Ladies and Gentlemen... START Your Gardens!

There is no better cure for cabin fever than the warmer temperatures promised by the weather forecasts we have had lately! What better way to enjoy the fresh air than getting out in the yard and preparing your flower beds and gardens? It is the perfect time to plant a few vegetables!

Cool weather crops you can plant now include lettuce. It prefers days and nights that are cooler than 70 degrees and there are a variety of types to add something different to that salad or sandwich. Of course we have the standard iceberg lettuce but why not try something a little leafy this year? Romaine and head lettuce need a little more space than loose leaf lettuce so if you are planting them be sure you make enough room.

English peas/sweet peas are another great cool weather crop that can be planted this weekend and we have some “pole or climbing” type seeds as well as a bush variety. Peas like nitrogen-rich soil so be sure to pick up what you need before leaving the store. One thing you may not know is pea blossoms are edible, but if you choose to eat them, they will not grow the peas themselves. You can grow extra for this purpose if you choose to eat pea blossoms.

No spring garden is complete without carrots which prefer cool weather for the best germination and growth. They take two or three months to fully mature but can be picked earlier if you want “baby” carrots. They grow better when they are planted with the much faster growing radishes. They mark the bed for one so you don’t forget where the carrots are planted and they help to keep the soil loose so that carrots which have a much weaker stem can push up more easily.

TIP: CARROT GREENS ATTRACT DEER AND RABBITS…ONE TASTY WAY TO KEEP THESE GUYS AT BAY: PLANT ONIONS AMONG YOUR CARROTS!

Finish up your cool weather garden with broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Commonly known as cole crops these plants are grouped together because they are similar in culture and growth. They often grow to be two or three feet high and just as wide, so make sure you give them plenty of space. The plants tend to wilt in higher temperatures but keep them watered and they will perk right up when the sun begins to go down.

TIP: Keep your eye out for the cabbage butterfly…it is small and white and arrives in early spring. You can pick the caterpillars off if you see them but you can also make your own organic spray using onion, garlic and cayenne pepper added to water to combat them. The hotter the better! Add peppers, onion and garlic to the blender with a little water and blend to a puree then strain into a spray bottle. Spray again after a soaking rain. However, it is safe to spray daily.

Stop by the store and pick up fertilizer, soil, and cool weather crop seeds and plants. We have bulbs of all types as well as onion sets, onion plants and seed potatoes. Whether your plot is large or small we have it all! Our staff is always available to answer any questions you may have.

Come by and see us,enjoy the great weather and remember…

GREAT GARDENS START HERE!

It's A Family Affair

Around here I am known merely as Aunt Theresa. Having traded my sales and marketing career for the simpler life it didn't take long for me to become stir-crazy just hanging around the house. Of course, I didn't get out of my pajamas [except for church] for about three months! When my dogs and I began to communicate effectively I realized I needed more human interaction...no offense to my husband. I really think he was tired of me talking to him from the time he walked through the door till the time he went to bed anyway.

When our youngest son was an infant I worked during plant season for my sister-in-law, Jeanna at her "market" BJ Plants and Produce. She's owned the store for more than thirty years now and just a couple of years ago she bought the little cafe that is attached where she and her husband, David spend every Monday through Friday. My niece, Dominique is a server there as well. BJ's Market Cafe has the very best down-home, southern cookin' in the entire state of Arkansas! My extra pounds can attest to that!

Now Jeanna's son, Michael and his wife, Amanda run the store. Her daughter, Dede floats back and forth between the two...waitress extraordinaire in the off season and plant officienado during the spring and summer. During the slow times their kids Dede has two and Mike and Amanda have one run freely between cafe and market, sometimes helping... sometimes laughing... and always bringing joy to my heart.

My husband's family wholesale plants and produce business is located just across the parking lot where most of the time my sister-in-law Linda, my father-in-law and a variety of other aunts and uncles can be found. During the summers, ours and Linda's grandchildren are added to the mix and will float between Kyzer's and Bj's lending a helping hand, carrying out customer purchases or restocking when needed. My favorite time of day is when my husband pops over after breakfast to pick up the produce order or when he strolls through the greenhouses to walk off his lunch. My heart jumps for joy.

It was natural for me to go back there...it was like coming home...like having plant therapy everyday... basking in the beauty of God's creation, surrounded by family... taking in all the joy and love one heart can possibly hold.