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Last Month's Newsletter
Visit Us At Our Website
Great information and our weekly ads are there!
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And A Gold Star Goes To...
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Connie Postmus. Connie was the first to submit the correct answer to our March trivia question:
What do Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson & Walter Johnson have in common? The correct answer is "They were the first players elected to Baseball Hall of Fame." (1936)
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Connie won a $15.00 Wedel's gift card and you could too! Just be the first to respond with the correct answer to our monthly trivia question.
Congratulations, Connie!!
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This Just In
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New arrivals are appearing at Wedel's Garden Center every day. Just in are potatoes, onions, asparagus, strawberries and raspberries!Fruit trees? We have fruit trees. See this week's ad for a list of what is here now - over two dozen varieties!
Could this be the year you begin a healthier diet by harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables from your own garden? No time like the present to decide to grow your own!
Come to Wedel's, have a look around, decide what you want to grow for your family. We have everything you need; plants, resources and knowledge to ensure a healthy harvest in your own back yard.
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April
Shopping List
Plant starting supplies e.g. seeds, trays, heat mat, soil
Grow light
Bird seed
Hummingbird feeder
Gift card for spring projects
Fish food
Pond supplies
Plant labels, stakes, twist ties
Lawn fertilizer program
New patio and deck pots
Weed Free Zone
Repellex Mole Repellant
Repellex Deer and Rabbit Repellant
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A Thought
From the Garden
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
- William Shakespeare
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| Did You Know? |  | |
1. Blueberry juice boosts memory.
2. Cellophane is not made of plastic. It is made from a plant fiber, cellulose, which has been shredded and aged.
3. Luther Crowell invented the paper bag in 1867.
4. One 75-watt light bulb gives off more light than three 25-watt light bulbs.
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Mom Tested And ApprovedIt will be time for asparagus...before too long. Here is a recipe for something you might not have tried yet.
Cream of
Asparagus Soup
1 Cup Asparagus Pulp
2 Cups Thin White Sauce*
Cayenne
1 Cup Boiling Water
Salt and Pepper
Whipped Cream
Prepare asparagus pulp by rubbing cooked asparagus through a sieve. Add water and white sauce. Heat thoroughly. Season to taste. Garnish each serving with 1 teaspoon of whipped cream. 6 Servings.
*Thin White Sauce 1 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
1 Tablespoon Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Pepper
Combine butter and flour. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Cook over hot water until thick and smooth. Add salt and a few grains pepper. Use for preparing cream soups.
The Searchlight Recipe Book
Enjoy!
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Look SharpFeel Sharp
Be Sharp
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Did you know that you can have your blades sharpened at Wedels?!
Take a look at these prices!
- Pruners - $4.00
- Loppers - $4.00
- Lawn mower blades - $5.00 (sorry, no reel mowers)
- Mulching mower - $5.00
- Hedge shears - $4.00
- Larger items - $5.00
(We don't sharpen chain saw blades.)
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Just for Grins...
and  Groans
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."
- Mark Twain
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Volume 7, Number 1 April 2014
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Growing Potatoes
In A Container
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Growing potatoes in a container is easy and fun to do with the kids or grandkids. It is a project that is easy to do and does not require a shovel. Here is what you will need.
- Potting soil
- Seed potatoes
- Fertilizer
- Container or Smart Pot
- SUN
- WATER
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Smart Pot
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The Container: You can grow potatoes in any large container at least 16 inches across and that has good drainage. I love to grow potatoes in Smart Pots. They are lightweight, environmentally friendly and they are made of fabric, so your potatoes get air as they grow. Another advantage of Smart Pots is that they have great drainage so your potatoes will never sit in water and rot.
Potting soil: Use a high quality potting soil, like Dairy Doo potting mix or Natural Guard Organic potting soil. High quality potting mixes like this will drain well and not become too compact. Do not use top soil in a container.
Fertilizer: use organic slow release fertilizer which I mix into my potting soil like Espoma Garden Tone. Also, make sure to add Gypsum to the soil. Potatoes benefit from the extra calcium gypsum adds to the soil. Fertilize again about six weeks after planting.
Sun and Water: Potatoes will not grow without sun and water. You will need at least 6-8 hours of sun a day. Your potatoes also need consistent water to grow. You want to keep the soil moist, not wet. If it's too wet, the potatoes will rot. If the moisture level is inconsistent, your spuds will be misshapen.
Hilling Up: About 4-6 weeks after you have planted, you will probably need to add 2-3 inches of potting soil to your container. Potatoes as they grow can come to the surface. If they do, they will become green and not good for eating. Adding potting soil will help prevent this.
