Despite some persistent patches of snow and warm temperatures, spring seems to have finally arrived in Helena. The lawns are slowly coming back, the shelves of the nurseries are stowed and most of the time you can escape only with a light jacket.
As Montana's short growing season begins, gardeners are busy making the most of each day in the dust. But before dusting your shovel and running outdoors to plant flowers or grow your orchard, here are some tips to make your garden green and beautiful when the season is at its peak.
First, be patient. Terry Johnson, owner of Johnson's Nursery and Gardens in Helena, insists patience over all the other horticultural advice in spring. The last winter in Montana was particularly hard and lengthy, so people are anxious to get out. But if you start planting tomatoes or annuals too early, they can not last long.
About one month before planting, take time to clean your garden and tools so that everything is ready when it's time to work the land. Clean fallen leaves and branches of flowerbeds. Place broken doors and fences and make sure all your tools are clean and in good condition. Cleaning your tools not only helps them last longer and works better, but also prevents the accidental spread of pathogens in your yard.
Before Johnson started the actual planting, Johnson announced that soil preparation is essential. But time this step right. To do this, Johnson recommends looking at the soil moisture. Depending on where you live in the city, the soil may be too wet to work. Johnson Nursery, near McHugh Lane in Helena Valley, still gets a layer of gel in the morning and is not yet warm enough to plant.
"You can not work with the land yet," Johnson said. "At this time, the humidity is too high and it will simply erase clay balls and created." The soil temperature is not very hot, which is essential for the germination of the seed.
How do you know when the floor is finished? A proven method is the compression test. Take a handful of garden soil and press. If he easily forms a ball that does not fall apart, he is not ready. However, when crushed into granules (because there is not enough moisture to concentrate the dough), it is ready. An exception would be if your soil is particularly heavy on clay, which of course is easier to agglomerate.
Once the soil is dry enough to work, Johnson recommends growing the soil before planting it. Not only does Rototilling take care of all weeds, it also "scatters" the earth, giving it more sunlight and allowing it to heat up faster.
Before spinning, Johnson likes to add additives to the soil to improve the texture and also increase the organic matter content so it can contain more nutrients and moisture. Fertilizers such as manure, peat or compost are all suitable options. After spreading the fertilizer on the ground, Johnson will rotate to better distribute the changes in the soil.
Once your land is ready, it's time to plant seeds or transplant the plants you started. But keep in mind that temperatures will drop during the night, making the ground too cold to plant.
Cold-tolerant vegetables such as onions, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are among the first vegetables that Johnson sows. Remember to plant vegetables like tomatoes and peppers until the temperatures get hot.
A flower Johnson said that people can start early to plant is the idea. The idea is perfect for all gardeners who want to plant something now. Despite their delicate properties, the thoughts are small and resilient plants and can be planted early in the spring long before the other flowers.
"Thoughts are extremely strong and thrive in cold climates," Johnson said.
Johnson also said it was a good time to plant trees. As it is even colder, the newly planted trees require less irrigation and reduce part of the normal transplant shock. For established trees, spring is also a good time to prune before the juice starts to cross.
With rising temperatures and the season of the officially introduced Helena farmers market, the long, pleasant days of gardening, which dreamed about the whole winter, are fast approaching. But remember, be patient and take the necessary precautions before diving into this fertile soil.
"Gardening in Helena is really difficult at best," Johnson said. "The hardest part is the temptation of a warmer climate that makes you want to start planting, and I warned people against temptation, because if people plant too early, they could be frustrated
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