McCartney: Wait for gardening until after Mother’s Day | News, Sports, Jobs

Markus McCartney, the agriculture and natural resources educator at Ohio State University, spreads calcium carbonate on his garden while his son Allister McCartney digs it in the soil Monday. (Photo by Kyle Nichols)

With the rapid change in spring weather, master gardeners from the Master Gardener Volunteer program at Ohio State University have tips and tricks for local gardeners on how to keep their plants healthy.

The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program provides horticulture training to interested Ohio residents. Members of the program then volunteer for educational programs and activities.

Markus McCartney, the agriculture and natural resources educator at OSU, said the cold spring weather was not abnormal, and vulnerable plants should be planted later in the season.

“Wait until after Mother’s Day to plant. If it looks nice, I’ll get a week’s jump and plant,” McCartney said. “The sooner I get the plants in, the better the plant will be because it’s root will already be growing.”

Cindy Brown, a member of the OSU master gardeners, recommends covering plants with sheets or towels rather than plastic during freezes.

“If you have containers and you are concerned, move them up close to your house and cover them. Emerging leaves aren’t hit by the cold. The house insulates the pot,” Brown said. “You can put cloches over tender plants, like a milk jug, and it will insulate the plant.”

To anticipate freezes, Pat Lang, a member of the OSU master gardeners, said gardeners should check with their local extension office.

“This last week, I put some grocery bags over my crops to protect them from the cold,” Lang said.

Brown said the most unusual weather pattern for this spring is its dryness.

“Because we are not used to how dry it has been, we aren’t as alert. Here at my house I’ve already had to water my vegetable bed,” Brown said. “As I plant, I make sure they are mulched. The worst thing you can do is have bare soil. Having a good mulch down now is a good idea.”

McCartney recommends local gardeners plant their garden as close as possible to water sources.

“The city water source is great or water barrels,” McCartney said. “It’s important that people water in the morning. It’s a technique to prevent diseases because disease likes wet and humid soil. If you water in the morning, the soil has time to air out a bit.”

Lang said beginner farmers should start small and work their way up.

“There is a lot of information on the internet. Ohio State University is great for finding information on gardening,” Lang said.

The best tool to use is straw or wood chips for mulching, said McCarthy.

“It suppresses disease and weeds. Having that mulch layer, the soil won’t splash up onto the plant and create disease,” McCarthy said.

With the dry weather, Brown said everyone should mow their lawns at a higher length.

“I see so many people mowing lawns at one or two inches,” Brown said. “Mow higher instead of scalping the grass. The grass needs that length.”

McCarthy said local farmers need to understand more about their soil.

“Soil is a living entity, and it has more microbes than people living on earth. With healthy microbes, plants hold more nutrients,” McCarthy said. “Everything I try to do, I encourage healthy microbes. If you till too much, you break up the organic matter quicker.”