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A
GARDENER’S CALENDAR--Think Spring!
Spring arrives at
different times--even in a town the size of Guilford. Areas near the Sound
and north of route 80, lag behind areas near the center of town by a week and up
to two weeks. Therefore you need to plan accordingly and adapt to suit your own
circumstances.
Early Spring (
March-April)
-
Consult your garden journal, plan your garden and buy or order
seeds.
-
Start seedlings indoors (consult the seed packet for suggested
time frame
-
Have soil tested and treat if needed.
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Check indoor plants for pests and diseases and treat as needed.
-
Repot indoor plants for pests and diseases and treat as needed.
-
Cut old stalks from ornamental grasses, close to the ground,
before new shoots emerge.
-
Prune dead branches from outdoor trees and shrubs.
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Prune summer-flowering shrubs (butterfly bush, rose of sharon).
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Gradually remove winter protection from plant beds.
-
Till vegetable garden when soil dries; never
work wet soil; add compost
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Rake and fertilize lawn; apply pre-emergent crabgrass and weed control while forsythia
is in bloom and
before
the flowers drop off; water well.
-
Divide perennials and share.
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Apply fertilizer or compost to shrubs, trees, perrenials.
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Prune roses and fertilize.
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Remove suckers from shrubs and trees as soon as they appear.
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Cut back chrysanthemums and continue at 3 week intervals to promote
bushy plants.
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Plant early vegetable crops as plants or seeds: arugula, peas, spinach,
lettuces, beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley,
asparagus roots, onions, potatoes
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Fertilize and mulch fall planted garlic.
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Weed
Later Spring (April, May, June)
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Support tall perennia
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Trim hedges
-
Remove spent flowers from rhoddies, azaleas, and lilacs; prune if needed
after flowering.
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Check plants for insect damage regularly and treat
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Plant frost sensitive annuals and vegetables: tomatoes, beans, peppers,
okra, cucumbers, eggplant, soybeans, pumpkins
-
Deadhead flowers as needed.
-
Weed plantings and mulch.
Helen Pignone, author of this article, is a
Connecticut Master Gardener, Horticulture Chairman of the Guilford Garden Club,
an avid gardener since the age of 5, and a past feature food columnist for the
Shoreline Times. Gardening questions may be emailed to:
HPignone@aol.com.
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Pasta
with Spring Spinach
An easy and delicious way to enjoy spring spinach
4 T unsalted butter
10 oz. rough chopped fresh spinach
1 pound
short pasta (Gemelli, Pipette, Cavatappi, etc.)
8 oz crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 1/4 heavy cream or Half & Half
Salt & Perpper to taste
Melt
butter in a large pot. Gradually add the cheese and stir until melted
and smooth. Add the cream and cook, stirring until the sauce thickens.
Reduce heat to low. Cook pasta in salted water. Add spinach to sauce,
stirring until the spinach wilts. Add the hot pasta and stir. Serve
immediately. Serves 3-4
Helen Pignone
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