Chores — Blog — Hortus

March is just around the corner and our weatherman is predicting mild and pleasant weather. Could 2012 be the Midwest’s year without a winter? Does that mean that March will go out like a lion? I certainly hope not. And that’s all we can really do– hope. No matter what, there are many things we can and should do throughout March in preparation of spring’s official arrival. Below is a list to help you get growing this season.

Spring Garden Chores and Reminders

Plan your vegetable garden before you plant. Ask yourself the following: How much space do you have? How much light does your plot get? Most vegetables require six hours of light each day. How much time can you dedicate to tending? What do you like to eat?

Start seeds indoors so they are ready to transplant when the soil temperature warms.

Mid-March is a good time to plant cool season crops such as cabbage, kale, chards, cauliflower and broccoli. A cool-season crop is defined as a vegetable that grows best with temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F. Cool-season crops can tolerate light to moderate frosts, but are intolerant of high summer temperatures.

If this is your first vegetable garden, have your soil tested before you plant. Your local Cooperative Extension Office can help with this.

Prepare garden beds by adding more organic material to your soil and work it in about 6 inches deep. This is a good yearly habit to get into.

Now is a great time to get your mower in for a tune-up or take blades in for sharpening. Do it before everybody else does to avoid long waiting periods for service.

Pick a day to bring out any patio furniture and clean, repair, or touch up as needed.

Clean, sharpen, and oil garden tools. Organize your garden shed/work area.

While the garden is still dormant, take an objective look at “the bones” of your landscape and select areas that need improvement. Trees, evergreens, grasses and berry-covered shrubs will create structure and visual interest year round.

Order mulch for beds and borders.

On a sunny day, rake and pick-up fallen branches, twigs, leaves and any other debris from the winter months. Cut back ornamental grasses.

For a burst of color, fill a few containers with pansies as soon they become available. Pansies can tolerate frost and freezing temperatures. Resist the urge to purchase warm season annuals until the danger of frost has past.

Keep filling bird feeders this time of year as food is scarce in colder regions.

Fall has arrived. Reluctantly, I begin to deconstruct all the containers which have been so prolific this year. But before I can begin planning next year’s compositions, I must property clean and store my terra cotta pots for a long winter’s nap. Here’s how I do it.

The first step is to remove all the plant material from the containers. This is always the saddest part because many of the annuals are in such good condition still.

I’m transferring all the soil to the garden cart so it can be hauled away in bulk. Notice the shard that was in the bottom of the pot for drainage. I’m going to save any good shards and use them again next year.

Extra large containers are too heavy for one person to be moving around. For these, I use a shovel to transfer the soil into a bucket. The bucket is much more manageable as there are several stairs down to the garden cart.

Above: My trusty pot brush. I love all the beautiful foliage in the back yard.

Now for the not-so-fun part… washing the pots. This task always leaves me with wet sleeves and pants. Not fun on a cold day! My tips for cleaning are:

Watch your weather forecast and plan this activity on a warm sunny day.
Prepare a mild water/bleach bath for dipping the washed pots. I use a 1:10 ratio of bleach to water in a galvanized tub.
Have your garden hose with sprayer nozzle at hand.
Use a sturdy brush to scrub the pots inside and out. Any stiff brush will do. You could even used a dish scrubber or fine steel wool.
Locate an area for the pots to dry before moving to dry storage.

After a good scrubbing and rinse, I dip in a mild bleach and water solution. This kills off any bacteria, viruses and fungi. They should soak in the solution for about 30 minutes. Bleach can weaken materials over time, so make sure you are working with a very dilute solution.

Some of the pots have developed a white crust on the outside. This can be caused by salts in fertilizers passing through the porous pot’s walls. To clean off, try a baking soda paste. Personally, I love the crusty character and aged look.

Almost done. After the pots are completely dry, I place everything on shelves in the garage over winter. I store the pots upside down and out of the way of heavy traffic to avoid any breakage. It’s best to avoid stacking because the pots can get stuck and break when you try to separate them. However, if you must stack, make sure they are loose. You might even wrap them with bubble wrap or unprinted newsprint to avoid breaking and sticking. Because of the unpredictable winters in Zone 5, I never store outside. If you can’t winterize indoors, I suppose it would be best to keep them massed together, upside down (so they can’t hold water), off the ground, and insulated. Southern exposure would be ideal.

Well, back to work! There’s more clean up to do before I can begin dreaming up container recipes for next year.

What do your end of season chores consist of?