March 2, 2021 snowdrops and sap

Crocus- last year

I’ve been trying to decide if March began as a lion or a lamb. It was windy and wet in the morning yesterday but by afternoon it was sunny and milder, although the wind was still brisk. Meteorological spring has arrived. Calendar spring is 18 days away. The days are getting longer and the sun stronger. It’s a nice sunny but windy day today.

I was able to get close to my flower beds yesterday and where the snow had melted away from in front of the deck on one end, I can see snowdrops about to bloom. The other end of that area is still buried in snow.  I see crocus and other bulbs popping up everywhere the snow is gone.

In the neighborhood maple syrup is being collected. The sap is rising during the day in trees.  (I wrote a short bit about maple sugaring below.)  You know the trees are waking up and working because the snow is melting in great circles around them and the buds are swelling.

When I go outside, I stop and listen to the birds. The singing has increased and I’m listening for the red wing blackbirds or the robins, sure signs spring is near. At night something else is singing - coyotes and cats, if you can call it singing. It’s mating season for both.  It’s mating season for skunks too and you may see them out and about- even in the daytime.

On days above freezing you can step outside and smell the bacteria in the soil working, that pleasant scent of earth that rises up to tickle your brain and make it happy.

Research has backed up what gardeners know instinctively; the smell of soil is pleasing to most people and it lifts the mood. It’s caused by bacteria called Streptomyces, which release molecules of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB). The odor is called petrichor, if you want to get scientific.  Do get outside and smell it.

I’m really pleased today since I was just able to schedule vaccinations for me and my husband. If you want one too, I hope you can find a spot to get one. Better days are coming.

Snowdrop

 Seed starting tips

It is still too early to plant many types of seed indoors in zones 6 and lower.  Late March is a good time for zone 6 gardeners, better wait until mid-April for zones 5 and lower. Patience will be rewarded with healthier plants.

Start saving items to use for seed starting. Deli trays are great trays for pots of seedlings – you can even use the clear domed lid ones as mini greenhouses. Toilet paper tubes can be cut in half, set in one of those trays and used as seed starters.

Foam and paper cups can be used to start seeds. Save used ones or buy them new, it’s cheaper than peat pots. I use 3 oz paper cups to start seeds. They last until you are ready to transplant the seeds, then tear apart easily and can be composted.

Make sure to wash all recycled items that have had food or other plants in them.

A pencil eraser can be used to pick up and deposit seeds. Moisten the end and small seeds will stick to it to be deposited exactly where you want.

Gurneys has some of the best sweet corn seed you can buy. I personally like ‘Bodacious’ and ‘Gotta Have it.’

 

Winter aconite

March almanac

 “As it rains in March, so it rains in June.” 

“A dry March and a wet May, fill barns and bays, with corn and hay.”

 “When March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb.” 

 “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.” 

“ A pint of dust in March brings a peck of corn in September”

- Folk sayings

 

March 14^th begins daylight savings time. Spring those clocks ahead 1 hour. We keep talking about keeping the time the same all year round, but nothing ever gets done about it. I personally like daylight savings time because I am not a morning person. I like more gardening time in the evening.

The full moon in March occurs on the 28^th and is called the Worm moon, because earthworms once more make worm casts on the soil surface, or Sap moon because the trees begin to produce sap again, although that can happen much earlier in March. The moon perigee is today March 2^nd – and again March 30^th.  Moon apogee is the 18^th.

The most important date for all gardeners in March is, of course the first day of spring. It’s March 20^th. That’s the date when the length of the day and the night are about the same, the spring (vernal) equinox. In Michigan the length of the day will be 12 hours and 10 minutes. The length of the day will be 12 hours, 42 minutes on March 31^st. Meteorologically though, March 1 is the start of the spring weather season.

Other important dates and holidays in March are: 7^th – Employee Appreciation Day, the 8^th is International Women’s day, the 12^th  – Girl Scout Day and Plant a Flower Day, the 13^th  is National popcorn day and the 14^th is National Potato chip day and Learn about Butterflies day.

