{"id":32350,"date":"2015-03-07T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=32350"},"modified":"2016-03-28T19:57:06","modified_gmt":"2016-03-29T01:57:06","slug":"what-march-means-in-the-southwest-idaho-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/what-march-means-in-the-southwest-idaho-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"What March Means in the Southwest Idaho Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being high desert here<\/strong> in southwest Idaho means that we don\u2019t often have to wait for a lot of snow to melt or deal with unmanageable amounts of spring rain. There are some advantages to the lower amount of precipitation, and one of them is that we can usually get out in the garden more in March, as the weather is barely warming up. Not only can it be refreshing to the soul and lungs, but it is the optimal time for quite a few garden activities.<\/p>\n

Things you can do in March:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Yeah,<\/a>
Yeah, most of the green in this photo is undesirable grass, that I have been killing and pulling for a few years since it snuck into my yard. There are also some strawberry plants if you look hard, but the grape vines are still nearly invisible in their dormant state.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– \u00a0Put up new trellises. I know I want to extend my arched grape trellis<\/a><\/span> to include a couple more plants, something I have been meaning to get done for two years now\u2026 It may also be time to check for damage to existing trellises, or see how well the plants on them are connected. Strong spring storms can be hard on tender new growth.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Late winter pruning of fruit trees and some shrubs. By now there is little chance of a drop in temperatures that will damage newly cut branches, and pruning soon will mean it gets done before the tree puts much energy into those branches you might be trimming away.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Spraying fruit trees. I was recently reminded that it is time for the dormant oil.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Debris clean up. Even if you got to ALL of your fall clean up, winter has a way of blowing things around, including trash from parts unknown. Might as well check and see if you need a follow-up clean-up. Don\u2019t forget to also clean out any decorative pots or planters. (Click here to read some ideas for faster, more efficient clean up.)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

– \u00a0Dig out any remaining root crops. We ate freshly dug carrots and potatoes just last week, but pretty soon, they will start to grow again, making them mushy and inedible<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Weeding. Always weeding, whenever the ground is workable enough. And actually, this time of year, with the ground almost always slightly damp, is a good time, because you won\u2019t overheat and the weeds are relatively small. Smaller than they will be if you let them keep growing, for sure.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Planting early season cold weather crops. Peas and lettuce, in particular.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Chicken tunnels. If I am mentioning this a lot lately, it is because I am so excited to finally have gotten started on my chicken tunnel system<\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n

– \u00a0Set mouse traps. Spring means babies. Don\u2019t let them get a head start.<\/p>\n

\"Overwintered<\/a>
Overwintered plants are set out for hardening off a couple hours on the patio. The tomato is looking a bit scrawny; didn’t give but one small one all winter, but the geraniums are blooming like crazy since December in the greenhouse!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– \u00a0Work on hardscaping that will both beautify and have practical advantages. I am so grateful for the paver pathways between my raised beds and around behind my barn. They have made a world of difference in what I need to mow and edge in difficult areas. The grandkids sandbox is another project that comes to mind. (I have started a pinterest board for ideas)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

– \u00a0Plant, or rather seed, lawn in bare patches that just need a covering for now. I have been guilty of preparing more garden beds than I can manage, but there is also the changes that come with time and family.\u00a0 Sometimes it is just best to redo an open area with lawn, which takes about 5 minutes to mow then, instead of 6 hours to weed every week. (Not that it was getting weeded.) And remember, much maligned grass is a plant, too. Don\u2019t be ashamed for growing green grass! (It doesn’t have to be that labor intensive, either, as you can see if you click here to read how I have done it recently.)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

– \u00a0Begin to harden off any plants that have been overwintering in the house or greenhouse. I have already done this a couple of days with my greenhouse tomato, geraniums, mimosa trees, and begonias. The overcast days are best for this, but I try to stick to afternoons that reach 50\u00b0F. Also, I have a spot where it gets afternoon shade, so if I don\u2019t get to bringing them in promptly, they aren\u2019t as likely to get leaf burn from too much time in the sun, clouds or not.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Divide and thin certain perennials. For me, that definitely means some of my irises.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This is a soft peach colored iris, but I must be ruthless with dividing and thinning it now, or it will be much more work later.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

– \u00a0Evaluate garden tools. Don\u2019t keep things around that are broken and cluttering things up, at least not in a way that inhibits your workflow. Know where your good tools are. I\u2019m talking to myself.<\/p>\n

There are some things you may want to resist:<\/span><\/p>\n

– \u00a0Planting things outside that will likely be damaged or killed by low temperatures. The weather will be variable during spring, sometimes luring the impatient or unsuspecting gardener into believing summer is here. It isn\u2019t. The average date of last frost is about May 15. The plants probably won\u2019t thrive in the generally cold weather anyway, and if you want them to live at all, you would need to cover them regularly at night. Stick to planting for the greenhouse right now.<\/p>\n

– \u00a0Working too hard or long in the garden. Even if you exercise regularly, chances are you will be using different muscles and in a more repetitious way for the garden. Get an idea of your current strength and let it build up gradually.<\/p>\n

There are indoor things<\/strong> to do regarding the garden, such as the above mentioned starting of seeds to care for in the greenhouse or ordering spring planted bulbs. Some of these bulbs can be pre-planted in pots to get a head start, as I have done with dahlias for several years. (click here to read more about this)<\/a><\/span>. This means both earlier blooms and less chance of losing them in the garden when all there is to be seen is dirt. You could also sketch out your planting diagram, even if it is close to how you did it last year, because nothing is ever exactly the same. But we all know that being outdoors is the best.<\/p>\n

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Being high desert here in southwest Idaho means that we don\u2019t often have to wait for a lot of snow to melt or deal with unmanageable amounts of spring rain. There are some advantages to the lower amount of precipitation, and one of them is that we can usually get out in the garden more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,104],"tags":[49],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}