All the Dirt on Gardening

Spring weather this year is perfect for getting an early start on a gorgeous summer garden. Seeds and seedlings can be planted now. Many seedlings are available at garden centers and produce stands and with the farmer’s markets opening, we can purchase even more varieties. Seeds can be safely started outside. I prefer to start them in containers to prevent them from washing away but many gardeners just plant directly into prepared beds. Seed packets provide the basic information you need about seed planting depth and thinning distances. Temperature requirements of seeds to germinate: Alyssum 70, Asclepias 75, Aster 70, Basil 60-70, Broccoli 70, Catnip 60, Celosia 70, Cleome 70, Coleus 65, Cosmos 70, Cucumber 85, Dianthus 70, Eggplant 70, Geranium 70, Larkspur 55, Lettuce 70, Marigold 70, Melon 85, Pansy 65, Phlox 65, Poppy 55, Squash 85, Thyme 55, Tithonia 70, Tomato 80, Verbena 75, Watermelon 85 and Zinnia 70. It is too late to plant Larkspur, Pansy, Phlox and Coleus from seed unless...

Northeast Oklahoma's growing conditions change every year. Normal average rainfall is 44-inches which makes many high country plants swoon from the humidity. Mexican sage, lavender , penstemons and many bulbs dislike high humidity and having their roots too wet. The area's normal, average temperatures include 70-days a year at 90-degrees and above, plus 70-days a year at 32-degrees and below. We are in USDA cold zone 7 and American Horticulture Society's heat zone 8. These are the factoids we need to take into consideration when planning our gardens for spring, summer and fall. Read catalogs and plant descriptions and try to give plants the conditions they need to succeed. If the catalog says "good drainage" put the plant in a raised bed, on a slight slope, amend the soil with sand or perlite or plant near the thirsty roots of shrubs and trees. Two resources to keep handy: 1) Tulsa Master Gardeners website and 2) Oklahoma State University Horticulture . Both of ...

Next week's garden column will focus on fall gardening so I called Sue Gray, Extension Educator, Horticulture, Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. Gray wrote a fact sheet for Tulsa Master Gardener's website and contributed to the OSU Fact Sheet number HLA 6009 on fall gardening. Gray said to clean up the bed and mulch it ten days to two weeks before planting so the soil can be cooled by the mulch. In the meantime, if you are dying to start seeds, start them in pots. It is still too hot to start lettuce outside so Gray is starting hers inside where the lettuce's preferred 70-degree temperature for soil and air can be met. P. Allen Smith's newsletter says he is planting spinach this week in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he lives. Smith prefers Bloomsdale Longstanding. Garden Guides says it is also time to put out flower seeds that need a cold stratification to come up and bloom next spring. Pansy, alyssum, calendula, bachelor buttons, love-in-a-mist and many other se...

Themed gardens can vary from all blue flowers, all roses, all succulents, or all grasses. Flowers are wonderful for a few weeks. Developing a passion for a particular type or color flower is fine but can limit the number of weeks your garden looks its best. One of the challenges is to identify plants that are attractive spring, summer and fall. For this reason, experienced gardeners form a background of herbaceous perennials. These plants create a reliable background and live for years. Oklahoma State University Horticulture and Landscape Extension Fact Sheet HLA -6410 has everything you need to know to select suitable ones for your yard. Categories include: Cut Flowers, Large Background plants, plants that Prefer Shade, Vines, Showy Foliage, Edging, Borders and Ground covers, Dried Flowers or Showy Fruit. Large plants provide the backbones of a landscape. Sit in your favorite chair and notice what you see out the window. Consider putting a large shrub with winter interest or a speci...