(Check out tips from Sam Franklin at Franklin Brothers Nursery)

For some, Earth Day is one day out of the year when people may pay special attention to what it means to be good stewards of the planet that we humans call home. More and more people, however, have begun thinking about putting positive environmental practices into place as the airwaves get crowded with news about increased extreme weather events, pollution and more.

Farmers around here are thinking about planting their annual crops, but local producer Sam Franklin, owner/operator of Franklin Brothers Nursery, said with the whole state in a drought situation, area farmers may be playing a waiting game.

They’re waiting for rain.

For people with backyard gardens or landscaped areas in their yards, Franklin said it’s ok to go ahead and plant. “But you need to plan ahead and use some good management practices with the water you have at your disposal,” he said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

For those planting acres and acres of crops like soybeans, corn and tobacco, it can be a bit trickier, Franklin said. Farmers face the challenge of getting the crop in the ground and get it growing when there’s been little rainfall and meteorologists aren’t seeing much hope in the forecast.

We’re lucky around here, Franklin noted, because we’ve got a bountiful supply of water at nearby Kerr Lake. “But that doesn’t mean we can abuse it. We need to use it wisely.” Whether you’re tending a backyard vegetable garden or thousands of acres of cropland, Franklin said there are things we can do to conserve water as we remain mindful of current environmental issues.

The familiar saying of April showers bringing May flowers is usually a reliable indicator, but Franklin said this year has been different.

The last measurable rainfall was sometime back in January, which means that anybody doing any planting is having to deal with dry, dusty soil – not an ideal environment for seeds and plant slips to thrive in.

Much of Vance, Granville and Warren counties are in the “extreme drought” category, with Franklin County in the “severe drought” category.

“This year, we’re starting out in a more dire situation with soil moisture, at least in the upper few inches of soil,” Franklin said. The dry weather, combined with windy conditions and low humidity, add additional wrinkles to a farmer’s planting timeline.

If they plant anything now, they’ll have to supplement with water and sometimes that’s just not practical, he said.

There’s a chance of rain on Saturday, which is good news. Whether that rain materializes or not, the long-term impacts brought by climate change probably include more of an up-and-down cycle when it comes to weather.

“We’ll have to adapt to it,” he said. “We may go from extreme drought to more rain than we actually need.”

Until we do get that rainfall, Franklin offers several tips when it comes to managing gardens, landscapes and water resources, on Earth Day and every other day:

• If you have a deep well, you’ve got an advantage when it comes to water supply
• Catch water off roofs or other structures in rain barrels
• Plant crops like tomatoes and peppers in your backyard garden – they produce abundantly in a small area
• Add compost. It helps soil retain moisture
• When you water, water deeply and don’t wait until the soil is too dried out to reapply – that creates extreme conditions that can affect plant health
• Plant more trees and shrubs in your landscape. It not only reduces the amount of grass you have, but they sequester carbon
• Grass is a water hog and takes lots of nutrients from the soil. “It’s heresy to some people, but it’s a fact,” Franklin said on the idea of shrinking the amount of turf to grow and maintain.
• Make a hole in the bottom of a gallon-size plastic jug, fill with water and place it upside-down by newly planted shrubs. It’s a crude, but effective, drip system.
• And speaking of drip systems, soaker hoses are a good way to water garden beds. There’s a lot of evaporation with overhead sprinklers.
• If you do use overhead sprinklers, water at night when evaporation is less. Nighttime watering also reduces the risk of disease in plants and lawns.

We need about 10 inches of rain to get caught up with the amount that has fallen by this time of the year, so being mindful of how and when you water your vegetable plants, flowering plants and trees and shrubs is just a good practice.

Franklin Brothers has a wide selection of garden vegetables, herbs, plants, shrubs, trees and more at their location on Vicksboro Road.

One thing he’s noticed is that folks seem to be interested in growing more vegetables, whether for the pure pleasure of it or whether they’re trying to save money at the grocery store.

“There’s nothing better than planting a tomato plant in the middle of April and going out the middle of June and picking a vine-ripened tomato,” he said.

Slice it up, slather a piece of bread with some mayo and maybe a slice of bacon and some lettuce, and you’ve got yourself a real summertime meal.

“Man, you can just taste that,” Franklin said.

You sure can.

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