Garden centers and nurseries talk gardening tips

May usually means warmer weather and sunshine.

With warmer weather starting to stick around, garden centers and nurseries see an increase in business.

McKee’s Garden and Pet Center had a steady flow of customers Saturday morning. The owner, Travis Brasher, said business always picks up around Mother’s Day and continues heavily through Memorial Day. He said first of June, the vegetable sales tend to die down significantly. Flowers remain popular through about the end of June, once most people get what they want planted. So Brasher said it’s about a two-month period of very steady business for the garden center.

Brasher said three of the most popular types of flowers McKee’s sells are petunias, alyssums, and zinnias.

McKee’s said even April business picks up a bit because a lot of people will start planting vegetables then. But Brasher said really anytime now in May is a good time to get started on a garden.

“The best time is any time that the ground is actually thawed out,” said David Luker, owner of Westwood Growers Nursery. “If you can actually dig in the ground it’s time to plant something.”

Many people have done just that. But with a recent cold spell, some people wonder if the gardens already planted will make it.

Brasher said they had some customers who came in to get new plants because their tomatoes had frozen. A few others had problems with corn. He said the best thing for people to remember is to watch the weather. When there’s a potential for a freeze or a cold spell, just make sure all of your plants are covered. They can be covered with warm water covers, buckets, anything that will protect them from frost.

Luker said Westwood a few of its own shrubs and trees were also affected. But Luker said with any garden, cold temperatures do not necessarily equal loss.

“We brought a lot of stuff in from Oregon,” Luker explained. “It was pretty tender and it got damaged and some of it looks pretty bad, but for the most part, it’s temporary. Most plants will recover. The exception of course is the annuals. When they get frozen, they’re done and you have to replace them. But many plants can rejuvenate from a cold spell like we just had.”

Both McKee’s and Westwood said the key to getting a good garden started is to make sure there’s a good base for your plants to grow in.

“You want to make sure you get a good soil to start with and so you get a nice good soil, we put some compost in there and some additives in there to make the soil nice so that will help your plants grow and the plants to thrive,” Brasher said.

“Remember that the plant is going to colonize its new home and so anything you can do to benefit that process,” Luker said. “For instance, I recommend organic matter, lots of organic matter. We even recommend on shrubs and trees, introducing an organism – mycorrhizal fungi. [It’s] an organism that would co-exist with the plant in its natural state and what organism is present, plants live longer, they’re healthier, they’re more disease resistant.”

Brasher said another piece of advice he has for gardens is to make sure you don’t over-water anything, especially when it comes to vegetables. For example, he said, corn needs to stay more dry and requires less water than other vegetables. So if you over-water it, it could ruin it. So Brasher said knowing how much water is healthy for your different types of plants is important.

Luker said one thing he sees a lot of problems with is people buying plants that aren’t suited to the area we live in. He said Pocatello has a very different type of soil than a city or east coast might so any plants that originate in those areas might not do well in Pocatello. He said just knowing what plants work best in the climate you are in makes a difference.

Both McKee’s and Westwood Growers said if you want to get going on a planting but you are not sure how, or what to start with, talk to a local expert to help you get started.

Westwood Growers Conservation Nursery:
3411 Pole Line Road
208-241-3607.
Also: Facebook page.

McKee’s Garden and Pet Center:
244 Yellowstone
208-232-2414.
Link: Facebook page.