North Cliff Neighborhood Association

Bring spring back to your gardens

Jun 22, 2002

by David Grantham, North Cliff garden enthusiast

Before you start your spring gardening flurry, remember to liberally amend your soil with organic compost.

You can find most organic compost at your local garden center. Before you buy, check for quality, such as either coarse or fine compost that is flakey. Remember, compost should always be fluffy or spongy, never hard.

When amending your soil with compost, be sure to overcompensate. Never settle for just enough ?— too much is always better.

Examples of organic compost are:
?• Soil conditioners (finely ground fluffy bark mulch)
?• Spongy mushroom compost
?• Organic compost in 40 lb. bags
?• Your back-yard compost

For an annual display of colorful flowers and plants around your doorway or patio, try container plantings. Simply amend the soil in the containers the same way you would for a flower bed.

If you plant your annuals in tall containers, fill the bottom one-third with Styrofoam peanuts or gravel, covering it with plastic mesh bags that oranges and onions come in. Then fill the remainder of the pot with soil. The mesh bag holds the soil in place.
Annuals need six inches of soil in which to thrive. If you fill the entire container with soil, plants stay wet.

When fertilizing your annuals and perennials, try using one-quarter strength of Miracle-Gro or a similar fertilizer every time you water. This encourages stunning colors and growth. You can also use a time-release pellet fertilize, which can last three, six or nine months.