This is just a quick reminder that spring rains in western washington can deceive us into thinking our soils are holding enough water to sustain our plants. It may be gray and drippy for days on end, but the rainfall totals may not be significant enough to keep your soil moisture levels consistent for your plants.

If you’ve got clay or have been amending your sandy soils with organic mulches, your garden will have better moisture holding capacity. But, with lower rainfalls, your moisture may be getting trapped in upper layers of mulch rather than getting down to the deep feeding roots of your plants. And remember, just because your soil is hard to dig in doesn’t mean you have clay. It may just be compacted!

 So, this is just a reminder to get out in your gardens as spring goes on to do a little digging and see how deep your soil is moist. If it’s dry a few inches down, sadly, it may be time to turn on your irrigation or begin hand watering. This is especially critical if you have newly installed gardens or gardens that are just a year or two old. As your plants get established, even if they are labelled “drought tolerant”, it is important to water them consistently. If you don’t, you may lose the investment you made to install them. 

And, don’t forget about your lawns. Spring is when they green up and look great, but are their roots continuing to get deeper into the soil profile or are they living with shallow roots that require constant watering. Dig a hidden patch of your lawn to see how deep your living lawn roots are. The deeper you can get them to grow now, the less watering you’ll need to provide in the summer as they’ll have the ability to tap into the deeper water resources you have helped build up for them this spring.