The 15^th is the Ides of March.  In ancient Rome this was the beginning of the New Year and also of spring. The 17^th is St. Patrick’s Day and the 18^th is the Goddess of Fertility day. The 19^th is National Poultry day, if you want some information about backyard chickens why not buy my book- Raising Chickens for Dummies.

The 20^th is Alien Abduction day and the 22^nd is Earth Day. The 25^th is National Agriculture day as well as National Pecan day and National Waffle day. The 30^th is National Doctors day.

March is Irish American month as well as National Women’s History month, National Nutrition month, National Peanut month, National Craft Month and National Frozen Foods month. It’s also National Reading month and I encourage you to read up about gardening and plants in general.

March’s birth flower is the daffodil or jonquil, the birthstone is aqua marine. Here’s a link to an article on growing daffodils.

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/how-to-grow-daffodils-marchbirth-flower.html

 

Tulip

March Gardening

March begins gardening season for most folks. Whether the snow is just melting or even still around, or you have green grass and budding trees there is gardening to be done in March.

Pace yourself after a long winter. Don’t work too hard for too long at first or you will wake up unable to do much the next day. Give your body a chance to get used to garden work again. And make sure to wear sunscreen and sunglasses. It may still be chilly, but the sun is strong.

Pruning

Pruning fruit trees and grape vines can still be done in zones 6 and lower. Get a good pruning manual and follow the directions. You can get pruning information at your County Extension office also. Pruning your fruit trees and grape vines makes your plants healthier and more productive. 

It’s a good time to prune oaks, yews, poplars, willows, honey locust, katsura, sycamore and some other trees. Take out all winter damaged limbs, crossing and rubbing branches, and thin and shape if needed. Don’t prune maples, birch, beech, or walnuts if the temperature is above freezing as it will cause heavy sap loss. Do not prune pines. 

Don’t prune fruit trees that are kept just for spring flowers, such as ornamental cherries and crabapples unless you are in a zone where they have already bloomed. Do not prune trees or shrubs you want spring flowers from, like redbuds, dogwood, magnolias, forsythia, lilacs, azalea, rhododendron, witch hazel, weigela, spiraea, flowering quince, and daphne. Pruning now will remove the flowers.  If they have bloomed in your area already, it’s a good time to prune them.

Clean up

Check for and repair winter damage (if possible) from rodents and deer.  Look at the bottoms of tree and shrub to see if the bark has been chewed.  If a tree or shrub is totally girdled, (the bark is eaten off all around the tree) it may die. Some shrubs and even trees may return from the roots. You’ll want to give damaged shrubs and trees extra water and fertilizer as new growth begins to help them recover.

Grafted trees, such as most fruit trees, will not respond with growth like the old tree, they come back from rootstock that is generally undesirable for fruiting. You’ll want to remove those trees if they were girdled.

If you didn’t cut down your herbaceous perennials, (plants whose upper parts died over winter), you can do that cleanup now.  Remove old stalks and seedheads. Use caution when cutting back mums. Leave the stems several inches above ground to avoid damaging buds on the lower stems.  Work with all plants carefully so as not to damage emerging sprouts or pull them from wet ground.

If you are hearing people cautioning that removing debris too early harms helpful insects consider this – harmful insects also hibernate in debris and so do fungal disease spores. Move the debris to the compost pile and any helpful insects can emerge there. If you have lots of damage from slugs and snails in your garden remove debris early, so the soil dries out and those critters don’t have places to hide and lay eggs.

I let a lot of the leaves and finer debris stay around the plants, but I do try to prune back old stems early and remove any matted areas of leaf mulch. That debris will quickly decay in warmer weather and give its nutrients to the soil.

When you remove dead stems you may want to add a marker to let you know where perennials are until they have emerged. This is so you won’t dig into them or otherwise damage them until you can see them.

Woody and semi-woody perennials should not be pruned just yet in zones 6 and lower. This includes roses. The ends of stems have hardened over the winter, or died back, and are protecting buds farther down the stem. If you cut them back in March a cold snap may kill buds much farther down than you want. Instead wait for mid to late April in zones 6 and lower when the weather is a bit milder to prune woody plants.

Those in zone 7 and higher can now prune off dead rose canes and dead stems on woody perennials without worry.

