I LOVE SPRING ANYWHERE, BUT IF I COULD CHOOSE I WOULD ALWAYS GREET IT IN A GARDEN. — RUTH STOUT
- Don’t be fooled! March may look warm and inviting but the last potential frost date for USDA Zone 7 is May 3.
- Trees & Shrubs
- Prune spring-blooming plants after blooming.
- Roses: prune ever-blooming roses severely to force new growth. Fertilize and continue every 6-8 weeks; begin spray program, if needed, when new leaves appear.
- Fertilize berry plants and fruit trees; prune raspberries/blackberries if not done last fall.
- Remove old camellia blooms and clean up dead blooms from the ground to prevent spread of petal blight.
- Annuals, Perennials & Shrubs
- Plant hardy woody vines like clematis.
- Divide and replant mature hosta clumps as new growth begins.
- Cut back liriope before new growth begins.
- Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to die back naturally to store nutrients for the next growing season.
- Begin planting dahlia and iris as well as other summer flowering corms bulbs and tubers.
- Clean up perennials and cut back ornamental grasses to make way for new growth.
- Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs (Sow & Plant:)
- Peas, Carrots, Parsnips, Radishes, Turnips, Beets, Lettuce, Onion Sets
- Salad Greens ? Spinach, mustards, arugula, etc.
- Transplant cabbage and broccoli; observe night temperatures and cover if below 20F.
- Start vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers indoors.
- This & That
- Check your compost pile for moisture; turn it regularly so it can heat up.
- Construct a cold frame to acclimate tender plants to ready them for transplanting.
- Get those cool weather weeds while they are little to possibly reduce next year’s weeding.
- Turn over soil in vegetable beds and add organic matter.
- Just for Fun!
MAKE A SCARECROW! Hammer two narrow boards in a cross. Use an old shirt, pair of pants, shoes, gloves ? the head can be an old t-shirt stuffed and rubberbanded to the top of the board. - Did you know…
When your hands are badly stained from gardening add a teaspoon of sugar to the soapy lather you wash them in and the stains will disappear. Sweet! - Consider this..
What is the earliest pollinator—the one most likely to help your fruit trees? The unpresumptuous Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria)! Consider researching this precious living garden aid and setting up a housing unit for these important insects.
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