March and April aare tricky months because the weather is so unpredictable.  Still it is time to get a head start on some of our garden activities.  Weed seeds live in the soil for years and any cultivation brings them to the surface. 

If you start early you will have less of a headache during the summer.  As soon as the soil can be worked – when it is not a clump of wet soil in your hand – take a hoe and remove any emerging weeds.  Do this every week until the soil warms up and then add mulch and you will be amazed at how few weeds you have to deal with. 

If you are in the mood, now is a good time to turn the compost pile, if not just leave it.  It will take longer to decompose but it will eventually get there.  Add any debris you collect from cleaning up the beds after winter.  It’s a great time to get a pH test to see if you need to add anything. 

In our area soils tend to be on the acidic side and if your soil needs lime it can take six months before an application will affect the acidity.  Check the lawn for damaged areas and if you need to overseed, do it now.  

Also, don’t forget your garden mower; give it a tune up for the season and make sure you sharpen the blades.  Those blades should be sharpened frequently during the season to avoid tearing the grass. 

In yiour perennial beds, check for plants that have heaved up due to freezing and thawing action.  Gently push them back into the soil.  Wait to do any transplanting or dividing until you see new growth popping up.  I have a couple of big stands of sedum that I plan to divide and move to a new bed with some ornamental grasses.  Sedum and grasses make a lovely combination with the stiff stalks of the sedum playing off the delicate grass leaves that move in the wind so gracefully.  Look at your hybrid tea roses and start to pull the mulch away. 

 Do it gradually so that new growth is still protected from a hard freeze but they can gradually become accustomed to more light and air.   Prune them when you see the first buds beginning to swell.  Make cuts just below an outward facing bud so that new growth grows outward giving the plant better air circulation.  Prune off any dead wood, thin stems and any crossing branches and don’t leave trimmings in the garden because they can harbor spores from black spot and powdery mildew.  Mid April is a good time to start planting gladiolus bulbs.  Plant every two weeks up until July and you will have armloads of flowers to brighten your rooms. 

As I write this in mid March, my daffies are poking through and soon I will have large swaths of crocus in bloom.  You can leave the crocus to mature as they are but you should cut the daffy heads off as they die.  Leave the stalks though because they pull nutrients from the leaves to the bulbs for next year’s flowers.  You can disguise them with the emerging growth of hostas and daylilies.  As the daffies start to grow it is a good time to fertilize your bulb beds and in fact all of your beds will benefit from a spring feeding.  If you use synthetic fertilizers sprinkle some 5-10-5 all around.  If you prefer organic fertilizers, then wait until the soil has warmed a bit, Organic fertilizers work better with a warmer soil.

In the veggie garden take time to add organic material to the soil if you didn’t do it in the fall.  Just pile an inch or so on top and worms and bacteria will take care of mixing it in.  You can plant your transplants through it.  Soil temperatures should be around 40F before you start planting which means around mid April for peas.  Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions, early potatoes, radish seeds, spinach, chard, cabbage can be seeded or set out sometime in April depending on the weather.  Our frost free date is around the last week in May so check your calendar and seed information on the back of the seed packets before starting your seeds indoors. 

Our first big snowstorm of the year caused us to cancel our presentation on orchids in March.  But I am glad to say that we were able to reschedule the talk for June 7.  It will be at the Northville Public Library so mark your calendars now.

In April we are pleased to welcome Viktoria Serafin who will present a talk on wildflowers.  This is another in our series of talks for the community.  Come and join us on Thursday, April 5. at the library in the upstairs meeting room at 1: 30 .m. We will have refreshments and a chance to get to know everyone afterwards.  Our club will have a short meeting at 1:00 p.m. before the presentation and if you want to sit in, you will be most welcome. 

As always you can reach us at POBox 675, Northville NY 12134 and remember as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote – Earth laughs in Flowers.