Gardening Checklist for March and April

Here it is, that busy time of year again. For those of you that do vegetable gardening, just about any of the many freeze sensitive items can now be planted. This includes beans, squash, and cucumbers. It is almost too late for lettuce but in the off chance that we have a cool spring, you could try it. A great green that can still be planted is Swiss chard. It is a good spinach substitute, and much less prone to bolting. Another good green that does well in our hot weather is Malabar (or New Zealand) Spinach. It is not really a true spinach, but its thick leathery leaves cook up into wonderfully soft, slightly spicy greens. It can be planted anytime after late March. Better wait until early April or so before you plant your okra. Tomato and pepper plants can also be set out in late March, but stay alert to minimum temperature forecasts. Officially the latest date that a freeze has been observed in Austin is March 31. However, killing frosts at ground level have been occasionally observed in the first few weeks of April in various locations throughout the city, and especially in the hill country to the west.

It is good practice to mulch your garden, whether vegetables or flowers, however, wait until the ground warms up a bit before doing so, otherwise the roots are trying to develop in cool surroundings and growth will be slow at best. Along about late April or early May, start spreading all those live oak leaves that you collected in March (or any other mulch you have on hand). Try not to put the mulch in direct contact with the plant stem. Leave an inch or two so the bugs won’t have a cozy, damp environment and easy access to your plants.

The best time to apply fertilizer to spring-flowering bulbs is when the foliage emerges in the spring, not at flowering. Traditionally, gardeners have applied fertilizer during bloom or a bit after, but because the roots of these bulbs start to die at flowering, fertilizer applied at that time is wasted. Roots are active when the foliage first pokes through the ground. Nutrients applied then are used to produce flowers the following year.

Be ready to prune spring flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming and get the fertilizer ready. Established landscape plants will be hungry after their long winter’s semi-dormant period. It is not necessary to punch holes in the ground to fertilize trees or shrubs. Surface application is satisfactory, but water it in well. Lawns should not be fertilized until late March or early April. The usual rule of thumb is to wait until you have to mow your grass twice before you fertilize it. Remember, a lot of the fertilizer ends up in the leaf growth of your lawn, so don’t collect and bag your grass clippings when you mow, just let them fall back onto your lawn, and you will be recycling your fertilizer as well as adding a little mulch to your yard.

Wait until at least mid-April to plant caladium tubers outdoors. If you just can’t wait, then start them in pots indoors and keep them warm until ready to move outdoors. The soil temperature should be at least 70 degrees for best growth. (Editor)