First Aid for dry plants....

Let's face it: Our houseplants aren't the most important things on our to-do lists, and even the most attentive gardeners will sometimes forget to water the hanging baskets. The good news is that unless the plants are completely dead, they can usually be revived.

Begin by clipping off dead flowers and browning leaves. See! It looks better already. Now cut back yellowing stems and stems with a good many yellowing leaves to encourage the plant to send out new shoots. If your plant has trailing stems, you may have to detangle the stems first to determine which are worth keeping.

If you're like me, you may find it hard to clip off buds that will be opening soon, so use your own judgment to determine if this is necessary. A plant with a lot of damage will have more trouble recovering if it's trying to support buds during the recovery period, and the buds may eventually fall off without opening anyway. If the damage is mild, leave the buds that are on undamaged stems in place.



Watering a dried out basket can be difficult. You may find that as you pour water into the basket it simply runs out without wetting the soil. The best way to overcome this is to run a pan of tepid water, and add a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. The dishwashing liquid acts as a wetting agent and allows the water to soak into the soil. Set your plant inside the pan of water and leave it for at least an hour, or until the basket is saturated, and mist the plants a time or two while they soak. If there are heavy chains or ropes attached to your basket, support them with a stick so that they don't lay on top of your plants. When the plants are dry, it doesn't take much weight to break the stems and leaves.

At this point we want to do everything we can to help our plants get back on their feet, but it's best to avoid feeding them for about five days. This gives them time to overcome the shock before trying to send out new shoots.

Watch your recovering plants closely for signs of insects or disease. In their weakened state, they are more susceptible to pests and fungus, and they should be treated right away if you suspect a problem. Before you know it, your basket will be bursting with blooms again.

Terri

Penny's Tomatoes Trivia Contest with Freebies for winners.

Here is a tomatoe quiz, enjoy!!! Trivia .: "
1. The tomato is a relative of the?
green bean
strawberry
potato
chicken

2. The tomato is a member of which shade family?
day shade
night shade
cool shade
lamp shade

3. Different cultures have referred to the tomato as?
wolf peach
love apple
golden apple
all of the above

4. If I have a short growing season which type of tomato should I grow?
acidic
indeterminate
determinate
hybrid

5. At one time the tomato was thought of as an aphrodisiac.
true
false

6. Which meaty type of tomato makes the best spaghetti sauce?
Heirloom
Roma (San Marzano)
Tomato Tree
Rotten

7. Tomatoes loose their flavor when?
when they are cooked
when you put salt on them
when you refrigerate them
when you step on them

8.What is the number one condiment in the world?
ketsup
relish
salsa
mayonnaise

9. Tomatoes grow best in?
shade
sunniest part of the garden
under a tree
bathtub

10. The lycopene antioxidant in tomatoes have been known to help with what types of cancer?
colon cancer
prostate cancer
pancreatic cancer
all of the above"

Terri's Trivia Quiz

Terri's Trivia Quiz: "RESULTS OF THE QUIZ
1. the correct answer is potato
2. night shade ...
3. the correct answer is all of the above
4. the correct answer is determinate
5. true ...
6. Roma (San Marzano) ...
7. when you refrigerate them ...
8. salsa ...
9. sunniest part of the garden ...
10. all of the above ...







The Grading Scale
Number of
Answers CorrectGrade
10A - Congratulations! Genius TomatoHead.
8B - Apprentice TomatoHead
6C - Someday TomatoHead
4D - Sorry! Don't quit your day job to
garden....

Love to you who read this blog....
Terri

My thoughts about starting seeds...
Enjoy!

*********************************************************


When to Start Seeds for a Vegetable Garden

As winter begins to wind down, gardeners anxiously await the
arrival of spring and the gardening season. Even though winter
may still have a few tricks up its sleeve, vegetable gardeners
can begin to prepare for the gardening season and get a head
start on spring by starting some crops early indoors.

But if seeds are started indoors too soon, the little plants
may outgrow their indoor growing space and become too leggy.
If they're planted too late, the seedlings will not be large
enough for transplanting in the garden when planting time
comes round. For the best results and the least amount of
frustration, it's important to know the right time to plant
seeds.

Broccoli and cabbage can be started early indoors or direct
seeded. The proper time for planting seeds for broccoli or
cabbage indoors would be four to six weeks before
transplanting to the garden.

The timing for planting cauliflower seeds is similar to the
timing for broccoli. Sow the seeds in flats starting in
early March. For successive crops, continue sowing seeds
through June, and plant out the seedlings 4-5 weeks after
sowing the seeds.

Cucumbers can be started early indoors or direct seeded in
the garden. For an earlier crop, sow cucumber seeds indoors
4-5 weeks before they can be planted outdoors.

Melon plants grow best in warm weather. Melon seeds can be
sown indoors one month before they can be transplanted into
the garden. Handle seedlings carefully as they do not like
to have their roots disturbed.

Onions are often grown from tiny bulbs called sets, but
onions can also be grown from seed. Plant onion seeds
indoors in flats 6-8 weeks before they seedlings are to be
planted out. Or plant onion seeds directly in the garden as
soon as the soil can be worked.

Peppers grow rather slowly and in most climates the plants
should be started indoors. Sow pepper seeds indoors eight
weeks before planting out the little seedlings, and do not
plant them outdoors until the soil has warmed and summer
weather has settled in.

Pumpkins and winter squash are vigorous plants that grow well
when the seeds are planted directly in the garden. If you
have a short growing season, you may start pumpkin winter
squash seeds indoors no more than 3-4 weeks before planting
out the seedlings.

Tomato plants cannot handle cool temperatures or frost, so
the seedlings must not be planted outdoors until all danger
of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 70
degrees. Sow tomato seeds indoors 5-6 weeks before the
seedlings can be planted out.




Hope you enjoyed it...
Terri

The geraniums I dug last fall, and kept in greenhouse, now ready to take cuttings....

Picturs in header are from my yard, all seasons...

This is just the beginnings of my new Greenhouse...