Weeding between the lines

By Jim McGinty

The snow and ice are mostly gone from the garden here at Rancho McGinty, though the frozen soil would require a pickax to create a planting hole or seed trench, LOL. 

“As soon as the soil can be worked” is a common phrase for folks living in our short season gardening area of the world:  just as soon as you can, plant something, but be prepared with backup plants and seeds, ‘cuz you just know there is at least one more killer frost out there.  Sometimes, we “risk-taking” gardeners get it right, and we have 100  frost free days, but more likely we will have (probably) 70 frost free days, so accordingly plan.

Our September 2022-planted garlic patch is not showing (yet) any signs of greenery, though I’ll bet we’ll see some sprouts show up mid-April, and even the strawberries in their raised bed, are still hiding beneath the maple leaf mulch – time soon to pull back the mulch, and let the sun do it’s job.  

Back in 2022, we saw a, let’s call it “lengthy” rather than “way too long” rainy and cold Spring, so this year, let’s try some season-extension techniques, in hopes of starting off the plants early enough to harvest ripe food later in Summer:  place clear plastic film or black weed block over the planting areas and raised beds, to raise soil temperatures; choose short season or early seeds and plants; put plastic gallon milk jugs or “cloches” over the baby plants (though you will want to monitor the daytime temperatures, so as to not cook those plants, LOL); use mini-greenhouses or low-tunnels (rows of short hoops covered with clear plastic or floating row cover), and especially remember to cover those plants with row cover (brand names include “Ree-May”, and “Agribon”) to protect those darling little babes down to +26 degees Fahrenheit.

In the berry patch, now is a great time to plant blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries, though you will have to protect them from 4-legged predators seeking anything edible and green.

Speaking of strawberries, now is a good time to fertilize the plants (before they break dormancy) – early manure or fertilizer will encourage new runners and flowers, but wait until after harvest for the next application. 

Out in the fruit tree orchard, now is the time to finish pruning off all those damaged, dead, crossing, or in-growing branches, and if you have access to woodstove ashes, apply a ring of ashes around the drip line – fruit trees will respond with more and better fruit.  And no, it’s not time to apply dormant oil yet – the oil will smother evil-doers (scale insects, aphids, knats, fruit flies, and more) better if you wait until after frost-free nights.

And above all else, don’t be in a rush to plant “jungle plants” (frost-sensitive plants like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.) until after our last frost – you will just make local nurseries very happy, as you buy expensive replacements.  No, I don’t know anyone who can accurately predict our last frost date, though I’m pretty sure the 4^th of July is a strong possibility!

GARDEN CALENDAR:

On the 11^th of April, our local garden club will meet at 7 P.M. in Camden Grange and Community Center (located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA  99009) for an evening of fun, and some useful gardening information:  a short class on extending your gardening season in your garden. You will learn how to start early, and safely, and maybe harvest ripe, red tomatoes, instead of green, tasteless tomatoes.  As usual, there will be time at the meeting for socializing, networking (I always wanted to use that word in this column, LOL), and trading hard won tips and techniques – oh, and we’ll have delicious snacks, too!  

Don’t forget to check out our club happenings here, and on our Facebook page, Elk-Camden Garden Keepers. See you out there.