Job's Nursery and Pumpkin Patch LLC

Helping Tri-City Gardeners Grow Since 1940!

Job's Nursery LLC is a family owned nursery and tree farm that offers a wide selection of outdoor plants that are hardy for our area. We are located just north of Pasco on Columbia River Road.  It's a short trip to a beautiful location to escape the hustle and bustle of your everyday life.

Filtering by Category: Growing Ideas

First Year Watering Guide

Watering for the First Year

In the first growing season, all new plants (including drought resistant ones) need extra water to allow them root into the surrounding soil. Make sure to deep soak the plants enough with a sprinkler on a hose; so that your soil is moist to 12 inches below the surface of the dirt a day after you have watered. You want your moisture to soak in this deep so that your plant’s roots develop deep and can handle not being watered for a few days in case there are problems with your irrigation system. If in doubt, you need to dig down 12 inches with a shovel, trowel or use a soil probe to make sure you are soaking in deep enough.

A general deep soaking schedule for sand loam soil (the main soil texture for Tri-Cities) it is listed by day time high temperatures
 

50 ̊F or less once a month for evergreens, check every two months for deciduous plants 50 to 70 ̊F deep soak once every two weeks after foliage emerges or drops on deciduous

70 to 85 ̊F deep soak once a week for one hour
85 to 95 ̊F deep soak twice a week for two hours
Above 95 ̊F soak three times a week for two hours
After all wind storms when temperature highs are above 85 ̊F go check the soil moisture.
**For Clay or compacted soil you will need to shorten you water run time and increase the amount of time your water to get the same effect**

Here is an idea to control Bermudagrass

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Bermudagrass is problem for a lot of Tri-City lawns.  It is the grass with deep roots and runs it's tendrils throughout the yard spreading where ever it feels like it.   Bayer has come out with Bermudagrass Control for lawns, it is a growth regulator that supresses the growth of the Bermudagrass and lets your preferred lawn to choke it out.  Timing is critical on applying it, you want to hit the Bermudagrass when it begins to emerge in early April, then repeat applications on a monthly basis until it is no longer trying to grow.  Easy to apply with the Read to Spray Bottle (RTS), just hook to a hose and begin spraying only the affected areas of the lawn.  Be sure to let the product dry completely after application, before letting kids or pets back on the lawn.   We stock it regularly here at Job's.

Tune your Irrigation System for Success

Tuning your irrigation system allows for a more efficient use of water and it's easy.  It also helps prepare your plants for different weather shifts and you apply water based on that irrigation zones conditions.  Both Hunter and Rainbird have free apps to set your run times more appropriately for established yards. Also we have set up links to help determine your yards conditions. Remember that new plantings their first year will need to be babied a bit more but they don't need daily water. 

A link to Hunter's App

A link to Rainbird's App

Things to know as you tune your irrigation timer
-The soil type of your yard: Sand, clay, silt or a mix of the three (loam).  This will help identify how your yard behaves in drainage and moisture retnetion.  Sand has very good drainage and can handle longer run times of sprinklers but needs more frequent runs.  Clay soils hold moisture very well however it does not take to long run times well, short bursts work best to prevent run off and water waste. How to tell soil texture by feel.

-The exposure of that sprinkler zone.  Full sun, afternoon sun or wind exposed sprinkler zones dry out faster through evaporation than afternoon shade, mostly shade and wind protected zones.  Thus as you adjust your sprinkler zone times based on their separate exposures. This can be determined by taking time to walk around the house a couple of times of day and observe what area is sunny and what area is in shade at what time of day and for how long. Do this on a lazy day off.

-Your type of sprinklers.  Different sprinkles types throw out water at different rates. Common sprinkler types are rotors, impacts, sprays, bubblers and multi-streamrotors. Also if you have drip, what size of emitters are your using. Irrigation System Component Video can help you identify what type of sprinklers you have.

-The grade of the yard. Is it flat or does it slope up or down? The slope of your yard also affect how sprinklers work as well as how water will travel in the yard.  Here is a video to determine slope.

by Alex Job

Steps Preparing a Vegetables Garden

Starting the garden or refreshing the garden starts before you buy a seed or transplant.  

Place the garden in a space that is in a sunny spot, afternoon sun is best.

  1.  Figure out your type of garden.  Row, raised, or container. Row gardens are where the garden is planted in rows. Raised gardens are a little easier because you build raised beds to house you veggie garden.  There are many variations to this garden type, you can organize your crops into rows or grids.  The final type is container gardens, they are portable and work anywhere there is sun, water and someone to care for them.  Just remember to go with a large enough pot for your crops.
  2. Work organic matter into the soil, store bought or home prepped compost work great. See our selection of composts by following this link. You want to work the ground with it by turning it, tilling it or raking it.
  3. Plan out the crops, what are going to use and when.  If the spring is mild enough you could plant peas, radishes or quick maturing lettuce, harvest them then plant your tomatoes in the same spot at Mother’s Day. Also consider planting a late summer or fall crop when you have had that fill of tomatoes.
  4. Consider what you want to start from seeds or transplants. (Buying Seeds or Transplants)
  5. Now plant that garden. Weed it, care for it and then harvest!  Enjoy!

Written by Alex Job

Seeds vs Transplant for Vegetable Gardening

Vegetable gardens can be started by seeds or transplants.  A lot of vegetables are available both ways, sometimes its advantageous to go one way or the other.  

Seeds- Are inexpensive, however if you planning on starting the seeds indoors you are going to need pots, potting soil, fertilizers, space and the time to care for them.  Some vegetables are easy to plant in the ground when the time is right, these include lettuce, radishes, carrots, spinach, mustard, melons, beans, peas, corn, cucumber, squash,  and pumpkin.  While tomato, eggplant, celery, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower require indoor starting to get them to produce on time, this can be 3 to 5 weeks before planting time.  Also how much do want of each crop, if your just feeding the household you may want to limit your number of starts, so your not overwhelmed with one crop or another.

Transplants- These are plants that have already been started and ready to plant when the time is right (weather and ground conditions).  Instead of buying seed packs of every variety you want to grow or try, you can buy only what your garden has room for or what you want to contend with.  This allows you to have several varieties of a crop to mix it up a little or experiment with new varieties, while still having some old favorites.  

Here is a list of Plants and which way is best, easier or convenient to have from seeds (S) or transplants (T).  It really all based on how much work you want to do.

Beans (S or T)
Beets (S)
Broccoli (T)
Cabbage (S or T)
Carrots (S)
Cauliflower (T)
Celery (T)
Corn (S or T)
Cucumber (S or T)
Eggplant (T)
Lettuce (S or T)
Melons (S or T)
Onions (S or T)
Peas (S)
Peppers (T)
Pumpkins (S or T)
Radishes (S)
Spinach (S or T)
Squash (S or T)
Tomato (T)

By Alex Job