Hartke Nursery Serving the Community Needs for 35 Years

Hartke Nursery, is located on 1.66 acres on the southeast corner of Grandview Drive and Warson Road in Olivette and celebrating its 35th year of serving the community.

Thirteen years ago, Cindy Collins purchased the full-fledged nursery outright from the original owners, the late Ralph and Pat Hartke, maintaining the good name. The main house out front is now 113 years old.

Hartke is your prototype neighborhood business serving the locals almost exclusively.

Once in a while landscapers and builders will pull up their trucks to load tons of mulch and bark, and dirt and fertilizer. But mostly, this is a one-of-a-kind service.

“We offer personal service. We take care of everyone’s needs,” said Collins, the owner. “We offer items you won’t find in the big box stores.”

At Hartke nursery, customers get guidance, a wide variety of native plants and someone who will tell you how you will become successful.

Colllins offered a tutorial on how to get your vegetable garden ready for spring time.

Here’s where to start in the garden:

“Even with this cold, chilly weather, it’s always good to talk about your soils. Be very careful now a days with Phosphorus. A lot of people use fertilizers that have three essential elements in their contents.

This is going towards encouraging people who are having any difficulties to go ahead ahead and get a soil test and address their specific needs.”

“All the times, we need organic matters added to our vegetable gardens. That leaches out its nutrients and always a good idea to put in organic matter that is well decomposed.”

Collins suggests you can use organic products from your own yard like grass clippings and leaves.

“As long as they have been decomposed first. If people want to do anything that is not decomposed, I encourage them to use nothing courser than their grass clippings.”

She suggests gardens should be first tilled in the fall.

“Then the micro organisms will turn into something beneficial for your soil. rather than robbing the nitrogen from your soil.”

Collins says cold crops are OK, just as it stays cool like this.

She is referring to crops by seed such as snap peas, regular peas, snow peas, all the Argulas; carrots, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and Cale.”

However, she says absolutely no tomatoes, right now. “We put those in April when we won’t be getting any more cold spells,” she said.

The warm weather crops can be put in by seed or by plants. That includes corn, tomatoes, peppers and egg plant.

As far as keeping the rabbits and squirrels out of the garden, Collins says that’s always a challenge.

A fence is essential, and sometimes with a top. She believes diversionary tactics can help too. By that, she suggests putting out water or food near the garden to satisfy their needs during the dry times. The squirrels like hard, dry corn.

Coming next, Collins tells readers how to prepare the lawn for spring.