Potatoes: When you plant your potatoes make sure they are 4 inches deep. Here are varieties of potatoes that Wedel's offers: Kennebec, Red Norland, Red Pontaic, Superior, Russet Nordkotah, Russet Burbank, Yukon Gold, German Butterball, Blue Adirondack, Red Adirondack.
Have fun and think spring!
Click here for our 2014 list of potatoes. This list contains characteristics for each variety as well as "best for" suggestions.
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Mark Your Calendar
Saturday April 5
The Magical Miniature Garden
Workshop Tour
Discover the Magic of Miniature and Fairy Gardening with Garden Wise Living TV's Host Arlena Schott.
Click here for all of the details.
April 21 - 26
Arbor Week
Watch for Arbor Week Specials at wedels.com.
April 26
Plan(t) for Your Health
This is an event for the entire family.
Mark your calendar and plan to attend.
You won't be sorry!
(See article below for more details.)
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Growing Delicious
Mesclun Mixes
 Nothing can surpass the delicious tastes, textures and pretty colors of tender baby salad lettuces freshly harvested, simply dressed, and enjoyed just minutes after they are cut. These luscious salads are called Mesclun today, a French term that originally meant a mixture of tender salads that were wild-harvested to renew the blood each spring. In Italy, the mixture is called Misticanza, and contains different piquant chicories along with lettuces. In the USA, Mesclun has come to mean any mixture of young salad greens that is sown, grown and cut all together. Despite the fact that many Mesclun mixtures are now available pre-bagged in supermarkets nationwide, nothing can compare with Mesclun harvested from your own garden.  | Renee's Garden Video - Click Image Above
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How to sow and grow your Mesclun: Start with a well prepared 2 or 3 foot square seedbed area. Fork over the soil well and break up all the clumps so the soil is finely worked and of an even texture. Or use a half barrel or a 15 to 18 inch planter filled with good potting soil. Make sure the soil is moist before sowing seeds. Pour the Mesclun lettuces seed mixture into your palm, close your hand and carefully shake the seed out, broadcasting it over the bed. Try and space the seeds evenly, about 1/2 inch apart (Practice first over 4 or 5 sheets of paper toweling so you can get the knack of sowing the seeds evenly.) After sowing the seed, sift fine soil or potting mix lightly over the seed, covering it about 1/4 inch deep. Lightly pat the seeds to ensure good soil contact. Then sprinkle the sown bed with a fine spray of water, wetting it thoroughly but gently. Keep the seedbed evenly moist while awaiting germination over 1 to 2 weeks. Seedlings may come up somewhat unevenly, so watch carefully and be sure to protect them from marauding birds that often find lettuce seedlings especially alluring. |
Plan(t) For Your Health
Returns To Wedel's
 Here is an overview of what you'll find at Wedel's Plan(t) For Your Health Event on Saturday, April 26. This is an event for the entire family and one that will provide you with the information you need to produce healthy, nutritional and delicious food right in your own backyard! Super Berries - New and Proven Choices and How to Grow Them Learn about the health benefits and care of berry plants including Gogi berries, aronia, haskaps, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and more. Rosemary Kuivenhoven, Certified Green Industry Professional Backyard Treasure - Fruit From Your Own Trees Here's how to grow healthy fruit on trees that fit in small spaces and add beauty to your landscape. Rosemary Kuivenhoven, Certified Green Industry Professional Edible Plants in the Landscape - Maximize your available space with these plants that will benefit your health and beautify your landscape. Jason Buller, Certified Green Industry Professional Terrific Tubers - Come learn the simple steps you can do for success on growing tasty potatoes and sweet potatoes. Kay Wedel, Annuals & Perennials Manager More topics will be covered in the free seminars and demonstrations going on all day at Wedel's Plan(t) for Your Health Event! - Herbs - how to grow them & how to cook with them
- Vegetable Garden basics
- Garlic
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Growing in Raised Beds
- Drip irrigation for healthy plants and conserving water
There will be food tasting. Visit with fruit and herb plant growers. Sign up to win healthy door prizes. FREE for KIDS!! Plant a strawberry plant into a pot to take home. There is something here, besides a fun day with the family, for everyone. Healthier eating for you and your family starts with the highest quality plants and seeds from Wedel's! Remember we are always here to answer any gardening questions you might have. |
Fan Scarlet Cardinal Flower
Lobelia x speciosa 'Fan Scarlet'
 Fan Scarlet Cardinal Flower is an ideal addition to your landscape where you would like to feature bright, scarlet spikes that are approximately 24 inches tall at maturity. The plant stems are upright and branch from the base of this compact plant. Its leaves are oval and become small as they reach the tops of the stems. It is among these small leaves that the tube shaped, bright red flower appears.
