Gardening Classes Offered this Spring

Cobb County Extension and the Cobb Master Gardeners are offering a wide selection of classes to the public this spring in a variety of locations. (See partial list below.) The best way to keep up with what is offered year round is to check the Cobb County Extension Blog

Green Meadows Community Garden will continue their Bed Time Stories education series in the spring and fall as well. (A short gardening related talk followed by a brief walk through the garden.)

Also, the Cobb County Library offers a free online vegetable gardening class that I found quite good when I took it last year.  Link and Course description

Culture of Fruits & Berries

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Free and open to the public.  Presented in the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

Spring Vegetable Gardening and Early Disease Management

Saturday, March 8, 11:00 a.m. – noon.  Free and open to the public. Presented by Amy Whitney, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, at Crossroads Community Garden, Chestnut Ridge Christian Church, 2663 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, 30062. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

If Plants Could Talk – a Cherokee Relationship

Friday, March 14, noon to 1:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Master Gardener Tony Harris as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). Learn how the Cherokee used plants for food, medicine, tools, weapons, shelter, and ceremonial purposes. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

Tomatoes 101

Tuesday, March 18, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Renae Lemon, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, at the Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta Street, Powder Springs, GA 30127. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

Seed Saving for the Vegetable Garden

Thursday, March 20, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. The class will be presented by Amy Whitney, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, in the second floor classroom at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. 

 

Tomatoes 101

Tuesday, March 25, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Renae Lemon, of UGA Extension/Cobb County, at the Sweetwater Valley Library in the Threadmill Mall Complex.  5000 Austell-Powder Springs Rd., Suite 123, Austell, GA 30106.  Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

 

Vegetable Garden Basics

Thursday, March 27, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Free and open to the public. Presented by Amy Whitney, of UGA Extension/Cobb County in the second floor classroom at 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. 

 

Moving to Organics in the Vegetable Garden

Tuesday, April 8, 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Free and open to the public. Presented by Amy Whitney, of UGA Extension/Cobb County at Mt. View Regional Library at 3320 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066. Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

 

Beauty of Bulbs

Friday, April 11  noon to 1:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Master Gardener Debra Stockton as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, in the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.).  Please preregister by calling 770-528-4070.

 

For more information, please contact Cobb County Extension at (770) 528-4070, visit www.cobbextension.com, or email uge1067@uga.edu.

 

 

 

 

Harvesting the carrots

Vann and Aiden collecting the reward for all their hard work.
Wow! Look at how big the carrots are!  And the carrot tops weren't that big.
 



Carrots for dinner tonight. YUM!

Cobb County Library Book Sale

It is that time of year again! The Cobb County Library Sale will be held at Jim R Miller Park  (the Fairgrounds) in Exhibit Halls A & B.  The street address is 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta, GA 30008, right off of Powder Springs Road.

Hours for the sale are:
Friday March 7 - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday March 8 -  9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday March 9 -  1:00 to 5:00 pm.

Materials for sale include books for all ages in both hardcover and paperback, DVDs, Music CDs, Books on CD and Audiocassette, and magazines. Prices range from 10 cents to $5.00.

There is plenty of free parking. Acceptable forms of payment are cash and checks only. (No ATM in the building.)  On Friday electronic devices are not permitted until after 1:00 pm. While we hope you will buy lots of materials, we are only able to sell up to 2 boxes of items at a time. Please plan to pay and take items to your vehicle before coming in to shop some more. On Sunday we will be working to sell out the exhibit halls so please come to buy, buy, buy.

All profits from this sale go directly to buying more items for the 16 libraries in the Cobb County Public Library System.

If you have questions or would like to volunteer please call Patty Latch at 770-528-2345 or email latchp@cobbcat.org.             

Things Are Heating Up At Green Meadows!

Hey Everyone,

Well one week of nice weather and we probably all want to get out the bikinis and speedos.  It's not quite that warm yet, so keep those clothes on for a while longer.

