List of Things to do for March

• Fertilize perennials. Lime as soil test shows need.
• Prune roses when vegetative buds swell. Fertilize and lime as test shows need.
• Fend off hungry rabbits with dried blood, a commercial repellent or a mulch of prickly prunings.
• Plant dormant roses, lilies, perennial and biennial plants.
• Enjoy blooming snowdrops, squills, crocus, hellebores, primroses, heaths.
• Start seeds of tender vegetables needing 10 to 12 weeks before settling out.
• Plant hardy seeds marked "as early in the spring as the ground can be worked" as soon as a handful of soil from a spade's depth will crumble rather than making a soggy ball.
• Root cuttings of sweet potatoes on a sunny windowsill.
• Fertilize asparagus.
• Prune, repot, propagate as plants resume active growth.
• Begin fertilizing when active growth begins.
• Keep potted spring-flowering bulbs and cyclamen, cinerarias, calcerolarias where nights are cool, as low as 50 degrees.
• Begin a "rainy season" for cacti, watering once a week, to induce flowering.

It's time to get seeds planted indoors

Starting Your Seeds Think clean if you plan to raise your own garden plants from seed. The dreaded damping-off fungus disease lurks in containers that haven't been thoroughly disinfected and in used potting media. In you are using last year's flats and cell packs, wash them with hot water and some bleach. Be sure to buy sterilized seed started. Fill your containers to about a half-inch from the top, then moisten the mix. If using a community pot, sprinkle the seeds on top, spacing them evenly, then cover as directed on the seed packet and spray them with tepid water to bring the seeds into good contact with the medium. Cover the container with a clear cover. Keep the medium moist but not soggy. If you are planting in 1 inch cells, use one or two seeds per cell, then remove the weakest one after germination. If using 3 inch cells, sow three seeds per cell, keeping the strongest one. Follow the directions on the seed packet for light exposure and temperature. Tender seedlings can be set outdoors in the sun, then brought indoors at night. Before the seedlings are to be planted in the garden, harden them off, whether you grew them or they came from a nursery. A cold frame is the ideal place, where they are covered and protected at night. Prepare your garden beds using fertilizer as shown by a soil test, plus lime, to bring the pH to that mandated by the plant, and compost or peat moss for organic matter. Seeds marked to plant out as early in the spring as the ground can be worked can be planted when the soil is no longer soggy and won't clump when worked. Be sure that danger of frost is past. Don't rush the season, If plants are chilled, time is wasted before they regain their vigor.

Soil testing

If you are going to sow seeds directly into the garden, have a soil test done first. Only sow when the ground can be worked and is warm enough. Spade the ground and work in compost when the soil is moist and crumbly. Then add an all-purpose fertilizer and correct the soil pH if necessary.

You still have time to have your soil tested by your county agricultural extension. Vegetables grow best in soil with pH of 6.0-6.5; grass in a pH of 6.0-7.0. Amend if needed.

Getting ready for spring gardening

Hi, Here we are in February, and in the North East spring is around the corner. I know all the gardeners are getting ichy to start digging. But, before that here are some tips to get ready for spring. February • Study seed catalogs and gardening books. • Research building a compost pile. • Check garden tools and supplies. • Place wood ashes around lilacs, fruit trees, and berries; most love the alkalinity, and their blooms and fruits will benefit from the potassium. Here is a great site that may be of interest to you. http://www.seedswaps.com/