March in the Garden
2010
We are ahead of the season for our rainfall. And in many
locations we are ahead of the average for the whole season, likely with
more rain yet on the horizon. This
would redefine a drought as issue of politics instead of meteorology.
More people want to use the limited water supply than there is water to
fulfill that want. We are above average for the last two years, and
above average for 6 of the last 10. Since we use more than half of
our water on our landscapes we should be able to find quite a lot of
savings there. A solution, plant a drought
tolerant garden with plants
that are appropriate to our climate. Reduce or eliminate areas of lawn
or if you must have some of that green stuff use a drought tolerant grass
substitute.
Our last nominal frost date is March 15th. While we are not
secure in being frost free it seems like it is usually a pretty good date.
The latest that we have seen frost in our inland valley location is the
first week in April.
I have started planting in gardens near the coast. Our recent
warm weather has the soil in frost free locations warming quite nicely.
There is still time to move some things about. Transplanting may be best
done in the Fall but not all things can be accomplished during their best
time and you can usually still get away with it now.. Chances are reasonable for perennials that have just started
pushing new growth.
As always it is a great time to put down some more mulch. The new
weed seedlings will be buried and many will not have the energy to stretch
to the surface.
The aphids are here sucking at the fresh growth. The beneficial
insects won't be far behind. Fungus diseases don't seem too bad so far
this year, probably because it has been sunny or raining and not so much
of that dreary fog. Those warm sunny days do a lot to keep that problem at
bay.
In the vegetable patch it is time to start snow peas, beets, chard, broccoli,
lettuce, spinach and onions. My tangerines are great this year, and
the strawberries are just coming on. Rhubarb stalks are beckoning
me, starting to crave that rhubarb strawberry pie.
