March 2007            (Our newsletters are all copyright The Tasteful Garden 2003-2007 if you would like to reprint any of this information please let us know by email.)

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Wow, what a month of weather, blizzards up north, amazing storms here in the south, we just don't know what to expect.  Our daffodils and the Forsythia have bloomed and the Pear trees will make a showing soon.  Spring here in Alabama is always a challenge because the warm days will make you want to plant but cold nights still creep in and wreak havoc on anything planted too early.

Strawberries are important to plant early and now is the time!  We have two kinds of strawberries available, bare root plants are Sparkle which is a wonderful berry with a sweet flavor and very little white core.  Perfect for jams or fresh eating they are productive and very yummy.  We sell Sparkle bare root in bundles of 10 plants.  They are spring bearing and will produce lots of nice fruit.  Another alternative is our potted strawberry plants which come 3 plants to a quart sized pot.  The variety is called Ozark Beauty which is an ever bearing type, which will produce fruits from June through September.  Strawberries are frost tolerant and are so easy to grow.  Read more about growing these wonderful fruits.

This month we have an article about fertilizers, to correct some of the confusion out there about feeding plants and caring for our vegetable gardens.  Also some brief tips about growing in containers for successful gardening in pots.  To view any of our recommended products for fertilizing or gardening, just click here.  If you have any questions, please call us toll free at 866-855-6344 or email anytime to sales@tastefulgarden.com. 

Planning your garden is easy if you have lots of experience but beginners may need some help to get started.  Check out our growing tips page for lots of helpful information on growing herbs, vegetables and tomatoes as well as fruit trees, asparagus, strawberries and citrus trees. 

Our 2007 Spring plants are now shipping! 

We have begun shipping to areas with warm winters which includes South Florida, South Texas and Southern California.  Within the next two weeks, the last frost dates for areas just north of these locations will also pass and it will be time to plant.  Note that some places with extremely hot summers should be planting early so that the heat will come after the fruits are set.  Tomatoes will not set fruit when temperatures are above 85-90 degrees so make sure you plant about 40-60 days before that happens.  Also, make sure to mulch heavily and water deeply to encourage roots to grow down deep where the soil is cooler.

Spinach, Lettuces, Onions and Strawberries can plant early, even before your last frost. Also, many hardy herbs can plant early and will give you a jump start on the season.    You can always call us with questions, our phones are staffed full time Mon-Sa. from 9-5 pm or just leave us a message anytime and we will return your call.  We spend a lot of time in the greenhouses this time of year as you can imagine but you are important to us and we check our email and messages frequently.

Fertilizers:

There are almost as many types and brands of fertilizer as there are types of plants!  It is very confusing to most of us, how are we supposed to know what to do?  Well the answer is somewhat easy, the plants can't tell the difference between most of them.  Made up primarily of Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus (the three numbers on the bag such as 13-9-4) there are also some trace elements added such as calcium which help prevent deficiencies which we may have in our soil.  Most soils have plenty of these trace elements so it can be redundant to add more.  The best way to know exactly what you need is to have a soil test done by the agricultural extension office in your area.

That being said, in most gardens, adding some good compost of any type will improve your soil and the microorganisms in the compost will help break down the nutrients already in the soil and make them available to the roots of the plants.  This is a critical step before any other additions to your soil.  Compost made from Horse manure, leaves, worm castings, mushroom compost, or just homemade from kitchen scraps and yard trimmings all will make a huge difference to your garden.

All of the commercial fertilizers will have the ingredients listed on the back of the bag.  Always read what it contains before using to make sure you do not add anything you don't want.  Higher numbers of Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus generally are meant to encourage certain types of growth.  Nitrogen (the first number) will help grow lots of leaves but can actually hinder growth of fruit and roots.  Potassium aids Fruiting and Phosphorus can help promote root growth however, high numbers of any of the three can be too much and can actually kill some plants. For flowering type annual plants, high Potassium numbers will encourage lots of flowers. 

Organic vs. Chemical fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are made from plant products such as cottonseed meal or from animal products such as poultry manure or fish emulsion and must break down before the plants can take them up.  Chemical fertilizers are made from products such as ammonium nitrate which is a more intense feeding which breaks down almost immediately.  Because they are so strong, they can sometimes over feed which can cause burning of the leaves or other detrimental effects.  Once the fertilizers break down they are virtually indistinguishable to the plants.  The process of taking up nutrients is a chemical reaction and all of the fertilizers become chemicals as they are absorbed.  The main difference is in how they are broken down. 

