image from emilerichards.com. Good morning, Earth Day it looks like. Besides, being a spring like day Temperature at 8:30 AM is at 47 degrees high today of 66 degrees low of 42. Partly cloudy skies and chance of rain. Now doesn’t that sound like spring. Enjoy this spring weather. Stay safe.
It took me 3 hours to water ½ of greenhouse yesterday. BUT can I tell you the plants are growing and looking awesome. Now I want to clean up the front of the greenhouse turning it from a growing greenhouse to a garden center for selling. I take before and after pictures for you. Wish me luck! As I always have this to do the final time before we are open. Official we are open Friday April 26th. Trees and shrubs are coming today, perennials order now waiting for Swifts to deliver for this weekend. Opening we will be here for 78 days in a row. As always gardening for you. Earth Day quiz give it a try. Find the answers to these five questions at the end of the page! (Don’t peek!)
3.How much time in nature allows the average person to feel an improvement in physical and mental well-being? 4. What do bees collect from flowers? 5. How much edible food is wasted? Answers to our Earth Day Quiz Only 9% of the plastic we discard every day is recycled. Most end up in landfills, where they may take 1,000 years to decompose and increase toxic waste in our water and soil. Here are three ways to leave the soil as good as we found it: reduce tillage, use crop rotation practices and compost! Only 120 minutes per week (or less than 20 minutes per day) can contribute to a measurable improvement in physical and mental well-being! Bees collect both nectar and pollen from flowers to feed their colonies. The bees then move the pollen from plant to plant, which allows the plants to make new seeds. Neither would exist without the other. About 25% of food is never eaten due to being less than perfect. Food waste is a massive issue as it wastes water, energy, land, labor, and financial capital. Find new ways to put food to use! Every day is Earth Day! Taken from https://www.almanac.com/content/earth-day-date-activities-history Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Doughety Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
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image from Wily.com. Whoops I forgot to post yesterday. Unbelievable work to do to get ready for the greenhouse opening. Larry worked on cleaning up the front of the old store. It looks good. I am working on the greenhouse turning it from a growing greenhouse to a retail greenhouse. IT is slowly coming. Larry needs to cut down a tree that died by greenhouse and cut off some branches. As always when you have one job, you need to complete 2 more to be able to do that. We had to move pots around the camper which is a club house for our grandkids, and an office for me in the summer. Today’s project for Larry work on those trees. I will be working on more cleaning and watering and hopefully a little more planting.
Weather wise it is cooler out with temperatures around freezing this morning. We are having cloudy skies so will keep it cooler today. Enjoy your weekend, and hopefully you can work a little in your gardens doing what you have to do. What will our weather be like in May? Here is what the Old Farmers’ almanac says. What weather can we expect for May 2024? Looks like spring continues with a warm, wet May. May Forecast 2024 Overall, May looks to be warm across much of the eastern U.S., including the Great Lakes, eastern Ohio Valley, and much of the South. We expect below-average temperatures from the Plains to the Upper Midwest. Just as on the East Coast, the West Coast of the U.S. and much of the Rockies will be warmer than average, along with Alaska. Near-normal temps will prevail in Hawaii. Along with this warmth in the eastern U.S., we do expect a wet May, which could mean a good amount of thunderstorm activity. Near- to below-average rainfall is expected from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley westward to the Upper Midwest and Heartland, as well as the northern Plains and northern Rockies. Wetter weather will get suppressed farther south from the southern Plains back through the Desert Southwest. The West Coast will generally be on the drier side. What do you think about this forecast? We will see if it is correct. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/may-forecast Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from Britannica. Good morning and it is frosty here this morning. The temperature is 33 degrees at 7:30 AM, but there is a blue, clear sky. Warm up to 50 but there is going to be N-NW wind up to 40 mph so that will make it cooler. We are protected with the greenhouses at the south end of town. It will be comfortable in the greenhouse for sure. Plants will like it.
