Gardening
To lime, or not, is a question that gardeners must consider at this time of the year. The answer depends upon several factors.
If the ground is virgin, chances are it will require lime.
If you have been gardening the area for several years, it will depend upon whether you have been applying lime annually, occasionally, or not at all.
What plants or crops do you intend to grow?
Having answered these questions, how can you determine how much lime to apply. The only way to find out the exact quantity is to have your soil tested. This can be done by bringing or sending a small sample of your soil to the Department of Forestry and Agriculture Cold Climate Centre, Brookfield Road, Mount Pearl, with the appropriate fee. The alternative is to purchase a soil testing kit from a horticultural retail outlet and test the soil yourself.
It was in 1909 that Danish chemist Søren Sørensen devised a scale to ascertain soil acidity. This Ph scale goes from 0-14 with 0 being extremely acid, 14 very alkaline and 7 neutral. Most soils in Newfoundland are acidic and fine for local trees and plants such as spruce, birch, blueberries, rhododendrons and azaleas. Soil slightly on the acid side of neutral is suitable for raspberries, and potatoes.
Most of the flowers and vegetables require closer to the neutral reading, so some lime must be applied. In a few cases such as carnations, cabbage, delphiniums, etc., the plants require an alkaline soil and therefore larger quantities of lime are necessary.
Lime is not a fertilizer. It is a soil conditioner and is used to convert soil from acid to neutral, or alkaline — in other words to a less acidic state. A suitable Ph enables the correct bacterial action to take place in the soil for the transfer of food and thus improved crops.
Sowing seeds
April 4-14 is the time to sow seeds of plants requiring 60-70 days from sowing to flowering.
This includes a large group of annuals and vegetables, including alyssum, clarkia, cornflower (Bachelor Buttons), cosmos, California poppy, godetia, Gypsophila, portulaca, zinnia, helichrysanthemum, matricaria, migonette, cabbage and cauliflower.
Towards mid to late April, sow tomato, cucumber, marrow and zucchini.
Easter
This weekend we are celebrating Easter and the appropriate holidays. Weather permitting, take advantage of the holidays to go out and get the garden started.
Most people already have their pots of stately, white Easter lilies. Keep them in a medium temperature, but out of direct sunlight, and continue watering and lightly feeding.
To all readers, a very safe and joyous Easter.