Reality Check

Earlier today, I posted a blog entry about how many are getting a bit anxious to get the growing season started. There was such an interesting forecast update from the National Weather Service tonight regarding this same topic. Here's the post from their evening forecast discussion:

RUDE AWAKENING GARDENERS! TEMPS ARE BACK TO NORMAL AND THAT MEANSFROST AND SUBFREEZING TEMPS ARE STILL BETTER THAN A 50 PERCENT PROBABILITY FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS. GROWING SEASON FOR ANNUALS DOESN`T START UNTIL AT LEAST MID APRIL (UNLESS PLANTING COLD TOLLERANT VEGITATION). OUR FROST FREEZE PROGRAM BEGINS APRIL15 FOR SOUTHSIDE VA AND PIEDMONT OF NC...APRIL 25 FOR THE SOUTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY INTO CENTRAL VA...AND MAY 5 FOR THE MOUNTAINS (INCLUDING THE NRV).

MY GAGE FOR PLANTING... WAIT UNTIL THE OAK TREES LEAF OUT...THEN ITS PRETTY SAFE TO PLANT WITH LITTLE RISKOF FROST OR FREEZE. WHY THE OAK? THEY ARE ONE OF THE LAST TREES TO LEAF OUT. ONCE YOU ESTABLISH A SOLID LEAF CANOPY. ITS HARD TO GET A HARD FREEZE BECAUSE THE LEAVES HELP TO RETAIN THE NOCTURNAL HEAT LOSS (LONGWAVE RADIATION). SIMILAR TO A BLANKET.

Last Frost/Freeze Dates

Today on News7 At Five, we talked about the last frost/freeze dates across the region. It's a lot later that you might realize. While we've had the warm spells, it's still VERY early Spring. Click on the image on the left for the average frost/freeze dates for this region. The image on the right has some plants that are OK for planting this early in the season. In the weeks ahead, I'll post a link for some common plants and their average planting times.

Our Next Gardening Segment: Soil testing

Don't Plant Too Much

An email from an avid gardener reminds us that we shouldn't plant too much just yet, as the recent warm snap has given gardeners a case of spring fever. We could still have some very cold nights. Here's the last freeze information from the Virginia Climate Office. It's a pretty interesting site, broken down by different communities.

Here's a few tips (folklore) from Mr. Bennett of Roanoke Co.:

• Keep in mind that until the ground is warm plants like tomatoes do not grow well.
  Yet cabbage and peas are cold crops and it is most late to be starting those!
  
• Try this trick. Put the tips of 7 paper matches in the hole before you drop in the pepper plant. Peppers like the sulfur
  
• Don't forget the 10th of May Cold Spell. (Like the storms on the Ides of March it happens more than you would like to believe)
  
• Good Friday is a good day to plant. This year it is April 6. I will try to drop potato or two into the ground.

Ready for Planting

It's Wednesday, and the garden is nearing completion. Like most gardens, we're finding it's a lot of work, but seeing the finished product will make it all worth it. Today (3/28), we had our last load of soil delivered. That's 9 tons total. The landscapers are placing mulch around the perimeter and we should begin at least some planting later today before the rain arrives.

There have been so many people aside from the weather staff that have either donated some things or contributed to our gardening efforts. We extend a hearty THANK YOU! You'll get some extra tomatoes...if they actually grow.

--Brent

Looking More Like A Garden

6 tons of soil arrived this morning for the weather garden. You'll see we first put down a layer of chicken wire to keep out ground-burrowing creatures like moles and snakes, and then another barrier to kill the grass and cut down on weed control. The soil is good stuff. It contains natural fertilizer (straight from the cow pasture) and has been sifted to get rid of rocks and most of the thick chunks of soil.

We are waiting on another load of soil and we should be ready for the planting stages. Thanks to Dennis and Jay who helped me do the raking this morning in between newscasts. The weather is perfect for starting those garden projects. Just keep in mind, the last frost dates for many areas aren't until the first 2 weeks of April. We could still have a little frost. It has happened before.

COMING SOON: The top "secret planting" list. We have the soil, now what should we plant. See some of the items coming up later in the week.

