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In
the Vegetable Garden
-
As
soon as the weather settles and you can work the soil, begin to set
out your
broccoli,
lettuce,
cauliflower,
Brussels
sprouts, and early
cabbage plants.
-
If
you haven't already done so already, sow
broccoli,
Brussels
sprouts,
cabbage, garlic,
kale,
kohl
rabi,
peas,
radishes,
salsify,
spinach, and
turnips, 20 to 40 days prior to your last expected
frost date.
-
Between
10 to 30 days prior to your last expected frost date, sow
beets,
carrots,
cauliflower,
lettuce, and
Swiss chard.
-
If
you plant a few
radish seeds within your other rows, they germinate
quickly, marking the rows, and help you know where to concentrate your
cultivation efforts.
-
Your
warm weather and longer season crops should already be started.
Depending on your specific area,
tomatoes
should be planted six to eight weeks
prior to transplanting and
peppers about
eight weeks.
-
Experimentation
and documentation are the keys to successful gardens. Try new
things, but write it down and make notes throughout the season.
Your garden journals make great reading on those long winter days and
you can plan your strategy at the same time as you plan your layout
and pick your seeds.
-
If
you are growing
asparagus,
now is the time to transplant roots. Do so in furrows so that
the crowns are four to six inches below the
surface, spacing 12 to 18 inches apart. Sandy loam soil works
best.
In
the Flower Garden
-
If
you have not done so already, you should complete your rose pruning as
soon as possible.
-
Replace
roses that have died over winter as soon as you can work the ground.
-
Be
careful not to damage emerging bulbs when cultivating you gardens.
-
Scatter
your annual
poppy
seeds.
-
Experiment
with planting fast growing vines, like
runner beans, this
early. In some areas, the conditions may be a bit cold but if
you get an early start, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful blooms
much longer. Try planting so as to cover ugly areas like bare
fences or sheds.
-
Divide
delphiniums as soon as the plants start in the Spring. Separate
to three crowns with nicely developed roots. These will form the
basis of a new planting.
-
Easter
lilies that have finished blooming in the house may be planted into
your gardens.
-
Use
well rotted manure to feed new
perennial
flower beds.
-
In
extreme cases where you cannot control
cabbage worms by hand, dust
with rotenone (a plant derived pesticide). If you are an organic
grower, check your certifying authorities list of approved substances
first.
-
Nick
the seeds of
Morning Glories prior to planting. This will help
germination. They prefer poor soil and will produce a lot of
foliage and few flowers if planted in fertile soil.
Trees &
Shrubs
-
Before
growth starts, trim your evergreen hedges or boxwood, arborvitae, yew
and laurel. Concentrate on trimming last year's growth.
-
Finish
planting bare root trees.
-
Cultivate
lime into the soil around clematis and lilacs.
-
Leave
the rotting foliage of last year's growth on your fern and wildflower
beds.
-
Clean
up last years foliage from around delphiniums.
-
Re-seed
bare spots, or overseed thin spots in the lawn.
-
Clean
up vining plants. Make sure that they are not growing under your
siding or wrapping around electrical wires or downspouts.
Miscellaneous
Note: This almanac page should be
used as a general guideline of common garden tasks. You should modify the
list based on your specific geographic area. For a very useful tool to
aide in planning your garden,
click here. |
