Anchorage Daily News

Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the start of Anchorage's gardening season. Some have jumped the gun, daring whatever unseasonable frost may come our way. Others may still be in shock from the blizzards of April.

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Either way, if the weather is even marginally good for the next few days, thousands of Alaskans will be in their yards madly prepping, planting, pruning. And, invariably, many of them will smack their heads in the middle of some crucial, time-sensitive project and wail, "Oh no! I forgot ..."

In the interest of reducing Memorial Weekend head slaps, we picked the brains of several local experts to come up with this checklist.

PLAN

"The gardener should have a realistic goal in mind for their property, including plants, budget, upkeep and time," says Beth Schlabaugh, president of the Alaska Master Gardeners Association's Anchorage chapter. And she stresses "realistic." "Very few of us will have a garden that should be showcased in Sunset magazine." With that in mind ...

• HAVE A VISION. Map your yard with an eye toward what colors or shapes you may want to see and where you'll want to see them. Where will the plants be in dirt, where will they be in planters or hanging baskets? Estimate how many of various starts you'll need before you go to the nursery.

• THINK OF THE WORK. How much time and energy do you have? Some gardeners love doing everything themselves. Others may opt for the already planted, weed-free containers that can be set in place. All you do is water.

• MAXIMIZE YOUR LANDSCAPE. Figure out how to make the best use of sun, shade, shelter, natural water flow. Weigh the cost and effort of changing the topography against the benefits you hope to achieve.

• REVIEW WATER USAGE. Before things get growing, you may want to put in soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system. Consider a water timer; they don't cost that much. Maybe you want to replace lawn with dry-tolerant plants.

• FLOWERS OR VEGETABLES? With food prices on the rise, this may be the year to clear out the pansies and make room for potatoes, beans or some other edible crop. If you plan to can any of your crop, get your jars and lids now before the fall rush.

• ORGANIC OR NON-ORGANIC? You have a choice in everything from potting soil to plant food, says Mike Mosesian, owner of Bell's Nursery.

• EMERGENCY NUMBERS. Schlabaugh advises that you have the names and numbers of potential back-up help from landscapers to lawn mowers for situations where you may not be able to do everything yourself. Ask friends for recommendations.

TOOLS

Check now and replace as needed ...

• HANDLES. Any cracks in your shovel or hoe handles? They're usually the first thing to go.

• CUTTING EDGES. You can get your basic lawn mower blade sharpened locally for less then $10 or buy a basic replacement blade for less than $20. If you're heading to a professional sharpener, take sheers and clippers with you. Check loppers and pruners to see if they can still do the job.

• HOSES. Check for leaks. Replace ends that are worn or maybe got run over last year. Likewise anything that attaches to a hose -- watering wand, sprinkler, etc. Washers and O-rings are cheap, so replace them all.

• WEED WHACKER. Got enough replacement line?

• SMALLER TOOLS. Anything missing? Items like dandelion pullers have a knack for getting misplaced.

• RAKE. Still have all the tines? Are they still at an angle to do the job as designed?

• SPRINKLERS. Do you know where they are? Are they working?

• WATERING CAN. The plastic ones can crack if left out over the winter. Tim Craig, owner of Anchorage True Value Hardware on Jewel Lake Road, recommends English watering cans because of their fine holes. If you have more than a few spots to hand-water, he advocates a wand head by Dramm that attaches to your hose and boasts more than 1,000 micro-holes. "This is bar none the softest way to water," he says, easy on seedlings.

• LAWN FURNITURE. Any plastic pieces break during the winter? Is anything too dirty or moldy to set out for another season? Clean what you can, replace what you must, discard what you don't need.

SUPPLIES

Garden stores will be packed this weekend. Worse yet, you may be working under the midnight sun at, say, midnight and the neighborhood nursery will be closed. Make sure you have enough ...

• Topsoil, potting soil, mulch or gravel for your planned projects.

• Pots and baskets.

• Stakes and fencing items.

• Fertilizer or plant food.

• Lime if your soil is too acidic (a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 is ideal for most crops, according to the extension service). Mosesian notes that lime is a necessity in Anchorage's acidic soil so plants can absorb nutrients.

• Chemicals for killing dandelions. (If you prefer a natural approach to the landscape, see Jeff Lowenfels' column.)

• Lawn first aid. A quick-sprouting fix for spots of stressed or dead grass, like Dog Patch.

PROTECTION

• SKIN. Lots of sun is great for plants, not so great for humans, particularly those prone to melanoma. A broad-brimmed hat or sunbonnet supplies excellent coverage, but not everyone likes them. A baseball cap with a dark handkerchief tucked in the back to cover your neck will also work. If you can't afford a hat, at least invest in sunscreen.

• KNEES. Kneepads are one option, a soft kneeling pad is another. Consider one of those neat little garden stools to ease stress on your kneecaps and your back.

• HANDS. Don't just get a pair of gardening gloves, says Schabaugh, but "the best gloves you can afford for your specific project -- high-cuffed gloves for pruning roses, thin nitrile gloves for transplanting, buckskins for moving dirt and rocks."

• PLANT BUGS. Mosesian thinks the mild winter will give us a bumper crop of aphids and leaf rollers. He recommends an insecticide by Bayer that doesn't have to be sprayed but can be poured in a solution at the base of a tree. Bicarbonate of soda will make a safe fungicide. And sooner or later, you'll want slug bait or slug traps.

• PEOPLE BUGS. Have the mosquito repellent close at hand. And shake last year's can of wasp spray or give it a test squirt. If it sounds depleted or won't hit a target 25 feet away, go get a new can right now.

CHORES

If you haven't done it already...

• Get a soil test for pH.

• Set up a composter, or at least a compost area.

• Pick up the trash, branches and gifts from visiting dogs or moose.

• Clean your pots.

• For large pots with lots of dirt, soak with water.

• Thatch.

• Thin out the old raspberry stalks.

• Remove the tree wrap -- carefully.

• Water under the eaves.

• Start a second batch of flowers from seeds to fill in later this summer. Mosesian says you can start crops for staggered plantings well into June.

• Take a nice stroll through a garden or hardware store to see what else you've forgotten and maybe come up with a fresh wish list.

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