Get Ready for Gardening Season

Row covers, arbors, bean/plant teepees, and more.

Get Ready for the Gardening Season

The planning is over and now is the time to head outdoors and prepare your garden for summer's beautiful blooms and tasty harvests. Here are a few things to put on your to-do list for the next week or so.

Do a final clean out of the gardens, removing the last of the fall leaves and any of the spring weeds like hairy bittercress, henbit, and purple deadnettle along with speedwell. Get the roots now and avoid herbicide use later. Look for weather or animal damage to your plants and gardens. Don’t forget to clear your paths. Now is also a good time to look for animal burrows or nests.

You still have time to replace, repair, or build wood structures in the landscape while the gardens are still dormant. If you build raised beds for next month’s transplants remember that 4 feet is a good measurement for a comfortable reach. Now is a good time to set up any row covers or plant supports you need. You should have a few dry days to touch-up any painted areas that need it.

Proper soil fertility is the foundation for plant health. Different types of plants have specific nutritional requirements. Soil pH and nutrient levels vary greatly from site to site, so guessing about nutritional needs often misses the mark. A Penn State soil test measures the levels of several essential plant nutrients and recommends proper amounts of lime and fertilizer. The test will measure soil pH, the levels of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium and will also make a nitrogen recommendation. Soil test kits with easy- to- follow instructions are available at your local Penn State Extension Office for $10. Franklin County will have them available at their May 20 Plant Sale. More information is available at https://extension.psu.edu/dont-guess-soil-test.

Take time to check your tools for repairs or replacements. Tighten loose nuts and screws, sand rough spots on wooden handles, clean, sharpen and oil, where needed. Don’t forget to sharpen lawnmower blades and check your wheelbarrow tires. Make sure you have a clean, dry space to store your tools.

Start now to loosen up your body for seasonal gardening. Everyone is different so be sure to check with your doctor even though stretching is a low impact exercise. As you putter around getting all these chores done, take time to stretch. You might do some shoulder shrugs, a few arm windmills, let your wrists go limp, rotate a little each way, and shake them out. When gardening, it is best not to bend over to plant or weed. To avoid lower back problems, get closer to the ground by getting on your knees or sitting. Other reminders –use sunscreen and pace yourself.

With all those chores checked off, take a break in the shade with a cool non- caffeinated drink. All that cleaned and prepared garden space just begs for great transplants.

The Master Gardener May 18, 2024, plant sale will have lots of vegetables, herbs, annual flowers and perennial plants and much, much more. Look for more information and activities on our Facebook page. Lines begin to form at 7:30 am for the 9 am start. Come early and get the best choices available. Oh, and bring a big box or wagon.

In 2024 we will have children's activities at the 4-H booth, Beekeepers and Audubon Society displays. We will have one or more drop in, free talks on gardening topics. The demonstration gardens will be open, as always (dawn to dusk) to visit.

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

Now available retail at Snavely's Garden Center in Chambersburg, PA

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

GINGER Fragrant Zest

 

ZEST FROM THE GARDEN GINGER

GINGER (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger is the 2023 Herb of the Year™ of the International Herb Association. This is the tropical plant whose rhizomes are found in the grocery store. It is known as true ginger and is one of the oldest known spices. It has a peppery and sweet taste with a spicy tang and the smell of lemony citrus.

The plant grows from a tuberous rhizome. It is native to humid, tropical forests in Southeast Asia and thrives in hardiness zones 9 to 12. The rhizomes are brown to golden colored with a corky outer skin. The inside is a pale yellow and has a spicy scent. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall on a straight stem and has a 2-to-3-foot spread. The alternating leaves along the stem are tapered in shape and 6 to 12 inches long. It can flower in the fall on 1-foot-tall stems with yellow and purple flowers and capsules hold small black seeds. The rhizomes grow underground horizontally sending up sprouts and making new rhizomes.

With planning and a little effort, successfully growing and enjoying fresh ginger from your garden is possible.  Although this is a tropical plant, it can be successfully grown in Pennsylvania if started indoors in March and transplanted after the last frost date outdoors.  

If you are inspired to grow ginger, grocery store ginger may be treated with an inhibitor to prevent sprouting. Nurseries, garden centers, or seed companies are better sources for your rhizomes.

Growing

Bill Gifford, Columbia County Master Gardener, has written guidelines for growing and harvesting ginger.

Select pieces that are firm, healthy, with no signs of damage, and have growth buds from which the green shoots grow. Cut the rhizomes into 3-inch pieces having at least three growth buds. Allow the cut to callus over for a week.

For planting, select a potting medium that is loose, loamy, and rich in organic matter. Place the soil in a two-part container that allows watering from the bottom. A tray that is 11 x 21 x 4-inches provides room to propagate six pieces. Lay the ginger horizontally on top of 3 inches of moist medium and cover with an additional inch of moist potting mix. Since ginger prefers dryer soil when sprouting, you need only water from the bottom every five to seven days until sprouts appear. At that point, water sufficiently to keep the soil moist but not wet. A seeding heating pad and a grow light will provide the necessary warmth and 16 to 18 hours of light required for good results. Because ginger is very slow to sprout, your patience may be tested.

After the danger of frost has passed and the evening temperatures are above 40°F, it is time to harden off your plants for five days and prepare for planting outside. A sunny site with loose, loamy, well-drained soil and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 provides ideal growth. Place the rhizomes in a three-inch shallow trench, 3 inches deep and 12 inches apart with the sprouts just visible above the soil.

Containers

Ginger may also be grown in a large container and brought inside in the fall.

The rhizomes may also be planted in containers; plant one rhizome in each 12-inch diameter or larger container. When you see new shoots forming or when the pink shoulders of ginger start to appear, hill your plants with an inch of soil and add a granular fertilizer. The plants will require deep watering two or three times a week.

Harvesting

In autumn, after a frost kills the leaves, your ginger is ready for harvest. Gently dig up the beautiful cream and pink-colored ginger. Save the small rhizomes for use in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.”

Uses/Storage

Young rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a  mild taste and are used in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.

Research has determined that ginger can help alleviate nausea. Ginger candy and ginger tea are good ways to get ginger in your system.

Make ice cubes with 3 Tbsps of grated ginger, 4 tsps lemon juice, 3 Tbsps each of honey and water. Whisk together and freeze. Makes 4. Add 1 to a cup of hot black tea (Oh, Earl Grey. Yes.), cover and steep for 10 minutes. Soothing for a sore throat with the added honey. Or just go for the classic Ginger Tea recipe,

CKagan, Master Gardener

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.