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 Dianne Noland to Speak at Hoerr Nursery

Peoria, IL – Dianne Noland, host and producer of Illinois Gardener on WTVP-TV, will be speaking on “Getting Your Garden Juices Flowing,” on Friday, March 20, 2009, 3:30pm at Hoerr Nursery. Noland will kick off the popular “Leap Into Spring” event at the award-winning nursery. Ms. Noland’s talk will be the first of the Gardening 101 sessions open to the public and presenting basic gardening tips to Central Illinois.

Ms. Noland’s engaging and upbeat presentation will cover how to use color, a variety of plants, your personal preferences, etc., to create wonderful gardens or container collections. She will discuss early spring plants as well as those that will work well into the summer.

Dianne Noland has co-authored 11 books and is a University of Illinois horticulture instructor of five courses, covering floral design/floriculture and landscaping with bulbs, perennials, and native plants. Her recent teaching honors include a national Teacher Fellow Award. She lives and gardens on 33 acres in rural Central Illinois.

Other Gardening 101 topics at Hoerr Nursery to be presented by horticultural staff and garden experts include:

Mar 26 and 28 Getting your ideas organized. Know what to put where.

April 2 and 4 Step 1: Spring lawn care. Off to a good start.

April 9 and 11 Part Sun/Part Shade? Shedding light on light requirements.

April 16 and 18 Shrubs: a well-kept secret to common concerns

April 23 and 25 Trees: How to pick the perfect tree for me.

Other than Ms. Noland’s presentation, each Gardening 101 talk is held on Thursday at 5pm and repeated on Saturday at 9:30am. Everyone is welcome to these free presentations in the GardenHouse at Hoerr Nursery.

Hoerr Nursery was again named as one of the 100 Most Revolutionary Garden Centers for 2009 by Today’s Garden Center Magazine. This is the fourth year that the nursery has been recognized with this award.

Hoerr Nursery was established by D.A. Hoerr, 83 years ago. Today, the 3rd generation owns and operates the Central Illinois business. The business includes a nursery for growing shrubs and trees, an award-winning Landscape Design and Installation Department, a Lawn Care/Maintenance and an award-winning Garden Center with a StoneMarket and the GardenHouse, a 10,000 sq ft retail greenhouse.

Hoerr Nursery, 8020 N Shade Tree Drive, Peoria, IL 309-691-4561.

Quite Simply. Amazing.
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NS&I reveal gardeners are reaping the financial benefits of growing their own produce

New research* released by NS&I shows that gardeners are reaping the financial benefits of growing their own fruit and vegetables. Seventy eight per cent of those who grow their own said that people should consider nurturing their own home-grown produce as a way to save cash.

As NS&I announces the second year of its sponsoring the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) 'Grow Your Own' campaign, it is urging Brits to give growing a go - with even more financial benefits than simply boosting savings. The study also revealed that growing your own produce can teach valuable lessons about looking after personal finances. The research served to reinforce the message that having an investment savings account while producing home grown produce was a recipe for success.

90% of people said that growing their own produce was similar to having a savings account as they needed to plan ahead, and a similar number (92%) stated that for both disciplines it is only possible to reap the benefits through patience and regular effort.

Last year NS&I and the RHS joined forces to help improve the nation's health and wealth through the 'Grow Your Own' campaign - and this year the campaign returns with a new flavour as NS&I and the RHS encourage Britons to give fruit growing a try.

Tim Mack, Head of Marketing and Communication at NS&I, explained: "We're proud to actively support and sponsor the 'Grow Your Own' campaign, because we know that growing your own is just like saving in many ways - it helps you financially and your initial investment benefits from good planning and nurturing. Growing your own fruit or veg is not only worthwhile but is also something that can be done almost anywhere."

The sponsorship builds on the successful relationship that NS&I has had with the RHS for many years, including NS&I's involvement in the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show where in 2009, NS&I will again be supporting the Growing Tastes Cookery Theatre.

Richard Hunt, Corporate Development Manager at the RHS, added: "NS&I is an ideal partner for the Grow Your Own campaign, and we're delighted that these two national institutions are working together. We hope we will inspire the British public to use whatever space or means they have to get growing."

The RHS will be running a series of events throughout the year, demonstrating how easy and worthwhile home-grown produce is. Kicking off with a free open day on 7 March across all four RHS Gardens (Wisley, Rosemoor, Harlow Carr and Hyde Hall), the 'Grow Your Own' campaign will offer curious gardeners and keen amateurs top advice on how to grow and care for fruit and vegetables - with growing starter kits available to the first 2,000 visitors to each garden.

Transplants You May Have Not Considered
by Paul Betz, Commercial Grower Sales, High Mowing Seeds

Many farmers are aware of the benefits of transplanting sweet corn, including an even stand, avoiding crows and seed corn maggot damage, and getting an earlier crop. When I tell people we transplant green beans, a lot of eyes roll back. Beans are a little extra work, and they take up valuable room in an already cramped greenhouse, but I can’t imagine not transplanting them every year. Anyone who is selling at a farmers’ market can appreciate the value of having the “new thing” as early as possible. By bringing beans to the market very early, we get more stops at our stand and a better price.

We start ‘Provider’ bean seedlings about two weeks before they are direct seeded in the field, putting two seeds to the cell in a 50-cell flat. We plant them out after the first true leaves are full. Seedlings tend to be very tender and should be adequately hardened off. We transplant 5” apart within the row, and we use three rows in a 48” bed and then hoop and cover seedlings with AG-19 row cover. We space seedlings farther apart than seeds because transplanted bean plants get so much larger. We transplant three times, one week apart, and direct seed at the same time for a continuous supply.

Beets and spinach can also be transplanted for an early presence at the market. Spinach varieties ‘Tyee’ and ‘Samish’ work well. For beets we use ‘Early Wonder Tall Top’ or ‘Red Ace,’ but other standard varieties perform well. These crop types are planted in 128-cell flats, two seeds per cell, about three weeks before our typical direct seeding date. We transplant on the same day as our first seeding in the field. Transplants are set 4” apart within the row, with four rows to a 48” bed, and are covered with AG-19 row cover, although we don’t generally hoop them. We ensure, however, that the cover is loose enough for the plants to push up as they grow. The row cover also hides the crop from deer.

Including these plantings in your farm will give you earlier produce for a better price, without the expense of a high tunnel, and your customers will be excited to be eating healthy local foods after a long winter. (The Seed Bin, March 2008, High Mowing Organic Seeds, www.highmowingseeds.com)