Getting the Garden In

By Jos Van Hage

    Traditionally the May long weekend is the planting weekend for many local Prince George gardeners. This is because for many areas in town there is a lower risk of a killing frost by the third week of May. Of course, nobody can predict what the weather will be but I also watch the moon, and on a clear night when there is a full moon there could be a frost so the next full moon is June 1 which is when you might want to cover your tender plants from a possible frost.

If you are direct seeding into the ground you can seed anytime now that the soil has warmed up. Make sure that the soil is free of weeds and debris before sowing the seed and that the earth has been tilled. If you need to amend the soil by adding lime, manure, or fertilizer to it, this can be sprinkled on before tilling the soil that it is worked into the soil when you rotatill. Rake the soil so that it is level and then using the edge of the hoe make a row in which you can sow the seeds.

Seeds such as radish, carrots, beets, spinach, and lettuce can also be sown in a 10-15 cm. band which allows plenty of space between the young plants, meaning less thinning later. Cover the seeds lightly but not too much because if the seed is too deep it may not germinate. Always follow the directions given on the seed packet as to the depth of the seed. Don’t forget to mark your row with a stake that has the name of the seeds you planted so that you know what you are looking for when it comes time for weeding.

For the best germination, keep the soil evenly moist until the seeds have germinated. If you have to water, do it carefully as you do not want to wash away the seeds. Once the seeds have germinated and gotten their first true leaves they should be thinned out making sure that there is ample room to grow. You can always transplant the young seedlings to another row or a space where the seeds came up sparingly.

Once the young plants have started to grow, the weeds will too and it is best and easiest to always stay ahead of the weeds by hoeing the garden every couple of weeks. Do  this on a hot sunny day when weeds will die quickly.

For healthy plants you should fertilize them regularly with a vegetable fertilizer and water long and deep when the soil becomes dry. It is best to water less often but for a longer period of time, rather than more often and less time as this allows plants to form a deep root system.

Most gardens have at least a few potatoes in them as nothing beats the taste of fresh baby potatoes. Potatoes are easily grown and do not require a lot of work. Always choose seed potatoes that are certified as these are disease/problem free. If you are planting last year’s potatoes you could also be planting last year’s problems, scab being a major problem. You cannot plant potatoes sold in the grocery store for eating as these have been treated with a sprout inhibitor which prevents the potatoes from  forming sprouts and growing.

Some seed potatoes are small which can be planted whole into the ground but other seed potatoes that are large can be cut into pieces, making sure that each piece has at least 2-3 eyes. After cutting the potato, let the cut dry for 24 hours so that it heals and forms a callous which helps prevent disease from entering the potato. Potatoes like a sunny location and a well drained soil. As the new plants can not take any frost plant them about 10-14 days before the last frost. Last spring we had a killing frost on our potato crop in June and they all froze back and had to restart again. Fortunately we had a good summer and the potato crop was excellent.

To plant the potatoes dig a drench 12 cm. deep and space the potatoes 25-35 cm apart. If you want small potatoes plant them closer together and if you want big potatoes plant them further apart. Cover the potato with 10-15 cm of soil and as the potatoes begin to come up through the ground continue to hill them a little at a time until the hills are 30-35 cm high. This is done to keep the moisture in the ground and prevent the potato from turning green. Space the rows of  potatoes 75-90 cm apart. Potatoes need to be watered evenly and on a consistent basis for a higher yield and to help prevent hollow centers in the potato itself. Potatoes always need to be growing and should not have any stress in order for them to be hollow free.

Fertilize with 6-20-20 once when you plant them and then once again in mid July.

Scab is a  problem in many gardens and once you have it, it is in the soil and hard  to get rid of. You should always try to rotate your crops so that the same thing is not planted in the same area two years in a row. Also do not use lime or spread wood ashes on the area of the garden where you want to plant potatoes. If you have scab in the soil sprinkle ’Tiger 90’ in the  soil before planting and this should help reduce the problem.

Let’s hope for good weather this weekend so that we can get the garden in!

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns  and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road
      

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