Has Spring Sprung?

 

April 2023

 

PICKAWAY TO GARDEN

Has Spring Sprung?

By Paul J. Hang

 

 

Has spring sprung? I just saw a Goldfinch with an unmistakable “scarf” of yellow. We have trees in bloom; daffodils, crocus and hyacinth have poked through the crust of earth days ago. Forsythia and the dreaded smelly Callery pears are showing off. But when I went outside this morning it was 26 degrees. The sun, our nearest star, has crossed the Equator (March 19^th, the Spring Equinox) and is racing towards the Tropic of Capricorn.

 

Which raises the question, what is Capricorn? I realized I had no idea. Capricorn is the astrological sign for the tenth month of the Zodiac. Capricornus means goat in Latin. The astrological sign for that month is a sea goat. If you look it up you will go down a rabbit hole of confusing factual and non-factual, but interesting, information that is astrology. For instance, Capricorn season is winter and is ruled by Saturn.

 

I think we’re onto something.  Capricorn is winter. Maybe that is why it doesn’t seem like spring even though most of the other signs are there. April’s signs are Aries and Taurus. Okay, I won’t go there. We have had a puny winter, as snow and ice goes. March has lived up to its reputation as an unpredictable month of weather variability. After some very spring, almost summerlike, days, we have been subjected to freezing temperatures. There are all those spring chores out there just waiting for my attention.

 

But I can’t bring myself to go out there and get to work. Maybe it’s my age. I am cruising towards my dotage. Or maybe it’s the weather. For whatever reason, I have lost my mojo. I go out for my walks but can’t seem to get the energy to do those things that need to be done in the spring of the year. Maybe by the time you read this the weather will have turned warmer and I can get off my duff and get busy. I hope so.

 

As always, every month, these words of introduction, if not wisdom, are followed by a list of “Things to in the garden.” This month, being spring, the list is a long one. Don’t get discouraged. Spring has sprung; all the signs are there, aren’t they?

 

April 26^th is Arbor Day. If you can muster up the energy, plant a tree. For information about planting and mulching trees see bygl.osu.edu. Gardening questions? Call the helpline at the Pickaway County Extension office at 740-474-7534.

 

Things to do in the garden:

Tomato eggplant and pepper seeds should be started indoors. The seedlings should be moved from the cells after 4 weeks into larger pots. Move them into the garden only after hardening them off and the danger of frost is past. As usual make sure you water-in the transplants. When you water, water deeply (top six inches wet) and water the base of the plant not the foliage. Water when the plants need it, not every day. Most plants require 1 to 1 and a half inches of water per week.

 

Vegetables that can be planted by seed directly into the garden are: beets, carrots, peas, onions, spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes. These should be watered enough to keep the soil moist to begin germination don’t let them dry out. Beets and carrots should be thinned at the seedling stage. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants can be planted as soil and weather conditions allow. The soil temperature for cool weather plants should be 50 degrees, warm weather plants at least 60 and some even higher. Put an inch of compost on the beds.

 

Use row covers (Google it) on your vegetables right after planting to keep the bad bugs off. For vegetables that produce fruit (beans, cucumber, pepper, squash, etc.) remove the covers after blooming to let the pollinators go to work. Tomatoes are self-pollinating and so you could leave the covers on. For those that don’t need pollinating (Cabbage, broccoli, onions, chard, kale, lettuce, beets and radishes, etc.) you can leave the covers on until harvest. Make sure you buy the right covers that let in enough light and rain. I have found this to be an effective method to protect plants without insecticides from bugs that damage vegetables. Place collars around transplants that are susceptible to cut worms.

 

Most annual flowers can be seeded directly into the soil after the danger of frost has abated. Some popular annuals that you should consider starting indoors are: snapdragon, wax begonia, sweet William, impatiens, sweet alyssum, petunia, gloriosa daisy, blue salvia, viola, pansy and zinnia, among others. This can save you a considerable amount of money that you can then spend on a perennial (native) plant.

Time spent on your lawn now will benefit it the rest of the year. Fertilize lightly if at all. The time to re-seed is when night time temps consistently reach 50 degrees and above. This is also the time to aerate lawns. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass, unless you plan to seed. When common lilac or Ohio buckeye begins to bloom it is too late for a pre-emergent herbicide to be effective and too early for a post-emergent. Leave clippings on the lawn. Their nitrogen content is high and will reduce the need to fertilize. Mowing height of at least three inches will retard the growth of crab grass and other weeds.

Unless you are prepared to cover plants in case of frost, don’t put out those tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers until mid-May or later when the soil warms up. The average last frost date is now April 23rd. There is a 50/50 chance of frost then and the chance decreases about 10% per week after that. Cool season transplants, after hardening them off, can be planted now (Lettuce, broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower).

Spring flowering bulbs should be fertilized after they bloom. Remember to leave the leaves of bulbs until they yellow. Brown is better. Pinch off any developing seed heads. Make a list of spring bulbs you will want to plant in the fall.

If April brings its overhyped showers don’t work the soil if it is too wet.  Wait until it dries out a bit. If it seems wet enough to make a clay pot, wait. Squeeze a ball of earth about the size of golf ball and let it drop from waist high, if it breaks apart it’s ready to be worked. Don’t apply mulch until May. Allow the soil to warm.

Cut back your ornamental grasses to six inches or to the green stems. They can be divided now. Cut back your butterfly bushes (buddleia) to a foot or two and apply a balanced fertilizer. Prune spring blooming shrubs after they bloom. Bagworms on shrubs and trees hatch out shortly after the Snowmound Spirea blooms. This is when you can spray an insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis, also called Bt, read the label) to kill the caterpillars. Now is the time to prune roses. Depending on the variety, you may prune back to a foot in height or to green growth. Fertilize monthly until Labor Day. You can plant new ones now. Large hostas can be divided as soon as they emerge.

Wait until several 50 plus degree days in a row before cleaning up debris of stems to save beneficial insects. If in doubt store them temporarily before putting them in the compost heap.

Don’t prune your oak trees after the middle of the month or after they leaf out. Sap beetles are attracted to the open wounds and will bring oak wilt, a disease which will kill them and has been found in this part of the state. If pruning can’t be avoided paint the cuts with a pruning sealant.