"Newsletter"

Soil, Not Dirt!

The time for planting is here! Before you put things in the ground you might want to give serious thought to the "ground". First of all, let's all agree that the proper term is soil. As one noted English garden writer once said, "Americans will never be good gardeners until they quit calling soil dirt." I mention this because soil is important stuff. Calling it dirt diminishes that importance. No plant will thrive for long if the soil is bad.

Plants sold at Mayflower, or any garden center for that matter, end up in one of two places - either in a pot or in the ground. Each environment has its own set of recommendations.

Container Soil

Let's start with the currently popular containers. DO NOT use soil from your back yard for potting. These soils present three problems - they generally contain too much clay which means they hold too much water; they can be full of weed seeds and, they can carry pathogens which can affect plant health. Added to that is the fact that they increase the weight of the container, making it difficult to move the planter. Sterile, soiless mixes - the kind your local greenhouse uses - are much better. They drain well while holding adequate supplies of water and fertilizer. If renewed annually you needn't worry about weeds and disease.

Patio vegetables and fruits are making a big contribution in small places. 'Candy bean,' shown above left, can provide tasty green beans for a family of 3 for weeks.

Garden Soil

Dealing with your garden soil is a bit different. Most soils in our area are degraded clay-loam. After years of farming or through the process of constructing your home, most of the organic matter which "opens up" your soil and increases its fertility as it decomposes has been lost. "Opening up" your soil is important because it introduces air to the soil which allows the microorganisms to thrive, which in turn help create the nutrients that make your plant thrive. A good soil is about 20% air, 20% water and the rest organic and inorganic solids. Before planting a flower or vegetable from Mayflower, incorporate generous amounts of composted garden waste or manure and/or commercially available organic material, like peat moss or cotton seed hulls. This should be an annual ritual since this material rots away during the course of the year and adds only slightly to the soil's overall quality. (It's said that it takes nature 1000 years to create an inch of top soil!)

(Shown above) New from Ball Horticultural this year are non-flowering coleus 'Mocha Mint', 'Red Hot' and 'Henna'. That absence of flowers means the plants look better longer without pinching. Pesto plant at right tastes as good as it looks.

High Quality Plants

Once you're done with the basics - your soil - it's time to go nuts with quality plant material from Mayflower. With good soil and a little bit of fertilizer your Mayflower plants should practically leap out of the ground. That brings up another small issue. Mayflower plants often perform better than those you get from box stores because we don't use PGRs. PGRs are plant growth regulators that are often used with plants that are sold to mass merchandisers because it slows plant growth so they stay good looking on the shelf longer. It's good for the store but bad for you - especially when the plant is slow to break out of the effects of the PGR chemicals and stunted for the first part of the growing season.

Succulents (above left) continue to be hot for lower water/low maintenance situations. Go on vacation for a week - there's no need to have your neighbor come over to water these guys. Palms, like the one at right, are making a big comeback as "thrillers" for combination container planting.

Mayflower is Open, Fully Stocked and Ready for You

Mayflower is now open, fully stocked and ready for you. We've got generous supplies of all the trendy plants for the upcoming season. There are over 100 varieties of hybrid and heritage tomatoes, the latest developments in patio vegetables for container growing, the area's best selection of low-maintenance succulents, plus many, many new improved varieties of popular annuals like geranium, petunia, impatiens, and begonia. As has become our tradition, we continue to have Northeastern Wisconsin's widest selection of annual ornamental grasses, colorful coleus, tropical "thrillers" and herbs to delight the eye and palate. And, remember that Mayflower's selection of containers is without equal in the region.

Happy Gardening,
Jan Wos
Owner
Mayflower Greenhouse