I hope everyone’s garden is recovering from the incredible snowfall. What an amazing sight, to have 10” of snow in Pensacola — big, fat flakes falling for hours.
The fountain in my small pond continued to run as the snow piled up around the pond. I was hoping to see the footprints of the wildlife that came to the pond for water, since most other sources of water were frozen. I did see plenty of footprints, but the snow was so deep, the footprints sunk in too deeply to identify. I sunk in pretty deeply too, on my first trip outdoors — shoes and jeans were soaked almost to my knees! Luckily, I found an old pair of rubber boots so I could go out to play.
Some of my perennials have died back from the temperature, but I was surprised at how many plants were still green under the snow. Dune sunflower is an example. I let this native, low-growing plant reseed and spread in my front yard. It blooms for three seasons with a yellow daisy bloom that is attractive to pollinators, but usually dies with the first frost. Ten inches of snow covered it for three days, but the plants are still green, at least at the bottom of the foliage. Collards, kale, carrots, and spinach all went through freeze and snow uncovered.
Now the daytime temperatures seem to be staying between 65 and 70 degrees. That is at least a 40-degree difference! Temperatures in this range are great to get a head start on spring vegetable gardening. And it’s really fun to read seed catalogs when you can’t be in the garden — rainy days or after dark. (Keep in mind that most seed packets are written generally and don’t always apply to Northwest FL)
If you have a warm place to start seeds, you can get a jump on the season. Bean seeds, squash and cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers are easy to start from seed, as are some flowering annuals and perennials. Use soil that holds some moisture in a flat or pots with drainage, and plant your seeds at the same depth as the seed itself. If the seed is 1/2” in size, plant it about 1/2” deep. Smaller seeds should be planted close to the surface or scattered across the surface with soil to barely cover the seed. Good soil contact is important, because the soil holds the moisture that softens the seed coat and allows the root to emerge. Lightly tamp down the soil after planting the seeds.
There is an advantage to planting some veggie seeds early. With yellow squash, planting plants mature enough to bloom and produce fruit early can give you a good yield before the squash vine borer larva eat their way into the squash vines, or the various cucumber beetle larva bore into the squash or cucumber fruits.
The squash vine borer adult is a small clearwing moth. The moth deposits eggs on the squash vines and the larva bore into the stems.
Cucumber beetles are usually colorful small beetles — striped, dotted, or banded. They lay eggs on the cucumber or squash and when the larva hatch, they bore into the fruit.
Like other insects, these garden pests need a warm temperature to live and reproduce. So do squash and members of the cucumber family, but planting early can produce earlier fruit, before these pests become more active.
Removing and composting all plant debris from previous crops, where these insects tend to over-winter, is a practical way to reduce their numbers. There is also an organic control for squash borers. It is a natural occurring bacillus called Bacillus Thuringiensis that affects the larval stage of these insects. Several brands are available, in sprays or powder form. Check with a local garden center.
Tomatoes are often seen as a “tough crop” to grow here. Many of the heirloom tomatoes will not produce fruit if the nighttime temperatures are over 70 degrees. That happens early for us, so those varieties of tomatoes are more productive in the cooler months.
Since tomatoes are self-pollinating, they do not have to align with the warm temperatures that insects need to pollinate. The hard part is that the plants do not tolerate a freeze and have to be covered to survive. I find that fall gives me the largest yield of heirloom tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes and some of the newer hybrids will set fruit at higher temperatures, but it’s hard to beat the taste of an heirloom tomato!
Another observation about growing vegetables: These days, there are more vegetables and fruits, but far fewer pollinators. We found, when growing veggies at the shop, that vegetables planted in raised beds or grown on a trellis seem to have better pollination than those grown closer to the ground. Easier to find, maybe? Of course, the more habitat you provide in your landscape, the more pollinators you are likely to have.
The traditional time to plant seed potatoes in this area is Feb. 15th. There is nothing so much fun as plunging your hand into the dirt and coming up with a potato! This is even more fun if you include children — their joy and amazement is joyful and amazing to see!
You can find certified disease-free seed potatoes at farm supply stores and in some nurseries. Often the seed potatoes are large and can be cut into chunks before planting. (That means if you purchase 10 seed potatoes and cut them all into thirds, you will have 30 to plant instead of 10) Make sure that each “chunk” has at least two “eyes” and enough of the seed potato to get the roots growing. The cut side of the potatoes needs to harden off for about a week before planting. This prevents disease and fungal problems. Dig your planting hole about 4”-6” to plant.
Here is another seasonal “warning”: Keep your garage doors closed! The wrens are looking for housing! I say this because every time I have opened my garage lately, a wren has flown in to look for “housing”. Truly, these lovable birds will make a nest in the most oddball places! I once had a wren nest in a coffee can full of screws in my workshop, and couldn’t use the screws until the chicks fledged! Wrens have nested in a wreath on the front door, in a terra cotta bird feeder on a table on my porch, and in the dried flower cabinet at the shop. Nothing is safe! Actually, wrens know that being close to humans protects them from many other predators. That means the humans usually have nearby Carolina wrens to watch. It’s a win-win!
Wrens are very small birds, but the male is very loud, warning of potential danger. Wrens are mostly insect eaters, which is a bonus in the garden. Wrens are year-round birds in our area, and are very valuable neighbors.
Bluebirds, too, are selecting and moving into houses this month, and other “local” birds will be building nests for spring breeding. Bluebirds also seem to be neighborhood birds, preferring to be close to people. Want to build a house for wrens or bluebirds? Don’t forget our post about building nest boxes.
Bluebirds use houses, but planting native trees and shrubs provides habitat for other “non-garage” species. I have a cedar tree and a wax myrtle planted together in my front yard, and that is the bird apartment complex — brown thrashers, mockingbirds and cardinals, among others, prefer these and other native shrubs.
Most of the migrating birds will begin their long trips at the end of this month or the first week of March. Look for purple martin scouts to return toward the end of the month. Goldfinch males will begin to change from drab khaki color to bright yellow breeding feathers before heading north.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds will start to return from more southern climates, and some will fly all the way to Canada. One interesting observation from experts is that hummingbirds don’t usually nest within twenty miles of the coast. (Aren’t they smart? They are less likely to suffer effects from hurricanes.) That means we will see hummingbirds during both migrations in large numbers.
Please join us Sat., Feb. 15 at 9:00 AM at Wild Birds Unlimited to learn about Gardening for Hummingbirds.
Also, next month, we hope you will join us at the Hoe and Hum Garden Club, to talk about creating a “Serenity Garden” in your landscape. Hoe and Hum is hosted by the Gulf Breeze Senior Center at St. Francis Episcopal Church. The presentation begins at 10 AM on Wednesday, March 12th.
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