Get ready to enjoy your garden with these events

• Raised bed gardening workshop is 10 a.m. April 8 at Wojo’s Greenhouse, 2570 Oakwood Road, Ortonville, cost is $10 each, register at 248-627-6498. Attendees receive a $10 Wojo’s gift card, www.wojos.com.


• Spring Fair is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. April 8 at Detroit Garden Works, 1794 Pontiac Drive, Sylvan Lake, 248-335-8089, detroitgardenworks.com.

Waterford Garden Club set to meet April 6

The Waterford Garden Club’s next meeting is 9:30 a.m.-noon April 6 at Waterford Senior Center, 3621 Pontiac Lake Road, Activity Room One, Waterford Township, new members welcome.

'Gardening with Children' workshop to be held at MSU center in Novi

Dr. Norm Lownds is presenting at Evenings in the Garden, “Gardening with Children-Finding Magic in Your Garden” is 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 30 at MSU Tollgate Farm and Education Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi, register at events.anr.msu.edu/evenings17win, 248-347-0269 x229, tollgate.msu.edu, $20 per class.

6 steps to growing indoors

1. The best containers are wood pulp pots or peat pots. You can also use plastic cell containers with covers or egg cartons with holes poked in the bottom and saran wrap on top. (Or reuse the annual flats from last year.) Whatever you use, make sure it has drainage.

2. Fill with potting soil, preferably a mix with sphagnum peat moss. Moisten the soil. 

3.Plant a few seeds, not many, about 1/8 inch deep and pat the soil lightly. Then cover with plastic and place in a very warm place, out of direct sunlight.

4. Keep watered. Once the seeds sprout, move the pots to a bright spot, a south-facing window is best. Water often, but not too much or too fast. The plants are fragile. If they get too big for their containers, move them to bigger pots. 

5. When it gets close to planting time, it's time to harden them by placing them outside during the day, to get used to it, but not in direct sunlight at first. Bring them in every night.

6. When it's warm enough at night, transplant to the garden. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the pot and put the plant in, supporting it with your fingers. Firm the soil gently around the stem. Water carefully.

For tomatoes, it takes 6-8 weeks before they'll be ready to transplant outside. For Southeast Michigan, wait until Memorial Day to put tomatoes and peppers outside, because they are very frost sensitive and will grow much better when it's warmer at night. Occasionally, there is frost after Memorial Day, so watch the weather and cover plants when there's a frost forecast.

Burpee's guide to indoor seed starting

Annual orchid show is March 25-26 in Madison Heights

63rd annual Michigan Orchid Society Show is 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 25, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. March 26 at United Food Workers Bldg., 876 Horace Brown Drive, Madison Heights, miorchids.com, free admission.

Sugar Maple trees are on tap for syrup season

We are tapping maple trees to collect sap and make maple syrup.
The process is pretty straightforward, but you need a little bit of equipment and clean buckets or milk jugs to collect the sap.
Then strain the sap with a mesh strainer before boiling it down to syrup. It takes a lot of sap to make a little syrup, but it's delicious. The ratio is: roughly 40 gallons of sap boil down to just one gallon of syrup.
Here's a link with step-by-step instructions, maple syrup.

It's apple season in Michigan

Michigan apple orchards are open with fresh apples and cider mills are pressing out the cider as the season kicks into gear.

Apple orchards and cider mills in Oakland County

• Ashton Orchards, 3925 Seymour Lake Road, Ortonville, 248-627-6671 - Apples, cider mill, doughnuts, pies, baked goods, seasonal produce, playground equipment. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday, August through October, then hours vary.

• Diehl’s Orchard & Cider Mill, 1479 Ranch Road, Holly, 248-634-8981, www.diehlsorchard.com - Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Aug. 15 through Oct. 31. Weekends in November. Apples, cider mill, doughnuts, hayrides and corn maze. A museum wall is coming soon, commemorating more than 60 years of family ownership. Cider Fest is Sept 24-25.

