GARDEN Q&A

I’d like to know how to grow sweet potato vines. I bought some sweet potatoes at the grocery store (the produce guy said there is a 50/50 chance they were sprayed with something so they don’t sprout) but what do I do with them now? Put them in water? Or in the ground?

Second question: I want to make pesto this summer, which of the basils do I get to do this?

Third question: What do you know about necrotic ring? Can it be cured or not?

Mary, Spokane

Hi Mary,

I agree with you that the sweet potato vine is a great annual for pots and gardens especially when our weather gets warm. Unfortunately, growing the vines from the tubers can take several months. That said, you can start them in late winter by suspending them on four toothpicks, halfway into a container of water. Place the container in a sunny location. Start several from a couple of different brands to get around the problem of some being treated, because not all of them are. Or look for organic sweet potatoes. When the plants have grown strong roots and a good head of leaves, transplant them into your container with good potting soil. Allow them to adapt to the pot before putting them outdoors. With luck, you might still get a good vine by August, if you start now.

Check out this Web site for some good information: http://www.canoe.ca/LifewiseHomeYardWeekend00/ 0513_potato.html

Second answer: Any basil will make good pesto, your personal choice depends on which flavor you want, and there are so many types. I’ll suggest you have fun by growing several types of basil and experimenting.

Remember that basil absolutely HATES cool weather, so wait to set out plants until it’s really warm. I don’t usually seed basil until early June in the house and put the transplants out about the second week of July. That gets me a crop by the second week of August.

Third answer: Necrotic ring spot is a fungal disease that invades blue grass lawns across the region. Sodded lawns that have not received proper care seem to be more susceptible. It is very difficult to correctly diagnose without laboratory analysis. It is also difficult to treat successfully and more often the “treatment” controls the symptoms for one season only. That means you have to treat it every year and that’s not cheap.

An alternative is to overseed the entire affected lawn with a necrotic ring resistant grass seed mix to mask the brown rings, followed by providing proper care for the lawn. The mix is available at Northwest Seed and Pet in Spokane.

The WSU-Spokane County Master Gardeners has a very good fact sheet with lots more information available for free at the Plant Clinic, 222 N. Havana St., or on their Web site: http://spokane-county.wsu.edu/spokane/eastside/

I’d really dig a tidy lawn

I have a 10-month-old puppy named Bruno who naturally gets to go outside. I am trying to get new grass growing, and I have prepared everything, but Bruno is digging in many places each day. My constant refilling the holes is no deterrent. How do I keep him from digging without blood shed? I’ve tried pepper and vinegar. Would mothballs work?

Thanks,

Coquille Gallagher

Hi Coquille,

Oh boy, you have a challenge on your hands. Dog feet and bare dirt, with and without grass seed, are like oil and water, they never successfully mix. The best thing you can do is divide the yard into sections and fence Bruno into a specific area for his romps. Some people then gravel the doggie play area which actually makes it quite easy to clean and fill in any holes. You can then plant your lawn on the rest of the yard. After the lawn has had a growing season to get established, and Bruno has hopefully outgrown the digging stage of puppyhood, he can have the rest of the yard to romp in when you choose to let him into it.

Timing is everything

I am starting a raised-bed, organic vegetable garden from scratch this spring, but I am confused about planting times. I am following seed packet instructions for starting my seeds indoors, but for those varieties that seed directly outdoors I’m less sure of myself. Some say “sow outdoors as soon as soil can be worked.” The soil in my yard has been workable since February, but my raised beds are just getting to the point now where they are filled, treated, settled and ready to go. Would you recommend not seeding outdoors until after last frost (May 15) or should I go ahead and start some plants outdoors now?

Amy Jude Keaton

Hi Amy,

Congratulations on taking on an organic garden. The term “sow seeds as soon as the soil can be worked” means when the soil has dried out enough from the winter as to not be too muddy and easily compacted. Take a handful of soil from your garden and squeeze it into a lump. Then poke and prod it a bit. If it crumbles easily into small chunks, it’s dry enough to dig in. If it still holds together, it is too wet to work. When wet soil is worked, it compacts the air and water retention spaces in the soil-making it hard for plants to grow. This term also indicates that the seeds in question can usually be planted early in the spring long before our last frost date of May 15. But take heart, go ahead and get your seeds in now. You will probably get a decent crop.