Segment 4 of S4E4 Garden questions answered for Mid/Late March- The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener radio show

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Garden questions answered in segment four by Joey and Holly

Q: I would love it if I could be pointed in the right direction for what I can do right now to prepare for spring! thank you so much in advance I am in Wisconsin
A: A few things you can start doing now is looking at what you want to plant and either but the seeds for direct sowing when the time is right for those seeds and if you want to start seeds indoors not is a good time to start tomatoes, eggplants, the brassicas, herbs, to name a few. Also you can lay out your garden so you have an outline so where you would like to start plans always change but it will give a starting point.

Q: From Instagram I am trying to find out how to use pet ashes from a cremation in the garden. From what I gather it either is or is very similar to bone meal. We want to memorialize our cat this way. He can be a part of the trees in the forest. But I don’t want to over or under do it so I am trying to get my bearings.
A: You're not going to overdo it by spreading the ashes in the garden/ forest. There will be a small amount of potash in the ashes. You have a small amount of ashes, it's not a long term feed to the plants it is a short term but there are some nutriences for the plants and it will not hurt them you would also want to mix them in the soil as they ashes can blow away.

Q:Any tips for growing tomatoes upside down?
A: Well, tomatoes don't do particularly well upside down that said if you are going to try it I would recommend an indeterminate cherry variety as it does not take as long to grow and develop as large fruiting tomatoes. I would try to grow it in full sun and be sure to keep the root system Hydrated and properly fed over the growing season as tomatoes are heavy feeders and will deplete the nutrients in the soil quickly

Q: Will there be a problem with some plants crossing with others of the same family/ varieties if planted close together ?
A: No and yes. For the current growing season if you are only growing for production
and not going to save seeds then you will have no problem. If you are going to be growing for production and seed saving then yes example you are growing 5 varieties of cucumbers there is a very good chance that you will have crossed varieties if you save seeds. Now that could be good and bad as you may have a new type of cucumber that is tastes great or one the does not

Q: Can you use a palm cactus fruit soil to put cantaloupe seedlings in?
A: You could but I would advise not to simply because palm cactus fruit soil is made to be drain and dry out much quicker than standard potting soil and as those types of plants do not like to have soi(continued)