SPOKANE, Wash. — Spring gardening in Spokane came with some key timing tips as weather shifted from sunny to chilly.
At the Washington State University Master Gardening Center in Spokane, NonStop Local’s Gierra Cottingham reported that planting schedules depended on the region’s seasonal weather and the area’s last spring frost.
The report said some seeds had specific indoor planting windows before they could move into garden soil. It gave one example: arugula could be started indoors from March 5 to March 20, then replanted outside in the first week of April.
A suggested planting timeline for Spokane and other cities was available through Almanac.com https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi3AFBVV95cUxOZnVxQXBESTFwNjRFQ3FfUC1XRVlwR1VCWEV5cTEtbm5XQ0JmZG5UdjJzQzN2ZTFsNGc0cTBrb3FadUFEdkw4aHljNEMzSFdXdFpSVllDaVhyYlNNYlN0TjNlbFFPWHNOM1h4SVFwV1RCMmZpWDgteEtYamo1cWpXSkVmNjhJMHZxZUlLNHpLLU4yNEdaSmFPZ2lBcEEzZkFTRl9fWWc4Umo5SlgyWWlEMXY0VlFsc2JLM3FXWTlROTlzcUV1akhZS2wwenBhbHd1ZmRkT19CZXpsQVQw?oc=5, including final planting dates for certain seeds.
Julie McElroy, a Master Gardeners volunteer, said gardeners needed to match each plant to the right conditions and pay close attention to sun exposure.
“You need to know what each specific plant needs, and you also need to really know what your sun exposure is. If you have, a shade plant in the sun, it’ll die. So you need to spend some time looking at where the sun moves across your property,” said Julie McElroy.
McElroy explained that gardening could be complicated. The report said some plants did well when root-bound and some did not. It also said soil nutrients and watering could either help or hurt plant growth.
For people just getting started, McElroy said pollinator plants and native plants did not need a lot of water and were reliable growers.
She also shared why gardening mattered to her.
“There’s a million reasons to garden. First of all, for your mental health. Second of all, you can grow food. Third of all, it’s good for the environment if you’re growing the right things and taking care of the earth,” said Julie McElroy.
McElroy also said some plants needed pruning now and some did not. She described helping a neighbor who planned to prune a plant in spring, but after checking its care guidance, they learned pruning then would cut off its blossoms.
The story advised gardeners to save plant tags so they could look up care instructions later. It also said Master Gardeners offered a do-it-yourself way to test soil effectiveness and that the plant clinic could give advice over the phone about starting or reviving seedlings.
The broadcast said the program had helped people and plants since 1973. Inside the office, visitors could also find gardening books and free seeds to help start a garden.
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