Skillin's Greenhouses! Since 1885... |
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Brunswick 442-8111 Cumberland 829-5619 Falmouth 781-3860
1-800-339-8111 1-800-348-8498 1-800-244-3860
www.skillins.com |
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| Skillin's! Garden Talks Online April 28, 2010 |
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| Hello again,
Welcome to another edition of Garden Talks Online by Skillin's Greenhouses! We have been "online" since 1999 and "on the ground" in Skillin's Country since 1885. We work every day to keep your trust and realize that in 2010 your time is very precious.
What weather we have had! This past weekend was as good as it gets for late April in Skillin's Country! I had the pleasure of loading many bagged goods for customers and talking about all types of plant questions and queries with many of you. It is always great to see so many friends. And to get to do all of that under the prettiest of blue skies on a cool morning or a nice warm Spring afternoon--well it does not get much better than that!
Cold Alert: Brrr! With this wet weather and these non summer temps, it is RAW out there. Be careful with any annuals, vegetables, hanging plants, windowbox plantings and herbs that are outside. Such plants in the ground?--we could get frost over these next couple of nights and a covering with a sheet or a Skillin's approved frost blanket would be prudent. Container plantings? Same remedy or even better move your container plants inside under cover to avoid any potential frost.
Folks the weather has been fantastic since around January 26, BUT it is still cold outside. Do NOT rush plantings or placement of annuals, vegetables, hanging plants, windowbox plantings and herbs to the outside unless you can easily protect your plants. It is fine to plant pansies and violas, snapdragons and cold weather tolerant vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuces, cabbages, onions, potatoes and cauliflower. And, of course, trees, shrubs and perennials are good to go as well. These plants love the cold weather!
Our Spring gardening series of classes continues with:
May 1 Vegetable Gardening (10 AM Special Time)
Let us show you how to safely and smartly grow your own food. Gardening, especially vegetable gardening can be so rewarding and a fun and healthy activity too for family and friends! Free
(Vegetable Gardening is sold out in Falmouth; space does remain in Brunswick and Cumberland!)
You CAN grow a great tomato by going to our Veggie Gardening class! |
May 1 Vine Time (2 PM Special Time)
Spring means the time is fine to talk about the vine. And vertical is in! And what great varieties can be grown! Onward and upward we say to the kiwi! Honeysuckle reach for the sky! Here is clematis! There goes Dutchman's Pipe-it's really smoking! Free
(Vine Time is sold out in Falmouth; space does remain in Brunswick and Cumberland!)
These free classes are being offered this Saturday May 1 . You can reserve a space in our classes by calling any of the above numbers OR by contacting us at skillins@maine.rr.com (just specify the date, store and time).
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Garden Talks
It is time to plant cold weather vegetables and pansies! These plants can tolerate below-freezing temperatures and flower best in cool weather. We have an awesome selection of broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, lettuces and greens (including mesclun mix and arugula) that will prosper in the cold weather of the next few days. And Jeff Skillin is telling me that we should have bright snapdragons soon and they love this cold weather!
Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) Plant Me Now! |
In the introduction I did write about raw and cold temperatures. Skillin's is now carrying a product called "FreezePruf" that is made by the folks at the Liquid Fence Co. FreezePruf actually improves plants' natural cold tolerance up to 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the variety of plant. So this could be the difference between plants suffering at 32 to 35 degrees and tolerating 41 to 44 degrees--which is a world of difference for a plant outdoors in the cold! Click here for more information about this product we offer at Skillin's!
Soon it will be time to check apple, cherry, and other fruit trees for nests of tent caterpillars. They will emerge at the same time the leaves sprout. Blast nests with a strong spray of water to destroy them or spray Bt on them. Bt will harm only the caterpillars and not other beneficial insects, birds, or humans. You'll need a pump sprayer for this job. Another product to consider is a relatively new product to the market called from Bonide called Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew. This product contains Spinosad (spin-OH-sid), a naturally occuring soil dwelling bacterium that was collected on a Caribbean island from an abandoned rum distillery in 1982. Deadbug Brew kills bagworms, borers, beetles, caterpillars, codling moth, gypsy moth, loopers, leaf miners, spider mites, tent caterpillars, thrips and more! It is an all natural product that is very effective!
As I just wrote we are indeed having a vegetable gardening class this Saturday. What another great Spring we have had for vegetable gardening questions! Since early March we have fielded more questions than ever before about seed starting, raised beds, organic fertilizers and more-all with an eye toward vegetable gardening.
Barbara Damrosch in her gardening classic "The Garden Planner" (sold right here at Skillin's) gives out some great pointers about vegetable garden planning:
"* What type of vegetables to grow? The first criterion should be your appetite and that of the people you live with. But do keep in mind a vegetable garden is a golden opportunity to try the new and unfamiliar.
*Take our climate into account. In the northeastern USA, we have no problems with cool-weather crops such as broccoli, peas, lettuce and cabbage. Ask your neighbors what grows well for them or check with us here at Skillin's!
*How big a garden? The most common mistake made by new and old gardeners is that they plant too much. Either the upkeep overwhelms them and much of the garden succumbs to weeds, bugs or drought or the harvest is too bountiful, and they cannot keep up with the picking, let alone the eating and preserving. You will probably find it more fun and rewarding to start small.
*Choose a site that receives lots of sun and drains well. Trees can be cut to let in more sun and we at Skillin's have plenty of natural products to help your soil!
*Try to start with a sketch of your vegetable garden plot to make the buying of seeds and starter crops and the ultimate planting more efficient." (And remember it is best to start small and learn as you go along. Start with your absolute favorites so you know that you will like what you eat!)
