Expert Help for Gardening

Expert help is available for all gardening questions!

Every state in the United States has a land-grant university. These universities were established for agriculture and horticulture research which was to be provided free to the citizens through extension offices in every county.

In Kansas, that university is Kansas State University. The Johnson County extension office is located at: 11811 S. Sunset Drive, Suite 1500 in Olathe.
The phone number is: (913) 751-7000.
The web address is: www. johnson.ksu.edu

Website Info
On the website you will find information about lawn and garden (links on the left side of the page) and free speaker's bureau classes on a variety of topics. You will also find (listed in the center of the page) news about current events, such as classes and workshops, the availability of low-cost tree seedlings and the Master Gardener Public Garden Tour, which is held every other year. This year's tour of local gardens is May 21 and 22.

Brochures
The extension office publishes a number of brochures which are available online or printed (pick them up at the extension office). The topics include planting guides for fruits, vegetables, trees, and flowers, traditional gardening, box gardening and square foot gardening.

Master Gardeners
The Johnson County extension office also has a Master Gardener program. Certified, volunteer Master Gardeners are available to answer gardening questions free of charge! They can be reached Monday through Friday at:
(913) 751-7050
or by email at:
garden.help@jocogov.org

Specialized help
You can even bring in a soil sample to receive advice on preparing soil for a better harvest. You can bring in a plant sample for advice growing tips, insect or disease damage or poor productivity. These Master Gardeners are experts in growing food in our climate, soil type and location. They are very helpful and are a wonderful resource!

It's time to plant a garden!

Gardening season is here!

This is a vegetable planting guide for eastern Kansas:

(The month written after the vegetable is the approximate harvest time. For example, late March is a good time to plant cabbage. The cabbage should be ready for harvest in July.)

Plant in late March
Cabbage--July
Broccoli--June/July
Cauliflower--June
Lettuce--May
Potatoes--June/July
Radish--April/May
Peas---May/June
Turnips--June

Plant in April
Carrots--June
Melons--July/August
Lettuce--June
Onions--August
Spinach--May/June
Beets--June/July

Plant in May
Beans--July
Cucumbers--July/August
Eggplant--August/September
Peppers--August/September
Pumpkins--September/October
Sweet Potatoes--September/October
Sweet Corn--July/August
Squash--July/August
Winter Squash--September/October
Tomatoes--July/August/September

Plant in July
Beans--September
Cabbage--October
Carrots--October
Broccoli--October
Cauliflower--October
Potatoes--October
Beets--October

Plant in late August
Lettuce--October
Radish--September/October
Spinach--October/November
Turnips--October/November


Note that some early planted vegetables are harvested mid-summer. With careful planning, that same garden space can then be used for vegetables that are planted mid-summer and harvested in the fall.

Also note that some vegetables have two growing seasons. For example, carrots can be planted April and harvested in June/July. Carrots can also be planted in July for harvest in October.

This guide was published for free distribution by Charles Marr of Kansas State University.

More information about vegetable planting and growing seasons can be found at the County Extension Office. For Johnson County, the phone number is: 913) 751-7000 and the web address is: www.johnson.ksu.edu

For more tips on gardening, see previous posts on this blog: May 2009 has ideas for planting a garden in a small yard. March 2010 has ideas for beginning gardeners from the LDS church provident living website.

Gardening

Gardening season is here!

The LDS church has published some basic information about getting started in gardening. It can be found at this website: www.providentliving.org

Look on the left side of the web page for a link to "Gardening"

Once there, you will find links for information about these topics:

Planning a garden
Gardening in containers
Recipes using garden produce
Links to gardening websites

Also, you can find information about a television series called "Home Grown." It is about gardening and is produced by BYU broadcasting.

If you are interested in planting a garden this year, that website is a good place for information to get started. Also, look in the archives of this blog for last year's posts on gardening.

It's not too late to plant a garden!

There is still time to plant a garden!

Planting a traditional garden:

1. Find a place in your yard (preferably a place that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day).
2. Prepare it (if there is grass, remove it, and remove any large rocks or stones). Use a shovel to turn and loosen the soil, about six inches deep so the roots will be able to grow.
3. Make it level. Use a shovel or a hoe to level the ground. If it is really uneven, add dirt to the low end, or remove dirt from the high end.

Planting a garden in a small yard:

1. Build a box garden. (Buy wood from any hardware store. Nail it together in a square. Fill it with dirt). (Buy dirt from any gardening store, or get dirt free from Olathe city. Call 971-9311 to find out more about getting dirt from the composting facility on Hedge Lane). Picture above is a box garden.

2. Incorporate the garden into the landscape or perimeters of the yard. Above are two pictures of grape vines. The first picture is a grapevine planted in a corner by the house and the deck. It is tied to a simple wood trellis with twine. The second picture is a grapevine planted at the edgeof the yard near the fence. It is growing on pipes which are cemented in the ground on one end and bent at an angle on the top end. The grapevines on top are over five feet high and provide some shade and privacy. If neighbors don't mind, grapes can be grown on the fence.




3. Many types of fruits and vegetables can be planted around a house or in a yard--and not in a "typical" garden plot. The three pictures above are examples of this. The first picture is a rhubarb plant growing at the edge of a flower bed. The second picture is a strawberry patch in the corner of a yard. The third picture is a raspberry patch along the edge of a house in a narrow side yard. Some vegetables that are frequently grown as landscaping are vegetables with lots of leafy vines such as squash and zuchini. The vines can sprawl along the ground or be tied to a trellis and grow upward along a house or fence.

4. Many garden vegetables can be grown in planter boxes on porches and decks (this is especially good when living in an apartment). This picture is a tomato plant in a planter box. Some vegetables (such as cherry tomatoes) can even be grown from hanging baskets.

What to plant and when to plant:

1. Most fruits and vegetables can be grown successfully in Kansas.

2. The growing season is from March to September. Kansas State University has published an excellent guide about when to plant each vegetable. Click here to read it.

May is the perfect time to plant these: beans, cucumbers, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes. March and April were the perfect time to plant these: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, onions, peas, spinach, turnips, beans, carrots.

Good news!: Many of the vegetables that could have been planted in March-April can also be planted later (now!) for a second harvest later in the fall.

3. You can plant from seeds (the cheapest alternative) or from "starts" (a little more expensive, but usually cheaper than buying produce at the grocery store). Grass Pad and Suburban Lawn and Garden are two local stores with good stock. However, you can buy seeds and starts at many other places, such as Ace Hardware, Wal-Mart and many local nurseries. You can grow your own starts from seed if you begin in February or early March, then grow them indoors (near a sunny window) until it is time to plant. The picture above shows "starts" that are ready to be planted in a garden.

Caring for your garden:

1. Water! Don't let your plants dry out. How often you water depends on how much it rains and how hot the weather is. Seed packages and starts will both have brief instructions on planting and watering.

2. Weed. It's a good idea to weed once in a while, especially as your plants get bigger, so the weeds don't overtake the plants. :)

3. Harvest. This is the reward for your planning and work. More information later about harvesting and preserving.

Other tips:

1. Olathe City has a community garden on Santa Fe (just east of K-7, near city center). You can reserve a patch of land in this garden for $25. For more information, call: 971-8817.

2. "Square foot gardening" is a useful way to garden in very small areas. More information about this is available on the internet, at the library, or at the Johnson County extension office. (As of today, this website has good and helpful content: www.squarefootgardening.com ).

3. The Johnson County extension office has a lot of information available for free. This information is specific to Kansas and is very helpful for learning growing seasons, when to plant, and where to plant. There are also Master Gardeners who are available to help as well. (I've posted contact information on the side bar of the blog).