Jeff Lowenfels

JEFF LOWENFELS

Yard safety tips for Planting Out Weekend

This is Planting Out Weekend. Wow, after 11-plus feet of snow, who would have thought we would be here (and with such a gentle break-up)? Nature is wonderful.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Lawns need little except water right now

Here are the two best bits of advice I can give you for this week. Do not apply fertilizers. Do not apply lime. Just apply water.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Gardening: Time to target dandelions is now

Dandelions are among the first plants to green up in spring. This is significant because the lawns and gardens they invade have not. They are easy to spot, and we have a terrific window of opportunity to work on these invasive weeds.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Don't be tempted to start planting outside yet

The big temptation when night temperatures seem to stop dipping below freezing is to plant everything outdoors. The experienced Alaska gardener knows this is a big, big mistake.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Organics is a gardening 'craze' that's totally sane

While Alaska gardeners may dabble in crazes, our big movement is organics, and based on my observations, we are at the forefront of this movement. Compost, compost teas, animal and plant meals for fertilizers, no rototilling and a grudging willingness to accept dandelions and clover in lawns seem to be prevailing.

JEFF LOWENFELS

As snow melts, assess plant damage

I see the paths in the wet snow. People are going out into their yards to check for winter damage as a result of the record snow of 2012. Of course, it is better to wait a bit for the lawn to dry out, but I suppose we can't help ourselves.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Keep off the grass as lawns emerge from snow

The only excuse to walk on your lawn until the snow melts and it dries out is if you have to go and get the bird feeders and the bird seed and make sure they are put away in a bear-proof location.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Spring means let sun start seeds

This is the week there is officially enough natural light to start seeds without having to resort to also using artificial sources. Mind you, this applies mostly if you have windows facing south, but you take what you can.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Wanted: Weather, plant observations

A couple of weeks ago I used the word "phenology," which is the study of animal and plant life cycles in relationship to the weather or, more precisely, the climate.

JEFF LOWENFELS

In theory, snow should mean warmer soil

So the big debate these days is the impact of all this year's snow on the garden season. It is, of course, impossible to tell exactly what the impact will be, but there is some science that helps us make some pretty good predictions.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Smart gardeners embrace fungi

I spend an awful lot of time on the road during the non-gardening season promoting "Teaming With Microbes" and trying to convince gardeners not to use chemicals. As a result, I get to meet (and re-meet) lots of really interesting, knowledgeable people.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Primroses give gardeners their money's worth

My father used to grow primula in his greenhouse so we could all enjoy their colorful blooms in late winter. These, it turns out, were the very same kind of primroses that are being sold now by nurseries and florists, supermarkets and big-box stores.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Latest trends noted at garden shows

'Tis the season of the garden shows, and I have been on the circuit talking about the soil food web and a certain book I think every gardener needs to read.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Time for your floral preseason workout

Enough snow. There isn't anything else to say about it, except "enough." Not even a remark about all the nitrogen that it contains and how good the deluge will be for our lawns this spring. Who cares? Enough snow.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Sweet pea starts can help take your mind off winter

It's been a tough winter, and I am getting lots of demands for something, anything, that can be started indoors now and will be usable in the garden this summer. I fall back on sweet peas. You can start them now and get fabulous flowers very early in the outdoor season.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Catalogs with attitude improve winter

Some gardening catalogs are just plain clever. This is always a reflection of their owners' sense of humor or dedication to the subject matter at hand. It means not only great information but a good read is as well.

USDA's new planting zones reflect global warming, even in Alaska

JEFF LOWENFELS

Explore 'eCatalogs' during deep freeze

A good place to start is with chickens. The whole urban chicken thing is being classified under gardening, at least in a lot of major bookstores. So it shouldn't come as a surprise to know that you can mail order anything you need poultry-wise.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Online seed catalogs are sprouting up

In case you haven't been noticing the trend over the past five years, printed seed catalogs are going the way of the dodo. The first wave of seed catalogs in late January used to be a harbinger of spring. No longer. Most catalogs are online and more and more are only online.

JEFF LOWENFELS

Tour world with gardening web-o-logs

For some reason this weekend, I dreamed about a type of dahlia I once saw in Australia and that got me to thinking about writing a column on them. Then I remembered that one of my garden traditions, beginning the study of the new garden catalogs right after the New Year, has morphed into writing about them.

JEFF LOWENFELS

The facts on animal waste in the garden

Well, we made it through the winter solstice. This means soon enough we will tire of snow and start to long for the outdoor garden season (though this year that point may have come earlier than usual). It is also the last column of the year, providing me one more chance to answer the few emails that just didn't fit into any other columns this year.

JEFF LOWENFELS

You don't have to let voles do a number on your yard

When Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) penned the words, "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse," he wasn't thinking about what was going on outside that quiet house.