Now, in addition to the work I am doing, Larry needs to cut down a couple of ash trees close to the greenhouse. We must move the camper which I use as an office in the summer. AND if you know me, I have pots and stuff around the camper to move. I must admit at the end of the day of cleaning, planting and moving stuff I am tired and muscles are a little sore. In the morning, I feel refreshed and ready to do it all over again. That is my blessing of gardening. So grateful that I can do what I can do, after having 4 joints replaced. I appreciate all that I can do. One of my favorite bushes is a butterfly bush. It is hard for this bush to come back every year even thought it says zone 5 hardy. It isn't that expensive; it grows quickly so if you have to plant every year as an annual it is ok. Planting, Growing, and Pruning Butterfly Bushes Catherine Boeckmann The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is a fast-growing shrub with masses of showy, fragrant flowers that attract pollinators. Planted in spring or fall before frost, this perennial will bloom from summer through autumn. Learn how to grow a butterfly bush (and learn if you should plant a butterfly bush). About Butterfly Bushes Also called “summer lilacs,” Buddleia are hardy to Zone 5 and remain evergreen from Zone 8 south. Growing 5 to 10 feet tall, this large, arching shrub produces an abundance of flowers—long, spiked trusses—in mainly purple and pink colors. The shrub grows well in perennial gardens or as a shrub border, and the flowers are good for cutting. Don’t prune at the wrong time. Butterfly bush growth appears on new wood, so pruning should wait until the new wood is ready to grow in spring. Also, be patient with this shrub as it may not leaf out in the spring until after other perennials. Note: The butterfly bush does provide adult butterflies with nectar similar to that of many flowers. However, it is not a “host plant” for butterfly larvae; if you want the butterflies to stay, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster, and dill. Caring for Butterfly Bushes Water freely when in growth and sparingly otherwise. In the summer, water if rainfall is less than 1 inch per week. Avoid fertilizing butterfly bush; too much fertility promotes leaf growth over flower production. Remove spent flower spikes to encourage new shoots and flower buds. In addition, it is important to deadhead the flowers just as they start to wither so that this invasive plant doesn’t spread volunteer seeds. Deadheading of this invasive is now required in many states. Each spring, apply a thin layer of compost, then 2 to 4 inches of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. In cold, Northern climates, spread mulch up to 6 inches deep around the trunk to nurture it through the winter. Buddleias are very late to break dormancy, so don’t be in a hurry to assess winter damage. The bush should bloom abundantly even in its first year. In warmer climates, the bushes will grow into trees and develop rugged trunks that peel; peeling is normal. In the northern limit of their range, they behave as herbaceous perennials, dying back to the root in cold winters. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/butterfly-bush Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from Pinterest. Good morning, and a change is here. The cold front has moved in so it is cold wind from the N NW. The temperature is still at 52 high today of only 57 with a low tonight of 43. Have you seen what the next 3 nights will be? Lows 32, 29 and 28. Yes this is normal spring weather. GOOD news we all got rain. Hopefully the storms didn’t affect you at all. Stay safe, and stay warm
Busy in the greenhouse, 4 of us planting and it is coming. Still have plugs to plant yet. It was not so warm as the day before. Furnace running now to keep us comfort and for the plants to continue to grow. What is blooming in the yards this spring? How about Dogwoods? Dogwoods are arguably the most spectacular flowering trees. A native tree with several seasons of interest, dogwoods bloom in the spring, leaf out in the summer, and bear red berries and foliage in the fall. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for flowering dogwoods. About Dogwoods Dogwoods are a group of shrubs and small trees in the genus Cornus. They are native to eastern North America, from Canada to Mexico, and are the state flower of North Carolina and Virginia. They are also the state tree of Virginia. This article will focus on the famous and beautiful flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, which is hardy Zones 5 to 9. These small trees make excellent specimen plantings in the landscape. They often bear short trunks, a spreading crown with multiple branches, and long-flowering pink or white flowers. In the wild, these are understory trees that thrive below the canopy of larger trees. They enjoy the shaded environments of the forest, striving to get a bit more light. As understory trees, they prefer partial sun and some shelter from the wind. They’re often found in moist environments, near rivers, but they do not like wet feet. Keep their natural habitat in mind because they don’t like to be out in the open. Native Americans treasured dogwood for its hardwood, which they used to make pulleys and spools; the bark and roots were also used for medicinal reasons. When do Dogwoods Bloom? Flowering dogwoods bloom in the spring before the leaves emerge, often in April or early May. The pink, white, or red colors last for about two weeks in springtime. Light green leaves emerge and turn darker green in summer. Then, leaves turn reddish in the fall, which brings showy red berries. The fruits are not poisonous but bitter and inedible to humans and beloved by birds and wildlife. Enjoy is all I can say. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/flowering-dogwood-trees Till next week, this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from Pinterest What a change this morning. The temperature is at 50 but it is cloudy, rainy and windy out. We had rain during the night and we are in for having severe weather today. Lift warm front is lifting through. Stay safe you all.
