A time to sow...
Time is ripe for planting hardy crops
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And according to many avid gardeners in the region, now is a good time to start tilling the soil and planting hardier plants during what is called the cold season. Some hardy vegetables that can go into the ground right now include: asparagus, greens, kale and collards, lettuce, onions, turnips, Brussels sprouts, spinach and orach, a mountain spinach.
“Right now is (also) a good time to start seeds to get a little jump on the season, “ said Rene Kittle, Montana State University Extension Agent for the Flathead Reservation.
Kittle said seedlings could be started indoors eight to 10 weeks before the last frost. Some plants to start inside include peppers and tomatoes. Start plants like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and leeks inside five to seven weeks before the last frost.
Predicting the last frost can be tricky, but according to some figures for this area, the average last frost takes place June 1-10 from Charlo to Polson and June 11-20 from St. Ignatius to Arlee and Dixon.
Some plants that are considered half-hardy can also be planted outdoors in early April. These plants include beets, parsnips, radish and Swiss chard. Mid-April crops include carrots and peas. Kittle suggests planting potatoes when dandelions begin to bloom in the surrounding fields.
Late May plants are usually of the more tender variety and require more sunlight and warmth. Beans of all varieties require late planting, as do corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, both winter and summer squash, sunflowers and melons.
“We just never know (about frost), it’s hard to make a prediction,” Kittle said. “For the last two years it’s been wet. Some people last year had to replant their gardens because the soil was too wet and their seeds started to mold in the ground.”
Though temperature and the time of year are important to the growth of garden seeds and plants, another equally vital element is soil.
“You don’t want to till when it’s too wet,” Kittle shared. “If you can kick the soil and it clumps, it’s too wet.”
According to gardeningknowhow.com, if you are planting cold weather crops like lettuce, peas or cabbage, you might want to do some of your tilling the previous fall. This is recommended because the soil might not be dry enough or warm enough to till early in the spring when these plants need to go into the ground.
Kittle also recommended a soil test to find out if your dirt needs any amendments or organics. She said these types of tests cost $25.
“Everyone’s soil is a little different, and it’s good to know,” Kittle said, adding that common types of soil include sand, silt and clay.
Kittle said lectures on soil often last as long as two hours when speakers delve into the science side of gardening.
To simplify things, the MSU Extension office offers several gardening summer series classes throughout the year such as how to cultivate and cook with herbs to a class on pesticides on April 23, compost and sheet mulching April 30, a nursery tour of Delaney’s Landscape Center May 7, and microgreens June 4. Level 1 and Level 2 Master Gardner courses are available through participating county extension offices.
“This year, I took the introduction to herbs, because my mom and dad have to cut back on salt,” said local gardener Connie Sills. “When they see me putting weeds in their food (they don’t like it), but when (the herbs are) crushed they don’t mind.”
Sills has been gardening for 10 years and remembers her mother always having a big garden.
“We like our homegrown stuff, because we know what is in it, and the tomatoes always taste better,” she said.
Her father has already tilled the soil for his vegetable garden, which often features corn, green beans, cabbage, squash, strawberries and rhubarb.
Stills said cabbage potted inside has been growing and growing. Though they have had to re-pot it several times, they won’t plant it outside until about mid-May, and with a cover.
“Good ol’ Montana — it’s either hot or cold; there’s nothing medium,” Sills laughed.
She shared that Mother’s Day used to be gardening day in her home, but that has been set back to Memorial Day weekend because of the sometimes long frost season, which her father combats with a “wall o’ water,” a plastic surrounding filled with water used to keep frost from damaging plants.
In addition to being an avid gardener of both flowers and vegetables, Sills is also a member of the Mission Valley Garden Club, which has been around since 1947. On May 12, at the Charlo Senior Center, members are hosting a plant sale, to help people get their gardens started..
“I just enjoy (gardening); it’s a stress-buster and just relaxes you,” Sills said.
