March 2007 - Getting to work on the garden

March 2007 - Getting to work on the garden
by Bob Johnson

March is the month when you can really start to get work done in the garden, although this year some jobs have never really stopped!

gardencentreonline.com monthly gardening article by professional gardener, Bob Johnson. Gardening in the Cotswolds for the rich and famous for the last 15 years.

Lawns This month rake your lawn over with a sturdy metal lawn rake to get rid of any dead thatch and moss. Also now’s a good time to re-cut any damaged edges of your lawn with a half moon. If you’ve got any bare patches on the lawn it's a good time now to reseed them. With the coming of Spring comes milder weather so if the ground is not too wet then you can give your lawn a cut with a high setting on your lawnmower to tidy it up.

Greenhouse If you haven’t planted any sweet peas yet then now is the time to get them in. Any geraniums or fuchsias that have over wintered can also now be pruned with pair of secateurs to remove any dead or damaged growth and generally reduce height to give them a good bushy growth, Give them a little water now until they start to shoot and then water them normally. If you want to feed them it’s best to do this once the new growth has started.Plant tomatoes and cucumber seeds for growing in the greenhouse. Also try some lettuce and rocket in trays for an early crop. On sunny days make sure your greenhouse doesn’t get too hot by opening vents or the door to stop it overheating

Vegetable Garden March is the time to prepare your seed beds by going over them with a hoe or a rake. Brussel sprouts can be sown under cloches or open ground from the end of the month to mid April and now’s the time also to get the first sowing of broad beans in.Sow leeks towards the end of the month, onions sets and shallots can also be planted towards the end of the month. Parsnips and first early potatoes can also go in towards the end of the month. Mulch strawberries and raspberries and feed them.

Borders Plant out herbaceous plants and if needed lift and divide large plants and replace any old plants. Finish planting any trees so that they are in before the weather gets too dry, also any shrubs and fruit bushes should also be planted.

Pruning Prune roses, cutting out dead diseased or weak branches to a nice fat outward facing bud using good quality secateurs. Clematis can also be pruned, a good rule of thumb is to prune all varieties that bloom after June right down to 6 - 12 inches above soil level. If they flower before June leave them alone but if they are out of control prune lightly.

Birds Not really part of gardening but if you put feeders or a bird table out and offer a variety of food (sunflower seeds, mixed bird seed, nuts, soft bill mix, fat balls and dried meal worms to name but a few) the birds that come will benefit the garden and in the winter months our feathered friends need all the help they can get. A bird bath is also a pleasant feature to any garden and gives the birds the essential water that they need, Birds can be fed all year round and our personal feeders attract robins, finches (chaff, gold and green) tits (blue and coal) ring collared doves, blackbirds and wrens - they are a joy to watch and would be an added bonus to any garden as they will help keep the bugs down. If you can attract starlings these would help minimise the population of leatherjackets as this is one of their favourites and leatherjackets can be really destructive to your garden plants and lawns.