(Casper, WY) -- Despite the winter cold, it's really not too
early to begin thinking about the spring planting season and Donna Hoffman,
Natrona County Extension Horticulturist (pictured above), shared some tips with local
enthusiasts during a recent edition of Senior-Wise at the Casper Senior Center.
Most of her program concerned the planting and care for
perennials, the plants that return annually. She said an important place to
begin is to improve the soil in your garden. "Any of you who have gardened
for years probably know that the WY soil is pretty shallow," she said.
"There aren't a lot of nutrients and there's very little organic matter in
our garden soil. That's true for most of the rocky Mountain region." So
she said it's a good idea to add organic matter such as peat moss or compost or
straw to your garden because all those will benefit future generations of
plants. "Adding organic matter is one of the first and most important
things you can do to improve the success
of anything you grow in your garden," she said.
She noted that as far as geology is concerned Wyoming soil
is still pretty young so there's not as much plant growth here as there is in
the Midwest. Hoffman recommended cutting down on water use in your garden in
the summer by mulching. This also cuts down on the weeds that come up and helps
protect perennials from harsh winters. She added that good mulch can contain
such common matter as shredded tree bark and straw.
Also, because Wyoming soil has such low nutrient content she
recommends using fertilizers. "You may want to begin with a soil test to know
exactly what your soil will need," she said, "and those of us at the
extension office will be glad to test your soil."
Having a successful garden also requires proper care during
the winter. "It's important to protect plants from warming up too much so they
don't germinate and come back up too early," she said. "We want to
protect them in case we have freezing temperatures and the best way to do that
is keeping the mulch layer on until things really do need to start greening
up."
The Natrona County extension office has available to the
public a publication called "Landscaping: Herbaceous Perennials for Wyoming"
that lists nearly one hundred plants that survive and thrive in our climate. It
is available free of charge.
Senior-Wise is held Tuesdays at 12:30 at the Casper Senior
Center.
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