Springtime tips for the quarantined gardener
The end of April and gardeners are still being asked to stay home, but nurseries are open for business and planting, weeding and feeding will not be put on hold. You can find seeds and some plants at the grocery store, and our local nurseries will take your specific plant orders over the phone then arrange for a drive-by pickup if you prefer to stay in the car. Some nurseries ask that you call ahead and make an appointment before going in for a visit. This way they can limit the number of customers in the store to provide for social distancing.
There is no reason to quarantine your enthusiasm for gardening as this will be the perfect summer to turn your patio into a sanctuary, your back yard into the grocery store and make your front yard a beautiful welcome for drive-by visitors.
Q. I want to grow something healthy to eat in a container but only have a deck for gardening. What would be the easiest vegetable for a beginner to grow? C.C., Tacoma
A. My vote for the most vitamins and the longest harvest goes to Swiss Chard, as this leafy green can even survive the winters in Western Washington to provide up to two years of harvest. You can use the colorful Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’ with rainbow-hued stems in the center of a container and surround it with summer annuals for food and flowers in the same container. If you have plenty of sunshine on your deck then the plant that gives the most flavor and joy for the smallest space would be any of the cherry tomatoes, sometimes called patio tomatoes. The small fruit has a sweet taste and can go directly from vine to mouth with no prep required.
Q. I have dandelions in my lawn but do not want to go out and buy a weed and feed product or hire someone to spray my lawn with weed killer. Is there a way to get rid of dandelions while staying home? G., Email
A. Your herbicide-free dandelions are considered edible (in very small amounts only!) so some gardeners gather the tender new foliage to add to salads and stir-fries. If you live near neighbors that may not want the seeds blowing around then keep the lawn mowed so the wind won’t take the seeds on a neighborhood visit. You can also start a new exercise program digging out those dandelions, roots and all. You can use a strong knife, shovel or a stand-up weeding tool made for uprooting the dandelion’s tap root.. The advantage of digging your dandelions is that removing the long tap roots leaves an air passage so you’ll be aerating the lawn as you remove the weeds. Dandelions like to grow in soil that is compacted so aerating and spreading compost on top of your lawn will encourage the grass to grow thick and crowd out the weeds.
Q. When should I start seeds of tomatoes and sunflowers indoors? I have read the seed packs and they say to start four to six weeks before the last frost. When is that exactly? Is it too late to grow from seed?
A. It is not too late to start warm-season vegetables and flowers such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds indoors on a windowsill. Use potting soil and do not plant the seeds too deep. Once the seeds sprout in a few weeks it could be possible to move them outdoors as the last day of expected frost in most of Western Washington is May 10. But I recommend you keep your seedlings indoors at night until June, moving them outside on nice days for maximum sunshine. Then in June plant the seedlings into the ground and they will never have to endure the cold rain and windy weather we often experience in the month of May. You can also wait until June to plant the seeds of warm-season crops into the warm ground but such a late start means you will have less time to enjoy the bounty. Our last day of frost may be early May, but it is usually the month of June before our soil is warm.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 11:01 AM.