The following are some general ideas for early spring gardening. Take weather conditions into account and wait until the soil is above 50 degrees to try any planting.
Winter damage:
- Clean up and remove leaves and winter plant debris, which are loaded with phosphorus, from paved surfaces and street drainage openings.
- In the absence of heavy spring rains, the salt residue in areas near a road, sidewalk, or driveway can be flushed out by thoroughly soaking the area a few times with a hose.
- Snow, wind and ice can cause damage to trees and shrubs. Prune out any damaged branches.
- Plants that have “heaved” from the freezing and thawing action of the soil should be replanted as soon as the soil is workable.
- Don’t walk on your gardens if the soil is saturated and squishy. You don’t want to compress the soil and destroy its structure.
Pruning:
- Early spring is a good time for pruning many shrubs. Even spring bloomers such as forsythia and lilac can be cut back in early spring if you’re willing to sacrifice the flowers for one year.
- Prune trees too now if needed. Maple and birch should be pruned only after their leaves have fully emerged since the wounds may bleed.
- Never “top” a tree. This produces a weak tree with an unnatural shape.
- Fruit trees should be pruned in late winter or early spring before bud break. Pay particular attention to any twigs or branches with cankers or black knot (dark swollen galls). These should be removed and discarded before bud break.
- Prune brambles (raspberries and blackberries) during March to remove any dead, diseased, or damaged and the oldest canes to increase air circulation.
- When pruning, be careful to not to cut flush to the trunk. Cut outside the branch collar (the swelling in bark around the area where the branch meets the tree). For more information on proper pruning techniques contact your local extension office or look for extension resources online.
- Wound dressing or paint is no longer recommended. If properly pruned the wound is best left to heal naturally.
- Cut back and prune roses when forsythia blooms. Cut back dead or crossing canes to about one-quarter inch above an outward facing bud.
- Prune back pussy willows after the catkins are finished blooming. Remove dead branches. Cut the older gray branches to the ground.
- Cut winter dieback off lavender by pruning into green wood late in April.
Perennials:
- Cut back grasses and other perennials that have been left up for winter interest. Ideally this should be done before the new growth gets more than a few inches high so you don’t damage the new growth while cutting back the old.
- Any plant material that has not harbored disease can be put in the compost pile.
- When you can work the soil, plant pansies, foxglove, and other cool weather plants.
- Sow coriander, orach salad greens, baby’s breath, poppy, phlox, and cornflower seeds directly into garden beds.
- Pull emerging weeds by hand so as not to disturb emerging perennials and bulbs. This also prevents new weeds from growing from disturbed soil.
- Hostas, liriope, daylilies, dicentra, coral bells and Shasta daisies are some perennials that can be divided before new growth starts in spring.
- Scatter annual poppy seeds in the garden for bloom in June and early July.
Vegetables:
- Take the time to plan your vegetable garden taking care to use crop rotation. Do not plant members of the same plant family (tomatoes and peppers for example) in the same spot as last year.
- If you decide to push the season by doing early plantings, be sure to use row covers for protection.
- Seed a crop of lettuce either directly into the garden or start the seeds indoors and transplant.
- Top-dress your gardens with mulch for weed prevention.
- Put up a trellis for your peas.
- Check your seed packages to see whether you should start seeds indoors or direct-sow them outside. Also check information on the envelopes for the appropriate number of weeks prior to planting outside.
Houseplants:
- Houseplants are coming to life with the increased hours of sunlight. This is a good time to resume feeding.
- Give houseplants a good “shower” in the sink or tub to clean off dust buildup from the winter months. For plants too large to move, give the leaves a sponge bath.
- Prune off any dead or yellowing leaves and branches.
- Any plants that have outgrown their pots can be repotted. If you want the plant to continue increasing in size just repot it in a larger container. If you want to keep the plant in the same size container the roots can be trimmed back.
General:
- Apply horticultural oil to trees and shrubs that have had past problems with sucking insects such as mites, aphids, scale, whitefly and adelgids. Carefully follow the application directions for temperature and weather conditions. If applied at the wrong time they are not effective.
- If you didn’t clean, sharpen and check garden tools in autumn do it now. It makes a huge difference in how well they work and how long they last.
- Place new birdhouses outdoors and/or clean out older ones.
- Scrub and sterilize reusable pots and seed starter trays by washing them in a dilute mixture (10%) of warm water and bleach.
- Set up a notebook or computer folder so you have a place to keep notes and pictures to learn from this season’s successes and disappointments.
- Plant a tree on Friday April 29 to celebrate National Arbor Day.
- If you have not planted herbs previously include them in your garden plan.
- Fertilize your spring bulbs when the leaves first appear.
—Carol Ann Harlos & Lyn Chimera, Master Gardeners, Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension
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