Ask Flora–Spring 2026
by Sage & Snow Garden Club
April 12, 2026
Dear Flora,
I recently attended the class, "Gardening Goes Underground" at BOCES. I learned so much about growing root vegetables in Sublette County. I was hoping you would share your favorite types of root vegetables to grow here?
Thanks–Dan Digger
Dear Dan,
Root vegetables are a great way to venture into gardening in Sublette County. There are so many to choose from! Email the garden club if you need more information on best timeframes for planting, soil amendments, and other growing tips for each crop.
Potatoes are a local favorite. They can be grown in raised beds, in-ground beds, or lick tub containers. Red Norland and Yukon Gold are tried and true varieties that grow well here. Always buy potato sets with a 70-90 day growing season.
Carrots are another great choice. Mokum, Scarlet Nantes, and Candysnax rank at the top of the list for short-season sweet summer treats. Danvers carrots are better for long-term storage.
Onions can be grown from bulbs or many locals grow their own starter transplants from seed. Cabernet, Blush, Patterson, and Stuttgarter are good options for storage onions. Candy is a milder, sweet onion for summer use or you can try your luck with perennial onion varieties—just ask a Sage & Snow Garden Club member for some starter bulbs.
Garlic is a fun underground crop to try. I wrote an extended article on growing garlic last fall. Local favorites include Music, German Extra Hardy, and Montana Giant. Garlic is planted in the fall before the ground freezes.
Radishes are one of the fastest root vegetables to grow. Cherry Belle is the variety that you want–with only a 22-day growing season!
Beets–you either love them or not so much! Try Red Ace for a red variety or Boldor for gold type. Ask local gardeners for their recipes–you might decide that beets and beet greens are hard to beat (moose and voles think so!).
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Dear Flora,
This year I made myself a goal to try to get on top of weeding early in the season. Do you have any tips for eliminating weeds without chemical herbicide applications?
Appreciate any information
–Walter Weeder
Dear Walter,
Weeds can overwhelm your yard very quickly. Here are some of our best tips:
Dig them out. This is definitely the most straightforward way to eliminate both annual and perennial weeds–make sure to get the root and all. Remove plants and roots from the site. Don’t compost weeds. Many weeds harbor insects that may damage desirable plants.
Start early. Remove annual weeds when they are small and easier to pull, less than 3 inches tall. Pull or hoe, slicing the weeds less than 2 inches below the surface to minimize soil disturbance. Mother Earth News recommends using a Winged Weeder Hoe. With a few simple strokes back and forth, young weed seedlings are eliminated while barely disturbing the soil.
Identify your weed. Know the weeds you are dealing with before you start pulling or hoeing. Our local Sublette County Weed & Pest Office is a great resource to assist with weed identification–especially with invasive weed types. Drip irrigation—only water what you want to have flourish. Drip irrigation promotes efficient water usage while minimizing growth of weeds.
Add mulch after plants are well established. 2-3 inches of organic mulch can help suppress weeds around your plants. Inorganic mulch like weed barrier or black plastic can keep weed seed from germinating. Mulching pathways with cardboard, bark mulch, straw, or grass clippings can be used to stop weed growth.
Try grandma’s way. Mix 1 gallon vinegar (5% acetic acid) with 1 ounce dishwashing soap and 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Spot spray weeds, dousing foliage and the base of the weed. Beware! Vinegar will kill anything to which it is applied–don’t use it in your lawn (unless you are trying to kill the grass–this solution is very effective on grasses). Vinegar has a short residual effect in the soil so it can keep weeds from coming back for several months. You may need to apply several applications.
Apply a pre-emergent. Garden’s Alive has a pre-emergent weed control and lawn fertilizer made with corn gluten meal called ‘Wow!". This would help you avoid chemical applications, but it needs to be applied early in the season to prevent weeds from germinating.
Burn the foliage. Propane weed burning torches can be effective tools to singe leaves, causing weeds to wilt and die. Please read safety instructions when using this method and make sure that conditions are safe to prevent starting an unwanted fire in your yard.
Don’t let weeds go to seed. If you get behind in your weeding, at least cut them down to prevent weed seeds from forming. One plant can produce thousands of seeds for next
Year’s season.
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Dear Flora,
I want to sow wildflower seeds in my yard. When is the best time to sow these seeds? Do you have recommendations for preparing my site? How about the best wildflower seed mixes to plant for our region?
Sincerely,
Suzie Wilder
Dear Suzie,
Spring is the best time to sow wildflowers-–usually from mid-April to early June is good timing here. Wildseed Farms has extensive instructions on sowing wildflower seeds and maintaining your wildflower garden for years to come. Go to www.wildseedfarms.com.
Here are some of their suggestions and tips for sowing wildflowers:
Pick a mix that is suitable to our region. Sage & Snow Garden Club members have had the best luck with the Wildflower Seed Mix from Wind River Gardens. Watch their Facebook page for opening dates at Wind River Gardens, Pinedale WY, Facebook or call 307-568-3361.
It is best to do some site preparations for best success with your planting. Select a site with good drainage–wildflowers thrive in well-drained soils. Eliminate weeds or vegetation that might compete with your planting. Mow existing vegetation as short as possible and remove clippings from site. Prepare the bed by raking or lightly tilling the soil to maximum depth of 1 inch (shallow soil prep limits the disturbance of dormant weed seed in the soil). Mix wildflower seed 1 part to 4 parts sand or perlite to aid in even distribution. Broadcast 1/2 seed mix over the prepared area in one direction. Sow the remaining seed mix in a perpendicular direction to the initial sowing. Press seed into the soil by walking over the newly planted area–do not cover seed any deeper than 1/16 of an inch. Keep the area moist for 4-6 weeks to promote seed germination and establish growth.
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Dear Flora,
I would love to learn more about gardening in Sublette County. How can I find out about becoming a garden club member?
Ever Grateful,
Sage Snow
Dear Sage,
The Sage and Snow Garden Club welcomes gardeners, from novice to expert, to join our club to learn more about successful techniques and plants that grow in Sublette County. Our 2026 schedule of activities is posted on our website, listed below.
For more information, to ask questions for our next Ask Flora column, or to join the club—go to our website at https://www.sageandsnowgardenclub.org/ or contact Arlinda McLaughlin, Master Gardener at 307-231-9402.
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