Gardening
“HONEY DO” LIST by Michelle Rauch, Gardening Enthusiast
It’s March, and after this year’s start with single digit temperatures, snow days, and weekends spent in my warm house looking out the window longing for Spring, it’s almost here. While the weather will still dictate just how much we can accomplish in our yards, there is still plenty to do to prepare. If you did not seed your lawn in the Fall and need to, now is the time. It’s also not too early to tackle weed control. Take inventory of your garden tools to see what may need sharpening and what tools have seen better days and just need replacing. This is also the perfect time to plan flower and vegetable gardens. What will you plant and where will you plant it? Three years into my hobby I still consider myself a beginner. So, I’m still experimenting with what vegetables thrive and where. I am hoping a class at the UK Cooperative Extension Office will lend a hand in my planning. Vegetable Gardening for Beginners is one of many educational classes at the extension office this month. For me, this is the perfect month to sit indoors and learn while satiating my appetite for gardening at the same time. Other topics this month include Extending the Vegetable Growing Season, The Humble Potato, and Unusual Annuals from Seeds. Check out the Gardener’s Toolbox for all the class topics at fayette.ca.uky.edu.
myrtle. I have been looking forward to this day since last summer, but I’m learning to be time sensitive in my zest to chop away. Pruning now will encourage healthy growth later. If you have some shrubs that have outgrown their welcome in your yard, like my Forsythia, don’t be afraid to cut them all the way back down to the ground. While you may miss this season’s blooms, the reward will come next Spring. Good things come to those who wait. With a little planning and preparation this month, we should all be primed to start our growing season with banner results.
Mid-March should be a safe time to plant cool season crops which include: broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, radishes, and green onions. Those of you who, unlike me, are not intimidated to start your crops from seed should do so now. Trying my skills at seed starting is on my 2014 “to-do” list. Once the ground is warm enough to allow it, dig and turn the soil. Be sure to mix in all the extra goodies: fertilizer, compost, and manure. Your plants, flowers, and vegetables will thank you later. Pull out those pruning shears! Flowering bushes and trees that bloom on new wood can be pruned in early March. Not a day too soon for my crape
MARCH 2013 | TOPS MAGAZINE
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