OK…enough already with the snow! Hopefully this additional snow will disappear before June and we’ll be pruning the blueberry bushes soon. This year we replaced some of our older equipment with newer loppers and hand pruners. You can’t go wrong with Corona loppers. They last forever and all you need to do is sharpen and oil them each season. This year I bought them here because I have Amazon Prime and shipping is free but you can also find them in local garden centers and online gardening sites. We also picked up some new Felco hand pruners here which are an investment but they are an excellent well-made pruner. You can also buy replacement parts so in effect, you should own these forever. If you’ve forgotten how to prune your blueberry bushes, we made these videos a few years ago to help you along. Click here for large blueberry plant pruning and here for the smaller blueberry plants.
If you’re itching to get outside and eagerly anticipate the gardening season, then you can certainly get a head start inside. It’s not too late to order seeds and High Mowing Seeds and Johnny’s Seeds are both excellent regional seed companies. Most of your local greenhouses and hardware stores also carry seeds for our growing region. If you’re not sure when to plant your favorite basil then you should definitely check out Margaret Roach’s planting calculator . She has an amazing website so you’re sure to have fun exploring. The folks over at High Mowing Seeds also have some great planting videos for those of you who want to start seeds now. The ultimate gardening tool would be a lovely greenhouse to get your seedlings going strong. This is good DIY video on building an inexpensive movable greenhouse . Never underestimate the power of Google and YouTube!
A little inspiration goes a long way and once again, the New Hampshire Master Gardeners are sponsoring a Spring Symposium to be held on March 22 at Southern New Hampshire University The keynote speaker is Rodney Eason, Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and there are three additional gardening sessions to choose from with some great gardening experts. The UNH Greenhouse open house is always a nice event and this year it happens March 28 and March 29. On Saturday, March 29, The Seacoast Home and Garden Show happens at the Whittemore Center in Durham which is walking distance from the greenhouses. Finally, the new issue of Yankee Magazine has an article devoted to gardens in New England so even if you can’t get out to garden yet…there is evidence that spring and summer really do exist in New England.