All the Dirt on Gardening

This has been an unusually mild summer so it actually seems realistic to start fall vegetables this year. During the drought and 117 degrees of the recent past it was absurd to even consider trying. The soil temps would kill anything that wasn't a desert survivor. With that said, be strong, be brave, pick up some seeds. Here are the guidelines from Oklahoma State University's Fact Sheet. Did you know you can watch the videos of previous Oklahoma Gardening tv shows? Here's the best link to explore http://www.oklahomagardening.okstate.edu/ - the index is on the left side of the page. Also - YouTube has dozens of good videos on seed germination, planting, etc. Try this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1NnFNs5TDs and then look on the right for more. Vegetables August is a good month to start your fall vegetable garden.  Bush beans, cucumbers, and summer squash can be replanted for another crop.  Beets, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and other cool...

This week of warm days is ideal for getting outside to putter in the yard. Yesterday, the ivy on the house got its annual haircut to keep it from becoming too big next year. Generally speaking, pruning for this year is already finished or should wait until February. Here's why: Shrubs and trees that bloom in the spring have already made all their flower buds for next spring. Forsythia, lilac, wisteria, crab apple and other spring bloomers fall into this category. Any cutting you do now will reduce the number of flowers. Roses should have been cut back to 3-feet tall already and if you didn't get around to pruning yours, go ahead and do that now. Also, mulch the roots of your roses with 6 to 8-inches of leaves, pine needles, compost, etc. Another primary reason not prune to now is that pruning stimulates growth. Any pruning now will trigger tender stems that will die back the next time it freezes. Take advantage of this warm week to remove the 3 D's - diseased, damaged and ...