Things to do in your Michigan garden this March

March in Michigan makes gardeners itch to get outside, especially if the winter has been mild. Gardeners feel the sun getting stronger and there is more daylight time after work. If you are looking outside and seeing bare ground, and smelling percolating earth a true gardener is drawn to the garden.

But March can be a fickle month in Michigan, with some of our largest snowstorms occurring in March. Chances are good we will get some more snow and some very cold weather in March along with the sunny days. There are however, some safe chores you can do when the ground is bare and the sun is shining, even in March.

One of the sure signs spring has arrived in Michigan 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.

If you have sandy soil that dries rapidly or you have raised beds you can access by standing on paths then you can do the cleanup and pruning chores of early spring much sooner than those with heavier soil. If you didn’t cut down your herbaceous perennials, those whose upper parts died over winter, you can do that cleanup now.

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.

Woody and semi-woody perennials should not be pruned just yet. 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 down much farther than you want. Instead wait for mid to late April in most parts of Michigan when the weather is a bit milder to prune woody plants.

Do not prune any spring flowering woody plants, such as forsythia and lilacs now if you want a good flower show. The flower buds are already there on the branches. If the bloom isn’t important to you then it is fine to prune those plants. Pruned branches of flowering shrubs may be brought inside and put in water for early blooms.

You can prune fruit trees now. In fact it’s an excellent time to prune them. Don’t prune maples now- the rising sap will flow profusely from any wounds. You might want to tap those maples to make maple syrup instead. Most other trees can be pruned safely.

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.

You can renew the mulch around beds and on paths. 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 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.

Lay out new beds and the 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 remove any sprouting weeds and cut down seedling trees which sprouted in the wrong places.

Grass seed can now be planted. It won’t matter if it snows again on top of it. Put up a cold frame- see this article- and get greens, onions, radishes and flowers like snapdragons, pansies and violas started. By the end of March, if the ground isn’t frozen, those gardeners in warmer spots in Michigan can plant peas directly in the garden.

For gardeners in those warmer areas (in larger cities, by large bodies of water, in courtyards and protected areas) late March may be a good time to divide emerging perennials like hosta, phlox, and daylilies. Replant divisions in similar conditions.

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.

It’s an excellent time to clean, paint or put up more birdhouses. See this article on building birdhouses. You will want to have most bird houses in place by April. You can scrape and clean any surface that’s going to be painted when the weather is warmer. Repair fences, arbors and other structures. Get the mower out and sharpen the blades. Make sure its in good repair before the mad spring rush to mower repair shops begins.

And when it isn’t quite pleasant enough to be outside in March in Michigan, remember that many greenhouses and gardening shops will be opening and you can purchase seeds, pots, gloves and other gardening goodies. Do your mail order shopping early so you will be sure to get the items you want, they’ll be sent to you at the right time for planting.

There’s plenty of gardening to be done in Michigan in March. If you start early you’ll have more time to enjoy the garden season when the spring garden rush begins.