What to plant in Cooler Temps - Mickman Brothers Garden Center

Getting the itch to plant, but there’s still danger of frost? No worries! There are still plenty of things that can thrive when soil and air temperatures are cool! Try these cool-season vegetables, flowers, and herbs now while your warm-season crops are happily soaking up the heat inside.

Vegetables:

Buttercrunch Lettuce

•  Any of the cruciferous crops (think broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts) thrive in cooler temperatures. In fact, frost actually increases the coloring on ornamental varieties of these crops!
•  Lettuce and spinach varieties are typically sweeter and more tender in the cooler temperatures. And they bolt slower than in warmer temps, meaning your harvest will last longer.
•  Peas are a wonderful crop that can take minor frosts with minimal damage to the plants. They are fast to produce, meaning you may be able to plant multiple times throughout the season!
•  Because the edible part is underground, root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, etc. can take frosts with minimal damage.

Herbs:

Herb Pot

•  Chives are often the first things we all see come up in the spring after the bulbs emerge. They can be chopped back and eaten soon after the plant fills out.
•  Mint is also a perennial that can take a few frosts. However, beware that mint can quickly take over a garden; this can be prevented by planting the mint in it’s container to prevent the roots from spreading underground.
•  Oregano
•  Parsley
•  Sage

Annuals:

•  Pansies and violas. pictured at right, are typically the first plants you see popping up in garden centers. That’s because they are the most cold tolerant annual flower, able to take a solid freeze. You will notice once the weather gets warmer they will start looking long and sickly. Just chop them back and let your other plants take over; once fall comes, they should look as good as they did in the spring.
•  Snapdragons
•  Alyssums
•  Calendula (pot marigold)
•  Lobelia
•  Dianthus
•  Forget-me-nots
•  Nasturtium

If you are planting from seed, be aware that the seedlings are more damaged by frost than plants with true leaves. If have already started your plants indoors or in a hoop house, they need to be hardened off for about two weeks before they are planted in the ground. To do this, simply increase the time the plants spend outside during the day so they can acclimate to the change in temperatures and sunlight.

Good luck and happy planting!!

Alyssa - Garden Center Annuals Manager

www.mickman.com

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The Lady of the Lake - A Story by John Mickman, Mickman Brothers Garden Center

When we were little kids, we called Grandma and Grandpa Mickman, Grandma/Grandpa Lake because they were the ones that lived on the lake. They lived quite close to us so we were able to go over there all the time -swimming, sailing, fishing and water skiing. (There was always some sort of work to do before the water sports could commence however.)
 

Grandma Lake, an immigrant from Norway, was an avid gardener. She built a huge stone wall, one small boulder at a time, had a large vegetable garden, grew perennials along all the edges, had a bountiful crop of apples each year and the garage was a veritable mountain of grape vines. Being ‘teetotalers’ they made grape juice; never wine. Good gracious no! She became a citizen in her ‘30’s and was proud of her work at the New Brighton Arsenal during WWII to support the troops. 

The 'Lady of the Lake' at John & Wendy's house.

One of my Grandma’s prizes was her ‘Lady of the Lake’ bronze Garden Sculpture. She and grandpa never had much money, but she prized this garden sculpture and placed it in a cherished place in her garden. It was near the apple tree surrounded by daylilies. 

Before she passed on to her ‘heavenly reward’ she asked me if I would like to have her ‘Lady’. My family lived on Coon Lake in East Bethel at the time and I told her I would be honored to have it. We brought it over to my house together and picked a good spot for it. She smiled, gave me a hug and told me that her ‘Lady of the Lake’ was going to be happy there.

We are in our 3^rd house since then, but ‘the Lady’ has followed us to each of these homes. My grandma and I had a special relationship, one that could never be replaced. But I don’t really need a replacement; grandma visits me each time I see the ‘Lady on the Lake’ in our garden. When I pass on to my heavenly reward, I will give ‘The Lady’ to one of our children. Hopefully they’ll remember me when they pass by her.

John Mickman, President

Mickman Brothers, Inc.

Garden Center in Minnesota seeking single Sunny Sky!

Weekend projects are already piling up and the rain, well, the rain just isn't playing along this April!  The grass is greening up.  Last year's gardens need to be cut down.  I'm pretty sure I missed the Pansy planting window, or did I?  And it's what next weekend?  It's Mother's Day?  I'm blaming that one on the late Easter this year.  Mother's Day usually doesn't catch me this off guard.  It's already time to head to the garden center and pick out my Mother's Day planter for Mom.

Mickman Brothers Garden Center is introducing a new idea this Mother's Day, to make shopping for your flowers easy and convenient.  We're introducing Annual Ensembles: Mickman Signature Collections.  The ensembles have matching flowers and colors available in Hanging Baskets, Patio Planters and Window Boxes.  Make any display combinations you can think of: a hanging basket with a planter on each side of your front door; a window box with a hanging basket; window boxes on your deck railing with a hanging basket swinging off the bottom; the combinations are endless!

Visit with Randy, Garden Center Manager, or Alyssa, Annuals Manager, this weekend at the 25th Annual Open House Weekend.  They can show you which Ensembles are specific for sunny porches or which Ensembles belong on shady patios.