5 fans went yesterday, and it was still very warm in the greenhouse. Plants happy but hard on the ones planting. Watering so important when it is so warm. Looks like a couple of days of rain and cloudy weather. So completely different for planting for sure. I do believe lots of corn was planted before this rain. Time for all of us to start the growing season. For me, cleaning, organizing what the help plants, where to put it and of course the watering. I like to do it when the plants are young so I can see if they are ok. I hope to do some planting myself today. Question asked of me, so I reached out to a gardener that went to school for horticulture “my expert.” Why does a gardener’s daffodils not bloom? Question asked to me. They may be crowded. I planted 10 in a circle but when I dig them up after 5 years I have over 100 bulbs! Tell them daffodils are low maintenance, not no maintenance. 😉 They need to be thinned out after the foliage dies back around June. Replant 10 (easy number to remember) back in original hole, dry the rest for a few days and store in a paper bag until this fall to plant around the yard. I will check with the one that asked the question if this gives her any help. All stay safe with this severe weather we are in. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from clipart-library.com What a lovely morning, temperature at 8:30 AM is at 54 degrees high today of 73 and low tonight of 50. BUT with this warming weather we are in a slight risk of storms tonight and tomorrow. 2 fronts are near us so that will lead to storms. Predicted though one to two inches of rain, and that will be nice. I have noticed when the farmers are working up the ground the dust is flying behind them.
Today three of us planting, and it will be warm in the greenhouse today. Yesterday I didn’t turn any fans on, and it was 107 when we came home from church. I worked later in the afternoon to water and clean up for more planting today. I worked on bookwork instead which needs to get completed too. The planters are finishing up on zinnias and will start on big bronze leaf red begonias. They are great as a plant in containers and landscape. I know pictures I will try to get today. With these warm temperatures lots of watering for me to do, but the plants are growing in this miracle house. I am open every afternoon Monday thru Friday this week. I will have one more weekend off before the last weekend of April, then I will be here every day till the end of June. Onion sets, seeds potatoes, bulk seeds, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower can go into the garden. It will look like work in progress as I am busy planting and making room for the plants. Up front looks like we are working and not open. BUT we are here in the afternoon. Enjoy this weather, farming community and all the workers stay safe. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from caribbeangardenseed.com. WOW what a lovely morning, clear blue sky. Temperature at 9:00 AM is 45 degrees with a high today 62 degrees and a low of 36 tonight. Are you ready for 70 to 80 degrees weather? That is what is predicted for Sat and Sun. All I can say is ENJOY and stay safe.
Here is one new thing for me that I planted. Didelta Facifiller silver strand. This variety came from Plant Peddler, Cresco Iowa. As the tag says Eye catching silver foliage brings stunning contrast and texture to combination pots the perfect “filler” accent plant. It grows 6” tall, it is a foliage and habit is semi trailing. Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings. Fertilize every 2 weeks. A bullet proof summer performer, Silver Strand is a spreading subshrub that is indestructible in the summer months. The semi trailing habit makes this an ideal component plant in hanging baskets and container gardens for a splash of velvety, silver color. Features: Deer resistant Drought tolerant Heat seeker Flower Timing: Spring to fall Heat Tolerance: Full sun to part shade Uses: Containers, landscape, hanging baskets Put this on your gardening list. Back to work this morning to do more planting. Going to be awesome in the greenhouse, but that 80 degree weather will be a little warmer in the greenhouse. PLANTS love the heat and the sun. Miracle house I would say for growing. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image for learningandyearning.com Good morning Temperature is at 46 degrees at 7:30 AM but only a high today of 57 low tonight of 40. Cloudy skies and we have wind blowing. Not as nice as yesterday.
