Before the Season is in Full Swing: Look to Your Tools!

We rely on our gardening tools for all of our gardening projects.
Tools are our helpers, but sometimes they can be our headaches. We hope the following tips will help your tools to be more friend than foe this gardening season.

Quality and Care Matters

In short, buy the best tools that you can afford. They will last for years with good care and maintenance. Your tools require regular care to condition wooden handles, to hold their edges, to be sharp, clean and sterile so they don’t accidentally spread disease. Tools should be occasionally oiled and stored in accessible locations where they can stay dry and rust free. A tool storage rack will “help prevent mutinies in the garden shed” by keeping tools organized, and may keep you safe from accidents. Always wear safety goggles and gloves when cleaning and sharpening tools.

Oiling
Tools need to be lubricated and protected from oxidation to prevent rust. Linseed oil and camellia oil are excellent protectants for metal and wood tools. Coat all wood surfaces with the oil and let it soak in for a few minutes. Give attention to moving parts and inner springs. Wipe away excess oil. The application of oil creates a barrier that reduces metal contact with oxygen and water. A heavier coating of oil on tools not being used in winter protects the metal during storage. Make an “oil sock” to rub metal parts and keep them clean. Stuff a sock with sand or wadded rags. Tie a knot and apply vegetable/canola oil. Store the sock in a zip-lock bag. Vegetable oils work best and are less toxic than the engine oil that’s often recommended.

Removing Large Debris
A “dip bucket” of sand can regularly clean shovels and trowels of clinging dirt. The older versions of a dip bucket with motor oil in the sand is hard to dispose of since it is considered hazardous waste. Linseed oil or mineral oil can be used instead.

Removing Sap
Murphy’s Oil Soap or a multipurpose hand cleaner removes plant sap from tools and is less toxic to use than turpentine which is recommended in older articles.

Disinfecting
To disinfect tools and pruning equipment both during use, and at season's end or beginning: spray or wipe with Lysol ® disinfectant. The active ingredients in Lysol® are less corrosive to metal than a bleach solution and easier on your garden clothes as well. There are other brands as well. Here's a link that discusses "The Myth of Cloroxed Clippers" and recommendations for the preferred disinfectant.

Let's keep our tools happy!

Spring Greenhouse Prep

How did you close down your greenhouse last fall? Perhaps you are like most gardeners and left it in a bit of disarray from the scramble of fall garden cleanup that we all experience. It's okay, we have a few tips to help you get your greenhouse ready for spring!

First, we recommend removing everything from your greenhouse (overwintered plants, removable shelving, pots, trays, tools, floor mats, etc.) These items will be sanitized in another area. Do this in an open area with a breeze and sunshine, if possible.

1. Start at the top of the greenhouse 
   Starting at the back and at the top of your greenhouse, working your way down and forward, will ensure you get every area in the greenhouse cleaned. Don’t forget to use a variety of brushes to clean the nooks and crannies where the panels connect to the frame, hinges on windows and doors, around vents, etc. Sweep the walls, clean the floor (soil or concrete) of all organic matter and weeds. 
   
   
   
   
2. Flooring
   Floors, which can be made of many substrates, must be cleaned accordingly. There are concrete floors that can be scrubbed with a bleach solution. If the floor is dirt or rock, there will be weed maintenance as well as pest and pathogen procedures for the spring cleaning. Pull and discard any weeds that have sprung up to keep the potential pests and pathogens at bay. Whatever weed barrier you choose should be removed and replaced annually as well.
   
   
3. Select cleaning agents and equipment 
   There are many choices when selecting cleaning equipment and agents: pressure washers with soap and water, Strip-it, etc. Be sure to read labels, talk to your garden center expert or a greenhouse supplier to help you decide. Rubbing alcohol can be used on knives and pruners. Although it is not recommended for the structure itself, household chlorine bleach is probably the least expensive and the easiest to obtain for a general disinfectant. Its half life is short; therefore, it should be mixed fresh, and items should be soaked for 30 minutes to be a thorough sanitizing. It Is used in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. 
   
   
4. 
   Allow time to dry
   All items, including the structure, should be allowed to dry out completely by opening windows and leaving on fans before re-furnishing the greenhouse.

It is important that we keep our greenhouses clean to avoid pitfalls during the growing season.  

Have an amazing growing season!

Asparagus – The Jewel of Spring

For those who enjoy asparagus, it may be the most anticipated spring vegetable to show up in the garden. This perennial plant has been a delicacy since Roman times and any home gardener can grow and enjoy this vegetable with some careful planning and preparation. 

Asparagus is a perennial that will produce for 10-15 years if it is planted and managed properly. Start by finding the perfect spot in your garden. Asparagus will need a permanent home with a sunny location and well-drained soil. It grows best in medium textured soils with a soil pH between 6.5-7.0.

