Thursday, February 28, 2013

Planning (and Planting) for Spring


For those of us in the storm-battered Northeast, where mountains of dirty snow are now part of our landscape, and walking down some sidewalks can still be a challenge, it is difficult to imagine that Spring will soon be here.

But Spring WILL arrive on March 21. Whether “Spring” weather will coincide with the date is another question.

But gardeners are a hopeful bunch, and the gray snow doesn’t keep them down. Many are sketching out their plans for the yard or the vegetable garden, dreaming of colorful blooms and juicy tomatoes to come. 

The most industrious have started their first plants indoors under grow lights.

Some of you know that last year I became a CT Certified Master Gardener.

My mentor, Rachel Ziesk, now a Certified Advanced Master Gardener, was my guide through the process.

On February 17, Rachel began her indoor planting. She also started a blog, “Organic Gardening,” in which she has been clearly outlining each step of her planting process — from what you need for a set up to when to start your different seeds.

Most days she has been making a short post, accompanied by a photo, explaining just what (and what not) to do when starting seedlings on your own. Her first seedlings came up on Tuesday. Yesterday the topic was how to avoid the fungal disease “damping off.”

Check it out. And be sure to tell all your gardening friends about this very fine blog.

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