ARE YOU READY FOR SPRING?
So far, Mother Nature has been very kind to us this winter. I have been following the weather very closely since the beginning of January. We had our sixth warmest January on record. We had weekly rainfall in January and February, keeping our soil moist and our rivers and reservoirs full. It seems that 2023 will be a very positive year for gardening.
As of February 20th, our soil temperature is 41 degrees. Spring will be officially here in twenty days.
One thing to remember when we have a warm and moist winter is to be careful about working in wet soil. We don’t want to destroy the soil composition. In addition, we need to be cautious about walking in our gardens. We don’t want to add to the soil compaction and destroy any more air pockets. The upside is that Mother Nature has taken care of the watering of all our plants so far this winter.
MARCH GARDENING CHORES
Now is a good time to do some fertilizing of plants. I love the entire line of ESPOMA ORGANIC food products for all shrubs, trees, and perennials. A week from this Saturday (March 11th, at 10 AM) is our annual SPRING GARDENER’S FAIR. My special guest will be Bonnie Satterthwaite from ESPOMA ORGANIC. If you can, then join us and bring all your gardening questions.
March is an excellent month to do shrub pruning, BUT only if needed.
Now is a great time to plant your cole crop vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli, collards, kale, and other leafy vegetables. Now is also an excellent time to plant carrot, beet, radish, and parsnip seeds directly into the garden.
Are all your tools been cleaned and ready for the spring? If not, come Saturday, March 11th, our special guest will be Jason May with BLADE CITY. Jason will be here from 10 AM to 2 PM to sharpen all your tools and knives.
March is an excellent time to cut back your monkey grass. New grass shoots will be emerging soon.
I get excited about gardening when March arrives—warmer days, more extended time with the sun, plants start coming to the garden center, and customers are excited to get out and start planting.
HAPPY MARCH & HAPPY GARDENING!!!!!