All the Dirt on Gardening

I am a terrible gardener. Though this column is about the importance of soil temperatures for fall gardens, my lazy gardening practices come into the discussion later.  Plant roots grow in soil that provides nutrients, structural support, moisture and microbes. The health of your food and ornamental plants begin there. During the day, soil collects heat and keeps the roots warm at night when air temperatures fall.  Soil temperature is more important than perfect watering methods, fertilizers and pest protections. The optimal soil temperature for seedlings is easy to find on company websites, seed packets and at online databases such as  www.tomclothier.hort.net .  This week I was searching for ideal germination temperatures for fall-planted greens because seeds by the scoop purchased at Arnold’s Fruit Company in Muskogee come without growing tips.  According to Oklahoma Mesonet at  www.mesonet.org , soil temperatures at 4-inches deep have...

When starting seeds in the winter to make spring transplants, we count backwards. The last average annual frost date in zone 7 is April 15th. If I want transplants to put in the ground that weekend I count backwards 6 weeks to the beginning of March to start those seeds. However! Not every year is an average year. And, air temperature is not soil temperature. Consider the fact that tomato and pepper seeds must have bottom heat even if the temperature in your home is 70- degrees F. If the seedling pots are close to an outside window where the temperatures hover around 50 (a compromise between outside temp and inside temps) those seedlings will suffer greatly. When deciding the plant-out-date for your hard won little plants, check the soil temperature in your area. For Oklahomans, Mesonet is the go to resource. Here's the Mesonet Soil Temperature link http://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/category/soil_temperature All states provide this service. Check with your loc...

Is it time to plant? Do fall plants need to be covered? What's the rainfall? If you love gardening, you watch the weather. AgWeather says its newsletters will now focus on Mesonet. Today's newsletter has all the details here . Included on the new website - Rainfall maps display accumulated rainfall observed at each Mesonet site, as well as rainfall estimates based on radar. - Enhanced radar makes zooming and animating the radar easy. - Prominent links are shown for outreach programs in agriculture, public safety, lawn irrigation, mobile connectivity, wildfire management and K-12 education. - No plug-in required. The new website runs without any plug-ins, so it is very easy to use. - The search feature on the new website makes finding specific maps and information much easier. Click to see the weather maps on Agweather/Mesonet . It rained for 2 hours yesterday and the map says about a half inch of rain fell in our part of the county. Go figure.

This is a photo I took at a public garden in Kansas. Note the size of the shrub - yes, that's one shrub to the left of those rocks. I planted one of those shrubs in our yard, using the advice in the catalog that said that at maturity it is a medium sized shrub that plays well with others. Or, something to that effect. Maybe ours won't grow that big. But still, that is not a medium shrub. It is a giant. At this time of year, most of us are focused on the seeds and plants we can plant this coming spring. I have been ordering for at least a month and have a big order to call in next week. T.C. CONNER'S GARDEN COLUMN The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has a garden column by T. C. Conner today that we can all relate to. Conner is unhappy about the unrealistic photographs in the catalogs and even used a magnifying glass to look for signs of normal garden wear: Bugs. Conner also takes garden writers to task for suggesting that you/we go through the catalogs and plan for the year ahead b...

Today's Garden Column is about the impact of global climate change on gardening in Oklahoma Plan ahead for possibly earlier spring next year Scientists around the world have looked at the evidence and have decided that climate change is real. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are trapping more heat from the sun and are contributing to rising global temperatures.For Oklahoma, climate change is likely to lead to earlier springs, later falls, shorter winters, more damaging late spring freezes, and longer dry, drought spells. Local impacts will vary and there will still be the natural cycle of drier and wetter years. These are the Oklahoma impacts summed up in the Oklahoma Climatological Survey's statement on Climate Change and its Implications for Oklahoma. Climate change will bring new challenges to Oklahoma gardeners and farmers, but there are ways to meet these challenges. And new approaches can turn these climate challenges into new opportunities. Using water more ef...

Gardens around Muskogee are blooming with daylilies and Asiatics - one more beautiful than the next. It's too late to put them into this year's garden but do take advantage of the many sales to buy some for next year. Muskogee Garden Club's tour attracted hundreds of people today and tomorrow will be as busy. The plant sale allowed attendees to take home flowers, vegetables and herbs from club member's gardens for a small price. I was too busy with the sale to visit any gardens today but I met lots and lots of plant lovers. Tomorrow I want to go to all the tour homes and take a look inside some of the historic homes that are open. This is the time to check on fruit trees, grapes, kiwi and plants such as hydrangeas that might need watering - they won't show any signs of water deprivation but we haven't had any rain for a while so if the soil is dry two inches down, give them an inch of water. At the district Master Gardener Conference in Claremore , Mesonet ...

The soil temperature today is in the upper 50s and is warm enough to plant some seeds but not others. It's easy to find ideal germination temperatures for any seed by searching the seed packet or the Internet. Oklahoma Mesonet is an online service that you can access by clicking here . Here are a few examples of soil temperature preferences. 40 degrees- F soil - Plant endive, lettuce and pea seed 45 degree F soil - Plant carrot, radish and spinach seed. Set out cabbage transplants, potato starts, and onion sets 50 degree F soil - Plant beet, parsley, parsnip and Swiss chard seed 60 degree F soil - Plant snap bean, sweet corn, cucumber and turnip seed. Set out tomato seedlings 65 degree F soil - Plant lima bean seed 70 degree F soil - Plant okra, southern peas, squash, pumpkin and watermelon seed. Set out eggplant and pepper transplants 75 degree F soil - Plant cantaloupe seed. Set out sweet potatoes.