March garden chores

Eager to get out in the garden? Now is a great time to get your garden ready for the season ahead.

First, finish cleaning up your vegetable garden and perennial beds. This includes removing any dead vegetation and debris. Insects and disease can winter over and you'll help reduce potential problems later on by doing a good clean up now.

Prune fruit and shade trees while they're still dormant. This is a great time to prune because you can see the tree's structure clearly. You're looking for any broken, damaged or diseased branches.

Prune these out using a sharp pair of pruning shears or loppers.

Next, prune out any branches that are sticking straight up or crossing other branches.

Finally, remove any branches that are coming up around the trunk. 

Prune summer flowering shrubs such as buddleia and caryopteris now. Wait to prune spring blooming shrubs such as lilacs, forsythia, and spiraea until after they bloom. Hold off pruning your roses. This is done later in the spring season.

Test your soil. You can do this yourself with a test kit or stop in and pick up a Soil test kit from CSU.

Freshen up your garden beds by adding organic material such as compost and peat moss. Put 2" of amendments on your beds and work it in 4" to 6". Apply dormant oil. Dormant oil is very effective to control insects that may be wintering over in your trees and shrubs.

Have the lawn aerated and apply Soil Activator.

Soil activator helps improve the soil and helps your grass take up nutrients more effectively.

Next, add Fertilome All Seasons to your lawn. This will feed your lawn and help prevent crabgrass and other weed seeds from germinating. Plant some cool season crops. Cabbage, onions, lettuce, peas, radishes and many other vegetable crops can be planted now, either from seed or starter plants. 

Keep your eye on the weather. If it stays dry, get the hose out and water your trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns. March is a great time to be active in your garden. All the work you do now will lead to a better gardening season this year.