April
Current Berry Picking Status:
These are approximate times for the 2012 season. Look for updates as picking times get closer and daily updates when picking opens..
Blueberries: Late June beginning of July
Blackberries: Mid to late July
Peaches: August
Red Raspberries: July through Fall
Apricots: Mid to late June
Apples: July through Fall
The U-Pick Patch opens at dawn and closes at dusk. We close the patch every couple of days to ensure that there are plenty of ripe berries for all of our pickers. To check whether the patch is open for picking and for daily fruit availability check this website, find us on Facebook, or call us toll-free at 888-459-2586. The message on this machine changes from season to season and also includes greenhouse hours and more.
April
Lawn
Apply crabgrass preventer when redbud trees are in full bloom. The preventer needs to be watered in before it will start to work. Remember that a good, thick lawn is the best weed preventer and may be all that is needed on a healthy, vigorous lawn. (Note: Use Barricade for one application.)
Landscape
Fertilize your Daffodils & Tulips with bone meal as the leaves appear. This is a great time for them to uptake the phosphorus which will stimulate a great spring show!
Cut back all rose canes to 8-12". Fertilize when there is 2" of new growth. Use a fertilizer that is formulated for roses and fertilize at least once a month. See more information on fertilizing roses under MAY. This is a good time to spray Lime Sulphur on the canes and the ground surrounding the roses. Some people like to remove the old mulch and add new clean mulch, but spraying Lime Sulphur will kill any overwintering fungus. If you noticed black-spot or mildew on your roses last season then this is a good preventative measure for the coming season.
Spring cleaning time.clean-up perennials (Daylilies, Hibiscus, Daisies, Plumbago, Coreopsis, Phlox, Hosta, etc.) by removing the dead foliage. Top dress and work compost into the ground around the perennials. Now is a good time to divide perennials as they pop out of the ground. To keep perennials healthy and blooming to their full potential they should be divided every 3 years. Now is a good time to divide ornamental grasses that have gotten broad for their areas. It is normal for the center to die out so every three years you should dig up the clump and keep a gallon size clump to place back in the spot. Destroy or give away the remainder!
Re-mulch cypress mulched areas that are thin. Keep 2-inches of mulch in the beds to prevent weeds.
Prune Hollies to shape; take up leaves and apply acid fertilizer.
Hydrangeas should be cleaned up now and trimmed to shape as the new growth pokes up.
Time to prune the Evergreen Junipers, Arborvitae, Boxwood, Holly, & Yews and lightly again in June to keep them shaped.
Remove protective tree wrap from young trees. This is usually applied in October, just before it gets cold and rabbits need something to chew on. But now it is time to remove it. It is usually removed now so it does not become a place for insects to hide. Making the bark visible means you can watch for any insect damage.
Garden
Planning a garden? Choose a very sunny site with good drainage. Now is the time to till the soil and prepare to plant. The straw or hay mulch should have been burned in the fall, but if you didn't have time it can be raked up now and burned. You should have tilled the soil in the fall as well and added soil amendments. If you didn't add soil amendments in the fall you can add compost (Back to Nature) and till. Plant early crops like: onions, radishes, peas, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, turnips & potatoes. Mulch the bare ground so you don't have to hoe weekly! Straw or hay spread 2" thick over the garden will help hold moisture and prevent weeds from taking over.
Time to plant strawberry plants, asparagus crowns, rhubarb roots, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, gooseberry, grapes and fruit trees!
2991 Goldfinch Road
Hiawatha, Kansas 66434
