Embark On A Quest For Peas
If only the snow would stop flying, perhaps we could start getting a few crops into the ground - namely peas. Granted, peas like it cool, but cold, soggy soil is not to their liking, especially the snap peas and snow peas.
A question that always comes up: Do we dust peas with an inoculant? An inoculant is a powdery material (rhizobium leguminosarum) with which to dust peas prior to planting. This dust helps the pea roots break down nitrogen from the air and hold it to them. If your soil is rich with organic matter or if you fertilize with a nitrogen-base fertilizer, inoculants aren’t necessary. If your soil is poor (sandy, with little or no organic matter), then give those peas a dousing of that black power.
Growing things
Within a few weeks, clumps of delicate, bright blue forget-me-nots will bloom throughout the garden.
These little old-fashioned blue flowers are members of the borage family. The name - forget-me-not - comes from the legend of a knight who drowned while collecting the little flowers for his lover. As he disappeared, he called out, “Forget-me-not,” hence we associate these little plants with love and remembrance.
There are two types of forget-me-nots - short-lived perennials and annuals/biennials. The perennial type blooms all season long, the annual variety produces its delightful show early in the spring. Both types will reseed themselves.
The blue flowers are charming clumped around the base of bleeding hearts, leopard bane, columbine, daffodils and other spring-flowering perennials. Forget-me-nots will grow in sun and part-shade, in moist soil. Plants can be started from seed either indoors or planted directly into the ground. They are also available as plants from local nurseries and garden centers.
What’s new
How would you like to get bushel baskets of tomatoes off of one plant instead of merely a few dozen? Here’s your chance to learn the secrets from the tomato growing wizard himself, Charles H. Wilber. In his new book, “How to Grow World Record Tomatoes: A Guinness Champion Reveals His All Organic Technique,” Wilber shares detailed instructions for implementing an entire growing system, from seed selection to pruning, irrigation and harvesting — all organically.
“How To Grow World Record Tomatoes” is available at most bookstores, call (800) 355-5313 or visit www.acresusa.com.
This week
Here’s your chance to learn the ins and outs of making great compost. This week’s compost classes are: Monday at the Argonne Library, 4322 N. Argonne Road; Tuesday at the Valley Library, 12004 E. Main; and Thursday at the Finch Arboretum, 3404 W. Woodland Blvd. All three classes begin at 7 p.m. Call the Recycling Hotline at 747-0242 for more information.
The Friends of Manito invite all those interested in helping with the Manito Park spring clean-up day, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the Manito Park meeting room just east of the Gaiser Conservatory. Wear gloves, work clothes and bring lots of plastic grocery bags.
There are a number of gardening classes being offered at various locations around Spokane, sponsored by the Institute for Extended Learning. Classes that begin next week and the week of April 19 range from Gardens That Beautify to An Introduction to Herbs to Pruning Techniques. There are others. A modest fee is charged for all classes, contact IEL, 533-3770, for the time, days and cost of the classes.
A tribute
Gardeners’ thoughts turn to Thomas Jefferson, considered by many as America’s first gardener, on the occasion of his birthday Tuesday. At age 68, Jefferson noted: “Though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”
Well said, Mr. Jefferson.