Asparagus can be grown from seeds but most home gardeners choose to plant asparagus crowns purchased from seed catalogs or from local nurseries. When purchasing, review the varieties available. Hybrid varieties are mostly all-male plants with the open pollinated varieties containing male and female plants. The male varieties produce no seeds so all their energy goes into spear production which generates a higher yield of larger spears. The female varieties put their energy into seed production which generates a lower yield of smaller spears.

Your soil type will dictate the depth of your trench – medium textured soils dig a trench 8-10 inches deep; in heavy clay soils reduce trench to 6 inches and sandy soils increase trench to 12 inches. Place the crowns "head-to-toe" (bud-to-root tip) in a line down the trench, so the buds of the crowns are spaced above 12 inches apart and cover with 2-3 inches of soil. Rows of asparagus should be spaced at least 4 feet apart. Another method of planting is to place the crown in the trench on top of a small mound of soil, spread the roots out around the crown (“octopus” formation) then cover 2-3 inches with soil. Click here for growing guide.

As tempting as it may be, do not harvest asparagus spears the first spring after planting. Lightly harvest during the second spring then harvest normally in subsequent years.
At the end of the harvest, start getting your asparagus ready for next year. Continue to water regularly, control the weeds, and fertilize. Allow your last spears to go to ferns. When the ferns die down in the fall, mow them and leave them for mulch. 

Always be on the look-out for pests and diseases that can damage your asparagus.

The Asparagus Aphid, Asparagus beetle and the beetle larvae feed on leaves and above ground plant parts. The Cutworms, asparagus miner, and grasshoppers feed on the lower stem close to the ground and/or the roots. 

There are also a variety of diseases, such as Purple Spot, Rust, Fusarium Crown, Root and Lower Stem Rot and Phytophthora Crown, Root/Spear Rot which can affect the asparagus above and below the ground.

Your planning, maintenance and patience will be rewarded with numerous harvests of tender, green asparagus spears to enjoy every spring for years to come!

Winter Houseplant care with new lighting info

Caring for houseplants during the winter months is vital to maintaining these beauties at their best! Winter conditions indoors require homeowners to change the way they manage the humidity (or lack of), watering, and placement of houseplants. Plants require the correct amount of light and water in order to live, which will vary greatly, depending on the type of plant you have.

Light can be measured in two simple ways: Quality is the color and brightness of the light, while quantity refers to the number of hours a plant receives light. There are a few options for light sources, but light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are both energy-efficient and last a long time. Additionally, LED plant lights emit only the red and blue light needed by plants, with little heat.

Light quality and quantity are important for houseplants as they impact color, size, shape, and flowering. A light meter can be purchased at your local garden center to tell you how much light your plant is receiving. 
How frequently you need to water your plant depends on several things [video]:

• The type and size of your plant's pot,

• The temperature and humidity level of your plant's room, 

• The type of medium in which your plant is growing.  Soil moisture probes are instruments that measure soil moisture. There are even some that send you a text message telling you that you need to water your plant. 

Here are some great tips for how to care for your sick plant.  Houseplants, just like other plants, often get sick due to under- or over-watering, over fertilizing, or lack of attention.

Enjoy the benefits of your houseplants all year long!

Let's Talk Pansies!

Pansies are colorful, hardy, and super easy to grow and we are one of the first flowers to wake up in the spring. Sometimes they poke their heads right up through the snow! Try planting them right over bulbs and watch them bloom, and the bulbs below will come right through, providing even more color in your spring garden. They look fantastic in flower beds and containers on patios and decks.

Propagation
Pansies grow from seeds, so can be planted directly in the ground. However, starting indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost in your area will achieve the earliest blooms. Their tiny seeds germinate slowly, usually in 10 to 20 days, but boy, are they worth the wait! As biennials, they self-sow. A biennial is a plant that requires all or part of 2 years to complete its life cycle. Read more, here: Annual, Biennial, Perennial, what's the difference?

Pansies come in almost every color including velvety black and spectacular blues! They like full to partial sun, and cool to warm weather. They aren’t fussy, and tolerate lots of soils, but wherever you put them, the planting medium should be freshly loosened and contain some organic material.

Pansies are members of the Violaceae family but they have bigger flowers than Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola tricolor) and Viola.

Troubles
Slugs are Pansies' most common issue. Use insecticides or fungicides exactly according to directions, and only when you know for sure what’s bugging them. For more info on diseases and pests, click here.

Care
Pansies need plenty of moisture and good drainage. When the weather gets hot, they often get leggy and benefit from deadheading. Trim spent blooms as often as you can because they will make more!

Size and Spacing
Pansies grow in a rounded shape, 4”’ to 8” tall and up to 12”wide. Typical spacing is 6” to 10”. They’re super friendly and don’t mind being close for a fuller look. Just keep your eye on them, since tighter planting can make them more susceptible to insects or disease. Check out more info from Iowa State University about sizes and types of pansies by clicking here.