Why does a busy person like Barbara Damrosch grow vegetables? Well for her (and for so many of us) "initially it was simply the itch to get out there in the Spring, to smell the warm earth, and grub around in the garden in the sunshine, feeling fit and contented, watching my bounty ripen. The harvest was extra. I think there is a basic satisfaction in growing food for the table, and that most of us who do it enjoy the activity of gardening itself just as much as the result."
A great local gardening resource for both vegetables and flowers is a gardening blog by good friend David K called A Garden in Maine. David is a great gardener and he writes several times per week about his flower and vegetable garden projects. His methods are practical and "doable" by all of us gardeners. Make his blog a regular stop!
Want more, more, more April Gardening Tips? Click here for more April gardening tips. We talks about a variety of very timely topics and we add to our April Garden Talks almost every day; so check back often. From the past few days find some tips about hedges, Milky Spore and Japanese Beetle Grubs and when and how to fertilize many plants!
Our 2010 nursery and perennial catalogs are now ONLINE! Check them out
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!! |
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Skillin's Garden Log
We give out some great gardening advice in this newsletter but would you like MORE detailed info about MORE garden topics? Well, the Skillin's Garden Log found at www.skillins.com is the PERFECT SOLUTION. Several times per week, a number of Skillin's contributors post gardening updates, stories and photos. At the Skillin's Garden Log, you can learn and laugh often all in the same post. Check out the Skillin's Garden Log at your convenience; it is found at the front page of www.skillins.com or click on the icon below:
Recently at the Skillin's Garden Log we have had many good happenings...
*Check out April Garden Talks often as we give quick gardening posts day by day for the time at hand--sort of a gardening "play by play"! This past week we touch on several topics from radishes to great ideas for hedges to Japanese beetles.
*We just had a great class about Container Edibles this past weekend. Interested in some great tips on how to grow some great tasting food close to your home in pots. Read about how to do it! Growing vegetables in pots! What a great way for anyone with not much space and not much time to grow some of their own tasty and healthy food--naturally! *Paul Parent writes about Growing Spinach and Tuberous Begonias . Tuberous begonias are one of my favorite flowering plants. Great colors, hardy well into the fall and they do well in filtered light or even mostly shade.
*We are rushing headlong into an exciting gardening season. Last Spring we posted Minding Your P's and it is worth bringing up the subject again! KCB writes about 2 important P's: Planning and Preparation. |
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Mark Your Calendar!
Our FREE classes will be held Saturdays at all three locations . Space is limited so reserve today for the classes of your choice! Just give us a call at any of the above numbers or drop us a note at skillins@maine.rr.com. (Just let us know the date, time and store location!)
Class participants receive a special Skillin's 10% discount coupon for use on the weekend of your class.
Here are our upcoming classes:
May 1 Vegetable Gardening (10 AM Special Time)
Let us show you how to safely and smartly grow your own food. Gardening, especially vegetable gardening can be so rewarding and a fun and healthy activity too for family and friends! Free
(Vegetable Gardening is sold out in Falmouth; space does remain in Brunswick and Cumberland!)
May 1 Vine Time (2 PM Special Time)
Spring means the time is fine to talk about the vine. And vertical is in! And what great varieties can be grown! Onward and upward we say to the kiwi! Honeysuckle reach for the sky! Here is clematis! There goes Dutchman's Pipe-it's really smoking! Free
(Vine Time is sold out in Falmouth; space does remain in Brunswick and Cumberland!)
June 12 The New Wave: Grasses!! (10 AM Special Time)
You bet your Grass we're having a class! Grasses set apart any landscape (they give any landscape a natural look of class) and they grow well in Maine. Let us be your guide through the plumes and blooms, the heights and textures and the sights. Want some class? Check out grass!Free
(This Grass Class is sold out in Falmouth; space does remain in Brunswick and Cumberland!)
Let us show you how to "do it right". Going to Skillin's gardening classes will save you valuable time and help you get great results! |
Did You Know?
Every Tuesday is Mature Gardener's Day at Skillin's! Those customers who qualify will receive 10% off all regularly priced items. (Sale items do not usually apply and very few other restrictions may apply).
Every Friday brings Flower Power Happy Hour where we offer fresh cut flower stems and bunches at 30% off their regular prices. The Happy Hour lasts from Noon until we close!! Every Friday!
If you buy 5 or more of any of our large bags of soil amendments or mulches, you will get 10% off! Our bags are bigger and our quality is far superior to the "box stores" and this special makes our prices for our better products a real bargain! We proudly sell Maine made soil amendments and mulches by the Jolly Gardener Company and also by Coast of Maine Products, Inc.
Buy a Plant and a Pot from Skillin's and we will Repot the Plant for Free. "Free On the Spot Repot" when you buy a Plant and a Pot here at Skillin's!
Spread the word: Have your friends and family sign up for our gardening updates at www.skillins.com!
Let us know at skillins@maine.rr.com if you have any gardening questions! We love to help our friends and customers!
Skillin's can also be found at www.twitter.com/skillins! We are often there letting you know with quick and timely hits just what is happening here at Skillin's! And some cool Twitpics too!
Thanks for being a friend and customer!
Mike Skillin |
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Save 20% |
On "All Weather" plant and garden pots Sale is in force while supplies last; in stock items only. These pots are great for vegetable gardens, flowers, even Holiday decorations--truly all season containers--and good looking too!
Discount in honor of our "Vegetable Gardening" classes this Saturday! No need to bring in coupon as discounts will be automatic!
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