The deep snow has been replaced by slippery mud, a sure sign that spring is here!  The sun shines a bit brighter and longer every day now, making our gardens irresistible on warmer days.  But beware, don’t be tempted to get too ambitious just yet.  Hidden deep in all that messy leaf litter in your gardens are many overwintering beneficial insects that need a little more time to wake up and get to work.  Let them have this time and wait until we pass the freezing nights before clearing up those beds.  It’s best that wet soil not be disturbed just yet.  Let the water drain and dry out for another week or two before digging anywhere.  Even walking across a squishy lawn now is hard on the soil and roots.  Still, there are plenty of mud season jobs that can be done now so let’s get started!

What seeds can I plant indoors now?  It’s still too early to start most garden vegetables but a few things will benefit from an early start in March.  Instead of buying onion sets you can save some cash and get much better varieties of onions if you start your own seeds.  Onion seeds germinate quickly but then need a long growing time before transplanting so now is a great time to sow onion seeds.  Which variety does well here?  I’ve had excellent results from Ailsa Craig, a very large sweet onion that stores well too.  Patterson is a good solid white storage onion, and Red Mountain or Redwing will give you sweet red onions.  When seedlings get over 6-8 inches tall prune them back to encourage thicker growth and use the trimmings like fresh chives!  Be sure to transplant them out before the Summer Equinox (June 20) so they have time to form good bulbs. 

Many flowers need a good head start so if you’re a little ambitious plant some petunia, snapdragon, heliotrope, phlox, and zinnia seeds now.  I’ve had good luck with wave petunias for several years and they give lots of blossoms all summer and well into the fall.  If you have a favorite geranium plant indoors you can prune it down now and use some of the stems as starter cuttings in potting soil. They will root and grow new plants for you. Cosmos, marigolds, and cleome can wait a while longer.

No matter what you plant indoors they will need plenty of light to produce healthy starts.  A south facing window is good but even that can’t provide the 14+ hours of strong light needed to grow indoors.  Grow lights on a frame (homemade or purchased) will do the trick for all your starts of garden vegetables and flowers.  There are many very easy to build light stand plans online (Instructables.com, Pininterest.com, etc.) made from ¾ inch PVC pipe and they are all very inexpensive.  The model I have (see photo) covers 4 trays and fits on a standard folding table, but there are smaller models for 1 or 2 trays that might fit your needs and space.  You can hang a 2 ft or 4 ft long fluorescent fixture with full spectrum grow lights in it and you’re good to go.  Alternately, LED fixtures provide even more light and are more efficient but cost more up front.  Your choice.  I also strongly recommend that you put electric germination mats under your trays for best germination.  Cool temperatures during the critical germination step can be lethal to seedlings. Mats cost $25-30 each but will last for years and are a worthwhile investment in your garden. 

What can you do outside now?  Use the nice days to your advantage and get your pruning and cleanup done before everything else starts.  In general, prune out all dead, diseased or damaged stems and branches while plants are dormant (that’s now).  Make your pruning cuts of side branches close to the main stem, just outside the enlarged “collar” or just outside lateral buds that can grow new branches.  This is a great time to manage shape & size by cutting off those drooping branches and downward growing branches.  A few specifics:  

Raspberries – cut out all the old canes that fruited last season plus any short, spindly canes (cut off at ground level).  Also, you can cut back young canes to 5-6 ft. to reduce floppiness or excessive height.  If you have everbearing that tried to bear a second fall crop you should cut those canes down to the lowest fruit bunches as they won’t repeat fruiting on that top area.

Blueberries – cut out any dead or damaged branches.  In mature bushes (over 5 years old) select a mix of young and mature healthy branches to leave and thin out over-crowded branches to allow sunlight and air flow through the bush.  This year’s flower buds are already present on blueberries so don’t shorten saved stems or you may remove this season’s berries.

Apple & Pears – remove all dead or damaged branches and any “suckers” (branches that grow straight up from the main trunk or side branches.  Remove branches that cross (pick one), grow downward or head centrally.  After pruning, apply a dormant oil spray covering all surfaces well (especially the buds) from the ground up to the top to smother over-wintering pest insect eggs.  Do this on a calm day when the temperature is above 40 (coming soon). We’ll repeat this application after the leaf buds swell and then after they just open but before blossoms to get most of the larvae hiding in the bark and buds.

Hydrangeas – in Vermont we mostly have smooth or panicle hydrangeas that bloom on new wood with big white blossoms. They don’t require pruning, but you’ll get bigger blossoms if you cut all of last year’s canes back to the ground.  I leave a number of strong young canes (straight and gray colored) for early greening and to provide support for new canes.

Do not prune forsythia, rhododendron, spiraeas, clethras, viburnums, or lilacs until after they have finished blossoming (except to remove dead or damaged branches). Their flower buds are already present on last year’s wood and pruning them now would remove this year’s blossoms!

Lawns – Despite the commercial push for lawn fertilizers in the spring, this is not the best time to feed your lawn.  Spring fertilization stimulates top growth (more mowing!) at the expense of root growth.  This results in an overgrowth early in the season but a lawn that will require excessive watering in late summer.  Spring is a good time to apply limestone to your lawn if your soil pH is lower than 6.5 so it will prepare your soil for fall fertilizing, which favors strong root growth and healthier grass.

My big suggestion, keep a garden journal.  This is so valuable for your own record of what happened, when and what you did.  Yes, I know you have an excellent memory, but keep a journal anyway.  Next year it’ll be your goldmine of reminders.  Make it simple and easy – what you did to what plants and the dates. For example:  “4/3/2021  Planted tomato (Juliet) seeds, 24 seeds in 4 6 packs” or “4/5/2021 Pruned raspberries”.  You may add whatever you want such as weather, varieties, soil mix, etc. but keep it simple so that it doesn’t become a chore.  Get a notebook and start it now.

Next we’ll discuss more about seed starting and growing your own plants plus your questions. What are your favorite spring tips for spring gardening? Please submit your comments and questions below.