Potato planting season is here and tomato planting season is almost upon us. We have been reminded by the UMaine Cooperative Extension Sevice that "many farmers and gardeners in Maine saw late blight on their potatoes and tomatoes for the first time in 2009 and experienced firsthand the amount and speed of crop destruction that it can cause. Introduction and widespread distribution of the late blight pathogen into Maine occurred during late June and July, when potato and tomato plants were growing rapidly. Then extended periods of rainy and humid weather hit Maine, completing the disease triangle of pathogen, host, and environment. The results were devastating to the tomato and potato crops in many areas. "

 

 

The question we are hearing quite often is: Will last year's late blight affect this year's garden? Our friends at the UMaine Cooperative Extension Service tell us "If your garden area is free from (tomato and potato) plant debris, and your compost pile is free from living (tomato and potato) plants, last year's infected tomatoes and potatoes will not affect this year's garden. While you should rotate vegetable planting areas from year to year, the pathogen that causes late blight does not overwinter in the soil under our conditions. " Now that's good news! We do recommend you consult the UMaine Cooperative Extension Service publication on Tomato and Potato Late Blight by clicking here!

 

Now is a good time to do selected pruning of dead and dying stems on your perennials and shrubs. For instance I prune my Endless Summer blue Hydrangea very sparingly but after this winter my plant  clearly had some growth that died off during the winter so I pruned those ends off. I have left a nice shape on the bush and am starting to see some nice new growth! I have also done the same for my perennial Montauk daisies, rose bushes and Pee Gee hyydrangeas to name a few. How can you tell dead stems? Any growth that does not have green on the inside of the bark is probably dead and should get cut out. Now is NOT THE TIME TO PRUNE live growth on Spring flowering shrubs and trees like lilacs, rhododendrons, kousa dogwood and azaleas. Prune immediately after they flower but not now.

Don't prune your spring blossoming shrubs now!

 

This past week I spread my annual Spring application of Lawn Booster by Organica to my lawn. Lawn Booster (sold right here at Skillin's is a corn gluten product--all natural- that can help prevent overwhelming weed seeds like crabgrass, dandelions and others from germinating in the lawn. Corn gluten is a great organic source of nutrients including nitrogn that really help the grass "green up" and stay greener longer. I highly recommend applying corn gluten twice per year--now before the forsythia blossoms drop and then again around Labor Day (early to mid September).

 

How are your flowering bulbs doing? This is a great time to add some Bulb Tone (or Plant Tone) by Espoma into the soil around your bulb plants.The reason for this is because our bulbs in the ground are actively growing right now. So the bulbs will take the nutrients we provide and get even larger and stronger for next year. Make some holes in the ground about 3 to 4 inches deep about 4 to 5 inches from the bulbs and pour the all natural fertilizer into the holes. Fill the holes up and soon the nutrients from these fertilizers will be used by the bulbs to grow bigger and stronger. This means more flowers next year! Do you have some plants with all shoots and no flowers? Carefully dig the bulbs up. Check to see that they are firm. Then plant them about 3 inches DEEPER with a healthy dose of Bulb Tone by Espoma. If the soil seems very wet, consider moving the bulbs to a better drained location. Also check for sun exposure. Flowering bulbs want as much sun as possible for best performance.

 

 

 

 Questions about any gardening topics? Email us at skillins@maine.rr.com or contact us at any of the above phone numbers! Or stop by and see us!!