March Gardening Tips

It may technically be winter, but it didn't feel that way Saturday. It was gardening weather, and here are some quick tips to help you get a headstart on your spring garden.

Prepare Soil for This Year's Garden: cultivate your vegetable and flower garden soil down about one foot. Add a generous amount of organic soil planting amendments. Amendments are available for clay and sandy soils and specifically for gardens and lawns.

Plant vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed: Plant warm-season vegetable seeds including tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, onion, potatoes, spinach, turnips and corn. It's also the time to plant herb seeds such as basil, mint, oregano, parsley and rosemary. Plant marigolds, petunias, alyssum, lobelia, dianthus, flox, verbenia and impatiens from seed in March.

Don't forget California wildflower seeds such as poppies and lupine.

Fertilize: Most plants grow the best in spring so feeding them now will yield long-term results. Use a universal soil blend to replace soil washed away by winter rain. Feed avocado, citrus trees, fruit trees and roses with a well-balanced fertilizer. For fruit trees and roses, wait until the first sign of new leaves before fertilizing.

Plant Blooming Flowers for an Immediate Flower Garden: Blooming flowers are available at nurseries this month. Purchasing plants in bloom provides instant color to gardens. Favorites include azaleas, camellias and Indian Hawthorne.
Perennials: Perennials such agapanthus, asters, bellflowers, callas, cymbidiums, daylilies, Shasta daisies and yarrow tend to crowd each other, making new growth difficult and blooms sparse. Cull excess plants by digging up their rootballs. To replant elsewhere, wash or gently shake off excess soil, then make smaller rootballs with a sharp knife. Each new rootball should have plenty of roots and a few leaves. Replant immediately.

Citrus, Avocado and Subtropical Trees: Plant citrus, avocado, and other subtropical trees now so they have maximum time for roots to establish before the cool winter temperatures arrive in fall.

This handy set of gardening tips is from Agromin, a Southern California manufacturer of earth-friendly soil products made from organic material collected locally.