IN THE GARDEN

By Doreen Trudel

There are so many interesting, fun and necessary things to do in the garden at this time of year it is difficult to choose a topic to discuss this month because by choosing one I am eliminating hundreds. May is a tricky month. The weather begins to warm, perennials are green and lush, rose buds are plumping up and just when we think it is o.k. to plant herbs, put out bedding plants and hang our lovely baskets a late frost descends and destroys our dreams of an early summer.

When I first moved to Vancouver I was told by my local garden center employee not to plant frost tender plants until after Mother’s Day. Then I was told by a wise and experienced gardener not to plant until after the May 15. I now plant any tender plants in late May but I watch the weather reports carefully. If there is a hint of cold weather or heavy rain I wait until the forecast is clear. Early enthusiasm can by expensive and disappointing.

Having warned you about early planting I must admit that this is a year of early blooms, several of my late spring flowers have been blooming since mid-April and if you visit my house you will see red geraniums from Bloomer’s already sitting by my front door. I hope I do not have to buy replacements later this month.

By now your garden beds should be cleaned-up and a layer of compost spread, ready and waiting for any new perennials you wish to plant in a few weeks. Let’s talk about a creative and satisfying activity that gets you outside now, container gardening.

No matter the size of your garden there is a place for some type of container, window boxes, hanging baskets or pots. There are many lovely decorative flower and foliage plants to choose from when you visit the garden center and magazines and books galore for inspiration so I am going to concentrate on some soil or container basics for herbs and vegetables.

I have used herbs and salad greens around my patio and deck for years. The lush, multi-colored foliage of the lettuces and lovely scent of the herbs are better appreciated when located next to a bench or chaise lounge and they are only a few steps from the kitchen when they are needed for cooking.

I use 10-inch plastic pots for single herbs or larger pots including half-barrels for multiple herb plants or a variety of salad greens. I also use salad greens as an edging plant along garden beds and borders. Be creative, anything large enough to hold soil and allow the water to drain can be used for container gardening. Most of the herbs commonly available come from the Mediterranean region so keep this in mind when locating a home for your herb. Generally, the soil should be sandy-loam which means free-draining and sweet, which is alkaline (pH above seven) rather than acidic (pH below seven) and although some herbs can grow in partial shade, most prefer full sun.

There are many excellent commercial potting soils available. If you have a choice, don’t worry about using sterilized soil unless you are potting-up house plants. Some gardeners might disagree but I have not had a problem with non sterilized soil outdoors and it is sometimes less expensive.

If you are going to plant many containers and want to develop your own potting mix, a rule-of-thumb is 1/3 good garden soil (not clay),1/3 shredded peat moss, well rotted compost or leaf mold, and 1/3 course sand (not beach sand with its salt), vermiculite or perlite. If your peat moss dries out it is very difficult to re-wet. You will have to soak it completely until it is damp again so it is best to dampen this mix and then keep it in a plastic bag or container so it will not dry out. What you are aiming for is a potting mixture that is fluffy and airy that will not become too compacted and yet has some water retention properties. Some people get fancy and add water-retention beads which you will find in a garden center. You can experiment with different mixes and see what works for you.

Make sure your containers have enough drain holes, one is usually not enough unless you put a piece of screen or pottery shards at the bottom of the pot to keep the hole from getting plugged and then a couple inches of small stones or gravel (again not from the beach because of the salt) in the pot beneath the potting soil. Raise the container off the ground or table top by putting blocks or “feet” under the pot. This also allows the water to drain freely. Although most herbs do not like wet soil because they are in containers they will require regular watering especially in the heat of summer.

Just about any herb or salad green will grow here in a container so think about how and what you cook and choose herbs that you will use. Herbs can be annuals, biennials, perennials or woody shrubs. Some are hardy but some such as basil are tender in cold weather and will not survive our winter. This winter I lost two of my older rosemary plants to the cold, so I will try growing new plants in pots.

The easiest way to begin growing herbs and greens is to purchase them as established seedlings. If you purchase the little plants before the weather is warm enough to plant them out put them in the garage or a cool spot in the house. If you want to grow them from seeds know that some herb seeds can be sown directly into the container while others respond better if grown indoors and then transplanted. Follow the directions on the seed package. If you stagger the planting time for salad greens you can have fresh greens throughout the season.

As your herbs grow you can pinch-off the flower buds to develop a bushier plant with more leaves. Annual herbs and salad greens can become bitter if left to go to seed.

Most gardeners are familiar with many herbs but if you are new to growing salad greens try some of the more unusual ones such as mesclun blends, radicchio, miner’s lettuce, salad burnett or some of the lettuce blends now offered by nurseries. A colorful salad you have harvested from your own garden makes every dinner a special occasion.

At the end of the season you can try bringing your containers in the house or simply take cuttings of the tender herbs and put them in smaller pots that can come indoors for the winter. I do not have enough window sills or counter space to bring my herbs inside but with our new greenhouse I hope to enjoy fresh herbs all winter long. I’ll tell you next spring if I have been successful.