In this strange and unsettling time we are reminded how interconnected our world has become. A few years back there was an active campaign to buy American made products if possible but lately we have been distracted by the day to day noise around us. Even in the plant business we are interconnected with growers from around the region that we know have a great selection and do an excellent job of growing plants. Except for bulbs, our plants are grown in the USA and Canada. That helps us choose the best varieties with our favorite characteristics and best cold hardiness.

Here in the Billings area we are considered by USDA to be cold hardy Zone 5. That means Zone 5 plants should be cold hardy to -20 degrees. Well, we all know that it can get colder than that here and it can be warmer downtown and colder out on the edges of town. It can also be warmer up near the rims and colder in the river bottom as warm air generally rises and cold air generally sinks. Some of us live in neighborhoods that have established landscape, trees and fences that help block the wind and some of us live in newer neighborhoods that are less protected. All of that adds up to pockets of micro-climate in various parts of town. Knowing your micro-climate, if you have one, helps you pick plants to make your project successful. Zone 4 means that plants should be able to withstand cold to -30 degrees. The USDA Zone ratings for plants do not always tell the whole story. The winter over success of many plants, especially evergreens, is less about the temperature and more about how dry and windy it is in the winter. We just went through what most farmers would consider an open winter with little snow on the ground. Snow is moisture, creates humidity and provides insulation to plants to withstand the wind. I know I sound like a broken record. If your trees and evergreens look dry water now before your irrigation system gets turn on!!

We are fielding calls this spring for plants that make food for people and wildlife. Growing your own food can be fun or frustrating for new gardeners and experienced gardeners alike when you factor in the weather. Every experienced gardener has their secret soil mix, fertilizer or pest plan. New gardeners have read several books or watched umpteen videos on the internet and are ready to get their hands dirty. Over the years of watching my mother’s vegetable gardening probably the most helpful thing she does is keep a gardening journal each year. That lets her review her success or problems and reminds her what varieties she did or didn’t like. It also helps her remember what was where last year so she can rotate her crops to reduce soil borne problems. I always think I am going to get a garden journal going but it never seems to materialize. That is probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me.

This is the time to be thinking about your soil. If you are wanting to build raised beds for the first time be sure to look for a spot that gets plenty of sun. Most vegetables want 6-10 hours a day of direct sunlight to be happy. You may be getting more or less light than you think so keep an eye on the sun as it travels around your yard during the day. Design your beds with convenience and functionally in mind, can you easily reach across the bed to work on the plants, will the spot be easy to water, how deep should the bed be, what kind of soil to use? Most veggies need about 16-18” of rich well drained soil with a good percentage of organic material from compost. When you first fill a new raised bed consider using several layers of cardboard or newspaper in the bottom to reduce weeds and draw worms to your beds. Worms love to come to that kind of cool wet area. If your boxes are deeper than 18” consider filling the bottom with compostable material like twigs, grass clippings, straw or other non-diseased yard waste you may have. I would not use wet leaves unless they have been shredded as they can form a soggy mat that will not drain well. Fresh green weeds with no seed heads make great compost. Don’t use purslane or weeds that spread by root clump! I think bagged potting soil is a bit light for large garden boxes and will dry out too quickly which can make it hard to keep up with the watering. We have native topsoil, a good compost and an amended soil available by the cubic yard that makes a good mix for raised boxes.

We are trying to keep a good stock of fruit trees and fruit plants on hand and introduce fruiting plants you may not have thought of. This year we are trying Sea Buckthorn. Sea Buckthorn, Hippophae rhamniodes, (no I can’t pronounce that) is said to be a good source of vitamins and antioxidants and doesn’t mind our clay and alkaline soil. Sounds like a win win! We also have every kind of berry you can think of that grows in our area. Planting fruit trees is a labor of love as they take a bit to come into fruiting. We do have some larger size apple varieties that will get you to fruiting sooner than starting with a smaller size. Fruit plants are still arriving and most should be here by Mother’s Day. You know that I can keep talking about rootstock and pollination so give us a call if you have questions. Even though I work in the plant business I like to go home and work in the yard. It is like therapy to prune, water and pull weeds. Besides, I am already covered with dirt from work so why not? Being out in the sunshine with my hands in the soil improves my mood and helps me sleep better. My husband is famous for saying it all looks like firewood to him, but he always likes it when our friends admire the yard.

Don’t forget that 98% of our ‘store’ is outdoors and we are happy to help or just have you stop in to wander around and enjoy whatever spring has sprung this week.

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