Time to Prepare for Planting
M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E
Time to Prepare for Planting
By Lucas Proctor
Introductory Column
I am a bona fide plant nerd. I love plants. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture and will spend any free time reading reference books about plants and their wonders. I like to diagnose people's plant problems.
Plants are also important teachers, because they give us so much opportunity to learn about our Heavenly Father and His plan for us. In a 1976 conference address about family preparedness President Spencer W. Kimball stated:
We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees-plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard.
Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden as neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities.
Part of my focus for this column will be to help facilitate this request by a modern-day prophet. His request was fourfold:
First, we were asked to study the best methods of providing our own foods. In this column I will list online resources and great books to read.
Second, he encouraged us to grow all the food we can on our own property. Many people live in apartments or townhomes where ground to grow plants is nonexistent and we will address that.
Third, he asked us to make our gardens neat and attractive. In Europe, they don't have yards; they have gardens. I think that here, in America , that change in words has not only degraded the meaning, but also the art of gardening. I will try to help you change your paradigms about yards and gardens to help you see that in many cases they can be one in the same and beautiful too.
Lastly, he mentioned that if there are children in your home involve them in the process. There are so many lessons to be learned in gardening! One of the oldest allegories is Zenos's Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5. Children understand stories and principles better when they can get their hands dirty and experience the story for themselves.
The Parable of the Dandelion
Here is an allegory from the world of gardening. Many people have had the opportunity to deal with dandelions. Most of these opportunities haven't been positive experiences. In that light, I would like to try to change your paradigm and share a couple of quick reasons dandelions are something that we need to emulate.
The basic make-up of any plant consists of two spheres: above ground and below ground. For many plants, what we don't see underground is as amazing as the hidden part of an iceberg. Dandelions fit into this category. They have a taproot (which is kind of like the trunk underground) that is quite impressive.
If you mow your lawn with dandelions present, you may cut off the upper sphere of leaves but the roots persist. This amazing taproot, like your lawn's roots, has the energy stored up to grow new leaves. These leaves will keep coming back until you remove the source: the taproot. This taproot not only provides the ability to grow new leaves, but it also acts as an anchor to keep the plant upright. If you don't get the entire taproot out of the ground when you dig or weed it out, it can grow a new plant from just a piece of root.
So why is this annoying and hard-to-eradicate weed something worth emulating? It is because of its strong deep foundation. In this world a war of ideas is constantly waged and with the advent and proliferation of technology, this war is larger than it ever has been. We need to have roots in our own beliefs that grow so deep, we can never be uprooted by the ideals of the world. If by chance we are cut down for one reason or another, then we will have the strength and foundation to grow back.
Spring Preparation
Right now, I live in a place where the spring comes late and quickly, and you mostly just sit around and wait for the snow to melt. By about Memorial Day, you can start planting all of your garden and bedding plants and usually avoid the late frosts.
I would like to give you a few tips on how to get ahead of the weather and be ready for whenever spring hits you.
Ground Preparation
Snow can persist longer than you want it to, even with sunshiny days. Snow reflects 80 percent of the light of the sun! This is not good for planting. The soil stays cold and seeds will not germinate.
TIP: If you have anything dark, whether it is plastic garbage bags or charcoal dust (anything that will absorb the sun's light), this can make snow go away much quicker.
Your soil exposed to the sun will naturally absorb light/heat and you can be ready to sow seeds or plant plants weeks, or even up to a month, quicker than waiting for the snow to melt.
Once you have soil exposed, one of the best things to do in any type of bed, whether it be a garden or flower bed, is adding what is called Humates.
TIP: Adding Humates to the soil is like giving the soil fertilizer without adding fertilizer. This process "activates" the soil by breaking down many unusable nutrient compounds into usable forms by using humic acid (humates).
This product can be found at most, if not all garden centers, and even the big box stores (Wal-Mart, Home Depot) have started to carry it. It is usually a granular form and can be broadcast over any soil beds and even your lawn!
These tips are just a couple of hints to get a jump start on spring. Good luck and happy planting.
Spencer W. Kimball, "Family Preparedness," Ensign, May 1976, 124
