March 2009 Gardening Checklist

Plant pansies for early spring color.

Photo courtesy National Garden Bureau

• Clean up any garden beds left to winter over. Remove dead plant debris and clear leaves and other matter from the beds.
  
• Test leftover garden seed for germination. Place 10 seeds between moist paper toweling, or cover with a thin layer of soil. Keep seeds warm and moist. If fewer than six seeds germinate, buy fresh seed.
  
• Divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials as soon as you can work the soil.
  
• Spring is the best time to plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs.
  
• As soon as you see new growth on roses, remove their winter protection. Prune and fertilize as needed.
  
• When the soil temperature reaches 40 degrees F, fertilize trees and shrubs before new growth begins.
  
• Every three months, apply Preen Garden Weed Preventer in flower beds and around trees and shrubs to stop weeds before they start to grow.
  
• Don’t prune spring flowering shrubs now. Wait until about a month after they bloom. Pruning now may remove this year’s flowers.
  
• Don’t remove the foliage on early-blooming bulbs until it turns yellow or brown and falls flat, called ripening. The foliage replenishes the bulb with nutrients needed for next year’s blooms.
  
• Plant cool-season annuals, such as pansies, snapdragons, nemesia, and osteospermum.
  
• Throughout the South, the Eastern Seaboard and the lower Midwest, plant cool-season vegetables, including lettuces, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and spinach. Potatoes also can be planted this month. In the upper Midwest and north, wait until late March or early April to plant these crops.
  
• Apply Organic Preen Vegetable Garden Weed Preventer around established plants that are 3 inches tall. Always read and follow label directions.
  
• In the South, seeds for warm-season flowers and vegetables can be started indoors in early March. For colder climates, wait until mid- to late-March or early April. Check the seed packet for precise instructions. Don’t transplant warm-season plants outdoors until all threat of frost has passed. Click here to contact your county extension agent for recommendations for your region.
  
• Apply Preen Mulch Plus around trees, shrubs and established plants to prevent weeds for up to six months. The mulch also has the added benefit of helping the soil retain moisture and stay cool when temperatures heat up.
  
• Attend a flower and garden show in your community. There, you will learn about new plants, garden design and solutions to landscape problems.