Get your garden growing!

Here in Iowa the sun is shining and the temperature feels like early summer.  Don't let it fool you, there could still be a little bit of winter left.  I have had the itch to garden this week.  Here is the tasks that can be completed in the garden in March.  Happy growing this season.

March

Early in the month:

• Start seeds indoors of slower-growing annuals that you should start 10-12 weeks before the last average frost date. These include snapdragons, annual salvias, and impatiens.
• In the second half of the month:
• As temperatures and soil moisture allows: Direct sow seeds of fast-germinating cool-season vegetables, such as radishes, spinaches, and lettuces, and onion plants.
• Divide any perennials that are an inch or so high and don't bloom in very early spring.
• If you didn’t do it in the fall, apply compost to perennial, annual, and vegetable beds.
• Clean up perennial beds that didn’t get done last fall. Rake up late fallen leaves that have accumulated around plants.
• Uncover mounded roses and clean up dead/diseased foliage as soon as new growth begins to swell.
• As soon as the snow melts, rake up leaves that remain on the lawn. Begin mowing as soon as necessary.
• The last week of March or first week of April: Start seeds indoors of annuals that you should start 6-8 weeks before the last average frost date. These include marigolds, globe amaranth, sweet alyssum, flowering tobacco, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant.
• Cut back ornamental grasses to 2-3”.
• Start visiting the Garden Center to see the early arrivals.

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