After a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures, it is tempting in our eagerness to dig right into the garden, believing frost and snow are behind us.

Although there are outside gardening chores we can begin, be careful to time them around our notoriously long winters. You can start pruning deciduous fruiting and ornamental shrubs and trees. But, other than removing broken or damaged branches, your coniferous and broad-leafed evergreens should not be pruned until new growth is visible. And, if you’re brave enough to be growing hybrid tea roses, pruning too early may stimulate new growth that will be killed by frost. Wait until forsythia is in bloom to prune these roses.

When pruning, keep in mind that shrubs that bloom after June bloom on new wood and should be pruned in late winter or early spring – before that new growth begins. Those that bloom before June are generally blooming on old wood and need pruning as soon as their flowering is complete.

Although proper pruning will discourage many pest and disease problems, if you had a problem last year, you might want to consider spraying the tree or shrub with horticultural oil. This product smothers the insects and their eggs and is an earth-friendly alternative to pesticides. I will be spraying my ornamental crabapple tree with this oil to combat any insect relatives of those that found the tree’s blossoms so tasty last spring.

Though I have not personally tried this suggestion, I have read that adding a rounded tablespoon of baking soda to a tablespoon of horticultural oil and a gallon of water creates a very effective fungicide that prevents powdery mildew, black spot, and some other fungal diseases.

Another job we gardeners long to do this time of year is to pull back any winter mulch from our perennial beds. Don’t do this too early. We still have some frosty nights ahead and that mulch acts as a temperature stabilizer for the soil and the plants it contains. It’s also too early to add mulch or compost to your garden beds. Especially avoid adding manure and other fertilizers before the soil is workable. If they are added too soon, nitrogen can run off into lakes and streams – a real concern in our area.

If your mouth is watering for asparagus from your garden, you can begin now to hasten the harvest. Clear the mulch from part of your asparagus bed and cover the space with a cold frame or a floating row cover. This covering will warm up the area and protect the new growth so you can be stocking up on those stalks even sooner.

If you’d like to try growing asparagus, choose a well-drained area of your garden. As this vegetable is a perennial, often productive for fifteen years or more, locate it in an area where it can remain undisturbed.

Asparagus likes a sweet soil, 6.5-7.5 pH. It is best to do a soil test first but at least add 20 pounds of 10-20-10 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet and dig in six inches before planting.

You’ll need to buy one-year-old crowns and plant in five to six inch deep furrows amended with superphosphate fertilizer after the soil has warmed to about 50 degrees.

Although some sources say to wait until the third year before harvesting, one source I read, www.ohioline.osu.edu, encourages harvesting several times the year after planting.

Though older asparagus varieties have been grown successfully for thousands of years, the newer, all-male hybrids like Jersey Giant and Jersey Knight are recommended for their higher yields.

Until next week, enjoy your gardening dreams, hard work and garden miracles.

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