As if I needed an excuse to run over to the garden, I thought it would be a nice time to take a temperature reading after the warm weather this week and the rain last night.  This would provide an accurate account of just where things stand.

Things are definitely heating up...............................

Soil Temperatures - Spring 2014 - Friday 2/21

All temperatures were taken between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The sampling included 20 beds, five from each section.

Of the beds checked, our coolest was number 22 with a temperature of 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit.  As anticipated, this bed would be somewhat cooler in temperature compared to others in that section due to the nice mulch layer of pine bark nuggets.  The bed next-door (number 23) was a full 5 degrees warmer without any evidence of mulch on top of the soil. 

Our warmest bed is number 43 in the process of preparing to improve soil structure.  The temperature in this bed was 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is too early to tell if one area of the garden is warmer than another as at this point readings are well mixed in each section.  

After some basic math, the garden average at this time is 59.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  In looking at the extended 10-day forecast, they are predicting four nights below freezing with one in the teens next week.  This will take our ground temperatures back a bit.  It will be interesting to see if we are able to hold on to any of the rapid gain from this week. 

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29   

Am I Ready For Spring Planting!

Hey Everyone,

All this wonderful weather is bringing us out to work on our beds and many are wondering when the right time to plant may be.  For the greatest success, it is important to look at several indicators other than just the weather or a date on the calendar before planting out.

Welcome to our garden Reagan!
Love your boots! 

While the sun is shining and the air temperatures have us chomping at the bit, the soil temperatures and workability are what is the most important.  Also, keep in mind how you will care for your seedlings and transplants once the cold weather returns.  Am I prepared for a frost and/or potentially a hard freeze?

Soil Temperatures - Spring 2014:

I took our initial baseline temperatures for spring planting last Sunday afternoon.  The soil temperatures in the garden are running between 39 - 48 degrees for all uncovered beds.  Those who have been diligent with their frost protection have temperatures currently in the mid 50's.  As one would expect the temperatures vary depending on how much sun and windbreak each bed receives.  We do have one exceptionally warm bed showing early signs of germination with a soil temperature of 58.9 degrees.  This bed will be the subject of another post.  Way to go Amy!

So what is the proper soil temperature for planting?  If you are direct sowing seed, each vegetable packet will list the optimum range for germination and the start of sustained growth. This is not the air temperature, but the temperature required of the ground.  You will also see a number for how many days it takes the seeds to germinate.  Take Redventure celery for example, the soil temperature needed to break dormancy of the seed is 55 -70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Germination will likely occur within 10 - 20 days.  This means if you plant the celery seed now, it will do nothing, wait until the soil temps rise to 55 degrees and it will probably take right around 20 days.  Let the soil warm a bit more and germination will occur more rapidly.  When the soil temperatures rise over 70 degrees, the higher end of the celery's spectrum, the rates for success at germinating the celery seed will then start to decline rapidly.  Also, keep in mind that many vegetables like celery will perform better as a transplant vs. direct sowing.

Mike, Sue, & Amy
Enjoying some time in the garden!

Most often, sowing seeds outside their normal temperature range leads to spotty germination, rotting, molding, and/or losing all viability within the ground.  If you are lucky enough for germination to occur, tremendous care will be needed to raise healthy plants as the environment is not yet conducive for sustaining the demand of their early growth.

What if I start with transplants?  If you start your garden with transplants that you have purchased or raised indoors, it is easy to follow the same guidelines.  If you utilize that same variety of celery as a transplant, it still requires the proper growing environment to do well.  This includes adequately warmed soil temperatures within the plants range to sustain that early growth.  There is nothing wrong with buying the plants now as you find them, however, it is beneficial to pot them up, prepare the garden bed with an environment conducive to your plant's needs, inoculate them to resist early pests and disease, and when soil temperatures are optimum, you are ready to go.

