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Tips from a Montgomery County Master Gardner on what to do in your garden this month
Montgomery County has a learning program and network for Master Gardeners through the University of Maryland Extension. Whatever your gardening question might be, you can call their hotline at 301-590-9650 and speak to a trained Master Gardener yourself about any gardening question that you need answered.
This week, Master Gardeners, Denise Mullins and Frances Smithson, gave North Potomac Patch some suggestions on what you should be doing this month to help your yard and vegetable garden flourish this summer.
During March, in your outdoor areas you should:
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Clean out everything in the beds that is old and dead. This will include dead leaves from over the winter, fallen branches, pine cones or other debris.
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This is the time to layer mulch around trees, shrubs, and other perennial plants.
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Prune back any dead branches on bushes and trees. Forsythia bushes are a good clue for this timing. When you see those large bushes bud with their bright yellow blooms, that is the time to prune, especially your Roses.
This is not the time in Maryland for planting flowering annuals or vegetables outdoors. They may look tempting at the gardening center, but there will still be some hard overnight frosts in the coming month. It's better to wait until late April or into May for those.
But, if you are planning to have a flower or vegetable garden, you can start your seedlings indoors now. The following are a few tips:
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Start seedlings of flowers and vegetables using "seed kits" which can be found in any garden center, including our local Lowes or Potomac Garden Center.
If you are new to this, make sure the kits you buy are the easier vegetables to grow. Many of the packages will have a rating on them.
Place the growing seedlings on a brigth window sill or buy a “grow lamp” for proper lighting.
Keep an eye on the humidity inside the seed kit. The small seedlings need to have relatively high humidity since the sprouts are so small and delicate, but not so wet that they will get moldy.
The Master Gardeners warn that outdoor planting time should wait until after the final frost of the season, which in Maryland is 90% probable to be after May 7th this year. Don't try to plant now, because the nights are still getting very cold and they will die.
They also added that when you do prepare the ground for your garden, do not work or til the soil if it is very wet. The dirt should be dry enough to crumble in your hand if you want to keep nutrients and the structure of the soil intact.
If you follow these guidelines, you should be on your way to a fine garden.