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Collier's Garden Scoop
April 2022
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The planting season has arrived and so have the plants! During April and May the nursery is full to the brim with an abundance of annuals, perennials, herbs, veggies, ferns, succulents and hanging baskets- the best selection and widest variety of the entire year, and something no gardener should miss out on. We hope to see you this spring and would love to help you create, add to or transform your garden.
Happy planting!
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5 Warm-Season Veggies You Can Grow at Home
For those who love to grow their own edibles, this is the time of year we've been waiting for impatiently! Warm weather means all kinds of delicious produce & seasonings can be produced in your own garden. Come in this month to find baby tomato, pepper, squash, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant & okra plants, as well as more herbs than we can begin to name. Read on to discover more about several of the most popular veggies and some tips on how to grow them successfully.
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Cucumber
Gourd Family
(Cucurbitaceae)
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Most cucumbers are vines, but bush varieties are available if you don't have the space for them to sprawl. Cucumber plants produce both male and female flowers. The male flowers appear first and provide pollen for bees to carry to the female flowers. So, there's no need for concern when flowers don't immediately produce fruit. Harvest cucumbers when young and tender and be careful not to leave mature fruit on the vine or the plant will stop producing.
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Eggplant
Nightshade Family
(Solanaceae)
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Eggplants are native to southeast Asia. The plants are highly ornamental, and have a shrubby habit, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Eggplants produce fruit over a long season. Harvest when the skin develops color and becomes glossy.
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Pepper
Nightshade Family
(Solanaceae)
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Peppers were brought from the Americas to Europe by Christopher Columbus. The plants have a shrubby habit, reaching 1 to 4 feet tall. Peppers are either sweet or hot, depending on the amount of capsaicin they contain (the substance that causes the heat). Their heat levels are measured by Scoville Units (SU), with bell peppers coming in at 0 SU and Habanero peppers registering at an eye-watering 600,000 SU.
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Squash
Gourd Family
(Cucurbitaceae)
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A relative of cucumber, squash have a couple of things in common with their curcurbit cousin. Squash plants also produce both male and female flowers. And, you'll want to be careful and not leave mature fruit on this vine either, as doing so can cause the plant to stop producing. Summer squash include yellow squash (straightneck and crookneck) and zucchini. Where as winter squash, which are harvested in the fall, include tougher-skinned types like butternut and spaghetti squash.
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Tomato
Nightshade Family
(Solanaceae)
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Tomatoes are native to the Andes. There are two types of tomato plants: Determinate types have a bushy habit and all of their fruit ripens over a period of several weeks. Indeterminate types have a vining habit and their fruit ripens over a period of several months. When planting tomato plants it's best to bury the stem in the soil, leaving only the top few leaves above ground. Roots will grow from the buried stem, resulting in more vigorous growth and increased drought tolerance.
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12 Tips For a Successful Vegetable Garden
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Plant vegetables in full sun (6 hours of direct sun, or more, each day).
Provide plants with loose, well-drained soil that contains plenty of organic matter.
Don't overcrowd; give each plant the amount of space it needs to grow and spread. Good air circulation between plants helps prevent disease.
If growing in containers, the larger the better. Aim for pots that are at least 12" inches in diameter and not too shallow.
Water consistently and deeply. Keep soil moist, especially when plants are flowering and fruiting.
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Avoid wetting the foliage when you water (water at the roots or use a soaker hose).
Apply a layer of mulch to retain soil moisture, keep roots cool and slow weeds down.
Stake plants or provide support. This keeps the fruit off of the ground and keeps branches from breaking under the weight of heavy fruit.
Remove diseased leaves and fruit immediately.
If possible, plant your vegetable garden in a different spot each year (or replace the soil in containers each year), as some diseases and insects can overwinter in the soil.
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Consider adding the Southern Living Garden Problem Solver to your library. It's an excellent resource for info on identifying, diagnosing, preventing and treating common insect pests and diseases of vegetable plants (as well as many others).
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Plant Marigolds to Deter Common Vegetable Garden Pests
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Not only do marigold flowers attract pollinators to the garden, the plants are thought to deter pesky insects both above and below ground. Marigolds are credited with repelling cabbage moths, tomato hornworms, Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, thrips and whiteflies, as well as killing root nematodes in the soil. If that's not enough, they are also considered a "trap crop" for slugs, who love to munch on marigolds and will pass up more valuable crops (your vegetables) to do so. To top it off, marigold flowers are edible! You can add the petals to salads, or use the blooms as decoration on cakes and cupcakes.
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Flowers That Attract Pollinators
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Plant flowers that attract pollinators near your vegetable garden to maximize their potential production and increase your harvest. A few of the best options include: herbs like basil, catmint, lavender and parsley (as long as you allow them to flower), cosmos, cupheas, dahlias, heliotrope, lantana, portulaca & purslane, salvia & sage, verbena and zinnias.
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Reliable Annuals for Containers & Flowerbeds
These are a few of our favorite tried-and-true annuals that are in stock now. Get your creative juices flowing with these idea combos and stop by the nursery if you'd like to add one or more of these beauties to your garden.
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In this combo:
Angelonia 'Archangel Cherry Red'
Coleus 'Alabama'
Cuphea 'FloriGlory Sofia'
Gomphrena 'Qis Carmine'
Lantana 'New Gold'
Salvia 'Mysty'
Vinca 'Cora Cascade Strawberry'
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For Morning Sun and/or
Filtered Afternoon Sun
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In this combo:
Begonia 'Dragon Wing Pink'
Caladium 'Aaron'
Coleus 'Kong Jr. Scarlet'
Impatien 'Patchwork Cosmic Orange'
Plectranthus 'Coleoides Variegated'
Torenia 'Summer Wave Bouquet Gold'
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COLLIER'S NURSERY
2904 Old Rocky Ridge Road 35243
Call or Text: 205-822-3133
info@colliersnursery.com
Current Hours:
Monday through Saturday 9 to 5:30
Sunday 1 to 5
*Closed Easter Sunday, April 17th*
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