March madness is the appropriate term this month for any gardener in the Midwest! My husband Chris always reminds me that it usually snows during bracket season. Don’t you just love the Final Four? Our family does the whole bracket thing; it is a long-cherished Petty tradition full of healthy competition among neighbors and co-workers. March-April, the NCAA gets into high gear. A Reader’s Digest article noted that “American companies would lose $1.9 billion in wages paid to unproductive workers spending company time on betting pool priorities.“ I would argue that is also lost to those who love the first break of early Spring.
Gardeners mostly gamble on the chance of snow and spring frost.
Spring snow in the garden often causes some panic. Many will worry when their daffodils begin to sprout too early! “Will they be ok?” Folks often ask me. The answer is most often, “Yes!”
Mother Nature has the whole timing thing down. She is all about timing. So when you see those little crocus Sprouts or the tips of your Tulips begin to emerge, don’t worry too much. They know what they are doing. If you want to cover them with a little newspaper or a sheet, because a blanket of ice is coming, do it! Especially cover if the flower buds have well emerged above ground.
God created Mother Nature to be the ‘hippest chick’ in the bunch I think, she is one whom I dig, and I anticipate fully!
I adore the perfect timing of it all! The English gardeners have long believed in timing when it comes to the moon’s incredible power, particularly the gravitational pull. The Farmer’s Almanac reads, “Folklore is rich among farmers, given their close ties to Earth and her natural rhythms.” The moon's new and first-quarter phases, known as the light of the Moon, are considered good for planting above-ground crops, putting down sod, grafting trees, and transplanting in the late spring.” And, you have to love this tip, “Dig your horseradish in the Full Moon for the best flavor.” This is good to know for that savory Bloody Mary on Sunday NCAA game days!
While I love the perfect timing of it all, it is ok to ‘force’ a few things along the way too. Now is a great time to plant small vessels with Wheat Grass seed to use indoors for your Easter table centerpieces, Wheat Grass is like regular grass seed but the blade is thicker for a more pronounced tuft of green! I love The Baker Creek Seed Company seeds, mostly because they are heirloom and organic seeds owned by a great company.
Also, get out and clip a few branches off your blooming trees and place them in a vase of clean, warm water. Set them in the sun and in about two weeks their buds will break and begin to swell and soon you will have fresh crabapple, cherry, dogwood, redbud blooms indoors. I love my Fiskars Pruners for this job. This is a great task for their sharp, easy-to-use grip. I love my partnership with Fiskars! Let the madness begin!
-Onward to Growing a Beautiful Life!
Gardening Love, Carrie Petty
March Garden Chores: (While it is too early to plant, there is much to do!)
So, put down your pencil and bracket and get outside! You will get ahead of your game if you accomplish some demanding chores early in the growing season, so to have more time to enjoy the best months of the Indiana gardening season…April and most importantly…MAY!
GREEN CHORES:
Continue to sow seeds indoors
Clean and disinfect garden pots prior to planting
Pick up some Pansy flowers at the garden centers they can go outside now
Clean up winter debris
Position birdhouses in high safe locations
Keep feeding those birds, I clean feeders once a week.
Improve soil by adding organic mushroom compost
Finalize new garden designs and additions to your flowerbeds
Double-dig any new garden beds now
Pot up leftover bulbs stored in cold garages for Easter bloom
Fertilize Rhododendrons and Azaleas
All flower gardens fertilized with 10-10-10
Get that first mowing in with the blade set low to get the sun to the crowns
Edge all garden beds when soil is workable
Continue to GROW!
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