March
2019
PICKAWAY TO GARDEN
Time to Start
By Paul Hang
I am often asked, and foolishly answer, when should I
plant tomatoes, beans etc.? The answers of course depend on conditions not on a
date. Dates are unreliable for planting but not for finding a mate. The
exception is starting seeds indoors, ordering seeds and plants and planning
your garden. The time to start these things is now, if not earlier. No need to
run around like the March Hare screaming “I’m late. I’m late, for a very
important date.”
If you have a garden, or want to start one, it is time to
start. If you want to start plants from seeds, it is time to start. Starting
seeds indoors does not depend on the weather as we can control the conditions.
Those of us who start seeds indoors have our favorite recipes. For an
entertaining, and reliable source, go to growingagreenerworld.com and put “starting
seeds” into their search box. We cannot make a blade of grass or a tomato. Only
a seed can do that.
Planting seeds outdoors also depends on conditions. The
seed packet should tell us when to plant outdoors. We can plant a seed. Then,
like a good cook who doesn’t need a recipe, nature provides a little light, a
little warmth, stir in a little water, a pinch of nutrients, and a plant
appears seemingly out of nowhere.
Perhaps most gardeners buy plants and set them out when
conditions dictate. If you are thinking of starting a garden for the first time
this is the way you will probably proceed. But why plant a garden? If it’s vegetables
you’re thinking of, perhaps you want to know where your food is coming from.
Growing your own food you can make sure the food doesn’t have synthetic
chemicals on it. Other reasons are cost, although there is book titled “The $64
Tomato,” you don’t have to spend a lot of money. You could actually save money.
The easiest vegetables to grow are: Cherry tomatoes, bush
beans, cucumbers, leaf lettuce summer squash and peas. In just a 4’x4’ bed you
can grow 25 lbs. of carrots, or 4 heads of broccoli, 16 onions, 30-40 jalapeno
peppers, enough zucchini to give a lot away, a large kale plant. Five pounds of
summer squash, or 12 lbs. of bush beans, or 24 -30 cucumbers, or 6-7lbs. of
leaf lettuce, or enough cherry tomatoes for all your salads, can be grown in
just that small bed. How much would those cost? You do the math. I usually don’t grow
things that are cheaper to buy such as potatoes, unless I want better taste or
selection, like tomatoes. Or sometimes I grow cheaper vegetables just because I
like to grow them, like onions.
So try a garden this summer, vegetable or flowers or
both. If you have children, give them the opportunity to grow a food they like.
Or, sometimes children will try a vegetable they don’t like because they grew
it themselves, with help. A good crop to try, because it’s only three weeks from
seed to maturity, is radishes. It’s time to start.
Things to do in the
garden:
If
you feed the birds, don’t stop now. March and April are the toughest months for
them. Food is scarce. New fruits, insects and seeds are a long way off and the
old ones have been eaten. March is also time to clean out bird houses and ready
for the nesting season. Begin fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now
is a good time to propagate houseplants. March is not too late to try winter sowing.
What is winter sowing? Google “winter sowing” for more information. Have your
soil tested. Materials and directions are available at the OSU Extension
Office.
The
last average frost date here in zone 6 is April 23rd. A number of
seeds should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of
days to harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set
out your plants. The last average frost date means there is a fifty-fifty
chance of frost on that date. That’s the same odds as flipping a coin. A word
to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are prepared to
protect them should the odds work against you. The old rule of Memorial Day is
the safest for tender plants.
Start
your seeds indoors for hardy plants (basil, beets, broccoli, Brussels' sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower, kale, onions, garlic, peppers, leeks, and shallots) if
you haven’t already. You can set them out later mid-month weather permitting. Wait
till later in the month to start the half-hearty plants like tomatoes, eggplant
and peppers, unless you are prepared to transplant to a larger container. Most
flower seeds, annuals or perennials, can also be started. Always check the seed
envelope for planting information. Once the soil can be worked (see below) plant
lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, beets, carrots, chard, collards and radish seeds
directly into the soil. Onion sets and potatoes can be planted directly into
the soil.
Rake
the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Dig out those
biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant trees
and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant perennials the
better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil that sticks to
your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball of soil and
drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work.
Before
those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune
damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward,
suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune
deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering
trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and
fall flowering clematis.
If
you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (Tying up the grasses before
cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up), don’t throw
them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm
days to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull back mulch from
around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them back up if a hard
freeze threatens.
Late
March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn to prevent crabgrass.
The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery Pear. But be
forewarned, most pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. There are now
selective pre-emergent that do not affect grass seed. If you plan to seed any
parts of your lawn, to repair damage from winter or from our summer droughts,
don’t apply a non-selective to those areas. This warning also applies to areas
where you plan to plant vegetables and flowers by directly seeding in the soil.
Apply pre-emergent on a calm day. A light fertilization of the lawn is all
you’ll need. Fall fertilization is best.
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