Spray on types such as Miracle Gro feed through the leaves of the plant.  This is a very quick way to feed which was designed for greenhouse commercial growers to feed every time they watered rather than feeding through the roots.  We feel that this encourages too much leaf growth and weakens the plant's root system since it roots are hardly needed.  Long term, it can also build up salt in the soil from the ammonium nitrate which prevents the natural taking up of nutrients. 

We always prefer to use worm castings as the worm's digestive system is a perfect vehicle for the nutrients to break down.  They do the work for the plants and excrete the perfect chemical makeup for roots to absorb.  Nature is so dynamic that way, it makes its own machines!  Castings also actually work within the soil to release other nutrients already there and make them available to plants too. 

Gardening in containers

Everyone seems to think growing in containers is easier than growing in the ground but it can be even more difficult.  In climates with lots of hot summer heat, even large pots can really heat up and the soil can be much warmer than in the ground.  Potting soils are designed to drain well but that can be a problem in the summer when you want them to hold water a little bit longer.  Fertilizer can wash out with frequent watering and leave your plants wanting more.  Once plants are stressed, bugs attack and even diseases can make real problems that may never have occurred in the ground.

Here are some important ways to prevent these problems:

1. Use large containers.  Keep in mind that the more root space the plant has, the better the roots will grow.  This will allow the top part of the plant to grow large.  Tomatoes can grow to over 6-8 feet tall and 2 feet across, a half whiskey barrel sized pot is just enough to accommodate the roots for that size plant.  Small pots do make smaller plants but that also means a lot less fruit and many of the problems mentioned above.

2. Use compost in your pots too.  You add compost to the ground when you plant, why not add it to the containers too?  Compost is the best stuff for plants and it helps keep them cooler and moist during the summertime.  Add about 25% or so to your potting soil mix.  Mulch on top of the soil helps keep moisture in pots too.

3. Fertilizing regularly is very important.  I love using worm castings for this purpose because I can add it anytime and never overfeed.  It works like compost and feeds too.  As an alternative, I highly recommend Osmocote for 6 months of feeding without thinking about it again.   Our slow release type granular organic fertilizers are very good for about 6 weeks to 2 months of feeding. 

4. Never leave plants sitting in water.  Trays under pots are dangerous because they hold water and can actually drown the roots of the plants by providing too much water.  Dump them out frequently after rains.  Good drain holes should be in every pot you plant in.

5. Make sure your plants get enough sunshine.  Balconies and sun porches are great for growing plants but make sure there is sun at least 6 hours a day for vegetables to produce fruit well.  Lettuces & Herbs will be satisfied with only 3-4 hours a day.

Save the Dates:

We have scheduled the following shows for this year, we hope to see many of you in person at these events.

Callaway Gardens Spring Plant Sale      March 29th-April 1st at Pine Mountain, Georgia   

Bloom N Garden Expo                April 13th-15th in Franklin, Tennessee

Montgomery Garden Gallery            May 4th-5th in Montgomery, Alabama   

Growing Fennel

Fennel is easy to grow but must be planted early if you want to have a bulb form so it can be eaten as a vegetable.  The leaves are wonderful for flavoring fish, the seeds make great accents for bread but the bulb eaten as a light salad with orange slices and shaved Parmigiano cheese is heaven!  Tolerant to frosts, it will need 6-9 months to fully form a bulb.  View this plant in our catalog.

Our New Store

The Tasteful Garden recently opened a new produce and garden store here in our small town of Heflin, Alabama. (just 1 mile off exit 199 of I-20 at Highways 9 and 78)  Our small store is bursting at the seams with wonderful fresh produce, jams, honey, fruit, and eggs. We hope you all will come and visit as you are passing through on I-20.  Our main goal is to provide healthy vegetables to our community and provide a support market for all of the local farmers in our area. 

Spring vegetable plants, herbs and lots of ferns, colorful hanging baskets and flowering plants will be available at this store beginning around March 26th. Call us for more details.

Click here for maps to both our locations. 

Contact Us toll free 866-855-6344