Simple fixes for garden questions

By Paul Schnare

The unusual weather we have been experiencing has prompted a lot of vegetable gardeners to ask a lot of questions. They are wondering if there is something that they should be doing differently than before in order to combat the "unusual weather." (In my mind, the "unusual weather" we have been experiencing is just "usual" for the Heartland.)

Let's start with the basics: garden soil. If you haven't tested your garden soil, do so now. Make sure that the pH is about 6.5. An application of hydrated lime will raise the pH, while soil sulfur will drop the pH.

If the soil has a lot of clay in it, then mix gypsum into it. The gypsum will break the chemical bonds between the small clay particles and make the soil more porous so it will hold and release water to roots as needed.

If no organic matter has been added to the soil lately, you may want to mix compost into it. The compost will help make the soil more porous while not changing the soil pH.

Watch the weather. If the temperatures remain on the cool side, you should plant the cole crops such broccoli and cauliflower. If you find that the temperatures are going to warm up and stay warm, then you can also plant warm season plants such as tomatoes and peppers. You can also begin to plant the seed of corn, beans, etc.

When planting either plants or seed, start fertilizing at planting with a fertilizer such as Blooming and Rooting. This high phosphorous fertilizer, the middle number, will tell the newly planted plant or the seed to spend its energy on producing good roots to start with. Roots are need to make sure that nutrients and moisture can supply the growth of shoots, flowers, and fruits. Once the plants are established or the seed has germinated switch to a fertilizer which has a more balance of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N P and K). Just be sure that the P is slighter higher than the N.

These are just a few suggestions that you can follow to make sure that your efforts will produce the results you want after all of the weather extremes. Happy planting.