Ready, set, go, Western Washington gardeners! It’s time to plant cool-season crops
Now is a great time to plant seeds outdoors of cool-season crops and flowers.
You can seed leafy crops such as lettuce, kale, cabbage and Swiss chard directly into the ground. This is your last chance to plant seeds of peas and sweetpeas before the soil starts to warms up — both grow best in cool soil. This is also the best time to plant potatoes and turnips.
All types of soil can be improved with organic matter so take the time to work compost, well-aged manure or washed dairy manure into the top foot of soil.
Q. I planted tulips and some did not come up. My neighbor says mice will eat tulip bulbs and so they should not be planted in our area. She may be right because we do have holes in the ground from voles and mice or maybe moles. Is there any way to protect my tulip bulbs? — J.S., Enumclaw
A. Underground warfare against mice and voles works best with a good defense at planting time. The best way is to plant your tulips inside cages made from hardware screening. You can purchase these from nurseries and garden supply stores or improvise by making your own. One creative gardener just recycled the inside of a washing machine tub into the ground and plants bulbs inside the protection of the metal tub. Of course you can bury plastic pots, but just be sure any container you use for bulbs has plenty of drainage holes.
Q. We are improving our lawn this spring. We need to patch some bare spots and reseed plus thicken up the lawn. When should we seed and when should we fertilize? — L.P., Sumner
A. April is a great month for lawn renovation. Start by raking up winter debris and to really renovate invest in an aeration of the lawn by poking holes all over with an aeration machine. You may want to hire out this heavy job. Leave the soil plugs on the ground.
Next, apply a good lawn fertilizer. Then use topsoil to fill in low spots and to rake into the bare spots. Finally reseed the bare spots but also lightly seed all over the existing lawn on top of the new topsoil. This will ensure your new patches blend in with the entire lawn.
Mist the new seeds if rain does not keep them moist and your new lawn should be ready for summer.
Q. We have not planted English ivy but I do see that some is climbing up our evergreen trees. What is the best way to remove ivy from trees? — P.S., Olympia
A. English ivy is an invasive weed that can crowd out native plants and smother trees, so it is best to remove it from your property. When ivy climbs trees, it is more likely to flower and then form berries that attract rats and other rodents.
First find the source where the ivy emerges from the ground and cut the man stem. This will kill the clinging vine on the tree. Wait until the climbing ivy turns brown and then use a rake to claw the remains of the vine from the tree trunk. Meanwhile, dig up those volunteer vines from the ground to keep them from coming back.
Another reason to remove ivy from trees is that birds will eat the berries and then spread the ivy to your neighbors. Not only will your neighbors thank you for getting rid of ivy, but the native plants in your area will be healthier as well.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
The Changing Garden webinar
There’s no need to leave home to learn from Marianne Binetti. She’s offering a free webinar on “The Changing Garden: How we and our gardens change with age and how to create gardens that demand less maintenance and water as we cope with hotter summers.” The natural yard care workshop will be Wednesday, April 27. Register at bit.ly/NYCWebinar1 then you will be sent an invitation to watch the event live on your computer.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.