- Make plans to attend the UConn Garden Conference on March 18, 2016.
- Carefully remove winter mulches and leftover debris from planting beds to reduce the presence of overwintering diseases and pests.
- Get your soil tested through the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory before any major planting or fertilizing venture. Soils sent in before April 1 will avoid the spring rush.
- Add limestone as recommended and, if possible, incorporate into planting beds but don’t fertilize yet. Wait until mid-April.
- As ground becomes workable, de-thatch the lawn if you find an inch or more of thatch; seed any bare spots. Get the lawn mower serviced, have the blades sharpened.
- Seeds of annual flowers and vegetables that require 10-12 weeks of growth before transplanting can be sown indoors now.
- Plant seeds of cold weather vegetables like spinach, peas, lettuce and broccoli as soon as soil is workable.
- Before new shoots emerge, cut back last year’s stalks on perennials and grasses.
- Horticultural oil treatments for maple bladder gall mite, spider mites on evergreens and scale on shrubs and trees can be applied; check labels for specifics on appropriate weather conditions.
- Eliminate any hard to mow areas such as acute angles in beds and borders. Combine single trees or shrubs into a large planting connected with ground cover. Put the birdbath in a flowerbed or surround it with ground cover.
For more information visit the UConn Home and Garden Education Center or call 866-486-6271.