Is It Spring, Already?!
Looking at the long-term weather forecasts from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, it would seem that we are going to get an early spring, and possibly not much in the way of true spring-like weather (one of those years when we go straight from cold to hot). They are predicting that we will have warmer than average temperatures all the way through summer. Given how much warmer the winter has been this year, that’s not terribly surprising. Another indicator that we will be warming up sooner than usual is the amount of ice on the Great Lakes. As the weather guy at MLive recently pointed out – there is pretty much none, and that’s really unusual for this time of year. That ice is what usually keeps us cooler longer, and is one of the reasons the west side of the state grows so much great fruit. The slow warm-up generally means that fruit trees don’t flower too early, which helps prevent the flowers from being hit by late cold snaps. I hope that, if we do warm up quickly, we skip the cold-snap part. I really love Michigan cherries, peaches, blueberries, and all the other wonderful things that are grown here, and would hate to miss out on that.
Jennifer
In this month’s issue of Let’s Get Gardening
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In this month’s issue:
All that sunshine we got last week – along with the warmer temperatures – has me anxious to get out in my garden! I know it’s not really time to do much out there just yet, but I can’t help wanting to. I’m like a kid standing outside a candy store that doesn’t open for another 10 minutes! While we try to be patient, since it’s not quite gardening weather yet, there are some things to do to get ready for gardening season.
Indoors:
- Take stock of what you have, and make a list of what you need, then start looking for it now. One thing to keep in mind this year is that the supply chain for almost everything is still under great strain from the pandemic. We are getting updates weekly from our vendors on what is and isn’t going to be coming in, and many manufacturers are having problems keeping up.
- If you are planning to start your own plants from seed, this is the month to do a lot of that. Starting your own plants can be a great way to save money, and it’s a wonderful thing to do with your kids. I’ve included a chart with information on when to start some things indoors below. If you’re new to the idea of starting plants, there are a number of things to keep in mind, including when to start, how warm the soil should be, how and when to water, and how much light the seedlings need.
- While I don’t have a chart for flowers like I do for vegetables, many flowers can be started from seed, too. Just a few include Zinnia, nigella, stock, and thunbergia.
- If you didn’t get to it last month, re-pot any of your indoor plants that need it. Now is also the time to start fertilizing indoor plants again, after letting them rest over the winter.
- Tender bulbs, such as dahlias, that were stored over the winter, should be checked now for any that are soft, damaged, or diseased. Those should be tossed.
- Depending on the variety and when you potted them, bulbs potted for forcing last fall could be getting ready to start coming up this month.
Outdoors:
- If you didn’t get pruning done last month, you can still do some pruning yet, but understand some of the challenges. First, some trees pruned when it’s warmer out are vulnerable to insects and disease that are active in warmer weather. Except to trim away dead, damaged, or diseased wood, Oaks are one tree that should only ever be pruned in the dead of winter.
- There is one reason to prune some early-blooming trees and shrubs now – to force branches into blooming
indoors. Take some cuttings from shrubs and trees, such as forsythia, cherry, quince, and redbud, and bring them indoors. Trim the ends, using long, slanted cuts to help the branches take up water. Place the branches in vases of water, and change the water every few days. - Frost heave can still be an issue this month, so keep an eye out, if you are out in your yard. Frost heave occurs when wet soil freezes and expands, pushing roots up, out of the soil.
- This may sound contradictory to telling you to go out and prune and fix frost heave issues, but try to stay off the lawn and out of garden beds as much as possible if the soil is wet and soft, which it definitely is right now, because wet, soft soil is easily compacted by walking on it at this time, and compacted soil is very difficult for anything to grow in.
- It may be tempting to simply start applying fertilizers to your lawn and flower beds when spring gets going, and you’re ready to plant. Before you do that, it’s a really good idea to do a soil test. Soil tests help you know what your plants and lawn really need, so that you aren’t wasting money on the wrong fertilizers.
- Just as it’s important to grow seeds indoors at the proper soil temperature, it also important to know the soil temperature outdoors, before you begin to plant things. For instance, most of us know that peas grow in the early spring, but do you know exactly when you should plant them? Some people say peas should be planted in March – as early as Saint Patrick’s Day!
For the birds:
- If you don’t feed the birds all year long, like I do, don’t stop feeding them yet – the options for food in nature are really slim for birds at this point, because there are few insects out yet, and much of the seeds and berries from last year have been consumed by now.
- Clean out nest boxes, or put up new ones (or both). Many birds will begin to scout out nesting sites this month, so cleaning out existing houses or putting up new ones now will encourage them to take up residence in your yard – they’ll return the favor by feeding their young with insects from your yard this spring!
- One good thing that has come out of the pandemic is that there are a number of events that used to be only held in-person, but are now available virtually.
More info on all of these tips can be found in our monthly newsletter: Read the March 2021 issue of Let’s Get Gardening
Happy Gardening!
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