I was at the Pike's on Barrett Parkway this past evening and the trucks have just come in with a wealth of wonderful vegetable and herb plants for this coming weekend! With the exception of their cool weather vegetables (those were terrible), everything I viewed was incredibly healthy and displayed no signs of disease or any unwanted pests such as aphids, mites, or white-flies. All plants are still on the racks from the trucks as they are bringing them into the store to ride out the cold weather after closing hours. While it is still too cold for in ground planting of warm weather vegetables, those who are anxious and want to ensure the freshest plants, can obtain these off the racks, and then keep them healthy and protected from any adverse weather until the appropriate time for in-ground planting arrives.
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| Organic Italian Oregano at Pikes $3.99 Welcome to my garden little one! |
If choosing any tomatoes, it is wise to up-plant them into a larger container, set them out during the day, and bring them indoors at night. Remember to choose a pot large enough to bury three quarters of the plant for the best results. It is quite important to protect warm weather vegetables from low temperatures as this can damage their cell structures resulting in the plants being more prone to disease and loss of overall yield. An exception to this is some of the black variety tomatoes. For example, Black Prince is an heirloom out of Irkutsk, Siberia and does well as long as the lows stay in the mid 40's or above. It actually produces its best fruit during the cooler weather of mid-spring and early summer.
Keep in mind that some of the local stores do not bring their warm weather vegetables indoors at night. It is in your best interest to know what you are purchasing at this time of year to ensure the greatest success in your garden.
Happy Gardening,
Denise, Beds 25 & 29
