Idaho Master Gardener plant sale next week
Mark your calendars, the Idaho Master Gardeners are holding their annual Sodbuster Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 13, at the University of Idaho Research Park, 958 S. Lochsa St., Post Falls.
Gardeners will find many varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers and assorted vegetable starts, small fruit offerings including strawberry, raspberry and blackberry plants, a large selection of houseplants, plus a huge assortment of summer vegetable seeds from Snake River Seed Co-op.
Finally, it’s sale season, and gardeners are eager to get planting. You can easily spot us with our list of desired plants in one hand and a trowel in the other! It’s easy to fill your wagon with all the goodies that are offered this time of year and, if you don’t buy them now, they might not be available later in the season.
Here are a few tips to help you (and the plants you purchase) survive sale-day mania, be it at a plant sale, farmers markets or nursery opening.
Before you head out the door, do a little homework. Take a careful look at your available planting space and determine just how much you can plant and where it will go. Most vegetables require a minimum of six hours of sunlight a day to thrive.
A little preplanning and list-making can go a long way to ensure you purchase the plants you really want and, more importantly, have the space and right conditions to grow. Shop for those items on your list first before turning an eye to those stunning “impulse-buy” plants.
Because many plant sales occur early in the season, when conditions are not optimum for planting, it’s important to have a plan in place to “hold” tender, warm-season plants for a few weeks before planting.
Our region’s average last frost date is May 15, but that is only a guideline. Some locations may have frost through the end of May or later. Reputable plant vendors will have hardened their stock (acclimated the plants to the outdoor climate) before selling, but that doesn’t make them frost-proof. Early May is not the time to plant warm-season crops in North Idaho.
Warm-season vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers, basil and most annual flowers need protection from the elements while waiting to plant. You can hold plants outside during the day in a well-protected area out of direct sunlight and wind. Intense sunlight can scald young leaves and wind will quickly wither tender plants.
In the evening, move plants inside a garage or other protected area out of the danger of frost. Keep the soil in the plant’s pot moist during this transitional period.
Keep in mind that warm-season crops and flowers need consistently warm air and soil temperatures. The minimum soil temperature for tomatoes to thrive is 60 degrees. I don’t usually plant until the nighttime temperatures are consistently 55 degrees and my soil is sufficiently warmed.
Items like floating row covers or gardening fleece, cloches, plastic gallon milk jugs or even large, clear plastic totes placed over young plants will protect them from cool spring temperatures or a late frost.
If you grow in raised beds, you can easily make a low-tunnel hoop structure with PVC pipe and plastic sheeting. This works wonders for early and late season gardening. We hope to see you at our Sodbuster Sale on Saturday, May 13.
Candace Godwin is a Certified Idaho Master Gardener. The University of Idaho Extension, Kootenai County Idaho Master Gardener program is located in the UI Research Park, 958 S. Lochsa St. in Post Falls. Learn more about us at https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/county/kootenai/garden or on Facebook. Visit us in person, email us at kootenaimg@uidaho.edu, or call us at 208-292-2525. IMG services are free to the public.
