Keith Farrand
Contact: info@farrandfarms.com
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Want to keep up on the latest things that are growing on at Farrand Farms? The man with the greenest thumb in Kansas City will help you with all his latest tips and share insight and info right here at Farrand's Notes. If you have some special questions or would like to suggest ideas for Keith to address just send him an email on the link under his picture.
May Days
Keith
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Hello again! Remember me? Yes, we've missed getting our last two blogs up due to server problems. We now have a much more reliable system in place. Sorry about that!
Let's talk garden . . .
The greenhouses are absolutely gorgeous. . . I've not seen them look this good in years. Maybe it was the long winter, but things just look healthier and more colorful this time around. Come on in! Bring the family . . kids and grandfolks always enjoy the sharing and opportunity to learn about the vegetables and flowers.
My sister Melissa (our container design specialist) is back and doing a spectacular job creating mixed containers that will delight and inspire you. Please feel free to copy any of her combinations or if you prefer, buy the ones she has already made. They are beautiful.
Since it's May, it's now time to plant almost everything: flowers, vegetables, you name it! We are even pulling sweet potato plants. 'Beauregard' is the variety to plant in our area. This orange meat red skinned variety produces exceedingly well in our climate. Nothing but the best for your garden.
Hint: Planting seeds
It is time to plant corn and green beans. Let's do it right, ALL SEEDS should be planted 4 times their diameter deep. For corn or beans that's about 1/2" - 3/4" deep. Barely cover small seeds like lettuce and radishes. The MOST common problem we continue to see with poor or sporadic seed germination is due to planting seeds too deep. Be wise and stick to the rule.
We are still working diligently to move our perennials into our new and expanded customer friendly perennial shopping area. Selecting your plants will be a joy. Let us know what you think!
I look forward to your visit.
Keith
CAUTION: Follow the rules!
Keith
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Friday, April 9, 2010
After the long winter and a very uncooperative March, we are all eager to get our gardens started. Let's be wise about our planting or we may be planting some things twice. You MUST know when it is safe to plant your vegetables and flowers. Don't delay . . . .go directly to our 'Recommended Planting Schedule' and review our local and average safe dates for planting your plants. You'll be glad you visited!
The ground is still very damp. Incorporate 'Cotton Burr Compost' when you turn the soil and two great things will happen:
1. The soil will dry quicker
2. You'll improve the root environment organically
Happy roots mean more productive flowers and vegetables.
Please remember there's still plenty of time for early season crops (lettuce, spinach, radish, onions and potatoes). Since I know you've checked our planting schedule, you'll hold off planting your tomatoes, peppers, cukes and squash. Cold nights do them no favors.
When you are ready to get them started, why not try some earth friendly 'Tomato Tone' or other Espoma quality organic fertilizers. They provide great nutrition for great tasting, fresh homegrown vegetables.
In the next several days we'll have nearly all of our 50+ varieties on the sales floor (see our variety list of tomatoes and peppers just beneath our planting schedule). Try to add a new variety or two to your favorites. Let's make it fun this season!
It's absolutely beautiful here in our greenhouses. Each day things are changing and becoming more exciting. We'll begin moving our perennials out into our new perennial shopping area in a couple of days. Clematis have arrived and water plants are nearly ready to put in.
Roses:
Jackson & Perkins roses look awesome this season!
A note about planting roses from containers right now: It's great to go ahead and purchase them, but don't plant them until very late April - they are busy growing new roots right now. Just leave them in the pot outside, keep them watered and then plant them in a few weeks. You won't risk setting them back by waiting and they'll soon reward you with great color. Don't forget the 'Bayer 2-in-1' fertilizer and insect control for easy and carefree growing.
Tropicals (like Hibiscus from Florida): We have a very good selection for you to choose from. Since Florida has had an extremely cold winter as well, expect the plants to be a bit smaller then in other years. They'll soon be prospering and fill in quickly. For best results, use Osmocote fertilizer.
Hint: You'll be wise to plant your garden in stages. Rushing in to plant everything all at once usually results in poor productivity and few flowers. Enjoy the experience and share the fun of your garden. Change and recreate your vision often as you go. You'll make great discoveries gardening this way. There is plenty of time to do it all.
Beginning April 12, we'll be staying open from:
8 am - 8 pm Monday through Saturday
10 - 5 pm on Sundays
We'll talk again in a couple of weeks!
Keith
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