Monthly To-Do

Not sure what to plant when in your Iowa garden? Click here for a complete listing.

 Be careful about working the soil when it's too wet. It may stick together and then dry into hard clumps that will be difficult to break apart. 

 If you haven't already, rake away any leaves from around perennials. They're sending up fresh new growth that will be suffocated if covered. 

 Edge beds, walks, and drives as desired.

 Time to prune most large trees, small trees, evergreens, and shrubs. You can also prune roses as soon as they start to send out little red branch buds.

 Plant directly into the ground seeds of fast-germinating cool-season vegetables, such as radishes, spinaches, and lettuces.

 Plant bareroot trees, shrubs, and roses. Click here for a complete list of what to plant when this month and the rest of the year.

 Prevent diseases and insects on fruit trees by spraying with horticultural oil, also called dormant oil. Do so when there is little wind and temps are in the 40s. 

 The bright yellow forsythia is  blooming soon. That means its time to sprinkle any preemergent herbicide (kills weed seeds, such as Preen) on flower beds, if you choose to use it. It's also the time to apply a preemergent to your lawns. Or save time with a weed and feed combo!

 Stock up now on pots, potting soil, seeds and seed-starting supplies, tools, soil amendments, fertilizers, etc.

 How's your mower? If you didn't get it tuned up last fall and the blade sharpened, do it yourself now or take it in before the spring rush.

 Same for any shears or other sharp cutting or slicing objects, including spades and hoes. If you haven't already, invest in a sharpening stone. It makes all the difference. Click here to learn how.

 As your bulbs come up, make a record of where to plant new ones this fall. Take pictures or write it down or draw it on a piece of paper. Keep them someplace where you can reference them next fall--a garden journal perhaps?