Ready or not spring arrives in 10 days ....

The countdown has begun and warm weather, (hopefully) is on its way. March 20th will usher in the official start to Spring, 2019. March can be a finicky month. As I am writing this article, snow is falling and covering the ground yet this weekend is forecast to hit 50 degrees. March is unpredictable but it does give hope to new beginnings. It’s an exciting time for gardeners, who have another chance to grow amazing flowers, vegetables and fruits. Now’s the time to finalize your spring gardening plans. Will you grow your own food this year? Will you upgrade your landscape? Add a tree? Redo an existing area? Improve your lawn? Add a patio or pond? The options are endless. Gardeners can get a jump on spring by starting seeds now. With a last frost date in our area occurring around May 21st31st, March is a great time to get started. A rule of thumb many follow is to start seeds 6 weeks out from the last frost date. Keep in mind, temperature and conditions have a lot to do with this. A cool area (70 Degrees or below) such as in a basement or cool bedroom will take longer for seeds to germinate. Adding a week or two to your schedule would be advantageous in this situation. If you grow seedlings in a warmer room (70 degrees and above), a shortening of a week or two to your schedule may be needed. Heat pushes rapid growth and what you don’t want is gigantic plants ready before temperatures are suitable to plant outside. Most seed packages have recommendations as to when to sow seeds and these should be followed. Some other tips for success are to invest in a heat mat. Planting trays sit on top of heat mats and heat the soil. Warmer soil gets better germination of seeds. Use a well draining seed starter soil to start your seeds. Place in a bright location or add a grow light to area once seeds begin to grow. Ample air movement is essential also, so plants do not “dampen off” or rot at the stem. Cool, wet, poorly draining soils with inadequate air movement allow this condition to happen. Adding a fan or opening the top of a humidity dome occasionally will help avoid this problem from occurring as well. On sunny days when temperatures are tolerable, head outside and trim those grasses back to 3-4” above ground. Prune plants and thin them now before leaves emerge. Any broken or damaged branches should be removed. It’s a good time to remove burlap coverings from evergreens. When we have a day and night above freezing, spray fruit trees and shrubs with dormant or all seasons horticultural oil. This spray eliminates insects harboring over winter. Its the least expensive spray which does the most good of all sprays the entire year. For diseases, using liquid copper will help rid your trees from diseases that have over wintered. This is great for peach trees which have peach leaf curl as well as grapes. The combination of the two sprays get your trees and shrubs pest and disease free for the season. It’s also time to start fertilizing your house plants. As days grow longer and plants begin to grow, a boost of food now will be a welcome treat. I recommend our water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer. So if you need a pick me up, a stroll through the greenhouse at our Garden Center can help brighten your day. Our staff has been working all winter and it’s amazing what we have growing for spring. We have some terrific new product arriving daily and our remodeled store looks the best it ever has!