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The New Year has started off with no rainfall deficit, for it has poured. In November, we had winter, but December was a warm, wet month. I am ready for spring, as I always am, but I bet we have a cold March and April.
After the first of the year, much of the time seems to be spent planning. Just as our farmers are planning for next year, our office is planning and scheduling some good programs. So, keep an eye out in the newspaper for articles through the Yalobusha County Extension Service and the Multipurpose Building, and take advantage of them.
New Year Resolutions
For Your Lawn?
With the excitement of a new year you may be making several resolutions to improve your health, wealth, etc. for 2007. But have you ever thought to make a resolution to improve your lawn?
Most of us are delighted that our warm-season species lawns have gone dormant and we are enjoying a reprise from our weekly or more often mowing chore. But we shouldn't forget our lawn completely at this time. There are a few things we can do that will ensure a more aesthetic and healthy lawn this spring.
With the recent rains and cold wet soil we can much easier determine poor drainage areas and begin filling these with topsoil or determine some drainage options. Continue the removal of any leaf litter from your lawn. Controlling winter weeds now will be much easier than waiting until they reach maturity and become unsightly.
Warm-season turf species will not benefit from fertilization until they are actively growing so make plans for a fertilization program but don't apply any fertilizer now, unless you have over seeded your lawn with a cool season species. Applying lime to raise the soil pH (acidity) is a different matter however.
If you have taken a soil sample and found that lime is recommended, then by all means get it out any time during the year. Lime will improve the soil acidity and make nutrients more available when needed as it generally takes months for lime to react and dramatically change the soil pH.
Vegetable gardens are also mostly quiescent during these first few weeks of the year, but gardeners should be looking for seed of the real cold-requiring crops. Plan a spot to plant Irish potatoes and English peas before the middle of next month.
Be looking for certified Irish potato seed stock. Planting uncertified seed pieces or those potatoes from under the counter that have sprouted may work, but you might be planting tubers that carry viral or fungal diseases.
The plants that grow will be weak and yields will be low. Be sure to select a very well drained area and plant the tubers at least six inches deep. The new tubers form above the seed pieces, so you have to allow room for the developing ones to size without breaking the soil surface.
Another cold season crop gardeners may consider is spinach. Now that the E. coli scare from last fall has settled down, we can again get fresh spinach at the grocery, but it can be grown in the garden and you only have to worry about your own bacteria being on it.
Now is a good time to search the catalogs and order new varieties. Be sure to get just a trial package and share and swap with your gardening friends. One cold season crop you might want to try is leek. Leeks are non-bulbing members of the onion family that are very cold tolerant. They form long columns of wrapped leaves. The vegetable is most famous for European dishes like "cock-o-leeky” and drunken leek soup. Leeks grow well in the cold, but do not prosper in temperatures above 75.
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