Gardener's Calendar | Ferdas Garden Center and Gift Shop

Gardener's Calendar

JANUARY

Keep holiday poinsettias in a bright, cool location with high humidity. Avoid placing them in cold or warm drafts.
Plan your garden and make a diagram drawn to scale before making your spring decisions.
Review your gardening chemicals and check for deteriorating containers. Consult local authorities for acceptable ways of disposing of chemicals you no longer use.
Organize, clean, oil, and sharpen garden tools. A splash of bright paint on tool handles will make them easier to spot out in the yard.
Examine your land in the stark winter days, looking for places where an evergreen might go nicely.
Call Ferda's Garden Center and talk with our experts about your growing problems. Ask us about shrub varieties best for your conditions.
Gently shake or brush off snow-weighted branches that have no support. Heavy snow cover protects evergreen foliage from windburn, but too much weight will break branches.
Prune fruit trees now. The prunings can be gathered up into bundles to be used for kindling after they've dried.
Neatly trim any shrubs and hedges broken by snow. Finish all pruning of trees before the sap starts.
Examine willow and poplar trees for borers. Prune out any infested branches.
Plant lettuce in flats this month and harvest before it's time to start some of the later seedlings. Artificial light may be required, but the air should not be too hot.

FEBRUARY

Re-invigorate your houseplants by removing the top 1/4 inch of soil and top-dressing with fresh potting soil.
Houseplants will be sensitive to overfeeding at this time of year. Provide lots of sunlight, fresh air, and frequent bathing for plants that seem a little worse for the winter.
Test the germination of last year's surplus seeds before ordering new ones. Place ten seeds between damp paper towels. Keep them consistently damp and in a dark place. Check germination rates to determine how many seeds to use for your real planting.
Spread wood ashes around lilacs to benefit growth and bloom in the spring.
Keep this in mind while pruning: fruit usually grows on the horizontal branches, rather than the vertical ones. Vertical branches may be trained to become horizontal by weighting them down for a few weeks. This may also be done in the summer.
Start onions from seed now. They'll be ready for setting out in April. Onions from seed are generally firmer and longer lasting than from sets.

MARCH

Re-pot houseplants so they will grow well during spring and summer.
Uncover bulb beds and hardy borders near the middle of the month.
Begin to plant deciduous trees and shrubs this month.
Trim out the old canes from the rows of berry bushes. The bramble fruits are borne on new wood.
Prune fruit trees until spring buds swell. Maple and birch should not be pruned until they leaf out.
Uncover mulched perennial and strawberry beds gradually, pressing into place any plants that have been heaved up.
Dig up over-wintered parsnips as soon as the soil is loose enough. They will not benefit from any additional time in the ground.
Remove the mulch from your perennial beds gradually. Take it off as the season progresses and add it to your compost pile.
If your compost pile has been frozen all winter, add some manure now and turn it frequently.
Manure can be spread over the garden now, especially on the asparagus and rhubarb beds.
Hydrangea can now be cut back severely to stimulate good blooms. (Make sure the variety you prune does not bloom on old wood.)
Start some vegetables in flats now: Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and lettuce are good choices.
Ttrim back your ornamental grasses just before new growth begins. Grasses do best when cut back in the spring.

APRIL

Rake and remove mulches from all flower beds.
When danger of frost has passed, uncover strawberry beds and keep them well watered.
Plant blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fruit trees.
Prune forsythias as soon as the flowers fade. Cut the oldest stems to within a foot of the ground, but be sure to let the plant keep its arching form; don't turn it into a gumdrop or cannonball.
Feed your trees. As soon as the frost goes out of the ground, give them a well-balanced slow-release fertilizer.
Scatter about six good handfuls per each 10x10-foot area. Store leftover fertilizer in a small plastic trash can or a covered plastic container, and label it.
Rake your lawn to remove all leaves, dead grass, and small twigs. Sow seed for a new lawn, or fill in bare patches by first covering the area with compost or other organic matter. Roll the lawn if the ground isn't soggy.
Clean out your ponds.
Hybrid Tea Roses should be fertilized prior to buds beginning to bloom. Using a systemic fertilizer will help prevent insect infestation later in the summer, as it feeds your rose.
Cut out all the dead canes from your raspberry patch. The new canes that will bear this year's fruit should have new, swollen buds along the edges. Thin these to five canes per foot of row to allow good air circulation and prevent overcrowding.
Rotate your houseplants so that each side receives it's share of light, for even growth and a balanced shape.
Spring cleaning your plants will keep them beautiful and help to avoid diseases. Remove any spent flowers, dead leaves or branches, or any yellowing leaves. Rinse the dust from the leaves with the kitchen sprayer. Clean leaves allow the plant to breathe!

