Jay Gurney, owner and nurseryman of Yankton Nurseries LLC, 2000 Ferdig Ave., is hoping we see temperatures and moisture closer to normal this season. “We have plants here at the nursery that are suitable for our region and are hardened or adjusted to our climate,” Gurney said.
• Trees and shrubs had a hard time last year. If you are not sure your plant is alive, cut a small nick into branches or scratch with your nail below the outer surface. If you see green below, the plant is probably OK. If several branches are brown and snap dry, the plant is firewood.
• April is early gardening time. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, radish, carrots, peas, beets chard, potatoes, and onions all work well in the early garden. Save room for warm garden plants for May: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans, and corn. Some gardeners cover their warm season plants planted early for frosts that occur in late April.
• We will soon know how much lawn grass died from last year’s drought. Daily air temperatures need to rise to about 70 degrees F. for blue grass to sprout. If enough lawn is green, over-seeding may work to fill in the weak spots. Open areas that receive full sun will likely need re-seeding. If you do plant grass, don’t apply fertilizer with crab grass preventer. It will prevent the new seed from sprouting.
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