We know temperatures, so do plants

This past week saw the morning temperatures get down in the low forty-degree range. While this temperature will not kill your vegetable plants it may shut them off for a while.

These plants recognize the temperature and when it starts getting colder again they tend to go into a self-preservation mode to protect themselves.That means that they will slow down in growing for a week or so to make sure that it is going to stay warm and then they will get back in motion again.

The Community Garden is really taking shape. Looks like there will be a lot of things growing this year so there will be a need for volunteers to weed and pick. Lots of mulch has been put out so we have a real good handle on the weeds and grass but there is always a few stubborn little buggers that grow no matter what.

So plan on coming on down and sharing a little bit of your time and effort and remember to take a little bit home with you. Remember that when you start seeing bugs and insects on your plants you need to take care of them right away. Two small blocks of wood make for a good, permanent bug destroyer. However, I know that some of you are just against killing anything so you trap the little things and dispose of them in a more humane manner. You know what that means don’t you? It means that you take them to your neighbor’s garden down the street and turn them loose down there. Let him worry about what to do with them.

Now most of all, DON’T GET CAUGHT, and don’t blame me if you do! Getting caught is a bad thing when it comes to gardening. I think I told you that the best fertilizer in the world was fish, all parts of the fish. Bury those parts and pieces or the whole thing in your garden or in your yard and watch things really start to happen. That stuff is really good. Go fishing and bring everything home and bury everything in your garden and you may never need to buy fertilizer again.

But let’s think about this! The leftovers from the table are not what we are talking about. We are talking about the raw, fresh fish. So all you gardeners now have a really good reason to go fishing and bringing everything home. No more catch and release. Fish buried around your trees really perk up your trees too. If you have a little bit of fish left over and you are considered short then you can put some fish in your shoes and you might grow taller. Yeah right! Go ahead and give that a try! You will find out who your true friends really are real quick. With the garden in the ground you should be sixty to ninety days away from the harvest.

Mark your calendars and get ready to enjoy your garden.