Don’t be in a hurry to remove any protective mulch you put over plants such as strawberries. If the weather gets quite warm you can remove some of the mulch but leave it close by and be prepared to re-cover plants if a cold snap is coming.

If the vegetable garden wasn’t cleaned up in the fall you can do that now.  Remove all old debris to avoid insect and disease problems in the coming year. 

You can remove any sprouting weeds and cut down seedling trees which sprouted in the wrong places.

Soil improvement-fertilizing

If the ground isn’t frozen it’s a good time to get a soil test done. You’ll get your results faster than if you wait until later in the spring. Soil tests should be done when you are gardening in a new location, if your plants didn’t do well last year, or if you haven’t done a soil test in a long time. Collect your soil sample and let it air dry if it’s very wet before sending it to the lab. 

One of the sure signs spring has arrived is the mud. Don’t get in your garden when the ground is still wet, this compacts the soil and will seriously affect the root systems of plants. Walking on and moving equipment across wet lawns will leave unsightly ruts and make you curse while mowing later in the spring.

Compost and aged manure can be placed on beds.  Just be careful not to leave ruts or compact the soil when moving loads of material.  Because of “frost laws” in the spring heavy truck loads of mulch, soil or soil amendments may not be allowed on roads leading to your house in March so plan accordingly. Frost laws are set by each county, call your county road commission to see when they apply in your area.

If early bulbs are up and the ground isn’t frozen, you can apply a granular slow-release fertilizer around them. This helps insure bigger bulbs and more blooms next year. Granular slow-release fertilizer can be applied around spring blooming shrubs and trees also.

Anemone

Planning and building

Lay out new beds and remove sod before it gets growing. Build and fill raised beds if the ground beneath them is unfrozen and dry enough to walk on. It’s a good time to measure your landscape if you are planning changes or additions.

You can build or place gazebos, sheds, trellis’s, planters, decks, swings, benches and so on. Move rocks into place. Excavate water features. It’s a good time to put up fences. You may want to build row tunnels or other plant protection. Repair and paint fences and other structures.

You can renew the mulch around beds and on paths. It’s a great time to establish new paths, and mulch around trees.

Planting

Sow grass seed- yes even if it still snows sowing grass seed is fine. Just make sure that your ground is dry enough you don’t leave large footprints or spreader ruts in the soil. The ground should not be frozen when you apply the seed and you should be able to prepare a good seed bed before sowing the seeds.

If the weather is balmy gardeners may even be able to plant a few containers of cold hardy annuals like pansies or flats of sprouted spring bulbs for early color. The garden shops in your area will be offering such goodies if the area and weather are suitable.

You can plant dormant bareroot plants as long as the ground isn’t frozen.   Snow and cold weather after planting won’t hurt dormant plants that are hardy for your area.

You can plant crops like lettuce and radishes in coldframes or under row covers in zones 6 and lower and in the garden in zones 7 and above. Near the end of March, you can start plants like cabbage, tomatoes and peppers inside in a warm place in zones 6 and lower. If you like peas you can sow them in the garden in mid-March if the ground is unfrozen.

There is still time to plant seeds of perennials and annual flowers inside in flats or pots. You can pot up tuberous begonias and calla’s and start geranium and coleus cuttings.

Other garden chores

Apply dormant oil sprays. A dormant oil spray is part of the good pest management program for fruit trees. It can be applied when the weather is above 40 degrees but below 80 degrees.

You can scrape and clean any surface that’s going to be painted when the weather is warmer. Get the mower out and sharpen the blades. Make sure it’s in good repair before the mad spring rush to mower repair shops begins. Clean garden tools and buy new ones if needed.

It’s an excellent time to clean, paint or put up more birdhouses. You will want to have most bird houses in place by April. Keep an eye out for returning orioles and hummingbirds and have their feeders ready to put out. I usually put out jelly for orioles in early April here. I watch reports of where people are seeing hummers and as soon as I see they are in Michigan I put out nectar feeders for them.

If nothing else- get out there and sit in the sun. Smell the fresh soil. It’s good for you.

