Kissed with little bit of rain and sunshine, the garden begins to awaken from the drab of winter. Spring is one of my most favorite times in the garden. These are a few things to take care of in March...
1. "STOP and SMELL the roses"
If you ever get to meet Marie, there is one thing that she has taught me. Every week when she arrives to help us with farm tasks, one of the beautiful habits she has is to take a walk around the property. She takes the time to observe the changes and enjoy the fruits of our previous weeks of labor.
It is easy to get swept away with "being busy." There will forever be"stuff"to take care of. I constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy the journey of building, growing, and sharing our farm. (The kids are growing faster than the flowers!)
2. Harden off and transplant remaining Spring seedlings
How do we harden off seedlings?
We set our seedlings out for 2-3 days on the side of the house that is completely shaded. We then move the seedlings into a shaded tent which allows seedlings to get a taste of the sun without getting sunburned! After a week or so, the seedlings are ready to be out in full sun.
How do we transplant our seedlings?
We start by giving the soil that we are transplanting into a good deep drench before we transplant. We often add a small amount of worm castings in the hole as well!
3. Harvest blooms in the early morning
Blooms will perform best when harvested in the early cool hours of the day and given a few hours to rest in the dark before handling. We like to use a product called Oasis Floralife Express Clear 200. We add it to our water as it helps keep the water clean, keeps the stems of flowers open and drinking, and also feeds our blooms a slow drip of nutrients while in storage.
4. Start sowing summer annuals
Our favorite summer annual focals and filler include:
• Dawn Creek and Floret Originals Zinnias
• Benary and Queen Series Zinnias
• Feather Celosia
• White/Blush Cupcake, Sweet 16, and Apricot Cosmos
5. Check on any dahlias that are in storage
• Continue to check for rot or mold
• Cuttings or pulls can be take from dahlias that have woken up early
• Any leggy sprouts greater than 3" can be rooted as a seedling
Dahlias can be planted if your average daily temperatures are over 60F and there is little to no rain in the forecast. We like to start our dahlias in pots!
6. Keep up with the weeding!
Don't allow weeds to outcompete your seedlings. Work systematically through your garden, taking one section at a time.
Resources for recommended products:
Quictent Shade tent: https://amzn.to/3vc1uzL
4" Plant labels (indoor use): https://amzn.to/3T6YQ6y
4.7" Plant (outdoor use): https://amzn.to/434sC0l
Black China Marker "pencils": https://amzn.to/435cn33
White China Marker "pencils": https://amzn.to/3Tu5qW9