|
A Chilly Reception for Winter
Greetings!
 Our Iowa weather apparently has gone back to "normal," whatever that means in the Midwest. Until now, I've been enjoying winter weather so balmy that I went on a bike ride last week! In January!
Who knows what's going to happen from here on out, but over the past couple of months, this almost-record warm weather, for the most part, has been good for our Iowa gardens. No major damaging deep, deep cold. No lingering snow covers that make deer and rabbits desperately to strip our trees and shrubs. No limb-snapping ice storms.
If we go back to unusually warm days, we'll have to do things a little differently. I heard a great garden program last week on Iowa Public Radio with that stalwart of Iowa gardening, Richard Jauron. (Click here to listen. Choose "Hort Day: Warm Winter Weather.")
One of the most relevant points discussed: Consider watering trees and shrubs planted fewer than three years ago. As long as the ground isn't frozen, give them some water to help them through the winter. I've given my two dwarf spruces in pots by the front door a few drinks.
Even if things continue very cold and (sigh) very normal, I'm resolved to stay upbeat. I'm clinging to the sunny outlook of my commuting pal, Kent: "Worst case scenario, we'll have a winter that lasts just a couple of months!"
Yours in sunny outlooks,
Veronica Lorson Fowler
|
Start a Garden Journal
Garden journals are a great way to keep track of all your garden information. Jot down notes to yourself. Tuck in plant receipts and labels, magazine articles, printouts from the Internet, and more. A garden journal is fun and saves you time, energy, and money. Promise! Here at The Iowa Gardener, we designed for our readers a wonderful, free garden journal. All you do is print out the series of  pages (basic information, monthly to-do lists) and slip them into a three-ring binder. It's great not only for yourself, but also as a thoughtful, inexpensive gift for gardening friends and family. (I did something similar for my mom, but had my little daughter get out her crayons and make an adorable cover.) It's also a nice housewarming gift. Click here for details and printable pages. |
|
Advertisement
We're in Independence, Iowa. Click here for directions. |
Great New Year's Tradition
Each New Year's morning, Ben Allen--the other half of The Iowa Gardener effort--makes a big brunch of eggs Benedict. Then he and his wife, Peg, sit down and pore over the seed catalogs, planning their garden for the year and placing their order. What a wonderful tradition and a poetic way to look forward to the coming months.
If only I could get up early enough for brunch on New Years, I might be roused to copy their idea!
My favorite seeds catalogs haven't changed much over the years, even with teh rise of so many on-line resources:
 My hand's down-favorite seed catalog is Park Seed. Really wonderful selection and very good quality.
For more gourmet and cottage selections, I also love Renee's Garden. Utterly charming, and the seed packets are so pretty I love just leaving them lying around!
The Cook's Garden also always gets me dreaming about all the wonderful produce I'm (at least in theory) going to be harvesting all season long. |
There's a Plant Inside that Seed
If you're one of the many gardeners who thinks you have a brown thumb when it comes to seeds, please read up on the right way to do it!
So much has to do with doing only very easy seeds, finding a place that's' warm enough, and then timing so you can put them outside at the right time of year.
Starting Plants from Seeds Outdoors
The Easiest Plants to Start from Seed
How To Direct-Sow Seeds in Iowa
 And if you want a fun project with seeds and kids, try the Root-Vue "plant farm," pictured here. I ordered one for about $25 for a garden article I'm working on and 14-year-old Will totally took over. It's been a great fun winter project!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Garden To-Do List
For a printer-friendly version of this list, click here.
Are you keeping an The Iowa Gardener Garden Journal? If so, click here for your January page!
Cut up your Christmas tree and use the boughs for mulch over tender plants. Or tuck the boughs into pots and window boxes. Pretty, and you'll save on a collection fee.
Make on-line and mail-order purchases early. Supplies of the most popular items tend to start running out in March or so, especially this year when vegetable gardening again promises to be hot.
Look at your houseplants. If they're struggling, it's probably time to pitch them. (A great excuse to buy a new one.) Otherwise, give them a good rinse, trim off brown or problem parts, and top off the soil with fresh potting soil.
Don't fertilize houseplants this month. With less daylight and therefore growth, they need less food.
Boost humidity around houseplants. They really need it this time of year. Misting has been shown to be ineffective, but a tray filled with pebbles and a quarter inch or so of water is. Also, turn up your humidifier.
Check on any forced bulbs in your fridge. Water to keep soil lightly moist, as needed. When shoots are ½ inch high, put them in the sunniest spot you have. Supplement with a grow light, if possible.
Check on any bulbs or corms. If you dug glads, tuberous begonias, and other tender bulbs up last fall, uncover and examine them. They should be firm and healthy looking. If they're shriveled or mildewed, pitch them.
Start seeds of slower-growing plants, such as parsley, onions, and some perennials. Don't start other seeds too early (check the packet). The vast majority of seeds should be started 6 to 8 weeks before your region's last average frost date-May 10 in southern Iowa; May 15 in northern Iowa. That means starting most seeds in roughly mid-March.
Know your USDA Zone so you can choose the right plants. Northern Iowa is roughly Zone 4, southern Iowa is roughly Zone 5. Click here for a detailed map.
|
|
Upcoming Garden Events
There are a ton of nifty classes, workshops, and speakers scheduled right now in anticipation of spring. Click here to view them all.
And if your garden group has anything to put on our events schedule-even regular monthly meetings-
click here!
. |
|
Garden Quote:
"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you ..... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself."
- Garden Writer
Ruth Stout
.
|
|
