Gardening season has officially arrived. No matter where you live, there are things you need to plant, care for, plant and maintain.The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
What should you plant now? How should you protect your new shoots? Can you really do anything about pests? All are included in our regional spring gardening list.
Spring Gardening Tips
The Rocky Mountain region
Northern California
northwest
Southern California
southwest
plant
Grow in a beautiful garden bed for easy picking.
Choose heat-loving vegetables carefully. They all need plenty of sunlight. Place tall crops (lentils, corn, tomatoes, etc.) north of shorter varieties (such as cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peppers, and pumpkins) so they don't shade them.
maintenance
Before they go to seed, until the cover crop you planted in your garden last fall.
Learn worm composting (worm box composting). The box is easy to make and maintain, and the finished product - the casting - can be used as fertilizer for your garden.
The easiest way to remove it is to hoe the grass early the morning after watering.
protection
Place indoor grown seedlings in a protected area, such as a covered patio, for a week or two to allow them to harden. Cover them with old sheets at night to help them acclimate to the outdoors.
Fill a glazed saucer at least 12 inches wide and 2 inches deep with water. Put it under a bush or tree to protect the bird from predators.
Carefully collect and destroy all leaves affected by peach curl or other diseases. Do not compost the leaves or use them as mulch, as this can spread disease.
Check nests before trimming shrubs and trees; Leave them alone until the eggs are hatched and the chicks are out of the nest.
Use plastic baskets of small tomatoes or strawberries to protect newly sprouted seedlings from birds. When the seedlings are tall enough to fit through the top of the basket, they are no longer as delicate as the birds like.
plant
The flowers of Oriental and trumpet lilies glisten in the dark, illuminating the night, perfuming the air, and attracting pollinating moths. White films like "Black Dragon," "Casa Blanca," "Proud Bride" and "Serene Angel" stood out in the dim light. Place in a pot or a fertile bed in full sun or partial shade.
Plant a variety of perennial flowers in your yard to attract pollinators. Favorites include aster, marigold, false indigo, Mexican hat, five bucket flowers, purple calendula, rowan and yarrow.
Start with the seeds of Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), a tufted grass perfect for dry meadows and rock gardens. Available from seedstrust.com.
Grow potatoes in Smart Pot fabric containers (smartpots.com) that contain one-third potting soil and add a balanced fertilizer. Cut the seed potatoes into chunks (make sure each has two eyes) and bury them about 2 inches deep. As the stem grows, gradually add more soil until the bag is full. Keep it evenly moist but not soggy, and spray kelp liquid every two weeks until flowers appear.
maintenance
Air out the lawn and let the stopper rot in place.
Trim the rose branches to the top of the plump green buds.
Water and turn the compost each time you add 2 to 3 inches of fertilizer.
Canada thistle is a tough weed, remove the seedlings before it takes root. Note the prickly rosettes that appear in winter. Dig them out, carefully digging out the whole taproot, which can grow back if it breaks.
protection
Before the queen builds her new nest, yellow jacket traps are hung in isolated areas to lure them out of hibernation.
If rabbits eat your flowers, try growing flowers they don't like, including catnip, golden lotus, prairie zinnia, purple prairie clover, seduma, and yarrow. These flowers are also drought tolerant.
Northern California
plant
Beginning universe, sunflower, zinnia from seed. All of these plants are easy to grow, make beautiful cut flowers, and attract beneficial insects.
Once daytime and nighttime temperatures exceed 55°, plant tomatoes outside.
In early April, plant seeds for cool-season vegetables such as carrots, radishes, spinach, and Swiss chard. At the end of the month, plant seeds for warm-season crops such as beans, corn and squash.
Soften the rock walls by planting creeping thyme, nasturtium and sedum in the Spaces between the stones. Squeeze a handful of soil into each space and stuff the plants in.
harvest
Set up a twice-weekly harvest schedule to keep herbs and vegetables growing vigorously. Pick peas when they are full; Pull the radishes out of the ground when they are fat; Pinch off basil, mint, and parsley leaves regularly.
maintenance
Mow the lawn when it is dry and set the mower to 3/4 "Bermuda grass and 2" leymus; Leave the grass clippings where they fell and fertilize the lawn.
Fertilize tomato plants weekly with a diluted organic fish emulsion solution.
Cut into marble-sized skewers from apples, apricots, nectarines and peach trees. Twist off gently, leaving 4 to 6 inches.
