Month: December 2022

Beans grow readily in the vegetable garden from seeds sown directly in the ground once soil temperatures reach about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in spring or early summer. Pole beans grow as long vines that need support, while 2-foot-tall bush bean plants need no support. Beans come in green snap varieties or those used as a tree that is dry. All bean plants need similar planting procedures, irrespective of the variety. The seeds germinate quickly; snap beans are ready to harvest in about 60 days. Turn the top 6 to 8 inches of dirt in a full-sun garden bed, with a shovel or hoe. Break up any dirt clods, and remove all weeds. Mix a 2-inch layer of compost into the soil to provide necessary nutrients to the growing beans. Smooth the surface of the bed after amending the ground. Pull the corner of a hoe blade down every planting row…

Using its brilliant yellow leaves that hold their color all season, “Goldmound” spirea (Spiraea japonica “Goldmound”) is a deciduous shrub that adds a spot of sunshine wherever you plant it. “Goldmound” grows 2-3 feet tall and up to 4 feet wide in sunlight in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8 and in regions of greater zones where summers are not extreme. The vibrant yellow leaves are topped in late spring from flat clusters of bright pink blossoms that resemble yarrow. As with other late-spring flowering shrubs, harassing “Goldmound” spirea in late winter to early spring before new growth starts. Wipe the blades of your hand pruners with full-strength household antiseptic cleaner. A family antiseptic cleaner is just as successful as bleach or rubbing alcohol at preventing the transfer of plant disorders from resources, but is less corrosive to metal tools. Cut all the stems of the…

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) are aggressive, reddish brown to black ants which build dome-shaped mounds of soil when they construct their nests. Fire ants prefer to construct mounds in sunny, open areas of your lawn, but are not restricted to these areas. Their mounds might be found in rotting logs, under buildings and pavement, round trees and stumps, and even inside. Powerful control of red imported fire ants is dependent on applying treatment at the right time of day and in ideal conditions. Best Time of Year In Mediterranean climates, winters are wet and summers can be hot and dry, so use of therapy products for crimson fire ant control are usually ineffective because they either gets washed off in the wintertime, or so the ants don’t come in contact with them because it’s too hot for the ants to appear. Spring and fall applications are more…

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles ) is also a early-blooming shrub that creates beautiful 1 1/2- to 2-inch flowers in hues of white, pink, orange or red. Following the showy screen, which last only a couple weeks, the plant yields into a tangle of thorny, bare branches. Flowering quince is easy to grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. You can easily dig up and transfer the plant if needed to transplant or eliminate it from your lawn. Prepare the brand new area for the flowering quince before digging up the plant, if you intend to transplant it in a brand new site. Choose a sunny site with enough room to accommodate the mature size of a flowering quince, which is generally 6 to 10 feet wide and tall. Dig a planting hole that is 2 to 3 times wider than the root ball, that is estimated in…