#coletterose

Spring time has arrived in sunny SoCal (well, it never really left, I suppose) and it’s my favorite time of year to dig in my garden!

First, let’s check up on how we did on “winterizing”

Well, here’s a pictorial overview. This winter was unseasonally cold and wet for a SoCal winter, so I’m extra glad I put down that mulch! When I got into the soil, it was still nice and damp, but a little compact. I am ever concerned about drainage in my clayish soil, so I raked the soil up a bit to aerate it.

With a very wet winter, it is a good idea to check on the pH of your soil.

The pH scale is a useful scale that describe how acidic or basic something is. Everyday acidic things include: vinegar (acetic acid), citrusy fruits, soda water (carbonic acid) with pH values of 4.8, ~4, and ~3 respectively.  Everyday type basic things include baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and eggs(!!) with pH values of 9 and 8 respectively. 

Many plants like to be around pH 5.5 to 7 (slightly acidic to neutral), with many acid-loving plants such as camellias, gardenias, and azaleas withstanding pH values down to 5. There are fewer plants that like alkaline (another word for basic) pH soils than can tolerate slightly acidic soils. Rather than to once again speak where I know not, I will simply leave the heavy-duty explanation to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

In any case, the pH of the soil is very important for nutrient intake! Excessive water and freezing/thawing cycles throughout the winter can cause minerals to be washed away, leading to alkaline soils. There are many remedies for this. I like to use a product called pH Up, which has been praised by organic gardeners as a good alternative to the very common dolomite lime. It comes with a test kit, and dilute phosphoric acid, and of course instructions on how much to use in your watering can should you find that your soil is alkaline. Also, it is fairly inexpensive. I am in no way associated with pH Up--I just really like their product!

Take-away point: spring time is a good time to check the pH of your soil, and adjust accordingly.

Here’s my colette! You’ll recall from last time that it was leggy, stressed, and had very poor drainage, and possibly blight! Ay ay ay, what a terrible plant mom I am! But look, we can all recover from even the worst offenses. The foliage is dark green and glossy, and the blooms are to die for!  It’s true what they say: a good haircut is a world of change (someone says that, right?)

Beautiful green leaves...

Yaaaay!

Pull your weeds now! NOW I SAY.

At this time, the young weeds will be the easiest to remove. DO IT. NOW. GO NOW. I’LL WAIT. Oh, I’m still shouting....

I put in some new plants that I saw on my hikes. Specifically, these dainty little mountain yarrow as ground cover.

And this beauty! It looks like ixora to me, but now 100% on that...

All in all, our winterizing procedure paid off. It’s nice to know that there is sunshine (and flowers!) at the end of the tunnel. :)

Other tips for spring:

Put down compost! Unless your compost is soggy...in which case, first fix your compost pile.

clear all the leaves and dead stuff that accumulated over the winter

things to plant now (March-April)--great time to start sowing seeds because the soil is warming up! The list is extensive, but I will name a few of my faves

BEANS

zinnias

daises

marigolds

carrots (harvest in early summer, and can re-sow for an early fall/late summer crop as well!)

cucumbers (and the plant itself is beautiful)

herbs (mint julep, anyone?)

dahlias

nasturiums--definitely check this one out! It’s a slightly odd-looking, but gorgeous plant, and is a gardener’s best friend. They’re easy to grow, perennial without any work at all, and keep bugs away from your precious beans. Pic below

Kinda goofy looking..but who isn’t?

Life update:

Tall person and i are MOVING this sunny paradise for the mountains of Colorado. I am excited, nervous, sad, celebratory, everything at once. And not least because I have never grown things in a) the mountains and b) a Very Cold Dry Place, so this will be an adventure for me and this blog as well. I will be sure to keep you updated with my successes, and inevitable failures. After all, there hasn’t been a lonely plot of soil yet that has resisted my green thumb :)