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The month of March can be a wild ride for Minnesota gardens! Cold, windy days with temperatures in the teens can be followed by sunny, 70 degree weather. We get rain, snow and sleet all in the same week. The lack of snow cover this year could result in the loss of many perennials due to frost heave for those gardeners who did not mulch their plants in the fall.

Frost heave occurs when the sun warms the bare soil during the day and then the temperatures drop below freezing at night. The freeze and thaw cycle can push the plants above the soil surface. In the process some of the roots may be broken and the crown of the plant is exposed to the cold temperatures and drying winds.

Mulching perennials in late fall (when the soil starts to get crunchy) is not so much to protect them from freezing weather as to protect them from heaving in the spring. Mulch works because it keeps the soil temperature more constant. It wouldn’t hurt to check your perennial beds now and cover any plants that are exposed. Protecting them from the windy days still to come might increase their chances of survival. Once the soil can be worked, you should dig up and replant at the proper depth any plants that show signs of heaving.

Removing the mulch too soon in the spring can also result in plants being heaved from the ground. There is no exact date for the removal of protective mulch. You want to take it off some time before the plants begins to show new growth, but not so soon that you expose the plants to temperature extremes. It’s a good idea to gradually pull the mulch away from the base of the plant as the weather warms. That way if we get another cold snap, you can easily cover them back up. After a few seasons you'll develop an instinct as to when the best time it to remove the mulch.

If you are thinking about starting seeds indoors, be sure you are prepared to take care of them as they grow until the weather and the soil warms.

Those cute little seedlings on your window sill will take over all available space in your home as they beg to be transplanted and kept under fluorescent lights! Our last average frost date is around May 10, but that doesn’t mean you can plant everything in the ground then! Many of the vegetables we plant, such as tomatoes and peppers are called “warm-season.” For these plants to grow well, the soil temperature is very important. Ideally, you should wait until it is at least 55 degrees. You can use an inexpensive pocket probe thermometer to check the temperature of the soil at 3-4 inches below the surface. Black plastic can help warm the soil sooner and raised beds will warm up very quickly in the spring. Plants that are put in the ground before the soil warms usually grow very slowly until the ground does warm up. You can move the plants outside to “harden them off” (get them used to being in the elements), but be sure to protect them from getting sunburned or chilled.

Soil should not be prepared for planting when it is too wet. Make a ball of a small amount of soil in your hand. If the ball crumbles and breaks into small clumps, dig in! If it stays molded in a ball the soil is too wet to work.

While you are waiting to work the soil, you could take a sample and have your soil tested before planting. You can pick up a soil sample bag and instructions at your local Extension Office. The results will tell you what formulation of fertilizer to use and also if you need to apply lime.

You can sow early "cool-season" crops such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, peas, radishes and onions immediately after preparing your garden plot, but seeds of “warm season” plants like cucumbers, melons and pumpkins will often rot if planted in cool, wet soil.

The same holds true for flower seeds. If the packet says sow in early spring, you can plant them in late spring. If it says wait until danger of frost is past, treat them like your “warm season” veggies.

Some greenhouses have already opened because Easter is early this year. Be sure when you buy a plant that you know how long it will be before you can safely leave it outside. A plant that needs to be kept inside for several weeks may not look as nice as it did when you purchased it if it does not get enough light in your home.

Want some more garden tips? Chisago County Master Gardener, Donna Tatting will be teaching a class through Chisago Lake Community Education Thursday, April 7, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This informative class will give you tips for indoor and outdoor gardening that are based on recommendations given in the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Gardening Calendar and the book, Gardening Month by Month in Minnesota. January through December is covered, and both yard and garden tips (veggies, perennials, trees, shrubs, soil, etc.) will be given. Bring your questions and your own tips to share, as we get ready to fill our year with gardening. You can register by calling Community Ed at 651-213-8600. Registration Deadline is March 31.

The Chisago County Master Gardeners are offering a new program this year; "Summer 2005 Flower Gardening Series." Classes will be held on the second and fourth Thursdays in June, July and August, from 6:30-8 p.m., at the Fairview Lakes Regional Health Care Center, in Wyoming. The cost is $4 per session or $15 for all six.

Schedule:

June 9––Perennials, A Garden's Backbone

June 23––Shrub Roses, Flowering Shrubs

July 14––Annuals, For Season-Long Bloom

July 28––Ornamental Grasses

Aug. 11––Butterfly Gardening

Aug. 25––Attracting Beneficial Wildlife

You can call the Extension Office, 651-674-4417, to receive a registration form or download it at www.extension.umn.edu/county/chisago.

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