KRAUTTER’S KORNER NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2016
OUR ORGANIC SOIL
I know once again I will be able to grow the best annuals in Westchester because I am growing them in a rich, organic soil. I know the rizosphere in each little pot of my soil is rich in microbial life. A life that will explode into a strong and tenacious root system when planted into your garden. A chemically grown plant may look good on onset but will struggle once planted. That is why a Sprainbrook Nursery plant will continue to outperform any other plants once planted in your garden. The reason for this is that chemicals will kill microbes while the root system in our 4 ½” pots replenishes microbial life. The adjustment a chemically grown plant has to make to Natural soil is difficult. That is why our plants do better. In the organic movement I may be ahead of my time but I have learned the great value in growing plants the organic way.
PARDON OUR APPEARANCE
The fire that burnt down my beautiful Garden Center took place on Sept 24. We are still waiting for the insurance money so we can remove this ugly structure. We have contracted with a company for removal and as soon as we get money, the building will be demolished. In the meantime we have switched our headquarters to where we have housed our fertilizer supplies and we are converting the 1st floor of my mothers old brick house for garden supplies. Since the house is empty we will be holding our Spring lectures in this building. Upstairs we have a large open space with a wooden floor and the building is heated. For the time being you will have to enter the greenhouses at the large double doors opposite the pool. We are working there diligently to fill our greenhouses with organic plants. Even though we suffered a great loss of space in the fire we are lucky to still have a very large amount of square footage of sales space still available. We will need your continued support this year as it seems to get more difficult to stay in business.
When the ground is workable, it is a signal that we need to get to work in our garden. There are lots to do when the season arrives. We need to follow the phonological calendar not the calendar hanging on the wall. The birds, the plants and the animals live in the outdoor world and their instincts are keys to their survival. When the outside world comes alive, spring is in the air. It is time to fertilize your plants and lawn, remove winter protection, mulch bare areas, condition your soil for spring planting, prune shrubs while they are still dormant, spray dormant oils prior to new growth. There are lots of chores that need to get done. The season moves rapidly forward.
I am concerned about the nutrient value of the food we eat and the potential food shortages of reasonably priced organic food. Anyone who owns land has the ability to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits in their yard and should consider doing so. I have become a great advocate of growing vegetables in our back yards. I have spent a great deal of time on this subject in my emails. To read in depth coverage on this subject go into the archives of naturalgardennews.com. Let’s get schools and young children involved in the organic movement. My winter project ‘Krautter’s Year Round Organic Vegetable Garden’ is an ideal project for schools with over 100 lessons to learn from Mother Nature. View my video and follow this link to purchase building plans. There is a lot of grant money available for a project like this. What was incredible about this structure was that even with the temperatures plummeting to a record low of -7 below 0 degrees my vegetables survived and thrived. View my video to see why.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO.
I am thrilled to see that the organic movement is taking hold. What I, as a grower, love about the organic approach is that it makes sense and the results are incredible. It’s all about employing good growing principles and meeting the needs of your plants. This is a better way than using chemical fertilizer, toxic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. We can grow great plants if we follow Nature’s Ways. The switch makes sense for our environment, for the health of our children, pets and us. By following Nature’s Ways we can produce superior quality plants, turf, fruits and vegetables in our garden. Those who have religiously followed our monthly recommendations have reported terrific results.
Read my book 12 Steps To Natural Gardening
SPRING CHORES
Skillful pruning will be important before the sap begins to flow. Prune out dead branches but scratch the bark first to make sure that they are really dead. Control height and width. Read the chapter on Pruning in my book on page 65. Dormant spraying should take place prior to new growth. When the sun shines and the temperatures become warm, we gardeners are in our glory. March is a very erratic month and can manifest tremendous temperature fluctuations, so take advantage of the good days. As soon as the ground is workable, go out and plant pansies in window boxes close to the protection of your house. A little bit of color brings beauty into your life and lifts spirits.
The Organic Approach To Gardening is quite simple for the month of March. We are recommending that you fertilize all plants with an organic fertilizer as early as you can. Use Plant-tone for alkaline loving plants, Holly-tone for acid loving plants and Rose-tone for roses. Apply Milorganite as soon as the ground thaws. We like to apply Milorganite early since it is also a great Deer Repellent. If you are in Deer Country, you can apply Milorganite to your entire garden. Our programs and our emails will lead you through the year step by step. Pass on our emails to friends and fellow gardeners.
