Annuals
A golden rule for bedding plants is “Try to prevent problems before they start and if you have a problem deal with it quickly.” The first thing is to plan ahead. Try to think of the garden you would like. Then make yourself a garden calendar, for example a binder with loose leafs is great because you can add to it in the future. The purpose of a garden calendar is to have written records of what you planted, what worked and didn't work, where you planted it, etc. It's also a great place to store labels of plants you've planted. Plus, you'll have a reference to help you remember what you bought the previous year. Another idea is to create your own mini library of interesting garden articles you've read. Later, as the seasons progress you can keep track of when your flowers started blooming or when you ate your first ripe tomato. In addition, it's also a handy tool to keep a record of fertilizer and chemical applications, at what rate, and what worked the best. This helpful reminder will prevent repeating the same errors in the future.
Most importantly, your calendar should include a map of your yard and garden describing the measurements of your flowerbeds, walkways, lawn, etc. Make sure to write what time each area gets sun or shade and the direction it faces. This way when you go to purchase trees, shrubs, or bedding plants you'll have the exact measurements to efficiently purchase what you need and remind you how much light they need.
Calendar
As to when to start gardening, listed below are general monthly activities you can follow to keep your yard and garden looking beautiful.
April
The snow has melted and it's the time when you look over your yard for winter damages. Start by pruning broken branches. Make sure to cut at an angle. Do not rake and aerate lawns until the frost is out of the ground. Next, you can start preparing flowerbeds and the garden. Make sure the ground has good drainage by adding compost or organic matter to the soil. This is also a great time to move or plant bare root trees or shrubs. You may be wondering if your trees or shrubs are still alive. An easy test is to gently bend the branch. If the branch is flexible it is still alive but if it is brittle and snaps off, that branch is dead.
May
This month is when you can finally start seeding and planting. Choose wisely; do not buy a sun loving plant to put under a tree or shade loving plant like impatiens in the full sun. Make sure each variety is suitable for your soil and location. Spacing of plants is very important, follow the recommendation on the plant tag. If you plant too close together, they may choke themselves out, and too far apart will not make a good show. Ground cover plants like portulaca can be planted closer together. Professional gardeners rule for planting a flowerbed is not to plant flowerbeds in a straight line but stagger your planting to make the bed look fuller. For example:
| Correct Way: | Incorrect Way: |
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When planting your bedding plants loosen the roots of each plant, especially if you notice a strong network of roots. Another suggestion is to pinch the growing tips of large healthy plants to promote side branching. Doing this will make nicer fuller plants. After planting, use a fertilizer that promotes root growth, something with a large middle number such as 10-52-10. In case of frost use old blankets or sheets to cover your plants. Do not use plastic sheets, as frost will penetrate right through it.
You may be wondering when to plant, a good sign is nature itself. If the peonies have not bloomed then it's to cold to plant begonias, coleus, impatiens, tomatoes & peppers. These plants do not do well if their feet are cold. The arrival of the Barn Swallows is another good indicator that it is warm enough to plant.
June
Everything is growing fast, which is the best time to start a weekly fertilizing
schedule with a balanced fertilizer like 20-20-20 for everything. When watering
check to see how far down the water has penetrated in the soil. Apply sufficient
water to wet the soil to 1” or 3 cm deep. A good soak is better then a splash
of water. Always check to see how hot the water is in your hose. The water
in a hose that stays in the sun can get hot enough to damage plants. Never
water plants or lawns in the hot part of the day from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00
P.M.. When you water at that time of day 60% of your water evaporates before
it hits the ground. It is very easy to shock plants with very cold or very
hot water. Another activity to be done in June is deadheading or removing
dead flowers. This keeps the plants looking fresh and prevents them from
going to seed and stimulates the production of more flowers. Plants that
appreciate this are pa
nsies,
snapdragons, lantanas and geraniums. It will also promote a longer blooming
season.
July
Summer is here and so is the dry heat - WATER,WATER,WATER! You may notice that your burgundy leafed trees & shrubs such as Maples or Schubert chokecherries turn green. Don't be concerned, this is a natural event due to heat stress. As the temperature cools down, their original colour will return.
August
Fall is fast approaching. Now is the time to heavily water your lilacs, peonies and rhubarb. The reason being is they are stockpiling their resources for next year's blooms or fruit.The middle of August is the time to divide and move Irises. Visit the garden centre and check out the fall bulbs for planting. When you notice that the days are getting shorter it's time to stop fertilizing. If it is very hot, day after day you can still fertilize but at a weaker dose. Pick peas in the morning and at night when cooler. During the hot afternoons the sugar turns to starch, changing the flavour of peas.
September
Time to dig up potatoes. Do not leave potatoes in full sun because they will turn green when exposed to sunlight for more then 2 hours. End of September or beginning of October is the time to divide and move peonies.
October
Fall fertilizing is not recommended in our climate. This only works in warmer parts of the country. Fall fertilizing stimulates plants to grow when they should be going into winter dormancy.
Perennials, trees and shrubs can be planted until the ground freezes up. At this time it is VERY IMPORTANT TO WATER EVERGREENS, TREES AND SHRUBS. This prevents the root ball from drying out in the winter. This is also the time to wrap sensitive shrubs with burlap. Do not tie the burlap tight as the shrubs need air.
