WELCOME
WOW! It's almost time to set out started plants...and it is important to remember that our last average frost date is May 15th. What is TRULY import are the night time temperatures. For many plants - tomatoes, cukes, peppers - day/night soil temperature should be 55 degrees or better.
Here's a great hint. After you set out your young tomatoes, take a RED PLASTIC picnic plate and cut into it to the center. Cut a space (1.5 -2") out of the center and slip that around the base of the tomato plant. Voila! You have created an inexpensive version of the 'red tomato mulch'.
We encourage you to "mouse over" the various tabs, click on them and check out the drop down items and follow the various links. We also encourage you to send us your achievements, ideas, and questions.
Sincerely, Cathie Draine and Brad Morgan
gardeners@blackhillsgarden.com
Do you have a 'burning' garden question???
If you are questioning, flustered, confused or uncertain about what's going on in your garden....and this is making you hot under the collar then refer those questions to the Master Gardeners at the Master Gardener Hotline. Here is what you must remember:
1. Call 394-6814 Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9-4.
2. If a Master Gardener is helping someone on the phone, you will be asked to leave a message and a phone number. Do that.
3. The Master Gardener will return your call.
4. The Master Gardeners have moved to the West River Agricultural Center, 1905 Plaza Drive (near Coca Cola plant off Deadwood Ave), and are there MWF.
Don't have to tell you: Black Hills gardeners are on the move around the world. Send us your photos and commentary. The following was sent by Ray and Josephine Cowdery of Rapid City: "as a gardner you will probably enjoy this photo, taken at the Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston MA, on Saturday 12 May 2012".
Spring gardening more than just plants.. Here are the annual words of advice for all gardeners in the spring. Remember that started plants as sold by the local greenhouses and the big box stores have been leading a rather elegant life — controlled temperature, humidity, fertilizer — where every possible effort is made to bring them to perfection.
Don’t purchase more than you can get into the ground at one time, and always prepare the garden beds or pots before buying plants. Select plants that have good form, are not leggy or damaged or are pot bound. Most people recommend buying small plants rather than those too far along. They are often less expensive and many, myself included, feel that the smaller plants develop well and do better in the long run. more
Eager to get into the garden? Clean up...and mulch. Here is a quick (link) guide to using the mulch and compost products produced by the city of Rapid City.
There are many of us who use these products regularly, are familiar with them and know how to use them for maximum result. Here, for convenience are links to material on the city website that might be of assistance for persons using the compost products. The information was developed by retired Rapid City employee Jerry Wright, retired SDSU Horticulture extension educator Bill Keck, and Master Gardener Cathie Draine.
To learn about Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) click here
To learn about 3/8 yardwaste compost, click here.
To learn about compost from waste, click here.
To learn how compost delivers Nitrogen to the soil, click here.
Rapid City Plant Share and Coming Events. On Saturday, May 19, the annual Almost Free Rapid City Plant Share will be held as in years past in the 4-H building at the Central States Fairgrounds.
This event is popular with area gardeners as a place to exchange plants, learn about new ones and meet fellow gardeners. There will be a free table for garden magazines, pots, tools, garden decor and other garden-related items. Representatives from the Rapid City solid waste department will be there with compost for people to take and try. more
Mild winter brings some chaos to the garden. The recent unseasonably hot weather produced carpets of colorful early spring bulbs. I always have planted the earliest blooming bulbs I could find. The amount of joy they provide when I first find a tiny bloom is several orders of magnitude greater than its size.
