March 2006

Edible

Select seeds for a few vegetables such as cabbage, onion, broccoli and cauliflower to start indoors. Wait until April to sow seeds for warm season crops like peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Flower seeds like alyssum, celosia, coleus, dahlia, phlox, and salvia can also be started indoors now.

Prepare the soil for planting as soon as it can be worked. Dig or till 8-12 inches deep. Add a 2-inch layer of compost and dig in. This will improve soil structure and help to break down heavy clay soils. Never work the soil when wet. Soil worked when wet will dry into concrete-like clods. Soil that will crumble in your hand is workable.

Try planting a perennial vegetable like asparagus this spring. Plant asparagus crowns in shallow trenches about six inches deep in full sun. Work some compost into the soil at the bottom of the furrow before planting, Space the crowns 10 -12 inches apart in rows that are 4 to 5 feet apart. Fill the furrow with soil. Harvest 6-8 inch spears until mid-June. Do not harvest spears during the first growing season. Jersey Giant and Jersey King are productive varieties.

Rotate the crops in your vegetable garden from year to year if possible. Do not plant vegetables from the same family in the same spot in the garden every year. Vegetables from the same family are susceptible to the same insect and disease problems. For example, you might want to rotate tomatoes from the Solanaceae family with onions from the Alliaceae family.

The following is a list of vegetables in their botanical families for your reference.

Alliaceae (Onion Family)

Chive, garlic, onion, leek and shallot

Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

Parsnip, parsley, celery and carrot

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

Salsify, endive, lettuce and Jerusalem artichoke

Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)

Broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, radish, collards, cauliflower, rutabaga, turnip and cabbage

Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)

Spinach, Swiss chard and beet

Convolvulaceae (Bindweed Family)

Sweet potato

Cucurbitaceae (Gourd Family)

Squash, pumpkin, watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber and gourd

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Lima bean, snap bean and pea

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Okra
Poaceae(Grass Family)
Popcorn and sweet corn

Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)

Ornamental

Prune spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia, lilac, mockorange and spirea after they have flowered. Pruning them now would remove flower buds and greatly reduce their spring display. Prune shrubs that bloom after June 15 like hydrangeas now while the plants are still dormant. They will form flower buds during the growing season.

Prune junipers and yews in late March. When pruning these evergreens always prune back to green growth. Prune pines in June.

Cut back ornamental grasses to about 4 to 6 inches. Try to do this before new growth starts. Remove any dead leaves or debris from the crown of the plant.

Transplant small trees and shrubs now while they are still dormant. Trees with a two inch trunk diameter or greater should be transplanted by a professional. Tie the branches up to make digging easier and to help avoid breaking branches. The soil should be moist before digging. Try to dig around the plant without disturbing the roots as much as possible. Try to keep as much soil as possible intact around the root ball. Wrap the soil ball in burlap and move to the prepared planting site and plant immediately. Be sure to carefully remove the burlap. Water if needed.

Use a dormant oil spray to control euonymus scale on euonymus. Be sure temperatures will be above freezing for 24 hours after spraying.

Plant selection may be the key to preventing deer from damaging plantings in the landscape. Avoid the planting of daylilies, hosta, impatiens, yew, tulips and arborvitae. Remember deer will eat most anything if they are hungry enough. For a list of deer resistant plants call 773-233-0476.

Consider the following spring lawn care tips. Remove all the twigs, rocks and trash that have collected over the winter. Rake out all the dead grass. Use a power rake to remove thatch.

Do not fertilize in March. Fertilize in late April or early May after a couple of mowings. Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Small amounts of fertilizer will be released over a long period of time allowing for healthy and uniform growth.

Do not apply a crabgrass control until May 1. Crabgrass will not usually germinate until late May or June when soil temperatures are greater than 55 to 60 degrees F. for 7-10 consecutive days.

Wait until April to seed lawns. Spring seeding can work. Problems can develop as a result of competition from emerging weeds and hot temperatures.