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And A Tip Of The Hat Goes To...

Gary Meyers. Gary was the first to submit the correct answer to our January trivia question: "This is a tropical fruit grown in Hawaii that is very digestible. When ripe the skin is yellow-green. The center cavity is made up of black-gray seeds. What is it?" The correct answer is: "papaya."

Gary 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, Gary!!

February
Shopping List

Valentine's Day flowers

Vegetable seeds

Flower seeds

Potting soil

Pots

Suet

Ice melter

Bird seed

Snow shovel

Gift card

Bird feeder

Birdbath heater

Gardening book

Gardening magazine

A Thought

From the Garden

"Feathered with hoarfrost,
skeletal trees loom closer;
fog shrouded arches."

- Paul Brown

Did You Know?

1. A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.

2. Ants don't sleep.

3. Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented in 1889, was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially.

4. Vanilla is the extract of fermented and dried pods of several species of orchids.

Store Hours

Monday - Thursday

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Friday

9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Closed Sunday
Friday, Feb. 13
8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

To Do In

February

Celebrate Valentine's Day

Set out roosting pockets in trees or shrubs.

Have mower blades, pruners, loppers, hedge shears sharpened.

Have mower tuned up.

Begin planning this year's garden.

Use houseplants to keep your winter months green.
Attend Wedel's free seminars.

Mom Tested And Approved

Do you think doing something extra special for your Valentine would impress her? Of course it would and this is guaranteed to be extra special!

Cherry Cobbler

1 (1lb. 4 oz.) can pitted tart cherries, undrained (2 c.)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tblsp. quick-cooking tapioca
2 tblsp. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
4 drops almond extract
Cobbler Topping

Combine cherries, sugar and tapioca. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and clear, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter, salt and almond extract.

Pour hot mixture into 1 1/2 qt. casserole or baking pan. Add Cobbler Topping at once.

Bake in hot oven (400 degrees) about 20 minutes, or until crust is browned. Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Cobbler Topping: Sift together 1 c. flour, 1 tblsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cut in 1/4 c. butter or regular margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix 1/4 c. milk and 1 slightly beaten egg. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just to moisten. Drop by spoonfuld over hot cherry mixture and bake as directed.

Note: If you like more cherry filling, double the recipe but use the same quantity of Cobbler Topping.

Makes 6 servings.

Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

Enjoy!

Just for Grins...
and

Groans

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

Stu Pid, PhD

Wedel's News

Volume 7, Number 11 Febuary 2015

Microgreens For

Winter Meals

Unlike sprouts, microgreens are vegetables or herbs that are grown in a shallow container of media (also known as seed-starting mix) by a sunny windowsill or under fluorescent lights. Microgreens are harvested when plants are still small and immature with a pair of cotyledons and sometimes the first set of true leaves just opening. In this tender young stage, nutrients are concentrated, textures are delicate, and you can enjoy the essence of each flavor as an accent to your favorite dish.

Use a shallow container with drainage holes to grow microgreens. Make sure to wash the container in warm soapy water to remove debris and then sanitize in a 1:9 ratio of bleach to water for 30 minutes. When the containers have finished soaking, rinse them in clean water prior to use. Fill your container up to a half-inch from the rim with media. Ideally, use an all-organic seed starting medium to give your plants a healthy start; our favorite is Dairy Doo All-Organic Seed Starting Mix. Make sure the soil stays moist, but not soggy. Watering by soaking the tray from below will prevent soil from splashing onto the plants. Frequently misting with a spray bottle will also help to achieve the right germinating conditions, but requires more attention. Most varieties are ready in 7-14 days when seedlings are 1-2 inches tall.

Once you realize that microgreens are indispensable in the kitchen, you can get really adventurous and try growing individual varieties. Amaranth, arugula, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, and sorrel are all delicious vegetables that can be harvested as microgreens. Some versatile herbs to try include basil, cress, dill, marjoram, oregano, and watercress. There is an excellent selection of microgreen varieties from Botanical Interests seed company including Upland Cress, Red Winter Kale, Green Peas, Micro Mild Mix, Sunflowers and Micro Spicy Mix.

Growing microgreens isn't just practical; it's also fun! This winter, they will not only enhance the flavor of all your meals, but they will also give you that gardening "fix" when there's two feet of snow outside. Liven up the dinner table by adding an interactive element. Think how fun it will be for kids or guests to snip their own microgreen freshness from the tray right onto their plates. Everyone will be saying, "Pass the microgreens, please!"

Garden Natives

Elf Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia 'Elf'

This beautiful shrub will find an ideal setting in your landscape as a group in a shrub border, in woodland or cottage gardens, in shady or naturalized areas. Given its relatively small size (6' tall, 7' wide) it works well in smaller areas around your home.

The Elf Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia 'Elf' is a gnarled and multi-stemmed broadleaf evergreen known for its beautiful spring flowers and strong, year around foliage. A well drained highly acidic and organic soil with a heavy mulch is required to ensure best performance. Suggested companion plants are rhododendron, azalea and other acid loving plants.

