Spring is officially here! It is time to go outside and dig in the soil, or maybe a compost pile. The Snohomish County Master Gardeners have you covered with how to start composting and tips on purchasing the right plant for your yard so that they can thrive. Hint: those plant tags can tell you a lot. The City of Everett has upcoming workshops on creating wildlife habitat and how to engage the whole family in gardening. To help kick-start your family gardening adventure this spring, we have free family garden kits available for pick up at the Everett Public Library. While there, check out a gardening book from the included suggested reading list.

Spring and plant buying go hand in hand.

Right plant, right place

As the weather warms, people begin visiting their local nursery or garden center to see what’s new. In order to have success with new plants it’s important to understand the information that’s included with the plant tag. The tag gives you ample information on your selected plant including cold hardiness, growth rate and spacing. More importantly is how well do the plant’s requirements match YOUR garden site characteristics?

Two key features that will significantly affect the plants success is the amount of sunlight and the rate of soil drainage.
Measuring sunlight
Mid-summer, on a sunny day, record each hour how much direct sun the beds are receiving. With this information you can categorize your beds as follows:

Full sun – direct, unfiltered sunlight for at least 6 hours per day
Part sun – 4-6 hours of direct sun per day – some can be in the afternoon
Part shade – 4-6 hours of direct sun per day with 4 or more hours in the morning
Full shade – 1-4 hours of direct sun per day, mostly in the morning

Growing or removing trees and larger shrubs can change the sun profile of a bed, so do this about every five years.

Soil drainage and plant selection
Understanding your soil’s drainage is crucial. In this region, our soil conditions vary from fast draining to surface-water ponding. One quick test to determine how well your soil drains is to dig a hole about 12-by-12 inches, fill it with water and let it drain. Repeat and time how long it takes to completely drain.

Sandy soil will drain in 2-3 hours, also called ‘sharp drainage’. Plants that prefer this are characterized as having LOW water requirements or may say ‘best for rockeries’. Wrongly placed plants will require a lot more watering, which is costly and time consuming.
Loamy soils will drain in 3-9 hours and are referred to as ‘moist, well drained’ soil. It holds water, but not too long.
Clay or heavily compacted soils will take more than 9 hours to drain. Water tends to pool on the surface in heavy rains. Many plants can’t take this level of saturation. Native plants are a good choice since they are well adapted to our regional conditions. You will need to water less often, but don’t let clay completely dry in the summer – rehydrating it is extremely difficult.

By knowing your sun exposure and drainage characteristics, you are now armed with enough information to make good plant selections during your next nursery visit. The Plant List is a quick reference guide of plants by requirement.

Article by Sheila McKinnon, Snohomish County Master Gardener

Tale-tell sign you might have a mole.

Moles: an underground movement

Moles are a nuisance for anyone who has a lawn or garden. Homeowners can spend a great deal of money on the problem. To help eliminate moles, it is best to understand the mammal that creates these tunnels.
Moles have very small eyes, no visible ears, large front feet and short pink tails. They are insectivores, feeding on insects including earthworms, grubs, insect larvae, as well as crane fly larvae, cutworms and even some slugs. Rarely do moles eat your bulbs or roots of plants. Instead, they may taste them as they tunnel and the tunnels themselves may uproot plants and bulbs exposing roots which can harm plants. These solitary, territorial mammals prefer to tunnel in porous, well-watered gardens and lawns and avoid hard clay or compacted soil. They are active year-round, but landscape damage is most noticeable from spring to fall when they are scouting out a mate.

The first clue that you have a mole in the yard is the volcano-shaped mounds. From there you can quite often see the path of the tunnel in the yard. Not only are tunnels and mounds unsightly, they uncover irrigation, expose roots and bulbs, and create a potential tripping hazard. Other critters can create a tunnel in the landscape but do not leave the telltale volcano-shaped mounds. If there’s no volcano, then you may have a problem with voles or rats.

If you’re certain you have moles, the easiest, most cost-effective way to rid yourself of this nuisance is to become a nuisance. Walk on the tunnels to collapse them and smooth out the volcano hills. This causes the mole to keep moving to find a place that is safe from tunnel destroyers. It is also illegal by Washington state law to use body-gripping traps. Most methods of mole deterrence require daily monitoring and repeating processes. Creating a barrier will also work. It requires a trench to be dug 24 inches deep and metal fencing or hardware cloth buried around the property. It is labor intensive and costly. Most baits in the stores are not consistently effective and can harm pets, children and the environment. Explosive devices are also ineffective, can cause harm to children or pets, leave craters in your yard and are banned in most communities. Smoking or flushing moles out with water is generally not effective in that the smoke or water escapes through your porous soil.

Stomping on tunnels and raking down the volcanos is quite satisfying to do and will work; however, you must maintain vigilance or the moles that are now in your neighbor’s yard will come back. The good news is if you have moles, you have great soil.

Article by Jackie Trimble, Snohomish County Master Gardener

Compost: the smart thing to do

Composting is good for the environment and good for your soil. Instead of tossing your yard clippings and vegetable waste in the garbage, throw them into the compost and save yourself time and money.

Using 1-2 inches of compost on top of the soil:

Provides a weed barrier.
Helps maintain soil temperature.
Controls moisture loss.
Improves soil texture and structure.
Feeds plants and microorganisms in the soil.
Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides which is cheaper for the homeowner and better for the environment. Overuse of chemicals causes groundwater contamination and contributes to pollution to make its way into our Puget Sound.

There are several ways to compost; each with varying degrees of work to achieve success. Choose the one that best suits your needs. The easiest method is to place yard and food waste in your yard waste container. Your yard waste service:

Accepts a large assortment of yard and food waste including things like weeds, meat bi-products and pizza boxes. Check with your service on what they will accept.
Uses very high temperatures to turn your items into compost that can be purchased for your landscape.

