or how I learned to enjoy eating a lot of asparagus

Greens, greens, nothing but greens! March is a bountiful time in the Lakeway garden. Flowers, bees, butterflies, trees and spring vegetables flourish. But let’s bow down to the King of Spring, the graceful asparagus. Once established, it needs little more than some water and fertilizer every so often. And the return on investment for this little work is astounding! The best thing I ever planted in my garden was asparagus about 5 years ago. The fact that you can keep harvesting it’s delicious stalks for 20 years is mind-boggling. Truly the best!

March Garden Tips

Flowers to Plant

• Alyssum
• Aster
• Garden Balsam
• Calendula
• Coleus
• Coreopsis
• Dusty Miller
• Impatiens
• Jacobinia
• Lantana
• Mexican Heather
• Nasturtium
• Pentas
• Petunia
• Purslane/Portulaca
• Salvia
• Verbena

Seeds to Sow

• Beans – pole, snap, lima
• Beets
• Cantaloupe
• Carrots
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Greens – cool season, warm season
• Peas – southern
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Squash – summer, winter
• Turnips
• Watermelon

Things to Transplant

• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Tomatoes

Things to Sow or Transplant

• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Mustard
• Swiss Chard

March Garden To-Dos

Fertilize your lawn

Central Texas lawns need to be fed twice a year, once in spring, and once in fall. There are many good, organic options on the market – look for a solid, slow-release fertilizer with an N-P-K formulation that has a higher amount of nitrogen (N), which is the nutrient that encourages green, leafy development in plants.  If you haven’t aerated your lawn within the past 3 to 5 years, then do it this spring.  Top-dress with compost before or after aerating for maximum benefit.

Till in winter cover crops

Allow two weeks for the cover crop to decompose before planting in that area.

Watch out for late cold snaps

Keep your floating row cover nearby and handy in case we have a late cold snap. You can wrap tomato cages or pea trellises, and make tents for squash or melons. Row cover can also help protect new seedlings and little transplants from strong springtime winds. The last average frost date is March 4th, but tomatoes and peppers need protection from the low 50s. Once danger of frost has passed, move citrus trees and other tropicals outside.

Check for aphids on new growth

One surprising solution for aphids is to spray them with fish emulsion. One step stronger would be an insecticidal soap spray. Sometimes even just a hard blast with water will dislodge them but be sure your plant is big enough to withstand it. Whatever method you choose, spray once every 3-5 days until you get control.

Watch for whiteflies and thrips

They’re tiny but their predictable habits make them fairly easy to identify. Whiteflies are easy to spot because they always fly up in a little cloud when their host plant is disturbed. Also, their sticky exudate often causes a sooty black mold to grow on plant leaves. Thrips are harder to see but you might feel ‘em! If you’re in the garden and you’re getting nipped by something that isn’t a mosquito, check the plants around you for thrips. They especially love roses, and because insecticides cannot reach inside the closed buds, all buds should be removed and discarded. If you do find whiteflies or thrips in your garden, spray weekly with horticultural oil for three weeks.

Watch for powdery mildew

Check new foliage on crape myrtles, squash, and roses for powdery mildew. If you find it, spray affected and surrounding leaves with either a natural fungicide, or cow milk (both skim or whole will work). Spray every 5-7 days, and spray again whenever there is a new flush of growth.

Garden Tips courtesy of The Natural Gardener.