Green Meadows Healthy Garden Tip:

Planting in soils that have not properly warmed often sets the stage for the fungal attacks of many undesirable plant diseases.  It also weakens otherwise healthy transplants to the point they become vulnerable to assaults from a variety of pests.  This in turn fosters the use of additional pesticides and fungicides not only just for you but also for the community garden as a whole since disease and insects know no boundaries and will rapidly spread elsewhere.  Taking small steps to keep the garden healthy ensures we all get the most back from the time and effort we put in.

Definition of Soil Workability Explained:

Wonderful, workable soil with
a texture perfect for growing carrots!

So what does sow in early spring when the ground is workable really mean?  While we would like to think if the ground isn't frozen, it is workable.  Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily the case. Workable soil means the frost is completely worked out at all levels and no pockets remain.  The texture of the soil, although cool, is every bit as nice and easily amendable similar to what we would expect months from now.  Microbial life is coming out of hibernation and we see signs of its largest life form (the earthworm) being a little less sluggish.  The moisture content and soil temperatures are carefully balanced to prevent seeds from mold and rot and the environment is ready and conducive for young seedlings and transplants to thrive.  This is also a wonderful time to peek in on your pH and see if any attention is required.

It will be interesting to take another temperature reading this weekend to see how the warmer weather has affected things this week.  Over the next several weeks, we will be watching as things heat up for the planting season and once again be running our Chilly Nilly, Garden Hottie, and Average Joe/Jane contests for prizes.  I hope you will enjoy and follow along with us!

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Tool Safety and Garden Reminders

Just a few reminders for the garden

Trash those wild onions! Composting works but don't tempt fate with those wild onions.

Prevent tripping Hazards

Clean and put up any tools and equipment you use.

       Thanks!

What a big mess of wild onions someone removed when they weeded.
Only thing is...wild onions need to be trashed, not composted.



Uh oh.....this shovel is all dirty....
 

Now it is nicely washed and ready to hang up on the wall of the shed.
Less to sweep out of the shed next time it is swept.


  

Hmmm...someone forgot to put the tools up and sweep out the wheelbarrow.
 



An accident waiting to happen
 

Safety conscious - no one will trip over these tools.



A fork or a shovel - which is the best to use when turning the soil

Shovel and spading fork

Officially there is no "right" tool to use. But on a more personal level, everyone has a preference. I prefer using a spading fork because the tines are flat and broad. (Also it has a short handle which works great for short people.)

Taller friends of mine use a pitch fork because the handle is longer. The drawback is that the tines are thin and spiky though the tines are closer together than the tines of the spading fork.  My tall friends have used the spading fork but after awhile, it kills their back because the handle is too short for them.

You can  just use a shovel (long or short handled depending on your height) to turn the soil as well.

 Here you can see the progression of digging with the spading fork. The first forkful there is kind of a clump of dirt. The second forkful, it is falling through the tines. If you think your soil might be a little too wet, this is a great tool to use to prevent making clumps of dirt.

I also find that when I'm mixing in my amendments they tend to blend better when I use the spading fork. Kind of like a whisk works to blend flour and sugar in a bowl.  Shovels tend to make it harder for me to mix my amendments. But I do know people who only use a shovel and still have beautiful, to die for, soil.

 As you can see, when using a shovel, the first shovelful of dirt is a big clump. It will take more effort to keep from creating a bed full of clumping wet clods if the soil is too wet.

A compromise if you aren't certain about your soil moisture level is to turn/fluff your soil with the spading fork for as long as your back can handle it and then mix in your soil amendments with a shovel.

But really, it all boils down to what YOU like and what YOUR body can tolerate! As long as you end up with beautiful, healthy, fertile soil, it doesn't matter what you use to turn it.

What is Sifting the Soil?

A number of gardeners have asked "What do you mean when you say sifting when you talk about soil rejuvenation." 


Cheryle ready to sift the soil in her bed

That is really a good question and it isn't necessarily obvious. Sift? You sift flour and sugar together when making a cake to lighten the texture but how does that work with soil rejuvenation and bed preparation.