Compost piles are naturally teaming with fungi, protozoa, nematodes, bacteria, centipedes, ground beetles, red worms and many more microorganisms that break down the material into healthy soil. No need to purchase a compost starter. If you build it, they will come. The best part of composting at home is you have all the ingredients necessary to hot or cold compost.

Hot composting is the most labor intensive.

A consistent temperature of 135 degrees must be maintained. This is difficult to do.
The pile needs to be turned regularly, temperatures checked and additional materials added as needed.
It is recommended that you invest in a soil thermometer and a composting bin. The bin will help keep wildlife out of your pile.
Microorganisms break down the material in 6-9 months.

Cold composting is the easiest and least labor-intensive method.

It requires turning the pile regularly and adding materials as needed.
The temperature does not get hot enough to kill weed seeds or pathogens.
Microorganisms break down the material in 9-12 months.
Most yard waste and vegetable food scraps can be used with success.

Whether you hot or cold compost, you’ll need to maintain:

A balance of green/wet vs brown/dry materials. Too wet can get smelly, too dry will slow down the process.
Small, 2-inch piece materials; smaller breaks down quicker.
Air circulation – turning helps with this process.
A 3x3x3 pile.

Before you begin composting, download “Composting Yard and Food Waste” by Snohomish County Natural Yard Care. The easy-to-follow directions and troubleshooting hints are valuable for anyone wanting to try their hand at composting, or you can always contact your local Master Gardener for help.

Article by Sherry Lawrence, Snohomish County Master Gardener

Trees: climate change indicators

Last fall, our “Gardening in a changing climate” talk mentioned that visual stress indicators are starting to show up in some of our native trees like the western hemlocks, western red cedar and big leaf maple, mostly due to higher temperatures and fluctuating water availability. The western red cedar, easily considered the most important northwest native conifer to many local tribal cultures, is a large tree used extensively for its light weight and decay resistant wood. Even mainstay Pacific Northwest trees are beginning to show the signs that our current climate is changing and our native trees are not able to keep in step. Experts continue to tout the importance of planting native trees because those species have adapted to the local environment however, no one can predict how the new weather extremes will affect a species¹ so that advice might be starting to shift to recommending more drought-friendly trees, like shore pine or grand fir.

At this point there are not necessarily answers to the dilemma on how to deal directly with the decline in native tree specifics, but it does bring into question, are “native” plants always the best recommendation? One thing that is not in question is the important role that trees play not just in climate change, but in stormwater pollution prevention. Trees pull planet-warming carbon dioxide from the air and store it. They also reduce the impacts of extreme weather by providing shade, releasing cooling vapor and slowing stormwater runoff.²

The assumption has been that our native trees need little care since they are accustomed to our weather patterns, but this may no longer be holding true. The best thing we can do for our native trees is to take a little bit more care when we experience these large weather events to water and shade our native trees before they start to show signs of stress.
¹The Everett Herald “Trees fighters of climate change are also victims of it.”
²The Everett Herald, “League of women voters has a new mission defend urban trees.”

Creating habitat for wildlife

Thursday, March 31 • 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Online (register at everett.eventbrite.com)

Would you like to produce opportunities to see local wildlife without having to leave your home? Learn easy ways to create habitat for wildlife in a holistic way! Whether you’re interested in supporting pollinators, bird watching or attracting amphibians, we’ll cover the elements you need to support wildlife year round. Join us for an engaging evening with Snohomish Conservation District staff and WSU Master Gardeners as we talk about how to create more habitat right in your backyard.

Family gardening

Thursday, April 7 • 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Online (register at everett.eventbrite.com)

Green gardening is beneficial for more than just creating a pretty landscape. Exploring or simply playing in the garden is an ideal place for hands-on science. Gather the family and learn together about the natural world. Discover the building blocks needed for a plant to grow. Explore a virtual green space
and be amazed by all the creatures living under foot. Learn ways to engage and create fun experiences for the whole family. Workshop geared towards ages 8 - 11.

Family garden kits

Everett Public Library

Free kits are available to complement the family gardening workshop and includes a resource guide and most items needed to build your very own terrarium (miniature garden). While at the library, check out the included all-ages suggested reading list. Available while supplies last.

Self-guided rain garden tour

Month of April (register at everett.eventbrite.com)

Make a date this spring to tour north Everett rain gardens. These gardens do the work in your yard by collecting, absorbing and filtering the rain that runs off your roof. Be inspired while exploring a great alternative to lawn. Once registered, you’ll receive a map of local rain gardens to visit at your convenience. Visit everettwa.gov/raingardens to learn how to participate in the 2022 rebate program.

Rain garden rebate program

Site assessments until end of May

The City of Everett is offering a rebate, up to $2,500, to qualified homeowners who install an approved rain garden. These gardens are a good solution for some homeowners, especially those who have stormwater drainage concerns. This spring is the perfect time to tour local rain gardens, watch our informational video and sign up for a site assessment. Go to everettwa.gov/raingardens, click link to watch the workshop video at the top of page, then call 425-257- 8992 to schedule a free rain garden site assessment.

Introduction to Pollinator Diversity and Threats

Friday, April 8
Online (register at gardenlectures.com)

This talk, by Bill Gillespie, is a part of the Winter Speaker Series by the Snohomish County Master Gardeners. It is designed to introduce the participants to the diversity of insect pollinators and to their interesting life histories. Talk includes information on the Giant Asian Hornet. Tickets are $20 and supports the Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation.

Snohomish County Master Gardener Plant Sale

SAVE THE DATE – May 7

Large assortment of vegetables and perennials.