Locals prepare for spring greening

According to locals, the most popular garden tip in Plains is, “Don’t plant anything in your garden until you see the heart shape snow melted near the top of Mount Baldy.”

April showers are here, but it will be awhile until May flowers appear, at least in Montana.

As the snow melts and the ground thaws, it might be time to start thinking about getting the yard and gardens ready for warmer weather.  Even though it’s a little early to start planting outside, there are things that can save you work later on.

“This time of year, people are starting to buy their fertilizers, peat moss, compost materials and soil,” said Matt Diehl, owner of Gambles hardware store in downtown Plains.  

“I’m not sure how patient people will be to plant, because it seems like we are all ready for spring.  You never know in Montana, because we have had killer frosts in July in the past, so planting is always a gamble.”

According to Diehl, the calcium makes the soil have a higher base number on the pH scale, and plants tend to do better in soil that is more acidic. He also suggested getting sulfur to neutralize the soil because of the calcium levels in water.  

Montana Nursery in Plains is a large wholesale nursery that grows and sells trees, shrubs and vegetables.  They are a vegetable plant distributer for Bonnie Plants, a national company that provides vegetable seeds to growers.  

The specialized area based nurseries, such as Montana Nursery, raises the seeds and grows the plants locally, then distributes them to retailers ranging in size from corporations to private businesses.  Montana Nursery provides Montana, northern Wyoming, Idaho and eastern Washington retailers.

The seeds start by being planted by an automatic machine, and then they are watered and stored in the “germ” room, which is a 76-degree room where it takes about a week for the seeds to sprout.  After they sprout, the plants are transplanted by hand and put in their 14 greenhouses where they grow big enough to be sent out in trucks to be sold.

“The seeds come up faster than we can plant sometimes, but it’s good to be busy,” said Michele Furry, owner of Montana Nursery.

After buying the nursery 10 years ago, Furry said they started planting about 8,000 trays of seeds per season and are now up to 80,000 trays.  According to Furry, they started planting seeds in January and now all of their greenhouses are full.

“By the time the season hits, we have to make sure to be ready by May and June, when the big rush comes.  We had our first deliveries this week,” said Furry.  

If you are looking to start planting potted arrangements for your deck, you can, said Della Garrison, owner of Lynch Creek Nursery in Plains.  Garrison also recommended planting landscaping materials such as trees and shrubs now, but the ground is not ready for flowers.  

Lynch Creek Nursery has many varieties of annual and perennial flowers, as well as shrubs, trees, vegetables, herbs and potted plants.  The nursery also has several events and special offers planned for the season, such as “girls night out,” and deals upcoming holidays.

“We hope to be busy right away when we open,” said Garrison.  “I think everyone is ready for spring and some color this time of year.”

Both Diehl and Furry said that people could start planting shrubs and trees for landscaping as well as starting “cold crops,” such as peas, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, which are heartier plants.  They both warn to make sure the ground you are planting in is ready and thawed.

Furry says once the heart on Mt. Baldy is gone it’s probably alright to start planting tomatoes and peppers, or other fragile plants.

Montana Nursery is starting their season opening on April 16th, and will be open on Saturday’s