It’s time to put your cool-season crops in the ground
The third week of March is time to plant cabbage, radish, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and sweet pea seeds directly into the ground.
These are all cool-season crops that sprout when the soil is still cold. Do not even think of planting the seeds of warmth-loving tomatoes, peppers and squash outdoors. You may consider starting these warm-season crops indoors if you have good light for the seedlings to mature until mid-May when all danger of frost is passed.
Q. I want to renew my lawn. It is in the sun and much of it looks pretty good, but there are patches that tend to grow thin then brown out in the summer. Do you think it needs aeration? How often should one aerate a lawn? M.I., Auburn
A. Getting holey is the blessed sacrament of a heavenly lawn. In our climate, the heavy rainfall compacts the soil, and this encourages weeds and summer brownout. Professional turf tenders will aerate a lawn every year. The easy way is to hire a lawn care professional to use a core aerator on your lawn. You can also rent an aerator machine to do it yourself - but be warned – the machine is hard on your back. If your lawn is small or the area is difficult for machinery to access (or if you are on a tight budget), you can aerate using a hand tool that you punch into the soil using your foot. Amazon and home center stores sell several models for under $40. Get one that removes cores of soil. Leave any soil plugs from aeration on top of the lawn. They may look unsightly for a week or so but help the new growth. After you aerate if you want dramatic results you need to mix fresh lawn seed (don’t buy the cheap seed) with sand then pour the sand/seed mix into the holes. This works great for small brown patches of a lawn. For a large area, you may need to bring in topsoil, rake an inch or so over the freshly cut and aerated old lawn, then reseed and feed on top. The spring rains will baptize the new seed and by May your lawn will be miraculously improved.
Q. I don’t know if you can help me, but I want information on the spacing of crops in the vegetable garden. I know there is info on the back of seed packs, but I like to lay out my garden before I invest in seeds as I do not have much space. Also, I do not use the internet much. Any books or articles you can recommend? F.B., Enumclaw
A. Flashback to the classics and I recommend Ed Hume’s 2020 Garden Almanac. This small booklet sells in the seed rack where you find Ed Hume seeds for a bargain $1.79. Not only do you get the month-by-month moon sign gardening calendar (when to plant, when to weed), but the centerfold includes a Vegetable Planting Chart. The personal advice from Ed Hume’s 70 plus years of experience is invaluable to gardeners in our area. Ed Hume is proof that gardening is the real fountain of youth. Ed is still hosting tours of his Education Garden, planting, weeding and sending tons of produce to local food banks. All this even though Ed Hume passed his 80th birthday years ago.
Q. Question about heucheras. You said at a talk to break the necks of old heucheras in the spring and then poke the top of the plant into the ground after removing the oldest leaves at the bottom of the stem. My older heuchera plants have made multiple baby plants off the sides of the mother plant. Do I divide these up, too? G. email
A. Yes! Now is the time to divide so you can multiply and pull apart any perennial that is making side shoots. It is easiest first to uproot the entire plant before you dissect it. Heucheras and their cousins the tiarellas are easy to pull apart, but you may need a sharp knife or even an ax to separate perennials such as hosta and daylilies. The center of mature perennials is often aging in place ungracefully and should be retired to the compost heap. Poke the base of the offshoots into soft soil, firming the soil around the plant with your hands instead of stomping on the soil with your feet. Our spring weather means wet soil and heavy feet compact the soil.
Learn from Marianne Binetti
- March 15: Peninsula Home and Garden Expo at Kitsap Fairgrounds “Spring Garden Tips plus Q. and A,” 1 p.m.
- March 19: Skyway Water District “Best Plants for Less Work” Free www.watersaving.org, 7 p.m.
- March 21: “Beds of Beauty with 2 Seasons, 2 Layers of Color” 253-863-5843 www.windmillgarden.com, 10 a.m.
- March 26: Issaquah City Hall “Heavenly ‘H’ Plants: Hydrangeas, Heucheras and Hellebores” Free www.cascadewater.org, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 10:00 AM.