Yes, it’s still winter, but there are always things you can do in your garden, no matter what month it is! Below you will find a few gardening tips for February.

If you haven’t ordered your seeds yet, be sure to do so now. You’ll start seeing them in the big box stores now, so make sure to get the varieties you want before stocks start to dwindle.

Just like January, you should typically make sure to water your trees and shrubs again if we don’t receive 1″ of rainfall or 1′ of snow. However, we still have a pretty good blanket of snow, so you should be good there.

Now is also a great time to prune your fruit trees, ornamental grasses, and summer-flowering shrubs (if they’re not covered in snow). First, though, make sure you sharpen and sterilize your pruning shears. And hold off on pruning your spring-flowering shrubs (lilacs, forsythia, snowball bushes, etc) until after they bloom.  

If you want to get a head-start on your vegetable garden, according to Rodale’s Organic Life, you can start a few winter items indoors: “Under fluorescent lights, start seeds of onions and leeks at the beginning of the month [and] near the end of the month, start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts…”

I hope these gardening tips for February help you check some things off your to-do list. In addition, for more February tips, check out this article from the Spruce. For additional Northern Nevada planting resources, be sure to check out some of our local nurseries. One of my favorites is Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City. Spring will be here before we know it!

P.S. Did you miss January’s gardening tips? Click here to get caught up.

Happy New Year! It’s hard to think about gardening in January when it’s often bitterly cold outside and all the plants are taking their winter slumber. Still, though, for us garden lovers, there’s always something that we can do:

• Planting your live Christmas tree. You would preferably want to do this on a sunny day so the soil isn’t quite as hard.
• Making sure to water your trees and shrubs if we haven’t received 1″ of rain or 12″ of snow for the month (I’d say we’re covered this month!). I know it’s a pain to drag out your hose in the cold, but your plants will love you for it come springtime.
• You can also use this downtime to inventory your seed bank, such as getting rid of old seeds and ordering new ones. By getting a head start on ordering your seeds, you’ll be sure to get the varieties you want.

Also, don’t forget to set some food and water out for the birds. It’s a nice way to attract some wildlife to your yard. Plus if they stick around come springtime, you’ll have some natural insect control, so it’s a win-win!

I hope these gardening tips for January help you check some things off your to-do list. For additional Northern Nevada planting resources, be sure to check out some of our local nurseries. One of my favorites is Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City.

P.S. Did you miss December’s gardening tips? Click here to get caught up.

Summer is almost upon us! With the weather heating up, the garden becomes quite the busy place. Check out this top ten list of things you can do in your garden from Greenhouse Garden Center to keep it healthy and pristine looking:

1. Prune the spring flowering shrubs after they are done blooming. Lilacs, forsythia, and snowball bushes are all spring bloomers. Take one or two of the big stems or trunks down at the ground to allow young wood to grow up and bloom in later years, and thus keeping the shrubs under control.
2. Watering the lawn in the evening is an open invitation for lawn fungus. Watering after 2am and cycling to get 2 to 3 run times that morning creates less runoff, healthier lawn. In Carson City, there are designated water days, depending on your address. Check your area to make sure that you are following your local watering laws. Increase the time on your irrigation timer 20-30% for summer heat.
3. Check and spray your roses, euonymus, apples and crab-apples for powdery mildew. This white, powder-like fungus grows quickly with mild, humid nights. If you had powdery mildew last year, chances are you will have it this year. Treat it organically with Organicide 3 in 1 Garden Spray. Cloud Cover sprayed on the leaves is another effective way to eliminate powdery mildew. Infuse is a systemic fungicide for both shrubs and lawns.
4. Watch stressed spruce trees. A fungus called Pink Needle can wipe out a spruce tree in 2 years. Spray with 2 different fungicides, a systemic fungicide called Phyton 27 and a contact fungicide called Daconil, over the course of four weeks, using each product 2 times. For the most effective results, use a surfactant/sticker called Spray Helper with each product.
5. Shade your pond. Remember that algae grows faster with more sunlight. The more plant foliage on the pond, the less algae in the water. Microbe-Lift Bio-Blue turns the water clear blue but prevents sunlight from penetration into the water. Fertilize all pond plants with Jobes Organics Fertilizer Spikes. Fertilize water lilies every month for more blooms and bigger leaves.
6. Fertilize with Sustane – An excellent All Natural Lawn Food. Another great option is Master Nursery Master Green Lawn Food. Fertilize your garden again for a bumper crop of produce.
7. Hose down your evergreens twice a month to prevent spider mites from setting up colonies in them.
8. Are you bothered by snakes? Apply Snake-A-Way and you won’t have snake problems. Reapply this product at the end of July.
9. Prune apple trees now to prevent water sprouts. Your apple tree will produce bigger fruit too!
10. June is national rose month. Greenhouse Garden Center’s selection of over 115 varieties of roses is the best in the area. Large flowering roses do best with wind and afternoon sun protection. Smaller flowering roses, landscape or shrub roses will handle northern Nevada sun and wind well.