Let’s Get Planning For Gardening!
So, it looks like we might finally get a real snowstorm here in Southeast Michigan over the next couple of days. While we’re all getting ready for the big snow they’re promising, there is something to keep in mind: February 2nd marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. That means that, as of tomorrow, we’re halfway through winter – no matter what the groundhog says!
Jennifer
In this month’s issue of Let’s Get Gardening
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In this month’s issue:
With winter halfway over, it’s time to start really planning for our gardens. If you haven’t already, it’s time to go through your seeds to see what you have leftover and what you will need for the upcoming season. All of seed suppliers are running behind in getting seeds to us this year, but we are hoping to start getting them in by the end of next week, and will have them available on our website.
To Do Indoors This Month:
- First things first – put together a plan for your gardens this year. If you are planning a vegetable garden, what do you want to grow? Do you have a garden already, and just need to decide what to plant where this year, or are you just starting out and need to figure out where to put your garden and how much space you will need for everything you want to plant? Planting flowers? You’ll need to know what kind of sun and soil the flowers you want to plant need (or better yet, what flowers you can plant in the sun and soil you have).
- Did you keep a journal of your gardening last year? If so, go through your notes now so that you know what
plants did well for you, what didn’t do so well, and what changes you thought you might want to make this year. Like planning, this will help you decide what you need to make your gardening successful this year. If you didn’t keep a journal last year, start one now for this year, and start writing down all the things you want to do! - As I mentioned, now is the time to go through seeds leftover from last year – many of them will still be perfectly fine for planting this year.
- If you are going to start plants indoors this year, make sure you have everything you need – seed starting mix, pots, working lights, heating mats, etc.
- March is generally when the majority of vegetables grown around here get started indoors, but you should start rosemary, onions, and leeks in early February and celery in mid-February.
- Starting perennial flowers indoors this month also gives them more time to get to transplanting size and makes them more likely to bloom the first year. It’s also a great way to save money, as seeds and soil generally cost a lot less than perennial plants!
- Be sure to clean out any previously used pots you want to use for repotting of house plants or for outdoor container gardening. Disinfecting your pots before using them again ensures that they are not harboring any harmful bacteria.
- Clean and sharpen your tools, if you didn’t in the fall, so that they are ready to get to work when you are.
To Do Outdoors This Month:
- Now, and really any time this month, is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs. What makes this the best time? It’s the fact that they are dormant, and pruning trees and shrubs while they are dormant means that there you
aren’t likely to introduce disease to your plants via the open wounds that are left when you prune. Open, seeping wounds attract insects that carry disease from infected plants when you prune during the time that insects are around. - Some ornamental trees and shrubs shouldn’t be pruned at this time of year, because doing so will reduce flowering this spring. A general rule of thumb is to prune trees and shrubs that bloom after the end of June during the winter (now), and those that bloom before the end of June once they have finished blooming.
- If you sometimes have deer or rabbit damage, you might want to treat your vulnerable plants with a repellant, or re-treat if you treated earlier.
For the Birds:
- February is National Bird Feeding Month, for a good reason! By this point in winter, natural sources of food are getting scarce, so keeping feeders full can be critical to your birds’ survival. It’s especially important after a big snowfall (like what we are expecting), since their food sources get covered by the snow.
- Keeping bird baths full and thawed is also important now. A heated birdbath or a deicer in your birdbath provides your birds access to a good supply of fresh drinking water. If you’ve read anything online about heated birdbaths being bad for birds because the water sticks to their feathers and then can freeze once they are out of the bath, please don’t let it stop you from helping out your feathered friends.
- If you’re looking for something fun for the whole family, that you can do in your own backyard or in a nearby park, I highly recommend the Great Backyard Bird Count. This year’s count takes place February 18th through the 21st, and is a fun way to help scientists understand global bird populations. Find out all about it, including how to sign up for an informational webinar being held on February 16th at www.birdcount.org/participate/.
More info on all of these tips can be found in our monthly newsletter: Read the February 2022 issue of Let’s Get Gardening
Happy Gardening!
February is National Bird Feeding Month!
To celebrate our feathered friends, all bird feeders are
On Sale all Month Long!
Chelsea’s 13th Annual Chocolate Extravaganza
Saturday, February 12th
Join us and all the downtown Chelsea Merchants and Restaurants to celebrate all things Chocolate. Festivities will include Chocolate Demonstrations by Michigan chocolate makers, chocolatiers, and bakers, and a Penguin Egg Hunt for the little ones! Merchants will also have great gifts for your favorite valentine, and restaurants and bars are sure to have specials on chocolate treats.
More details to come about the event at shopchelseamich.com