MARCH

A WET MARCH MAKES A SAD HARVEST
More weather folklore

• March is often thought of as the beginning of the gardening year in northern temperate regions. So now is the time to begin anew and set out on a year of growing something different or developing a new area of the garden. If you haven't grown vegetables before try planting a few in the herbaceous border to learn how they grow and sample the flavour.

• This is the best time to add farmyard manure or compost to the garden as the nutrients will be present for the new growth. If added in the autumn a lot of the "goodness" is leached away over the winter, particularly the nitrogen.

• It's still not too late to finish tidying the herbaceous borders. Clear away all the dead stems from last year before the new growth develops so you don't damage the new shoots. Most of it can be pulled away - this usually leaves the neatest result - test a few stems first as you can break off some new shoots with some plants, eg. Sedum telephium, but if they do come away, plant them again and they should root. Check around and in the plant for weed seedlings, wind-borne seeds are caught by the plant stems as they float past and fall to the ground - Dandelions are good at this and are difficult to remove if they get going in the centre of an ornamental grass. Watch out for sleeping Ladybirds which take refuge in the debris over the winter, but there may also be some of the dreaded Red Lily Beetles as well and they can be destroyed.

• Don't be mean with your favourite plants, share them around. There is method in this madness, if you lose the plant to the weather, pests or disease you can get it back again. I have just lost one of my candelabra primulas to vine weevil grubs over the winter, even the many seedlings which were around. Fortunately I have shared it around so I will be able to ask for some in return.

• This is your last chance to propogate from hardwood cuttings. When pruning deciduous shrubs insert some of last year's shoots in shady spots around the borders. By next year some of them will have rooted well enough to be replanted or potted up. Some grow easier than others, eg. willow or dogwood; and some will not work at all, but it's worth having a go. Any remaining prunings can be used as supports in the herbaceous borders or as 'pea sticks' - let them dry out for a few weeks or they too might take root.

• Weeding is one of the important tasks to tackle. They will be germinating by now and some will have emerged in milder periods over the winter. Remove them now before they have a chance to flower and produce seed. Also the frost will have loosened the ground and uprooting them is easier, especially Liverwort and Moss. The hoe is not very useful at this time of year as the soil surface rarely dries enough and the dusturbed weeds can easily re-establish.
  Of course not all of the seedlings appearing in the next few months will be weeds, if you left the seedheads on fading plants last year, some will be new plants. If you don't recognise them, leave them to develop mature leaves before uprooting, they will increase your stock or might even be a new variety! Under bushes where birds perch you will probably inherit seeds from surrounding gardens as well, usually Cotoneaster and brambles.

• Do the final pruning of bush roses this month by cutting back to an outward-facing bud fairly close to the ground. On trained roses cut out any dead material and remove any leaves which are showing disease. Remove any weak growth, or that was the perceived knowledge. Recent studies have found that although these weaker looking shoots may not produce flowers their leaves may be providing food for the plant. Using a hedgetrimmer in the autumn may be all the pruning that is required as roses pruned in this way have gone on to flower more abundantly than more traditionally pruned bushes.

• Continue sowing seeds for the vegetable plot. Getting an early start by raising them under cover such as on a bright windowsill will give earlier and better harvests later.

• Prevent damage by Slugs and Snails to emerging shoots of hostas and other vulnerable plants. If you are averse to slug pellets, set beer traps - bury a lidded plastic container with a hole in its side so that the hole is about an inch above the soil (so that Ground Beetles - the good guys - won't fall in) and fill it with beer or sugary water. Or if not squeamish, go slug hunting at dusk (or later with a torch - that'll amuse the neighbours). Collect them in a jar and bin them or transport to distant parts - and don't throw them into your neighbour's garden! Put a mulch of grit, coarse sand or seived cinders that have been weathered (to leach out toxins) around the plants, the slugs don't like the rough surface. Check around the necks of plants and the inner edges of containers where overwintering eggs will be hiding - also under seed trays and any module trays to prevent loosing emerging seedlings.
  If you can catch them this early in the season it will greatly reduce the problem for the rest of the year.

• Keep your garden a safe place to relax and have fun, make sure there are no hazardous places or equipment around. Every year 125,000 children need hospital treatment for garden injuries. Spend a little time looking around to spot any danger and put it right, eg. in the shed, sharp edges, broken tools. When you install a 'new feature', try to spot potential dangers, eg. water and toddlers, weak structures and climbing, wobbly containers, poisonous plants. Think also of older people who may not be so steady on their feet, so ensure paving is firm, even and slip-resistant, clear fallen leaves and algae which become very slippery when wet.

• Grow your own should be the motto of the month, so now is the time to get sowing and planting for the coming seasons. See the vegetable growing schedule for some ideas.