Winter
Try to prevent the salty snow from driveways being piled on top of shrubs because you may find in the spring that the plants are dead or severely yellow. The reflection from the windows and snow may burn evergreens, causing them to have yellowish spots. In the spring fertilize foliage with Miracid, which will help treat the "sunburn."
Tips
- Most popular vegetable transplants are tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Popular seeded vegetables are carrots, beans, corn, cucumbers, pea, lettuce, radishes, squash, melons and beets.
- Vegetables grow well with flowers,
- Tomatoes and peppers can be grown in tubs on a Patio. Do not plant peppers in a row. Plant on a square or wagon wheel formation. This encourages cross-pollination and increases the yield.
- Radish can be seeded every week. Sowing radish seed too densley will cause early bolting.
- Gardens grow best in loamy well drained soils
- Should be near a water supply. Remember vegetables are 90% water.
- In general it takes 1" OF WATER A WEEK TO KEEP A GARDEN HAPPY.
- Mulching between the rows will reduce the water needed and keep down the weeds.
- The notation ‘21 days ‘ or ‘90 days' stands for how many days are required from outdoor planting time to harvest.
Cool Weather Plants can be seeded or planted as soon as the frost is out of the ground:
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Vegetables that need warm Temperatures:
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Vegetables that you can get more then one crop in a season:
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Pepper Information Chart
HOT PEPPERS |
|
COLOUR |
SCOVILL RATING |
Habanero |
72 Days |
Green |
300000sc |
Super Chili |
75 Days |
Green/Red |
10000sc |
White Fire |
62 Days |
Creamy |
8000sc |
Mucho Nacho |
75 Days |
Green |
7000sc |
Hung. Yellow Wax |
65 Days |
Yellow |
4000sc |
*Red Cherry Hot |
75 Days |
Green/Red |
4000sc |
- Red Cherry Hot, only Hot when red - Green is not hot |
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- Sc stands for Scovill the heat unit of how HOT a pepper is
SWEET PEPPERS |
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BETTER BELLE |
65 Days |
Green |
Sweet |
BIG EARLY |
70 Days |
Green/Red |
Sweet |
BLUSHING BEAUTY |
72 Days |
Ivory/Red |
Sweet |
RED BEAUTY |
68 Days |
Red |
Sweet |
SWEET BANANA |
65 Days |
Yellow |
Sweet |
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Tomato Information Chart |
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TOMATOES |
DAYS |
SIZE |
Type |
Big Beef |
73 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Big Bite |
75 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Brookpact |
55 Days |
Medium |
Bush |
Bush Beef Steak |
65 Days |
Large |
Bush |
Bush Early Girl |
60 Days |
Medium |
Bush |
Celebrity |
72 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Heartland |
75 Days |
Medium |
Staking |
Husky Cherry Gold |
72 Days |
Cherry |
Staking |
Juliet |
60 Days |
Grape |
Staking |
LaRoma Red |
62 Days |
Pear |
Bush |
Lemon Boy |
72 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Lunch Box |
62 Days |
Cherry |
Bush |
Manitoba |
60 Days |
Medium |
Bush |
Pilgrim |
68 Days |
Large |
Bush |
Sub Artic Maxi |
48 Days |
Medium |
Bush |
Super Fantastic |
70 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Sweet 100 |
65 Days |
Cherry |
Staking |
Sweet Baby Girl |
65 Days |
Cherry |
Staking |
Sweet Million |
65 Days |
Cherry |
Staking |
Swifty Belle |
58 Days |
Cherry |
Bush |
Tiny Tim |
45 Days |
Cherry |
Bush |
Ultrasonic |
65 Days |
Large |
Staking |
*Vendor |
65 Days |
Large |
Staking |
Vendor is a great hothouse or greenhouse tomato
Length of time seed may be expected to retain their Vitality: (years)
Bean Beet Brussels sprout Cabbage Carrot Celery Cucumber Eggplant
|
3 4 4 4 3 4 5 5 5 |
Kale Lettuce Muskmelon Onions Parsley Parsnips Peas Peppers Pumpkin |
4 5 5 1 2 1 3 3 4 |
Radish Rutabaga Spinach Squash Sweet Corn Tomato Turnips Watermelon |
4 4 4 4 1 3 4 5 |
- Other peoples tools work only in their garden.
- Fancy gismos don't work.
- If nobody uses it there is a reason.
- You get the most of what you need the least.
In spring a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love, the rest of us wonder if the rototiller & lawn mover will start.
WINTERING TROPICAL PLANTS
Keep them actively growing as a houseplant by placing pot in a container that holds water. Water should cover top of pot. Spider mites need to be controlled over winter. Keeping plants misted will control mites. Bright sunlight is best.
| Taro Canna Xanthosoma Umbrella Palm Parrot Feather |
Papyrus Water Poppy Water Chestnut Water Mint |
WINTER HARDY PLANTS
Can be left out of doors in pond or removed from pot & planted in your yard in a sheltered location where snow cover will be available.
Water Plantain |
Floating Hearts |
Pickerl Rush |
OXYGENATORS
Best kept indoors in an aquarium with stanard aquarium lighting. Bacopa, rotala, ludwigia & aquatic mint can be kept planted over the winter in shallow containers with soil in the bottom & filled with water.
Contact Info
1 mile west of Lewvan Drive on 13th Ave.
Regina, SK
306.525.1352
© Copyright 2005 - The Plant Ranch - Regina, Saskatchewan CANADA, All rights reserved
