After what feels like an especially dark winter, spring appeared this week for me rather unceremoniously. I completely forgot that on leap year, spring comes early and indeed, it was not until a day after the equinox that I welcomed her with open arms!!
With some unseasonably nice weather last week here in the Pacific Northwest, the pollinating insects were hatching and waking up from their slumber in droves. The paper wasps were no exception and I found that I had to spray the inside of the greenhouse much earlier than usual (I use a mixture of water, dish soap, and peppermint or clove essential oil in a spray bottle) to convince them that they would be better off looking elsewhere for a nesting spot (they do not like the smell). I do not usually have to begin spraying until May, but it was a small price to pay for some early season sunshine.
So now is the time to really start thinking about a vegetable garden and preparing the soil. I started some tender plants indoors from seed a couple of weeks ago (for example tomatoes and cucumbers), and I planted some peas, lettuce, and shallots outside. The last frost date in the PNW is somewhere around April 1-15 depending on where you are, but tender plants do not grow well for me until May, so I plant everything else out then. There is still time to plant some seeds if you so desire and have not yet done so. You may just need to wait an extra week or two before planting them out.
In the meantime, this is also a great time to finish any structural projects you may have had going in the garden, clean up any plant matter from last year on perennials that are waking up, and give a spring feeding to trees and shrubs.
It is going to be a great year in the garden!
Happy gardening,
Lauri
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