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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gardening: Bring in soil, put in sprinklers before planting new yard

Yards and gardens installed in new construction have to take into account that the construction work wasn’t kind to the soil around the house. Be prepared to bring in topsoil and install a good sprinkler system before you start any serious planting.  (Pat Munts/For The Spokesman-Review)
By Pat Munts For The Spokesman-Review

This is the second of two columns on dealing with landscaping in new and existing homes that people just bought. Last week, I talked about evaluating existing landscaping. This week, I will look at how to approach landscaping in new construction.

Let’s face it, contractors make a mess when they build a house. Land was leveled, foundations were dug, utility lines were run in from the street and concrete was poured but not necessarily in the forms for which it was intended. Whatever soil was there has been pretty well churned up and that’s not a good place to start a new lawn or garden. Where do you start?

Unless you had an exceptional contractor who scraped the top soil off and stored it, assume you will have to first level your ground and bring in good-quality topsoil from the start. By doing this, you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration down the road when you try to get things growing. For most lawns, either sod or seed will do fine on a loamy sandy soil. Compost can be added where it’s needed

Next, lay out your sprinkler system. It’s much easier to lay pipe and set heads when you don’t have to work around plants. For those of you coming from areas that didn’t use sprinkler system, you will need them here to keep the garden going in the heat and dryness of our summers. Yes, you can hand water a yard, but humans don’t get enough water in the ground hand watering. Run separate sprinkler lines to trees even if they are in the lawn. Trees need deeper and longer watering than lawns. Hire a good sprinkler company that will build you a plan you can look at and keep for later adaptions and projects. Incorporate the new technologies out there for water thrifty spray heads. Leave a couple of extra stations in your timer and valve box for future changes.

In some cases, your house may come with an installed lawn and a few little green bushes. That’s a start, but don’t count on it thriving. You may need to change things out within a few years. Be sure to keep this area watered as newly planted landscapes don’t have many roots to support themselves.

Wait until September to buy plants. The weather is cooler, and the plants aren’t as stressed. Fall is a good time to look for trees in their fall color. They will go dormant quickly and will rest over the winter. Most nurseries here reduce their plant stocks in the fall, so it is a good time to pick up some bargains. If your planting beds aren’t ready, create a nursery bed with some compost mixed in and then bury the plants pot and all to the rim. Mulch with some pine needles or straw. In late March, uncover them so they get some light.

Tip of the week: We have warmed up enough that it’s time to get almost everything in the garden.