Dear $$firstname$$,

As the excitement of the growing season gets closer, we have some exciting news to share with you. Along with a new name, picked by you, we’re announcing a new contest exclusive to Backyard Garden Club members. Just by being a member, you’re eligible to win one of 17 great prizes from Bluestone Perennials and Rapid Reel hose reels! Click here for more details.

Even if spring still seems a long way off, you can start your garden now with seeds. Get growing with these ten tips for seed starting. And depending on where you live, check off your regional to-dos this month.

SHARE YOUR SMARTS! Has a gardener you admire shared their tried-and-true gardening tips with you? Click here to share them with your fellow club members.

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Happy Gardening!
--From the editors of your favorite gardening magazines

READ ON TO DISCOVER...

• Plant of the Month
• Yard Smarts
• Question of the Month
• Ten Seed Starting Tips
• March Regional Checklist
• Frugal Gardener Tip of the Month

Submit Your Story

photo: Park Seed, www.parkseed.com

Plant of the Month

Marigold ‘Mumsy Yellow’
Soft, mild yellow (for a marigold); unusual, dense flower form and bigger blossom size resemble a mum.

Botanical name: Tagetes erecta ‘Mumsy Yellow’
Hardiness: Annual.
Size:12 to 14 inches high; 8 inches wide.
Growing tip:Full sun; well-drained soil; regular, consistent watering.
Pretty Pairings: Looks terrific with other sun-loving annuals, including petunias and zinnias.

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Yard Smarts

Freshness Test
Often, a seed packet contains more seeds than you’ll ever need. Seal surplus seeds in small airtight jars (like baby food or spice jars) or plastic resealable bags and keep them in a refrigerator or a cool dark place, out of the light. If stored properly, most seeds will germinate easily next season or even the one beyond. Some may last even longer!

Bulkier seeds, such as beans and peas, survive long-term storage best. Tiny ones, like those of lettuce or primrose, eventually dry out and won’t grow—they may not even be worth storing.

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Question of the Month

Missing Blooms
Q: We have a weeping cherry tree that only blooms on the bottom, not the top. Can you explain? –Phoebe Martin, Hampstead, Maryland

Melinda: A late-spring frost may be responsible for damaging the upper, more exposed flower buds. Monitor weather and flowering patterns to determine if this is the case.

An abundance of nitrogen fertilizer can also reduce or eliminate flowers, while increasing leaf and stem growth. Stop fertilizing unless a soil test directs otherwise. Expand the grass-free zone around your tree and mulch the exposed soil with bark or wood chips. This creates a better growing environment for the tree.

Open up the tree’s canopy to let in more light and encourage more blooms. Remove any stems that grow straight up from another branch. Then look for any shoots that develop below the graft (swollen area below the weeping canopy). These shoots don’t weep and often do not flower.

See more of Melinda’s answers

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Ten Tips for Growing Plants from Seed

1. For the best selection, order seeds as early as you can.
2. If starting seeds indoors, grow in a draft-free area, out of the way of household traffic.
3. The top of the refrigerator is an excellent place to sprout seeds because it generates warmth.
4. Seedlings started indoors require between 12 and 16 hours of light per day.
5. Don’t sow too many seeds. This can lead to a forest of seedlings that grow too thickly for you to thin without damaging them.
6. Make sure planting mix does not dry out. The best way to keep seedlings consistently moist is to cover the flat loosely with plastic. Some gardeners prefer bottom watering.
7. When the first true leaves appear, use sharp scissors to snip some of the weaker seedlings at soil level.
8. Fertilize developing seedlings with a diluted, half-strength flowering houseplant fertilizer every week or so until you begin “hardening off” outdoors.
9. When seedlings are well rooted, harden off transplants 2 weeks before moving them into their permanent location outdoors.
10. When planting seeds (or seedlings) outdoors, it’s important to check the soil first. If it crumbles in your hand, it’s time to plant.

For more seed starting tips, click here.

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March Regional Checklist

This spring, prioritize your gardening to-do’s. Click your region for a list of things you can do to this month for a beautiful garden later:

• Northeast
• Northwest
• Southwest
• Central
• Southeast

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Frugal Gardener Tip of the Month

photo: RDA, INC/GID

Play the Shell Game with Seedlings
You don’t have to buy seedling pots this spring. Instead, make your own from eggshells, using the egg carton as a tray.

Next time you use eggs, carefully crack them in half, rinse out the egg residue, then poke a drainage hole in the bottom of each half shell with a sharp scissors or ice pick. Fill the shells with a lightweight sterile potting mix formulated for seed starting, and then sow the seeds.

When the seedlings are ready for transplanting, gently crush the eggshell with your fingers and plant them, eggshell and all. The shell will improve your soil as it decomposes.

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It’s Your Club. As a valued member, we want to hear your gardening stories, tips and ideas. Click here.

Step Back to the Victory Era!

The editors of Reminisce magazine bring you Reminisce Through the Decades: The 1940s, a 6-hour-plus, three-DVD set of real-life stories from the ’40s! For more information, go to www.reminisce.com.

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