Collect seeds from annual flowers that are already in bloom, such as Bachelor flower, chamomile, Cosmic flower, Love in the Mist, nasturtium, and Sweet pea. Let them dry, hide in labeled envelopes, and plant next fall.
protection
Plants that deer dislike can be grown in the garden, such as Erigeron karvinskianus, "moonshine" yarrow, Russian sage (Perovskia), santolina, Spanish and English lavender.
northwest
plant
Grow seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard. Sow carrot, pea, potato and radish seeds; Give them weed free, improve good soil.
Plant hardy olive trees such as "Arbequina" and "Leccino" west of the Cascades. Give them good drainage and sunshine to the south.
Plant cool season flowers in early April and warm season flowers in late April. For a strong color in the container, try red Calibrachoa "pomegranate punch" or white and yellow "lemon slices."
Plant favorite permanent landscape plants, including cherries, hawthorns, dogwood, lilacs, azaleas, and roses. Among the climbing plants, see marquefolia, clematis, hydrangea, honeysuckle, passion vine,
And wisteria.
maintenance
Use organic liquid fertilizer to quickly fertilize vegetables and flowers while the soil cools, or apply blood meal -- it has fast and slow release properties.
Mow the lawn often so you don't have to cut more than a third of the blades off at once.
When daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs have finished blooming, prune the flowers. Leave the leaf in place until it is completely brown so that it can send nutrients back to the bulb.
Raspberries spread through generations, often far from the parent tree. If they spread where they are not needed, dig them up, including the underground pipes that produced them.
protection
Aphid populations proliferate in new growth processes. Blow them off with a water column about once a week.
Slugs are most dangerous in the spring, eating the buds as soon as they sprout. Bait them or kill them when you see them (they are easy to spot in wet weather or after watering).
Southern California
plant
Coastal gardeners can continue to grow cool-season crops that ripen quickly, including beets, leaf lettuce, radishes and spinach. Inland, warm-season crops such as beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peppers, summer and winter squash, and tomatoes are grown instead.
Sprinkle a sunny garden bed with coriander, dill and parsley seeds for easy access to the kitchen.
For low-water alternatives to traditional turf, try dune sedge (Carex pansa) or field sedge (C. praegracilis). Leave dark green leaves without mowing the grass, or mowing more of the appearance of the lawn.
Put in summer-blooming bulbs, such as cauliflower and irises, and tubers, such as dahlias and tubers.
maintenance
Cut the flowers of perennials such as oxodon, tail vine, and sage to extend their flowering period.
Stone fruits, including apricots, peaches and plums, are fertilized with an organic low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 3-12-12, which contains trace elements. Follow the instructions on the label.
Prepare your irrigation system for summer watering: Rinse the dropper and check for leaks or misplaced heads. Then adjust the watering time so that irrigation is done early in the morning, before the morning shower.
Lay down mulch 3-4 inches thick to protect plants from drought, heat and weeds.
protection
The way to fight powdery mildew is to hose down the leaves a few times a week in the morning to wash away the fungal spores. Treat illness with a recipe of 1 tablespoon baking soda plus 1 tablespoon canola oil plus 1 gallon of water.
Keep ants under control with a thick, tree-tangled foot insect barrier or a trap containing boric acid.
plant
A gardener in the low desert can grow delicious blackberries. Best choices for the lowland desert include "Brazos", "Brison", "Rosborough" and "Womack".
For instant results, plant durable barrel cactus. Try the red spines of Mexican fire barrels (Ferocactus pringlei); Speaking of yellow, go for the ever-popular golden barrel fish.
For lasting color, plant low-growing native perennials such as black-footed daisies (Melampodium leucanthum), Sierra gold dalea (D. capitata), prairie Z.grandflora, Trailing indigo shrub (dalea greggii) and verbena.
In the low desert, plant artichokes, eggplant peppers and tomato seedlings in early May.
harvest
Gather the seeds of wildflowers that bloom in the spring and spread them around next year, or leave them for the birds and see what comes next year.
maintenance
Supplement the planting bed with organic mulch. To prevent soil moisture from evaporating, cover with a layer of mulch 2 to 4 inches deep. Don't pile it on plant stems.
Prune desert trees, including Mester and Paloverdes trees, in early May to control their shape and size, or to remove any remaining frost-damaged branches.
Divide overcrowded ornamental grass into pieces by cutting off the top and using a shovel to cut the roots into sections. Transplant immediately and water regularly until the grass regrows.
protection
Treat whitefly outbreaks with insecticidal soap. Spray the whole plant (including under the leaves) every three days until the flies are eliminated.
To prevent flea beetles from eating small holes in the leaves of young vegetables, spray the plants with water in the middle of the day (flea beetles prefer dry conditions). Or use beneficial nematodes like Arbico Organics (Arbico organics.com) to eliminate them.
