No sense in trying to convince old timers that waiting to plant summer stuff on Good Friday isn’t set in stone. It’s time now, and garden centers are as geared up as they ever will be.
Statewide, we’re pretty much out of danger of late frosts, and soils and rains are no longer cool enough to cause seed or root rot. After a little weeding, some digging the old mulch and a little fresh compost into the soil, then spreading fresh mulch, I’m going for it!
I usually stick with the same old, same old flowers, veggies, and herbs that have served me well over the years, though I do try some slightly different varieties of familiar plants and take advice from experienced sales staff on what regular customers raved over last year. Nothing like discovering new types of colorful basil, compact zinnias, Angelonia, large-flowering marigolds, and heavy-fruiting peppers and tomatoes that do well in small spaces like my little cottage garden.
But when it comes to actually putting stuff in the ground or in pots, I follow my decades-old habits which are a bit different from how my grandmothers did it but not over-the-top. Because I live abroad for weeks and sometimes months at a time, my Mississippi plants have to have really strong, deep roots to get them through the summer ahead without being watered from a hose.
First, I dig the dirt deep, turning it over a solid shovel, sometimes wiggling the shovel a bit deeper to fracture the compacted “hard pan” at the bottom. Though I work old mulch in, I also spread an inch or two layer of fresh organic matter - compost, manure, cheap potting soil, whatever, sometimes two or more different kinds, then I blend that in really well which fluffs up the soil a bit to help with drainage during spring and summer deluges. This is also when I add just a little fertilizer to top up my already-high levels without overdoing it.
When I set out plants, no matter how large or small, I always loosen potting soil and work it into my soil, and pull apart or cut any tangled roots. These two things ensure fast new root development and sturdier plants later. After planting, I water really well, let it soak in a bit, lightly tamp around plants, and water again, without keeping the area too wet for roots to grow deep quickly.
Once all that is done, I cover the area with bark mulch, which I prefer over any other kind because it looks okay, is easy to spread, does the job without having to be more than an inch or two deep, and as it decomposes it “feeds” my soil and is easily worked in the next time I plant. Sometimes I spread super-beneficial chopped tree leaves stockpiled in bags from last fall and then dress it up with bark for better looks. Lotta folks prefer pine straw, which stays put in heavy rains or on slopes but it takes three or four inches to cover the soil and doesn’t feed the soil.
That’s it. Weed, dig the dirt deep, add fresh new stuff to it, loosen roots of new plants, mulch, and water as needed. I do these in my raised bed, in my flower beds, and in my containers.
When it comes to designing color spots and even raised bed rows, I always go for a more interesting varied effect over straight lines - the old “thriller, filler, spiller” recipe of mixing different plants with narrow, round, and frilly flowers or foliage.
Bring summer on.
Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to rushingfelder@yahoo.com.
