Gardening Calendar

Vegetables

• Season extending devices such as cold frames, hot beds, cloches and floating row covers will allow for an early start to the growing season.
• Start onion seed indoors now.
• Weeks 2-4: Sow celery and celeriac seeds indoors now.
• Weeks 3-4: Sow seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage indoors now for transplanting into the garden later this spring.
• Week 4: Established fruit trees can be fertilized once frost leaves the ground. Use about one-half pound of 12-12-12 per tree, per year of age up to a maximum of 10 pounds fertilizer per tree. Broadcast fertilizers over the root zone staying at least one foot from the tree trunk.

• Inspect fruit trees for tent caterpillar egg masses. Eggs appear as dark brown or grey collars that encircle small twigs. Destroy by pruning or scratching off with your thumbnail.
• Weeks 1-2: Collect scion wood now for grafting of fruit trees later in spring. Wrap bundled scions with plastic and store them in the refrigerator.
• Weeks 3-4: Begin pruning fruit trees. Start with apples and pears first. Peaches and nectarines should be pruned just before they bloom.

• Water evergreens if the soil is dry and unfrozen.
• Enjoy the fragrant blooms of the Ozark witch hazel flowering in shrub borders or wooded areas on warm sunny days.
• Take geranium cuttings now. Keep the foliage dry to avoid leaf and stem diseases.

• To avoid injury to lawns, keep foot traffic to a minimum when soils are wet or frozen.
• Weeks 1-2: Now is a good time to learn to identify trees by their winter twigs and buds.
• Weeks 2-4: Begin to fertilize house plants as they show signs of new growth. Plants that are still resting should receive no fertilizers yet.