The weather so far this fall has been pretty nice. The 10 day forecast shows perfect fall weather. Some slight chances of rain the next couple of days and temperatures in the mid 70’s to low 80’s. Farmers almanac forecast I saw calls for a mild and average to wet winter for our area. Other long range forecasts I’ve seen say similar, so sounds like at least an average winter to come. La Nina they say so a 50/50 chance. Pretty easy to forecast a 50/50 chance I think. Regardless of the forecasts, FALL IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS. Now is the best month for planting fall/winter vegetables. We have a great selection of organic winter vegetable starts in now. We also have a large stock of onion and garlic for fall planting. Tulip and daffodil bulbs are also in now and fall is the time for planting them. Fall fertilizing should be done as soon as the weather cools down. I would say you want to get it done over the next couple of weeks before the plants start showing lots of fall color. This fertilizing is important because it gives plants a …

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Well, it’s been a very cool July this year. August looks to be seasonal from the forecast I see. My current long range shows highs in the 90’s for now. Maybe a little warmer towards the end of the 10 day forecast. But days are getting shorter so even the warm part of the day doesn’t last as long. Fall will be here before you know it. Start planning for your fall planting and maybe even get a jump on that fall planting now. The temperatures are going to start trending down as the month goes on. Mornings will be cooler and the cool mornings are a great time for gardening. Remember that fall is the best time for planting trees and shrubs. Especially trees. The ground is a bit hard after the summer but if you start a hole and soak it, and then dig a little more and soak it, pretty soon the hole you need for the tree or shrub is done and it is a fairly painless way to dig a hole. It’s worth the effort to get things planted in the fall. Note the diagram describing the advantages of fall planting. After the heat of …

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Well I really expected July to be hot as usual, but this year has turned out to be great. Aside from a few warm days it’s been great gardening weather. Even with the cooler than normal July weather this year, it’s still important to pay close attention to the watering needs of trees and shrubs. Be sure to give then more when it is typical July weather. deep soak your established trees two to three times a week. Trees in particular benefit from deep soaking, not frequent shallow watering. frequent shallow watering causes surface rooting and will lead to leaf burn and overall stress to the tree due to not enough water down deep for the tree to use. With summer here and longer days, it gives a lot of time for gardening. Do your planting early in the day or in the evening if possible. Plants will handle the transplant just fine as long as you water them well as soon as they are transplanted, and make sure you give additional water for the first week or two after planting to make sure it is kept well hydrated. Also be sure to mulch to hold the moisture in the …

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It has been a beautiful spring this year and June weather is nice too, although a little warm here and there. The long range forecast shows some warm days but certainly not all. The upcoming weekend looks cool. Actually the whole week looks nice. MId 90’s and upper 80’s. WATERING It’s time to pay close attention to watering. Deep soaking and watering early are the best practices. When watering trees, be sure to give established trees a deep soak once or twice a week depending on temperatures. Newly planted trees should be watered daily for the first week or so then cut back to about two or three times per week. Do not give short daily watering. Give good deep soaks. A good rule to use is to give 10 gallons of water per week for every inch of trunk diameter and be sure to soak to a depth of at least 12 inches. On larger trees you’ll want to soak to a depth of 2 to 3 feet. Use slow drip and let it run long enough to soak deep. Add 3″ of mulch around your trees and shrubs to hold the moisture in the ground and not allow …

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The weather this spring has been mild except for a couple of warm days and a little rain, and long range forecasts, aside from a couple warm days this week, indicate seasonal temperatures as far out as the forecast goes, and hopefully all the way into June. We have had a beautiful spring this year. It’s a great time to do some gardening and planting. Check your watering systems and make sure all drippers and sprinklers are working. Don’t want to find out a dripper is not working when you see a dead or dying plant. Remember to mulch around your trees and shrubs. This will reduce your water usage by as much as 50% and your plants will withstand the warm days much better because the moisture you apply stays in the ground and does not evaporate. Two to three inches of mulch is what you want around your trees and in your planting beds. Also mulch your vegetable gardens. Saves water and gives you healthier plants and cuts down on the weeds. If you did not get fertilizing done in April, this is a good time to do it. Use a balanced fertilizer on almost everything. Azaleas, rhododendrons, …

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We are having another average water year this year, at least here at the nursery. By my rain tracking, we are at 27.25″. That’s three good rainfall years in a row so that’s some good news. Looking at the forecasts, looks like we are drying out and in for some nice spring weather after the latest storm passes. Been a little cool the past few days but really a nice spring under way. We have a large selection of vegetable starts, and bringing more out of our greenhouse as fast as we can, so we have a good selection of vegetables for the planting season. I preach to wait until the nighttime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees, or close to it and the ground needs to be warm to get good results from your vegetables. It looks like it’s starting to get there. Get your gardens prepped if you haven’t done that yet so you can plant your vegetable starts when the weather is right. No, it’s not late to plant. We are planning on planting the raised beds here at the nursery this coming weekend. I always use Bio-Live fertilizer and bone meal mixed in the soil before I …

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Winter weather has returned for a bit. It’s cold and raining as I write this, with some low snow levels. As I track the rainfall, we should be looking at about average rainfall this year. Last measure I had before this rain was 26 inches. Looks like it will continue a bit longer according to the forecast. It will stop soon though, and then we will be into a very nice spring. Wildflower blooms should be great this year, and water levels good from a good wet winter. Get ready to start fertilizing soon. As soon as deciduous trees and shrubs have their full set of leaves, you should give them their first fertilizing of the year. A balanced fertilizer works well for most things. Use a rhododendron, camellia, azalea fertilizer for your acid loving plants. Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons after they are done blooming. Same thing for camellias. Citrus should use a citrus fertilizer. Citrus are best fertilized monthly through the growing season. Start after the threat of frost is past and continue monthly through October. Roses here at the nursery are fully leafed out except for a couple of rugosa varieties. If you have not pruned back roses, …

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