The early blooming wild flowers in the West soon will be dotting the countryside with color – dogtooth violets, pasque flowers, frittilaries and trilliums, to mention only a few others will be blooming shyly in the woodland.
Spring in the air stirs the gardener into activity. There are many chores to do. Dead perennial stalks must be gathered, mulches removed, and the soil prepared for another season’s growth of plants.
In areas where late spring frosts always threaten, it is wise not to remove the mulch from perennial plantings too early. One of the functions of a good mulch cover is to hold back perennial plants so they do not start too early in the spring. Strawberries are in this category causing them to start early induces them to flower too early, and consequently the flowers or developing fruits may succumb to a late frost. Removal of protective soil coverings around rose bushes and raspberry plantings needs to be a gradual process, too.
The soil for the garden area can be plowed or prepared as soon as it can be worked in the spring. If it is a heavy soil, it might have been worked up last fall and left to the mellowing action of winter frosts. All that needs doing now, then, is harrowing and raking so that a smooth, level, desirable—textured seed bed is developed. If the soil is of a light nature, it might have been left until spring to be prepared. A generous top-dressing with manure or other organic matter will aid in conditioning the soil. This can be applied immediately before plowing.
It pays to start the cool-season vegetables as early as possible in the spring. Radishes, lettuce, peas, early cabbage, spinach, kale, onions and many others can be started as soon as the ground is ready. Radishes, onions and some of the cabbage family crop suffer from the attacks of maggots. Dusting the rows lightly with Sevin dust as the seed is sown serves to discourage this pest. Cutworms are always troublesome in the garden early in the season. The dusting of the soil lightly with Sevin is a common remedy.
Heeling In
Spring is planting time for many perennial flowers, and shrubs. If nursery plants can’t be planted right away, find some corner in the garden where they can be “heeled in.” For trees and shrubs, dig a slanting trench, open the nursery bundles and spread the trees and shrubs along the trench giving them plenty of room. Cover the roots with moist soil. Tramp the soil well around the roots to make sure the plants do not dry out. Follow the same procedure for herbaceous perennials. Since there will not be much top growth showing on these, make sure they are well enough marked so you can find them when you are ready to transplant.
Balled and burlapped evergreens can be heeled in also. If the soil ball is rather dry, soak it well with water, heel in the evergreens in an upright position. Do not remove the burlap from the soil ball.
Do not leave any plants too long in the heeling-in plot. Try to transplant trees and shrubs before new leaves show much development, and transplant herbaceous perennials before they show much top growth.
Using garden pruners, reduce top growth of woody plants to compensate for loss of roots which always occurs to some extent when a plant is transplanted. Some root pruning may be necessary if broken or long dangling roots are present. Make sure when planting that the hole is big enough to accommodate roots without crowding. Always use good topsoil around the newly set plant. Tamp the soil in well around it. Make sure no air pockets are left at the bottom. Water the plant thoroughly as soon as it is transplanted. Leave a little depression around each plant to help hold the water better.
A Nitrogen Famine
Often in the spring, nitrogen is at a low level. This is especially true if the spring is cool and late. Nitrogen is very soluble, and much of it is leached down to a lower level by winter moisture. Activity of soil microorganisms in the spring is just beginning. Many of these organisms use nitrogen in their metabolism, causing a temporary ebb in the supply of free nitrogen. As the season progresses, organic matter is broken down and more soluble nitrogen becomes available for plant nutrition.
The appearance of yellowish plants at this time of year may indicate need for nitrogen fertilizer. If side-dressings are applied, they should be put on sparingly, and the fertilizer should not touch the plants. There are many sources of nitrogen; in organic form, the manures, blood meal, and organic chemical forms such as urea; in chemical form, many kinds of nitrogen are available including ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium nitrate. Nitrogen is also found in combination with phosphates such as the ammonium phosphates, and is an important ingredient of all complete fertilizers.
Perhaps you have been disappointed to find that the stalwart apple tree growing in your garden is not the McIntosh apple you thought you planted, but some crabapple-bearing, miserable, tiny fruit no larger than the end of your little finger. Don’t give up in despair, such a tree can be topworked with large fruited, named varieties.
In fact, several different varieties of apples can be grafted on the one tree. The job is done in the spring – April is an ideal time – before the leaf buds break out. Read a good manual on grafting to learn how to do it, or ask an experienced orchardist or nurseryman in your area to show you how. These grafts can be covered with polyethylene film immediately after being prepared, and this usually ensures a high degree of success.
Let Bulbs Ripen
Don’t cut away foliage from bulb plants after they have bloomed unless you intend digging them up and destroying them. This foliage is necessary to manufacture food for the bulbs, so they can store up energy to produce a strong flower and plant for next year. Allow foliage to grow as long as possible and die down naturally. This applies to all bulbous plants including hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils. Bulb beds may be overplanted with an annual bedding plant such as petunias, to hide the unsightly foliage.
It is never too early to wage war on weeds. Fortunately, we have a large battery of weapons at our disposal. Use them with care in spraying, their drift can damage many valuable plants. Choose a calm day for spraying. Make sure no valuable plants are in the immediate vicinity. Sprayers used for these substances become contaminated and cannot be used for subsequent garden spraying unless very thoroughly cleaned. For garden use, it’s best to keep a second sprayer on hand.
Where permanent removal of weeds is wanted such as along graveled driveways and walks, a permanent type weed killer may be used like Round-Up.