 In the garden we use a huge wheelbarrow as our "bowl" and have a piece of hardware cloth nailed into a wooden frame as our "sifter". Place the frame over the wheelbarrow, shovel dirt on top of it and then move the dirt around with your hands.

Sifting removes lovely critters like these grubs (Yuck).  Grubs are really bad critters to have in your vegetable bed since they eat the roots of your tender seedlings. The other bad bugs you want to look for are wireworms and centipedes.

Wireworms eat into root vegetables which spoils them and centipedes eat tiny earthworms. You want earthworms in your garden bed because they are beneficial to your soil structure. The earthworms aerate and leave behind worm castings which is highly desirable.

The other reason you sift the soil is to remove rocks and sticks as well as make the soil "fluffy". If you are trying to grow carrots the lighter and fluffier the soil the better. Also, if a carrot hits a rock or stick, it has to grow around or over it and you end up with carrots that aren't straight and perfect.

The good news is that once you sift your bed to remove "stuff" you don't have to sift it again unless you add amendments that have large bits of "stuff" in them.

Vicki

Soil Moisture - The Tree Bears Way

Too DRY - notice it is pouring out of my hand

Yes...the Three Bears are visiting the garden again! Before you work on your soil or try to plant, you have to look and determine, is the soil TOO wet, TOO dry or JUST right.

 If it is too dry, that is easily solved. Water lightly, wait a couple of hours and then the soil moisture content should be just right. If it is too wet you have to wait for it to dry out.

Too WET - notice it is a wet clump ready to bake

But what if we enter a rainy spell! You need the bed (soil) to dry out but you don't want the rain (or sleet and snow) to add more moisture to the bed than is already there. It can be very aggravating trying to get the timing right. See the previous post about covering your bed to keep OUT rainwater out.  Using plastic to keep water out

It is hard to describe what Too Dry, Too Wet and Just Right look like. Once you learn it, then you just know it. Hopefully these pictures are worth a thousand words!

Why does it matter? If the soil is too dry, it doesn't tuck around the roots of the plant easily. Too wet you create clumps that dry and make hard lumps.  Just right is when the soil stays where you want it and is loose and friable, a total delight to work with.



Just Right
 a clump but it is breaking apart easily

Why keep water out of your bed?

Greg just used a tarp and weighed it down with his bags of dirt
Notice the puddle of water in the back corner that collected
from a rain.

You've decided that now is the time to turn your bed and prepare it for spring. After looking at the weather forecast you see there is one day in the middle of the five day forecast that it is going to rain and put more moisture in your bed than you want. (Too much moisture in the soil when you are working with it destroys the soil structure.)

What to do, what to do.

Why you can do what Vann did and Greg, Cheryle and Dianne are doing. Put a lovely layer of plastic on your bed! That way when it does rain, it runs off and the soil is still workable.

Cheryle bought a roll of plastic to use. The remainder of the roll
is in the shed on the counter and can be used by anyone.

One other thing to remember, look at the hourly weather predictions each day besides just the 10 day forecast. Sometimes the hourly shows rain is likely while the 10 day doesn't show any rain. You don't want to have an unpleasant surprise when the hourly is right!

Be sure and cover your soil if you intend to plant and rain is predicted before you'll  be able to do so.  Otherwise, you'll have that pesky too wet to plant situation to wait out.

The extra effort really pays off!

Dianne used two shower curtains.

The Annual Cobb County 4-H Sale is here again

There is still plenty of time to support the Cobb County 4-H Club plant sale

Cobb County 4-H Club is having its annual plant sale and prepaid orders will be accepted through Friday, March 7th. This year’s assortment includes blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, figs, muscadines, Admiral Semmes azalea, crape myrtles, edgeworthia, heuchera, forsythia, viburnum, quince, ferns and loropetalum.

Plants must be picked up at Jim Miller Park on Saturday, March 15 (one day only) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information about the plants, including pricing and specific varieties available, pick up a copy of the 4-H Plant Sale flyer-and-order-form at the Cobb County Cooperative Extension office or download one from our website. To download, go to the homepage, then click on the button below the words

Two free seminars will be presented. The first one will be on Monday March 3rd, 6:30 - 8:00pm - Growing and Caring for Ornamentals.  The 2nd one is Growing and Caring for Fruit Plants which willl be presented 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday March 5th.

