Want to be a master gardener this spring? Just follow these simple tips

Spring has sprung! And so has the excitement over seasonal fruit, vegetables and beautiful blooms. As any gardener will tell you, though, whether you’re a master or just planting your first bulb, there's always room for improvement.

Tim Becker, director of horticulture at the Theodore Payne Foundation, joined LAist science reporter and gardening lover Jacob Margolis on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news program, to offer some advice for this year’s gardening season.

Here are some of their tips for cultivating and maintaining your green thumb this spring.

No sun? For these plants, it's no problem

Plants need sunlight. Which is why spring is known for colorful blooms and delicious produce.

But what about those stubborn, poorly illuminated corners of a garden that never see the light of day, no matter the time or season?

Becker suggests planting ribes, currants and gooseberries — plants often found at the bottom of canyons or along stream banks.

“ They're definitely accustomed to getting the winter shade, and they often bloom in the winter,” Becker said.

To add some color to these dark spaces, Becker said chaparral currants, blood currants and golden currants provide nice pinks, yellows and whites that will brighten up any north facing wall or shrouded area.

Is high ground always better?

For those looking to start a vegetable garden, the debate over raised beds versus planting straight into the ground can be confusing, but Becker said there are pros and cons to both.

Raised beds make weeding and harvesting easier, but they can be expensive and require more upkeep.

There are pros and cons to using raised garden beds, says Tim Becker.

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Rene Lynch

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LAist

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“ You're gonna always have to be adding potting soil to that because potting meat kind of breaks down. It composts away,” he said.

There is also the question of wood versus metal.

“A metal raised bed will last a lot longer than a wooden one,” Becker said. “And we always encourage people not to use pressure treated lumber if you can help it.”

If you decide to opt for planting straight into the ground, Becker said to get your soil tested first.

“ You do have to consider if there's any soil contamination,” he said. “Getting a soil test is always really important when you're growing veggies because you can have heavy metals, which can be absorbed by plants.”

Margolis, a vegetable gardener himself, said he prefers planting straight into the ground, no bed required.

“At least in our soil, which has clay,” he said. “[It] tends to hold onto moisture better and keeps the plants cooler, also.”

In the end, it ultimately depends on what best fits your space and gardening needs.

How to stop those bushy tailed bandits

A squirrel snacks on a fence post.

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Lucyrk in LA via the LAist Featured Photos pool

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Humans aren't the only ones looking forward to fresh fruit in the spring. Squirrels and opossums often grab the best bite before we can even have a taste. So, what can you do to discourage these furry thieves from stealing the fruits of your labor?

Becker said the first course of action should be some landscaping.

“The first thing I always tell people is look at the habitat around you,” he said. “Are you encouraging habitat for that animal? Having a lot of built up brush or having structures that they're burrowing under?”

If you’ve done some yard maintenance and the animals are still feasting, Becker recommended using live traps, a humane way of catching pests.

Or, if you want to get creative, Margolis’ strategy is to offer a few fruits up for sacrifice.

He picks a few peaches from his tree to set up on his fence to ripen in the sun. The squirrels go for the sweetened fruit and leave the ones still on the tree for Margolis to enjoy later.

 ”Totally not scientific,” he said. “ I also accept there's gonna be X amount of fruit that goes to the animals.”

I’m putting in the labor, but still no fruit

Depending on the fruit you're trying to grow, there can be a number of reasons why you aren’t producing edible blooms.

If you're growing a lemon tree, for example, it could be an issue with the grafting process.

“ Every fruit you eat is a result of a graft,” Margolis said. “So there's a scion that has the characteristics of the fruit, and then they fuse it to a root stock.”

Becker said if you aren’t seeing edible fruit, it's most likely because you are growing the root stock rather than the fruit tree that was supposed to be grafted onto it.

“The best thing to do is just rip that out and plant a fresh lemon tree from a trusted nursery,” Becker said.

“If it's not working out, just get rid of it,” Margolis added. “Life is too short. You don't have enough seasons left to grow bad fruit.”