Gardening Tips for March 2024

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• Annuals - Calendula, Foxgloves, Stock, Snapdragon.
• Shrubs - Teucrium chamaedrys, Euonymus, Nandina, Ribes sanguineum
• Perennials - Euphorbia, Aquilegia (Columbine) Dicentra spectibilus, Helleborus. Pulmonaria, Dianthus (Carnation).
• Trees - Tulip Magnolia, Flowering Cherry and Plum, Hawthorn.
• Bulbs and Tuber - Tuberous Begonia and other summer blooming bulbs such as Dahlias, Gladiolus, and Oriental Lily (see photo below). Freesia can be planted in spring and fall.
• Veggies - Swiss Chard, Potato tubers, Spinach, Pea Seeds.
• Extras - Bait for slugs, snails, earwigs, cutworms and sowbugs, bamboo stakes, tie twine, insecticidal soap.
  
  
  
   

• Seed Starting Indoors - March is an exciting time for many gardeners as it's time to start seeds of flowers and vegetables! Having a greenhouse with bottom heat is ideal but some seeds, such as Zucchini and Sunflowers can be started inside the house when enough sun and warmth is provided. Not to worry if growing seeds is not for you. Starting seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last average frost date for your area (Sonoma County is April 15th) mainly gives a jumpstart to the spring season. Also, starting plants by seed gives one a bigger selection of varieties to grow.
• A good target date to direct sow (in the ground) seeds of Peas is Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th).
• Pest Management - If using, set yellowjacket traps out early in the season. The goal is to catch the queen and she's only out for 2 to 3 weeks just before temperatures warm up in spring. Yellowjackets do eat some garden pests and do some pollenating, so if you don't entertain outside much and don't mind a few yellowjackets flying around, there may be no need to put traps out. Spider Mites webbing can be washed out of shrubs with a strong spray from the hose. Aphids can be washed off with water but when infestation is too much insecticidal soap can be used. Aphids and other pest insects are attracted to some weeds. Keeping weeds down helps keep the pest population down. 
• Fertilize- Rhododendrons just after flowers fade, Roses, Cool Season Annuals-Iceland Poppies and Pansies. Plus, Primrose, Clematis and Pomegranates.
• No Tomatoes Yet- Although the sunshine is making many gardeners think of buying and planting tomato plants now, you may want to wait.  Tomato plants purchased too early means many weeks of worrying about them and protecting them from frost and cold weather. Our frost dates in Sonoma County run from the end of October through mid to late April. If you must begin your tomato journey right now you can start seeds indoors. Mary's strategy is to purchase healthy, 4 inch tomato plants in mid April, while the selection is good, and keep them inside at night to protect them from frost and outside in the sun during the day then plant tomatoes in the ground at the beginning of May (or when overnight temps have warmed up). The one exception to this is if one lives in a micro-climate that tends to warm up early and does not get the frost the rest of the county gets.
• Compost- When you have your compost delivered (if you are not planning to spread it right away), cover it with a tarp to prevent weed seeds from blowing in and landing on it. You may also want to put a tarp down first so clean up is easy once the pile has been spread (this also protects your concrete from being stained if you had the delivery dumped on it). To learn more about compost Watch The Gardening Tutor video Mulch vs. Compost.
• Weeding - Tops the list of things to do in the garden. If it feels too overwhelming, try weeding a few minutes at a time instead of tackling all the areas at once. Mary is right there with you, weeding a few hours after work each day. Learn more about How Weeds Grow and How to Manage Them.

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).