Edible Flowers
If you're hungry, Pansies' lovely flowers and leaves are edible and can be used for decorating cakes, salads and other foods. They’re often used for making syrup and natural dyes. Check out this link for more information: A Consumer's Guide to Edible Flowers

Winter: The best time to ponder the bones of your yard & garden

Are you thinking of creating or converting to a backyard forest garden? Here's a bridge over a dry river rock bed that flows through a wildlife area - even in a small yard! 

With the leaves on deciduous plants gone, you can see where you need structure, where you could plant evergreens, and where you need to prune. Here are 10 suggestions. 

You also now have the time out from planting and harvesting when you can think about building structures, such as walkways, decks, raised beds, trellis/gazebos, or seating areas. Oh so much fun!!!

Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy has written a seminal book, Bringing Nature Home, on how to plan for the best ecosystem in your own yard. He has followed it with a second book, Nature's Best Hope, outlining how we can help grassroots conservation with native plants! While he is from the NE USA, his ideas are applicable here. This is the time..."one yard at a time!" 

Our winter sunshine is a plus in this, as you can get outside even in January and February to mess with lumber, edging or stepping stones (unless the snow hits). 

Go out and stare at your gardening space and draw a map of what is already there. 

Consider what you’d like to keep and what isn’t working. Refer to your garden journal for successes and failures.

Envision what you’d like to see there and draw it in on your map.

Dream on about your 2023 yard and garden!

Plant, animal, & earth-friendly deicers??? Yes!

While applying products to keep our walkways clear of snow and ice, it’s important to remember the plant life living nearby. Deicing products, primarily composed of salt, can injure plant material, but is there a safer product to use around desirable vegetation? What about around pets? What about the run-off in our rivers and watershed?

• Salts can cause injury to trees, lawns,  shrubs
• salt run-off can harm our ground water 
• they can corrode concrete 
• and even do bodily harm to humans if handled improperly. 
• And don’t forget about the poor little paws on your four-legged friends.

So you may be thinking salt is salt, right? No. Not all salt is not the same. Think table salts (Sodium chloride) and Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate). If you remember your days in chemistry (I don’t), salts are combinations of negatively charged anions and positively charged cations. Examples are sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride (used as a fertilizer) and magnesium chloride (the one you see trucks spraying on our roads). 

The most problematic element in these salts is chloride, a corrosive ion that damages metal and concrete. Chloride is also toxic to plants.

Salt damages plants by dehydrating plant tissues, causing burn, or by being toxic in high levels. While most plants have some tolerance to salt injury, repeated applications of deicing products during the winter can result in dieback or even death the following spring. Misapplications of deicers (i.e. dumping piles or using too much) can leach through the ground and into the water table or wash into the storm sewers, causing pollution. Before buying or using any product, read the label carefully and use only as directed.

A few of the salt products you might run into while shopping:

Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA): It has low corrosion potential, so it’s less damaging to cars, metals, sidewalks and plants. Notice it’s not a chloride product, the “salt” comes from the calcium-magnesium mix and the acetate replaces the chloride. Plus, it’s biodegradable! Its ice-melting properties are equivalent to traditional deicers, but the cost may be 20-30 times as expensive as sodium chloride products. These are often touted as “pet friendly”. 

Magnesium chloride: Commonly referred to as “mag chloride”. Applied as a brine, it’s the most common product used on our roadways before storms, because it lowers the freezing point of soon-to-arrive precipitation. It can melt ice down to -15° F, which is a nice benefit. If applied in moderate amounts, it’s relatively safe for plants and pets. It’s corrosion potential is low, as is it’s pollutant possibilities.

Potassium chloride: It’s expensive and not as widely used as a deicer because of rising costs of fertilizer. This works best when temperatures are above 15° F. Because it’s most commonly used as a fertilizer, it’s relatively safe to apply near plants.
Sodium chloride: It’s the most widely available and the cheapest. It doesn’t cause corrosion to concrete, and melts ice best when temperatures are in the 20s. It is the most damaging to plant material. If you use this product, use it sparingly and in small amounts!

Before using any de-icing product, clear away as much snow and ice with a shovel as possible. If heavy snow is predicted, then try to shovel more frequently. Remember, deicing products are not meant to melt all snow and ice, but rather aid you in your removal efforts. If you want to avoid adding chemicals to your landscape, then consider using sand or kitty litter. While they don’t melt snow, they can provide traction in slippery spots. Sand and kitty litter are also safe for pets and plants and can be swept up when the snow melts.

If you do use deicing products near vegetative areas, then

use caution with potential salt build up and consider a soil test in the spring.  If it’s an especially snowy year, you may consider leaching the areas next spring with clean water. Try not to scoop snow laced with deicing products directly on top of plants, especially if they are sensitive. If you have the opportunity, consider planting more salt-tolerant plants near walkways and driveways. Here's a great publication on plant tolerance to salts.

For more information about sustainable gardening, contact your local University of Idaho Extension Office.