1. Spring vegetable gardening: Plant those warm season crops.
This list includes beans, black-eyed peas, okra, squash, cantaloupe,
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, corn, and eggplant.
There's still time to plant those cooler season crops: lettuce, rad-
ishes, and carrots.
_____________________________________________________
2. Fertilize your garden: Do this organically with compost. Other
sources of nutrition are dried fish flakes and organic fertilizers form-
ulated for garden use. You can also use liquid fertilizers, such as
fish emulsion and seaweed extracts.
_____________________________________________________
3. Control weeds: Keep them down with mulch and by weeding a
little bit every day.
_____________________________________________________
4. Plant spring annuals: This is the perfect time. Work some com-
post into your flower beds and you'll give these new plants just the
food they need to flower through the summer. Some ideas: begonias,
zinnias, marigolds, petunias, coleus, periwinkle, cosmos, larkspur,
portulaca, and purslane (pictured above).
_____________________________________________________
5. Plant perennials: Choose some of your favorites from the exten-
sive lists available, or visit your neighborhood nursery and browse.
Look for the many varieties of drought tolerant and showy lantanas
and salvias. Also blackfoot daisies, skullcaps, purple coneflowers,
black-eyed Susan, plumbagos, columbines, rockrose, ruella, and
verbena.
_____________________________________________________
6. Ornamental grasses: Native varieties are best due to their heat
and drought tolerance. My favorites are big muhley, coastal muhley
and the maiden grasses. For a short grass in a very dry place, you
might like Mexican feather grass. It is blond-colored, reaches 1.5 ft
in height, and makes a beautiful accent plant that moves so grace
fully with the slightest breeze.
_____________________________________________________
7. Fertilize lawn: Use a slow release organic fertilizer. The 3-1-2
ratio is best. Allow 10 pounds of fertilizer for every 1,000 square
feet of lawn. Mowing height should be 2.5 inches for St. Augustine
grass and 2 inches for Bermuda and zoysia. I like to return the grass
clippings to the turf. These clippings act as a mulch and help to red-
uce weeds. Water infrequently and deeply to encourage a deep root
system. This practice will train your lawn grass to be more drought
tolerant and help to conserve water.
_____________________________________________________
8. Fertilize shrubs, trees: Mulch with a compost-mulch blend to
provide nutrients and conserve water. Deep, infrequent watering of
shrubs and trees will encourage deep, drought-tolerant root systems.
Remember to seal pruning cuts on oak trees. It might save them
from oak wilt. Happy springtime gardening everyone! ❦
