Gardners Gather For Early Planting Tips
Linda Spears talks to an interested group of gardeners about starting garden seeds for later spring planting.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The snow is melting and the temperatures are starting to inch their way towards more springtime weather, and with that comes spring fever. About a dozen people interested in gardening gathered at the ISU Extension Office to hear from Linda Spears, Master Gardner and Program Coordinator for the Ottumwa Community Garden, about getting the earliest start on your springtime seed planting.
What might seem like an easy process of planting can turn out to be a frustrating time for gardeners, especially those new to gardening. Spears says that it’s beneficial to start some plants early. “So you start them indoors or a heated green house 6 to 8 weeks before you’re ready to plant them outside.”
Many of those plants, that you may start early inside, prefer the warm weather to get started. “If it frosts, they’re dead, and you don’t want to go through all that work to have your plants die,” says Spears.
Spears discussed that, “there are several different things that could be frustrating to a new person. Damping off is one of those things that is a frustration to a new gardener.” Damping off is “where the stem gets too wet and the plant falls over,” says Spears.
Spears has already started her large tomato plants for herself. She will transfer them to progressively larger pots, and by the time they make it into the garden, “they may already be blooming”.
Suzette Striegel, Horticulturist at the Mahaska County Extension Office, says her office is able to help the beginning gardener. She sees people come in looking for information on dealing with diseases and pests in the garden, such as insects and rabbits. “Several of the diseases do great with different cultural controls, like spacing and mulching,” says Striegel.
According to Striegel, it is a good time to start broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. And now that March has arrived, tomato, pepper and herb plants are good candidates for starting early.
Striegel says that those looking for tips and information on the upcoming gardening season can look forward to upcoming programs at the Extension Office. On Tuesday, March 10th, ‘Hosta: The Lazy Gardener’s Best Friend’ is a presentation on hosta, pests, diseases and why the hosta is considered the ‘friendship plant’.
Then, on March 31st, from 7pm to 8pm, ‘Feed the Birds Presentation’ will take place at the Extension Office. Learn about the most common birds that summer and winter in Iowa from Linn County Master Gardener Deb Walser. She will present about the many types of feed we can put out for the birds and the trees and shrubs to plant which will provide cover and food all winter long.
Out at Stam Greenhouse, things are in high gear preparing for springtime gardens and flowers. Brent Stam, Owner of Stam Greenhouse, shared some early planting tips for those looking to get a jump on the season.
Stam said, “The first week of March is really a good time to do germination on tomatoes and peppers.”
“It’s just a matter of getting a good quality soil that is fine, that doesn’t have a lot of big clumps in it,” said Stam.
“When it gets to be the middle of May, and the weather is good, then you could start with your garden seed that’s going to be directly outdoors,” explained Stam. “There’s a lot of things that can be done this time of year, it’s just a matter of not doing everything at one time. Learn your seeds and space it out over the next couple of months.”
You can learn more about Stam Greenhouse by visiting them online at their website HERE or visit them on Facebook HERE.
