Spring Home & Garden 2021

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a pandemic. Some may even consider it therapeutic.Tim Lewis, owner and operator of Lewis Farms Nurseryin Elko, Georgia, is one of those people. Lewis was bornand raised in Elko, where he learned to grow variousflowers and crops with his grandparents. He then wenton to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College,where he received his degree in Agriculture, and thenmoved on the University of Georgia, where he received hisdegree in Agricultural Economics. After receiving hisdegrees, Lewis returned home and took a job at his highschool alma mater. Lewis taught Agriculture at Perry HighSchool for 13 years, and then worked with the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture at the Byron ExperimentStation for the next three years. After his time there, hebegan his business, Lewis Farms Nursery, full time.Needless to say, Lewis can be considered an expert on thetopic of growing gardens.With spring coming, Lewis said it’s a good time for somepre-planting upkeep. Trim hedges back now and pruneany flowers and shrubs, as long as they don’t bloom inthe early spring. Gardeners can begin getting a layout forany new gardens put together as well. Lewis mentionedthat now is a good time to ahead and fertilize gardenstoo. Also, consider building raised beds for plants.These will allow the soil to stay nice and loose, whichhelps the plants’ roots, but also makes it far easier for waterto seep into the soil. Additionally, it assists in makingsure that the ground soil is a good temperature to startgrowing in.Once that’s all done and spring has really hit its stride,once the grass has hit a “green-up,” as Lewis put it, flowergardeners can really start planting.“You’ve got your annuals,” Lewis began. These are flowersthat live and grow for one season, but then die toward theend. It includes beautiful, though temporary, flowers likepetunias, marigolds and begonias. “That’s the good thingabout annuals, they have a long bloom period.” Theseflowers will bloom in the spring and through the summeruntil fall.In opposition of that are perennials. Flowers in this categoryneed to be planted only once, and they will consistentlybloom each year. This attribute can be found in flowers likelilies and gaillardiasBut Lewis pointed out that before you can even beginplanting, you have to consider the ground you’re plantingin. “Soil, from a gardener’s standpoint, is really your most22 www.hhjonline.com
precious resource,” Lewis said. To keep the soil healthy andnutritious, planters should avoid chemicals and insecticidesas best as they can. These things are unavoidable due tovarious insects like aphids and spider mites, but Lewisstressed, “As much as you can, stay away from your severe,dangerous chemicals.”Another good way of putting some nutrients back into thesoil is to plant something called a “cover crop” in the offseason.This, according to Lewis, is something like wheator rye grass that is planted in the fall and left through thewinter and into spring. It stops the soil from being erodedaway, and when mowed out or tilled up, it will bringnutrients back to the soil for spring garden plants.Watering, or course is another concern; however, basedon information shared by Lewis, unless there’s a drought,planters shouldn’t have to worry.Finally, another consistent concern for any gardener isthe appearance of bugs. They’ll eat budding sprouts anddestroy roots. They will also lay eggs in crops to ruin themto waste. Insecticides, unfortunately, are a necessary evil.Use them as instructed, but those with harsher chemicalsshould be avoided. One tip that Lewis shared that he’s usedpersonally is to put an electric bug zapper above the garden.This will keep most flying bugs out anything that maybe planted.This year, much like last year, there’s a good chance thatpeople will be spending more time at home. It’s a goodopportunity to go outside, do a little home improvementand build a flower garden. It may take some work, a bit ofpatience and some luck too, but it will all be worth it in theend when gardeners look out into their yards and see theresults of what they’ve sewn. We do custom seeding!We do wholesale & retail!AnnualsAngeloniaDragon Wing BegoniasColeusCrossandraGeraniumImpatiensSweet Potato VineVincaPerennialsAngel TrumpetsArmeriaCalendulaCoreopsisDianthusGauraGaillardiaHeucheraHostaCandytuftLavenderShasta DaisyCreeping JennyBee BalmPhloxSalviaVerbascumVerbenaVeronicaBasketsCalibrachoaSweet Potato VinePetuniaBlack-Eyed Susan VineBoston FernsGeraniumVegetablesEggplantPepper (22 varieties)Tomatoes (30 varieties)CucumbersCantaloupeWatermelonSummer SquashZucchiniWinter SquashHerbsBasilCilantroDillChivesLemon BalmPeppermintSpearmintLemon GrassOreganoParsleySteviaThymeRosemarySage830 Hwy 26 East, Elko, GA | 478-954-1507 | www.lewisfarmnursery.comSpring 202123
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