Garden Tips from Park Seed

Image by Eva the Weaver via Flickr

I'm sneaking a few gardening tips into this book blog because it's almost SPRING! It's another snowy Palm Sunday. Reminds me of my years in Duluth.

Here are some prize-winning tips from Park Seeds's blog:

-- Plastic knives make a great, cheap plant marker. Write plant name with permanenent marker.

-- Watch the lilacs before you plant. When the lilacs start to show bloom tips, you can direct plant onions, garlic, peas. When the lilac blossoms are open, plant potatoes, carrots, lettuce, all cole crops and turnips, etc. When the lilac blossoms begin to fade, only then can you set out tomatoes, peppers, etc. Now is the time to plant beans, corn, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, and all tender vines, either from seed or setting out plants.

-- Cut the bottom almost all the way off 2-liter bottle. Leave an inch or so to act as a hinge. That way you can lift the flap to add water, but keep insects out. Loosen the bottle cap enough to get a slow drip. Push the neck of the bottle into the soil a few inches from each tomato plant. Push down until the cap is at root level. Fill the bottle with water. You can add water-soluble fertilizer on your schedule. This way the water gets all the way to the roots where it is needed. Good for tomatoes and other thirsty plants!