Hello March! Have I got big plans for you!

By Cindy Poore

My youngest granddaughter (so far) is 5. This is the perfect time to teach her where our food comes from. I have plans to plant some actual food you can eat! I want her to know what real food is and where it comes from. I want her to experience the wonderful flavors of food fresh from the garden.

I’m so excited about this. Last year we planted sunflowers from seed. It was fun and we got to see them jump up high and bloom before winter even though we planted them late.  I will keep you posted.

Got Weeds?

Even though we have had almost no rain, we still got weeds. Understanding that for the weed preventer to work, it has to be watered in once; most people want to wait until a predicted rain to have us spray. Which I understand completely because the effort to drag the hoses around to water that stuff in is a major pain and in cold weather too.

The water needed to water it in should not be a big issue for you. It takes between $0.75 and $1.50 (depending on rates and tier) per 1,000 square feet  in

water costs to water in your pre-emergent equal to half an inch of rain. For a job of say…10,000 square feet that amounts to  $7.50 to $15.00 in water costs.

What the main problem is, I can’t know when it is going to rain. And how much. And rain usually comes in right after or with wind. That limits us in when we can spray safely.

So give us a call to have your weeds sprayed right away. Just getting rid of your existing weeds before they get too numerous, or too big, or set seeds will be a prevention tactic all on it’s own. And if you need someone to help you water in your pre-emergent, we will be able to help you with that for an additional charge.

Now offering watering services for your pre-emergent application.

Call us today at (760) 868-6104

March Tasks

¤Now is the time to tidy up your garden by removing dead leaves from your perennials and cutting back your grasses.

¤Just FYI. The Crepe Myrtles and  Russian sage will still look dead for another month or so. Don’t go off thinking they are dead. Patience.

¤If you got tulip bulbs, fertilize after blooming with a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 12-10-18. This is when the new bulbs are forming and the best time to fertilize.

¤Feed all your plants and lawns now, and you will be rewarded with lots of great new green growth and blooms.

Why does my rose bush

look wet?

Spring has sprung. Well, we really did not have much of a winter. What? It rained like twice? The plants have been gearing up for a long growing season this year and the roses are no exception. They are putting out new leaves like crazy. Pretty soon you will see flower buds and beautiful blooms. And sometimes, their leaves will look wet.

The lush new growth of spring plants and the warm weather will bring out the aphids. The aphids secrete honeydew a sticky (and I’m told sweet) which makes the leaves look wet. The honeydew also attracts ants. Ants love aphids and often take care of them just to harvest their honeydew. Sorta like us and cows, ha ha.

If you see ants on or near your plants, look for aphids. Aphids come in all colors and their size can vary a lot depending on their growth stage.

Aphids are usually more annoying than dangerous to your plants. A good strong spray from a garden hose a few days in a row should take care of most of the little guys.

If that doesn’t work, give us a call. Now it the best time for us  to apply a season long control for your plants that will kill and repel insects that feed on your plants.

We can kill and prevent bug damage to your plants, trees and shrubs for months with one application.

Call us at (760) 868-6104

The magic of deadheading flowers

Most people have heard of deadheading flowers, but don’t really know why it is so important. Consider that the flower plant is trying to reproduce by flowering. When you cut off the blooms, the plant will respond with more flowers!

My Favorite Recipes

Dinner for One  (or two)

I have a lot of friends who are singles or couples who don’t want to fix complex meals but still want to eat good food.  Since I share that same situation, I look for things to cook that are yummy, but don’t take a lot of time and ingredients. One of my favorite go-to meals is a game hen. Since they are about 1 ½ lbs each, one hen is enough for two. If there is just you, then you have some wonderful bird left for a salad the next day. Try this recipe and its variations for a great meal.

1   1 ½  to 2 lb game hen, rinsed and pat dry

Salt and pepper to taste.

That’s pretty much it. Wrap the hen in a large piece of aluminum foil and  bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Unwrap foil from the hen ( push to sides) and roast for 15 more minutes to brown.

Then try one of these great variations for the last 15 minutes after unwrapping foil from top of hen.

Baste hen with BBQ sauce.

Baste hen with your favorite flavor of jam.

Mix  2 tbls. Apricot jam mixed with 1 Tbls. Dijon mustard and ½ tsp cracked pepper and baste hen during last 15 minutes of roasting.

But wait! There’s more. 

2 small red potatoes, quartered

2 large mushrooms, quartered

4 stalks fresh asparagus, cut in half

1 small zucchini, sliced in coins

¼ red bell pepper sliced

2 Tbls. Italian salad dressing

Place all veggies in a bowl and toss to coat. Place veggies in a large piece of aluminum foil and wrap. Bake veggies in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with the game hen.

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.” Arnold H. Glasow