March Wind-Down

Where did March go? Down here, some have been following NCAA sports.  Not me.  I, along with my fellow master gardeners, have been gearing up for the home gardening season to semi-officially begin.  April 1st is the date that the MG demonstration garden opens to the public.

While biding our time for the opening, many of us have been prepping the beds and putting in some plantings while the weather is still mild.  My layering projects are coming along nicely, and the plants are beginning to fill out a bit.  However, because of the drought here in California, I curtailed any further layering projects until the fall.  For those of you in cooler, wetter climates, if the frost dates have passed, this is a good time to layer before the weather gets too hot/dry.  Some of the upsides to layering are:

  • Keeping weeds at bay.  Weeds are strong competitors for resources,  When you layer in more plants, you are taking the nutrients from the soil for your plants, leaving less nutrients available for weeds.
  •  Retaining moisture in the soil. Plantings closer together and at different heights help to create a canopy against the suns, and prevent the soil from drying out too much.  Less evaporation means less watering.

Now, its already time for another DWV. . .