MAY

Weed perennial beds with special care to avoid pulling up precious self-sown seedlings. When you can tell for sure what's what, pull the weeds and top-dress the plants with compost or rich soil -- just before a rain, if possible.
Provide support for flowers that need it before they start to fall over.
Spread a little lime or wood ashes around delphiniums and peonies
Divide late-summer or autumn-flowering perennials.
Trim climbing roses and attach securely to fences or trellises.
Scatter crushed eggshells in a thick ring around roses to deter slugs.
Prune suckers from fruit trees now before they become established.
When potato plants come through the soil, hill them up by pulling several inches of soil around their stems with a hoe to encourage deep roots and keep young potatoes from exposure to light.
Prune late-flowering shrubs, evergreens, and hedges.
Don't cut the leaves off spent spring-flowering bulbs. Dying and yellowing foliage may look unsightly, but leave it in place (and don't tie it up) to help the bulbs ripen for next year's show
It's still not too late to fertilize your trees and shrubs. Use a 'Rhododendron' or an 'Evergreen' type of plant food to feed evergreens and acid loving plants like Rhododendrons, Camellias, Azaleas, and Junipers, etc. Use an all-purpose garden fertilizer (10-10-10) to feed roses, deciduous shrubs and trees. Be sure to water the fertilizer in thoroughly after it is applied.
Carrots, lettuce, potatoes, corn, beans, peas and most popular vegetables (with the exception of the warmer weather crops) can be seeded or planted into the vegetable garden at any time now.
Wait until mid to late May before planting the warmer weather crops like tomatoes, squash, cucumber, pumpkins and peppers.
Check to see if your house plants are rootbound. Water them thoroughly and carefully remove them from their pots. If the roots have compacted around the outside of the rootball, it is time to repot.

JUNE

Pinch back any annuals, fuchsias, geraniums, cosmos or any other plants that might be getting a little leggy.
Roses will need to be fertilized each month through the summer.
This is a good month for shearing, pinching or pruning junipers, cypress or other conifers. If you've been cultivating a special Christmas tree , sculpt it now.
Fertilize the lawn this month. Use a complete lawn fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
House plants can soon be moved outside to a shady, protected spot.
Warmer and drier weather means it will be necessary to water and mist your house plants more often.
Mound the soil up around your potato plants. It does no harm to the plant if the soil covers the stem. Tubers near the surface which are exposed to sunlight will turn green and poisonous . As early potatoes begin to die back, reduce watering.
Allow one or two runners to develop from the most productive strawberry plants.
It's not too late to reseed or over-seed the lawn. Be certain to keep newly seeded areas well watered.
Keep the weeds pulled, before they have a chance to flower and go to seed again. Otherwise, you will be fighting newly germinated weed seed for the next several years.

JULY

Yellow or undersized foliage on your trees indicates a lack of nourishment. Feed them regularly, but don't overdo it.
Fertilize your houseplants frequently to ensure vigorous growth.
You can sow a fall crop of bush beans now. Plant seeds two inches deep to protect them from the hot sun. You can sow other vegetable seeds for an autumn yield, too, by planting them just a little deeper than you did in the spring. The best time to plant is after a rain shower.
Continue to dead-head (remove dead flowers) your annuals to encourage continued blooming.
Summer blooming shrubs should be pruned for shape immediately after they have finished flowering. Remove any dead or diseased branches.
Fertilize flowering shrubs like rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas immediately after they have finished flowering with a 'Rhododendron' or 'Evergreen' type fertilizer.
Begin enjoying the harvest of your homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs!
Fertilize June-bearing strawberries after the harvest, and ever-bearing varieties half way through the season.
Raise the cutting height of the mower. Taller grass cools the roots and helps to keep the moisture in the soil longer.
Keep the weeds pulled, before they have a chance to flower and go to seed again. Otherwise, you will be fighting newly germinated weed seed for the next several years.

