Gardening This Weekend: March 2, 2023

As you have a little extra time this weekend and as weather permits, here are your main goals in the garden and landscape.

PLANT
• Vegetables. South Texas – first crop of green beans, corn, cucumbers and squash (all from seeds). Tomatoes from transplants. Central and North Texas – finish leafy and root crops from seed, including radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, spinach, lettuce (leafy types only).
• Annual color. South Texas – transplants of spring and summer annuals, including zinnias, marigolds, celosia, cosmos, fanflower, angelonia, pentas, wax begonias, coleus. Wait two weeks to plant moss rose and purslane. Wait one month to plant caladiums. Wait until late May to plant Cora periwinkles (to avoid water mold funguses). North Texas – transplants of petunias, larkspur, sweet alyssum, calendulas. Wait two weeks to plant spring and summer annuals.
• Nursery stock: Supplies in retail nurseries are really picking up steam, but I’ve been warned that popular types are selling through quickly. Independent retailers with Texas Certified Nursery Professionals can best advise you on types for your needs. Go in during the week when they’re not quite as busy.
• Turf: Sod can be planted almost anywhere in Texas if absolutely necessary, but it would be better to wait a couple of weeks in South Texas and one month in North Texas. Wait 6 to 8 weeks to seed bermudagrass.

PRUNE
• Spring-flowering shrubs and vines after they finish flowering. (See related short story this issue, Grab Bag of Tidbits.)
• Winter-killed stubble from shrubs and evergreen perennials to tidy things up.
• Scalp lawn to remove browned blades and robust weeds.

FERTILIZE
• All landscape shrubs and groundcovers, also perennial garden with high-nitrogen or all-nitrogen fertilizer with half or more of that nitrogen in slow-release form.
• Same product for lawns now in South Texas, early April in Central and North Texas.

ON THE LOOKOUT
• Apply pre-emergent granules now. See related story last week.
• Broadleafed weeds (non-grasses) with product containing 2,4-D. Read and follow label directions for best results and to avoid damage to desirable trees and shrubs nearby.
• Fire ant mounds in lawn and landscape areas, but also around bags of mulch and potting soil. Use one of timed-release area-wide baits to give 6 months of control.