you are adventurous, your mower blades. Oil them and use linseed oil on the wooden handles. Getting rid of a cut live Christmas tree? Don’t. Use it to serve as a wind break for evergreens. Cut the branches off and use them as mulch for perennials. Put it near your bird feeders as cover. Decorate it with suet, fruit, seed cakes, as a bird feeder. Chip it for mulch. If you have a pond, sink it for structure cover for fish. The needles can also be mulch and will not make the soil too acidic. If you had a balled live Christmas tree, plant it ASAP.

 

Some gardening resolutions: Rotate vegetable crops; water the base of plants, not from above; weed and mulch; use row covers; water newly planted trees and shrubs; visit and check your garden often. Happy Know Year.