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This Almanac should be used as a general guideline of common garden tasks. You should modify the list based on your specific geographic area.

In the Vegetable Garden

• As soon as the weather settles and you can work the soil, begin to set out your broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and early cabbage plants.

• If you haven't already done so already, sow broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, peas, radishes, salsify, spinach, and turnips, 20-40 days prior to your last expected frost date.

• Between 10 - 30 days prior to your last expected frost date, sow beets, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, and Swiss chard.

• If you plant a few radish seeds within your other rows, they germinate quickly, marking the rows, and help you know where to concentrate your cultivation efforts.

• Your warm weather and longer season crops should already be started.  Depending on your specific area, tomatoes should be planted 6-8 weeks prior to transplanting and peppers about 8 weeks.

• Experimentation and documentation are the keys to successful gardens.  Try new things, but write it down and make notes throughout the season.  Your garden journals make great reading on those long winter days and you can plan your strategy at the same time as you plan your layout and pick your seeds.

• If you are growing asparagus, now is the time to transplant roots.  Do so in furrows so that the crowns are 4 - 6 inches below the surface, spacing 12 - 18 inches apart.  Sandy loam soil works best.

In the Flower Garden

• If you have not done so already, you should complete your rose pruning as soon as possible.

• Replace roses that have died over winter as soon as you can work the ground.

• Be careful not to damage emerging bulbs when cultivating you gardens.

• Scatter your annual poppy seeds.

• Experiment with planting fast growing vines, like 'Scarlet Runner' beans, this early.  In some areas, the conditions may be a bit cold but if you get an early start, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful blooms much longer.  Try planting so as to cover ugly areas like bare fences or sheds.

• Divide delphiniums as soon as the plants start in the Spring.  Separate to 3 crowns with nicely developed roots.  These will form the basis of a new planting.

• Easter lilies that have finished blooming in the house may be planted into your gardens.

• Use well rotted manure to feed new perennial flower beds.

• In extreme cases where you cannot control cabbage worms by hand, dust with rotenone (a plant derived pesticide).  If you are an organic grower, check your certifying authorities list of approved substances first.

• Nick the seeds of Morning Glories prior to planting.  This will help germination.  They prefer poor soil and will produce a lot of foliage and few flowers if planted in fertile soil.

Trees & Shrubs

• Before growth starts, trim your evergreen hedges or boxwood, arborvitae, yew and laurel.  Concentrate on trimming last year's growth.

• Finish planting bare root trees.

• Cultivate lime into the soil around clematis and lilacs.

• Leave the rotting foliage of last year's growth on your fern and wildflower beds.

• Clean up last years foliage from around delphiniums.

• Re-seed bare spots, or overseed thin spots in the lawn.

• Clean up vining plants.  Make sure that they are not growing under your siding or wrapping around electrical wires or downspouts.

Miscellaneous

• Leave cold frames open during the warmth of the days to help harden plants off.

• Don't plant out all of your seedlings.  Keep extras to serve as replacements for those lost after transplanting.

Other Almanac Issues

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