Crossroads Gardening

The Gardening-at-the-Crossroads blog is our way of keeping our readers informed about the ever changing seasons of the garden.

Apr 12, 2010, Physocarpus

The physocarpus or ninebark adds interest to your landscape.

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Apr 12, 2010, Landscaping shrubs

Landscaping shrubs form the foundation of any landscape plan

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Apr 4, 2010, Sunlight

All plants need som sunlight, choosing the right ones for your garden's conditions is easy!

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Mar 24, 2010, Daffodil

The Daffodil heralds spring

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Feb 25, 2010, Here are some Gardening Resource websites that we've found to be helpful

Here are some Gardening Resource websites that we've found to be helpful

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Feb 24, 2010, Will My Daffodils Be OK?

Kathy from Olmsted Falls, Ohio asks us "We had warmer weather last week and where the snow melted the daffodils are beginning to grow. More snow is forecast for today. Will they be OK or do I have to protect them?"

That's a great question, Kathy and one we get a lot. It's common for daffodils to start poking their leaves through the ground, even as early as late December here in NE Ohio. If the leaves are unprotected, they will display some burning from very low temperatures. Snow cover actually protects them by insulating them from these temperatures. If it looks like there will be an extended period of no snow cover, it certainly doesn't hurt to place a light covering of mulch or compost to protect the leaves from the cold and wind, but they will be OK just by themselves also.

Feb 22, 2010, Late winter teaser

This weekend was one of those late winter teases. Bright sun and the temperature reached forty! I know for those of you in the south that doesn't seem like much, but you've had your share of cold and snow also this year. Just seeing a patch of green emerging from the snow covered landscape is enough to get your gardening juices flowing. It won't be long before the crocuses and daffodils start poking their leaves through the ground.

Some seeds should be started by now and it won't be long before we plant some peas on St Patrick's Day. Here in NE Ohio, our last frost date is usually May 15th so we schedule seed sowing indoors around that schedule.

If you want to try an interesting experiment, try sowing some seeds outdoors right now, in February. Take a clear plastic gallon size milk jug and cut it around the middle so that you have a tray from the bottom and a funnel shaped top. Poke some holes in the bottom for drainage and fill it with moistened planting mix. Place a few seeds in the mix and place the top back onto the base. The top can be wedged on or taped on, however you wish.

That's it. Just place the jug outside in a sunny place for the seeds to start. The theory is the seeds will know when to start germinating and will grow fine. Be sure to leave the lid off of the top so that it doesn't get too hot inside the jug and enough water will get in to keep the seedlings growing.

Feb 16, 2010, Butterfly nectar sources - Attract bunches of beautiful butterflies!

Butterfly nectar sources - Attract swarms of beautiful butterflies to your garden!

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Feb 16, 2010, Butterfly Gardening

Butterfly gardening is a great way to bring hours of enjoyment to you and your family.

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Feb 11, 2010, Bulb Gardening

Bulb Gardening, planting flower bulbs for a spectacular spring start to your garden!

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Feb 11, 2010, Planting deer resistant plants and bulbs will help protect your landscaping.

Using deer resistant plants and bulbs will help protect your valuable landscaping investment.

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Feb 4, 2010, Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are the acrobats of the bird world and are entertaining to watch.

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Feb 4, 2010, Wildlife gardening

Wildlife gardening can make your life more interesting

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Jan 18, 2010, Seed companies

Here's a list of seed companies for you to visit.

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Jul 16, 2009, Rain Barrel Construction

Our Rain Barrel Construction project and tips for making your own.

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Jul 16, 2009, Rain Barrels

Rain barrels are a great way to conserve resources

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Jul 6, 2009, Site Map

Site map for Gardening at the Crossroads

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Jul 6, 2009, beginning gardeners

Advice for beginning gardeners to get growing right!

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Jul 5, 2009, Container Gardening

Container gardening

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Jul 5, 2009, Potting Mix

Potting soil or potting mix, which to use?

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Jul 3, 2009, Garden Tools

There are basic garden tools that every gardener should have.

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Jul 3, 2009, Chainsaw Safety

A quick recap of chainsaw safety tips to avoid injuring yourself.

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May 14, 2009, Plant nutrition question

Reila from Washington State asks- "Why is plant nutrition study so important and how do people study it?"

That's a great question, Reila! Briefly, plants need nutrition just as humans do. There are many nutrients that are necessary for plant health and growth but the big three are considered to be Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (N-P-K). These are the nutrients that are listed as numbers, 12-12-12 for example, on fertilizer packages.

Not all plants need the same amounts of these nutrients. Give your tomatoes too much Nitrogen and you will be rewarded with lots of green vines but few tomatoes.

Trace amounts of many other nutrients are also needed.

Soil pH is also an important factor in how plants assimilate the nutrients.

Descriptions of the major nutrients and how they are used by plants are listed on the fertilizer page of our website with chemical and organic sources.

The study of plant nutrition goes on world wide and there are numerous sources on the web where you can get more information. One local to Reila is the Washington State University's Extension service website, but each state will have it's own extension service and some sites are more complete than others.

May 14, 2009, Fertilizer

Make your plants grow with the right fertilizer

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Mar 21, 2009, Seed transplanting

Cathy and Neal spent part of the afternoon transplanting seedlings. Most of the seedlings were started in mid February and are coming along nicely. We are of two schools of thought when it comes to transplanting seedlings.

Cathy usually plants the flowers and Neal plants the veggies. Planting and transplanting tomatoes and pepper plants are pretty straight forward. The seeds are big and it's easy to space them out. The flowers are another story.

The seeds from the impatiens that Cathy carefully collected last fall are very small. Consequently, the plants that sprouted are rather close together and harder to separate.

Here's where the difference of opinion comes. Neal is a survival of the fittest person. Select only the best specimens and get rid of the rest. Cathy wants to try and save every plant and nurture it in the belief that every plant will grow equally well, given the chance. The peppers and tomatoes are easy to grasp and transplant, the impatiens, not so much. Cathy has smaller fingers and more patience to separate and plant the small plants, Neal doesn't.

So it ends up that Neal leaves the detail work to Cathy and comes up from the basement to write this blog entry!

Mar 18, 2009, What's the temperature today?

Temperature is an important thing for gardeners to know and be aware of all year long.

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Mar 5, 2009, Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture may be an idea whose time has come.

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Feb 27, 2009, Gardening with kids grows memories that will last a lifetime!

Gardening with kids grows memories that will last a lifetime!

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Feb 26, 2009, Childrens Gardening Books

A selection of childrens gardening books to help you introduce the joys of gardening to your children.

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Feb 26, 2009, Fun vegetables to interest and entertain your children

These fun vegetables will help you and your child grow a garden that's entertaining and educating.

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