by Connie Oswald Stofko Rosemary Lyons has an ingenious way to squeeze plants into the flagstone patio that takes up all of her tiny yard. One place where there aren’t any pavers is where the wrought iron fence is set into the ground. Lyons set some bricks on each side of the fence, then filled the area around the fence with fresh soil and lots of compost. There was enough room to plant purple pole beans, and the fence was…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Contrary to what many gardeners believe, fertilizing your annuals won’t cause them to “bloom out” or be done blooming before the summer is over, said Jen Weber, retail manager at Mike Weber Greenhouses, 42 French Rd., West Seneca. “It’s just the opposite,” Weber said. “Without the fertilizer, your plants won’t reach their potential. They’ll be smaller, thinner, weaker, leggier-looking plants.” In the case of petunias, verbena and calibrachoa (million bells), they will become leggy, won’t bloom…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The spring was so wet and cold, everything is running two weeks behind. Gardeners couldn’t get plants in the ground when they wanted to. Perennials that should be in bloom now are lagging. The good news is that the weather now is great for planting. And the even better news is that there is still time to plant. “You can plant perennials throughout the season,” said Ethan Waterman, manager of Waterman’s Greenhouse, 12317 Vaughn St. (Route…
by Connie Oswald Stofko To prevent and treat diseases in roses, now is the time for weekly spraying, according to June’s issue of WNY Gardening Matters, published by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. The tips on rose care are in the article on what to do in the garden in June. That article also tells you what you spray, including organic suggestions. The other articles in this month’s issue include one on the beautiful and…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Vegetable gardeners are eager to get planting, and there is a lot you can do now– if your soil is workable after all that rain. Give it the squeeze test. If you squeeze a handful of soil and it sticks together, it’s too wet to plant. If you squeeze it and it crumbles, you can plant. If you want to plant cool-weather veggies, this is the time to do it, said Jen Weber, retail manager…
by Connie Oswald Stofko We had glorious weather on Sunday and Monday, and many of us took the opportunity to get out into our yards. There are some things you can plant in April– if your garden is dry enough. Digging in soil that is too wet may cause compaction and poor drainage later in the season. To figure out if your soil is dry enough, give it the squeeze test. If you squeeze a handful of soil and it…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Readers have been asking me whether they can start seeds inside now. It’s still too early to start seeds for tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. More details are below. But if you want to plant seeds indoors now, try cool-weather vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and lettuces. Again, we’ll give you more details. Why starting your seeds too early…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A couple of simple tests can tell you what steps you have to take to improve your soil– or let you know that you are already on the right track. There are three kinds of tests you might do, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. The first is a pH test to find out how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Farfaglia recommends that every gardener do this test at…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Maggie Koste Patz of West Seneca planted spinach last fall and by mid-March, the spinach was doing well. “ I recall feasting on that patch around May 25,” Patz said. If you want to harvest some food before you’ve even planted your tomatoes, use Patz’s trick: old milk jugs. Patz planted the spinach seeds in a raised bed. She cut the bottoms off of old milk jugs and set them as cloches on top of the…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We want people to come back downtown,” said Ruth Cooper of 12th St., Niagara Falls. “It’s safe here.” That was the message of the Black Squirrel Garden Walk, held July 23 as part of Garden Walk of Niagara Falls, USA. (The Black Squirrel Garden Walk is named that for the black squirrels that you can see in Niagara Falls but aren’t common elsewhere in other parts of Western New York.) The event included a garden walk…
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