Both classes will be held at at the Cobb County Water Lab, 662 South Cobb Drive , Marietta. Registration is required. For more information, visit Cobb County Extension or call 770-528-4076.

Photos Before the Big Melt Thursday, 2/13/14, ~11:00 AM

Cut the Pie - Snow Day Style!

Hey Everyone,

 Nothing like a snow day!

There is nothing like a day off school and a fun game to play with the kids while enjoying this unusual snow!  Cut the Pie was always a neighborhood favorite back home when the boys were young.  I thought it might be nice to share since we have so many families in the garden with children.

Ingredients:

Snow
Kids with energy to burn

Directions:

In the snow stomp around in a large circle, about 10 feet in diameter.  Make sure the path is about a foot wide and well packed down.  Then section the circle in half and repeat until your masterpiece resembles an 8-piece pie.

Make sure the children understand they cannot cut through the pie but only travel on the paths you have made.

For the game of tag, the child who is "IT" stands in the center of the pie.  On the word "GO", they must cut the pie and try to catch or tag another child.  The child who is caught or tagged is then "IT" next.

Repeat as necessary to burn off energy!

I also found this pie on Pinterest with slightly different rules that sounds like fun as well.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/90142430011347347/ - link to a Cut the Pie game on Pinterest with similar rules.

Happy Snow Day,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Memory Lane!

Hey Everyone,

Rick finding it next to impossible to get the ice off!

It's a little funny how some things seem to trigger the memories of life.  Put a little ice and snow together and it sends Rick and me well on our way to reminiscing about the Ohio Blizzard of 1978.  To this day, it is still considered the Storm of the Century for that area.

Much like any other winter forecast it started with the usual.  "Rain tonight, possibly mixed with snow at times.  Windy and cold Thursday with certain snow flurries."  In as little as 15 hours, rain turned to ice and snow as the temperatures dropped from the mid-thirties to the low teens.  Sustained winds between 35 and 40 mph with gusts up to 76 mph took the wind-chill to places even Ohioans never thought possible.  Massive snowdrifts were up over the roof of the family home and "snowed in" took on a completely new meaning.  A little over a foot of snow fell that day on top of sixteen inches from a previous storm earlier that same week.  According to the Ohio Historical Society, over thirty years later, it is still one of the most devastating winter storms on record.

When I look at the man shoveling the snow and ice, though aged and changed in appearance, I still see the neighbor boy from a few doors up walking down to check in on his girlfriend and her family.  The shovel is almost an antique now as we bought it for our first home so long ago.  I treasure this time as taking a snow day with a childhood friend, irritating teenage boy, incredibly thoughtful boyfriend, love of my life, and partner who occasionally drives me nuts, is really not that bad at all.

Stay safe, be warm, and enjoy each other,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Learning a New Technique - Priming Spinach!

Simple canning jar with a sprout screen!

Hey Everyone,

Spinach can be somewhat of a challenge for the spring garden as it is one of the first leafy greens to bolt readily as soon as the days start to lengthen.  The secret to getting the most out of your crop is to get it up and growing as soon as possible.  You want to ensure several cuttings before any spells of warm weather turn it bitter and cause it to set seed.

With the early-unsettled soil temperatures being outside the optimum range for germination, a few tricks up your sleeve will have you eating Popeye's favorite in no time at all. 

The process of "priming" is a technique to hasten germination.  Some seeds have either a germination-inhibiting compound or a very hard seed coat.  Parsley and spinach are two very good examples of each with parsley having the compound present.  In order for spinach to germinate, it takes a substantial amount of time for the seed coat to be softened and worn away by the elements of nature and soil microorganisms.  The ideal range for spinach to germinate is between 60 to 68 degrees (soil temperature) with growth appearing in about 7 to 14 days.  In soils that are below 50 degrees this process can take anywhere from 3 weeks to a month.  If those same soil temperatures rise to over 75 degrees, spinach will have a hard time germinating and most often fails or is spotty at best.

