March Garden Checklist
What to do in the Spring Garden
It’s my favorite time of the year. Longer days, Blooming flowers. Growing weeds ( 🙁 ). Man, I just despise weeds. Yesterday was an amazing day out in the fields and in our gardens. The lavender field is coming along, and new green tip growth is promising for the lovely Provence look. Tulips, hyacinth and other bulbs are in bloom, but wow, there is so much to do.
The March Garden Checklist, or Spring Garden To Do, can be overwhelming. Here is how I break it down,
Garden Tools: Preparation
Let’s get started with your trusty tools. Take inventory, and get ready for battle!! Most are waking from their dormant winter, so here is what we typically do here on the flower farm:
- Clean and sanitize all garden tools with soap and water and remove any dirt from the previous year.
- Remove any existing rust with a file, steel wool or sand paper.
- Sharpen your garden tool blades: pruners, loppers, shovels, hori horis, garden snips. (Here is the sharpening kit we use: garden tool sharpening kit).
- Apply a light coat of oil. We recommend Boiled Linseed Oil or vegetable oil.
- Check all garden hoses for winter damage.
- Clean all watering can roses (small holes can get clogged)
- Replace any broken tools
- Do you have all the tools you need or want? This is our favorite time to shop for new garden tools 🙂
- Clean and prep all sprayers
Fertilize and Prep Garden Beds
As your plants come to life, they yearn for the power and nutrients to grow. Adding supplements and natural nutrients to the soil will pay great dividends in the garden over the growing season. Here is what to do to provide that growth fuel.
- For our roses specifically, we add a systemic fertilizer and protectant, as the bugs hit our white varieties hard.
- Spray roses with Neem oil – the dry/wet/warm days can lead to black spot
- Lay down a layer of compost on the top of your beds. These nutrients will pay dividends all season.
- Fertilize shrubs and flowers with a general fertilizer.
- Check the pH of your soil beds.
- We add Aluminum Sulfate to change our hydrangea colors
Weed Control
Did I mention I despise weeds? Weeds take up a. huge part of our daily chores here at Celtic Farm, and over the years, we have found some required ways to keep them at bay.
- Turning soil at the right time can minimize grown and reduce the ability for weeds to prosper. For large areas we turn with a tractor, but you can just use a cultivator or tiller. Turn once, let the seeds you unearth grow, then turn again/. This will drastically reduce your weed growth.
- Landscape fabric is a savior when it comes to control and minimizing weed growth areas. We burn holes in our with a plumber’s torch to minimize open growth area.
- Last resort: Round up. Our area is laden with crab grass, and it is a nightmare. Any sign of this garden penetrator is zapped with weed killer.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has a great page on natural weed control. You can read more here: Wildflower Weed Elimination Techniques
Planting in March
What would be spring without planting? If your chance of frost is gone, you can start to put out your seed and any plants you have started early. This topic is way beyond my time available, but you can find a ton of great information here on the site.
Just a few ideas to prepare for the growing season. Have a great start to Spring!