Forward March!

March 2020

PICKAWAY TO GARDEN

Forward March!

By Paul Hang

We have our marching orders. Maintain social distance, no unnecessary trips etc. Now that a lot of us have some time on our squeaky clean hands we are in need of some things to occupy us. We don’t know how long this Covid-19 scourge will last so we might as well find productive ways to use our time and remain healthy. I have just the thing, Plant a garden.

Just like the Victory Gardens of WWII we can do our part even if we are not engaged in actively fighting this invisible enemy. Planting and nurturing a garden can get us outdoors, provide fresh air, and give us some exercise. Just as important it doesn’t have to cost much and could even save money in the long run. By producing food we can also provide some security for our family. We can learn to preserve some for later, just in case.

If you have children, get them involved. They get all the benefits mentioned above and will even give them a sense of purpose by assisting their family. Just remind them every now and then. Try growing a vegetable they like. For a quick turn-around try radishes, they take about three weeks from seeding to harvest. Often a child will try a vegetable they helped grow. It works for adults too. It’s the reason why I now like cauliflower. Fresh tastes better.

Starting seeds indoors, ordering seeds and plants and planning your garden, the time to start these things is now. No need to run around like the March Hare. If you have a garden, or want to start one, it is time to start. Starting seeds indoors does not depend on the weather as we can control the conditions. Those of us who start seeds indoors have our favorite recipes. For an entertaining, and reliable source, go to growingagreenerworld.com and put “starting seeds” into their search box. This is also a very good site for other gardening information as well as ohioline.osu.edu.

Planting seeds outdoors depends on conditions. The seed packet should tell when to plant outdoors. We can plant a seed. Then, like a good cook who doesn’t need a recipe, nature provides a little light, a little warmth, stir in a little water, a pinch of nutrients, and a plant appears seemingly out of nowhere.

Perhaps most gardeners buy plants and set them out when conditions dictate. If you are thinking of starting a garden for the first time this is the way you will probably proceed. You will know where your food is coming from. You can make sure the food doesn’t have synthetic chemicals on it. The easiest vegetables to grow are: Cherry tomatoes, bush beans, cucumbers, leaf lettuce, summer squash and peas. In just a 4’x4’ bed you can grow 25 lbs. of carrots, or 4 heads of broccoli, 16 onions, 30-40 jalapeno peppers, enough zucchini to give a lot away, a large kale plant. Five pounds of summer squash, or 12 lbs. of bush beans, or 24-30 cucumbers, or 6-7lbs. of leaf lettuce, or enough cherry tomatoes for all your salads, can be grown in just that small bed. How much would those  cost? You do the math. I usually don’t grow things that are cheaper to buy such as potatoes, unless I want better taste or more selections, like tomatoes. Sometimes I grow cheaper vegetables just because I like to grow them, like onions.

So try a garden this summer, vegetable or flowers or both. You have your marching orders.

Things to do in the garden:

If you feed the birds, don’t stop now. March and April are the toughest months for them. Food is scarce. New fruits, insects and seeds are a long way off and the old ones have been eaten. March is also time to clean out bird houses and ready for the nesting season.

Begin fertilizing houseplants with a weak solution. Now is a good time to propagate houseplants. March is not too late to try winter sowing. What is winter sowing? Google “winter sowing” for more information.  Have your soil tested. Materials and directions are normally available at the OSU Extension Office.

The last average frost date here in zone 6 is April 23^rd. A number of seeds should be started this month. Check your seed packet for the number of days to harvest and count back to the date you want to plant your seeds or set out your plants. The last average frost date means there is a fifty-fifty chance of frost on that date. That’s the same odds as flipping a coin. A word to the wise, don’t set out your plants too early unless you are prepared to protect them should the odds work against you. The old rule of Memorial Day is the safest for tender plants.

Start your seeds indoors for hardy plants (beets, broccoli, Brussels' sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, onions, garlic, leeks, and shallots). You can set them out later mid-month weather permitting. Wait till later in the month to start the half-hearty plants like tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, unless you are prepared to transplant to a larger container. Most flower seeds, annuals or perennials, can also be started. Always check the seed envelope for planting information. Once the soil can be worked (see below) plant lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, beets, carrots, chard, collards and radish seeds directly into the soil. Onion sets and potatoes can be planted directly into the soil.

Rake the lawn to remove the twigs, leaves, and other winter detritus. Dig out those biennial weeds before they get established. Now is a good time to plant trees and shrubs and bare root roses. The earlier you transplant perennials the better they will do. When is the soil ready to be worked? Soil that sticks to your spade is too wet to work and will be compacted. Make a ball of soil and drop it. If it crumbles it is ready to work. 

Before those buds break, spray fruit trees with dormant oil. Read the directions. Prune damaged, diseased, and dead limbs. Also, prune those limbs that grow inward, suckers and water sprouts. Do not remove more than a third of the tree. Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that bloom in the summer. Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after they bloom. Prune raspberry canes and grapevines and fall flowering clematis.

If you cut back perennials and ornamental grasses (tying up the grasses before cutting them back to about six inches saves a lot of clean up), don’t throw them in the trash or onto the compost pile. Store them until we have a few warm days to give overwintering insects a chance to emerge. Pull back mulch from around perennials on warm days but be prepared to cover them back up if a hard freeze threatens.

Late March and April is the time to apply a pre-emergent to the lawn to prevent crabgrass. The best indicator for this is the first bloom of Callery Pear. But be forewarned, most pre-emergents prevent seeds from sprouting. There are now selective pre-emergent that do not affect grass seed. If you plan to seed any parts of your lawn, to repair damage from winter or from our summer droughts, don’t apply a non-selective to those areas. This warning also applies to areas where you plan to plant vegetables and flowers by directly seeding in the soil. Apply pre-emergent on a calm day. A light fertilization of the lawn is all you’ll need.