Cardinal Flower stems are sturdy and never need staking or supports. The bright blossoms bloom from mid-summer through to a significant frost. Beautiful in the garden, they make a striking addition to cut flower arrangements as well. Fan Scarlet Cardinal Flower is used ideally as showy, vertical accents in a variety of locations including annual beds, mixed borders, cottage gardens and even in containers.
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard.
Click here for full details about the Fan Scarlet Cardinal Flower.
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Store Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday
9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday
To Do In April
Have mower blades sharpened.
Have mower tuned up.
Start seeds indoors.
Apply weed preventer to perennial beds.
Plant pansies and primrose.
Take sod sample to Wedel's for analysis.
Lawn clean up.
Clean bird houses.
Put hummingbird feeder out.
Apply Repellex mole control.
Spray hostas and lilies with Repellex.
Clean bird bath.
Add Bio Booster to pond.
Feed fish when water temp. is 55 degrees or higher.
Stop pruning oaks!
Final pruning of suckers or water sprouts on fruit trees.
Get rid of lawn weeds with Weed Free Zone.
Plant peas soon.
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Saturday Mornings
Over the Garden Fence 9:07 a.m. with host Andy Wedel answering all of your landscape and gardening questions
Call in at 382-4280 or 877-382-4280.
Visit our web site at www.wedels.com for archives of previous Over the Garden Fence programs!
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Note from the Editor
Ok! Everyone rested and ready to get back outside into the yards and gardens? Winter is losing its grip on our area and that means soon there will be more than enough to do. I know, for many of us, navigating through the snowy roads, streets and highways and around mountains of snow along driveways and parking lots was already more than enough to do but this is different. Soon we will be out in warm, pleasant weather with fresh air scented by flower blossoms and mowed grass. That's a different sort of busy; one not so much of survival but of pleasure.
As you can see in the articles above we haven't even begun to list all of the chores and projects soon to be available to us. One of the first is, of course, general cleanup. Check plants for winter dieback, collect leaves that were missed in the fall or that blew in after the last raking. Make a general inspection of your gardens and landscape. Maybe some new mulch would help bring back some of the tired beds. One of the more fun items on the to-do list is get ready for planting! Inspect your gardening tools, if you didn't have the time to do it before winter storage. Make sure everything is clean, sharp and oiled.
Peas can be planted soon. Stop by the garden center for your seeds and talk with us about timing. Ask about seed starting indoors too. You can easily get a jump on the growing season by starting seeds inside and having seedlings ready to go as soon as it is time to plant in your garden. There's an article about growing potatoes in containers. Why not give that a try? Here is a link for "George's Recipe for
Great Outdoor Container Plants" which many of our green thumb friends have used and have raved about its effectiveness. Print a copy for yourself and check your supplies. If you are missing anything you can pick it up when you get your seeds.
Now is the time to be thinking about your lawns. This is a great time to get your fertilizer program and have it on hand for the season. It will soon be time to make the first application. We have a new program this year. It's called the Fertilome All-Season Lawn Program and I think you will want to give it a try. When you're here, talk to us about the Fertilome lawn product. You will apply it 4 or 5 times during the season, like you are used to doing, but you'll be surprised by the quality of this product. There are more nutrients and iron in the Fertilome Lawn Program than you are used to getting in other lawn feed programs. It is the highest quality you'll find. Ask us about it. We will be more than happy to show you why we are so excited about this new program.
Here is something you might not know about. We sometimes take it for granted that you know about all of the programs and services we offer and we shouldn't do that. Did you know we have tours for kids? Kids get to tour the garden center, participate in an educational talk, plant a pansy to take home, enjoy a cookie and milk and have time to review what they saw and have any of their questions answered. If your son, daughter, niece or nephew is in a church group, sports group, elementary school class etc. consider a field trip for them to Wedel's. Call Terrie at 269-345-1195 for all of the details. The kids will love it and we will love having them here.
Ready for another trivia question? Here we go! What is the generally accepted "frost-free date" for Kalamazoo County? The first reader to respond with the correct answer will win a $15.00 Wedel's gift card. The gift card must be picked up here at the garden center and remember, you are eligible to win once every 90 days. Good luck and have fun!
'Til next time,
Jim
jimdavenport@wedels.com
"Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners."
- Laurence Sterne
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