March: Time to start planning and planting

March is a busy month in gardens. Accomplish what you can, because next month will be even busier.

The first step in gardening is planning. Growers of vegetables and annual flowers need to be aware of the average date of the last frost in spring. It is April 7 in Lynchburg, and frost-sensitive plants like tomatoes are not totally safe outdoors until May.

While the frost date makes no difference for gardeners planting perennial flowers, shrubbery and trees, you do need to know that Lynchburg is situated in U.S. Dept. of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 7A. This is crucial information, if you are selecting plants you expect to be cold-hardy into the future.

The season’s first plantings include roses, fruits and ornamentals sold in “bare-root” condition. Their roots could be bundled in peat moss or shredded newspaper, or simply stuck in a plastic bag. Early planting is essential because bare-root plants grow best if they have some time to start developing a root system before warm weather causes their buds to open and their leaves to grow.

March is also a major planting time for potted shrubbery and trees of all kinds. Cold hardy flowers for spring planting have begun to show up at retail outlets, and they include pansy, viola, snapdragon and dianthus. A less expensive option is sowing the seeds of cold-hardy flowers, such as larkspur, bachelor’s button and calendula.

Weeds sprouted in lawns during fall and winter, weeds like henbit and chickweed. You could dig and pull them out of your lawn or spray with weed killer. Many products are available for this kind of treatment, but those containing carfentrazone are particularly effective in cool weather; Their names are Speed Zone and Weed Free Zone.

Tomato seeds are planted indoors in March, along with pepper, eggplant and other crops. You can continue planting more tomato seeds until the first part of June, knowing the plants will have enough time to produce ripe tomatoes before cold weather sets in again.

Pruning is done in March for shrubbery and trees (fruit, evergreen, shade and ornamental). One exception to this rule of thumb is spring-flowering shrubs. The preferred routine is to give your azaleas and similar plants a chance to bloom before you cut them.

Roses are pruned in March to get rid of dead and diseased branches, and to stimulate vigorous growth. Most roses are hybrid tea, floribunda or grandiflora types, and they perform well if cut down to a height of 18 to 24 inches. Start feeding them this month or next.

Definitely plant vegetables in March. This month is the time to begin planting cool-season crops, such as onion, garlic, shallot, asparagus, rhubarb, radish, horseradish, kohlrabi, beet, turnip, kale, collard, mustard, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, potato and peas (English, snow and snap).

So noted
Seats are still available for the Green Conference on March 14 at CVCC. The conference — which covers flowers, lawns and trees, and features two Virginia Tech professors — is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Merritt Hall. To register, please send your name, address and a $20 check payable to VCE-Lynchburg to Green Conference c/o Lynchburg Extension Office, 301 Grove St., Lynchburg, VA 24501.