Gardeners Grow Together Week 24, June, 2021: Biennials
Welcome to my special gardening page for those of you who like to garden yourselves! Each week, I will make suggestions as to what gardening tasks we need to do every week during the growing season. It will help keep you on track--as well as myself!
To keep things simple, I am using the year's weekly number, Week #1 through #52 (example: the week of January 1 is Week #1), instead of specific dates.
So, come on! Let's get our hands dirty!
Week 24:
It's Time to Plant Biennials from Seed!
Believe it or not, it's time to think about next year already! Now is the time to plant seeds of biennials so they will bloom for you next year.
Biennials, when planted from seed, grow a small rosette of leaves the first year, then bloom the second year. They flower the second year, set seed, then die.
Biennials include:
Most biennials must be planted every year; otherwise, you only get flowers every other year. Some biennials, like Foxglove and Forget-me-nots, readily reseed themselves and you will have baby plants popping up all over the place, so you may not need to replant those.
Seeds can be started in plug trays, pots, or directly in the garden. My favorite way of starting them is to have a “nursery” plot in an area with plenty of sun, but somewhere protected from the hottest afternoon sun. Plant the seeds in rows and mark them. Once they have several sets of true leaves, fertilize them once a week with half strength liquid flower or tomato fertilizer and watch them grow! Transplant them where you want them in the fall or early spring.
Biennials are important in the garden, because they tend to bridge that gap between early spring bulbs and perennials, and summer annuals, like zinnias and sunflowers. I hope you will give these gems a try!
Now, lets get busy!
If you have any questions, put them in the comments below!
~Lee Ann~
Valmont Valley Farm
Where Beautiful Magic is Always in Bloom
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