In the Calendar this Month
March: Time to Get to Work!
I've always looked forward to MWith spring finally just around the corner now, the evenings are getting lighter and the days are getting warmer. Now is the time for action. During the months of January and February we discussed performing the soft planning tasks for our gardens. In March it is time to dust ourselves off and get a jumpstart on the spring.
Reignite the Passion and the Compost
Its still cold on some nights but hopefully by now, as the sun comes up the temps are getting warmer so its time to get your compost pile burning again. Go ahead and turn your compost pile now, if you haven't been. You can even dampen it and begin turning it regularly to get it to heat up so you can enjoy the production of good compost faster - hopefully even have some this spring.
March of the Weeds
Ah yes. Spring is coming. My ornamental grasses, bulbs, and Montauk Daisies are sprouting, and yes, so are the weeds! Along with all the fun and expectation spring brings, so come the weeds. So get on them while they are little. Pull 'em by hand or blast them with a flame gun to spot kill weeds while they are small. Vinegar or boiling water also work to kill weeds and don't leave problems behind - but becareful of you ornamentals and grass!!! Vinegar doesn't discriminate. Start the weed patrol now. Be vigilant now and you'll have less of a problem to control later.
The Lawn
The lawn is probably the one area where you can get the most early spring done. Its time to clean-up your lawn from the lazy days of winter. If you didn't dethatch in the fall, now is a great time to do it. Give your lawn a jump start by aerating and top dressing with compost. Now is also a great time to get a soil test and assess your lawn needs for the coming season.
If you did not get your mower service in February, sharpen mower blades and get ready to give you lawn its first mowing late this month. Cut it down to about 2 inches - just not more than 1/3 of the length at one time. The initial mowing down to 2 inches will cut back any fungus or dead ends brought on by the harsh winter months and rejuvenate your lawn.
In the Garden
Wrap up structural projects like trellises before planting next month and lets start concentrating on garden clean up. Now is the time though for spring cleaning our gardens. Clean debris from garden beds and lawns, including dead grass, leaves, and twigs and throw it on that reignited compost pile.
Its not quite time yet to run our and start turning over your soil. Though late in the month, if the soil is dry you can start to prepare garden beds. But depending on where you live you may end up with either a bent shovel or some very wet, compacted dirt. When you are working around the gardens try not too walk too much on the wet soil. That will only compact it and make it harder for plant roots to breathe and grow. As you continue to explore and work on your garden keep an eye out for plant crowns that may have heaved out of the ground during a thaw and repair them. We must chose our tasks carefully, but now is the time to start implementing.
Here is the fun part we've been waiting for... the time has come this month to start seeds indoors for early spring vegetables and flowers. We really dragged through the month of February with illnesses at home and that has been languishing through the month of March. We finally decided that enough was enough and this weekend we are going to plant our first seeds and bring some new life back into lives. Plant the seeds of spring to wash away the blah of the winter months - a rejuvenation. You can start seeds of cool season vegetables such as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli. A word of advice though, there's been a tradition of starting your peas on St Patty's Day every year but you may want to wait until the soil warms up a bit more. These include spinach, lettuces, peas, and leeks as well as sweet peas. Also, many herbs - including parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme-can be started.
House Plants Coming Back to Life
House plants will begin to react to the longer days. You will begin to notice the new growth and buds. Now is a good time to pinch them back to control their growth and make them bushy. With the coming of the spring and their emergence from dormancy you should start feeding them again. Also don't forget to mist your houseplants to clean away the winters dust, prevent Spider Mites and add a little humidity. As with watching for the weeds to pop up outside stay vigilant on pest patrol for you house plants and control the problem before it starts.
Bring Early Spring Indoors
One other way to bring an early spring into your home is to go our and trim forsythia, pear, pussy willow and quince, and place the stems indoors in a vase of water. Within days they will provide you with beautiful blooms reminding you the Spring is here.
Check out the full calendar, available here, for tips and tasks to perform in the garden every weekend of every month in the year.