530-993-4379
Sierra Booster
  • Home
  • Newspaper
    • Latest News
    • Letters to the Editor >
      • Submit Letter to the Editor
    • Old News Archive
    • Photo Tour
    • Events
    • About Us
    • SUBSCRIBE
  • Advertiser Directory
    • Advertiser Press Releases
    • Website Sponsors
    • Advertiser Area
  • Buy Ads - Services
  • Fishing Report
  • Contact Us
  • Admin Log In

April 03rd, 2022

4/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Spring into the Growing Season
by Melinda Myers

Spring flowering bulbs and perennials are filling our landscapes with color. As your gardens come alive this spring, start making notes on needed improvements and provide some early season color and nectar for the pollinators. This will keep your landscape looking its best all season long and for years to come.
 
Start a garden journal or photographic record of your garden. Make notes or take pictures of what is working in your landscape, plants that need to be removed or areas where more color or new plants are needed. These notes will help as you create a landscape filled with year-round beauty.
 
Make sure your plants receive sufficient moisture. It is easy to overlook watering during the cool and often wet spring months. A rain gauge can help you monitor the rainfall in your yard. Plants benefit from thorough watering that encourages deep, drought and pest resistant roots. Check the soil moisture and water when the top four to six inches are crumbly and starting to dry. Established drought tolerant plants tolerate drier soil.
 
Start pulling weeds as they appear. Removing them when small makes removal easier and prevents them from flowering and producing seeds. That means fewer weeds to pull next year.
 
Disease and pest-free leaves, evergreen needles and other organic mulch covering the soil surface help suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and improve the soil as they break down. Leaves also provide homes for many insects, frogs, and toads. You’ll achieve lots of benefits from this one task.
 
Leave perennials stand until daytime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees. This allows overwintering eggs to hatch and insects to exit their winter homes. If waiting is not an option, cut most stems back to the ground and stack them out of the way. This allows the insects to exit their winter homes when the time is right.  Leave some stems standing 8 to 12” above ground so insects can form new homes. Chop up the removed plant material in mid-summer or fall to use as mulch in the garden or the compost pile.
 
Watch for animal damage and protect your plantings as needed. Fresh new growth in the spring garden makes a tasty treat for rabbits, deer, and other wildlife.
 
Many gardeners enlist the help of repellents to protect their landscape plants.
 
Always check the label for details on use, application rates and timing.  Research has proven that odor-based repellents like rain and snow resistant Plantskydd (plantskydd.com) are more effective than other types of repellents. Plus, this will cause wildlife to avoid plants rather than taking a bite before they discover they don’t like the taste.
 
Treat pathways used to access your landscape as well as key plants before the animals begin feeding. It is easier to keep them away before they find all the delicious plants growing in your garden.
 
Continue taking pictures of your landscape throughout the year. Make note of any challenges encountered and needed adjustments in care. Include any failures; all gardeners have them.  These are just another step toward growing a healthier and more beautiful garden.
 
Then take time to enjoy the beauty of your landscape. Find a comfortable spot to sit, relax, listen to the birds, and take in all the wonders spring has to offer.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including
The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Tree World Plant Care for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    April 2014
    September 2009

    Categories

    All
    2015
    Sierra County News

    RSS Feed

    Vie
    ​w Old News

CONTACT US:

Sierra Booster Newspaper
PO Box 8
Loyalton, CA 96118
Phone: 530-993-4379
Fax: 844-272-8583
Email: jbuck@psln.com

Website Privacy Policy​
Picture
Local Weather
©Copyright Sierra Booster - Sierra County News - Editorial
Website by Chamber Nation