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By Shirley McMarlin
Tribune-Review
It's been a pretty poor excuse for a winter in Western Pennsylvania, but Mother Nature still could have a few frosts and snowflakes up her sleeve.
That means gardeners eager to get out there and get planting need to exercise a little patience.
"The biggest thing I can tell people is not to be in a hurry, and it's difficult for me to say, because I make money off of people being in a hurry," said Jason Wilkinson, owner of Jason Wilkinson Nursery in Hempfield. "There is still going to be a lot of freezing and a lot of frost."
On average, the area's last frost comes in mid-May, said Mandy Smith, Penn State Extension Master Gardener coordinator for Westmoreland County.
"I do understand why people get in a hurry," Wilkinson said. "They've been inside all winter, and they have cabin fever. They want to get outside and get stuff done, but they want to be careful with planting too early."
While it's too early to do much planting, March is a good time for planning and preparing for the growing
season ahead.
A first step can be to make sure garden tools are cleaned and sharpened. Then take a walk around the yard and garden to assess what needs to be done.
"It's just kind of a waiting game," said Jean Brozack of Ligonier, who tends several raised vegetable and flower beds with her husband, Vince. "We'll clean out beds, get them ready and dig in a quick layer of mulch."
Having soil tested is an important part of spring garden prep, Smith said. Fall is the best time to test soil, but spring is second- best, so there is time to amend as needed before planting.
Soil test kits are available from county Extension offices and some garden centers. Information is available at agsci.psu.edu.
"As a rule of thumb, it's always safe to add some gypsum and lime, because we are in a naturally acidic place with all the rain we get," said Michelle Kubrick, manager/operator at Kubrick Brothers Garden Center in New Kensington. "The lime will sweeten your soil, depending on what you're growing that season. Gypsum helps break down clay. And here in good old PA, we have a lot of clay.
"And we always recommend a little bit of sand for drainage."
Too wet, too dry?
Moisture is another thing to consider when assessing soil, Wilkinson said.
"If the garden is in an area that's extremely wet, now is the time to think about getting some drainage around it," Wilkinson said.