• Erwin Orchards & Cider Mill, 61475 Silver Lake Road, South Lyon, 248-437-0150,erwinorchards.com/wordpress/ - Orchard open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Aug. 19-Oct. 31. Cider mill is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hours vary. Cider mill is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 1-6. Already picked and u-pick apples, cider mill, petting zoo, corn maze in season, seasonal produce.

• Fogler’s Orchard & Farm Market, 3979 Rochester Road, (Rochester and Gunn Road), Rochester Hills, 248-652-3614, foglersgreenhouse.com - Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through mid-September, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. Apples, corn, tomatoes, peaches, melons, u-pick raspberries, pumpkins and hay rides. Open now.

• Franklin Cider Mill, 7450 Franklin Road, Bloomfield Hills, 248-626-8261, www.franklincidermill.com- Open 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekends from Sept. 3 to Nov. 27. Cider mill, doughnuts, pies, apples, pumpkins.

• Goodison Cider Mill, 4295 Orion Road, Rochester, 248-652-8450, goodisoncidermill.wordpress.com - Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily Sept. 3 through November and weekends in December. Cider mill, apples, caramel apples, doughnuts, pies and Pistachio Nut Bread.

• Long Family Orchard Farm & Cider Mill, 1540 East Commerce Road, Commerce Township, 248-360-3774, www.longsorchard.com - Apples, cider and fresh produce. Open noon to 6 p.m. daily through October. U-pick hours vary.

. Paint Creek Cider Mill, 4480 Orion Road, Oakland Township, 248-656-3400,www.paintcreekcidermill.net - Open all year, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Cider mill, doughnuts, ice cream, cafe, by Paint Creek Trail.

• Rochester Cider Mill, 5125 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 248-651-4224,www.rochestercidermill.com -Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, hours vary later in the season. Cider mill, doughnuts, pie, apples, produce.

• Yates Cider Mill, 1990 E. Avon Road, Rochester Hills, 248-651-8300, www.yatescidermill.com - Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Labor Day, open through November. Cider, apples, ice cream, fudge, Dearborn brand hot dogs and Knackwurst, pony rides, petting zoo, river walk.

Apple orchards and cider mills near Oakland County

• Blake’s Big Apple Orchard, 71485 North Ave., Armada, 586-784-9710 and Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill, 17985 Armada Center Road, Armada, 586-784-5343, www.blakefarms.com Open 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Dec. 23.

• Hy’s Cider Mill, 6350 37 Mile Road, Romeo, 810-798-3611, www.hyscidermill.com, Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 12-Nov. 8, weekends only.

. Middleton Cider Mill, 46462 Dequindre Road, Utica, 586-731-6699, Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 9 through October and 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. in November.

• Miller’s Big Red Apple Orchard, 4900 32-Mile Road, Washington Township, 586-752-7888,millersbigred.com, upick raspberries. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

• Historic Parshallville Cider Mill, 8507 Parshallville Road, Fenton, 810-629-9079,www.parshallvillecidergristmill.com. Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Sept. 3 through mid November.

• Parmenter’s Northville Cider Mill, 714 Baseline Road, Northville, 248-349-3181,www.northvillecider.com - Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, through Nov. 23. Cider mill, doughnuts, pies and other food products and wine from the Northville Winery, across the parking lot.

• Porter’s Orchard Farm Market & Cider Mill, 12060 E. Hegel Road, Goodrich, 810-636-7156,portersorchard.com. (Open Aug. 6-Dec. 24)

• Spicer Orchards, 10411 Clyde Road, Fenton, 810-632-7692, www.spicerorchards.com. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, May to Dec. 31. U-pick and already picked apples, raspberries, and seasonal produce, playground equipment, winery and ice cream.

• Stony Creek Orchard and Cider Mill, 2961 W. 32 Mile Road, Romeo, 586-752-2453, open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 10- through season, www.stonycreekorchard.com.

• Verellen Orchards, 63260 Van Dyke, Romeo, 586-752-2989, www.verellenorchards.com. Open daily all year, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Westview Orchards & Cider Mill, 65075 Van Dyke (M-53), at 30 Mile Road, two miles south of Romeo, 586-752-3123, open 8 a.m.-6 p.m., www.westvieworchards.com.