We regret to inform our loyal readers and patrons of the cancellation of Mr. Bob Tanem's visit to Wegman's Nursery on Sunday, March 1st.

Our hope is to host the Bob Tanem Gardening Show at Wegman’s in the very near future.

Creating your own Farmer’s Market is fun and easy with a little bit of time and space. Vegetable gardens have become popular not only for the cost savings but also the quality and taste of the vegetables.

The time to plant tomatoes and vegetables is just around the corner! With the rains we have had, it’s a perfect time to prepare your soil so it will be ready for planting as the warmer days arrive.

Most of us in the Bay Area fight with our heavy clay soils every spring as we get ready to plant our vegetable garden. In the winter, rain causes the clay in our soil to swell, become slippery and sticky and to prevent water from draining properly. During the dry summer the soil mass will shrink, crack and become almost rock hard. Certainly not the best conditions for a successful vegetable garden! The good news is that our clay soil is composed of pre-historic ocean bottom with every mineral a plant might need, if the roots can extract them.

The soil also must be porous so that there are air spaces for the roots to get the oxygen they need and for the water to drain away and make the air spaces available. The only successful way to increase the porosity of a clay soil is by adding three to four inches of an organic amendment such as Bumper Crop, Pay Dirt, Gold Rush, Forest Blend, steer manure, rice hulls or horse manure. Gypsum at the rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet and sulfate of ammonia at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet are also spread over the area and then all plowed, dug or roto-tilled to a depth of eight inches. Horse and steer manures have practically no mineral content and so are of little or no fertilizer value. However, they still contain undigested plant material which is an excellent source of organic matter.

Gypsum reacts chemically with the clay particles and pushes them apart making the soil more porous. Sulfate of ammonia provides nitrogen to the soil bacteria enabling them to break down the cellulose in the plant material.

The organic matter works its way into the clay soil, separating it into small globules and increasing the overall porosity of the mix. The soil becomes more sponge-like and more easily worked. Each year another inch of organic matter is added to the soil to replace that which is lost through bacterial action. We like to replace the organic matter with Gold Rush which contains 15% chicken manure. Chicken manure has almost five times as much nitrogen as cow manure, so the sulfate of ammonia can be eliminated at this stage.

All of this preparation should be done during February or March, three to four or more weeks before planting time. It may take several years to get your soil to the porosity and tilth you desire but is can only be done by following this procedure.

A common mistake by well-meaning but unknowing gardeners is to add sand to clay soil in the mistaken belief that sand will compensate for the clay’s density. Unfortunately, the sand sinks below the clay forming another layer. Some of the sand will also bind to the clay forming a brick-like mass.

When the same garden space is used year after year, it will be necessary to replace some of the minerals in the soil after the second or third year with a suitable fertilizer such as Master Nursery Tomato and Vegetable Food or Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer. Fertilizer is placed on the surface and worked into the top 2 to 3 inches of soil at the time the veggies are planted and then about six weeks later.

If your soil is an extremely dense adobe, the best resolution for the problem may be to use raised beds. Eight inch high beds are a minimum. Twenty-four inch high beds are optimum. Raised beds should be no more than four feet wide so that the gardener can reach to the center from either side, but can be any length.

When gophers are a potential problem, a one-inch by one-inch mesh of welded wire should be placed on the bottom of the raised bed and folded up the inside. Do not use chicken wire which will decompose after 3 or 4 years. Next, three to four inches of compost is placed on the bottom. Finally, the raised bed is filled with "nursery mix" to within one inch of the top. No fertilizer will be needed for the first six weeks. Then use wither Master Nursery or Dr. Earth Vegetable Fertilizers.

Ideally, your garden plot should be allowed to ‘rest’ for two or three weeks so that the soil mass can settle. This time also gives bacteria a chance to begin their work and help to combine all of your ingredients.

Soil temperature is your final concern--55°F is the magic number. When soil temperatures are below 55°F there is little or no plant growth. Wait until the soil is warm enough before planting. Seedlings planted in cold soil will just sit there and may die or produce stunted growth.

Bare root season ends Sunday, March 1st!

After that we will be canning the bare roots and your chance for savings in gone! Come in and see our selection of Bare Root Fruit Trees and Bare Root Flowering Trees including Wisteria. Bare roots also include grapes and berries. So don’t wait or the savings will be gone.

Bat Guano (pronounced GWAN-oh) is one of those garden products whose mention produces a smirk or guffaw from those who are not longtime gardeners. Most gardeners are familiar with steer manure or chicken manure but there is no bat manure, but instead Bat Guano. Bats feed exclusively on insects, hence an extremely varied diet high in protein. As a result the guano (bat poop) is three times higher in Nitrogen than chicken manure and eight times higher than steer manure.

In addition, the Phosphorus and Potassium content is higher than any of the other animal manures. Micronutrients such as Sulfur, Iron, and Magnesium are also present. These nutrients are all available in an organic form which should be used to supplement your regular fertilizers and give your plants a mid-season boost. A light sprinkling twice a year is all that’s needed. And, E.B. Stone’s Bat Guano can also be used to brew your own compost tea. A couple of two pound boxes at $10.99 each will treat most gardens and produce results that will cause you to smile when you answer your neighbor’s question with, “Bat guano!”