Tulip sylvestris

Maple syrup time

Why not experiment making some maple syrup this spring? In my area the maple trees are being tapped for maple syrup now. The best time to make maple syrup is when days are sunny and above freezing, but nights fall below freezing. Once leaves start appearing the syrup season is over.

Here’s something a lot of people don’t know. While maple trees, particularly sugar maples, offer a sap high in sugar that makes distinctive tasting syrup, many other trees can be tapped for their sap and the sap made into syrup.  In Alaska they make syrup from spruce trees, in some states syrup from birch is made. Birch syrup is made after maple syrup in some places because the sap flow starts later. Black walnut tree sap also makes a good syrup.

Hardware and garden stores now carry simple maple sugaring kits in some areas. You need a plastic or metal tube that taps into the cambium layer of the tree, just under the bark. Most people now attach that tube to plastic tubing that runs into a container with a cover. The cover keeps out animals- like deer. Sap has to be collected daily. It takes 10 gallons of sap roughly, to make a quart of maple syrup.  Here’s a source for more information. 

https://extension.psu.edu/maple-syrup-production-for-the-beginner

If you are considering making syrup from the sap of any trees do it outside.  The steam produced from boiling sap leaves a sticky residue on walls and ceilings. You use a candy thermometer in the sap and try to keep it boiling at around 219 degrees. Wide stainless-steel pots that allow more surface room for steam to escape from the syrup are best. People use turkey fryers now to make syrup- that seems like an excellent use for them. Electric or gas sources of heat are much easier to adjust than old fashioned wood fires.  Grills and camp stoves work well. Sap needs to be stirred, especially as it nears the syrup point so you will need to be close by while the sap is boiling.

 

Tapping a maple tree for making syrup

Book review- Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal by Mark Bittman

I mentioned in an earlier blog I was reading a new book on food production and I would review it. It took me a while to finish this but here’s my review.

This is a so-so book. There are interesting moments, but it won’t keep you spell bound. It is more of a vast overview of our current agricultural production methods and food production preferences with some agricultural history.  The author tries to cover far more than one should in one book. And there is no attempt to try and cover all sides of the issues brought up. The author disapproves of most modern food production and his distain shows.

Modern agriculture is complicated. While we have done a lot of things wrong and may need a course correction, there are advances in agriculture that are beneficial and do help feed the world in a safe manner. The author is particularly hard on US farmers and food producers, and while our focus on profit in agriculture and food processing does make us vulnerable to criticism there are good, sustainable practices in agriculture and food production being practiced here in the States too.

The authors lack of knowledge of modern farming shows, he is drawing on somewhat outdated and definitely prejudicial ideas about farming. I know modern farming methods need to change, but I also know we are actually moving toward more sustainable food production. Farmers are using no till, pollinator strips and conservation easements, as some examples, in many locations here in the US.  More needs to be done, especially in animal production, but lets also talk about what we are doing right rather just condemning all agricultural production.

In this book the history of food production takes up about a third of the book and because this topic is so vast and so complicated it should have been a book on its own.  When the author tries to mix this with the more recent developments in food production, concepts for improvement of agriculture and food production, human health implications and even politics, nothing gets covered deeply enough in the book to be truly useful.

There are no footnotes in the book that could back up statistics and research studies mentioned.  There are some chapter by chapter notes in the back of the book, but I found them insufficient to corroborate/ fact check many statements in the book.

The author tries to give some examples of how we could improve food production, but I really found that chapter lacking, both in depth and substance. I personally could give many more and better ways to improve our food production systems.

I do agree with the author on many points, particularly that modern western agriculture is not driven by demand, but rather profit. Everything is about making it quicker, easier and more profitable, not how to do it right. Don’t worry about what to do with what is produced, we’ll make a market for it.  I just wish the author could have supported that idea better.

 

"How terrible a time is the beginning of March. In a month there will be daffodils and the sudden blossoming of orchards, but you wouldn't know it now. You have to take spring on blind faith." ―Beatriz Williams

 

Kim Willis

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And So On….

 

Find Michigan garden events/classes here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/118847598146598/

(This is the Lapeer County Gardeners facebook page)

 

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