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Each year for those of us in the Northern areas of the country cannot wait to get outside and get working on our gardens and lawns. Probably the single largest mistake we make is starting too early. Despite all the newspaper or TV articles telling us the last frost date is May 15th or May 30th, give us a few abnormal 70 degree days and warm sun and it just forces us to get out there and till the soil. While we are at it we "might as well plant some flowers or veggies" and get a jump start on the new gardening season. If it is done for the exercise and sun bathing that is Ok. The odds are however that we will be out there replacing many or all of these plants in a few days or weeks due to frost loss.
Many cold weather veggies like kale, spinach, cabbage, peas, carrots, etc. will be fine if the soil is workable and not too wet to handle. If the soil clumps as you attempt to turn it over or rake it flat, wait a few days for the soil to dry out a little. If you see that a late frost is forecast, a simple plastic tarp draped over the plants or seed beds will provide ample protection for the night if it not going to get too cold. Remember to remove the covering quickly in the morning to avoid overheating the plantings in the bright sun. Veggies like warm soil types for example tomatoes and zucchini will simply die with even the lightest frost.
Warm soil must be above 50 degrees even at night. Tomato plants, even if they did survive the frost, simply will not grow in cold soil. A warm soil plant planted later in the spring will not only survive but in most cases produce more fruit than the ones planted in cold soil.
If you have the money or time to build some miniature cold frames, this will greatly increase your growing season. A great eco-friendly way to create cold frames is to watch for junk pickup times each year and gather all those window sash being tossed out. By simply placing these together in an upright triangle shape over your planting beds, you can extend your growing season by weeks in both Spring and the Fall. Get as creative as you can afford to by adding things like hinges, night covers, and wheels. Hinges will allow you to fold the frames up during the mid day heat and close them down towards nightfall. I will do another ezine for building some inexpensive cold frames. Watch for it.
If you have the space that will allow it, using old sliding patio doors you can create a great, almost free greenhouse. Leaking doors that allow some water and air to pass are a major concern in your home but are actually an asset in the garden. Besides being free, you are not concerned about water tightness or the amount of air infiltration as long as it is not excessive. Sliding patio doors are tempered glass as well and using them on a slope is acceptable. Check with your local building department to assure they do not consider a temporary greenhouse or cold frame in need of a building permit. By using some salvaged 2 x 4's and a few nails you can put together an adequate framing system to start your plants outdoors and get a terrific jump on the growing season. You must still keep an eye on the night temperatures as the glass will not retain the soil warmth for prolonged cold snaps. By adding an extension cord with a 100 watt bulb and making sure the ends of the cold frame are tightly closed, a bulb will provide a great deal of heat. A large frame may require more than one bulb of course. It does not have to warm enough for you to be comfortable, it just has to be above freezing for the plants to survive.
Mulching is another item that is very often ignored the vegetable garden. People will spend a fortune on colored mulches for their flower beds and then leave their vegetable gardens to grow millions of weeds. Weeds mean work for you. Weeds mean poorer plant growth. Cheap eco-friendly mulch can be made from old black and white newspapers. Once your plants are installed, take a newspaper sheet and by cutting a hole in the center, place it over the plant. By using additional sheets of newspaper, cover the entire bed area. Moisten the paper until it clings nicely to the ground. If you have some spare bricks or pretty rocks place these along the edges to prevent the wind from blowing the papers away. This is a great kids project to help in the garden. Not only is this mulch method cheap, it will prevent almost all your weed growth. Water your plants through the hole in the paper you made thereby also robbing any weeds of water as well. Do not use colored papers or magazine paper for this mulch.The colored dyes can be harmful to the soil and you! You may during the growing season have to replace some sheets of paper as they will disintegrate back into the soil over time. Better than throwing them in a landfill for sure.
By using some of these suggestions and ideas you can extend your growing seasons by months for virtually free in many areas. By adding heaters made for greenhouses, and making a more substantial structure, you may plant all year round. Fresh tomatoes in the winter are a real treat. Fresh herbs can be grown in almost any sunny window year round winter or summer. Fresh Basil beats dried store any time.
Get out there and turn the soil, add any amendments you need to add, trim the lawns, fix the garden gate, set your string bean poles and really be ready when the warm weather finally gets there. If you know where your plants are going to go, now is a good time to add your irrigation piping as well. There are dozens of different types of hoses, emitters, timers and other accessories to make watering as simple a chore as you want it to be. Setup the emitters to water the plants and not the beds themselves. Rotating sprinklers waste a great deal of water and water the weeds at the same time. When hand watering, place the water only on the base of the plant. It is good practise to never wet the leaves late in the day. Doing so does not allow sufficient drying time before nightfall and promotes disease. Try to water in the mornings if possible.
New lawn areas love warm days and cool nights. Not freezing nights. Below freezing temps can freeze your seed and kill it. The air temp differences will provide heavy dew each morning keeping the soil moist which is ideal. Keep an eye on the soil to assure the ground does not completely dry out. A good practise is to use straw as a mulch. The straw will keep the lawn area moist and keep the birds from having a free lunch of your new seed.
Each year I try to improve our garden area. By placing a couple of older maybe scratched or scraped patio chairs and a small table that are no longer pretty enough for your patio, in a shady corner of the garden, it creates a quiet place to enjoy the garden on hot summer days. A local big box store by us recently put small solar lights on sale for $3 each. By adding them to the garden fence post tops with cable ties it created a softly lit cool area to sit in the evenings without spending money on electricity!
Remember, well maintained lawn and garden areas around your home provide excellent curb appeal.
Pete
Your Friendly Building Inspector
BICES-Building Inspection & Code Enforcement System Software
Pete Ackerson is a 30+ year building inspector with expierience in both public and private construction industries. From schools to treatment plants, from private homes and condo projects, to large residential landscaping projects, he has worked both in the building design areas and field construction in the Eastern US. In 2006 he formed along with two other building inspectors, Wagsys LLC which produced software for municipal agencies in the fields of building departments, planning boards and Zoning Boards of Appeals.
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