Inland Gardeners Must Be Patient And Resourceful

Today we have round two of Basic Gardening 101: Understanding Our Climate and Soil.

We live in a region that encompasses many different geographical areas and climates. Often defining where we live as the Pacific Northwest gets us into a heap of trouble when it comes to gardening.

Growers from outside the region have a tendency to lump us in with the coastal area and assume our growing season is 11 months with 30 inches of rain a year along with an abundance of humidity. Not.

It’s a whole different world east of the Cascades. The Inland Northwest is a place unto itself.

In the Spokane area, we’re lucky to receive 17 inches of rain a year, with most of that coming in the fall, winter and spring. Summers are usually dry, hot and void of humidity.

It’s not uncommon to have winter temperatures that drop below zero and summer temperatures that soar over 100.

Our last killing frost (which kills newly planted annuals and warm-season vegetables like tomatoes) usually happens by mid-May. That’s why professionals recommend planting tender plants after Mother’s Day.

Of course, there are always those years where the last killing frost comes around the end of April. Those are the years we give ourselves a swift kick for not planting early.

But then again, we’ve had killing frost in June.

Our first killing frost usually happens about mid-September. If we’re lucky, the growing season may sneak into October. When this happens, we see glorious bouquets of chrysanthemums and bushel baskets of ripe tomatoes and grapes.

If you analyze the time between mid-May and mid-September, you see our Spokane growing season isn’t very long - 90 to 120 days, depending on the plants and the location they are growing. Our neighbors to the north in nearby Deer Park may only see 60 to 90 growing days, while those south of us may experience a banana belt.

Obviously we inland gardeners are a resourceful lot with a great deal of patience.

Dealing with a short growing season isn’t our only concern. We also must contend with the possibility of frigid temperatures. This is where zones come into play.

Knowing what temperature zone you live in is very important. Zones indicate which plants will grow successfully in a particular region.

The lower the zone numbers, the colder the region. The higher, the more temperate the area.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most of the Inland Northwest is zone 5, meaning the plants we purchase should be able to tolerate temperatures down to -20 degrees. Does that seem clear?

Good, because here’s the wrinkle: The Sunset Western Garden Book has its own zoning system. According to all of the Sunset publications, we are in zone 2.

However, Sunset’s zone 2 still refers to -20 degree temperatures, the same as USDA zone 5.

If you are confused, simply check with your local nursery or the fanatic gardeners in your neighborhood. They will know the zone and the plants that tolerate the low temperatures.

Regardless, keep in mind that all zones, whether USDA or Sunset, deal with winter temperatures.

The last subject in this column for beginners is the pH of the soil. We hear these initials bantered about whenever gardeners get together.

PH is a factor that measures the soil’s acidity or alkalinity. It is expressed as numbers on a scale from 1.0 (very acid) to 14.0 (very alkaline), with 7.0 being neutral. The soils in the Spokane area usually test out around 6.8, just slightly acidic.

This is great, since most plants like to grow in a slightly acidic soil. Hence, it’s not that crucial to know the exact pH of your soil unless your plants aren’t doing well or you are trying to grow plants that require very low pH (such as rhododendrons, blueberries, hydrangea, potatoes, etc.) or high pH (such as delphiniums, beets, clematis, etc.).

And, a little aside: Pine needles do not make soil more acidic.

Next week we look into another chapter of basic gardening: exploring the wonderful world of gardening through books, magazines and garden catalogs.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review