Snow has been replaced by slippery mud, a sure sign that spring is almost here!  We now get just over 12 hours of daylight per day and that stimulates new plant growth.  It also makes our gardens irresistible on warmer days.  Don’t be tempted to get too ambitious just yet, but there are several jobs that can be done before digging soil.  Houseplants and indoor sheltered garden plants would benefit from a feeding now.  I prefer to use a liquid fish fertilizer for its slow release of micronutrients.

Hidden deep in all that messy leaf litter in your gardens are many overwintering beneficial creatures that need a little more time before they awaken and get to work.  Let them have this time and wait until we pass the freezing nights of April before clearing up those beds.  It’s also important that cold, wet soil not be disturbed yet.  Let the water drain out for few more weeks before digging.  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!

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.  Last article I encouraged starting onion from seeds instead of buying onion sets so you can save some cash and get much better yields of onions.  When they get over 6-8 inches tall in the flats prune them back to about 5 in. tall 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. 

Late March through early April is the best time to start peppers (sweet or hot), tomatoes, and cabbage.  Broccoli and cauliflower seeds can be started in mid to late April.  Johnny’s has a very good seed starting calculator online that covers every vegetable and flower you might plant.  You simply enter your spring frost free date (I use May 22 in Mount Holly) and the table tells you when to start the seeds and when to transplant. 

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 work for all your starts of garden vegetables and flowers.  There are many very easy to build light stand plans online (Instructables.com, Pinterest.com, etc.) made from ¾ inch PVC pipe and they are all very inexpensive.  The homemade stand I have (see photo) covers 4 trays and fits on a 6 ft. 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 connect it to a timer so they get 14 or more hours of light every day.  Alternately, LED fixtures provide even more light and are more efficient but cost more up front.  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. They cost $25-30 each but will last for years and are a smart investment in your garden.

What can I do outside now?  Use the nicer 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 or too long branches and downward growing branches.  A few specifics:  

Raspberries – cut out all the old canes that fruited last season plus any short, spindly canes 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 just below 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 set 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, 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.  We’ll repeat this application after the leaf buds swell and again after they just open but before blossoms open to get most of the larvae hiding in the bark and buds.

Hydrangeas – in Mount Holly we mostly have only smooth or panicle hydrangeas that bloom on new wood. (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 and weed killers 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 causes 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 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.

Keep a garden journal.  This is valuable for your own record of what happened, when and what you did.  Even if you have an excellent memory, 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 or calendar and start it now.

Composting is one of the most important things all gardeners can do.  It’s great for your soil and plants, keeps climate warming carbon out of the atmosphere, and reduces the waste volume. 

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