Sprout Farm Newsletter   May 4, 2024     sproutfarm.net       open 9-5 daily      

Hello Everyone, Yes, Spring is here but keep your warm jacket handy. The morning temperatures are still dipping down into the 30's. If I could find the soil thermometer I'm sure the temperature would be somewhere down in the basement. 

  Don't worry, Jay is ever the optimist and he has moved many of his planets out of the greenhouses and onto the benches. Cloudy weather is good. Cold clear nights are not good. Spring time on Cape Cod can be more thrilling than the Kentucky Derby. At least that race is over in two minutes. Gardeners have to wait through every morning wake up call to see how the garden survived the night. We persevere through it all every year and we will this year too. 

    This week's sale:Free, everyone likes free stuff, we know this from our past, so this week 5/5 - 5/11- for every $50.00 spent on PLANTs earn a 1 cu ft bag of Pro Mix potting soil, retail price $10.99 Free. This sale runs through Saturday. And for Mother's Day, a two day only sale Saturday 5/11 and Sunday 5/12, Our hanging baskets are 25% off regular price. All of our plants are grown here. 

    We sell 10" hanging baskets and that is considered a middle size basket. A 10" basket has double the soil volume of an 8" basket and a 12" basket has double the soil volume of a 10" basket. The larger the pot, the easier it is for the soil to retain moisture between watering. If you are mainly growing plants in hanging baskets and containers you need to consider your lifestyle and will you be able to maintain a watering schedule for the size of your containers. An 8" container will require constant attention as the plant goes through the watering/drying out cycle. Is it enough water or too much? How do you water if you are only here on weekends? There are no easy answers but you may want to try taking a 10" basket and re-potting it in a container with a larger soil volume. I've always found letting water fall down into a pot easier than pushing water up into an overhead container but some people like a challenge and may not have space for a patio container. Plants are like children; they need constant feeding and watering. It is best to water plants in the morning so they use the moisture for growth during the day and have a chance to dry out at night. Root rot is a silent killer of plants.

    The kitten report: We're still waiting. Wheezie is sleeping a lot but she always follows Jay out to the farm stand when he goes out in the morning. She's trained him to give her treats as soon as he rolls back the door.

   We have new signs at the ends of the benches that list the plants you will find there. It will help us back-fill the benches efficiently too.

     That's all for now. Please be patient with the parking and we hope to see you soon.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout