by Joe Daniels, Delaware County Master Gardener
Prepare soil for planting. Do not till your soil if it is wet. Only prepare the soil if it crumbles in your hand. Form a fist around a handful of soil. If it's wet and intact when you open your hand, stop digging. If the fistful gently falls apart, it’s ok to dig.
Have your soil tested. Soil test kits are available at your local Cooperative Extension office.
Sharpen and repair garden tools.
Remove parts of shrubs broken over the winter.
Cut off last year's growth on ornamental grasses, epimediums, and ferns.
Clean up matted leaves and dead vegetation from flower beds and lawns.
Get ready to assemble the materials you will need to start some seeds. A very common time to start them is around April Fool's Day.
When buying transplants, select ones with a compact, bushy form and bright green leaves. Plants without flowers or flower buds produce better and grow faster.
To find Joe’s March gardening tips on houseplants, bulbs, compost, vegetable gardens, herbs, trees, lawns, roses, and perennials, go to our Master Gardener website.
Do you have a gardening question? In Delaware County, call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.
UPCOMING MASTER GARDENERS EVENTS
March 29, 2008
HOME GARDENERS SCHOOL
This is it! Our twelfth annual all day educational event. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from recognized horticultural experts, shop our Marketplace and tour Neumann's historic Convent Gardens. Cost : $45 ($55 after March 14) For more details, call 610-690-2655, visit our website or email: Linda Barry.
April 12, 2008
Peonies
Explore gardening with peonies. Join Eleanor Tickner, owner of A Peony Garden for a discussion about the unabashed "Queens of the Garden." Cost: $10
Registration required for all events. Please call 610-690-2655 for more information or visit our website