This year, possibly because of the mild winter, our bulbs are naturalizing recklessly. The garden paths sparkle with tiny blue and white puschkinia. Various small-species tulips are popping up where I know I never planted them. And the crocuses — from the very tiny early ones to the later teacup size — have moved about in the gardens and yard in a surprising and delightful manner. more
So God Made a Farmer. If you're a fan of the late Paul Harvey on talk radio, you might already have heard his tribute to American farmers (and ranchers), sharing (of course) a special kinship with gardeners. more
Don’t jump into garden yet, but you can prepare. The recent near-perfect, balmy days have ruined me. Seduced by sunshine, I prowled the garden stating affirmatively that I was simply looking for emerging bulbs and other signs of life. That was an absolute lie, of course. I was in the garden, armed with tools, ready to plant. Sighting an earthworm coming up to feed or seeing a single insect in flight would have sent me spiraling into incurable euphoria. Fortunately, the worms, insects and plants have better sense than to push the season. I am so excited for spring I could hold my breath until the magic moment occurs around 1 a.m. March 20. more
Pest Alerts Newsletter. John Ball's Pest Alerts contain timely information about tree problems from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. Consult this time for any year. The 2-7-12 issue discusses the Mountain Pine Beetle and application treatments. more
Seed Buyer's Guide. Another source of heirloom seeds... While it might seem strange to be excited about heirloom seeds from the southwest finding a place in western South Dakota gardens, recall that many of the old seeds from the southwest have been valued throughout history by the Native farmers who grow their crops in the high (5,000' and more) dry (that's us as well) portions of the southwest. It is worth knowing about some of these seed types. And absolutely it is worth growing some. more even more
It can sting when science debunks old practices. Tree roots, planted in a small hole — especially if the soil is heavy in clay — will continue to circle and remain in the soil in the root ball and not venture out into compact, highly different soil. A planting hole made by an auger simply creates an almost ceramic surface that the roots will not and cannot penetrate. That’s why we are told to dig wide holes for trees. That effort of digging and loosening the soil literally extends a congenial area for expansive root growth. more
New Black Hills garden writer. Read horticultural advice from gardener Helen McGranahan, who lives in Custer County. Find out more about microclimates, propagating plants, record keeping in the garden, and transplanting in the Black Hills. more
10 guiding principles of gardening. There are gardeners who, perhaps for generations, have saved seed and started plants from seed. There is accumulated, generational wisdom in this. And there are businesses that support and educate about the value of seed saving. Two come immediately to mind: Seed Savers in Decorah, Iowa, and Native Seeds in Tucson, Ariz. Any seed saver will admit to feeling a close bond and responsibility to the soil. more
Creating a Vertical Garden from Pallets – Step by Step Instructions. "I am going to have one at least one, in my yard this season as are all of my family. Vegetables, flowers--whatever your imagination can dream up. Take a look and see what you think," says Patricia Kulhavy who lives in the Black Hills. more or Watch "living" walls video . . .
Singing the praises of earthworms and bacteria. Readers know that the middle of February evokes in me the need to lament that two of my favorite creatures are unloved, unrecognized by poetic valentines, unpraised by love-choked voices ... oh, alas! I'm referring, of course, to earthworms and bacteria. Let me state firmly: Without worms, our soils would lack fertility; without bacteria, we would be covered in our own filth. It strikes me that either of those two truths is worth praising poetically or in warbling tones of love. more
Think about mineral rights next time you're in garden. Below your garden is the planet earth. We use some of the minerals to grow our flowers and vegetables. Oil is down there too, but though we own the property, we might not always own the right to profit from it. more (thanks to Leroy)
Efficient, frugal ideas. The point is that as thinking gardeners we need to think. Can we identify accurately the insect, disease or condition to be remedied? Can we handle this with the materials at hand? Can we borrow and modify a good idea? Can we create a simple solution that truly fits the problem? The answer is "Yes." more
Navigating Mail-Order Seed Catalogs. A seasoned mail-order gardener will tell
you that the gardening year begins in the dead of winter when seed catalogs start arriving, long before local garden centers open their doors for spring. I have finally joined the ranks of those who will be growing from seed this year—in the new greenhouse we built off the back of our house. And I’m discovering just how companionable a good seed catalog can be when I’m curled up in a comfortable chair by the fire on a cold day. more
Hardiness Zone Map for Gardeners.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the new version of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the crucial go-to tool for gardeners to determine, by this 30-year study of minimum winter temperatures, appropriate growing zones for plants.
This iteration of the map, jointly developed by the USDA and Oregon State University, is remarkable in many aspects. It has much greater detail than the 1990 map tha
t it replaces. This map is GIS-based (Geographic Information System) allowing a finer scale than before and is also specifically designed for use with the Internet. more
