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April 16, 2008

Warm weather brings gardening urges out of hibernation

This spell of pleasant weather may have you pondering the traditional spring question: When can I plant?

It’s kind of like asking “How long is a piece of string?”

True gardeners get so itchy to plant things outdoors when the sun comes out and the air warms up a little they’re in danger of putting seeds and seedlings in wet, chilly ground. Poor wee things.

At best, plants will not gain any advantage from early planting. In the middle run, they’ll probably rot in the ground.

At the extreme, if you till wet soil, you can permanently damage its texture. Pick up a handful of soil and squish it. If it stays in a ball, it’s too wet to till or plant. It should be more crumbly. Or, as my Matthew Rice calendar says, “If you cannot plant in shoes, don’t plant today.”

So what can you do in the garden? The URI Master Gardeners Web site has some suggestions.

Parts of the site are accessible only to Master Gardeners with the secret password. But anyone can go to the public parts of the site, including the helpful Garden Chores and Tips section, updated each month.

Among the many suggestions: Pruning, applying dormant oil (before budbreak), fertilizing perennials and planting some seeds outdoors (see site for which ones).

Links will take you to fact sheets, Master Gardener Hotline information, information on the Plant a Row for the Hungry program and a great deal more to help you plan your garden or take care of your lawn and yard.

(Always wanted to be a Master Gardener? You’ll find information and an application on the site too. Tip: Apply early.)

If you feel the need to plant something right this minute, how about a pot of pansies? Their bright colors and little monkey faces will cheer up any step or deck, and they’ll bloom through snow or heat wave into June.

Posted by Paula Constantine  at 1:53 PM | Permalink

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naoto | April 20, 2008 8:48 AM link

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