Don’t Be Too Anxious To Get Garden Going

I certainly don’t have to remind anyone of the long, white winter we’ve endured. Most of us haven’t seen bare ground since mid-November. With my yard still covered in snow, it’s hard to believe that spring is only a few short weeks away, promising bouquets of colorful crocus, plump leaf buds and tree branches filled with chattering birds.

But for most of us, it’s cabin fever that’s taken over, not spring fever. I’ve been inundated with calls, all beginning with “when.” When can I start digging in the dirt? When can I prune? When can I dormant spray? When can I clean up the raspberry patch? … When, when, when?

When can we begin digging in the soil? After this long, snowy winter, I have a feeling the ground is going to be mighty soggy, and cold to boot.

If we start churning it up before its time, we can actually destroy the structure. By cultivating too soon, we can turn wet soil into a field of hard marbles. Take the simple soil test: Squeeze a fist full of soil in your hand. If it stays in a perfect, soggy mud ball, the soil is too wet to work. If it crumbles apart like chocolate cake, go to it.

When can amendments be added to the soil? A good rule of thumb is to add the big, chunky stuff in the fall of the year. This gives the amendment time to break down before spring. Well-rotted or decomposed materials can be added this spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.

A very interesting study has been conducted concerning plant response to various types of organic matter. Woody plants - trees and shrubs - prefer a fungus-type compost. This compost is usually made up of woody type materials - twigs, leaves, needles, etc.

Soft-stemmed plants, like lawn, annuals and vegetables, prefer a more sugary-type compost. This composted material is usually made up of soft, easily decomposed materials - grass clippings, spent flowers and flower stems, vegetable plants and kitchen waste. If you have the means to separate the two types of compost, experiment. You may see quite a difference in your plants.

When can we begin the task of pruning? It’s best to wait a few more weeks or until the nighttime as well as daytime temperatures are above freezing. Proper pruning cuts are more crucial than ever this year because of damage from the ice storm. Please consult a certified arborist before allowing anyone to touch your damaged trees and shrubs.

Large shrubs, like upright arborvitae and junipers, can and should be tied up as soon as it’s safe to be on a ladder. Pull the branches upright and wrap them in a spiral fashion. It may take them about six months tied in this manner to regain their shape, if ever.

When do we begin dormant spraying? As soon as we find a day that the temperatures are above freezing. Even highly refined horticulture oils can burn plants if sprayed when the temperatures drop below freezing.

Dormant sprays aren’t always necessary, but they can be very beneficial if your plants have had past infestations of mites, aphids, scale or certain diseases. Also, dormant oils are one of the most environmentally safe sprays and they are not harmful to beneficial insects.

When is the best time to prune and fertilize raspberries? If snow isn’t blanketing your raspberry patch, early March is the best time to attack this thorny task.

Generally there are two types of raspberries grown in our gardens: summer-fruiting, those that produce berries in early summer, and double-cropping, those that produce berries in the summer and fall.

Summer-fruiting canes that produced berries last year are now dead. Cut these canes to the ground. The remaining canes should be alive and covered with plump buds. These canes will produce fruit this spring. Cut them back to about four or five feet from the ground.

Once this chore is completed, select the strongest and healthiest of these canes and prune all the thin, twiggy and misplaced canes to the ground. Obviously this last step could be handled after cutting out the dead canes, but I have found it easier to accomplish once all the long, floppy canes are out of my hair, literally.

Double-cropping raspberries bore fruit on the top half of the canes last fall and will produce berries on the bottom half of the canes this summer.

Simply prune off the dead tops of the canes in March and thin out the patch as if you were caring for June bearers. Once the summer crop is finished, cut those canes to the ground.

If the brambles have been plagued with raspberry cane bore, the first of March is the time to treat for this insect. This is also the time to fertilize with a balanced food high in nitrogen.

Because the snow and ice are still so embedded in my yard, I haven’t given much though to the above chores. My list of “whens” is a bit different - when will I see ground again, other than what’s over the drainfield? When will I be able to trek to the barn without performing a series of flying camels on Mother Nature’s ice rink? And most importantly, when will I be able to mosey about the garden searching for the first signs of life? When, when, when?

Special note: I will be at the Home and Yard Show at the Interstate Fairgrounds next Thursday, Feb. 28, March 1 and 2 answering all your gardening questions. I will have a display on starting seeds and much more. Please drop by with your questions or just come by and say “hi.” Hope to see you there.

, DataTimes MEMO: Phyllis Stephens is a horticultural consultant and landscape designer in Spokane.

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