AUGUST

Container grown perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted this month. Always take time to properly prepare the soil by mixing generous quantities of peat moss, compost and processed manure with your existing soil.
Spring flowering perennials can be divided and transplanted this month or next. Be sure to do this during the coolest part of the day and water the plants thoroughly after transplanting.
Now is the time to start your fall and winter vegetables. Plant starters or seeds of green onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and winter cauliflower directly into the garden early this month.
Late this month Poinsettias and Christmas cactus should be brought back indoors and you should begin preparing them for Christmas flowering. Poinsettias are short day plants. Although they will eventually bloom, if you want the plants in bloom for the holidays they must be kept at about 65 to 70 degrees, and subjected to at least six weeks of 14 hours of total darkness per day (mid to late September). This may be accomplished by placing the potted plant in a closet or unlighted room, or by covering the plant with black cloth, black plastic over a frame or a cardboard box.The plant must then be returned to the light each day and given a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun, or 10 hours of bright light. The application of a 0-10-10 fertilizer this month and again next should help encourage the development of flower buds, then feed your plant every 2 weeks with a high nitrogen fertilizer once color has begun to show.
August can be a notoriously hot and dry month. If the rain shuts off, get out the hose.
Tidy up your garden. Keep weeds pulled before they go to seed. Continue dead-heading annuals.
Be sure to keep picking your vegetable plants to keep new fruit developing.

SEPTEMBER

Harvest apples, pears, grapes, and ever-bearing strawberries and raspberries.
Remove raspberry canes after they bear fruit.
Clean up fallen fruits, twigs, and leaves around apple and other fruit trees to reduce disease and insect carryover.
Plant radishes, green onion sets, lettuce and spinach for fall harvest.
Plant spring flowering bulbs, tulips, daffodils, and others.
Clean up garden areas to reduce insects and disease as plants die back for winter.
Plant trees and shrubs.
Rake up fallen leaves and compost.
Bring houseplants in before temperatures drop into the fifties. Clean and wash before moving them indoors.
September is a good time to begin a compost heap.

OCTOBER

Water indoor plants less frequently, and discontinue fertilizer as plants slow down or stop growing for the winter season.
Harvest pumpkins and winter squash before frost, but when rind is hard and fully colored. Store in cool location until ready to use.
Asparagus top growth should not be removed until foliage yellows. Let foliage stand over winter to collect snows for insulation and moisture.
Plant garlic cloves for next summer's harvest.
Replace your worn out annuals with fall blooming ones.
Continue to mow the lawn if necessary.
Drain and store garden hoses and sprinklers for winter.
Get your pond ready for the winter season. Put all of your perennial pond plants to the bottom of the deepest part of your pond. I leave my pump running all winter (take off the fountain head) All my fish and frogs survive.
Make notes of your annuals plantings, to know what did well for you and where.
Do not cut back your ornamental grasses till spring.

NOVEMBER

If you are planning to order a "live" Christmas tree, prepare the planting hole before the soil freezes. Mulch the area heavily to prevent freezing, or dig the hole and put fill in a protected, nonfreezing area, such as a garage or basement.
Clean up and discard fallen leaves and fruits around fruit plants to reduce disease carryover.
Apply mulch to strawberries to prevent winter injury or death to the crowns. Wait until temperatures have hit 20 degrees F to be sure plants are dormant.
Rake fallen leaves from the lawn to prevent winter suffocation.
Water newly-planted trees and shrubs.

DECEMBER

Give a Ferda's gift card to your gardening friends.
Decorate your pots and containers with winter greenery.
Keep heavy snowfall from limbs of trees and shrubs by lightly shaking to avoid damage.
Prune damaged branches throughout the winter months.
Delay pruning of raspberries and grapes until early next spring.