--Brent

Let's Get the Dirt On Soil

A master gardener from Virginia Tech made a very good point this week as we launched our plans for the Weather Garden. We incorrectly called the stuff we put in our garden to grow things, dirt. However, she pointed out it is NOT dirt, rather soil that we are looking for. Did you know there's a difference? There's is. Dirt is what you play in. "Wash your hands! They're dirty!" Soil is a living, breathing thing.

SOIL: is the combination of mineral particles, roots, bacteria, viruses, and dead plants and animals that develops in one place after years of weathering and rotting.

Here's a couple answers to the questions that we had about soil and raised bed gardens.

HOW MUCH SOIL WILL FILL A RAISED BED?

A rule of thumb is to fill the raised planting bed with one half organic matter such as compost and one half soil. Filling a raised bed requires a surprisingly large volume of material. Figure the cubic measurement of the bed to determine how much you need: width x length x depth. Soil and compost are sold in bags, by the tractor scoop, or by the cubic yard. A cubic yard is three by three by three feet or 27 cubic feet. Accessibility may determine whether you use bagged soil or purchase the soil in bulk.

WHAT TYPE OF SOIL IS BEST FOR A RAISED BED GARDEN?

If you have access to decent garden soil, you can certainly use that. But most gardeners find they need to bring in additional soil when building a raised planting bed or planter. Importing top soil to fill the raised bed can have mixed results. Top soil is not a regulated material, so all kinds of soil can be sold as top soil. A reputable supplier should be able to give you soil test results and provide samples to reassure you about the quality of their product. A good local nursery or your county extension should be able to recommend a source.

COMING UP: The dirt....um...soil arrives Monday. We'll take you through the steps. Details in the next entry on Monday 26.

Looking For The Dirt

Spring has officially arrived on the weather deck. We have "deck"orated the outdoor weather set and are officially ready to prepare the garden area. All those years of watching HGTV were worth it.


Our great grounds crew have taken the shrubs and relocated them on the other side of the deck. It will take some time to see if they will survive the transplant. They are pretty hearty shrubs. The move now makes room for the garden area to be placed beside the weather deck. (The photo top-left shows the wooden beams of the garden just to the left of the deck . The photo on the right shows where the shrubs were along with the oak beams used for the raised bed garden).

• Tune into News7 At Five today when as we unveil plans for the SkyTracker7 Weather Garden.
• Check back here later for a list of vegetables and plants we will try a hand at growing.
• Leave your commentst questions below and we may even answer them in a future segment.

Hurry Up And Wait

We're now waiting for the grounds crew to help us take out the 3 shrubs near the weather deck so we can move the garden a bit closer to camera range. To the right you'll see a backside view of the weather deck and the shrubs that will be transplanted. The left photo shows the timbers that were donated to create the raised bed garden (thanks Dad and Jason).

These things are super tough, untreated oak timbers straight from a Bedford Co. sawmill. We'll see how they weather. As soon as the shrubs are relocated, we'll be ready to put down the plastic and then the dirt. Check back soon! --Brent

Raised Bed Garden

After looking at the space and the gardening experience among the staff, we've decided to consult one of our in-house gardeners, Dennis Brown. He's one of our talented news videographers who also has a green-thumb. His advise is to create a raised bed garden.

They come in all shapes and sizes. We're going with a wood border, but you can create them using cinder blocks, bricks or even metal. After a bit of research, we were quickly discouraged from using railroad ties as the border. There's a lot of creosote on them that will leach off. If it's in the ground, it's in the vegetables, and ultimately in you.

Stay tuned for more on the making of the weather garden later this week.

Welcome to the Weather Garden

Welcome to the SkyTracker7 Weather Garden page. Here you'll find updated photos, and links on what's happening in our small, but hopefully productive garden area off the weather deck.

If you'd like to leave a comment on any of the following entries, just click on the COMMENT text under each of the blogs.

If you're a gardener, we'd love to hear your comments and suggestions. If you're a beginner (like us), we'd welcome your questions. Some of them may actually end up on the air during our weekly garden features.