March Gardening for Summer Flowers, Fruit and Veggies

Yay! It is almost Spring! Flowers to start from seed outdoors in your garden at this time of year:

Alyssum                    Baby's Breath                  Bachelor's Buttons

Calif Poppies            Calif Bluebells                 Clarkia

Larkspur                   Lupines                            Phlox

Sweet Peas                Shirley Poppies                Toad Flax

Veggies to plant now in your garden:

Onions                        Carrots                             Cilantro

Peas                            Radishes                           Spinach

Flowers to start from seed indoors:

Bee Balm                   Begonia-tubers                 Black eyed Susans

Daisies                        Nicotiana                          Mallow

Petunias                     Phlox                                 Snapdragons

Stock                          Salvias-tender                   Verbena

You may start seeds in seedling trays or egg cartons, using this seedling soil mix:

1 part soil

1 part leaf mold or moss

1 part sand, granite grit or pumice

Soil mix for transplants, after first true leaves appear. Carefully lift plant using the leaves and not the stem.

1 part Soil

1 part Leaf Mold

2 parts Granite Grit, Sand or Pumice

1/2 part Compost

1/2 part worm casings

Now is the time to prune your plants.

Remove branches that rub together, are dead, badly damaged or diseased. Densely branched plants should be thinned out to allow sunlight in and let air circulate, helping to reduce diseases.  Knowing if your plant blooms on the old wood or new growth will be helpful when pruning, so you do not lose this season's flowers.

Now is the time for bare root plantings:

Look for plants with strong stems and well-formed roots. Do not buy if the roots are slimy or dry. Only purchase plants that have not leafed out yet. Plant bare root plants as soon as possible after purchasing. Soak roots overnight in a bucket of water before planting.

Dig a hole at least twice as wide as the roots. Make a cone in the center of the planting hole, speading roots over the cone. Refill hole up to the same depth, or slightly higher, as when the plant was in the field. The plant usually has a mark showing the dirt line. Hold the plant firmly while filling and firming planting hole to keep it straight. Water well to eliminate air pockets in soil, using more dirt as needed to fill in as the ground sinks. When growing season arrives, form a watering basin, using dirt mounded around the outer edge of the planting site.

Kitten tree! My favorite kind of tree