Garden Detective

It's the home stretch! With any luck, the month will go out like a proverbial lamb and we'll come out of hibernation, seedlings in tow.

Ever wonder where the expression "In like a lion, out like a lamb" came from? Check out this cartoon from Jack the Stargazer. (To view, click the photo at right, then click again to enlarge.)

To get ready for the new season, be sure to get your March chores done.

• Got extra seeds? Want to try some new ones? Join the seed exchange. Be sure to include your email address in your listing. I've noticed that some of you have forgotten to do so and therefore cannot be contacted by interested parties. Click here to get started: Long Island Seed Exchange

• Cut back dead foliage from spent perennials.

• If you haven't done so already, start flower and vegetable seeds indoors. Here's how:

  1. If you haven't saved cell packs from last year's plants, you can purchase inexpensive ones at your local nursery. Alternately, you can start your seeds in clean yogurt containers or even in egg cartons. Fill the container with soil-less seed starting mix (never use garden soil, as it's too dense and can contain organisms that could lead to disease) and sow 3 or 4 seeds per cell. Water thoroughly (taking care not to wash away the seeds) and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

  2. Set in a warm, cozy spot, out of direct sunlight. The top of your refrigerator is ideal. Check moisture levels periodically and water as necessary. Keep an eye out for "damping off," an airborne fungal disease that thrives when seed trays are kept in cool, damp, dark locations. You'll recognize it by a characteristic white mold layer on the soil's surface. If this happens, scrape it off and allow 'soil' to dry completely between waterings. Some people swear by their home remedies to prevent the scourge. I haven't tried any of these personally, but that doesn't mean they don't work. Here are some of the most popular:
            Cinnamon powder has fungicidal properties. Sprinkle some on your seed trays.
            Mist seedlings and mediums with cool Chamomile tea.
            Combine 1 minced clove of garlic with 2 cups of water. Cover and allow it to steep for 24 hours. Strain and mist over seedlings.

  3. When seedlings pop up, remove the plastic wrap and place containers in a bright, sunny location or under fluorescent lamps, where they'll be exposed to a good 14 hours of light daily.

  4. After the last frost -- usually around tax day -- "harden off" your plants by placing them outdoors for increasingly longer periods. Pick a shady spot that's protected from the wind and start off with just a half hour the first day. Over the next 10 days or so, work up to about 8 hours of outdoor time per day. Be sure to continue watering throughout the hardening process. Your plants will be ready for transplanting in the garden after hardening as long as nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.

• Planning on adding new trees or shrubs to your landscape? Now's the time. They'll love the forthcoming April showers. Protect existing deciduous trees from insects by treating with horticultural oil after the danger of frost has passed. Don't wait too long, though. This should be done before buds open. Need to rearrange? Move shrubs now, while they're still dormant.

• Apply a complete 5-10-5 fertilizer to spring-flowering bulbs as soon as they poke out of the ground.

• Finally, clean up garden beds near the end of the month. Even though you raked autumn leaves in November, chances are some magically reappeared in your garden over the winter. Don't know why this happens, but it always seems to.