Spring Gardening

By Betsy Becker

Betsy Becker is a wife and mom and resident of the Palouse for 26 years. She graduated from the U of I with a degree in Landscape Architecture and has been designing outdoor spaces for local homeowners and businesses for over 20 years. 

I’m 25 years into gardening on the Palouse and I still haven’t been able to grow a decent zucchini. I’m trying again this year because I’m unwilling to let a squash beat me, but there you have it. I like to think that it’s because I’m too regular with watering and such, and zucchini seems to thrive on neglect. Just ask the people who are doing secret night drops on neighbors’ porches to get rid of this (usually) prolific fruit. This is what I love about gardening though, as it is all about learning more each year and seeing what will take and what will not. Every spring, gardeners go forth to see how their accumulated knowledge will fare against the soil and sun, and pests of the summer.

Have you ever wanted to start a garden? Have you tried and failed? Have you stuck with just the same old stuff every year? Consider this your exhortation to try something new for 2024. 

For the first-time grower, I recommend starting with seedlings from a local garden center. Herbs are a great option that can last all summer and save you money at the grocery store. Once the danger of frost has passed, plant them in a pot or the ground and then just give them enough water to keep them going. 

Once you’ve gotten that down, try starting some varieties from seed. Tomatoes are very easy to start indoors and this helps them to have a head start when that last frost is over (usually around Mother’s Day). The trick for starting seeds inside is having enough light on them so that they don’t get spindly. A cheap fluorescent shop light is great, and you can usually find them cheap at Habitat for Humanity. 

Once you’ve figured these out, you have begun to understand how plants grow and thrive and what they like. At this point, just start branching out and trying new things. Maybe compare how your tomato plants do in large pots vs in the ground (mine love to grow in big pots along our south-facing garage wall as this keeps them nice and warm). If you have kids, let them help you pick out some fun seeds like rainbow carrots or hot pink radishes and plant their little section. My kids love to come help dig my small potato bed because it’s like fun in the mud plus an Easter Egg Hunt all rolled into one. 

If something stumps you, find a gardening friend or group and just ask! I’ve found that gardeners love to share info. We compare notes, help one another identify plants, pests, and diseases, and get tips on the best soil amendment methods for the Palouse clay (hint - try the Gardner and Bloome Soil Building Conditioner from MBS). 

For a few years now, I’ve taught classes on seed starting. Everybody comes in with conflicting information. Some say you have to directly sow your warm-weather crops like beans, cukes, and gourds. Others say it’ll only work if you start them indoors. I love it when this happens in a class because it demonstrates that there is rarely only one way to do things, and so much of it depends on individual gardeners and their environments. Beans might grow faster if they’re direct seeded, but if you have potato bugs (as I do), they’ll get munched down to nubs before they get a chance to take off. Because of this, I have to start mine indoors. This is just one of the myriad tidbits I’ve learned in the 12 years in our current home! 

So get a few pots and some seedlings from a local garden center, or snag some seed packets next time you go to the store and give it a go. I’ll be right there with you, learning the mysteries of making zucchini happy.