Early March
It's time to. . .
- Spade or rototill one or two inches of compost or aged manure into vegetable garden soil as soon as the ground can be worked, that is, when it's not frozen or too wet. Remove weed roots as you work.
- Plant fall-bearing raspberry varieties, such as Heritage, Fall Red, Fall Gold, September, Pathfinder, or Trailblazer. These are recommended for the Front Range because spring-bearing varieties sometimes don't survive the winter.
- Plant small bare-root trees and shrubs as soon as the ground can be worked.
- Prune, if necessary, most trees, shrubs, and other woody-stemmed plants before the leaf buds show. Exceptions are maples and birches and spring-flowering shrubs such as lilac, mock orange, and forsythia. Prune spring-bloomers right after flowering. CSU Fact sheets 7.205, 7.206, 7.207
- Start seeds of cold-tolerant annuals, like stock and godetia, and slow-growing ones like ageratum, lobelia, and impatiens indoors.
- Leave mulch on perennial beds. Gradually pull back mulch from bulbs as they emerge, but leave snow on spring-flowering bulbs; it protects them from the cold. If stems bend or break, cut the flowers and enjoy them inside.
Mid-March
It's time to . . .
- Plant peas and sweet peas outdoors. Soak overnight first to aid germination, then plant and cover with two inches of soil.
-
Start pepper and eggplants indoors. Speed up pepper germination by using bottom heat
to warm the seed-starting mix to 80-85 degrees.
- Start seeds of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, and lettuce indoors for transplanting to garden in early May.
- Prune junipers, if necessary.CSU Fact sheet 7.205
- Start seeds of annual salvia, nicotiana, and other annuals that need eight weeks indoors to reach transplant size.
- Begin pulling back mulch and removing leaves to clean up perennial beds. Add one or two inches of compost, if possible.
Late March
It's time to . .
- Begin taking pictures of your garden at least once a month to help you plan for next year.
- Plant a hardy, ever-bearing strawberry variety, such as Ft. Laramie, Quinalt , Ogalalla, or Superfection. These or day-neutral varieties, such as Tristar, will do better than June-bearing varieties.
- Hand rake lawn lightly to encourage air movement to roots.
- Prepare new perennial beds by digging about one foot deep and mixing in three or four inches of compost. Then let the beds rest at least a week before planting.
- Cut back ornamental grasses and perennial plants which were not cut back in the fall. Leave about three-inch stubs above the soil.
For more information:
Home Grown Transplants Require TLC
Perennials Can Be Started Indoors to Save Money
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