By Master Gardener Volunteer Lesley Arrandale
mail@floridanewsline.com
It’s the second week of the New Year as I write, and we’re in the throes of our first real freezing weather of the winter. This morning the water in our birdbaths froze for the third time, and the grass was touched with frost. I’ve tried to reduce the amount of work needed to protect my plants, mainly by growing fewer tropicals, but potted plants always need attention. Wrapping pots, protecting citrus grafts, taking more tender things into a shed or garage, but first ensuring they are well watered before the cold sets in, is all part of the gardening year.
Most of our seasonal vegetables will survive a short freeze, particularly brassicas like collards, broccoli, and kales, which taste all the sweeter after a frost. Lettuce can be damaged, so laying a frost cloth lightly over the plants will keep them safe. If you have casualties, begin growing more plants indoors and plant out when they are sufficiently well grown and hardened off. For vegetables to plant in February, check out this useful link: https://floridafresh.ifas.ufl.edu/. Just input your zip code to see what comes up and click on a vegetable for more information. For more detailed information, use the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (https://tinyurl.com/59xyb9tt). If you like to browse around the topic of vegetable gardening, see also https://tinyurl.com/e96zxzyk, where you can find articles like “Veggies and Herbs made in the Shade” and “Growing Potatoes in the Florida Home Garden.”
Tidying up after a freeze is not as simple as it may seem. For woody plants it may not be obvious which parts are dead. It’s safest to wait to prune out dead material until you can see active growth; otherwise you risk cutting into live wood which makes the plant more vulnerable to the next cold snap. By leaving 12 – 14 inches of dead growth on perennials you can protect any insects that are overwintering in the stems. If you feel you must cut them back farther, by gathering them up and placing them in an out-of-the-way place you can still protect any insects sheltering there.
If you’re already thinking about your lawn and how to treat it coming out of the winter, hold off for a bit, as it won’t yet be actively growing. Fertilize too early and the product will leach out of the soil before the grass is able to take it up. Similarly, trying to fertilize the grass and control weeds with a one-and-done application of a “weed and feed” product doesn’t do either job well, as the timing of each function is necessarily different. Check out this link where you can find all the information you need to follow best management practices and keep your lawn in good condition, and if necessary rectify any problems: https://tinyurl.com/2fpy55y5.
I’m all for finding good articles to read on topics that I find most useful, and I particularly like the blogs written by Duval County Extension’s Stephanie Means, our program assistant for the Florida-Friendly Program: https://tinyurl.com/mspupxmy.
And here I’ve found more information on wildlife-friendly gardening, which is really important to me: https://tinyurl.com/2bkvat7n. Designing an attractive yard which caters for both humans and wildlife can be achieved!
As always, the Duval County Extension newsletter is useful, offering timely tips, articles, and information on upcoming programs: https://tinyurl.com/4fs4rvnd. And finally, our statewide Master Gardener Volunteer newsletter, The Neighborhood Gardener, is always a good read: https://tinyurl.com/38svv7fn.
Now spring is almost on the doorstep and the year unfolds, I hope you enjoy your gardening projects, whatever they may be.
