Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend March 1, 2007 Direct seeding begins in earnest By STAN MAPOLSKI The Rogue Gardener Finally! March is here at last. We can now get busy for real in the garden. Winter is not officially over until we put seeds in the ground. Sure, we've been doing some garden work the past several weeks as weather permits, but now the cycle begins in earnest. You don't need a half-acre plot in order to enjoy this early activity. Even if you just have a few feet of unused space in a flower garden or in the shrub border, you can sow some quick-in, early-out crops that will chase away the winter doldrums and kick-start the garden season in style. Here's a list of plants that can be direct seeded this month, whenever your soil can be prepared. I don't mean that you want to rototill in a bunch of mulch or anything like that. It simply means that there is no standing water where you intend to plant, and you can make furrows without pulling up huge clods of wet, gloppy clay with your hoe. Be sure to choose a location in full sun for best results. Here's that list: arugula, carrots, chervil, chives, cilantro, collards, cress, fava beans, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, leaf lettuce, mustard and turnip greens, onions and scallions, parsley, peas, radishes, spinach, swiss chard and turnips. Advertisement Obviously, it's the rare gardener who plants all of these plants or even likes all these different types of produce. Pick and choose the ones you like and you have the time and room to handle. A simple tip or two for early season direct sowing is in order. If you have raised beds to work in, this is where they really shine. You can cover them with clear plastic for a week or two and really warm up the soil to help germinate the seeds. In lieu of this, mound up the soil where you will sow the seeds at least a couple of inches, more if possible. This will improve drainage around those seeds tremendously, and can mean the difference between success and failure if we have a wet spell. You can cover these areas with plastic prior to planting in order to warm the soil, just as in the raised beds. Often it is nearly impossible to create good furrows at this time of year in Rogue Valley clay soil. I long ago gave up on the idea of being lucky enough to have dry soil to work in March. I now ensure that I will by storing dry soil over winter. It only takes a couple of 15 gallon-size containers of dry dirt stashed away in the garden shed/garage to provide enough soil for quite a large area. If you haven't any stored for use this season, use potting soil for now. Be sure to jot in your garden journal under the month of October to dig and store some soil just for this purpose for next year. In fact, the less you disturb wet soil, the better. By having a dry supply, you don't have to worry about creating a barrier under your seeds that will prevent the fine little emerging roots from penetrating down into your soil. Use only enough dry dirt under your seeds to make a smooth surface that will allow full contact with the seed with no air pockets. Cover to the proper depth as recommended on the seed packet, and water in gently, but thoroughly. If none of this appeals to you, try growing some of these plants in containers. Some radish seeds sprinkled on the surface of a container filled with a mixture of potting soil and sand will have you eating fresh food of your own in just a few weeks. Try some baby carrots, leaf lettuce, cilantro and parsley, too. OK, so it isn't as exciting as putting foot-tall tomato plants in the ground with all the anticipation of red-ripe fruit permeating your thoughts, but this early season direct seeding does get the cobwebs out and is a lot more satisfying than putting some seeds in a peat pot on the windowsill and waiting forever for them to come up. Stan Mapolski, aka The Rogue Gardener, can be heard from 9-11 a.m. Sunday mornings on KMED 1440 AM and seen in periodic gardening segments for KTVL Channel 10 News. Reach him at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary