March is here and it ’s time to move our gardening activities outdoors . Testing , preparing , and amend soil , plus planting seeds and transplanting of nerveless - weather veg signalise the kickoff of our vegetable horticulture season . So let ’s get started .
Be on the Lookout for Spotted Lantern Fly
First , an update onSpotted Lantern Fly . This pest was detected in Frederick County in 2018 and is moving slow but inexorably south . It can damage a range of fruits and other crops as well as some ornamentals . It also leaves behind a sticky honeydew that create a breeding ground for fungi on plant , lawn furniture and about anything it put down on . If you see grounds of this pest , please contact your local Cooperative Extension office . The Albemarle / Charlottesville Extension Office can be make at 434 - 872 - 4580 .
Start plant
In a concession to climate variety , the Cooperative Extension has redrawn the Hardiness Zone map for Virginia . Albemarle County has been moved from the Mountain to the Piedmont region in zone 7a , effectivelychanging our expected net Robert Frost day of the month from May 10 - 15 to April 15 - 25 . This 2 - 4 workweek earlier terminal frost can importantly affect when we plant specific vegetables . curb outVCE publication 426 - 331 , Virginia ’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guideto see the new mathematical function and retrospect charts that leave recommended planting dates for specific crops .
Collards , kail , mustard green , and spinach can be plant at the source of March , as can onion sets , pea and Raphanus sativus . Beta vulgaris , chard , kohlrabi , lettuce , potatoes , and turnips can be planted by mid - March . ditto mark for graft of broccoli , cabbage , cauliflower , and Allium porrum . Again , checkVCE pub 426 - 331for full details .
Manage Your Soil for Best GrowingResults
If you have n’t had asoil testfor a while , a new test makes sense . They are a valuable tool for distinguish and forestall problems as well as keeping your soil at optimum fertility and pH levels . They are recommend every three years . A soil sample outfit complete with instructions is usable at our local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office , locate just off fifth Street Extended at 460 Stagecoach Road . price for a basic psychoanalysis of nutrient accessibility , pH , and amendment recommendation is only $ 10 . For extra selective information on land examination , check out VCE publication 452 - 129 : Soil Sampling for the Home Garden .
disregarding of your land precondition , add constitutional subject to your land will ameliorate it and fully - decomposed compost is the best path to add organic affair . It improves soil social structure and weewee infiltration , while absorbing and holding wet longer , a real benefit during our blistering , dry summers . Compost can be purchased , but can also be made at dwelling house using yard and organic kitchen wasteland — plus a little bit of elbow grease to keep slew moist and aerated . statement for making compost at rest home can be found in the January2018 outcome of The Garden Shed . If you start a compost batch now , it should be ready for use for your fall planting later this class .
If you have a heavy clay grime in your garden and you are n’t certain how to comfortably superintend it , take a look at the articleGardening in Clayin the July 2018 issue ofThe Garden Shed . Surprise : the secret is adding decompose organic matter !
check up on Out Occultation for Weed Management
If you are a minimum - trough nurseryman who is struggling with weed and refuses to sour to herbicides for grass controller , you might want to tryoccultation , or covering your bed with a shameful tarp or charge card for a few week . The inglorious cover charge adds some heat to the very top level of stain and traverse ignitor to weeds that want to sprout , killing them . Many organic Fannie Farmer are using this technique with good success to stamp out annual weeds and maintain a low weed count through the growing time of year . mark out this web log post from the Cornell College of Agriculture titledTake Me Out to a Tarped Fieldfor more details .
Fruit turn
If you are a fruit grower , spring fecundation of fruit treesshould occur about 3 - 4 weeks before combat-ready increase get . Scatter fertilizer equally under the tree , go about 2 feet from the luggage compartment and extending just beyond the drip line or death of the farthermost branches . A soil test should be performed prior to applying fertilizer . For additional information on fruit tree , visitVCE issue 426 - 841 , “ Tree Fruit in the Home Garden . ”
The optimum time to trim fruit tree diagram is just before they bloom . Pruning allows the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to direct nutrient to branches that will hold high lineament fruit . The objective is to remove idle , diseased , or damaged Sir Henry Wood . Also , remove shoots that are growing directly up or directly down as neither provides for good yield development . Growth crisscrossing the sum of tree diagram should be remove as well . A more open tree allows great scant insight and air circulation , thereby increasing fruit quality and reducing disease and worm imperativeness . For extra pruning information , visitVCE Publication 422 - 025 , “ Physiology of Pruning Fruit Trees . ”
Bramble fruits such as raspberries and blackberries may be planted in mid- to later March . Plant in moist , well - drain soil containing large amount of hommos or organic matter . For grass control , mulch around newly - planted bramble with a hardwood or softwood mulch . For extra information on how to grow bramble yield , visitVCE Publication 426 - 840,“Small Fruit in the Home Garden . ”
I desire you detect this selective information helpful . If you have any requests for peculiar information in this or any other sphere ofThe Garden Shed , please comment below or sate out our reader survey and institutionalize in your ideas . In any pillowcase , let ’s get this company started !
Resources :
“ Spotted Lanternfly , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension Publicationhttp://digitalpubs.ext.vt.edu/vcedigitalpubs/9322249259597133/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=2&folio=1#pg1
“ Vegetable Planting Guide and Recommended Planting Dates , ” Va. Coop . Ext . Publication 426 - 331,http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426 - 331/426 - 331.html
“ Tree Fruit in the Home Garden , ” VA Coop . Ext , Publication 426 - 841,https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu / content / dam / pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426 - 841/426 - 841_pdf.pdf
Lead photo:“Digging in the garden”byBen Kreegeris licence underCC BY - NC - SA 2.0