EVERGREENS, TREES AND SHRUBS
Spray your yard with Neem Oil if you have had insect problems in the past. It is an organic control suffocating the eggs of overwintering insects before they hatch into future insect problems. Fertilize all evergreen plants with Holly-tone and deciduous plants with Plant-tone. Prune and shape plants with broken branches. Add 1-2 inches of leafmold, a high carbon microbial food, to build up your food web once every 5 years. Mineralize your soil once every three years. Maintain a 2- inch layer of organic mulch all year round on your plants.
Deer Do a Tremendous Amount of Damage in late winter as food is scarce and they widen their territory. Deer repellents are particularly important at this time of the year. If you affect two of their senses, both taste and smell, you will get better control. We like Deer Scram which repels by smell along with Deer Stopper which repels by taste. Alternating Deer repellent products is advisable.
ROSES
Winter protection should be removed and the roses should be pruned. Use a good pruner such as the Felco 2 which gives a sharp, clean cut. Feed roses with one cup of Rose-tone fertilizer per bush. Make sure your rose beds are well mulched.
LAWNS
Fertilize your lawn as soon as the weather permits. Milorganite is a high organic nitrogen fertilizer that is rich in iron, calcium and acts as a deer repellent. Apply Mineral Rock Dust to re-mineralize your soil and Gypsum to help alleviate compaction.
PERENNIALS
Fertilize with Plant-tone, clean up any dead debris that may be lingering or lying on top and make sure all perennials are adequately cut back. As the ground becomes workable, divide clumps that are too large and plant new perennials. Top dress your perennial beds with Fundy Blend which acts as an excellent nutritive mulch. The preparation of new planting beds can take place, as soon as the ground is workable. For instructions see “Preparation of a New Planting Bed”. The formula is listed in my book and at the end of this article.
SOIL AMENDMENTS
March is the time to enhance your soil. Organics should be worked into new beds and top dressed into existing beds. Vegetable, perennial and flower beds all need help in the spring. Our favorite organics are the fish based composts from the Coast of Maine. They are Lobster Compost and Penobscot Blend. I like adding them together for best results. We have been getting terrific feedback from customers who have been using Coast Of Maine products.
VEGETABLES
Make your selection and buy your seeds now. Our complete rack of High Mowing Organic Seeds is now on display. Located in Vermont they are a great company dedicated to high quality organic seeds. Once you have made your selection you can develop a time table as when to start them. Now is the time you can start prepping your old vegetable garden or start planning or building a new bed to grow organic vegetables in your yard. Refer to my book “12 Steps To Natural Gardening” page 159 for instructions.
MOST ASKED QUESTION
How do I prune my Hydrangeas? The arborescens types should be pruned all the way down to the ground in early spring. The paniculatas should be pruned back but not all the way in early spring. Both of these bloom on current year’s growth. The macrophylla types cannot be pruned in the spring as they bloom on second year’s growth. They should be pruned as soon as the flowers fade in the spring. However, last year’s dead flowers and old growth should be removed. Refer to our chapter on Pruning on page 65 in my book.
PREPARATION OF A NEW PLANTING BED
This formula transforms the worst possible soil to the best possible soil. Per 100 square feet dig in and mix to a depth of one foot. This formula builds a sustainable garden. You need a good soil to grow a great plant.
Per 100 square feet dig and mix into the top one foot area
1 bale of peatmoss 3.8 cubic feet
1 bag of Coir
2 bags of Lobster mix: 40 lb bags of compost
2 bags of Penobscot mix: 40 lb. bags of compost
2 bags of Cow Manure
2 bags of Black Earth Organic Top soil
1 pound of Mineral Rock Dust
5 pounds of Lime
4.5 pounds of Bone Meal
8 pounds of Plant-Tone
SPRING WEEKEND SALE
March 12th to the 20th all organic supplies at the
Nursery are twenty percent off.
SPRING LECTURE SERIES
Education is key to good gardening
Saturdays, 10am to Noon
3/12 – Vegetable Garden
3/19 – Organic Lawn
3/26 – Composting
4/02 – Organic Soil
4/09 – Year Round Organic Vegetable Garden