So let's speed things up a bit to enjoy those few extra weeks eating our spinach rather than waiting for it to germinate....................
                                                                                                          Materials Required:

Pre-soaking the seed of a warm season spinach variety!

Canning jar or simple glass - make sure clean and sterile

Screen - a sprout screen, piece of window screen, or even pantyhose works fine

Fresh seed - spinach seed loses viability rapidly in storage - seeds should be less than two years old

Paper towels
Zip-loc snack or sandwich size bag

Dark area with consistent temperature
Small containers for planting/seed starting soil

Directions:  There are a few different methods for priming.  I see the most success with these.

Soak spinach seeds in lukewarm warm water for approximately 6 - 8 hours.  Some gardeners tend to make the mistake of over soaking their seeds, resulting in the killing or drowning of the embryos.  Six to eight hours is a very safe soak time for spinach seed when using this method for priming.  With that being said, Malabar Spinach is a very hard seed and requires either scarification and short-soak or a longer soak time of 24 hours. 

Drain the seeds completely and place between damp paper towels.  Make sure the paper towels are completely damp but not dripping with water in any way.  Excessive water and moisture in the towels can cause the seed to mold.  Fold and place the damp paper towels containing the seeds in a sealed zip-loc bag.  Spinach does require darkness to germinate, so simply place the bag in any dark area where the temperature remains consistently between 60 - 68 degrees.  I love using a cupboard on an inside wall or even the oven with a little note stating "germination in progress" to remind myself not to turn it on.  Yikes, could you imagine!

Tyee F1 Spinach seeds for spring at the onset
of root formation!

Most often within just a day or two, the seeds will start to germinate as shown in the photo to the left.  My first check was at 17 hours after placing in the zip-loc bag to verify the level of dampness was correct.  Already there is evidence of activity showing that I will have a high success rate with the seed and process as well as an early crop of greens to enjoy.  This particular variety is Tyee F1 Hybrid that is a wonderful choice for spring planting.  Not only does it offer excellent disease resistance but it also tends to hold onto its flavor a little longer before bolting when the early heat arrives.  Dark Green Bloomsdale and Space Hybrid are also excellent varieties with good disease resistance for spring planting.  Tyee F1 Hybrid seeds are available at Lowe's and Bloomsdale is readily available at Lowe's and Pikes.  Space Hybrid is usually not available locally; however, it is readily obtainable from large seed suppliers such as Park Seed Company.

It is important once you spot any type of germination activity to begin checking the bag twice per day, remove, and plant any seeds that may have sprouted.  Seed starting mix is the optimum medium; however, if soil temperatures have warmed a bit, they can go directly into the well-prepared bed with some cover.  If planted inside, the general requirements for care in relation to sowing seeds indoors as well as transplanting into the garden will be the same as that for most other young seedlings.  

From pre-soak to seedling in only 6 days!

For those who want to forgo indoor planting, pre-soaked seeds can be held for about a week if you dry completely for a day or two after soaking.  This technique slows the development and formation of new cells inside the seed. Once completely dry, simply place in an airtight container and store somewhere cool and dark. When ready, sow directly into the garden and the seeds should sprout in about five days rather than the normal timeframe required.  The only downside to this alternative method is you will not have the knowledge as to whether or not your seeds are viable and it is possible to lose the window for priming another batch.

There are actually many myths out there regarding the ability of spinach to be transplanted.  I find it transplants as well as anything else given the proper care and conditions.  Spinach can be one of the trickier crops to grow due to it being more finicky with its care and having that very narrow window for planting.  If you have had problems in the past, it may just be a matter of adjusting your planting times a bit; trying one of the priming techniques above, or correcting any adverse soil conditions to bring you guaranteed success. 

Happy Gardening,

Denise
Beds 25 & 29