The Monterey Garden Club

  in magnificent Highland County, Virginia

 MESSAGE ALERT TO MEMBERS

FROM MGC PRESIDENT:

We will plant flowers at the courthouse Friday morning, May 18.
Meet there at 10:00 for the planting.
We will go to High's afterward for brunch.
See you there with your gloves on and tools in hand!

What a treat!

On Monday, May 21, we have a wildflower trip to Ann Wefer's, north of McDowell.

The Lady Slippers are up and should be in bloom

by the end of May!!

Wear some sturdy shoes and be prepared for wet conditions...it is Spring! Contact Laura Lynn if you want to carpool, otherwise come on your own. Four wheel drive is not required. (Ann says her drive has ridges for drainage, and a vehicle with a low body would hit bottom.) Ann will provide refreshments. We are really looking forward to seeing her new tea house, too!

It will be an afternoon, open-farm event, with folks arriving individually and in small groups throughout the afternoon.

For directions to Ann's place, call or email Laura Lynn.

And - an additional, delightful bonus:

Sarah Chaney has invited folks to stop by her beautiful "Against the Wind" place (on the same Doe Hill road) after visiting Ann's place.   Sarah has three new garden types started. (lasagna, pallet, and hay bale potato)

Note from the President: I think all who attended will agree that the April luncheon was a huge success. Kudos to Donna for the program and Barbara and Susan for the luncheon arrangements and flowers.

There was no business meeting in April and will be none in May either.

 special announcement:

ORDER YOUR TICKETS HERE NOW

for

 The Monterey Garden Club

House & Garden Tour

on Saturday, July 14, 2012

"Sweet Memories of Highland"

order form 

GARDEN HINTS AND NOTES

FOR APRIL 

April is the month when the hummingbirds return to us.

Did you know that the hummingbirds find a good portion of their food before the flowers appear by following the yellow-bellied sapsuckers and drinking from the "wells" that the larger birds drill in trees to collect sap? And they find the insects attracted to the sap there as well.

Be sure to plant hummingbird attractive flowers, such as red weigela, columbine, lupine and Japanese flowering quince. And to attract the birds to your property, be sure to put out your hummingbird nectar feeders early in the month, well before the traditional season.

A QUICK REPEAT OF PART OF MARCH’S MESSAGE BEARS REPEATING:

Danger lurks in these false spring days: the urge to get started on the garden, to rake and dig, to remove the trappings of winter. We can’t wait to get out into the spring and get to work.

BUT - it is too early for some garden activities.

Don’t be misled by the shallow surface thawing which, in sunny spots, often follows a few warm days. Take a stick and gently poke around the roots, and if you hit ice a few inches down, leave all coverings in place for another week or so, and then test again.

FROST DATES:

are most relevant for vegetables, herbs and annuals. Use the dates as a general guide: climates and hardiness zones, like all other aspects of gardening, are not absolute. Local conditions and microclimates are very variable.

Example: a garden in an exposed, windy site or at the bottom of a hill where cold air collects may have growing conditions equivalent to those of the next zone north!

Conversely, a bed next to the south facing wall of a house is more sheltered than the local norm: plants in that location will bloom earlier than ‘usual’ and you may be able to grow some platns that are not ordinarily hardy in our zone.

Use the dates as a guide, but remember that they represent an average and will vary from year to year according to weather conditions. JUST USE COMMON SENSE WHEN PLANTING. If you want to set out tomato plants and the spring weather has been cooler than normal, wait an extra week or two before planting out.

As a general rule of thumb, the bulk of our spring planting takes place in May, as Highland County ranges from Zone 5 to Zone 6. (Fall planting is done in September or October.)

PHENOLOGY

One interesting and reliable way to judge planting conditions is through a close observation of the rhythms of nature, known as phenology.

Gardeners who use phenology establish planting times by observing the growth cycle of particular local plants or the activities of the animals in the wild, such as the appearance of the first spring peepers in a pond, or the departures of the resident purple martins in the fall. For example: one gardener’s maxim advises that you plant tender crops when oak leaves are the size of a mouse’s ear (about 1 inch long). Oak trees are the last to leaf out in the spring, and when they do, the danger of frost is probably past. Watching your oak trees may give you a better clue as to when to plant than watching your calendar!

MORE AND MORE OF US ARE PLANNING OUR

VEGETABLE GARDENS THIS YEAR.

For a more successful garden, be sure to test your soil before planting. Soil test kits are available in almost all garden centers and ‘big box’ stores.

(NOTE: NEXT MONTH: MAY’S SPECIAL FEATURE HERE WILL BE

ON SOIL COMPOSITION AND GROWING CONDITIONS.)

SOME IDEAS FOR VEGETABLE GARDEN PLANTING THIS MONTH:

The following crops to plant

within the next four to six weeks:

• Broccoli:

Place plants 14-16 inches apart in rows 24-30 inches apart. Moon-favorable dates for planting are March 26 to April 7. Spring broccoli should be planted no later than May 1 as it prefers cool weather. It is generally tolerant of cold weather down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some good varieties are Packman, Premium Crop and Waltham 29. Many gardeners prefer to use transplants rather than sowing seeds.

• Cabbage:

Place transplants 12-18 inches apart in rows 24-30 inches apart. Moon-favorable planting dates are March 26 to April 9. Heat-tolerant varieties can be transplanted as late as May 15.

Early Jersey Wakefield, Stonehead and Early Round Dutch are some good choices for early spring.

• Lettuce:

Sow seeds March 26 to 31 or place transplants during the first two weeks of April. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep and thin 10 inches apart. Transplants should be placed 8-12 inches apart in rows 24-30 inches apart.

Some favorites for early planting are Buttercrunch and Black-seeded Simpson.

• Peas:

Snap peas, English peas and Snow peas should all be sown from seed from the last week of March, continuing planting every ten days until April 21. Sow seed 3/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Rows should be 30-36 inches apart.

Some local favorites include Sugar Snap, Wando, and Mammoth Melting Sugar.

• Potatoes:

Some traditions dictate that potatoes should be planted when you see the first dandelions in the lawn. If your lawn is weed-free (c'mon!), plant potatoes April 7-23. Place certified seed potatoes 4 inches deep and 8-10 inches apart in rows 30-36 inches apart.

Some local favorites are Kennebec, Red Pontiac, and Yukon Gold.

• Radishes:

Moon-favorable planting dates are April 15-23. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Rows may be as little as 12 inches apart. Do not sow after May 1, as radishes prefer cool soil and moderate air temperatures.

Some suggestions: CherryBelle (round) and French Breakfast (oblong) varieties.

• Spinach:

Moon-favorable dates for sowing spinach seed are March 26-April 9. Sow 1/4 inch deep and one inch apart in rows 24-30 inches apart.

Some favorites: Tyee and Bloomsdale varieties