by Leslie Cox; Friday; April 14, 2017

Most plants will do okay in most soil pH ranges…acidic, neutral, alkaline. However, soil pH does have an impact on how well a plant is able to access necessary nutrients in the soil for its optimum health. Therefore, it is advisable to provide each plant in your garden with its preferred planting conditions. Here in the Pacific Northwest, this means alkaline-loving plants need to have the soil boosted up to at least a pH 6.5…or even higher. Applying wood ashes or scratching some lime into the soil at the drip line will certainly help raise the pH for these plants.

The following list will show which trees and shrubs in your garden would like some specialized treatment.

Indoors…

• First week:
  • Vegetables:
    • asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, eggplant, fennel, leeks, melons, peppers, tomatoes
  • Herbs:
    • marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, stevia, summer savory, thyme, winter savory
  • Flowers:
    • agastache, lobelia, yarrow

• Second week:
  • Vegetables:
    • asparagus, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes
  • Herbs:
    • basil, marjoram, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, stevia summer savory, thyme, winter savory
  • Flowers:
    • agastache, lobelia, yarrow

• Third week:
  • Vegetables:
    • asparagus, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes
  • Herbs:
    • basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, stevia, summer savory, thyme, winter savory

• Fourth week:
  • Vegetables:
    • asparagus, celery, celeriac
  • Herbs:
    • basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, stevia, summer savory

Direct sow in the garden… 

• First week:
  • Vegetables:
    • arugula, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, corn salad, cress, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustards, onions (scallions), onions (storage) Pac choi / Choi sum, parsnips, peas, radicchio, radishes, spinach, turnips
  • Herbs:
    • bergamot, borage, catnip, chamomile, chervil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, mint
  • Flowers:
    • calendula, celosia, clarkia, cleome, cornflowers, cosmos, delphinium, dianthus, digitalis, gaura, Lavatera (mallow), linum, lunaria, lupin, marigolds, nigella, oenothera, Papaver (poppy), phacelia, rudbeckia, saponaria, sunflowers, wallflowers

• Second week:
  • Vegetables:
    • arugula, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, corn salad, cress, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustards, onions (scallions), onions (storage) Pac choi / Choi sum, parsnips, peas, radicchio, radishes, spinach, turnips
  • Herbs:
    • bergamot, borage, catnip, chamomile, chervil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, lovage, mint
  • Flowers:
    • calendula, celosia, clarkia, cleome, cornflowers, cosmos, delphinium, dianthus, digitalis, gaura, Lavatera (mallow), linum, lunaria, lupin, marigolds, nasturtiums, nigella, oenothera, Papaver (poppy), phacelia, rudbeckia, saponaria, strawflower, sunflowers, wallflowers

• Third week:
  • Vegetables:
    • arugula, beets, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, cress, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustards, onions (scallions), onions (storage) Pac choi / Choi sum, parsnips, peas, quinoa, radicchio, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips
  • Herbs:
    • bergamot, borage, catnip, chamomile, chervil, chives, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, lovage, mint, parsley
  • Flowers:
    • calendula, celosia, clarkia, cleome, cornflowers, cosmos, delphinium, dianthus, digitalis, gaura, helenium, iberis, Lavatera (mallow), linum, marigolds, nasturtiums, nigella, oenothera, Papaver (poppy), phacelia, rudbeckia, saponaria, snapdragons, statice, stocks, strawflower, sunflowers, sweet peas, tithonia, veronica

• Fourth week:
  • Vegetables:
    • arugula, beets, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, cress, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustards, onions (scallions), onions (storage) Pac choi / Choi sum, parsnips, peas, quinoa, radicchio, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips
  • Herbs:
    • borage, catnip, chamomile, chervil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, mint, parsley
  • Flowers:
    • calendula, celosia, clarkia, cleome, cornflowers, cosmos, delphinium, dianthus, digitalis, gaura, helenium, iberis, Lavatera (mallow), linum, marigolds, nasturtiums, nigella, oenothera, Papaver (poppy), phacelia, rudbeckia, saponaria, snapdragons, statice, stocks, strawflower, sunflowers, sweet peas, tithonia, veronica

Transplant into the garden…

• First week:
  • Herbs:
    • chives, lemon balm
  • Flowers:
    • helenium, hollyhock, iberis, nicotiana, snapdragons, statice, stocks, sweet peas, tithonia, veronica, viola

• Second week:
  • Herbs:
    • chives, lemon balm
  • Flowers:
    • columbine, helenium, hollyhock, iberis, nicotiana, snapdragons, statice, stocks, sweet peas, tithonia, veronica, viola

• Third week:
  • Vegetables:
    • cauliflower
  • Herbs:
    • marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savory
  • Flowers:
    • alyssum, asclepias, columbine, helenium, hollyhock, iberis, nicotiana, physalis, scabiosa, stocks, sweet peas, tithonia, veronica, viola

• Fourth week:
  • Vegetables:
    • cauliflower, onions (sweet)
  • Herbs:
    • bergamot, lovage, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, winter savory
  • Flowers:
    • alyssum, asclepias, columbine, gaillardia, hollyhock, iberis, nicotiana, physalis, scabiosa

Posted on April 8, 2017