In the Garden

Garden Dreaming on Such a Winter ’s Day

By Pat Naughton

This is my favorite time for gardening, and I never have to leave my recliner. I enjoy looking through seed catalogs and dreaming about that fantasy garden with no weeds or insects, just ripe vegetables waiting to be picked. There are things to do now to get ready for that fantasy garden. Leah Dail, a Master Gardener Volunteer from Wake County, has a great video on YouTube on this topic. The link is below. Here are some suggestions from her presentation. First establish your last frost date. According to the Brunswick County Extension Planting Guide, the average last frost is March 16. Farmer’s Almanac predicts this year’s last frost will be April 2for Brunswick County. I keep a garden log of frost dates, plantings, and fertilizer. For the last two years the latest last frost was April 10. If you plant after Good Friday— which is also Tax Day, April 15— you will be safe. Use this date to count back to start plants from seeds indoors. Refer to the seed packet or one of the gardening guides below for recommended time for transplants. Add a few days for placing plants outside to allow them to harden off.

Get Your Garden Set to Go

Now is a good time to get gardening equipment ready. Pruners should be sharpened and oiled. Shovels should be cleaned, and a little oil will prevent rust. A bucket of sand with used car oil is a good place to store shovels. Soil testing is a good thing to do before each growing season. Soil sample boxes are available at the Brunswick County Extension office and at some gardening centers. The cost is $4 till March 31, and free after that till Dec. 1. It’s recommended that garden soil be tested every three years. A couple of things you can do from the recliner are check out the websites and paper catalogs of seed suppliers. Here are some of my favorite seed suppliers: • Wayside Gardens • Southern Exposure Seed

Exchange • Bluestone Perennials • Tomato Growers Supply

Company There are also great publications on gardening. The library is well-stocked with gardening books, and you don’t have to subscribe to see information on these websites: • N.C. Extension - bit.ly/3tngBmP

The information here is researched-based and can be trusted to be valid.

• Horticulture magazine - www.hortmag.com/ • Birds and Blooms magazine- www.birdsandblooms.com/

So, when all the leaves are brown and sky is grey, sit in your favorite recliner and dream away. Planting time will be here soon.

For more information:

• NC Extension Planting guide –

Google “ces.ncsu vegetable guide” • Brunswick County Planting

Guide – Google

“Brunswick.ces.ncsu planting guide” • Google “Gardening Dreaming on Cold Winter’s Day video” – or bit.ly/3K5wG6u .

Photo by Hans Middendorp Now is a good me to get gardening equipment ready for the season.