It’s time to prep the garden

While it is still much too early for most garden planting, you should be getting ready.

While you may have been clearing the winter debris from the yard, many of us are not anywhere near finished. Clearing includes removing dead branches and twigs, raking back heavy winter mulch, removing last year’s annuals or vegetables from the beds, trimming all broken branches, putting away winter gear, toys and tools, and generally tidying up the outdoors.

It does not include working the wet soil. If you mess with soil when it’s too wet, you can compact the bed, reducing the necessary spaces within the soil for air and water to reach the plants.

It also creates a dense soil that is difficult for the plant root to penetrate and makes working the soil a lot harder. Compacted soil is also slow to drain, and once wet it’s hard to dry out.

If you are new to gardening, use the drop test to determine whether the soil is dry enough to work. Take a small handful of soil and compress it lightly.

Obviously, if water drips out, it is too wet. If it softly crumbles, you should be OK.

Still not sure? Drop the lightly compressed soil clod onto a hard surface (sidewalk, driveway, board) and observe.

A splat or a totally flattened clod is also too wet. What you want is a soft shattering of the clod into small pieces.

There’s still plenty to do. Consider top dressing with compost, testing soil to determine amendments appropriate to the site and the plants you want to grow. Do not add amendments without testing, as you can create more problems for yourself.

If the soil is workable, there are some things that can be sown or planted. Those bare-root plants that have been arriving should be planted as soon as possible. Some flowers, such as annual poppies, can be sown in the fall or early spring.

Sweet peas also like cool weather. Vegetable such as cabbages, collards, kale and spinach can be sown in the next few weeks. Early transplants such as shallots, scallions rhubarb and asparagus all like late-March/ early April transplanting.

Another thing to do is to pot up some plants for early bloom. This works well with dahlias and other summer bulbs. Pot and water, then move to a protected spot next to a building; a hot tub is even better. This will move your bloom time up by weeks.

If you use a preemergent herbicide like corn gluten or other products, start applying in the next few weeks.

Some use forsythias to gauge timing, applying treatments when the first yellow starts to show; others use the calendar (mid-March to mid-April), but it should be in place before the weeds start to emerge.

If you haven’t cut back your ornamental grasses, do it soon. Once the green starts to emerge it is a lot more work to separate the new growth from the old.

If you plan to divide your grass, look for the small green sprouts as your signal to dig up, divide and replant.

A success story

A few weeks ago a reader requested options for caring for her plants during an extended trip away from home. She wrote back about her experience.

Thank You. Thank You. I wrote you last month about going away for 17 days. I was worried about my plants. Your advice was “spot on”. I put them in my shower, watered them like crazy, and kept my fingers crossed. Well, I’m back and the plants are GREAT — even a few new growths. You’re THE woman!

— Mary Denison

Week in the garden

Planting

„ Start seeds for: cucumbers.

„ Continue planting seeds for transplanting for: leaf lettuce, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. „ Next week start: balsam bachelor buttons, calendula, cockscomb, gaillardia, marigold, morning glory, nasturtium, cantaloupe, melon and Swiss chard. „ When the soil warms, plant bare root trees and shrubs. Make sure the soil is dry enough to work; don’t dig or plant in mud. „ Follow your schedule for starting seeds. Check packets for instructions, such as start indoors four weeks before last frost date. Then, using a calendar, count back from your area’s date (May 10-15) for the appropriate starting time.

Seasonal

„ Apply a top dressing of compost to lawns and beds.

„ Move indoor plants into brighter light and start regular watering.

„ Rake back winter mulches.

„ Spring and summer mulch should be 2 to 3 inches deep and applied a few inches away from foundations, tree trunks and other plants. Fluff mulch and add more if necessary. Calculate the amount of spring mulch needed, then order or buy it.

„ Test soil for new beds, Retest soil in poorly performing areas or those that haven’t been tested in the last three to five years.

„ Cut back ornamental grasses. Divide when you see new green growth.

„ Prune and divide perennials that bloom in late summer or fall. „ Examine trees and shrubs. Note damaged limbs and prune as necessary after checking proper pruning information for each plant.

„ Keep amaryllis greens warm and watered in a sunny area if you plan on keeping them until

next year.

„ If you use corn gluten-based weed control in the garden, start applying this month and establish a schedule for reapplication, usually at four-to-six-week intervals.

Lawn

„ Clear lawns of winter debris. „ Plan and order sod for installation in mid-April through May.

„ Apply preemergent crabgrass control in the next few weeks.

„ Fill in holes and low spots in your lawn and seed the repaired areas.

„ Seed or overseed lawns now until mid-May.

Chores

„ Mark off beds, new plantings, plants that are late to break dormancy in the spring and delicate plants.

„ Water any recent plantings anytime we experience a week with less than an inch of rain.

„ Fix damaged screens and garden hoses.

„ Note and repair damaged

caulking around doors and windows.

„ Provide deer, rabbit and groundhog protection for vulnerable plants. Reapply taste or scent deterrents.

„ Clean and fill bird feeders regularly. Clean up spilled seed and empty hulls. Dump, scrub and refill birdbaths at least once a week.

„ Clear gutters and direct rainwater runoff away from house foundations.

Tools, equipment, and supplies

„ Store winter equipment and replace or repair as needed.

„ Check spring/summer equipment. Repair or replace damaged or worn-out tools.

„ Check power tools and mowers and send for service if needed.

Sue Kittek is a freelance garden columnist, writer, and lecturer. Send questions to Garden Keeper at grdnkpr@gmail.com or mail: Garden Keeper, The Morning Call, PO Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105.

YOSHIHIRO MAKINO/COURTESY Lauri Kranz doesn’t plant in neat little rows; she packs her beds thickly with a variety of vegetables and flowers, such as the African basil at her left, that will draw in bees and other pollinators. The dense planting also helps keep the soil cool and moist.