I had the great pleasure of attending the KIPP School science fair this weekend. All of the kids did a great job on their projects, but a couple of them were really outstanding. There was no way to tell whose project it was because of course they were being judged so the names were not visible. But there were two that involved plants that I found particularly good.
One young man or woman measured the effects of a solution of water and Robitussin, and a solution of water and Nyquil, on the speed of plant growth. There was a lot of detail in the presentation, but in the end the plants fed with one of the water and Nyquil solutions far outgrew the others.
In the other experiment, the student studied the effects of different colored light on plant growth. Those of us who are long-time gardeners know, of course, that plant lights used to start young plants inside are always blue lights. But this young person studied a variety of different lights, including blue, red, purple, yellow, orange, etc. In the end, to my surprise, both the blue and red lights greatly accelerated plant growth. Guess I will have to try a red light this year, along with my standard blue light.
All in all, I found every one of the projects to be special and well studied. Well done to all who participated!
As I write this, hubby Steve is outside tilling the garden in the gale force winds. I have to giggle a little because he keeps losing his ball cap. But at least the garden is being tilled in time for me to plant the main part of my garden, which will happen in about three weeks. I am not planting as much this year, this old crusty body is really slowing down and I am going to have to do the same with my garden. However, the squash, cucumbers, peppers and zinnias will be planted in the waxing moon next month.
My onions and garlic are looking great, and surprise, surprise, my celery has grown like crazy over the winter. I am hoping to finally get some seeds from it this year.
There are some other things that need to be done right now in the garden. You should already have pruned your rose bushes, but if you haven't, get it done now. Pruning roses has to be done before the leaves start to pop out. Crepe myrtle trees also need to be pruned before the leaves pop out, but DON'T just whack them off at the top. Detailed instructions on the proper way to prune these blooming trees are available online and from the Mississippi County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program.
I am planting asparagus this year, and that also needs to be done as soon as possible. Asparagus is a cool weather plant and does not need to get more than 4 or 5 hours of direct sun during the summer. It also needs very fertile soil and good drainage, although the soil around the plants needs to stay moist.
When you plant asparagus, you dig a trench six to 12 inches deep, then put the crowns (dormant plants) on a hill in the trench with the roots spreading out over the hill. You cover the entire crown but do not fill in the trench. As the roots grow, you fill in the trench around them. After the trenches are filled, you put a two inch layer of mulch over the soil. Asparagus must grow for two years before you get any spears at all, and the second year you don't get very many. Waiting three years for a harvest may seem aggravating, but when you consider the plants will then produce for about 20 years after that, it is worth the wait.
Detailed planting and care instructions for asparagus are easily available online. Other things need to be planted at this time of year as well. Grapes, for example. Most of you who follow this column know that my German shepherd Jingle is a grape vine murderer, so I will be replacing another vine this year. But once you have them started, a little bit of care and maintenance will have you producing grapes for many years to come.
Call me a chicken, but I am going to wait until the winds die down a bit to get out and work the soil in the garden. But as the season grows closer, I look forward to getting out and getting these hands dirty on a regular basis. If you drive by and see me outside in my granny garden hat, honk and wave, and I will wave back.
plen@rittermail.com