Well, here we are in the final stretch to spring. The days are longer, are clocks are about to jump an hour ahead, and the (hopefully) last winter storm has come and gone.
How does your garden grow? is one of the lines in a familiar nursery rhyme.
The death of a well-loved tree can be traumatic for any homeowner. In fact, one of the most frequent questions we as Master Gardeners receive is “What’s the matter with my tree?” Such questions are often posed to the Delaware County OSU Extension’s gardening hotline. However, many homeowners call without being able to provide the very information we need to help them.
When the days are dark, cold, and dreary and cabin fever is at its worst, that is the perfect time to start dreaming and planning your summer vegetable garden. Maybe you can introduce your child or grandchild to the joys of gardening this summer. Amy Barr is the Delaware County 4-H & Youth Development Program Assistant. She encourages novices to start with a small garden. She says “it’s best to have a few rows dedicated to each child, instead of a big garden. It is much easier to plant the seeds or transplants than to weed and water the garden for the entire summer.”
Is it spring yet? As I write it is the coldest it has been in the past two years and there is a pathetic snow with flakes that just look bored with their job.
One of the reasons I garden is to feel better. By surrounding myself with beauty, engaging in moderate exercise and inhaling plenty of fresh air I am drawn into a euphoric state that comforts me. However, gardening can also be a source of frustration. My battle with feverfew is a good example.
The growth of community gardens and backyard gardens are predicted to hit an all-time high in 2013. As part of the mission for the Grow and Share Community Garden Initiative through the Delaware County Master Gardeners, we will host our annual spring garden day Feb. 9 at the Columbus State Community College Delaware branch.
The recent snap of warm weather was an exciting glimpse of spring. I love winter and have thoroughly enjoyed the snow this year, but the gardener in me cannot help but be enticed by the promise of a new gardening season. I took a chance and used the short window of thawed ground and temperatures in the 50s to finish some daffodil planting that should have been wrapped up in October. We’ll see if that turned out to be a wise decision. As the cold took hold once again, I put down my bulb planter and picked up a few seed catalogs. Always dangerous. I was very happy with my garden last year and my emphasis on herbs. I plan to repeat many of last year’s plantings, with a few new choices peppered in. One of my newer herbs will be stevia.