New Year's resolutions can apply to your gardens, lawns and raised beds, too!
Resolve to jot down certain gardening items and practices. Adopt them now and your spring gardening will start off on the right gardening note.
A few reminders to help you this spring:
Plant markers help you know what seeds you planted where but they can fade. Find some sturdy ones that you like that will resist fading in the summer sun and won't smudge through frequent waterings.
Resist overcrowding! In spring, your instinct might be to really pack the plants in your garden space, no matter the size.
But plants grow and spread. If they are planted too close together, it doesn't take long until they begin to crowd each other out. Instead, practice patience! Leave proper spacing between plants (for some guidance on good distance, read the seed packets) and let plants grow and expand over time.
Another practice is to try and rein in impulse buying at the garden center.
Being more planful and not buying every plant you see can not only save money but also allow you to create a certain pattern in your gardens.
And next, vow to bring order to you tool storage area. Then, come spring, when you walk into the space where you keep garden tools, you will know where everything is.
Lastly, a good but difficult resolution to make - especially for soft-hearted or newer gardeners - is to get tough with your plants.
When you've done all you could and you see certain plants still struggling, yank them and put replacement plants in.
Q: How can I get my orchid to bloom again. It's been two years? - Denise, in Waitsfield
A: Once a moth orchid stops blooming, cut back the stalk to about three inches near bottom near the bottom of the plant.
Next, let the plant rest after fertilizing it, and setting it in a space that gets bright, dappled light.
When watering the orchid, make sure the water runs through and the plant is well-drained.
Eventually, you'll begin to see some new growth of the leaves. From there, you can initiate some flower buds or flower stalks.
Just place the orchid in a sunny but cold location (between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit works best).
You should start seeing a new flower stalk will forming next to the old flower stalk that you cut back or right off the main part of the plant. In a matter of weeks, you'll have new some flowers.
All Things Gardening is powered by you, the listener! Send your gardening questions and conundrums and Charlie may answer them in upcoming episodes.
You can also leave a voicemail with your gardening question by calling Vermont Public at 1-800-639-2192.
Hear All Things Gardening during Weekend Edition with Vermont Public host Mary Williams Engisch, Sunday mornings at 9:35.
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