Gardentalk - KTOO

Primroses and daffodils simultaneously bloom in a North Douglas flower bed.

Gardentalk – Dividing primulas

Carefully dig up the plant and separate out the various drumsticks of flowers by lightly shaking and washing out the soil from the roots. Trim off the flower top and a few of the roots before transplanting in groups of three.

“This is the part I like. I like planting stuff, tending the flowers, the field work, being outside in all weather,” said Ben Patterson, CBJ Landscape Maintenance Supervisor who also manages a 10-person seasonal crew. “You can look back at the end of the day, see what’s been planted and you can see people enjoying it. It’s a little more rewarding than the office half of the job. The greenhouse is also really fun. We do about 16,000 annuals every year that grow from seed that we put all around town in 33 different spots.”

Gardentalk – Hardening annuals

Place your geraniums, petunias and begonias outside and cover them with reemay horticultural fabric. You can also place jugs of water around the plants for additional overnight frost protection.

Three different varieties of seed potatoes await getting split up and planted.

Gardentalk – Planting potatoes

Master Gardener Ed Buyarski suggests using a plot of nice, loose, well-drained soil that was not used for potatoes last year.

Gardentalk – Starting seeds indoors and hardening sprouts

Master Gardener Ed Buyarski encourages local gardeners to start their cucumber and zucchini plants in this week’s edition of Gardentalk. The popular gourd and squash should be started indoors now before they are planted outdoors in about two to three weeks. Buyarski advises waiting until the spouts develop one or two true leaves before hardening them,…

Seed packets can be purchased in local stores or online.

Gardentalk – Beginner’s start-up guide

Master Gardener Ed Buyarski say new gardeners should think about sunshine, soil, and availability of moisture before picking out a location for a garden.

Freshly harvested tomatoes during the late summer of 2016 provide incentive for the 2017 season.

Gardentalk – Spring clean up

Pull off boughs and covers from planting beds, scratch up the soil, and remove debris. Clear plastic can be placed over soil and planting beds to warm up the soil before planting. Cabbage and tomatoes should be started indoors now.