Spring flowers appear from pink buds as showy clusters of rose to nearly pure white. They are in terminal clusters and are cup shaped with 5 sides and purple markings inside. Spent blooms should be deadheaded to prevent brown fruit capsules that will persist into winter. The evergreen leaves are glossy, dark green on top and yellow-green underneath that give them an appearance similar to rhododendron.

Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations and feed it with Espoma Holly Tone, the ideal fertilizer for all of your acid loving plants. Click here for more information about ornamental features, landscape attributes and plant characteristics.

Wedel's Asks
Your Input

As you know, Wedel's offers a myriad of informative and fun seminars at the garden center. We always attempt to present topics you will find helpful and timely. Now, we'd like to hear from you.

We would appreciate it if you'd take a few minutes to let us know what days of the week and times of the day you would find convenient for seminars. We would also like to know what topics you'd find most interesting and helpful. It is important to us that we do all we can to help you enjoy the greatest success with your gardening and landscaping projects.

If you are willing, send an e-mail to us at wedelsgarden@wedels.com and let us know your thoughts. That would be a great help to us and you'd probably be surprised how many others share your opinion but don't choose to send a note to us. Once again, we appreciate your efforts!

Mark Your Calendar

Saturday, February 7 - 9:00 - 3:00

26th Annual

Brooks' Sports Card Show

Kalamazoo's Longest Running
Sports Card Show
Buy/Sell/Trade
Game Room For Kids

Friday, Feburary 13, 8:00 - 8:00

Special Wedel's Hours
For Valentine's Day

Saturday, February 14, 8:00 - 6:00

Special Wedel's Hours
For Valentine's Day

Saturday, February 14 - 10:30

Growing Fruit for Healthy Living
Here's How!

Fruit tree success for homeowners.
Help selecting the right tree varieties,
planting and maintenance.

With Andrew Wedel

Monday, February 16

Presidents' Day

Friday, February 20 - 10:30
Smart Gardening
How to Make the Most of
Your Energy and Ability
You can have more prolific veggie & flower gardens with these ideas to prevent
aching backs, knees & more.

With Rosemary Kuivenhoven,

Wedel's Gardening Expert

Saturday, February 21, 10:30

Growing Your Own Bouquets

Planning, Starting Seeds,
Direct Seeding and More.

With Caleb Whitfield,

Farmer Florist & Gardening Enthusiast

Saturday, February 28, 10:30

Seed Starting Success

Easy growing tips and ideas

for tasty veggies for a

healthier 2015.

With Mark Mulholland
Wedel's Seeding Expert

Look Sharp

Feel Sharp

Be Sharp

Did you know that you can have your blades sharpened at Wedels?!

Take a look at these prices!

Pruners - $5.00
Loppers - $5.00
Lawn mower blades - $6.00 (sorry, no reel mowers)
Mulching mower blades - $6.00
Hedge shears - $5.00
Electric and cordless hedge shears - $10.00
Hoes, shovels and trowels - $3.00
Larger items - we will quote a price

(We don't sharpen chain saw blades.)

Saturday Mornings

Birdwatch 8:07 a.m.

with host Roger Taylor answering all of your birding questions

Call in at 382-4280 or 877-382-4280.

Watch for "Over the Garden Fence" to return with Andy Wedel
in spring 2015!
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 Birdwatch and
Over the Garden Fence programs!

Note from the Editor

Happy February! Can you feel it? Even vaguely? It's there, just a hint, but it's there. Spring is coming! I don't put any stock in a groundhog or his day but I will admit, when I happen to hear he says there will be 6 more weeks of winter, I feel a twinge. I'm ready for a beautiful spring and 6 weeks are only 6 weeks. Even 8 weeks doesn't sound that bad. Spring is coming!

Signs of spring's approach are everywhere. Of course, each day we get a little busier here at the garden center. Store layouts are being finalized, displays set up, Wedel's Spring Expo plans moving along. If you take a look at "Mark Your Calendar," you'll see a long list of seminars are scheduled. There's something for everyone and there are more on the way.

Speaking of seminars, we really would like to hear from you! After all, you're the reason we have seminars and special events. We'd like to know what you would like. Topics, days of the week, times and anything else you'd like to tell us. A quick note from you would mean a lot to us. If you are successful with your gardening/landscaping projects you are happy; if you are happy, we are happy.

Do you have special plans for Valentine's Day? We do. We have special hours on February 13 and 14 that are listed above. We'd love to have a special arrangement made for you to give to your sweetheart. We will have them ready for you to pick up when you want them or we will deliver them for you. We want to make it easy for you. Just let us know what you'd like.

I hope you are able to stop by Wedel's soon. Plan to take a little extra time browsing the seed display racks. They're all there - tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, watermelon, corn on the cob and that's to say nothing of all of the flowers! The selection is excellent so, if you feel inspired, you can get what you want and be ready when it's time. Did I say, "spring is coming!?"

Ready for another trivia question? Here we go! "What is the only essential vitamin not found in the white potato?" 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

"Rich meanings of the prophet-Spring adorn,

Unseen, this colourless sky of folded showers,

And folded winds; no blossom in the bowers;

A poet's face asleep in this grey morn.

Now in the midst of the old world forlorn

A mystic child is set in these still hours.

I keep this time, even before the flowers,

Sacred to all the young and the unborn."

- Alice Meynell, In February