The best time of year is right around the corner, well, for some places that are. If you’re from the Pacific North West, Spring can be just weeks on end of rain and dark skies. Now if you’re an advent gardener like me, it blows, it is such a hassle just planting a tomato plant since you have to wait days for an hour of sunshine. Since I could remember my family has always loved gardening in the spring. I recall planting flowers in the front of the house, planting huge vegetable gardens, and spend countless hours harvesting all the goodies. And the number one thing that is constant throughout these years, is the stinking rain. If you have ever gardened in the rain, you know that it’s not so fun. You get soaked instantly, then you end up ruining a pair of shoes, and when it’s all said and done your plants risk getting flooded and dying, what the heck mother nature?! After years of these struggles, I have to say, some techniques have been developed that help me in maintaining a strong sustainable garden for years to come. Since controlling the weather is almost impossible and I have limited hobbies, I figured I would share some of my tips for people who are in a similar situation as me. If you love to garden like me, here are some tips for beating the Debbie downer weather.
Incubation
I know this may sound like a no brainer, but for those who are used to nice weather, this may sound peculiar. Here in Washington, it rains, a lot, I know, shocking, and if you are trying to plant small plants, it is easy for them to drown outside. I used to just buy my plants from the High School and on the same day, put them into the ground or planter. Well when the rain came a day later, I would be upset when a week later all my plants would be dead. So instead of getting to it, find a nice window or warm area to keep your plants safe for a couple of days. This will allow your plants to dry out if you are buying them from somewhere. Or if you like to plant seeds, keeping them inside for the first month allows for the seeds to be in a controlled area where they are getting enough heat and water. Although these tips are simple, they are crucial for starting your plant family.
Fertilizer
A common way of keeping a sustainable garden healthy is through giving plants fertilizer. Fertilizer is plant food, although they receive plenty of water, they need nutrients to grow large and stay healthy all season. The most common and well-known fertilizer is, of course, a crystalized soluble solution such as Merical Grow. These solutions work great, but again, if it rains constantly, you don’t want to be putting more liquid into the soil. Not only will if flood your plants it will rip the nutrients out of the soil once it washes away. I have found a great alternative to these methods, and it’s even cheaper. Most households have eggs in their fridge. Well not only are they good for eating, but they also have shells that most people just through away. Instead of tossing the shells, break them up into a bag and sprinkle them into your garden close to the roots. Eggshells have protein within them that are beneficial to plants, it works just as well as Mericle Grow and it is a fourth of the price. Also, you don’t have to do anything with your eggshells, once you place them, they are set for a while. Eventually, the shell disintegrates and the rain acts as a timer releasing small amounts of fertilizer at a time. And no there is no smell whatsoever, doing this will also help keep the bugs away!
Sizing
Having a big garden can be a lot of work, especially when your plants are taller than you. If you manage to keep a healthy and stable garden amongst all of nature’s curveballs it is easy to end up with tall plants that are at risk of falling over. Now it’s way easier to care for a wider plant than a taller plant because you won’t need stalks to tie up. In the Summer, the PNW is a wonderful environment for growing plants. The temperature is warm and the rain is gone, the sunshine is endless. To keep your plants from swallowing you, you can try a method called pinching. This means that when the plant is starting to grow taller, you go in and pinch the new, weaker growth. Taking your thumb and pointer finger place them at the bottom of leaves and pinch, DO NOT PULL, this will cause the stem damage the plant will not grow back. This stops the upward growth and forces the plant to grow outward creating a sturdy base.
With the world falling apart around us, the only thing that allows me to clear my mind is getting into nature and gardening. Gardening not only is a great way to pass time but also establishes a greener lifestyle and helps reduce your carbon footprint. Climate change is a real danger to our planet and within just the last couple of years, our climate has changed so much. Washington just had one of its driest years and it was incredibly tough on our agriculture. So do your part and make the planet a little greener one plant at a time.