STANISLAUS CONNECTIONS
Working For Peace, Justice, and A Sustainable Environment
February, 2003
Living Lightly
Spring Gardening
By MYRTLE OSNER
Our
regular gardening columnists, Dan and Barbara Pollock have retired.
There are a great many gardeners in our readership, and some might like a
few tips from our staff. Of course,
Indira Clark is the premier gardener, and you can buy her organic food all
summer at the Farmers’ Market in Modesto. --Myrtle
February is not a month most people think of as a time for gardening, but actually, spring begins in the Central Valley with the blossoming of almond trees, reliably during the week of Washington’s birthday. There is no better treat for the senses than walking through an orchard, inhaling that exquisite scent (but watch out for the bees! Orchardists import bees to make certain the flowers get pollinated or they won’t have a crop.) Next come plums, apricots, and cherries, all of which I have in my back garden. If you are a new home owner, the very first thing you should do is plant trees. That was exactly what the pioneers did as they settled the west. (remember the Johnny Appleseed legend?)
The trees may outlive you, but they are the legacy you leave for the next owner.
Planting a garden in the spring means planning it as early as possible. You are really getting ready for summer. You will want to choose seeds such as string beans (blue lake are my choice) and eggplant (Japanese style are the tastiest and most prolific). Hopefully you have already planted your onions and garlic in the fall, because spring is probably too late.
It is still possible to plant potatoes in early spring; the old gardener’s wisdom says plant them by St. Patrick’s Day. (after danger of frost is past.) So get out there and dig the place up as soon as it is dry enough. Dig in plenty of compost to lighten the soil. You might want to try some of the new varieties, such as purple or Yukon gold,both have done well for me. Plant just under the surface, but don’t bury them too deep in soil especially if your soil is heavy clay. Then start covering the potato plants as they come up, with loose compost or straw, if you have any, even leaves will do. Keep doing layering as the potatoes grow. The new potatoes will form along the stem and are easy to dig in the loose compost.
Other spring plantings include tomatoes. I have a tried and true method: Buy a six pack, taking care to buy plants that are not too leggy or root bound. Plant each plant in a large pot (10 inch will do) and put in a warm place such as a covered patio and let them grow about two weeks, or until the soil in the garden has warmed up. Pick a spot for planting that DID NOT grow tomatoes in at least the last two years. You have to outwit the microscopic nematode worms in the soil here. I prefer to have my spot rototilled and then dug again , before planting at least three feet apart. Tomatoes must be planted deeply. Remove most of the lower leaves, then bury the stem, leaving just the top crown above ground. Tomatoes then will root all along the stem and won’t need to be watered as often. Then surround each tomato plant with about four marigold plants, thus further discouraging the nematodes. Be sure to buy plants that say VFN, which means they are resistant to wilt and nematodes. My favorites are Champion and Sweet 100’s. You can share your six pack of tomato plants with the neighbors if your lot is small.
If you do not have a compost pile, start one now. My method is to dig a hole in an out of the way place. Or you can build two bins (use scrap lumber, not new, please). Keep moving the scraps from one bin to another; put all your vegetable scraps from the kitchen in it, mix in grass clippings, leaves, plant stalks from garden cleanup. No meat scraps should ever be used; they attract rodents and sour the compost. Water it every so often and by fall you will have some ready for the fall garden. You can also buy composting barrels.
It’s a shame to waste all the wonderful sunshine and water in this valley on a big lawn. And my parting advice is: if you have a gardener, NEVER LET HIM/HER blow the yard. Save all the leaves for composting. If you are a clean freak, rake around your plants if you must, and weed by hand, never with herbicide. A heavy layer of compost surrounding your vegetable plantings will help to keep the weeds down.
HAPPY GARDENING!!
