Gardening Guides
Texas Gardener's March Checklist
So long, freezing temperatures. It's time to kick off spring planting, lavish attention on lawns and sprinkle seeds to your heart's content
OK, Texas gardeners, we're back in business this month. March signifies the end of freezing temperatures and the beginning of our spring planting frenzy, so there's much to keep us busy. Stay focused with this month's checklist — but remember to always check with your local garden experts for your area's last average freeze date before planting tender annuals or vegetables.
More regional garden guides
More regional garden guides
Plant vegetables and herbs. Get your veggies and herbs in the ground for months of harvest. Chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkins, summer squash, tomatoes, tomatillos and endive will transplant well this month — look for healthy (free of pests and diseases) 4-inch pots at your local nursery. Herbs like artemesia, chives, lemongrass, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sorrel, thyme and santolina can also be planted. Remember that mint tends to aggressively take over a garden, so consider planting it while it's still in its plastic nursery pot to keep its roots from spreading too much.
Plant annuals and perennials. Now's the time to get your colorful flowering plants into the ground or in your containers and pots. Annuals like coleus, cosmos, pentas, torenia, zinnia, cleome and gomphrena can be planted, but be sure you know if your small transplants like sun or shade best before digging in. Perennials like salvia (Salvia spp), Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida), esperanza (Tecoma stans), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), pink skullcap (Scutellaria suffrutescens) and black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) are great choices for our Texas heat.
Plant bulbs, trees and shrubs. There is still time to plant trees and shrubs as long as the weather is not too warm, so aim for earlier in the month if this is on your to-do list. These larger landscape plants can, theoretically, be planted during warmer months, but you will have to tend to them much more closely as they acclimate. Bulbs like elephant's ear, cannas, caladiums, daylilies and irises can be planted now for lush summer foliage.
Fertilize your lawn. Texas lawns generally need to be fertilized twice a year (spring and fall). Look for a lawn fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or a 4-1-2 ratio. The numbers represent the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in that particular fertilizer; Texas lawns typically don't need a high middle number (phosphorus). Follow directions on the bag to avoid overfertilizing, which can actually harm your lawn. Water in well after fertilizing.
Aerate your lawn too. If you haven't aerated your lawn in a couple of years, now is the time. Lawns get compacted by foot traffic, pets and children playing, making the soil hard. Grass roots have a difficult time growing in compacted soil, and aeration is a way to loosen it up. Rent an aerator from your local home improvement store and always follow the manufacturer's guidelines when operating the machinery. Top-dress the lawn with 1/2 inch of compost afterward and water in well for a healthy lawn.
Sow seeds. Get a head start on your summer vegetables and flowers by directly sowing seeds into the garden — it's much less expensive than buying transplants. Vegetables like beets and beans can be sown earlier in the month, but wait until the end of March to sow chard, collards, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, summer squash, black-eyed peas and endive. Flowers like sunflowers, gomphrena, marigold, moon vine, nicotiana and morning glory can be planted this month as well — sow more seeds than you think you might want, as you can always thin them as they sprout if they are too thick. Not all seeds will germinate (sprout).
Watch out for pests and diseases. With the arrival of spring, you can be sure some unwanted garden guests will make an appearance. Bugs like aphids, thrips, grasshoppers and whiteflies can do real damage to new transplants. An insecticidal soap or spray will usually work, but do be sure you know the good bugs from the bad ones before you treat. Plant diseases like powdery mildew typically make their debut in the spring as well, so have your fungicide on hand or use an organic alternative like cow's milk in a spray bottle.
Complete your garden cleanup. You really don't want to start gardening in April behind the curve and playing catch-up, so be sure your outdoor spaces are cleaned up and ready to go by then. Rake up leaves and put them in the compost pile, pick up and dispose of trash, clean up your pots, dispose of old potting soil and remove any dead plant material. Make sure your tools are cleaned, oiled and sharpened, and that your irrigation system is efficient and free of breaks and leaks.
Tell us: How are you preparing your Texas garden for spring?
Complete your garden cleanup. You really don't want to start gardening in April behind the curve and playing catch-up, so be sure your outdoor spaces are cleaned up and ready to go by then. Rake up leaves and put them in the compost pile, pick up and dispose of trash, clean up your pots, dispose of old potting soil and remove any dead plant material. Make sure your tools are cleaned, oiled and sharpened, and that your irrigation system is efficient and free of breaks and leaks.
Tell us: How are you preparing your Texas garden for spring?