IN THE EDIBLE GARDEN
Plant spinach as soon as soil can be worked. Plant smooth-leaf varieties rather than Savoy types (with crinkled leaves). Leaves of Savoy varieties catch soil during rainstorms and can taste gritty. (A University of Illinois Extension fact sheet is available; see below).
Plant potatoes from mid-March through mid-April. Late varieties can be planted on top of the ground in straw (fact sheet available).
Start seeds for eggplants, tomatoes and peppers late in the month.
Plant onion sets in late March.
Prune grapes. Grapes are produced from buds of 1-year-old canes that are about 1/4 to 1/3 inch in diameter and are reddish brown. Correct pruning removes 80 to 90 percent of the grape wood every year, giving you material for grapevine wreaths (fact sheet available).
IN THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN
Watch for gypsy moths this year. Look for newly hatched caterpillars that are about 1/8 inch long and mostly dark brown to black. As they get older, they will develop blue and rusty red spots with tufts of hair. These caterpillars feed in treetops at night during May and June and can defoliate neighborhoods and forests in those two months. Oaks are most susceptible (fact sheet available).
Prune yews (taxus) in late March to early April.
Remove winter debris from the lawn.
Prune summer-flowering shrubs such as snowball hydrangea and pink spirea.
Divide perennials that bloom in summer and fall.
Start tuberous begonias and caladiums indoors.
Cut ornamental grasses back to the ground.
Try Phlox `David,’ the Plant of the Year from the Perennial Plant Association. This erect perennial is 36 to 40 inches tall and has bright white clusters of fragrant flowers that bloom mid-July to September (fact sheet available).
Try viburnums in your landscape. Most of these shrubs flower and produce fruit that will attract birds (fact sheet of recommended viburnums available).
Avoid applying large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer to lawns in March. Wait until the lawn has been mowed a few times before fertilizing, typically late April or early May.
Choose a quality lawn fertilizer that contains controlled-release, slow-release or water-soluble nitrogen. These nitrogen sources will release small amounts of nitrogen to the turf over an extended period of time.
Do not apply crabgrass pre-emergence treatments in March. Crabgrass usually will not germinate until late May or June. May 1 is a good target date for application.
Avoid seeding lawns in spring. Early fall is the best time, with more favorable weather and fewer weeds. If seeding in the spring, seed by mid-April to avoid hot weather that would slow growth.
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Ronald C. Wolford is an extension educator in urban gardening for the University of Illinois Extension. To obtain the extension’s fact sheets for many gardening topics, call 773-233-0476 or see the site at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hort.
