horticultural therapy is something that has been used
by doctors and therapists for over 200 years. It is well
documented that working in the dirt calms the heart, which
in turn lowers blood pressure. It has also been proven that
homeowners who have beautiful plants and flowers tend to
spend more time outside.
A critical component to growing a lush, easy-to-care
for garden is selecting the correct plants, flowers and
vegetables. The United States Department of Agriculture
has divided the country into 11 hardiness zones to illustrate
regional temperature differences. Hardiness defines a plant’s
ability to survive the coldest temperature for the region.
According to the USDA plant hardiness zones, West Mifflin is
located within Zone 6.
A wide selection of flowers, plants and vegetables can be
grown in a variety of hardiness zones. What varies between
zones is when they should be planted. It is best to use a
month-by-month checklist. In our Zone 6, vegetables should
be planted after the last frost in April. Tender plants such as
tropicals and annuals should be planted in May and spring
flowering bulbs can be planted anytime from September to
November. Transplant perennials, trees and shrubs should
be set out in the spring or fall.
Most plants, flowers and vegetables need
water on a daily basis, sometimes twice a
day on extremely hot and humid
days. The climate in Zone 6 is apt to
change quickly so a gardener should
use common sense and monitor when
frosts could occur in the spring or fall and alter the planting
schedule accordingly.
Most vegetables can be planted in Zone 6.
But some of the most popular include beans,
cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, onions,
peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes,
watermelon and zucchini. Fall and winter vegetables
include arugula, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbag