According to many local, long-time gardeners, the presence of snow on the North slope of Mount Spokane is THE sign that garden planting is still a bad idea. Other folks never plant anything until after Memorial Day; other gardeners follow their favorite guru, and wait the recommended four weeks past the last frost date, and some folks just plant everything whenever, and replace the withered remains when an unexpected frost hits. Garden supply centers LOVE our local, unpredictable climate: “Well, hello Bob, how many replacement tomato plants would you like this time?”.
My long-time gardening partner and wife, Pat, and I will be gardening in our Earth Box raised beds on the front deck, again this year. Last year, we learned that the Earth Box method worked great for salad makings (lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, etc.), and not so much for our favorite root crops (potatoes, garlic, onions, etc.) – lesson learned – we’ll shop at the local farmers’ market!
Here at Rancho McGinty, the garlic spears in the main garden are about 14 inches tall, and looking really good – I planted the garlic cloves last October, into holes die-cut in black, woven weed block material (bought from
Amazon). I placed drip irrigation “weep hose” down in between the rows of garlic, and when it’s time to feed the garlic plants (they love homebrew manure tea!), I just use my “fertigator” (fertilizer irrigator – an inline bottle of the aforementioned manure tea), and it’s done – easy.
Out in the garden, now is the time to plant those seed potatoes and onion sets, and it’s probably safe to sow seeds for some of the cool weather crops: beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
Please don’t forget your compost piles or bins: tee-shirt weather means it’s time to get your compost cooking (yes, successful composting efforts will produce visible steam on our semi-frosty mornings) with additions of fresh grass clippings, fresh (whew!) manure, last year’s leaves, and a sprinkling of water. Every week, turn or toss the mixture into the another pile or bin, add some more grass clippings and water, and then start a new batch of compost – you will NEVER have enough!
Speaking of never having enough, I’m just now learning about the benefits of (wait for it) sheep wool pellets. My favorite sheep raiser tells me these are excellent for the garden, and her appraisal reads true: wool pellets hold twenty times their weight in water (reducing your expensive watering activities), wool pellets puff up in water and increase the porosity (oxygen) in the soil, wool pellets are a slow release fertilizer (naturally high in nitrogen), and wool pellets (barbed by nature) are VERY unfriendly to slugs and snails. Something new in gardening to check out.
GARDENING CALENDAR:
On 11 May, for all of you mushroom enthusiasts, there will be a Mushroom Festival at Happy Dell Park in Kettle Falls, 9 A.M. to 8 P.M.
Activities include fungi identification classes, cooking demonstrations, children’s games, and admission is free. More details from Gabe at 509-738-2087, or e-mail Kelly at childrenofearth@outlook.com
Also on 11 May, our local Farmers’ and Artisan’s Market opens from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. at Camden Grange and Community Center (located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA). Plant starts, produce, live music, arts and crafts, and just a whole lot of fun.
On 14 May, our local garden club will meet in the aforementioned Camden Grange and Community Center (still located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA) at 7 P.M. for an evening of friendship, snacks, and the much-requested return of Master Gardener Kamori Cattadoris with a presentation on starting and using a home herb garden – how to, and what for!
On 19 May, we are all invited to a day-long workshop in Spring Valley on gardening techniques, greenhouse construction and use, food preservation classes, herbal preparations, and much more. Workshops and demonstrations run from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., and there is no admission charge: a fun day in the sun (?) at 6561 Spring Valley Road, Newport, WA – you can call 509-860-4792 for more details.
That’s it for now – gonna be a busy Spring.
