The Hort Report

The weather is more normal for this time of year. We are finally getting rain that will seal the cracks in the ground, helping the roots on plants, shrubs, bushes, trees and grass survive the coming winter. Nov. 11-20 is Indian Summer, and the weather is supporting it. Hopefully we keep these temperatures for several…

Many of you have had a frost or freeze in the past few weeks, but it didn’t do much damage. All of your root-type vegetables, even some above-ground vegetables, survived. To keep them growing, water them so the roots aren’t exposed to the cold air.  Draw on paper your garden plan where all your vegetables…

The fall weather is here, and we are dealing with it in many ways. Hopefully, you got much-needed rain. With the cooler temperatures, you know it is fall.  I have noticed that people, when they mow, are mowing dirt, weeds and not much else. I have talked about mowing based on the height of the…

The first day of fall was Sept. 22. The daylight hours are getting shorter. You have less time to work in your garden, flowerbeds and yard after 5 p.m. I enjoy this time of year and always find things to do every day.  The weather has been hot and dry for the past several weeks.…

The weather has been dry the past few days. Many of you should be watering your vegetables to make sure they get plenty of water this time of year.  When watering, water early in the morning or early in the evening for about one hour before sunset. Watering at these times of day will allow…

Thanks for all your prayers during the past few days. Laura and I appreciate them.  Please keep them coming as I recover from my recent medical issues. I’m doing better and hope to return to my normal self in a few days.  The weather has been great for this time of year for you to be…

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Many of you should be getting a lot of produce from your gardens. Cool-season vegetables have been harvested, and warm-season vegetables are producing.  Think about what vegetables and where you will be planting them in your fall garden. You can start planting fall garden vegetables in late…

Happy Father’s Day to all the special fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers. Let them know how much you appreciate them and how special they are to you.  The weather has been great for all your gardening and yard work. The one thing we see is not having enough rain for all the plants in gardens…

Everything should be growing faster with the warmer weather and rain we have been getting. Hopefully many of you have got everything in the garden and flowerbeds. Many people have been buying transplants to put in the garden and flowerbeds. Some places are starting to discount them so they don’t lose a lot of money.…

With the weather we have been having over the past few days, hopefully many of you have done some planting in your garden and flowerbeds.  Get your vegetable and flower transplants and seed in the soil because you don’t need to worry about cold weather. The weather has been good for helping weeds grow. Remove…

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and grandmothers. Make sure you tell them how much you love them. I’ve seen several pairs of barn swallows in the past few days, and the weather has been changing, so spring is here for a while.   Many of you in the past few days have got much-needed…