Springtime in the North West
Springtime in the Northwest is a very exciting time for me. The trees are budding, and some of the trees and flowers might even be blooming by now. The winter snow is mostly staying in the mountains and the temperatures are starting to warm up. After a long winter things are starting to get green again. The grass is starting to grow along with all of the weeds in the garden.
It’s spring and it’s time to get the garden ready for planting. If the garden was covered up for the winter this task will be much easier. This process can be done by covering the soil with a few layers of newspapers with wood chips on top to keep the newspapers from blowing away. This is usually done in the fall after the garden plants have finished producing their crop. This can also be done at any time when preparing a new spot for a garden in the coming season. The paper and wood chips will break down and can be tilled into the soil in the spring. By being covered up most of the growth is gone and the soil is ready for fertilizer and or garden compost. If the garden was left with dead plants from last year, the weeds and old plants need to be cleaned up first and thrown into the compost pile for mulch for next year’s garden. When fertilizing the garden my personal favorite product is chicken manure. Chicken manure is very fertile so it doesn’t take very much manure to make your plants thrive. Chicken manure is kind of like a double-edged sword. If too much chicken manure is applied, the soil will be too fertile or (Hot) and the plants will die. For this reason, some people prefer to use a milder kind of manure like rabbit manure. Personally, I mix the manure and compost together in the fall and use them for the gardens in the coming season. This gives the manure time to break down before I apply it to the soil. (Both methods work). If you are new to gardening my recommendation would be to buy compost from your local hardware store. A person can buy ready mixed bags of garden soil. By using premixed soil, you won’t have to worry about getting the soil mixture right. If a person wants to buy larger quantities of soil, many garden supply shops and landscaping companies sell compost and garden soil in the bulk. If you do not have a trailer or pickup many soil suppliers and landscaping companies will deliver for a small service fee.
Because my soil is rocky and I no longer like to bend over quite so far, I built raised garden beds. I used old barn wood to make boxes and filled them with garden dirt. This container could be a cow trough or anything that holds dirt. Many plants grow well in pots. This works well on a deck, patio, or when you’re not sure where you would like to put the garden yet. These pots can be moved to areas that get more sun or maybe the plants are the type that needs to have partial shade. This way you can pick the spot that works the best for each variety of plant. If you read the suggested information on the seed packet or look online you can find the proper amount of sun, the temperatures, and the amount of water needed to keep the plants healthy and produce good healthy vegetables.
After you get your garden prepped for growing it is important to learn about the plants that you are planning to grow. Some plants can tolerate the cold and others can’t. Plants like peas and beets can be planted early and are able to survive while plants like tomatoes and cucumbers will freeze really easily. These need to be kept inside till the chances of frost have passed. Plants like strawberries do well in a partially shaded environment.
Many plants need large amounts of direct sunlight. In order to do this sometimes trees need to be trimmed or removed to let the sunshine in. This work should be completed before the garden is planted. Tree work can be dangerous when done without the proper knowledge and the right tools. Black Sheep tree and landscaping service will come to your property and give you a free estimate tailored to your individual needs. The work will be done by some of the best-trained ISA professionals in the business. They are licensed and bonded and will be happy to serve you.
If you live in the Yakama or the surrounding areas such as Naches, Teton, Selah, Union Gap, Terrace Heights, Ellensburg, and Zillah area and have these kinds of concerns or projects and can’t or don’t have the time to take care of the project yourself you can contact Black Sheep Tree Service.