March 2020 Gardening Advice

submitted by Jennifer Fairfield, Garden Mill and Manchester Community & School Gardens

This is the time of year when I generally try to give everyone some hope for spring by telling you how much more sunshine we are going to have by the end of the month. It’s also to help me remember that the dark mornings are coming to an end, and there will be more time to get out and enjoy the daylight soon. And I don’t know about you, but I could sure use more of the sunshine than we have gotten this winter. Yesterday’s sunshine was lovely – I just want more!

So, here’s my pick-me-up (for you and me): on the first day of February, we had nine hours and fifty-nine minutes of daylight. On the last day of the month, we had eleven hours and sixteen minutes, and by the end of March, we will be getting twelve hours and forty-one minutes of daylight. The thought of all that daylight just makes me giddy! Now, would it be too much to ask that the sun was actually out for much of that time? 

I am very thankful that the snow we got Tuesday night and Wednesday came with slightly colder temperatures. Had it been just a little warmer, the snow would have been that wet, heavy, back-breaking stuff we often get in late winter. Having said that, I could have done without the snow (and the super cold temps that came with it) altogether. Fortunately, it looks like the temps this week will make short work of the snow and ice. And while it’s not quite gardening weather yet, there are some things we can do to get ready for gardening season, which I am hoping comes a little earlier this year than last year!

Indoors:

• If you have been putting off making your garden plans for the upcoming season, what are you waiting for? Make your plans now so that you can be sure to have what you need as the season gets going – which will be sooner than you think, especially if you’re not ready. Having a plan for what you want to grow, and where, will help you decide what you need in the way of seeds, plants, soil, fertilizer, supports, etc.
• March is the time to start many plants from seed indoors. Starting your own plants has lots of benefits, including the ability to try different varieties that you might not be able to find as plants in local stores. Start parsley early in the month. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, head lettuces, and kale, along with most herbs get started mid-month. Around the end of the month or the first part of April, basil, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers should be started so that they will be mature enough to be planted by Memorial Day, which is always my target date for getting those in the garden. Seeds are in at The Garden Mill, and on sale (along with seed starting supplies) throughout the month of March, so be sure to come in and get yours early, before your favorites are gone.
• Lots of flowers can be started from seed, too. Start zinnias in early to mid-March. Many others, including amaranth, catmint, cleome, gaillardia, nigella, stock, and thunbergia, get started in mid-March. The end of the month is the time to start Echinacea seeds.
• March is a great time to re-pot any of your indoor plants that need it. If some of your plants are getting really big, split them into a few smaller ones so that you don’t have one huge plant that you can’t move! If you don’t have room for all those little ones, give them away as gifts! Now is also the time to start fertilizing indoor plants again, after letting them rest over the winter.
• If you stored tender bulbs – such as dahlias – over the winter, check them now and discard any that are soft, damaged or diseased.
• Depending on the variety and when you potted them, bulbs potted for forcing last fall could be getting ready to start coming up this month. When your bulbs get a few inches of growth, it’s time to move them into a cool (60 degrees) sunny spot, but not in direct sunlight. Once they have flowered, move them into a warmer spot, but keep them out of direct sunlight to help the blooms last longer. For even longer lasting blooms, provide cooler nighttime temperatures.

Outdoors:

• March is a weather transition month, and the snow we tend to get at this time is generally wet and heavy because the temperatures hover right around the freezing mark. Heavy snow can weigh down and potentially break tree and shrub branches. And though it’s best to promptly remove snow to help prevent damage, use care when doing so, as it’s easy to do more harm than good. Use a broom, and gentle upward motions to sweep away the snow. Banging on frozen branches to shake off snow can break them. If we get ice, leave it alone, as trying to remove ice from branches can often cause more harm than good.
• Timing pruning this year is a little tricky because it hasn’t been all that cold. If you haven’t gotten pruning done yet, you might want to skip it altogether, if you can. If not, do it sooner rather than later – don’t wait until the weather starts to really warm up, because pruning in warm weather can leave some trees and shrubs vulnerable to insects and disease that are active in warm weather. There are some trees and shrubs that will do better being pruned later in the year, mostly those that flower really early, but everything else should be done while it’s below freezing most days. Pruning of damaged and diseased branches should be done right away, regardless of time of year or temperature.
• Bring spring indoors early by forcing branches of forsythia, pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood. Take some cuttings from those shrubs and trees, and bring them indoors. Trim the ends, using long, slanted cuts to help the branches take up water. Place the branches in vases of water, and change the water every few days. They should bloom in about 3 weeks.
  
• We frequently see some icy conditions in the month of March. If that holds true this year, be careful when spreading ice melt on sidewalks and driveways so that you don’t cause damage to nearby plants. Sand or sawdust are better alternatives, and there are also some “safer” ice melts available these days.
• We often have issues with frost heave in March as well, so keep an eye out, if you are out in your yard. Frost heave occurs when wet soil freezes and expands, pushing roots up, out of the soil. If you find this happening to your plants, gently press them back down to prevent damage to the roots and plant. Then give the plant a good layer of mulch to protect from future thaw and re-freeze cycles that are bound to happen this month.
• Now, having just told you to go out and prune and look for frost heave, I’m going to also warn you to try to stay off the lawn and out of garden beds as much as possible if the soil is wet and soft. The best time to get out and do the chores above is when the ground is frozen, because wet, soft soil is easily compacted by walking on it at this time, and compacted soil is very difficult for anything to grow in.
• Before spring really gets going, and you start applying fertilizers to your lawn and flower beds, it’s a great idea to do a soil test. Soil tests help you know what your lawn and plants really need, so that you aren’t wasting money on the wrong fertilizers. 
• Tradition says that Saint Patrick’s Day is the time to plant peas. I have yet to see a Michigan Saint Patrick’s Day that is warm enough for that, but I’m always hopeful. The better way to be sure that your peas will come up when you plant them is to take your soil’s temperature. Every seed has a range of soil temperatures that are just right for germination. For peas, the range is 40° to 85°, with 75° being ideal. To take your soil’s temperature, you need a soil thermometer – which you can, of course, find at The Garden Mill. 

For the birds:

• Don’t stop feeding birds yet – the options for food in nature are really slim for birds at this point, because there are few insects out, and much of the seeds and berries from last year have been consumed by now. Also, continue to provide water for them. We will still get freezing temperatures, making it difficult for birds to find water sources, so a heated bird bath can be a true life-saver for the birds.
• Clean out nest boxes, or put up new ones (or both). Many birds will begin to scout out nesting sites this month, so cleaning out existing houses or putting up new ones now will encourage them to take up residence at your home – they’ll return the favor by feeding their young with insects from your yard this spring!
• If you are interested in learning more about the birds in our area, the Washtenaw Audubon Society offers a number of opportunities, including “Weekend Walks” at local parks. To find out when and where, check out their website’s events at www.washtenawaudubon.org/events-top/eventlists/events

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.