We had four planting yesterday so made some headway in planting. The planters are keeping me busy moving plants and cleaning up for them to plant. I have never counted the number of flats left, just do one at a time. I hooked up more water hoses, so easier for me to water each side and then the planters had their own hose to wet the potting mixture. Yes spring is here but the up and down of the temperature it is time to get your garden soil ready so when it warms up then you can plant. I am posting a chart with the soil temperature for the optimum temperature for planting that vegetable. You can take your own soil temperature or go to this website at Iowa State University. Soil is warming up. https://www.mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/agclimate/soilt.php Vegetable seed Low end of optimum soil temperature range (°F) High end of optimum soil temperature range (°F) Pea 40 75 Lettuce 40 80 Spinach 45 75 Carrot 45 85 Cauliflower 45 85 Radish 45 90 Cabbage 45 95 Beet 50 85 Chard 50 85 Onion 50 95 Bean 60 85 Tomato 60 85 Corn 60 95 Cucumber 60 95 Pepper 65 95 Pumpkin 70 90 Squash 70 95 Melon 70 95 Hope this helps and you must make sure the soil isn’t too wet. If you take the soil and press it into a ball and it holds that ball shape, then the soil is too wet. Good luck and enjoy your gardening planting. Stay safe, today stay warm. Taken from https://www.homefortheharvest.com/soil-temperature-for-planting-vegetables-chart/ Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net, 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 image from clipart-library.com Beautiful blue clear sky this morning at 7:30 AM. Going to be a great day. I know you are going to try to be out in your gardens. Our growing season is going well. The miracle house is growing plants with this sun and extra heat the sun gives the plants it is awesome.
My watering is daily, and I can’t miss that routine at all, or the plants will not be happy. I am here In the afternoons Monday thru Friday if you need seed potatoes, and onion sets. When should I plant my garden? The Farmers’ almanac has a planting calendar. I entered zip code and here are some of the vegetables and planting dates. Beets seeds Frost dates Apr 5-12 Moon dates Apr 5-7 Last date to plant May 17 Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage transplants Frost dates Apr 19-May 3 Moon dates Apr 19-23 Cauliflower Frost dates Apr 26-May 10 Moon dates May 7-10 Green beans seeds Frost date May 10-31 Moon date May 10-23 Onions Frost date Apr 5-19 Moon date Apr 5-7 Peas seeds Frost date Apr 5-12 Moon date Apr 8-12 Potatoes, radish, swiss chard, lettuce, spinach Frost dates Apr 5-19 Moon dates Apr 5-7 Tomatoes, peppers Frost dates May 17-24 Moon dates May 17-23 I will post when to do the vine plants such as squash, watermelon, pumpkins. It is a later time than these vegetables. After June 6 is the perfect time to plant the vine plants. I promise you this works. This will give you some idea when you should plant in your vegetable garden. All I can say is get the garden ready, and plant when the time is right. ENJOY it all. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar/zipcode/50433 Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net planted for one month in this miracle house, Becky's Greenhouse Good morning, quite the experience with the eclipse. We didn’t try to see it but it sure was creepy out when it happened in the afternoon. Hard to explain with the lower light level.
Today we will have 4 of us planting. My planters have been having health concerns for themselves or their other halves. But I am hoping that they are getting answers about their health. We have been planting with a part crew, but today shall be good. The weather will be warmer, sun will be out, but right now at 7:45 AM it is still cloudy. Here is an example of the planting sheet I give each of us to work from. Dianthus ideal select raspberry 03/18/24 Natural Beauty 500 one tray Plant in 1204 trays _____________trays 6-10” baskets with 5 in each Date planted _________ By _____________ Then we talked about where to place them in the greenhouse. I am doing things a little differently this year. We would use the tall racks to put trays of planted flats on as soon as they were planted but being on shelves on top of each other it created some shadows. Now I am taking off the growing tables the planted flats we have done earlier and leaving them on the tall rack. Seems to be working better. At the bottom of the tall rack, I am putting succulents because the shade doesn’t seem to bother them. In fact, they like it better. I use the tall racks instead of putting the trays into the second greenhouse with heating and watering it is easier to have them in one greenhouse. Now when it gets warmer out, I can push the racks outside for you to shop from. Now pansies, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower are on them. I have been doing this for 35 years but can always change things to make the growing easier and better. It is my hours to move the plants, but it is easier to water and heat one greenhouse. Larry says that we fill that one greenhosue 4 times with what we plant and move plants in and out on the long wagon racks. The long wagons will go into the other greenhouse when it is too cold at night or bad weather during the day. The picture is of the wave pansies that I planted one month ago. I told you they would grow because the greenhouse is a miracle house. The fun part of growing plants is watching them grow. We have a fertilizer injector that injectors fertilizer into the water. We use 20-10-20 general-purpose water-soluble fertilizers. I try to use that fertilizer every time I water. A little about what we do before the greenhouse is open with plants for your gardening needs. I am there every afternoon (Monday- Friday) if you want to come and get seed potatoes and onion sets. Tomorrow I will talk about when you should plant the garden. Soil temperature, moisture, and the right time to plant the vegetables. Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 |
AuthorHi! My name is Becky and I am a Master Gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa. Archives
March 2024
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