The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at [email protected].

One of the few advantages of getting older is that through the experiences of life, we gain wisdom, which then enables us to make good decisions and hopefully not stress out so much. The longer one gardens, the more one realizes that no matter how the spring season unfolds, sooner or later the ship gets righted. Last year was almost as whacky as this year but by the end of the summer (such as it was) the pumpkins got ripe, the corn got sweet and the chrysanthemums bloomed just like always. The same will be true this year too. Here are some of my thoughts.

It's not too late to plant.

I know that many of us are in a total panic about planting our gardens. Let's not forget that traditionally Memorial Day was considered the proper time to plant a garden in our maritime climate. If we planted any sooner, we would often end up replanting because of late frosts. Memorial Day is at the very end of May, which is still two weeks away, so we've got plenty of time. I have in fact planted corn as late as the 4th of July (when it is supposed to be knee-high) and still harvested a delicious crop in late September.

While cool season crops like carrots and potatoes and greens and peas should have been planted months ago, they will still grow in our relatively cool summers. The only possible exception might be spinach, which likes to go to seed about a day after it germinates (as does cilantro). The warm season crops like tomatoes and corn and beans and peppers and basil frankly would do just as well if we all waited until June to plant them anyway. In the meantime it is probably better to let the nurseries pay for the heat and fertilizer and water so that all we have to do is plunge a 4-inch or gallon-sized transplant into our garden and watch it grow.

We can only plant in spring.

This is one of those myths that at one time was probably true but is no longer valid. "Back in the old days" nurseries grew all their trees and shrubs in the ground and could only dig them from November through March. We in turn needed to get them into our yards before the dry days of summer arrived. I can only guess that, for some reason, people back in those days didn't know how to use a hose to apply water and thought one had to rely solely on Mother Nature.

Two things have changed since those olden times. Public utility districts and city water departments have developed an infrastructure that brings water to our properties (for us to use wisely, of course) and the nursery industry has moved away from growing plants in the ground to growing trees and shrubs in containers that can be planted any time of the year. Planting in the summer and fall can actually be better for the plants since the ground is warm and the plants are actively growing and they will root in faster. And unlike spring, where the soils can be so saturated that a hole will fill up with water all on its own, the soils in the summer are dry enough to work and the water table is much lower.

Unless the ground is frozen or waterlogged, we can literally plant any time of the year in the northwest.

Take what you read in the paper with a grain of salt.

Newspapers have a habit of taking articles off the wire that often contain information that is totally inappropriate for the northwest. For example, there was an article earlier this month in the Herald about attracting butterflies to our gardens and the writer touted the merits of a species of Asclepia (aka butterfly or milk weed). The author hailed from Texas, where I am sure Asclepia is a homerun plant for butterflies and hummingbirds, but this is the northwest and the last time I checked we had absolutely zippo in common with Texas.

Another time a year or so back, a local paper printed an article about controlling wild garlic in lawns. Having lived in Virginia for several years, I am well acquainted with the pungent smell of fresh mowed garlic and it is unforgettable. Thankfully we don't have to deal with this weed in the northwest so no need to worry. You don't have it nor will you ever get it.

And finally, God forbid, sometimes even Martha Stewart will blather on from her east coast domicile about something that will never happen here in the northwest. So be forewarned, not all that we read in the paper is applicable to our unique climate.

So don't worry, be happy and keep planting. That's good food for thought.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at (425) 334-2002 or online at [email protected]